Character Interview
1. Tell us a little bit about
yourself--both something we learn from [the story] and something that readers
might not guess?
My name is Rose Hardie and I’ve
been married to Craig for forty-one years.
We live in Nanyuki which is a small market town, three hours north of
Nairobi in Kenya. Craig was a farm manager
so we’ve lived in various rural areas but we decided to retire to Nanyuki,
primarily for its proximity to the cottage hospital. Craig caught polio when he was a boy which
damaged his leg and left him with a limp.
Unfortunately, late in life he has developed a secondary condition which
is gradually eating away at his body and causes him pain, although he refuses
to admit it.
We don’t have a lot of money, but I
get paid a small amount by European farmers for my veterinary work. I’m not a qualified vet and when the
government changed the veterinary legislation in 2011, I thought I might have
to stop, but the only qualified vet in Nanyuki, Dr Emma, doesn’t like treating
larger animals and prefers her patients to come to her pharmacy. I’ve always been a community vet so now I practice
as a ‘veterinary para-professional’ overseen by Dr Emma, and continue to attend
animals in Nanyuki, and the surrounding Laikipia county. Many of my African
clients can’t pay in cash, but they give me fruit or vegetables which means we
always have food on our table.
Readers won’t know that I used to
ride horses competitively and represented Kenya in showjumping when I was
twenty. We travelled with our horses to
Zambia, mainly in specially constructed railway carriages, and competed against
teams from Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. It was great fun and an amazing experience.
2. How did you
first meet your writer?
Victoria and her
young family moved to Nanyuki when her husband took a job here. She had ridden and wanted to start again so I
found her a horse which she stabled with me.
I was given a couple of rescue ponies by the KSPCA (Kenya Society for
the Protection and Care of Animals) to rehome so we taught Victoria’s children
to ride. She understood the importance
of community and joined both the Pony Club and horse show committees, which I
was also involved with so our friendship grew.
3. Want to
dish about him/her?
I didn’t
understand what this question meant but my young friend Thabiti explained
it. I don’t like to gossip as I take
people as I find them. I’m sorry Victoria and her family moved back to the UK
as I’ll miss them. She was always organized, hard-working and enthusiastic,
although those two boys of hers were a handful.
4. Why do you
think that your life has ended up being in a book?
I know Victoria
loved Kenya and really threw herself into life here. It’s not easy and many wives, particularly those
whose husbands are working away a lot, can’t make the transition from a
well-organized, generally safe, western society
to Kenya. In the book Chloe highlights
some of the differences. Life exists on
the edge here. There is amazing scenery
and wonderful weather but a far higher chance of being injured or killed: I
have lost too many friends too early from road traffic accidents or plane crashes. Many of the conveniences of a first world
society don’t exist. We suffer frequent
power failures, shortages of varieties of food, such as sugar, and there are
far fewer products in general available here.
Victoria told me
she would never view the world in the same way having lived in Kenya. She said she wouldn’t take anything for
granted,
but would appreciate the smaller things in life. A birthday is to be celebrated for another
year experienced rather than ignored or hated because it is a symbol of aging. Life is to be lived and I have certainly done
that and continue to do so. I think
that’s why I ended up in Victoria’s book.
5. Who's your favorite character?
Why?
I’ve been delighted and relieved
that Thabiti has survived the traumas thrown at him. He still has mental wounds to heal but his
boyish good humour and love of life are helping his recovery. I hope he finds his purpose in life. In the meantime he is great company for
Craig.
Sam intrigues me. I suspect he is a man with many faces and
hidden talents. I would choose him to
help me if I found myself in a sticky situation.
6. Who's your least favorite
character? Why?
I don’t have a least favorite character. Even those who have acted wrongly have
generally done so out of some misguided sense of what is right and wrong. Mind you, the poacher’s grandson would do a
lot better if he buckled down and did some real work and helped his family in a
meaningful way.
7. What's next for you?
I suppose it’s back to a quiet life,
and whilst Craig would prefer I didn’t take on any more investigations I think
I’m going to miss piecing puzzles together.
I’m joining my young friends, Thabiti and Chloe, this weekend for
the Great Grevy Rally, north of Nanyuki in the Samburu National Reserve. We are conducting a census of the endangered
Grevy’s zebra.
Readers can join
my mailing list by visiting VictoriaTait.com and they will receive a free copy
of my novella, Grevy Danger.
Two deaths. No crime. For this
determined sleuth the answers are not black and white.
When Rose joins
an endangered zebra expedition, she’s shaken to her core when an injured girl
she treats suddenly dies. And
after another death days later, Rose can’t silence the alarm bells in her head
that point to murder. Will Rose’s
pursuit for justice lead to her own extinction?
Two Grevy’s Zebra
About Fowl Murder
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kanga Press (July 21, 2020)
ebook, 190 pages
Digital ASIN: B089RRXBC1
A shooting on the savannah. A tragedy she’d rather forget. When past and present collide, will she survive to see her future? Kenya, 2016. Semi-retired vet Rose Hardie just wants to enjoy her golden years and care for her disabled husband. But her peace of mind shatters when a forgotten confidant returns and reopens a case where Rose pulled the trigger. With her memories of the poacher’s shocking death flooding back, she barely catches her breath before her childhood friend is brutally murdered.
Braving blackmail and entrenched corruption, the tireless woman dives headfirst into helping the victim’s son solve the crime. But when the lead suspect is killed, Rose’s plans for a peaceful life end up dead and buried…
As her own traumatic history unravels, can Rose catch a killer before she becomes the next victim?
Foul Murder is the first book in the compelling Kenya Kanga Mystery series. If you like determined heroines, unpredictable twists and turns, and vivid African settings, then you’ll love Victoria Tait’s pulse-pounding tale.
About Victoria Tait
Victoria Tait is an exciting new author launching her Kenya Kanga Mystery series. She’s drawn on 8 years living in rural Kenya with her family to transport her readers to a world of curiosity, community and conspiracy. The Kenya Kanga Mystery series brings to life the beauty of the Kenyan landscape, the magic of its wildlife and the warmth of its people.
Author Links
You can find Victoria at https://www.victoriatait.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaTait
Blog/News: https://victoriatait.com/news/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/vataitauthor/
Purchase Links -
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