It’s my pleasure to welcome author Carmen Radtke to this blog for an interview. Carmen is lives in Castiglione del Lago, Italy – a small town with a lot of history and several cat sanctuaries! Sounds like a place I’d like to visit.
How long have you been published, Carmen? What titles and/or series have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.
My first novel was published in 2017. It’s called The Case of the Missing Bride.
My Jack and Frances mysteries set in the early 1930s and my Genie and Adriana Darling mysteries, teaming up a modern day jewelry designer with the pet-whispering flapper ghost of her great-great aunt, are now being published by dp books. My other mysteries, including the Willowmere mysteries, are self published.
Nice. Tell us a little bit about your books — if you write a series, any upcoming releases or your current work-in-progress. If you have an upcoming release, please specify the release date.
Although I write several series, from historical cozies inspired by true events to contemporary cozies and light paranormal mysteries, they all have a few things in common. They feature smart, resourceful women, found family, and they celebrate friendship. My sleuths usually can’t go to the police – either because they wouldn’t be taken seriously, stand to lose their jobs (a real threat during the Great Depression!), or they’d have to explain their witnesses are cats and dogs or they just happen to have suddenly inherited witchy powers. All my heroines love books – strangely enough we all have the same literary taste!
Interesting. I also write a few cozy series and, although they’re each unique, like yours they also have things in common.
Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?
I used to be a newspaper reporter, so I’ve always earned my living writing. My goal is to keep on entertaining my readers and to finally make enough money to be financially secure. I’ve recently started networking more with other writers and advertising, something I should have done years ago!
I’m currently working on my next Willowmere mystery, before I return to my older series. I’ve committed to writing a Christmas mystery for an anthology, so that is also on the list for this year.
I wrote for my college newspaper, but it was volunteer. I was paid for my work typing the editor’s stories, though. Making enough money writing to be financially secure is a great goal but one that is difficult to achieve.
What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?
I love mysteries, both golden age and contemporary, that offer escapism and relatable characters. Whatever I write, however whimsical, is always grounded in facts, even if it’s only a trip to the movie theater or a tree affected by a storm. If a movie wasn’t yet released or the tree doesn’t grow where I want them, they won’t make it into the book.
The readers I want to attract enjoy mysteries with red herrings, plausible plots (yes, even if a ghost or a novice witch investigate), and they love seeing the characters evolve. One of my early readers told me, “I wish these characters were my friends.”
As a cozy mystery author myself, I also hope to attract those type of readers.
What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?
We can’t decide the outcome but we can control our input and what we do with it. Rejection will always be part of your life as a writer. Accept it. But also don’t forget to celebrate every milestone, every achievement. Found the perfect character name? Great. Solved a tricky plot issue? Excellent. Finished your first draft? Hooray! Sing, dance, treat yourself! You’re a writer. You’re creating something that wouldn’t exist without you. That in itself is a huge achievement.
Very nice advice. I totally agree. We need to reward one another for all stops on the journey.
What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?
I was very lucky to be selected for mentoring/manuscript assessment by the New Zealand Society of Authors who loved my work. And then the rejections came. Walking in the Shadow was considered too much like The Island by Victoria Hislop, because of the subject matter.
The Case of the Missing Bride, a Malice Domestic finalist and later nominate for a CWA Historical Dagger, was set in the wrong location. Agents loved it but said they could only sell mysteries set in the US or the U.K. …
I was so disheartened I shelved submissions for a couple of years! Nowadays I wish I’d just self-published back then.
Hindsight can be cruel. It’s best to move forward, as you’re doing.
Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?
I used to. Nowadays, I just write and I have a trusted feedback network.
Feedback is so important.
What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?
I love animals, travel, movies, tap dance – sadly I have no tap dance group since I left the U.K.
I’m an animal lover, too. I also like to travel, but it’s not always easy leaving my cats.
What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?
What I love most is the fun I have writing and creating stories that my readers love. The thing I like least or rather the most challenging is marketing myself and treating this as a business.
I believe most authors feel this way. I certainly do.
What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?
As a local reporter, I’ve dealt with all kinds of stories, some uplifting, others harrowing. The older I get, the more I crave comforting stories, where good wins, evildoers won’t escape, and nothing happens that gives me nightmares.
My characters don’t always stick to the law – Jack is a nightclub owner who ignores the 6pm liquor ban that existed in Australia for almost half a century – but they know what’s right. I sometimes have character envy because I wouldn’t mind trading places for a bit!
lol. I enjoy my characters, too, and they sometimes surprise me.
Can you share a short excerpt from your latest title or upcoming release?
“A witch and her talking cat isn’t that the cliché? What about a dog? Or a chipmunk?”
His back arched so far, I feared he’d snap in half. His fur bristled and he glowered at me. “It’s called an archetype, and you should be grateful to have me as your mentor. And talking about clichés, who among us is a perimenopausal woman dumped for a younger woman?”
I staggered back. I’d clearly hit a sore spot, but so had he. Biting my lip, I counted to ten before extending a verbal olive branch. “I stand corrected.”
His body relaxed. He graciously nodded his head.
“I’m also grateful you called me a woman, not a hag, or a crone.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m witty, not mean. Now you may offer me tuna. From your personal stash.”
Thank you for sharing that great excerpt.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your books?
That they’re all well worth a read? 😆 And that the spelling is dependent on the characters and the setting. Jack and Frances are Australian and the books are set in the early 1930s so they don’t sound the same as my British or American characters, even if they’re from the same period, like my lovely flapper ghost Adriana.
Thanks for the interview. I’m sharing the blog tour for your new release below.
Axes and Alchemy (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery)
Willowmere Mysteries
by Carmen Radtke
About Axes and Alchemy
Axes and Alchemy (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Oregon
Independently Published
Publication Date : August 15, 2025
Number of Pages: ~230
ASIN : B0F897P74L
Pirate loot and deadly feud …
So much for a peaceful next chapter: Novice witch Bex Merriweather has her hands full running a leading library and secretly studying magic under the critical eye of her opinionated familiar and mentor, cat Cosmo.
The last thing newly divorced perimenopausal Bex needs is more tasks needing her attention. But when a podcast connects a pirate treasure and voodoo magic with tranquil Willowmere and treasure hunters as well as occultists flock to the town, feuds erupt.
When a dead body is found, Bex and Cosmo can’t discount the idea that greed and black magic had something to do with the murder. But can she protect her secret and the town without exposing the truth about her inheritance? And is somebody already on her trail – somebody wishing her ill? With only her cat and her trusted circle of friends, Bex sets out to catch a killer before the treasure of a long dead pirate claims another victim.
Axes and Alchemy is the second case in this fun-filled series. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, magical mayhem, and heroines who believe it’s never too late for a new chapter—or a little witchcraft!
About Carmen Radtke
Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.
She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter.
When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.
The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Genie and Adriana Darling ghost mysteries and the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s.
Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family. Although she possesses no witchy powers, she’s known to be easily held spellbound by animals.
Author Links:
Website – https://www.carmenradtkeauthor.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/carmenradtkeauthor
Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 18 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 19 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 22 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
August 22 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews
August 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 24 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 25 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 25 – Read Your Writes – SPOTLIGHT
August 26 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 27 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
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Ruff Drafts 