Guest Post and #Giveaway: Cathy Ace, author of The Corpse with the Ruby Lips, talks travel

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AROUND THE WORLD WITH CAIT MORGAN

Thanks for having me along today – it’s good to be here, and to have the chance to talk about something that’s close to my heart…travel!
For those who don’t know my Cait Morgan Mysteries, they might be unaware that each book takes place in a different country. The eighth book in the series is just due to be published, and, in THE CORPSE WITH THE RUBY LIPS, our indefatigable (if somewhat quirky) professor of criminal psychology Cait Morgan finds herself teaching a semester of special courses at the Hungarian University of Budapest. Budapest is a city that calls to many people, not least because of the fabulous way it’s featured in all those breathtaking shots we see of the locations to which Viking River Cruises can take us as we settle down to watch Masterpiece Mystery each week (you do do that, don’t you?).
For me it’s more than a series of picture postcards – I worked in Budapest for a couple of weeks, three or four times each year for about half a dozen years, and grew to love the place. It’s got a lot going on below the surface splendor of spectacular architecture, the magnificence of the Danube rippling through its heart and the almost-constantly-present sound of music wafting from concert halls, bars and restaurants. As – to be fair – most places do. But, in Budapest, all that beauty hides a dark past…a theme I develop in this book.
As for Cait’s other trips, she’s always followed in my footsteps: I used to live in the south of France, so Cait’s first book, THE CORPSE WITH THE SILVER TONGUE, was set in Nice…with the murder of the titular corpse taking place in the apartment of a couple of friends of mine (with their permission, I “borrowed” it!). Then I brought her closer to my current home and used my many jaunts to British Columbia’s wine country – just a few hours from my house – as inspiration for THE CORPSE WITH THE GOLDEN NOSE, which featured the suicided (or was it?) of a world-famous vintner. Then I sent Cait to the Pacific coast of Mexico in THE CORPSE WITH THE EMERALD THUMB, where I enjoyed dreaming up a make-believe resort near one of my favorite Places, Puerto Vallarta, followed by a trip to Vegas in THE CORPSE WITH THE PLATINUM HAIR, where I had even more fun “building” my very own casino and hotel. Trust me, if anyone in Nevada wants to truly create the Tsar! Casino, I’m all in. After that, I took Cait back to her – and my – Homeland….Wales in THE CORPSE WITH THE SAPPHIRE EYES, where she enjoyed (?) a long weekend in a spooky castle set on top of a cliff, in a storm. It was a delight to introduce readers to the place where I, and my leading lady, are from. Following that, I packed Cait and Bud off on a cruise around the Hawai’ian Islands in THE CORPSE WITH THE DIAMOND HAND…from which they returned having solved a puzzling murder mystery, and with a love of the Islands they “inherited” from me (I was married at the home of a good friend in Honolulu, and I’m very much looking forward to returning in March 2017 when I’ll be attending the Left Coast Crime convention). Recently Cait’s been in Europe – first of all in Amsterdam, in THE CORPSE WITH THE GARNET FACE, which is another city where I’ve worked for months on end in the past (and, incidentally, where I got engaged), And now she’s in Hungary.
Cait’s racked up quite a few air miles, as have I, over the years, and all I can do for now is wonder where she’ll go next. Maybe she’ll be happy to stay at home for a while…but once that travel bug bites, it’s hard to resist.

Cathy Ace’s latest Cait Morgan mystery is The Corpse with the Ruby Lips.
Quirky criminology professor Cait Morgan is invited to be a guest lecturer at a Budapest university, and although she’s hesitant to go without her husband and trusted sidekick, Bud, who must stay home to care for his aging parents, she decides to make the month-long trip on her own.
Soon after arriving, one of her new students, Zsofia, pleads with Cait to help her uncover any clues about her grandmother’s unsolved murder, which happened decades ago on the campus of Cait’s own home university in Canada. Cait agrees, but when she is repeatedly hassled by an creepy colleague, and as bizarre details about Zsofia’s family members come to light, Cait is beset by uncertainty.
As she gets closer to the truth, Cait’s investigation puts the powers-that-be on high alert, and her instincts tell her she’s in grave danger. Bud races to Budapest to come to Cait’s side, but will it be too late?

About The Author

Originally from Wales, now-Canadian Cathy Ace writes the Cait Morgan Mysteries. Her series has found her criminal psychologist, foodie sleuth stumbling upon Corpses with a Silver Tongue, a Golden Nose, an Emerald Thumb, Platinum Hair, Sapphire Eyes and, now, a Diamond Hand during her globetrotting. The winner of The Bony Blithe Award for Best Light Mystery in 2015, when not helping Cait solve traditional, closed-circle mysteries, Cathy’s a keen gardener, ably assisted by her green-pawed chocolate Labradors.
Keep up with Cathy