BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Holding Court

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author K.C. Held to talk about Holding Court (1 March 2016, Entangled Teen , 352 pages), a Young Adult Mystery.

"Fresh and fast-paced, HOLDING COURT is a rollicking romantic mystery bursting with delightfully quirky characters and unexpected revelations." -Katherine Longshore, author of the GILT series

"HOLDING COURT somehow manages to be a charming and hilarious love story, while also being a spooky and twisty mystery. By the end, I couldn't tell if I was holding my breath more for how the mystery or the romance would play out. An amazing debut from an amazing author!" -Heather W. Petty, author of the LOCK & MORI series

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Trailer | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to K.C. Held; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter.

As we love music, K.C. Held has shared with us her music playlist for Holding Court - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for Holding Court?

"I’d always wanted to try my hand at writing a mystery, and I love the fast-paced mix of humor and mystery in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series so I decided to see if I could take this wacky idea I had about a character who blurts out random statements that turn out to be premonitions and mold it into a YA mystery along those lines."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Like Jules, the main character in Holding Court, I spent a summer working in a castle, but there were no dead bodies involved. I also had to dress up in the same mortifying costume she has to wear, and we share a fondness for vintage clothing and New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream.

I gave Geoffrey, the Tudor Times Master of the Wardrobe, what is probably my dream costuming job- making gorgeous historical reproductions with an unlimited budget!"

Why should we read Holding Court and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I think Holding Court is unique in that it’s a contemporary story with a historical setting. Which makes for some unusual places to find dead bodies. And while humor is subjective, I would hope it’s the kind of book that causes readers a few snorts of laughter."

Can you tell us something quirky about Holding Court, its story and characters?

"The town of Lunevale is a combination of a couple of Northern California towns I’ve lived in, and it’s named after a region called the Valley of the Moon. Lunewood Castle was partially inspired by three different castles: a winery called Castello di Amorosa (that has the perfect Northern California location), Hearst Castle (where I was lucky enough to have an internship in college), and Thornewood Castle (which was built in the Pacific Northwest from pieces of a 400-year-old Elizabethan manor the owner had shipped over brick by brick from England)."

What is in store next?

"I’m working on a story that’s similar to Holding Court in that it features quirky characters in a picturesque setting.

I also have a couple of ideas for another story featuring Jules and the gang from Holding Court. :-)"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"We currently have a dog and four chickens (and if my daughter has her way, a Madagascar hissing cockroach), but I once shared a moment with a llama that tried to eat my shirt. Doesn’t he have the most gorgeous eyelashes? "