An Interview with Cynthia Abbott, Mandy Tanner's Best Friend in Beth Groundwater's Deadly Currents

In honor of “Best Friends Week” at LadyKillers, Cynthia Abbott has agreed to be interviewed. She is the best friend of whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner, the 27-year-old protagonist of Deadly Currents. The first book in Beth Groundwater’s RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, Deadly Currents was just released March 8th. Let’s make Cynthia feel welcome!

1. Hello, Cynthia. Please describe yourself to the readers of LadyKillers.

Well, I'm 29, a real 29, not a 29 many times over, like some of the women who come in my bar like to claim. I'm just two years older than Mandy, and man, do I lord it over her. But she's going to have her chance to get back at me when I turn 30. I'm dreading that. I might have to start acting like an adult!

 As for looks, I guess I hold my own. I'm a brunette, and I tie my long hair back in a French braid so it's out of the way while I'm pouring drinks. I've got a beautiful tattoo on my left arm of a hummingbird drinking nectar out of a flower. I'm thinking of getting something like it on my other arm when I turn 30. Like most of the folks in town, my standard outfit is a pair of jeans and a shirt, though I usually like to show a peek of cleavage, especially at the bar. Helps with the tips, if you know what I mean.

 2. What do you do for work?

I tend bar at the historic Victoria's Tavern in downtown Salida, Colorado. Locals call it the Vic. It's an old Western saloon built in the early 1900's, and it has a gorgeous long polished wood bar. The stamped tin ceiling keeps the noise out of the rooms above, but it makes it really loud in the bar.

It's a hopping place, especially on the weekends. Rafting guides, tourists, and river rangers stop by to drink a few beers and tell stories after a day on the Arkansas River. Some great Colorado rock bands swing by and play on the weekends, too. The pay's not great, but the tips and the people and getting to hear all the juicy gossip in town make up for it.

 2. How did you and Mandy Tanner meet?

She came in the bar with a bunch of rafting guides a few years back. It was off season and kinda slow, so we got a chance to talk. That was before she took the river ranger job. We just clicked. We like the same music, feel the same way about protecting the Arkansas, have the same opinions about some of the people in this town. I see Mandy a lot in the Vic, but since I'm busy pouring drinks, we usually don't get to talk much. So, we try to hang out at least once a week when we're both off work. It's hard sometimes, since she works during the day and I work in the evenings.

 3. How would you characterize your friendship with Mandy?

 We are BFFs, and we wear friendship bracelets we give each other on our ankles to prove it. If Mandy’s gets too frayed or breaks, I make her another one. And she does the same for me. If one of us in trouble, the other one drops everything to help.

 But that doesn't keep us from teasing each other. Since Mandy's a blonde, I've stocked up on blonde jokes to tell her every time she comes in the bar. Sure, she rolls her eyes when I tell them, but I know she secretly gets off on them. Here's a short one:

 Why does a blonde have T.G.I.F. written on her shoes?

“Toes go in first!”

 4. What do you think about Tom King's death?

 That guy was such a slimeball that, frankly, I really don't care that he died. But I do care about what his death is doing to Mandy. She can't seem to let it go. She did a damn good job pulling two people out of the Numbers, before they got chewed up and spit out of the those killer rapids. But she's blaming herself for Tom King dying on the river bank after she pulled him out. And she had nothing to do with it!

 I wish I could knock some sense into her. In the meantime, I'll be watching out for her at the bar. Make sure she doesn't drown her sorrows, if you know what I mean.

 Thanks, Cynthia! Okay, LadyKillers readers, do you have a question for Cynthia Abbott? What would you like to know about her? And feel free to ask a question of author Beth Groundwater, too. She’ll be monitoring the comments along with Cynthia. Remember, everyone who comments will be entered into a contest for a free copy of Deadly Currents.

If you’d like to see what the other stops are on Beth Groundwater’s virtual book tour and what other characters in the book will be interviewed, go to: http://bethgroundwater.com/2011_Virtual_Book_Tour.html. If you’d like to order an autographed copy of Deadly Currents, go to the website for Black Cat Books (http://manitoubooks.com/) and click on "Contact Us”. Either call the phone number or fill out the form with your contact information.

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Beth Groundwater writes the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series (A Real Basket Case, a 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award finalist, and To Hell in a Handbasket, 2009) and the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. The first, Deadly Currents, will be released March 8th.

Beth lives in Colorado and enjoys its many outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking, and whitewater rafting. She loves talking to book clubs, too, and not just for the gossip and wine! Please visit her website at bethgroundwater.com and her blog at bethgroundwater.blogspot.com.

 The Arkansas River, heart and soul of Salida, Colorado, fuels the small town’s economy and thrums in the blood of river ranger Mandy Tanner. When a whitewater rafting accident occurs, she deftly executes a rescue, but a man dies anyway. Turns out, it wasn’t the rapids that killed him—it was murder. Tom King was a rich land developer with bitter business rivals, who cheated on his wife, refused to support his kayak-obsessed son, and infuriated environmentalists. Mandy’s world is upended again when tragedy strikes closer to home. Suspicious that the most recent death is connected to Tom King’s murder, she goes on an emotionally turbulent quest for the truth—and ends up in dangerous waters.

 

Comments

[Beth Groundwater]

Thanks for having Cynthia and me on as guests today, LadyKillers! I hope everyone will join me in offering prayers for the people of Japan and find some way to contribute to the earthquake relief efforts. I know an interview with a fictional character seems trivial in comparison, but maybe Cynthia can provide you with some relief from today's tragedy, and I hope you'll take the time to read her interview.
- Beth

[Michele Emrath]

Sounds like Beth has created some interesting characters. The town itself sounds like a character I'd like to visit! Way to go, Beth!

Michele
SouthernCityMysteries

[Beth Groundwater]

Thanks, Michele! Salida is indeed a lovely place to visit, with many interesting real-life characters. :)

[Maryann Miller]

What fun it always is to meet a character like this. Thanks.

Enjoy the rest of your tour. I agree that it is hard to focus on what we need to be doing in the face of what happened in Japan today.

[Camille Minichino]

Thanks for stopping by, Beth, and for introducing us to Cynthia, who would surely join us in offerings of help to the victims in Japan.

Do you ever worry that the delightful, big-hearted Cynthia will overpower Mandy?

[Ann]

I can vouch for the charm of Salida... and Beth, your characters sound like great fun. Can't wait to pick up a copy of Deadly Currents at Left Coast Crime!
And I agree... the events in Japan are overwhelming. A sober reminder that Nature (earthquakes, tsunamis, even the power of a mountain stream) is a force to be reckoned with and always taken seriously...

[Margaret Lucke]

Congratulations on the new book, Beth! Cynthia and Mandy both sound like good friends to have.

[Linda McDonald]

Cynthia sounds like a fun character. For me, the main character's BFF is an important part of the story. And yes, the tragedy in Japan is so sad. I've been watching a lot of the news reports. I find though, that reading novels is my way of escaping just for a bit, even if it is only for a short time.

[Linda McDonald]

Beth,
I meant to add a question for you. With this new book, it is not considered a cozy mystery, is it? What are the differences in the writing of it with regards to your cozy mysteries?

Linda

[Beth Groundwater]

Thanks for your comments, Maryanne, Camille, Ann, Margaret, and Linda!

Camille,
Cynthia may be delightful and big-hearted, but as readers will learn in book 2, Wicked Eddies, she is more a victim than a heroine like Mandy. So, no, I don't worry about her overpowering Mandy. Mandy needs her friend, though, and vice versa.

Ann,
I'm looking forward to seeing you again at Left Coast Crime!

Linda,
My editor calls this new RM Outdoor Adventure Mystery series a "softboiled" series versus a "cozy" series. It's still not as gritty, bloody, gory or sexy as a thriller can be, but it does push the boundaries of the cozy genre. For example, we see Mandy and her boyfriend Rob engage in a little foreplay, but when they go in the bedroom, one of them kicks the door shut before we can go in there with them. :)

With my Claire Hanover gift basket designer cozy mystery series, I write about many emotions, but I hold back a little when it comes to exposing the raw underbelly of dark emotions. In this series, I have the leeway to dig deeper into those dark emotions and darker topics, and I do.

As for the force of nature, there's no force more powerful than that of rushing water, and the videos of the Japan tsunami attest to that. That's why whitewater rafting and rangering can be dangerous. I invite everyone to come to the Poe's Deadly Daughters blog over the weekend to read my post on "The Dangers and Excitement of Whitewater Rafting."

But in the meantime, Cynthia is waiting to answer your questions here, and I'm available, too.

[Du]

Hi Cynthia,

I'm glad you're BFF with Mandy. Would you be interested in being a river rafting guide?

[Beth Groundwater]

Hi Dru,
Thanks for the question! I was getting a little bored waiting for one. :)

I like hanging with the river guides who come to the Vic, and I've even gone on a few rafting trips myself. And, one part of their job is a lot like mine: having to put on a happy face for the customers even when you feel like s**t and they're being perfect asses.

I make better money than the guides, do, though, being a bartender, and it's a year-round job (with benefits!). They all have to find other jobs in the winter. Many go somewhere else and many end up working for Monarch Mountain as ski patrollers, ski instructors, lifties, or even bus drivers.

I don't think I'd want to give up the steady paycheck. Plus, it's fun and rewarding being a bartender. I'm a combination social hostess, psychologist, and mix master. I'm proud of all the drink recipes I've memorized, though most of my orders are just for plain beer or shots.

[Beth Groundwater]

PS. That last comment was mine!
- Cynthia

(I'm borrowing Beth's login.)

[Ann]

Cynthia -- Do you have a favorite drink you like to mix? I know some are pretty fancy.
And what is your favorite drink to drink? :-)

[Beth Groundwater]

Great question, Ann! I like to make layered shots, because they aren't easy, so I can show off my pouring skills, and they're pretty to look at. My favorite for Halloween is a candy corn shooter:

1/3 oz Galliano
1/3 orange curacao
1/3 oz cream

As for me, like most of my river rat buddies, beer's my beverage of choice. I'll drink most anything in a can if it's cold, but if someone else is buying, I like Amica's Bomber Blonde Ale. Kinda goes with my whole blonde joke schtick with Mandy, and it goes down real smooth. Amica's is a pizza and microbrew pub right here in Salida:
http://amicassalida.wordpress.com/

--Cynthia out!

[Gayle Gresham]

Oh, this is a book I have to read! Salida is a charming town, but it is no stranger to murder. It has a very colorful past which I am enjoying researching and writing.

[Susan J. Tweit]

Looks like a fascinating series! Beth, will you be coming to Salida's best indie bookstore, The Book Haven, to do a signing?

[Arletta Dawdy]

Hello Cynthia, Mandy and Beth,
I wonder what life was like for you, Cynthia, before the Vic and Mandy?
Arletta

[Beth Groundwater]

Hi Gayle,
Thanks for your comment. Salida is indeed a very interesting place. Are you writing a historical nonfiction book about it? Please tell me more. It will have to go on my TBR list.

Hi Susan,
Yes I have a signing at The Book Haven scheduled for Thursday, April 21st, 4:30 - 5:30 PM, followed by a discussion about Deadly Currents with their book club, that will also be open to the public. I hope to see you there!

- Beth

[Beth Groundwater]

Hi Arletta,
Beth wrote a lot more about me in the second book of her series, Wicked Eddies. I'm not sure I'm comfortable about revealing those dark events that happened in my past, but my new therapist says it was good for me to reexamine them.

I don't want to tell you anything that will ruin the surprise for readers of Wicked Eddies. But, I will tell you that I grew up in Salida, so it's home for me. My folks later moved to Connecticut, and my dad died of lung cancer there a few years back. My mom's still there, and she and I aren't very close. My therapist says I should work on that, but I'm not sure I want to.

I ran away from home when I was sixteen and wound up in a youth shelter in Santa Fe, where I earned my GED. I waited tables after that, then decided I'd earn more money as a bartender, so I saved my tip money and went to bartending school in Denver. Then I came back home to Salida and started tending bar at the Vic, where I've been ever since.

- Cynthia

[Beth Groundwater]

Thanks, LadyKillers, for allowing Cynthia and I to visit! I think I can speak for her when I say we enjoyed it very much. I hope we whetted your interest, so you'll pick up a copy of Deadly Currents and read it.

- Beth

[Lori Orser]

I've only been through Salida twice, coming and going to Thing One's parents' "cabin" (trailer... not a cabin in MY book) but I would really have loved to be able to stay awhile. I'd also like to try rafting that river, as long as I had a good guide and assurance that I wouldn't fall out. Beth, this sounds like a great start to a fabulous series, and I'll have to check it out. I love mysteries!

[Heidi M. Thomas]

Beth, your character sounds like someone I'd like to get to know!

[Ann]

Thanks so much for stopping by The LadyKillers, Cynthia and Beth.
It's been great fun to learn more about Mandy's BFF and about this new series.
Wishing you the best on your virtual book tour and with DEADLY CURRENTS! :-)

[Beth Groundwater]

Thanks for your comments, Lori and Heidi!

Lori,
Glad to hear you're a mystery lover! You've got a lot of great books to choose from among my blog hosts, as well as my own.

Heidi,
I hope you enjoy getting to know Mandy Tanner, too, who is the heroine of the series. :)

[Gayle Gresham]

Beth, you can read more about my Salida family history and research at http://ColoradoReflections.blogspot.com Yes, I am writing a creative nonfiction book about a cattle rustling story in the 1880's. And I am thinking I may just have to make a research trip to Salida April 21st!

[Sheila Deeth]

This is fun. I love these interviews. Mandy seems so real.

[Beth Groundwater]

Thanks for your comments, Gayle and Sheila,

Gayle,
I'll check out your blog and I'd love to meet you in person on the 21st.

Sheila,
Mandy IS real--to me, at least. :)