Murder in Wacky Florida by Rita Moreau
A workaholic by nature, upon retirement, Rita Moreau began work on her bucket list — and at the top of her list was writing a book.
Two series later, she is enjoying her new life turning out light mystery thrillers, with Murder in Wacky Florida centered around a sixty-something woman and a spirited spirit.
After a cross-country trip driving an F-150 and hauling a vintage camper, Mabel Gold has proven to herself that she still has it in her. She’s not sure what, but it’s something. After transplanting herself from Brooklyn to Florida, it’s just sheer wackiness. But that’s what she needed when she left her two-timing husband back in Long Island.
Mabel settles down in her cozy pink bungalow where she can take a break from helping her new pal — Irma. To some people (those who can’t see her), the former long-legged Las Vegas showgirl might be a ghost. For Mabel, who discovered Irma haunting her vintage camper, she’s as real as real can be. After all, it was Irma who got Mabel involved in solving murders from Savannah to Nashville and all the way to the Rockies.
Mabel has drawn the line. It was a long summer trying to help Irma do enough good deeds to get her promoted from purgatory to heaven. It didn’t work. As Mabel sips her Piña Colada and watches pink flamingos, she tells Irma to wait until next summer. They can try again. If Mabel thinks Irma will let leave her alone to watch a Cuban cop on the inter-coastal canal, it’s Mabel who’s gone wacky. Irma’s discovered a new murder. This one might do the trick to get her on her way up to the pearly gates.
We spoke with the author about her latest work, and here’s what she said.
Q: Where did you get the idea for Murder in Wacky Florida?
A: I got the idea from my characters. They tend to take over and tell me where to go. It was a continuation of Mabel and Irma’s road trip adventures. Winter brought her back to Florida, but Irma made sure she kept busy with solving mysteries.
Q: Tell us about Mabel Gold — what drives her and what were your influences in creating her?
A: Mabel Gold first appeared as a character in my Mary Catherine Mahoney series. She was married to a doctor and then she found herself dumped for a barfly. She rejected the country club life and took off with her friend Lili and husband Bob in an Airstream which came free of charge with Irma — a ghost with an interesting past.
Q: Why do you introduce a “spirited spirit” into the book?
A: I introduced a “spirited spirit” because readers are fascinated with the unknown and especially spirits. My readers love Irma.
Q: What book is currently on your nightstand?
A: Camino Ghosts by John Grisham.
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
A: I hope they take away a time just for them and a good laugh.
Q: What is your next project?
A: Murder in Daytona Beach.
Rita Moreau is the author of two cozy with a lot of kooky mystery series: The Mary Catherine Mahoney series and The Ghost & Camper series.
A workaholic by nature, upon retirement, Rita Moreau began work on her bucket list, writing a book. Traveling the national parks with her husband George in a vintage Bluebird motor home, (on George’s list), Rita completed her first novel Bribing Saint Anthony. Back home she was having so much fun she completed four more novels in the Mary Catherine Mahoney mystery series. The year we entered the twilight zone Rita decided to put this time to good use and wrote the first two novels in a new Ghost & the Camper mystery series. She kept going. The third in the series — Murder in the Badlands released fall 2021 and Murder in the Rockies released fall of 2022. Murder in Wacky Florida came out in spring of 2024.
Rita lives in a postcard called Florida where George, the love of her life, always had fun telling everyone he’s the author’s husband. He was her lighting rod. Rita lost George in December of 2021. She honors his memory daily. He lived life to the fullest. When not writing she joins PatZi Gil on the Joy on Paper radio program with Book Buzz Mysteries or you can find her teaching Silver Sneaker fitness classes and walking the beach. She loves connecting with readers. Visit her at www.RitaMoreau.com and sign up for her newsletters and download a free copy of The Russian & Aunt Sophia. Or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RitaMoreauAuthor and say hello.
