📚 A Bookish Chat with 'The Lemon House Murders' Tucker May #AuthorInterview

Today we welcome Tucker May to The Writer's Life e-Magazine! Tucker is the author of the new mystery, The Lemon House Murders, and this interview is part of his Blog Tour by Pump Up Your Book. Enjoy!

Tucker May is a writer of mystery novels, whodunit short stories and all kinds of fun, puzzling tales. Murders, crimes, and mysteries abound. He grew up in Missouri then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He’s a diehard fan of the Los Angeles Rams and Geelong Cats. He lives in Pasadena, CA with his wife Barbara and their cat Principal Spittle. He is the author of The Lemon House Murders and Death of a Billionaire.

╰┈➤ Visit Tucker’s website at www.tuckermay.com.

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Tucker-May-Mysteries

╰┈➤ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TuckerMayMysteries

╰┈➤ BlueSky: http://www.bluesky.com/TuckerMayMysteries

╰┈➤ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/58926295.Tucker_May

A string of mysterious deaths . . . A house full of suspects . . . A secret that will change everything. This is the premise of your new mystery, The Lemon House Murders. How did you ever come up with such an intriguing storyline?

I like to build stories around a central idea that I think is worth exploring deeply. The Lemon House Murders was born when I noticed how much of our popular media emphasizes the importance of family. We hear it so much that it almost doesn't register any longer: family is everything, blood is thicker than water. We're constantly told that familial relationships are some of the most important ingredients of a happy life. It made me begin to wonder if there might be a downside to this pervasive messaging. What about the people who have no family? How are they meant to feel about all of this? Even more broadly, I wondered if it's healthy to put anything, even something as supposedly good as family, up on a pedestal in that way? This led me toward the topic of addiction, something that I have personal experience with, and I crafted The Lemon House Murders to explore our society's addiction to family and how that might potentially damage a young man's life.

Which of the characters from The Lemon House Murders do you most closely identify with and why?

There are reasons that I connect with each and every character in the book. I would say that I most closely identify with one of the two people investigating the murders, whose nickname within Lemon House is Gobstopper. He's a creative softie with big dreams, just like me. He's also a bit proud in ways that can hold him back, much like me as well. I hope readers can find their own characters in the story to connect with.

Are any of the characters based on real life people?

Very loosely, yes. I spent time in a rehab facility myself back in 2022 and many of the characters in this book are inspired by men that I met during that time. Mostly the resemblance between the characters and real-life figures is physical. I used real people to more vividly picture the fictional characters in my head.Their personalities and the choices they make are almost entirely fictionalized.

What do you think sets The Lemon House Murders apart from other books of the same genre?

I think The Lemon House Murders makes an effort to explore deeply rooted themes more than most other novels in the whodunit murder mystery genre. Come for the puzzle box mystery, stay for the thought-provoking ideas!

Surprise me. What is something that happens in the book that would make my mouth drop without giving too much away?

There's definitely a moment where the main character feels the floor drop from beneath his feet following a major revelation. He's been thinking about things from the wrong perspective and the only thing that can set him right is a message from someone he cares about . . . from beyond the grave.

What season does your book take place?

It takes place during the winter . . . but it's a Los Angeles winter, so that barely counts.

What location does your book take place?

The setting for this book comes directly from my own personal experience in a shabby rehab facility. I spent time living in what became direct inspiration for Lemon House in 2022. The details of the house in the story, and some of the minor characters, are based on true details directly from my memories. While the events of the story in The Lemon House Murders are entirely fictionalized, the setting is not.

Do you think writing a mystery is more complex than writing books of other genres?

In some ways, writing genre fiction is actually LESS complex. Since the genre carries with it certain expectations and obligatory scenes that a reader will need in order to feel satisfied, the author gets a bit more of a blueprint than someone sitting down to write literary fiction. I enjoy writing mysteries because on top of story structure is a puzzle layer that helps you stay aware at all times of what the reader is thinking and feeling.

What’s next for you?

My next novel is in the drafting stage currently. It's titled The Last Dead Guy in Hell and it explores the question of whether a person needs big goals and high-level ambition to lead an important and fulfilling life. Readers can visit www.tuckermay.com to sign up for updates on that.

A string of mysterious deaths . . . A house full of suspects . . . A secret that will change everything…

When residents of a live-in drug rehabilitation facility called Lemon House start dying one by one, no one in the outside world seems to care.

Two Lemon House patients, nicknamed Trip and Gobstopper, are the only ones who can see the truth: these are murders.

Their quest to find the killer will push their budding relationship to the brink, cast suspicion on everyone locked in the house with them, and force them to question their most cherished beliefs.

The Lemon House Murders is the rare murder mystery that will have you guessing at the culprit AND thinking deeply about theology, society’s relationship toward the downtrodden, and the importance of self-determination to a fulfilling life.

╰┈➤ Read sample here.

╰┈➤ The Lemon House Murders is available at Amazon.

╰┈➤Book Details

Genre: Mystery

Sub-genre: Contemporary American Fiction

Language:English

Pages: 329

ISBN: 978-1969306099