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Welcome to Salty Inspirations, where we go behind the scenes with the quirky, clever, and occasionally chaotic characters from my cozy mystery world. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Dee, a former sitcom writer with a sharp wit, a complicated past, and a knack for stumbling into mystery. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in this is going to be fun.
Interview with Dee from Ellen Byron’s Golden Motel Mysteries
Hi Dee. Welcome to Salty Inspirations.
How are you?
I’m good! And very happy to be here.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m thirty-nine. I was a sitcom writer but when I learned I was eligible for my union’s career longevity committee at the of 40 (“longevity” being a nice way to say “too old to work”) I freaked out about my future and bought this rustic, retro motel in Gold Rush Country with my best friend, who also happens to have briefly been my husband.
Can you please tell us about some people we’ll meet in your story?
Jeff is my bestie and business partner. Our motel is in Foundgold, a tiny village at the foot of Majestic National Park. There’s one store, the All-in-One, run by my friend Elmira. The store has been in her family since the original Gold Rush, when her ancestors figured out they’d make more money selling to miners than mining. My dad Sam is a voice actor and a widower, and he’s so fond of Elmira that he’s basically relocated to Foundgold. They all help me investigate, as does my friend Serena. She’s married to a big Hollywood agent who spends more time in L.A. than Foundgold. Raul is the sheriff of Goldsgone, the restored miner’s village down the road that’s basically run by my enemy, Verity Donner Gillespie. Raul is a good guy who has to dress like a 19th century sheriff in Goldsgone, which makes him nuts. He’s young – only twenty-eight – and actually appreciates it when we help him solve the case: unlike Majestic Park Ranger Tom O’Bryant, who can be a real pain about it. I’m kind of in a romance with Jonas Jones but honestly, I’m not sure where it’s going.
Tell us about the worst guest you’ve ever hosted at the Golden Motel.
That would be Michael Adam Baker, our very first guest. I knew him from my TV days and didn’t like him then. But when he booked a stay at the Golden, I thought he was making amends for being a backstabbing jerk. Wrong! Turns out he was there to steal my story of buying the motel and turn it into a pilot he could sell.
You’ve had your share of mysteries. What’s more stressful: murder investigations or running a motel with your ex?
Oh, murder investigations for sure. Jeff and I get along great. We’re like siblings.
What’s your typical day like before a mystery falls into your lap?
Now that I’m a motelier, it’s all motel stuff. I check out guests, turn over their rooms, and check in guests. I run errands and try to avoid Verity. She’s very competitive and hates how I’m trying to make Foundgold as much a destination as Goldsgone.
How did you get involved in solving your first mystery?
I had to, because if the killer wasn’t caught, the motel would have gone out of business. Especially after Verity gave it the nickname “Murder Motel.” She works my last nerve! She and Jeff have a flirtation, which I did not see coming. It’s weird but if he can keep her from destroying our business, that would be great.
What personal qualities or skills do you think make you a good sleuth?
I think my background as a storyteller gives me skills that are helpful. I can envision all sorts of scenarios involving a variety of suspects. Also, I’m not happy until I’ve got a finished plot and so I want to see every murder through to its resolution.
What’s something most people totally misunderstand about you?
I haven’t run up against it in person, but I know people think I’m loaded because I worked in TV. Not true! I had a lot of ups and downs in my career, which pretty much evened out my finances.
Dee, thank you so much for your time.
Solid Gold Murder (Golden Motel Mysteries)
by Ellen Byron
About Solid Gold Murder
Solid Gold Murder (Golden Motel Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – California
Publisher : Kensington Cozies
Publication date : July 29, 2025
Print length : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496745388
ISBN-13 : 978-1496745385
Digital ASIN : B0DLR3TVJP
Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into a hotspot for mayhem and murder . . .
With the summer season looming, former Hollywood sitcom writer Dee Stern has one small goal—scrubbing her motel’s unflattering moniker as the “Murder Motel.” Dee and ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta are excited to introduce a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold just in time for the peak tourist months. Except neither could have anticipated the discovery of a real gold nugget or the ensuing social media frenzy. In a flash, the viral sensation draws grizzled prospectors, wide-eyed adventurers, and trend-chasing thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods . . .
The instant popularity proves great for business, but it also attracts a group of out-of-touch Silicon Valley techies with dreams of striking it rich—again. Dee finds herself particularly annoyed by the insufferably smug Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30 and won’t let anyone forget it. But things take a sinister turn when Sylvan meets a grim fate at the bottom of a mineshaft, leaving Dee at the center of a deadly mystery that could end her days as a motelier. And while Sylvan had plenty of enemies, Dee suddenly faces adversaries rooting against her own success. Now, with her life and the future of the Golden Motel hanging by a thread, Dee must unearth a minefield of suspects and outwit a greedy killer before she finally digs herself too deep . . .
About Ellen Byron
Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico), and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.
A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.
Author Links- Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/, https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/
- BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron, https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico
- Goodreads: Ellen Byron (Author of Plantation Shudders), https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico
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Big thanks to Dee for stopping by today and to author Ellen Byron for sharing a peek into the world of Solid Gold Murder, the first book in her brand-new Golden Motel Mysteries series. If this interview made you smile, imagine what kind of trouble Dee gets into on the page!
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