Marty Eberhardt is a former director of botanical gardens turned award-winning author of cozy mysteries. Book three in her Bea Rivers Mystery series, Crime on the Coast (Artemesia Publishing, February 2026), is “an intriguing and satisfying whodunnit, wrapped in a botanical cozy, set among the old-money elite of La Jolla.” You’ll find Marty on her website MartyEberhardt.com and on Facebook. Look for her books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and read more about Marty’s writing in her 2021 and 2023 interviews for SouthWest Writers.
What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Crime on the Coast?
This is the kind of book you pick up when the cares of the world get to be too much. It’s light, but I hope it also engages your brain, as you try to solve the mystery along with Bea.
What sparked the story/plot idea for the book? Did what-if questions help shape this work?
The first two mysteries took place in the desert, one of my favorite environments. I wanted to set this one in another favorite…the southern California coast. I also wanted to bring back some of the characters from the first two books, and, of course, to add some quirky new ones.
I did toy with a couple of different murder scenarios and villains before choosing falling off the cliffs of La Jolla.
Why is Bea, the main character, the perfect protagonist to carry the story and the series? Did she surprise you as you wrote her story?
Bea is Everywoman. She could easily be the reader. She has no background in solving murders; she’s a botanical garden staff member. She is a single parent in the earlier books, and in Crime on the Coast, she’s dealing with kids and aging parents…in other words, her home responsibilities are a big part of her day and affect her work… as is the case with many of us, especially women. Yet given all this, she shows smarts and guts, as most of us can. I’m not sure she surprises me; everything she does seems to flow from her personality.
Tell us more about the book.
I interrupted writing this book with making revisions to a historical fiction novel that I’ve been working on for years. I suppose it took a little more than a year to write Crime on the Coast. With this book, I didn’t have to do a lot of research, as I’m familiar with the area and with the workings of botanical gardens. I sent it to the publisher, and he accepted it; that began another more than year-long process of developmental edits, cover design with the artist, edits to the Advanced Reader Copy, etc.
What did you learn in writing the book that you can apply to future projects?
I learned I need help with anything having to do with police work! I guess I already knew that, but this was the first time the police did much in sight of the viewers besides interview folks. Bea doesn’t know much about police work, of course, unlike protagonists who are actual detectives. She’s learning more in each book as she gets caught up in murders, however.
What is your favorite part of putting together a mystery?
I have several favorite parts. I love thinking up the characters and seeing what they’ll do… and what their motives are for murder. I love throwing red herrings in readers’ paths. It’s fun to bring beloved physical environments to my readers. I enjoy gently weaving in themes of real import (climate change, racism, the privileges of the very wealthy).
Any “Oh, wow!” moments while doing research for Crime on the Coast?
Maybe the worth of some cycad plants…hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What are the challenges of writing a series?
The biggest challenge for me in writing a series is figuring out how much background to give readers. If they’ve read the other books, I don’t want to bore them. If they haven’t read them, there are things they need to know. It’s quite a balancing act.
The fun in writing (and reading) a series is bringing back characters; readers get to know them better and better. I hope they’re happy to see them reappear; certainly, that’s my reaction when I read a series.
Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing? How do you feel about research?
Oh, I love the creating. It can be pure joy when the story takes over my life. But I also like editing and research, fortunately.
What writing projects are you working on now?
I have just submitted a historical novel to my publisher. I’ve been working on it for thirteen years. In American Innocents, an American family is deeply changed by living in 1960s Saigon, before we had combat troops on the ground, at the time of coups d’états and Buddhist burnings. The book is partly based on my childhood memories.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Reading has been one of the huge pleasures of my life ever since I was six. I consume books—usually a couple a week. For those who enjoy reading as much as I do, why not try your hand at writing your own stories? I started writing in my sixties.
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has volunteered as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
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