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A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO TRADITION AND TREACHERY
A Saffron Everleigh Mystery
BY KATE KHAVARI

Blurb

Brilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh has set sail on her first research expedition, but it’s disrupted by accusations of murder when one of her fellow scientists is murdered in this daring fifth installment.

Saffron Everleigh is newly engaged and full of optimism as she sets off on the adventure of a lifetime for any scientist: a research expedition. She sails to newly formed Turkey with her fiancé, Alexander Ashton, and a bevy of fellow researchers. With only two other women on board, Saffron soon finds she is right back in the same infuriatingly misogynistic environment that marked the earliest days of her career. Only this time, Saffron is determined to show everyone, including Alexander, that she can handle the trials of an expedition.

And trials she has in spades. Before the expedition team has even arrived, Saffron has managed to find an enemy in historian Joseph Clark, who frequently torments her assistant, Martin Neill. But when Martin unexpectedly dies, Saffron is targeted as the main suspect.

Falling ruins, venomous snakes, and mysteriously blocked passages are the least of Saffron’s worries. With unexpected help from a familiar face, Alexander and Saffron have to work fast to prove not only that Saffron is innocent but that they both have nothing to do with a larger conspiracy at play among the expedition crew.

“A brave and clever heroine toils in a time when women earned little respect. ” —Kirkus Reviews

“An intriguing mystery and a resourceful and engaging heroine.” —Frances Brody, author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries “

Delightful and twisty . . . Saffron Everleigh is a plucky heroine . . . An engaging read!” —Lydia Kang, author of Opium and Absinthe

A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO TRADITION AND TREACHERY
A Saffron Everleigh Mystery
BY KATE KHAVARI

Interview

Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full–time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.

My name is Kate Khavari, and I’m the author of the Saffron Everleigh Mystery series, which are historical mysteries set in 1920s London featuring a botanist and a lot of unique mysteries featuring poisons, plants, science, and smooching. I’m a full-time author and full-time stay-at-home mom living in North Texas. I love plants and learning how to create native gardens, hiking with my family, and nerding out about history, particularly badass women.

1. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

I love the researching, idea-gathering energy of the pre-drafting part of writing. I’m reading dozens of articles, examining maps, gathering inspiration on Pinterest, organizing it on Milanote, mapping out my plot points and character sketches, and emailing myself spontaneous bits of dialogue. It’s all hope and excitement! But I will say the most satisfying, most difficult part is the latter half of editing: tying off all the loose ends, making one-line adjustments that really cinch together the plot. That’s when the big hunk of clay I smashed together while researching and carved by drafting feels like it really starts to be defined into the actual book.

2.  If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?

Teleportation, hands down. My family lives so far away from me, I’d give up a lot to be able to pop in and out of their lives!

3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?

A few things have helped me. Changing POVs, like if a scene from Saffron’s POV isn’t working, I might switch to Alexander’s. Changing from third person to first person has gotten me unstuck in other projects by forcing me to really develop a character’s personality and voice. Giving a scene to a beta reader or author friend can help nail down what isn’t working. Taking a break from the project can help me develop some distance from a problem I know how to solve but am resisting putting into action, especially if it means deleting a beloved scene!

4. What is your least favorite part of writing?

I’m shocking myself by saying this, but right now drafting is hard. I draft the best when I get long periods of time to really sink into the story and get into a good flow, and I have a lot pulling at my attention right now. It makes it hard to get where I need to go in my head to draft! But I also love drafting. I step into darkness with nothing but a dim light to guide my way, but the further I go, the more my vision adjusts and brighter the light shines, the path becomes clearer until I’m sprinting along, exhilarated, breathless to see where the path ends up.

5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

I’d love to pretend that I am an outstanding chef, but that would be my husband! He doggedly practices recipes until they’re excellent. He makes a delicious stir fry with ground turkey or chicken and bell peppers that I request once a week. I’ve taught myself to make yummy glass noodles with eggs, veggies, and chili crunch, so maybe we’d make a meal out of it for you!

6. What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?

Gosh, so many things. One that stands out is my name. I recently had a Thread go mildly viral about my last name, Khavari. My husband’s family is Iranian, and when we got married, I took his name. By the time I became a published author, that name had been mine for many years and it felt right to publish under it, but it led to a number of instances of being included on diverse reading lists that as a very white American I do not belong on. If I’d known I’d be given spots on lists that belong to other writers, I would have chosen another last name as a pen name.

7. What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?

I don’t think I’m particularly good at writing villains. I think this is due to my deep dislike of the mystery mainstay of the villain’s monologue. How do you reveal the bad guy’s motivations, background, and brilliant plotting without having the stupid villain monologue! Many, many books in, I still haven’t figured it out.

8.  A penguin walks into your office, right now, wearing a sombrero. What does he say to you, and why is he here?

He’d probably ask for my seven-year-old son and say he stepped out of his imagination and could he please go back because it’s way more fun in there than out in the real world.

9.  If you could wave a magic wand, what ill in the world would you solve and why?

Oh man, what a heavy question for this strange time. I feel like a lot of problems, past, present, and future, could be ameliorated if not eliminated if racism suddenly disappeared. So many conflicts could be snuffed out, so many deep wounds in society and individuals would never have developed.

About Author Kate Khavari…

Links to Kate’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Q6bQvt

A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery, in which Saffron Everleigh ventures to newly formed Turkey on an expedition but ends up accused of poisoning a member of the expedition crew, comes out June 9 and can be found at any book retailer in all formats. My website is kkhavari.com and you can sign up for my newsletter, The Conservatory, for updates, giveaways, author interviews, and fun nonsense. You can find me on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and even Pinterest!