Q&A with Kate Khavari

  

 

 

Kate Khavari is the author of the new novel A Botanist's Guide to Tradition and Treachery, the latest in her Saffron Everleigh mystery series. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  

 

Q: What inspired the plot of your new Saffron Everleigh mystery?

 

A: The plot of this book follows two traditions I love in longer running mystery series: the sleuth abroad and the sleuth accused.

 

Saffron being sent on an expedition takes her out of her comfort zone and far from the resources she’s developed book to book, and her being accused of the crime and (gasp!) arrested further limits her ability to investigate. It’s a lot of pressure for both her and Alexander, and I hope it makes for a really exciting story.

 

Q: Do you think Saffron has changed over the course of the series?

 

A: I hope so! It was one of my goals when beginning this series, to have her learn and grow in each book.

 

The series begins with Saffron literally hiding in a bathroom from the horrible man harassing her at work, and Tradition & Treachery shows her stepping right up to her bully and telling him off.  She’s at once more confident in herself and her self-worth but starting to question her place in the world and her future in a way she’s never done before.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Saffron and Alexander?

 

A: They’ve also come a long way from the first book in the series, A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons. This book sees them put to rest some long-standing issues between them but also starts them on a whole new path!

 

They’ve come to not only love one another but respect how they want to move through the world and are learning how best to support one another. Saffron brings the playfulness out in Alexander, and Alexander challenges Saffron to think through her ideas more carefully. I love their dynamic!

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: Learning about the state of Turkey in 1924 was very interesting. I visited Turkey many years ago, so I tried to combine what I remembered of the warm culture and beauty with the details I learned of the history of the country and its development. I really enjoyed learning about where the East-meets-West persona that Turkey is known for today began.

 

I was lucky enough to have a friend read for me as a sensitivity reader and her insight into Turkish food (delicious) and Turkish idioms (occasionally confusing) was both a lifesaver and really fun to learn from!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently writing the sixth Saffron Everleigh Mystery and enjoying researching a historical fantasy project, also set in the 1920s but in a world with magical relics. It’s been so fun to combine my love and knowledge of the ‘20s with the ability to make up fun magical stuff!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’m just really happy to be writing these stories, not only because they’re fun, rompy mysteries but also because they give me the chance to brush up on issues relevant today like misogyny and how women like Saffron deal with it.

 

This book gets to address an issue that was hugely important back then and right now—the problem of partage and ownership in archeology. In the past, it was accepted that those who dug things up got ownership.

 

That’s the part that I think my beloved Indiana Jones gets wrong—artifacts don’t always belong in a museum, and rarely do they belong in a museum half a world away from their origins. Saffron and her expedition team confront the ethics of archeology as a part of this mystery. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Kate Khavari.