Q&A: Mimi Montgomery, Author of 'Murder Bites'

We chat with author Mimi Montgomery about Murder Bites, which sees a city transplant in a dog-obsessed small town becomes the prime suspect when the local dog walker is murdered in this charmingly quirky and clever mystery.

Hi, Mimi! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m a journalist at Axios and I live just outside D.C. with my family and several pets. I’m originally from North Carolina, though, and still spend a good chunk of time down there at the beach (my favorite spot). I’ve covered culture and politics for other outlets like The Washington Post, Washingtonian and Garden & Gun — although one of the coolest moments of my career was when Martin Short included some of my reporting in his opening monologue while guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel. My first novel, “Murder Bites”, is out now.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I admittedly didn’t know how to read until I was 7 (I went to a very hippie-dippie, “let them learn at their own pace” school), but once it clicked I was all in. I always had a book in my hand when I was younger — my mom was just thrilled when I read “‘Gossip Girl” in the pew at church in front of everyone — and wrote exceptionally cringey stories and poems in my Backstreet Boys notebook. And I guess I never really stopped! (Although I hope the writing is less cringe now…)

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

The first book you ever remember reading: My dad read aloud the “Chronicles of Narnia” and “Little House on the Prairie” series to me. I remember being so excited to go to bed because it meant I got to find out what happened next in the book. And I still remember being astonished that the girls on the prairie played with an inflated pig bladder as a toy. Gnarly!
The one that made you want to become an author: Carl Hiaasen’s book “Squeeze Me” was a huge influence on my novel. It was the first book I ever read by him, and I loved how zany and topical it was. I ended up doing a deep dive on him and realized he’s a journalist like I am, and uses his experience reporting on the quirky Florida news cycle to inspire his own offbeat mysteries. His career path is a big inspiration to me.
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I think about “The Road to Tender Hearts” by Annie Hartnett all the time — it’s just so good. It’s weird (one of the highest compliments I can give to someone or something), very funny, wonderfully written, plotty, and so incredibly heartwarming despite all the dark elements of the book. It’s a real feat, and easily one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

**Your debut novel, Murder Bites, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?**

Quirky, laugh-out-loud, satirical, heartwarming, one-of-a-kind

What can readers expect?

Expect a rollicking, fun mystery that’s filled with pop culture references galore (shoutout to Lord Farquaad and DMX) and, of course, non-stop dog cameos. It also takes place in the lead up to Halloween, so fall vibes abound. But I also hope the book makes readers think a little bit, too — about the assumptions and judgments we cast on others, and how we’re all more nuanced and complex than we initially give each other credit for.

**Where did the inspiration for Murder Bites come from?**

The inspiration was two fold: I’m originally from a small Southern town, but I’ve spent the past decade in D.C., and I was always struck by the assumptions and stereotypes people in each place often thrust upon the other — small town and conservative, big city and liberal. I knew that tension would make a ripe plot point for a novel.

Additionally, when my husband and I got our French bulldog, Ziggy, we started going to a bougie dog bar with all the other DINKs in our neighborhood, where we paid outrageous sums for our dogs to get “bark-uterie boards” and do arts and crafts at daycare. I became fascinated with the whole “fur baby” movement and how we treat our dogs today — another ripe plot point for a satire!

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved writing the character, Anne, who is one of three POVs in the book. She’s a glamorous and completely unhinged woman in her 70s who’s president of the HOA and spies on everyone in the neighborhood using grade-A tactical gear, smokes constantly (although she starts ripping a mango vape halfway through the book), and has extremely rigid ideas on decorum and appearance. But she’s also secretly a total softie who just wants to find love and live a big life. She’s kind of like a mashup of Emily Gilmore, Lucille Bluth, and Deborah Vance, but Southern.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Writing humor comes naturally to me, but ingratiating the emotion was harder. I had to really home in on crafting an emotional arc and backstory for all three of the characters, but especially for Margot. She’s prickly, but I wanted the readers to understand why she was the way she was, and hopefully be able to root for her even as she did increasingly unhinged things.

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

I’ve always wanted to write a book, and I became a journalist because it seemed like the easiest way to get paid to write. I kept putting the book idea off until I turned 30 and realized that, if I wanted to have kids, I should probably do this now while my life was still relatively uncomplicated. So I started waking up early in the morning and working on the book before clocking in at my journalism job. After about a year, I had a full draft — and in retrospect I realize it was absolutely horrible, but I still somehow convinced my wonderful agent, Claire Friedman at InkWell, to sign me. We then spent the next year polishing the manuscript together and then sending it out on submission, and I eventually sold it to my editor, Sydney Collins at Bantam.

What’s next for you?

Hopefully more books! I love being a journalist, but I also love writing fiction. I’m slowly easing into an idea for a second book, so stay tuned.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

“Alan Opts Out” by Courtney Maum and “The Shampoo Effect” by Jenny Jackson were both two standouts for me this year. I’m currently reading “Heather” by Caitlin Mullen right now and really enjoying it, and up next is “The Refuge” by Carly Hillman and “Madeline McKnight Signs Off” by Evan Brooke — I’m moderating both of their author events in D.C. this fall.