Guest Post: A Health and Wellness Resort Murder Mystery
There are many types of resorts, and they may have a combination of classifications in one resort. Here is a quick listing of the types or classifications of resorts around the world to consider: Beach Resorts, Golf Resorts, Island Resorts, Historical and/or European Resorts, Lake, Mountain, Ski, Spa, Pet-Friendly, Theme Park, Historical, Dude Ranch, Singles, Couples, Adult-Only, Family, Eco-Tourism resorts, Safari, Clothing-Optional, Casino, and All Inclusive Resorts. Often one resort will fall into a few categories.
Avery Daniels was born and raised in Colorado, graduated from college with a degree in business administration and has worked in fortune 500 companies and Department of Defense her entire life. Her most eventful job was apartment management for 352 units. She still resides in Colorado with two brother black cats as her spirited companions. She volunteers for a cat shelter, enjoys scrapbooking and card making, photography, and painting in watercolor and acrylic. She inherited a love for reading from her mother and grandmother and grew up talking about books at the dinner table.
In the first book of the series, Iced, we were in a historic luxury resort that has a world class golf course. This is the home resort for Julienne. For book two, Nailed, the resort was a luxury Bavarian themed ski resort in Vail Colorado. The third book was back at Julienne’s home resort. This fourth book, Arrowed, is the first to venture out of Colorado.
In my newest Resort to Murder mystery, the location is a health and wellness facility called the Enchantment Canyon Resort. Like the classification indicates, they focus on wellness which includes nutritious food, and exercise, but also offers emotional, creative, and spiritual wellbeing too. In addition to traditional medical advice and monitoring, there are the obvious offerings of smoking cessation, weight loss through healthier eating- lifestyle changes, and exercise that includes outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and aquatics. I used a photography hike I found as an offering at an actual health and wellness resort for Julienne to investigate without being obvious.
Some health and wellness resorts offer sleep therapy, chiropractic, muscular recovery, gait and orthotic analysis, and sound therapy. You can even find traditional Chinese medicine and energy therapies such as Reiki or craniosacral therapies included in services offered. Meditation and Yoga, even Tai Chi are often found for stress management. Life coaching is a service at many now, assisting with setting life goals and focusing on your life purpose etc.
Arrowed, the fourth book in the series, doesn’t have much time to delve into these offerings since the murder takes place within hours of Julienne and Mason’s arrival. Enchantment Canyon Resort is entirely fictional. It is a combination of resorts and ideas I merged for the story. I wanted the feel of a Mexican villa with a world class health and wellness resort. I love Santa Fe and its unique mixing of Mexican and Native American cultures and foods and that’s why I wanted a resort that reflected the rich cultural heritage.
Because it is a health and wellness resort, alcohol is prohibited. Julienne is of French heritage and life isn’t lived without alcohol as part of life-joie de vie. Mason gets some cocktail supplies and they sneak them into the restaurant to spike their mock-tails. That is one of the quirky aspects of this novel.
The Enchantment Canyon Resort has lush landscaping such as palm bushes and trees, a number of flowering bushes, Aspen trees, yucca plants, climbing red Bougainvillea, whispery Mexican Feather Grass, and other ornamental grasses. Yes, there are palm trees in Santa Fe, even with the cold winters. Certain varieties are tenacious enough to flourish there. I researched what landscaping would be used in Santa Fe in general since I didn’t want a stark desert feel for every scene. Granted, New Mexico has plenty of dry landscape, but a luxury resort would create an oasis and I attempted to bring that to life in the novel.
What type of resort is more your style, or what has been your favorite in your travels? Let me know in the comments. I may use it as inspiration for a Resort to Murder location.
Thank you, Avery! Now we'll talk about your new release!
About ARROWED
It all began when a dying man with an arrow in his chest grabs her ankle.
During a heatwave at a Santa Fe resort, Julienne has the resort owner pressuring her to solve the murder. The victim is a high profile businessman who made enemies rather than friends, leaving Julienne with a roster of suspects. She was supposed to be training the staff and spending quality time with Mason rather than investigating a murder. The heat turns up when an old girlfriend of Mason’s checks in and is determined to get back together.
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