I sat down with a retired Criminology professor and probation officer to talk about Murder, Mayhem, and Sex on the Beach. No, that's not quite the plot of her latest novel, but Alicia Gael uses her personal experience as both to craft a mesmerizing tale of murder and mayhem. Given that, my first question to her was, “So, why murder?”
That earned me a hardy chuckle and set the tone for a captivating hour of conversation about Alicia’s background,her new book, how she found GCLS, and her experience in the GCLS Writing Academy. Alicia talked about how she got here today–a published author with two successful books in her oeuvre. She also offered some advice to those considering attending the Writing Academy!
Alicia’s debut book, Murder on Castaway Island, has been called, “a clever and suspenseful reimagining of an Agatha Christie [novel]” by an Amazon reviewer. Gael confirmed that she is a long-time Christie fan. From writing celebrity crush fan-fic on her dad’s manual typewriter at twelve to publishing her first novel at 65 years old, Alicia has always wanted to be a writer. She is also a voracious reader.
Her latest book, Murder, Mayhem, and Sex on the Beach, released January 28, 2025, sits at a whopping 4.64 stars and 4.7 stars on Goodreads and Amazon respectively. “I was reading something and the cocktail Sex on the Beach happened to come up, and I thought, ‘oh that would be kinda fun. How can I make that into a book title?’ So the title came first, and then the book.” Gael said, “Every one of the things that happen in that book happened to me except my car was never stolen and I never found a dead body. It's a fast-paced, fun, spicy read.”
It was a stroke of luck in 2021 that brought Alicia Gael into the Golden Crown Literary Society community. She’d stumbled onto a social media post that led her to us. “I knew absolutely nobody,” she said. “All of a sudden there were all of these queer people who were writing and reading!” Gael had moved during the pandemic and hadn’t met anyone local to her. “That really gave me a community to go to, and people to talk to. I am forever grateful to GCLS for that.” Gael said about her first GCLS Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Immersed in a community like never before, Alicia heard about the Writing Academy during the Con Newbies Meet-Up. She began Writing Academy 1 in September 2022. When asked about her enthusiasm to enter the program Alicia emphasized “community.”
“The opportunity to have a mentor, [...] really appealed to me,” she said, adding, “I really wanted to form some connections with other writers, other sapphic writers,” and finally concluded, “It was an amazing experience just for those two reasons.” Although she listed many more.
Gael described the Writing Academy 1 class as, “...an amazing experience. Not just for what I learned about writing.” The class eventually got really close and the next year when Gael took Writing Academy 2 over half the class were peers from Writing Academy 1.
“By that time several of us had published, so you know, we had that experience and we were able to then talk about that experience with the other members who were kind of starting that publishing journey.”
“Education-wise [Writing Academy 2] was really good because it took us to the next level of getting deeper into the writing process.” She emphasized, “Finn, their classes on flash fiction and just being really precise with words to get the biggest kick for the fewest words was really beneficial. It made you drill down…I still think about that when I’m writing.”
Now enrolled in the first Writing Academy 3 class, Alicia offered some advice to those considering the Writing Academy. “You have to actually start writing…It’s time-consuming if you really want to write. You have to be prepared for that. You have to be prepared to let go of other things, so you can do this.” But the most important part seemed to be, “Just a desire to be a writer.”
If you’re interested in attending the Writing Academy you can find an application and more information goldencrownliterarysociety.org/education.
Alicia sees herself remaining involved with the Writing Academy beyond her completion of Writing Academy Three. “I’m such a big believer in [the Writing Academy]. I want to see it grow and prosper, and share with other people how beneficial and how rewarding it is.”
She intends to volunteer her time to help more people find this community and its love and support. If you’re interested in volunteering your time to the Golden Crown Literary Society and the Writing Academy, please fill out and submit the form here: www.goldencrownliterarysociety.org/volunteer.
We started with “why, murder?” and finally, I asked Gael if murder mystery is going to be her brand. “I thought I was going to write romance!” She still sounds surprised she hasn’t. Her newest book Return to Morro Harbor will be released in November 2025
“It’s not a murder mystery. It’s a return to hometown second-chance romance. It deals with guilt and grief and self-forgiveness, repairing damaged relationships.” Return to Morro Harbor has captivated her so deeply that she was late to this interview, so it won’t be one to miss!
I’m grateful to the Writing Academy for building the confidence of this writer and ushering another author into the community. Alicia sets the bar high for supporting the people around you; this community is better for having her in it.
You can find Alicia Gael on the California coastline taking pictures of her books and those of fellow authors she enjoys. More information about her and her upcoming publication is on her website, www.aliciagael.com. If you can’t make it to the California coast, try Instagram @aliciagael_writes, Facebook @aliciagael_writes, TikTok @aliciagael5, and BlueSky @aliciagael.bsky.social.
Comments