Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Amy Gregg discusses her book “Farmed and Dangerous,” giving patrons an insight into her writting process.

NEW ULM — Author Amy Gregg visited the New Ulm Public Library Tuesday to discuss her latest book, “Farmed and Dangerous.”

“Farmed and Dangerous” is the first book in Gregg’s “Accidental Farmer” series. In the book, Minneapolis socialite Lilly Schmidt inherits a farm after her grandparents’ death. Around the same time she is served divorce papers. Newly single, Lilly decides to return to her hometown of Lone Tree, Minnesota to run the farm. However, her hometown is caught up in the fight between land developers and the locals hoping to keep their country life simple. Things become more complicated when one of the land developers is found dead on Lilly’s farm, thrusting her into a mix of small-town feuds and family secrets.

Gregg described the book as a “cozy murder mystery” which is a sub-genre of books that emphasizes mystery over violence. These types of books are light blood and gore. Gregg said the books are similar in tone to an episode of “Murder She Wrote.”

This style of writing is a change for Gregg. “Farmed and Dangerous” is her fourth book in print. The previous three were self-published and were paranormal romance, action/adventure, or fantasy books. “Farmed and Dangerous” represents her first book about real-life things. As a result, it required research farming to keep the story grounded and accurate.

Gregg said some of the books are taken from her real life. Gregg currently lives in Norwood Young American but does have a connection to the Brown County area. She said both sides of her family were farmers from outside of Sleepy Eye.

“I spent a lot of time in my childhood down in Sleepy Eye and New Ulm,” she said. “New Ulm/Sleepy Eye has been my second home for many years.”

Gregg considers her “Accidental Farmer” to be a love letter to her grandparents and parents who grew up in Brown County.

Gregg said her grandparents passed away before she could ask them a question about farming, but by researching the book she was able to make a connection to their farming background.

In writing this book series, Gregg was able to include references and allusions to the Brown County area. New Ulm residents might catch subtle references to the glockenspiel or Happy Joe’s restaurant. Some character names were also borrowed from Sleepy Eye and the New Ulm area. Certain surnames will sound familiar to local readers, but Gregg assures them she only borrowed the last name.

“They are not the people, I don’t know those people I just remember hearing the last name,” she said.

“Farmed and Dangerous” is currently available at New Ulm and Sleepy Eye public library. Gregg said the next book in the series “Fowl Play” should be published in late 2024.