Clea Simon's Blog, page 31

Five Questions with Annette Dashofy

Annette Dashofy is one of those authors you can rely on. She makes us laugh at conventions (like Bouchercon in October) and she makes us hold her breath in her fresh fun mysteries. Like Zoe Chambers, her series heroine, Annette is smart and brave. This year, she’s launching a standalone (or will it be a new series?). And she dared to sit down for a brief chat …

How does a book start for you?

Right now, I’m noodling with two book ideas. One will be the tenth Zoe Chambers Mystery. The other is an entirely new book (stand alone or series, yet to be determined). When I start a new Zoe mystery, I think about the continuation of the character arcs from the previous book. Often the crime and mystery aspect come late in the planning process, although I have to know whodunit and why before I put words on the page. With the new book, I came up with the setting first. Now, I’m fleshing out the characters’ backgrounds, learning who they are and what’s brought them to this point and this place. As with the existing series, the crime will be the last thing I explore as I begin the plotting process. Yes, I’m a plotter but with room to go “off script.” 

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

My villains always seem to be the characters who surprise me the most. I can’t get too specific without giving away spoilers, but I love it when I delve deeper into their psyche to learn their motivation and end up sympathetic to their reasoning. The same is true with my latest.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

Fair Gameis largely set at the county fair. I belonged to 4-H as a kid, and the county fair was always a big deal. Many of my former fellow 4-Hers have remained good friends and are avid fans of my books. When the idea of a mystery set at the fair first hit me, I ran it past some of those friends and received a loud and enthusiastic YES in response. I had a lot of fun memories I could pepper into the story. And let’s face it—what’s a better setting for a murder mystery than the annual school bus demolition derby?

What are you working on now?

I have turned in the ninth Zoe Chambers Mystery, titled Under the Radar, scheduled for release in late February 2020. While I wait for my edits, I’m jotting copious notes for the 10thin the series as well as ideas for something entirely new, as mentioned above.

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

The question I inevitably get asked at book events is: “When are Zoe and Pete going to get together?” I swear, this is the main concern of most of my readers, more so than whodunit. The answer is…keep reading!

Annette Dashofy is the USA Today best-selling author of the Zoe Chambers mystery series about a paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Pennsylvania’s tight-knit Vance Township. A lifelong resident of Washington County (PA), Annette has garnered four Agatha nominations including Best Contemporary Novel of 2018 for CRY WOLF. She’s a member of International Thriller Writers, the Pittsburgh Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and is on the board of directors of Pennwriters. FAIR GAME(May 2019) is the eighth in her series. Connect with Annette at

www.annettedashofy.com https://www.facebook.com/annette.dashofy/
https://twitter.com/Annette_Dashofy

Beach reads? Think again…

Writing for NBC’s Think page, I found myself wondering if these times are too stressful for the traditional action/thriller beach read. Are these the books you want to read on the beach? Or are we going more for books about relationships, books by (and nominally for) women? Maybe these are the books for our times…

“The sound of waves. The smell of sunscreen. The flash-bang of a stun grenade exploding as the mission begins. Once, for me, these would have been inextricably linked, the signs of summer, when heavier fiction is put aside for the guilty pleasure of a thriller or novel of international suspense. But this year, I’ve realized that the anticipated appearance in my e-reader of my usual annual indulgence — the latest Daniel Silva thriller — is filling me with dread. … (read more here)

Five Questions with Lloyd Schwartz

I don’t just love Lloyd because he loves my cooking, but some of my favorite memories of this Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and poet are not of anything literary – his books or readings, or his loyal attendance at mine – but of him and his partner David laughing (and eating) in our tiny Somerville backyard. Or raving about my gumbo (thank you). Or discussing old movies. Or the latest literary gossip… Of course, I also remember his response to learning that he’d won a Pulitzer for his music criticism (for the late, lamented Boston Phoenix). I may be paraphrasing, but I can hear his dry, droll voice lamenting, softly: “Maybe now someone will read my poetry.” In the hope of that coming true, I give you today, my friends, Lloyd Schwartz.

How does a book start for you?

Since most books of poems don’t have a storyline, each new book inevitably begins with the first poem I write after the last poem that went into the previous book. Of course, since poems don’t necessarily go into a collection in chronological order, readers can’t tell which poem in a book is the first or last poem to get written. These are pleasant secrets between poets and their muses (i.e., themselves). Some poets have projects—the exploration of a single subject or even a sketchy plot. But I’m not one of them. I just have to have a bunch of new poems and then figure out how to organize them—sometimes a harder job than actually writing the poems. 

What in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

I suppose the thing in my last book that surprised me most was translating a poem from the Ukrainian, a language I don’t know a word of. But I suppose the bigger surprise is actually the same surprise that comes with each new collection—being able to find an order that makes sense, in which the poems not only all fit together, but fit together so that each poem seems to illuminate—and in a meaningful and revealing way be illuminated by–the poems around it.  

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

My books have had had some unusual and varied settings. My previous book, Cairo Traffic, was set, as you might guess from the title, in the Middle East, but also in Brazil, and Maine, among other less specific places. My most recent book, Little Kisses, includes poems that take place in Paris, in a nursing home, in outer space, in Brazil again, in Queens, and in several parking lots. I think mostly they take place in my head or in some sort of dream world. And mostly in the present or the recent past. 

What are you working on now?

My next book of poems—which I hope will be a selection of both new poems and poems from my earlier books. A bunch of my new poems have been about art, paintings and prints by some pretty well-known artists. There’s one long poem called “Unexpected Oracles” that’s a kind of collage of things I’ve overheard, some of them pretty absurd. In some way it’s a kind of template or prototype for each of my books. 

I’m also trying to put together a collection of my articles and reviews. I have more than thirty year’s worth of pieces that I wrote for the late Boston Phoenix, mostly about classical music. Andthere are also pieces I wrote for the new Vanity Fair (when it was new) andthe old Atlantic, and some of these seem worth saving. But would anyone want to read them?  

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

How about: Is writing a review very different from writing a poem? Or: Why would anyone want to write stuff that the “general public” doesn’t seem very interested in, like poetry or reviews of classical music? Or does that already answer its own question?

The poet as a thespian – a Feydeau farce, circa 1970.

Lloyd Schwartz is Frederick S. Troy Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the 2019-2021 Poet Laureate of Somerville, Massachusetts. His poetry collections include These People; Goodnight, Gracie; Cairo Traffic;and, most recently, Little Kisses (University of Chicago Press).His poems have been published in, among many other journals, The New Yorker, Poetry, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Paris Review, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Agni, and Consequence, and have been selected for the Pushcart Prize, The Best American Poetry (three times), and The Best of the Best American Poetry. His poetry awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.  An authority on the poet Elizabeth Bishop, he co-edited the Library of America’s Elizabeth Bishop: Poems, Prose, & Letters and edited the centennial edition of Bishop’s Prose (FSG). He’s also the classical music critic for National Public Radio’s Fresh Air and the Contributing Arts Critic for WBUR’s the ARTery. His reviews for FreshAirare collected in Music In—and On—the Air. For many years, he was the Classical Music Editor of the Boston Phoenix, for which he was awarded the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. 

Becca and Clara are back!

Look for wannabe witch detective Becca and her loyal (and magical) calico Clara to return this winter in An Incantation of Cats (Polis). No cover yet, but you can pre-order here.

When two new clients seek Becca’s professional services, the fledgling witch detective is overjoyed. Finally, she can use her skills to help her magical community. But as the young witch finds the new cases intertwining, things grow more complicated. Becca’s three cats – the ones with the real power – can smell something is wrong with these clients. But not even Clara, the calico, knows what to do when a man ends up dead and a powerful and poisonous root appears – and disappears – in the case. To make matters worse, Clara and her littermates are feuding – and she can’t tell them about an unsettling interaction she’s had with one of the client’s sisters. Is it possible that some humans may have the same powers as the magical felines? What does that mean for Clara’s beloved Becca – and for the potent poison that has already taken one person’s life? In this second Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, Clara and her sisters must learn to work together if they are to save the person they all love.

Reviewing the first Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, A Spell of Murder, readers said:

“(A) delightful series launch…You don’t have to be a cat lover to appreciate this paranormal cozy’s witty observations, entertaining dialogue, and astute characterizations.” ―Publishers Weekly 

“Cats and magic–two of my favorite things! A Spell of Murder is a charming series debut.” ―Diane A.S. Stuckart, author of the Tarot Cats Mysteries

 “A delightful modern-day mystery―Simon has conjured up a magical tale for our reading pleasure.” ―Marty Wingate, USA Today bestselling author

 “Mystery, mayhem and magic, plus a triple dose of feline intuition, make an exciting start to this new series. These engaging felines will captivate and enchant you.” ―Mary Kennedy, author of The Talk Radio Mysteries 

“In this endearing first Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, Clea Simon reveals what we’ve always suspected: cats really do have supernatural powers! While felines Clara, Harriet, and Laurel are focused on pillows and extra treats, it’s the readers who are treated to an absorbing plot as the cats use their secret abilities to help their human Becca find romance, a new career―and a murderer!” ―Leigh Perry, author of the Family Skeleton Mysteries

Five Questions with William Martin

I’d read William Martin long before I met him. And while I could have guessed from that first great read – Back Bay – that William lived somewhere nearby, it wasn’t until a holiday party at the New England Mobile Book Fair that I realized that the New York Times bestselling author was a true local, active in the city and the literary scene. He’s got his next big book – Bound for Gold – out July 3, just in time for the beach! It’s an honor, therefore, to host him today on Five Questions.

How does a book start for you?

I‘ve written eleven – soon to be twelve – novels, and for every novel there has been a different source, a different inspiration that causes me to begin. That’s the big picture. The smaller picture for me is finding some unique way to get the story started. A good line of dialogue… a strange point of view… a powerful event like the San Francisco earthquake, which opened my latest, BOUND FOR GOLD. If you can get readers to turn the first page, you got ’em.

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why? 

BOUND FOR GOLD was born of a screenplay that I wrote some forty years ago about an upper-crust Yankee and a street-wise Boston Irishman who team up in the Gold Rush. So I wasn’t too surprised by what the characters did in the first two acts of the story. But I always knew that there would be a third act if I ever returned to the material. And things things that the characters do in that last act surprised me. That Irish guy, though he is not the narrator, tries hard to take the book over. People remember him. That’s what I want.   

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting? 

BOUND FOR GOLD takes place in 1849–50, during the California Gold Rush, and in present day San Francisco.

What are you working on now? 

A WWII thriller. I should be done in a few months. 

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have? 

What’s your motto? This is supposed to be fun. Not for you. For the reader.

William Martin is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels, a PBS documentary, book reviews, magazine articles, and a cult-classic horror movie, too. His first Peter Fallon novel, Back Bay, established him as “a master storyteller.” He has been following the lives of the great and anonymous in American history ever since, taking readers from the Mayflower in Cape Cod to Ford’s Theater in The Lincoln Letter to the South Tower on 9/11 in City of Dreams. His latest, Bound for Gold, sweeps readers back to California in the legendary year of 1849 and “solidifies his claim as king of the historical thriller” (Providence Journal). He was the 2005 recipient of the prestigious New England Book Award, given to an author “whose body of work stands as a significant contribution to the culture of the region.” In 2015, the USS Constitution Museum gave him the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, for “patriotic pride, artful scholarship, and an eclectic interest in the sea and things maritime.” And in 2018, the Mystery Writers of America (New England Chapter) gave him the Robert B. Parker Award. He serves on the boards of many of Boston’s historical and cultural organizations, lives near Boston with his wife, and has three grown children.

Barbara Vey appreciates readers!

by hosting one of the most fan-friendly events of the year! I’ve known Barbara online for years and have been hearing about her Reader Appreciation Weekend for almost as long. This spring, I am thrilled to be on the lineup for the annual event, which this spring takes place April 17–19, in Brookfield, WI.

The weekend kicks off with Author/Reader Bingo on Friday, and moves on through more games and communal meals, talks and signings, and a grand keynote speech by bestselling author Marina Adair!

I’ll post more as I learn more, but I wanted you to know that tickets go on sale July 26 at 11:59 p.m. CST – that is, a minute to July 27 (my birthday)! BE FOREWARNED – THE WEEKEND SELLS OUT QUICKLY! If you’re curious, check out Barbara’s website at http://barbaravey.com/bvw20/ and make your plans now!

So far, she’s announced:

Julie Moffett.
Gail Chianese.
RK Close
Dylann Crush
Denise Swanson
KC Bateman
Sandy Parks
Abbie Roads
Maggie Mae Gallagher
Mary Leo
Elizabeth Barrett
Gennita Low
Kelle Z. Riley
Julie Henry
Ann Marie Walker
Maureen A. Miller
Elicia Hyder
Jenna St. James
T.M. Cromer
Leigh Perry
Shirley Hailstock
Rochelle Ahlers
Kelly Moran
Sharon Hamilton
Jas T. Ward
Violet Howe
Arlene McFarlane
Clea Simon
Nan Dixon
Larissa Emerald
Marina Adair
Heather Graham
Victoria Pinder
Hannah Jayne
Melissa Sinclair
Samantha Chase
Jamie Beck
Sherry Harris
Tara September

He Wrote/She Wrote

I contributed an op-ed to today’s Boston Globe about writing gender and the controversy surrounding the new crime fiction imprint, Scarlet:

“Most mystery authors have never killed anyone, nor personally solved any crimes. That doesn’t mean we can’t imagine it. In crime fiction, “write what you know” is not always the best advice. However, a controversy over a new crime fiction imprint has blown up into an uproar over who can — or should — write what, specifically in terms of gender… (read the whole piece here.)”

Five Questions with Ellen Byron

From Ellen Byron‘s Cajun Country cozies, you might think she’s a Louisiana country girl. In truth, Ellen is based in LA – Los Angeles, not Louisiana – but her time at Tulane in New Orleans gave her the background for the series – and her considerable chops as a playwright and television writer are what make her fun and fast mysteries such great reads. As Ellen prepares for the launch of her fifth Cajun Country cozy and also a new Catering Hall series, she took a break to chat.

How does a book start for you?

It starts with a kernel of a story idea. I was just at the California Crime Writers Conference and Tess Gerritsen did a work shop on finding your “What If?” For example, with MARDI GRAS MURDER, a neighbor who knows about my Cajun Country Mystery series was doing family research and came across a book about the orphaned and abandoned babies and children brought to Cajun Country from the New York Foundling Hospital between the 1850s and 1929. My “what if” was, what if someone in Pelican, the town where my series is set, doesn’t want anyone to know they’re descended from one of those foundlings?

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

Ninette, the mother of my protagonist, Maggie Crozat, surprised me in FATAL CAJUN FESTIVAL, which releases on September 10th. She’s feistier than she’s ever been before. She’s a sweet, well-mannered woman, so it was great fun when she revealed a scrappy side.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

FATAL CAJUN FESTIVAL is set in Pelican, like all my Cajun Country Mysteries. The town is hosting their first music festival and the headliner is a local girl made good. She won an American Idol type of singing contest. But she’s a diva who still carries a grudge against Maggie’s best friend, Gaynell. The story was inspired by the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which I’ve attended about half a dozen times. I wanted to incorporate this fabulous festival in one of my books, so I had Maggie’s Grand-mere come up with a way for Pelican to capitalize on the New Orleans event by hosting their own festival prior to it, luring music lovers on their way to the Crescent City shindig.

What are you working on now?

I’ve got a draft of the sixth Cajun Country Mystery out to beta readers. It revolves around Halloween and it was a blast writing to many of the Louisiana traditions and superstitions tied to that holiday. In March, I’m debuting a new series, The Catering Hall Mysteries, which I’m writing for Kensington under the name Maria DiRico – my nonna’s maiden name. So look for HERE COMES THE BODY next spring.

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

What was it like to win the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel? AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can only imagine! Congratulations, Ellen!

Mardi Gras Murder, Ellen Byron’s fourth Cajun Country Mystery, won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. The series has also won multiple Best Humorous Mystery Lefty awards from Left Coast Crime. Writing as Maria DiRico, she’ll debut a second series, The Catering Hall Mysteries, in 2020. TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. Her plays, published by Dramatists Play Service, have been performed throughout the world.

Make a mystery with us!

Tomorrow (Thursday) I’ll be joining Elisabeth Elo, Dale Phillips, and Frances McNamara at the VOX POP Pop-Up Space in Assembly Row, Somerville. But we authors won’t be the ones making the mystery – you will!

If you haven’t participated in one of these Sisters in Crime events, here’s the deal: Four authors from across the spectrum (thrillers [Elisabeth], historicals [Frances], PI [Dale] to cozies (me]) lead YOU (the audience) through the process of constructing a plot that’s to die for. You come up with character names, motives, and, of course, a murder weapon. We’ll then explain how we think – and what those names and methods might imply for us. You’re a full participant all the way as we draft an outline for the perfect mystery!

This FREE event comes to you from Sisters in Crime and the always wonderful Somerville libraries. Plus, there’s parking! Please join us – there won’t be a mystery without you!

If you know Assembly Row, please just look for the Vox Pop space. If you need an exact address for the GPS, its 431 Artisan Way, Assembly Row, Somerville. The space closes at 8, so we’ll be starting promptly at 6:30 p.m. to make sure we have time to plot the perfect crime (novel).

Come make a mystery with us!

Tomorrow (Thursday) I’ll be joining Elisabeth Elo, Dale Phillips, and Frances McNamara at the VOX POP Pop-Up Space in Assembly Row, Somerville. But we authors won’t be the ones making the mystery – you will!

If you haven’t participated in one of these Sisters in Crime events, here’s the deal: Four authors from across the spectrum (thrillers [Elisabeth], historicals [Frances], PI [Dale] to cozies (me]) lead YOU (the audience) through the process of constructing a plot that’s to die for. You come up with character names, motives, and, of course, a murder weapon. We’ll then explain how we think – and what those names and methods might imply for us. You’re a full participant all the way as we draft an outline for the perfect mystery!

This FREE event comes to you from Sisters in Crime and the always wonderful Somerville libraries. Plus, there’s parking! Please join us – there won’t be a mystery without you!

If you know Assembly Row, please just look for the Vox Pop space. If you need an exact address for the GPS, its 431 Artisan Way, Assembly Row, Somerville. The space closes at 8, so we’ll be starting promptly at 6:30 p.m. to make sure we have time to plot the perfect crime (novel).