Clea Simon's Blog, page 33

Five Questions with Lewis DeSimone

Did Lewis and I know each other in college? That was so long ago, I no longer remember. What I do know was that hmm-hmm years ago, when I was putting together an alumni book event for a significant reunion, Lewis was one of my first classmates to respond. That meant I had a chance to read his first novel, Chemistry, which takes on mental health and relationship issues in a very real and relatable fashion, and I’m looking forward to reading his latest, Channeling Morgan. As should you. Doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, or nonbinary – some things are simply human, and Lewis’s honesty and sense of humor shine through.

How does a book start for you?

That’s a tough one, because every book seems to take a very different path. I think the commonality is that they all start with a question. My second novel, The Heart’s History,was inspired by a memorial service for someone I’d never met. He was the partner of a work colleague, and at the service I heard his friends talk about him in so many different ways that I couldn’t get a picture of him in my head. Who was this guy?, I asked myself. And then I realized that everyone is a mystery, and nobody has all the pieces. That phenomenon became the theme of the book—how a single life can be interpreted in contradictory ways and yet, at some level, they’re all true.

My most recent novel, Channeling Morgan,came to me out of the blue. My favorite novelist is E.M. Forster, and one day I just found myself wondering what would have happened if he had written A Room with a Viewas a gay love story, something more authentic to his own experience. And before I knew it, I had a whole cast of characters modeling in the 21stcentury a freedom that Forster could never have imagined a hundred years earlier. 

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

Forster is famous for, among other things, the concept of flat vs. round characters, so that distinction was very much on my mind as I was writing the book. There were a number of small characters I created as foils for the others rather than fully fleshed people. But as I got deeper into the story, they took on lives of their own. For example, I envisioned the character of Graham Whitcomb as simply a vain and pretentious guy, but suddenly he appeared in a scene where he wasn’t supposed to be and, deep in his cups, he let his vulnerability and self-criticism come pouring out. He became much rounder at that point, and I learned some things about him that I could then sprinkle into his other scenes to make him come alive as a character.

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

Channeling Morganis divided into two parts, the first taking place in Provincetown and the second in New York City. I was modeling the structure of A Room with a View,which begins with the characters on vacation in Italy and then finds them at home in England for the second half.

Provincetown has always been a very special place for me. There’s something about beach towns that brings out a sense of romance and possibility, and that’s exactly what I wanted for the beginning of the book. In Provincetown, the characters feel free from social convention and can relate to one another on a deeper level. When they return to New York, the walls go back up and concern for reputation stymies expression of their true selves. But what they’ve learned in Provincetown can’t be tamped down so easily, and therein lies the primary conflict in the story. 

What are you working on now?

I’m finishing up a novel about a family in 1979. It’s set against the backdrop of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, so it’s quite a change of pace from a romp about movie stars and drag queens, but I’m enjoying every minute of it. 

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

Let me just say how grateful I am that you didn’t ask the dreaded “Do you write every day?” question, which always makes me hang my head in shame.

More important, of course, is the question of whether my cats appreciate my writing. Cleo is indifferent, but her brother, Harvey, is really into it. B

Lewis DeSimone is the author, most recently, of the satirical comedy Channeling Morgan(Beautiful Dreamer Press). His previous novels include Chemistryand The Heart’s History,which was cited in several “Best of 2012” lists. His work has also appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including Christopher Street, Chelsea Station, Best Gay Romance 2014, My Diva: 65 Gay Writers on the Women Who Inspire Them,and Not Just Another Pretty Face. 

See you at Malice!

Do you know about Malice Domestic? Do you like cozies (traditional mysteries)?

If so, you should join hundreds of other authors and readers at Malice 31. Established in 1989, Malice Domestic is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan DC area that celebrates the traditional mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The genre is loosely identified as mysteries which contain no explicit sex, or excessive gore, or violence. This year, I’ll be participating in two events, the wild and crazy “Malice Go Round” (think: 42 authors in 90 minutes!) and a great panel (with signing after) on Sunday (before the closing tea party). I’ll be attending other panels and hanging out at the hotel coffeeshop/bar, too, so please come say hi!

Malice Go Round – Friday, May 3, 10:00 – 11:45 a.m. What Was That?: Paranormal Mysteries – Sunday, May 5, 10–10:50 a.m. (signing after)

Now I’ve got to run. I’ve got a plane to catch!

Five Questions with Charlaine Harris

Does Charlaine Harris even need an introduction? The #1 New York Times bestselling author, creator of Sookie Stackhouse (the basis of the True Blood TV series) has so many other projects going on – including more TV and a new series – that I’ll just leave it to her, with many, many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions here. Thank you, Charlaine!

How does a book start for you?

A book starts for me when I decide what the main theme of the book is going to be. That could be established by the destination of a trip, a big life event, or a development in the lives of those near to my protagonist: something big that can propel the action.

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

It’s been a while since a character surprised me. Now I know that on a level I don’t consciously record, my brain is making decisions about what will be good for the book.

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

My last book, Oct. 2018, was AN EASY DEATH, set in an alternate America in the 1930s. I wanted to tell a story about a very young woman who makes her living as a hired gun, and the world built around her to accommodate that. Right now I’ve turned in the sequel (A LONGER FALL, Jan. 2020), and I’m working on the third Lizbeth Rose book, untitled as of now.

What are you working on now? What haven’t I asked about that I should have?

I’ve had very good luck with TV adaptations, and I’m happy to say both Lizbeth and my Harper Connelly books are in development. I never know how that’ll pan out, but it’s always fun to watch.

Charlaine Harris is a true daughter of the South. Born in Mississippi, she has lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas. Her career as a novelist began in 1981 with her first book, a conventional mystery. Since then, she’s written urban fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In addition to over thirty full-length books, she has written numerous short stories and three graphic novels in collaboration with Christopher Golden. She has featured on bestseller lists many times, and her works have been adapted for three (soon to be five) television shows. Charlaine now lives at the top of a cliff on the Brazos River with her husband and two rescue dogs. She has three children and two grandchildren.

Have you met Clara?

Being the youngest of three can be difficult, especially when your older sisters believe they have more magical powers than you do. Poor Clara – luckily she has her own blog today at Killer Characters.

Sisters can be so mean! “Clara the clown,” my two siblings call me. As if, because I’m the youngest, I’m some kind of silly little thing, when the truth is I’m much more alert and aware than either of them. More responsible, too. Laurel, for example, is so vain all she can think about is herself. And Harriet? Could she be any lazier? Neither of them care what trouble they cause when they practice their tricks without thinking.  They certainly never seem to worry if their magic gets our person, Becca, in trouble… (Read more here.)

Five Questions with Deb Grabien

Was it the music? The mysteries? The rescue cats? I no longer recall how I first got to know Deb Grabien. Even before her rock Kincaid novels, Deb was incorporating music into her books, with the Haunted Ballad series, which focused on the crimes and ghosts of British folk. I was honored to contribute to Tales from the House Band, an anthology Deb put together for her own Plus One Press – and to host her here today.

How does a book start for you?

It starts when the characters start telling me it’s time to give them breathing room and let them do their thing. For the first eight JP Kinkaid Chronicles, that was really straightforward. Number 9, the series closer, is not nearly as simple.

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

A Dominican/French blues superstar guitarist named Winston Dupres (Kinkaid 9, the series closer, is his fourth appearance over the length of the series.) As JP’s wife Bree says, “I didn’t know Winston could hate. I didn’t even know he was capable of that.” The outburst is justified, but the loathing Winston shows for another character shocked me. Characters do that sometimes.

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

The series closer, called Watching The Wheels, is set in Las Vegas. And yes, there’s a fairly unsettling story behind it. JP’s band, Blacklight, is giving a series of free weekend festival shows in selected spots around the globe; they know they probably won’t ever do another major tour. Las Vegas in late October became a logical spot for the huge free show, but right after I wrote the discovery of the body, the shooter from Mandalay Band opened fire on a free music festival. That shook me enough so that I had to step away from writing it.

 What are you working on now?

Mostly music. Songwriting, lyrics and music both; it’s a different kind of storytelling, but it’s still what I do. But Kinkaid 9 will get finished, and eventually, I want to go back to my Child ballad series and write the sixth book of that one, to finish that series off. A trip to Edinburgh to refresh my memory of the Royal Mile is needed for that, and it’s tentatively scheduled for September.

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

Hmmmm. Good question…

Deborah Grabien can claim a long personal acquaintance with the fleshpots — and quiet little towns — of Europe. She has lived and worked and hung out, from London to Geneva to Paris to Florence, and a few stops in between.

But home is where the heart is. Since her first look at the Bay Area, she’s always come home to San Francisco. In 1981, after spending some years in Europe, she came back to Northern California to stay.

After publishing four novels between 1989 and 1993, she took a decade away from writing, to really learn how to cook. That done, she picked up where she’d left off, with the five novels of her Haunted Ballads series being brought out by St. Martins Minotaur between 2003 and 2007. Still Life With Devils, a standalone thriller about a serial killer who may not be human, was released in December 2007. Dark’s Tale, her first YA title, draws on her and her husband’s experiences working with the San Francisco SPCA’s feral cat program in Golden Gate Park. Deborah’s essays and short stories and reviews have appeared in multiple publications and anthologies.

Deborah was deeply involved in the Bay Area music scene, from the end of the Haight-Ashbury heyday until the mid-1970s. Most of her friends have been trying to get her to write about those years – fictionalised, of course! – and, now that she’s comfortable with it, she’s doing just that. Her current series, the Kinkaid Chronicles, are the books of her heart.

Narrated by ageing rock superstar guitarist John “JP” Kinkaid, this character-driven mystery series not only takes the reader into the way rock and roll really works at the highest end, but illuminates what living with a chronic progressive illness is like. Like JP, Deborah herself has lived with multiple sclerosis for nearly a decade.Deborah, a lyricist and guitarist, has been happily married to bassist Nicholas Grabien since 1983. Their band, The Sound Field , drew such talents as David Lindley to record on their first CD. They’re presently in the studio working on their second, This Moment Of The Storm.

Down to the River

“Take me to the river…” How evocative is that line? Whether you’re seeking to be cleansed or to discard the evidence of your dirty deeds, down by the river as where you go. It’s where we all go. “I love that dirty water, oh, Boston, you’re my home.”

Rivers are also the unifying theme in a new anthology Down to the River, edited by Tim O’Mara. Because as much as we want the water to wash us clean, we need to step up and protect our rivers. All the stories in this anthology were donated, and proceeds benefit American Rivers, an organization designed to protect our waterways.

No, I’m not on the cover (unless you count “and more”) but I’m one of more than 20 crime fiction writers who contributed to this collection. It comes out next week (April 22) in e-book and paperback. Won’t you dive in?

Five Questions with Kameel Nasr

Kameel Nasr has become an institution on the New England crime fiction scene. The author of two heist mysteries set in Boston’s classical music world, Kameel is a loyal supporter of his fellow authors, showing up at readings and book events regularly. He also introduces authors to wider audiences with his in-depth and insightful video interviews, which run on cable and online. (Check them out on his website or his Youtube channel.) How nice, then, that I get to turn the tables and interview him here, albeit briefly, today!

How does a book start for you?

My book begins with a situation. I’m among the one percent of mystery writers who doesn’t have a murder. Mine are heist books located in Boston.The heist for me is an opportunity to talk about art and culture. For example, in The Museum Heist, which begins with the terrible theft at the Gardner Museum, is about art and classical Greece, the heist, which has been covered extensively by others, is the catalyst for the discussion.

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

My police person is Lieutenant Lowell, who became a comical, albeit astute, figure. He’s concerned about digestion and wants to develop a smell machine which can be brought to the crime scene and detect the molecules emitted by both ends of the digestive system. I was surprised how much I got into smell and bowl movements, which are fascinating to him. He balances the otherwise highbrow discussion of art and culture.

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

My last book was The Symphony Heist, is about music in general, especially classical music, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, whose their instruments are robbed as they’re about to embark on a controversial international tour. Characters ask, for example, why there are so few minorities at classical concerts and whether such concerts, music by dead white men, are relevant to us today.

What are you working on now?

I’ve been working on a third Boston heist book, but my energy is being absorbed by “New England Authors with Kameel Nasr,” a weekly TV interview program supported by the Curiosity Foundation and heard on stations around the region. We interview both fiction and non-fiction writers, mostly academics. It’s exciting to do the show, and I’m learning so much interviewing smart people, but preparing, recording, and editing the shows is taking a lot of time. 

(Watch Kameel’s author interviews on his website or on Youtube.)

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

I’m not the first to wonder where books are going in the digital age. The electronic book never caught on–I ditched mine– but a better technology will come. We have so many talented and intelligent writers who have a hard time making a living. Perhaps we need a new system of payment–this applies to artists and musicians as well. We all download music for free, which isn’t fair to the creators. Books will be going the same way. Google and Amazon and Apple’s business model is to make everything free or cheap. I wonder if we can make everything free and pay artists per download. This would need to be a government program, which right now is way out in left field since it’s more important to spend money bombing Muslims, subsidizing rich people, and keeping Central Americans away. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been thinking.

Kameel Nasr is an ebullient and upbeat New England writer, adventure cyclists, dancer, spiritual seeker, amateur astronomer, social activist, and patron of art and music. Over the past 25 years he has produced books and articles on cycling, international politics, early Christianity, and a Boston Cozy Mystery Series. His works have been published in several formats and languages and been cited in numerous articles and journals.

Update: World Enough is out in paperback!

Update: World Enough IS available in paperback – but it looks like there’s a delay in getting the books to U.S. warehouses, and Amazon is now shipping in May. The good news is that Book Depository – a UK firm that ships worldwide for free – has the book in stock. Click here.

Finally, World Enough, my 2017 punk rock noir/suspense novel, is out in trade paperback!

“Clea Simon writes with authority and affection about a lost world. Highly recommended” – Catriona McPherson

This intriguing, hardhitting, intricately-plotted mystery set in Boston’s clubland marks an exciting new departure for cozy author Clea Simon. The Boston club scene may be home to a cast of outsiders and misfits, but it’s where Tara Winton belongs; the world she’s been part of for the past twenty years. Now, one of the old gang is dead, having fallen down the basement stairs at his home. With her journalist’s instincts, Tara senses there’s something not quite right about Frank’s supposedly accidental death. When she asks questions, she begins to uncover some disturbing truths about the club scene in its heyday. Beneath the heady, sexually charged atmosphere lurked something darker. Twenty years ago, there was another death. Could there be a connection? Is there a killer still at large … and could Tara herself be at risk? 

Want to know more? Check out the World Enough page.

Pssst… often Book Depository – a British outlet that ships free worldwide – has the best sales! Check them out here.

World Enough is out in paperback!

Finally, World Enough, my 2017 punk rock noir/suspense novel, is out in trade paperback!

“Clea Simon writes with authority and affection about a lost world. Highly recommended” – Catriona McPherson

This intriguing, hardhitting, intricately-plotted mystery set in Boston’s clubland marks an exciting new departure for cozy author Clea Simon. The Boston club scene may be home to a cast of outsiders and misfits, but it’s where Tara Winton belongs; the world she’s been part of for the past twenty years. Now, one of the old gang is dead, having fallen down the basement stairs at his home. With her journalist’s instincts, Tara senses there’s something not quite right about Frank’s supposedly accidental death. When she asks questions, she begins to uncover some disturbing truths about the club scene in its heyday. Beneath the heady, sexually charged atmosphere lurked something darker. Twenty years ago, there was another death. Could there be a connection? Is there a killer still at large … and could Tara herself be at risk? 

Want to know more? Check out the World Enough page.

Pssst… often Book Depository – a British outlet that ships free worldwide – has the best sales! Check them out here.

Five Questions with Wendy Fallon

Wendy and I are both scheduled to be panelists at next month’s Malice Domestic conference. We’ll be chatting about paranormal mysteries together, so it made sense to me to reach out – spiritually, as well as literally – to a sister “woo woo” author!

How does a book start for you?

Each of my books has started with the location. The first three books in my Cali May mysteries series are set in Arizona, where my husband and I lived for 23 years, up to 2017. In each case, I chose a place in the Sonoran Desert with a landmark, and researched the history, culture, and environment. Each book revolves around an event, decision or urban myth in the past that has led to a murder in the present. There are so many interesting facts about Arizona, from water rights, to Native American culture, to the amazingly diverse range of wildflowers and desert animals that I plenty of material for storytelling.

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

My latest published book, Magnolia Murders, takes place in Sedona, AZ. None of the characters are who they claim or appear to be. Usually I have the murderer all figured out, but in this book the characters decided it was someone else. So I’d have to say the murderer. 

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

The setting plays a large part in Magnolia Murders. Cali May and Daniel Silvertree travel to Sedona to enjoy a relaxing and romantic honeymoon. The story takes place in a Sears kit house called the Magnolia House Bed and Breakfast. In the 1920s it was Sears’ largest floorpan, a ten room colonial, and when it was built in the story, it represented wealth, privilege, and upper class. This become important when Cali realizes this impressive historic home harbors a sobbing spirit, a child missing since the 1930’s, and more than one dead body.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished the fourth Cali May mystery, set in Florida, entitled Evil in the Water. In 2017 my husband and I moved to Fort Myers Beach, Florida on the Gulf Coast. In the meantime, Cali May researched her genealogy and discovered a long lost cousin living on one of the many Gulf islands. While visiting her new found cousin, she literally trips over a dead body, is confronted by the spirits of several Spanish settlers, and witchcraft. Evil in the Water will be published in 2019. 

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

The Cali May mysteries series includes a paranormal element. Why?I believe everyone has a superpower unique to them, i.e. writing, art, singing, knitting, etc. I decided I wanted Cali to have a super power she didn’t know about until she’s faced with the most difficult time of her life. When her first husband dies from cancer after 35 years of wedded bliss, she grieves so hard and long that she begins to see things. In the beginning as she learns more about her newly-discovered, controversial talent, she realizes she’s seeing the spirits of murder victims.

By day Wendy Fallon is a technical writer, and by night and on weekends she’s an artist and author of paranormal murder mysteries to stay sane. Having written non-fiction for the Healthcare industry for several years, Fallon joined the National and Desert Sleuths Chapters of Sisters in Crime in 2015 to explore her dark side. In 2018 she launched her series, Cali May Mysteries, and has written three books in the series, published by Short on Time Books. 

In 2017, Fallon, her husband, and miniature dachshund moved from Arizona to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Although Fallon’s fourth book in the series will be published in 2019 and is set in Florida, her character, Cali May, was not impressed, and has elected, except for brief visits elsewhere, to continue to live in Arizona.