Welcome Lala Corriere

Lala Corriere, Author of the recently released Bye Bye Bones, chats with Mexico Writers

Tell us a bit about your family.

My husband and I were fortunate to each bring two sons into our union and they consider each other as brothers. Recently my son married in Italy, and my husband’s son was best man. If it’s ‘yours, mine, and ours’ then ours are our two teacup Yorkies, Finnegan and Phoebe, weighing in at nine pounds total.

What scares you the most?

Always, mankind. Your neighbor next door. Your boss. Your gardener. Mind you, I write suspense so I’m a bit neurotic.

What books did you love growing up?

Thanks to my mother, I was probably one of the first subscribers to the monthly mailing of Dr. Seuss books. That morphed into Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. My mother was a big fan of Agatha Christie, Sidney Sheldon, and Mary Higgins Clark, and those authors all influenced me.

Who is your favorite author?

Thanks to my mother, my favorite author was Sidney Sheldon. I was lucky enough to have him read my first manuscript. He endorsed it and went on to mentor me until his passing. While my first book had yet to be published my mother, and his fan, was still alive to witness our friendship. It made her so happy!

What book genre do you adore?

Suspense. Mystery. Thriller. Ditto for movies. I’m hopelessly addicted to the ID Channel. Sometimes my husband catches me watching TV. I’m making copious notes. I tell him I’m studying.

What do you hope your obituary will say about you?

Lala. She lived, laughed, and loved. She could write about blood, describing the muting colors as it dripped into a glass of scotch and water, but in life she passed out to the floor at the sight of it. She wrote about tough subjects, when the worst thing in her childhood was that her daddy didn’t buy her a pony. She loved to write about the nefarious, while surrounding herself with goodness and light.

Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you?

Oh, my. I am blessed. My husband is my number one fan and my first BETA reader for all of my manuscripts. I have a wide circle of friends that have been with me every step of the way. I can think of one naysayer. Odd. I don’t stay in touch with her.

How do you write—lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

All of the above. When I need to spread out a project I opt for our bed. My jumbo executive desk. I work it into a mosaic of all of my notes. Of course, if those teacup Yorkies come up the notes can become a bit scrambled. I live in the desert and I love to take my laptop outside in the wee hours when the muse has hit me. Any thing, any way, and any time, but don’t give me pencils. I loathe pencils.

Tell us about your new book. What’s it about and why did you write it?

Bye Bye Bones, released late last year, is my fifth title. I introduce Cassidy Clark and my first series. Cassidy is a feisty redhead female detective living in Tucson. In Bye Bye Bones, beautiful women around Tucson are disappearing. As with many of my stories, the unbelievable truth behind this story was gifted to me. Truth is stranger than fiction!

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone, dead or alive, who would you ask?

I love this question as I play it at least once a year! The names change.

Pretty much I never have an athlete and that remains true for this month’s invitation.

If there’s a politician in there it’s Ronald Reagan.

That leaves the other celebrities that would love my hospitality. Almost always making the list is Ellen DeGeneres. Porsche is welcome. Sidney Sheldon, for the obvious reasons. I understand Mary Higgins Clark has a spunky side. Tamron Hall, if she’ll bring some of her clothes, and Tucson’s own Savannah Guthrie. Eye candy? I guess that means an invitation to both Shemar Moore and Sean Connery. Do I want to have the police break it up? That’s where Jack Nicholson comes in. With that, my table is full!

What movie do you love to watch?

Over and over again movies would include Mr. Brooks, Secret Window, The Birds, all of the Hannibal stuff, and The Grim Sleeper. The Shining. I’ll throw in Good Will Hunting to demonstrate I do have a dimensional personality.

Are you a city slicker or a country lover?

Green Acres is the place for me! I LOVE to visit the big cities of Angels, Chicago, Boston, New York, Rome….. but …. land spreading out so far and wide! Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

What’s your next project?

In book six, TRACKS, my new PI Cassidy Clark learns that a good friend has died in Italy. She is told it was a heroin overdose. But the friend would only sip a flute of champagne on New Year’s Eve. And that friend happened to be married to the Cosa Nostra.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?

“Normality is a paved road. It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”

~ Vincent van Gogh

What is your favorite food?

While very happy with an In-N-Out burger, I am likely not to share my escargot and Alaskan king crab legs. I’ll either have ketchup or drawn butter dribbling down my chin.

Did you learn anything from writing this book?

I learn with every book I publish. Rising from a thick layer of naiveté, I wrote a book with a subplot on transgenderism long before the world met Caitlyn. I’ve researched and written about exploitive practices of plastic surgeons without scruples. With my new manuscript, I am exploring the worlds of heroin, cartels, and the Cosa Nostra.