Mystery
author Camille Minichino, who also writes as Margaret Grace, Ada Madison, and
Jean Flowers, has been a guest here numerous times, but she’s never sat for an
interview. Today that changes. To learn more about Camille/Margaret/Ada/Jean
and her books, visit her website and blog.
When did
you realize you wanted to write novels?
When my first book, Nuclear Waste Management Abstracts was not a best seller.
How long
did it take you to realize your dream of publication?
I spent a couple of years transitioning from
technical publications to "popular" outlets. I took classes, joined
writers groups, went to conferences. Once I began submitting, it took about 6
months and many queries to find a publisher, then an agent.
Are you
traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?
Traditional to start (23 novels, 1 due Spring '17). Lately
I'm also Indie publishing short stories.
Where do
you write?
In the bleachers in Times Square if possible,
otherwise in my suburban California home office.
Is silence
golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?
(See above re: Times Square) My childhood bedroom was
less than 10 feet from the jukebox in the pizza parlor next door. I commuted to
college, doing most of my homework on Boston's MTA. I'm too lonely to write
when it's quiet.
How much of
your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?
Roughly, 100%. I'm turning all my careers and hobbies
into mystery series: doing physics (the Periodic Table Mysteries); making
miniatures (the Miniature Mysteries); teaching math (the Professor Sophie
Knowles Mysteries); and even odd jobs, like working in the post office during
school holidays (the Postmistress Mysteries). Does it sound like I have no
imagination?
Describe
your process for naming your character?
I often have a particular reason for my characters'
names. Gloria is an adored cousin, Gerry a dear friend who died as I was starting
the Miniature Mysteries, Sophie after famed 18th century mathematician
Sophie Germain, Cassie and Sunni also good friends. For minor characters, I use
the SSA website database of names.
Real
settings or fictional towns?
I learned my lesson when I set my first series in
Revere, Massachusetts, my hometown. It was very difficult to keep straight
which streets were one way, which buildings still standing, and what the city
council protocols were. When a reviewer criticized me for putting a Starbucks
in Revere, I decided to create my own towns for future series.
What’s the
quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Anastasia Brent of the Periodic Table Mysteries is a
tap-dancing freelance embalmer. That in itself is quirky.
What’s your
quirkiest quirk?
I write about freelance embalmers.
If you
could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which
one would it be? Why?
Dante's La
Commedia, which dominated my life in 4th year Italian. It has
everything – the journey from hell, through purgatory, to paradise – covering
religion, politics, crime and punishment, and usually accompanied by astounding
art.
Everyone at
some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?
Always the hardest question. Probably: leave home
sooner.
What’s your
biggest pet peeve?
Kids these days When did they become
in charge?
You’re
stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
If I were to be stranded on deserted Manhattan Island,
I would need a cab, a master key to all museums, and a large supply of
black-and-whites.
What was
the worst job you’ve ever held?
Working in a small factory (hmm, another series?)
while I was in transition from a convent to "the world". The
highlight of every day was the food truck, back when food trucks weren't cool.
What’s the
best book you’ve ever read?
Another hard choice. Do I go back to Little Women, the first book that made me
cry? Or more grown-up choices like Never
Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, a story that has the best elements of mystery,
romance, and science fiction. For shear story power, I'll take Mystic River. For a cop, Martin Cruz
Smith's Arkady Renko. I know I'm cheating on this question.
Ocean or
mountains?
Skyscrapers. Lots of them together, with museums in-between.
I think it's called Gotham.
City
girl/guy or country girl/guy?
The city, or why bother?
What’s on
the horizon for you?
You'll have to ask my agent.
Anything
else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?
When I switched from science to writing, I thought
I'd be lonely. Science is a team endeavor – no one works on a 128-beam laser
alone. But it turned out that writing is also a team endeavor, impossible
without a writing community that includes agents and editors, critique groups,
conferences, and the many organizations like Mystery Writers of America and
Sisters in Crime, that bring us together. A nice surprise.
Cancelled
By Murder
A
Postmistress Mystery, Book 2
Cassie Miller returned to her sleepy hometown in
the Berkshires to start over as the new postmistress. But she soon finds that
dead letters are nothing compared to murder victims...
With a massive storm about
to hit North Ashcot, Massachusetts, threatening floods and widespread wind
damage, Cassie is forced to close up the post office along with the rest of the
local business owners and residents, who are battening down the hatches and
bracing themselves for the worst.
Although
the storm proves not to be as bad as predicted, fabric shop owner Daisy Harmon
is found dead, seemingly killed by a fallen branch. But the police quickly
determine that her death had nothing to do with foul weather and everything to
do with foul play. After Daisy’s widowed husband approaches her to help solve
his wife’s murder, Cassie vows to find the killer before another innocent
victim is taken by storm.
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3 comments:
Thanks for the interview, Anastasia! It makes me feel like I'm visiting New Jersey, which is high on my list of favorite places.
I'd like to take the opportunity this morning to send good wishes to those who are going through the pain and disruption of yesterday's train incident. You have had more than your share of trauma and we're all hoping for better days for you.
Thanks, Camille. That accident was horrific. It's amazing that only one person died and most are out of the hospital already. Still, it's something that could have been prevented. We've had the technology for 40 years. What is it going to take for transportation systems to implement the safety controls that would prevent these accidents? How many more people have to lose their lives or be seriously injured? Lives should matter more than dollars.
Another area where we are behind so many other countries.
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