MYSTERY AUTHOR SKYE ALEXANDER ON SAYING GOODBYE TO WELL-LOVED CHARACTERS

Skye Alexander is the author of nearly 50 fiction and nonfiction books. Her stories have appeared in anthologies internationally, and her work has been translated into fifteen languages. In 2003, she cofounded Level Best Books with fellow crime writers Kate Flora and Susan Oleksiw. So far her Lizzie Crane mystery series includes four traditional historical novels set in the Jazz Age with a forth scheduled for a 2025 release. Learn more about Skye and her books at her website.

Saying Goodbye

Characters in books, like aspiring actors, often push for bigger parts in a story––and they may graduate from cameos to starring roles. Sometimes, though, they’re ready to retire or the author decides they’ve fulfilled their purposes and it’s time to say goodbye. 

 

‘Til Death Do Us Part

Mystery writers specialize in killing people. Though usually we bump off the bad guys, occasionally it’s necessary to eliminate a character we––or our readers––genuinely like. Writing about the same people, from the same point of view, can grow tedious for an author over time. Bestselling author Sue Grafton admitted she wished she’d chosen something shorter than her twenty-six-book alphabet series. Of course, you can’t kill the protagonist unless you’ve decided to end the series and write something else. 

 

In one of the most famous protagonist dumps, Agatha Christie got rid of her popular sleuth Hercule Poirot who starred in thirty of her novels. Christie had tired of the man she called a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep" and wanted to “exorcise herself of him.” Except her publishers and fans wouldn’t let her. Finally, more than fifty years after his first appearance, Christie ended her literary relationship with Poirot. He became the only fictional character to get his obituary in the New York Times. 

 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t intend for his famous detective Sherlock Holmes to be a major player in his novels. Worried that the popular pipe-smoking character was preventing him from penning more serious literature, the author decided to kill his cash cow. But his readers weren’t having it. Under pressure, Doyle wrote The Adventure of the Empty House in which he pointed out inadequate eyewitness accounts of the investigator’s supposed death in a previous book and resurrected the much-loved Holmes.

 

Leaving the Door Open

What if an author chooses to take a series in a different direction, rather than ending it? That’s what Anne Hillerman, daughter of the popular novelist Tony Hillerman, did after her famous father died in 2008. Anne opted to let Tony’s protagonist, Navajo Nation Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, retire from the force––but he still serves as mentor to his partner Sergeant Jim Chee and Chee’s wife Officer Bernadette Manuelito. 

 

When I started writing Running in the Shadows, the fourth novel in my Lizzie Crane Jazz Age mystery series, one of the primary characters in my books asked me to relieve her of her duties. Melody Fitzgerald, a talented young flutist and violinist in my protagonist’s band, wanted to marry her sweetheart and start a family. I had to let her go. But even though her priorities have changed and she’ll no longer travel the country with her fellow musicians, Melody promises to make guest appearances from time to time. 

 

This halfway method allows the author to move into fresh territory, introducing new characters or elevating minor ones to major roles, without casting off the folks who begat the series. It’s also a more acceptable transition for readers who’ve become attached to fictitious friends and don’t want to say goodbye.

 

A Fitting End 

Cutting a character can be hard for writers––it’s like losing a friend you’ve been hanging out with for years. Mystery writer Tess Gerritsen agreed that eliminating a major character in her series was painful to write and she hesitated to do it. “But without that death, the tale would lose its power.” Sometimes it’s better to let characters die with dignity than to force them to continue after they’ve served their purpose or the author is itching to move on. 

Writing a character out of your series needs to be done carefully. Killing off a key character can be powerful, but the death needs to have meaning. In Gone with the Wind, for example, Melanie’s death awakens Scarlett to the fact that she loves Rhett, not Ashley. Maybe a character sacrifices his life to save a friend or a mother dies protecting her child. Thus, the writer makes it easier for readers to accept the loss by conferring hero/ine status on the deceased. After a respectful burial or “fare thee well” the author can open new doors and invite readers to step inside.

Running in the Shadows

A Lizzie Crane Mystery, Book 4

 

March 1926: Salem, Massachusetts

 

A spring equinox party at the mansion of a rich, flamboyant, and controversial art collector promises New York jazz singer Lizzie Crane and her band a fat paycheck, lucrative connections, and plenty of fun. She’ll also have an opportunity to reconnect with a handsome Boston Brahmin she fancies.

 

But the excitement she hopes for doesn’t turn out the way she expected. On the night of the musicians’ first performance, a naked young woman trots into the ballroom on horseback, sweeps up a talented artist named Sebastian, and rides off with him into the night. The next morning, Lizzie discovers the artist’s body tied to a tree, shot full of arrows like the martyred Saint Sebastian in Botticelli’s painting.

 

Soon Lizzie learns that her business partner, pianist Sidney Somerset, once had a close relationship with the dead man––and police suspect Sidney may have murdered him. As she tries to protect her friend and discover the killer, Lizzie gets swept up in the treacherous underworld of art theft and forgery, a world where fantastic sums of money change hands and where lives are cheap.  

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AN INTERVIEW WITH HISTORICAL COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR JENNY ADAMS

Joseph Pennell, Second Street Market, Philadelphia, 1920

Today we sit down for a chat with historical mystery author Jenny Adams. Learn more about her and her books at her website and blog. 

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

I’ve always written! I have stacks of notebook-length “novels” that I wrote starting at about age eight. I started writing seriously toward publication in 2010, about a week after I graduated from college.

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

A LONG time! I sent my first query letter in 2011. I signed with my agent, Amy Giuffrida, with my sixth novel, a YA fantasy, in 2021, almost ten years to the week after sending that first query. We went on submission with A Deadly Endeavor in the summer of 2022, and it sold in January 2023. All told, it took thirteen years and seven books.

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I am traditionally published with Crooked Lane Books!

 

Where do you write?

I’m a mom to a now-five-year-old and have a full-time job. I write in the margins of life. I wrote six novels on the sofa before I managed to find space for a desk. I’ve written on the bus and the metro, dictated via voice app on my driving commute, on my lunch breaks, in coffee shops, in my mother-in-law’s basement, and at the playground. Now, I tend to do most of my writing in my tiny office at home, from about 4:30-6:00am, before I have to get everyone else ready for the day and head to work.

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I make playlists. They always have a lot of Taylor Swift, Florence + the Machine, Noah Kahan, and Hozier. 

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular? 

Not many. But I do tend to draw on settings from real life, and I like to think of my setting as a character in and of itself. We lived in Philadelphia for seven years while my husband completed his PhD in History, and so much of my love for the neighborhoods where I lived and worked found their way into A Deadly Endeavor. It’s a very Philadelphia book.

 

Describe your process for naming your character? 

Edie’s first name just came to me, before almost anything else about her. Her last name, Shippen, is from an old Philadelphia family (remember Peggy Shippen?). Gilbert is named for Gilbert Blythe, of course, and I borrowed his and Lizzie’s last name from one of my favorite people, my first critique partner. Lizzie is Elizabeth, after a dear aunt. Theo Pepper is named for the founder of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Dr. Pepper, because I thought that was funny, and it stuck. My copy editor suggested we change it, but I refused. 

 

Real settings or fictional towns?

So, this is where things get funny - I consider myself, first and foremost, to be a fantasy writer. Six of my seven books have been fantasy. A Deadly Endeavor is my first mystery, my first historical, and my first book to be set in a real setting that exists (Philadelphia). But it’s not the real 1920s Philadelphia - it’s the version that exists in my head, and I honestly think that historical fiction and fantasy have way more in common than people realize. 

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has? 

Oh dear. I’m not big on quirks.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk? 

I always put the peanut butter on before the jelly.

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why? 

Oh, for sure, Daughter of the Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. 

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours? 

I actually don’t have one! I think everything happens for a reason, and honestly, some of my biggest heartbreaks have turned out to push me in the direction I needed to go at the time. I hate to think of what things I have now that I wouldn’t if any one little thing had worked differently.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve? 

I’m a librarian, and it drives me BANANAS when people push the books all the way to the back of the shelf. I am constantly pulling books to the front of the shelf. All day. Every day.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? 

My kindle, solar charger, and an SPF blanket. I’d happily wait for rescue. 

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held? 

I worked as a student web developer in college, a job that required fifteen hours a week of coding. I was also working ten hours at the library, taking a full course load, and then got mono. I asked to drop down to 5-10 hours a week while recovering, and my supervisor suggested I drop a class, because there was no shame in graduating in five years instead of four years. I quit on the spot. 

 

Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why? 

Perrin Aybara from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. I read those books starting at age ten or eleven, and I always loved him. He’s gentle and thoughtful, and also strong and loyal; he’s flawed but braver than anyone around him gives him credit for. 

 

Ocean or mountains? 

Both! I grew up in the Poconos, and I love being in the mountains, but I also love being at the beach. I don’t think I could live at the beach, though - I’d definitely choose to live in the mountains and have a beach within an easy driving distance.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy? 

This is another both for me. I grew in a rural mountain town, and I currently live just outside Washington, DC. I LOVE being able to walk anywhere I want - my daughter’s school, restaurants, bookstores. But I also love being out in the middle of nowhere. I’d happily be either very rural or very urban - anything but in the suburbs, which tend to be neither remote nor walkable. 

 

What’s on the horizon for you? 

Another Edie and Gil mystery! Book 2 releases in Spring 2025, and I am hopeful that I’ll be writing these two characters for a little while longer. 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books? 

I am so grateful to be writing these stories, and I really, really hope that readers have fun with them. My entire goal with writing A Deadly Endeavor was to create something that was so much fun that people would ignore their responsibilities for an afternoon while they read it. I’m so honored to get to share them with the world!

 

A Deadly Endeavor

A Deadly Twenties Mystery, Book 1

 

Philadelphia, 1921

 

When Edie Shippen returns home after spending years in California recovering from Influenza, she’s shocked to discover that her childhood sweetheart is engaged to her twin sister. Heartbroken and adrift, Edie vows to begin living her life as a modern woman—and to hell with anyone who gets in her way. But as young women start to disappear from the city, her newfound independence begins to feel dangerous.

 

Gilbert Lawless returned home from the Great War a shell of his former self. He hides away in the office of Philadelphia’s Coroner, content to keep to himself until a gruesome series of corpses come into the morgue. And when his sister, Lizzie, goes missing, he risks his career to beg help from the one person Lizzie seemed to trust: her employer, Edie Shippen.

 

Fearing the worst, Edie and Gilbert desperately search for clues. It soon becomes clear that Lizzie’s disappearance is connected to the deaths rocking the City of Brotherly Love… and it’s only a matter of time until the killer strikes again.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH ETTA RUTLEDGE FROM AUTHOR A.M. READE'S CAPE MAY HISTORICAL MYSTERY SERIES

A Colonial Tavern (The one in the story would have been more rustic.)

Today we sit down for a chat with Antoinetta (Etta) Rutledge from author A.M. Reade’s historical mystery A Traitor Among Us: A Mystery of the American Revolution, Book 2 in the Cape May Historical Mysteries. 

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

Before Amy started pulling my strings, my life was very much like that of other young women my age in 1777. Most of us help with the household and farm chores. I have added work to do, too, because our house is also an inn for travelers, and my father runs a tavern attached to the house. My mother and sister and I do almost all the work in the inn, and we work every night in the tavern.

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I am devoted to my family. My younger sister, Prissy, has never spoken, and I’m good at sensing and knowing what she is trying to communicate.

 

What do you like least about yourself?

Once I grievously misunderstood something Prissy was trying to say, and I wish that had never happened. 

 

And one thing that I don’t like (though it has little to do with me and much to do with my community in 1777) is this: I wish I could join the men in the tavern when they discuss all kinds of things, like the war and local goings-on and other stories in the broadside (that’s our newspaper.) I think they might be surprised to learn that I have strong and articulate opinions about many issues.

 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Can you believe she made me go to the barn by myself one morning and find a body? The least she could have done was have one of my brothers go with me, but I suppose that would have changed the story.

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

I try not to argue with Amy. At least, not out loud. But I can be crafty, so sometimes I wriggle into her thoughts and make suggestions about other characters’ actions and words. I’m pleased to report she almost always listens to the thoughts I put in her head.

 

What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is that one of my brothers will leave our home and join the fight against the British in the War for Independence.

 

What makes you happy?

It makes me happy when my sister and brothers and I are all together in one place, be it the tavern or the house or the farm. We four are very close. 

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I need to think about that. 

 

I suppose it would be the time my mother … but wait a moment. If I tell you that, I’ll be giving away part of the story. Amy might not appreciate it and I like to stay on her good side.

 

Let me just say this: in my story, just as in every story, bad things happen. There are times I wish they didn’t, but then there would be no story. Isn’t that correct?

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

That is an easy question: Elijah Webber. He is infuriating, rude, and insufferable. There is something that draws me to him, though, and try as I might, I cannot dislodge thoughts of him from my head. 

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

I would never trade places with anyone, but if I could be someone else for just one day, I would choose Thaddeus Marshall. He often plays the fiddle at our tavern, and I can tell from watching him how much fun he has. He loves playing music because it makes him happy, and it makes everyone else happy. Well, almost everyone. My father disapproves of music and dancing, so my brothers and sister and I are not permitted to join in the fun. Just once, I would love to make music like that.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Amy lives in New Jersey. In fact, she lives just a quarter mile from where my story is set—there has been an inn, tavern, hostelry, or other place of hospitality standing on that site since 1736, years before I was born. 

 

She likes to travel, which is something I’ve never done. And, of course, she loves to read. She even fancies herself a gardener, but to be frank, she’s not. I am a far better gardener than she is. 

 

Readers can find her at www.amymreade.com. (I, of course, have no idea what that means, but she told me to write it down for you.)

 

What's next for you?

Alas, though Amy is writing more books set in Cape May County, the next novel has nothing to do with me or my family. It will take place at the Cape May Lighthouse in 1821, forty-four years after my own story.

 

However, I’m told she may write a short story about me. I hope so because I like talking to her readers. Amy says they are the best readers anywhere in the world.

 

A Traitor Among Us

A Cape May Historical Mystery, Book 2

 

September, 1777

The war for American independence rages just seventy miles away from the country inn and tavern owned by the Rutledge family in southern New Jersey. Tensions are running high between those who support the Continental Army and those who remain loyal to the English crown.

 

When Etta Rutledge stumbles upon the body of a ne’er-do-well British sympathizer on her family’s property, unsettling questions regarding her older brother, Jesse, begin to arise. What was his connection to the victim and why was he keen to keep it hidden?

Another shocking death, this time much closer to the heart of the family, draws Etta ever closer to unlocking the secrets swirling around her—secrets that someone will go to any length to protect...

 

Will Etta survive the discovery of the traitor in their midst?

 

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MYSTERY AUTHOR D.S. LANG BRINGS A "GHOST" TOWN BACK TO LIFE IN HER NEW SERIES

Not Mitchaw, but a reasonable facsimile found on Pixaby

D.S. Lang is a former teacher, tutor, and mentor. She writes historical mysteries set in smalltown America during the Roaring Twenties. Her books feature amateur sleuths dedicated to cracking cases, along with a team of colorful characters—often including a local lawman. Find more about her books and her books on her website. 

The Catalogued Corpse, the first book in my Doro Banyon Historical Mystery series, is set in the semi-fictional town of Michaw, Ohio. I use the term semi-fictional, because the unincorporated village of Mitchaw existed until the mid-Twentieth Century. In fact, it was my dad’s birthplace! Often called Mitchaw Corners, it was set at the intersection of two main roads. The town was tiny and surrounded by farms. These days, the area is part of Sylvania Township, but many more people live there because subdivisions have replaced farms.

I have taken considerable literary license in creating a fictional place. My town is much larger than the “Corners” ever was and even has a college, where my amateur sleuth works as a librarian.

In doing research, I found information about ghost towns (not haunted, just not in existence any longer) and forgotten places (they exist but not as actual jurisdictions.) Almost 4000 of these entities are in the United States. Texas has the most. The majority disappeared in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, often due to inhabitants heading to bigger cities. My dad’s family moved off their farm to a home in Sylvania, not a major city, when he was in high school. Sylvania isn’t a major city, but it still exists as a sprawling suburb.

Around the world, towns and cities have disappeared due to wars, famines, diseases, and disasters—both natural and man-made. During the Battle of Verdun in World War I, nine French villages were decimated. Mitchaw suffered a major tornado in 1920, which may have started its decline. Many surrounding towns have also shrunk or disappeared. One named Ai (and it was named long before artificial intelligence came along) is tiny now, but once had its own high school. I wanted to use it as part of my story. Then, one of my beta readers said people will think you are referring to new technology, so I had to choose another place!

The Catalogued Corpse 

A Doro Banyon Historical Mystery, Book One

 

College librarian Doro Banyon discovers the body of her nemesis, Professor Hemet Corlon, near the card catalogues when she arrives for work. Evidence points to a terrible accident, but the new school security officer disagrees. Because Doro and Corlon have been at odds over the status of women at the formerly all-male school, she falls under suspicion—and she isn’t alone. Most professors and students supported women’s suffrage and welcomed coeducation, so they stand steadfast against the old-fashioned ideas of Corlon and his handful of powerful cronies. More than one person wanted to see an end to the professor and his ilk. But who made his departure permanent? In seeking answers, Doro joins forces with her best friend to solve the mystery of the catalogued corpse.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH HISTORICAL/REGENCY MYSTERY AUTHOR J.L. BUCK

The author's office

Today we sit down for a chat with historical/Regency mystery author J.L. Buck, who also writes fantasy as Ally Shields. Learn more about J.L. at her website and blog and Ally at her website and blog. 

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

When I was nine. I loved Walter Farley’s horse books. When I had read them all, I decided to write mine own, a 150-page, handwritten story entitled Golden King. From that point on, I always thought I’d be a writer somebody. In college, I planned to be a journalist, then marriage and kids came along, and I began teaching to help support the household. Life intervened again, and I headed to law school. When I finally retired, I began to write my first true novel.

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

A:  In years, it wasn’t a lengthy process. I began writing what became my first published novel in 2009, and it was published in 2012. In between, were 160 rejections from agents and publishers. It took a lot of persistence, re-writing, and belief in my story.

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author? 

I have been published by two small presses. My sixteen fantasy novels were published under a pen name by one publisher, but when I switched to mysteries, I had to find a new publisher. Fortunately, it didn’t take so many rejections the second time. 😊

 

Where do you write?  

Since I knew what I wanted to do in retirement, I set up a small office in my home just for writing. I much prefer writing on a desktop, so I have it set up with a sturdy desk, printer stand, credenza, shelves, and cabinets to store info, and a rolling storage bin that houses most of my historical books.

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind? 

Actually, neither. Silence drives me nuts, and I end up singing to music. I prefer a TV running in the background to provide white noise – even better if it’s showing a series I’ve already watched.

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

None of the plots are drawn from real life, although I have woven some historical events into my Regency mysteries. Character traits are frequency pulled from people I know or people I have observed. When I spend time in waiting rooms, long lines, or places like airplanes, I frequently watch the people round me for new traits that may appear in the next novel. So far, no one has said, “Oh, I know who that is.”

 

Describe your process for naming your character?

I have several lists of names that were popular during the Regency-era. When I have to name a new character, I run my finger down those lists until something strikes my fancy.

 

Real settings or fictional towns? 

I use both.

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has? 

Lady Anne Ashburn has the ability of total recall.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I do my best writing late at night in gown or pjs.

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why? 

As long as we’re dreaming, I would love to have written The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is so beautifully written, tremendously re-readable, and I believe will still be read 100 years from now for its relatable characters and engaging plot.

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours? 

Many years ago, I had an opportunity to teach in Australia. I’d love to know where that would have led.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Just one??? Tech support based in another country that does not speak my language.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

My kindle, my notebook, and a bottle of wine.

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Collection agent for Boston Law Book Co. Getting money from lawyers is nearly impossible.

 

Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why?

If I can only choose one, it would be Sherlock Holmes who introduced me to the mystery genre that has given me thousands of hours of reading pleasure.

 

Ocean or mountains? 

Oceans

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy? 

Country girl

 

What’s on the horizon for you? 

I’m currently writing the Viscount Ware mysteries under a four-book contract (they are all drafted), and I hope to have them available to readers within the next eighteen months. After that…I love these characters and have my fingers crossed that the contract will be extended.

 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I want to thank you for hosting me. I’m delighted to visit your blog.

 

The Dead Betray None

A Viscount Ware Mystery, Book 1

 

An aristocratic spy and a highborn lady cross paths over a dead body.

 

1811 England seethes with discontent. A self-indulgent prince regent sits on the throne of a country at war with France, on the brink of war with America, and facing growing rebellion at home. 

 

Lucien, Viscount Ware, recently home after four years on the Continent as a spy for England, finds life in the haute ton tedious. He secretly agrees to handle a few delicate matters for the Crown's private spy unit at Whitehall. A housebreaking at a country house party seems a strange assignment until he discovers that a French cipher, the key to Napoleon's war codes, was among the stolen items. As he follows its trail to London's notorious rookeries and into its glittering ballrooms, he faces a growing threat of treachery from more than one direction.

 

Lady Anne Ashburn missed her London season while caring for her invalid mother in the north country. A new nurse allows her to visit relatives, where she becomes embroiled in a blackmail plot. To avoid a terrible scandal, she goes to London to face down the scoundrel threatening her family.

 

The night of the elegant Christmastide Ball, Lucien finds Lady Anne standing over a corpse. What happens after that—the risks they take, the intrusion of a notorious crime lord, society gossip, and good intentions gone awry—sends them spiraling into danger and potential disaster for England’s war effort.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH OPERA SINGER AND AMATEUR SLEUTH ELLA SHANE FROM DEBUT AUTHOR KATHLEEN MARPLE KALB'S HISTORICAL MYSTERY SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Ella Shane (born Ellen O’Shaugnessy, Hebrew name Meira bat Malka). Ella is the amateur sleuth of author Kathleen Marple Kalb’s debut historical mystery series, The Ella Shane Mysteries.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings? 

My life was quite satisfying and happy until my last Juliet died onstage and her cousin the Duke appeared in my Washington Square townhouse looking to find out what happened to her. While I began my life as the poor, and later orphan, child of an Irish father and Jewish mother on the Lower East Side, thanks to the gift of a voice, and good luck in finding a teacher, I’ve become a very successful opera singer, known for my “trouser roles,” heroic male parts now sung by women. 

My beloved cousin Tommy Hurley and I run the Ella Shane Opera Company, with productions in New York and on the circuit. We were finishing a stand of I Capuleti e I Montecchi in New Haven when our Juliet drank real poison. Even though she’d been quite a difficult person, I felt terribly bad about it, but it seemed like a straightforward tragedy until her cousin appeared. He started out rather judgmental, but once I set him straight that I’m a respectable lady and an artist (at the point of my sword, as it happens), he asked my help in finding answers. Since he’s clearly grieving, and I really do feel responsible for the girl, I’ve decided to assist him. This would all be much less unsettling if he were like every other Duke I’ve met: old, cranky and smelling of camphor. Not this tall, dark and actually rather charming – if sometimes awkward – fellow.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself? 

My kindness and concern for others. My mother raised me with good Jewish ethics: it’s not enough to try to please God and work for Heaven, you have to treat people well here on earth. I try to give back some of my good fortune by helping the needy or suffering any way I can. 

What do you like least about yourself? 

My Irish temper. I do wish I didn’t occasionally find myself in a shouting match with Tommy and ending up in tears.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you? 

I’m a rather intrepid person, but I never expected to end up dueling the person who killed poor Juliet on a catwalk twenty feet above the stage. I suppose it was rather thrilling for her, but I was the one who had to find a way out of it!

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about? 

Sometimes she thinks I should be nicer to the Duke, but I’m in no hurry to pursue our involvement. He’s definitely an appealing and interesting man, and I’m glad to know his intentions are honorable…but I have no intention of becoming a man’s property.

What is your greatest fear? 

Losing people I love, especially Tommy. When I was eight years old, I woke up one winter morning in our tenement room and discovered that my mother had died in the night. My aunt, Tommy’s mother, took me in before I was sent to the orphanage, and Tommy watched over me. Danger doesn’t scare me…but the idea of a life without the people I love does.

What makes you happy? 

Singing, whether with a large audience in a prestigious theatre, my friends and musicians, or just my parrot Montezuma. Music is my gift, my blessing, and my greatest joy.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why? 

I would be very tempted to explain to readers that they might want to really keep their eyes open when my author is talking about social issues or women’s place in the world. She’s usually using it as a way to slip in important clues that you’ll want to remember later. For example, my reporter friend Hetty’s struggle to write about something other than hats actually leads to an important revelation as well as her own advancement.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?  

Aline Corbyn, the society matron. Not because she’s mean and insulting to me, although she is, but because women should be better than that. My stage door Lotharios are pigs, which I expect. I’d like to think that as women we would try to help each other…but…

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why? 

I’d love to be Dr. Silver for an afternoon or two. She’s so smart and she does such good, important work. But I wouldn’t really want to be her forever – I’m sure she sees terrible things in her practice and can’t always save people. 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

I do hope that “blog” comment wasn’t a reference to my author being an Irish bog-dweller. She actually is Scots-Irish, though she’s from Western Pennsylvania where they call it Scotch-Irish for reasons unknown. She does write a weekly “Throwback Thursday” column at a newspaper with the peculiar name of Goodreads.

At any rate, like me, she started her career early, and cared only for her work for a couple of decades. But then she had the good fortune to marry a longtime friend and have a child at a rather impressively late age, which – just between you, me and the lamp post – I find an encouraging example. She says this bit of garble (her website) will tell you more. 

She also says, by the way, that she was in fact born Miss Marple, and chose to add Professor Kalb’s name to her own to honor their son, the Imp.

What's next for you? 

The Ella Shane Opera Company is presenting The Princes in the Tower this fall in the City, and there may well be a few misadventures over the course of the run – which will be chronicled in my next outing: A Fatal First Night, due out next spring. 

A Fatal Finale

The debut of Ella Shane, an opera singer who’s part Beverly Sills, part Anne of Green Gables, part Errol Flynn – and entirely herself. 

New York City, 1899

Ella, an Irish-Jewish Lower East Side orphan made good, is singing Romeo when her Juliet dies onstage after drinking real poison. She thinks it’s a tragic mistake until the girl’s cousin, a genuine British Duke, comes to New York to find out what really happened. Right away, the Duke insults Ella -- so she makes him fence with her. Despite the rocky beginning, Ella, her cousin Tommy, a former boxing champ and “confirmed bachelor,” and the colorful cast of characters get drawn into the case. Soon, Ella and the Duke find they have an undeniable and quite possibly unresolvable attraction. No spoiler (just tease!) it all culminates in a catwalk duel with the killer – with Ella handling swordplay while the Duke waits in the wings.

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