BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR CHARLENE D'AVANZO

Mystery author Charlene D’Avanzo sits for an interview today. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

About five years ago. I heard another scientist describe the harassment he had to deal with at the hands of powerful climate change deniers. I realized most people had no idea this was going on and that fiction might be a good vehicle for telling the story.  

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

After several years taking workshops and working with editors I found an agent and publisher.

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

Traditionally published by a small independent publisher.

Where do you write?

I live on the coast of Maine, where my stories are set. My little office upstairs has a window with a view of the ocean.

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

I need silence, solitude, and a lot time.

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

A great deal. I’m a marine ecologist and like me, my protagonist is Irish-Italian, lives on the Maine coast, and loves sea kayaking. We’re both opinionated and save-the-world types.

Describe your process for naming your character?

“Mara” is Italian for “sea” and Tusconi has a nice ring to it.

Real settings or fictional towns?

The “Maine Oceanographic Institute”, which does not exist, is in the fictional town of Spruce Harbor, Maine.

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

She talks to her pet lobster.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I talk to my cat.

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

Anythng by Nevada Barr or Kathy Reichs. Both write books some call thrillers (mine are closer to cozies) with very strong female protagonists who are scientists. Nevada Barr’s stories are set in national parks and nature is essentially a character in itself. Reich’s were adapted for the T.V. Tempe Brennan series.

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

I’ve moved along in years and wish I had a tenth the personal wisdom thirty years ago that I have now.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Fake news—and that people believe it—drives me wild. I cannot understand why people don’t ask questions like “How do you know?”, “What’s the basis for that claim?” and “Why am I so ready to believe this?”. The irony, of course, is that I write fiction to help readers better understand facts.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? Something that distills seawater into freshwater, a boat, and fishing gear.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Being a waitress.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Hmm, that’s tough. Maybe Gabriel Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera.

Ocean or mountains?

Ocean, always.

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Country, always.

What’s on the horizon for you?

I intend to write a book a year for my Maine Oceanography Mystery series. The second one, Demon Spirit, Devil Sea, is in final editing now and will be published early this summer. I’m researching book #3, which focuses on lobstering and lobstermen. Working title is Beware the Lobster’s Sea.

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

If you like fast-paced mysteries with smart female protagonists plus the ocean, boats, lobsters, plus humor and surprises, please give Cold Blood, Hot Sea a try. Feel free to email me at author@charlenedavanzo.com.

Cold Blood, Hot Sea

A Mara Tusconi Mystery

A scientist is killed aboard research vessel Intrepid—and oceanographer Mara Tusconi believes its no accident. Although busy with demands of work and distracted by the blue eyes of a new hire down the hall, Mara investigates why her friend and colleague died. The quest takes her from a lobster-lined research lab to a kayak bobbing in icy waters of the Atlantic. Mara uncovers a scheme cooked up by powerful energy execs threatened by Maine Oceanographic Institute researchers’ climate change findings. Her career—and life—is on the line, imperiled by intrigue as big and dark as the ocean.

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FAVORITES, FAILURES & FRUSTRATIONS--GUEST AUTHOR LEA WAIT

We’re always happy to have return visit from author Lea Wait, here today to talk about her newest Antique Print Mystery and one of her biggest frustrations. Learn more about Lea and her books at her website where you can also find a link to a prequel of Shadows on a Morning in Maine.

I’m convinced that being an author is, by definition, one of the most frustrating jobs in the world. (And – yes – it is a job.)

When I was writing my first book – a mystery rejected by forty of the best agents around – I would have said repeated rejections were the major frustration.

When my first book (Stopping to Home) was accepted by a major publisher (yippee!) I was frustrated that it got fantastic reviews but didn’t sell more copies, let alone (yes, I was fantasizing) win any awards.

By the time that first mystery (Shadows at the Fair) was published, despite positive NY Times reviews, I was frustrated by conflicts between writing two books a year (they want my books!) and caring for my mother 24/7. (She repeatedly told me I should “stop playing with that computer” and start doing whatever it was that she needed or wanted me to do.) A no-win situation.  

After she died, I had more time – wonderful! I married the guy I’d loved for more years than anyone can believe. Life was perfect.

But my publisher wanted me to do more appearances, in more places. That took time – and money. (No – publishers don’t pay for travel or promotional items or conference expenses for most authors.)  I went into debt promoting my books, which were doing fine, but not “breaking out.” An investment in the future,” I told myself. And, after all, Simon & Schuster was publishing two of my books a year. I was really an author!

And then within a few months it all ended. My mystery editor retired, and my series was discontinued. Historical novels for children went out of fashion.

I was beyond frustration. And, yes, tears were involved.

But I kept writing.

No one wanted to continue my mystery series, so my agent suggested I write an historical mystery.

It was rejected.

I wrote two more historical novels for children (I’m stubborn) that were rejected. So was my contemporary mystery for ages 8-12.

And the nonfiction book I wrote for teachers.

And I won’t even mention that dozen manuscripts that were researched, partially written, then dropped because my agent said selling them would be “doubtful.”

I changed agents. More than once. It didn’t make a difference.

Yes, I’d had eight books published in under six years. But then – for another six years – nothing.

Frustration? Oh, yes. And – an important side effect of frustration: publishers may not know this, but authors are addicted to housing and food, too. I was in debt (that book touring and promotion that was supposed to pay off) and, to top it off, the market crashed. I looked for a day job but couldn’t find one.

And then … gradually … the clouds began to part. A small publisher on the west coast decided to pick up my Shadows series. The fourth book in the series (Shadows at the Spring Show) was published in 2005. The fifth, (Shadows of a Down East Summer) in 2011. I was being paid a tiny fraction of what I’d previously earned, but somehow my readers found me. Hurrah! The eighth in that series, Shadows on a Morning in Maine, was just published.

A small Maine publisher decided to take a chance on Uncertain Glory, one of my historical novels for children. It was published in 2014.

And through a writer friend who knew an agent (not mine) who knew an editor, I was offered a contract for a new mystery series. Much less money than my first series but more than the small press. The fourth in my USA Today bestselling Mainely Needlepoint series (Dangling by a Thread) will be published in November. It will be my eighteenth published book.

So—is my life perfect?  Not exactly. Yes, I’m back to writing two (or three) books a year that are being published. I have supportive friends in the writing community. I now know my story isn’t unique – authors have “down years.”

I’m working with a credit consolidation firm. I’m doing few appearances out of my home state. My husband and I don’t eat out often, don’t travel, and keep the temperature in our home down in winter. It will take another four or five years, I estimate, to work our way out of debt.

But my (new) agent is excited about a project I’m working on. I’m hoping my Mainely Needlepoint contract will be renewed. I do a lot of library and craft show gigs, to let people know about my books.

I think -- I hope -- there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

But now I’m a realist. I know how rewarding being an author can be. But also how frustrating.

And – by the way – my wonderful supportive husband understands, because he’s an artist. Don’t get me started about the frustrations of that job!

Shadows on a Morning in Maine

Antique print dealer Maggie Summer's making big changes in her life. She's taken a sabbatical from her college teaching job and moved to the coast of Maine to run an antique mall with Will Brewer, her significant other, and is finally hoping to adopt the daughter she's been hoping for. However, the troubled girl referred to her doesn't want any part of the plan, showing affection only for harbor seals, which remind her of her "real mother." Maggie's distraught when someone starts shooting the seals -- and the a young fisherman is murdered. When Will then confesses a secret from his past, she begins to wonder if moving to Maine is the biggest mistake of her life.

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