#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--MYSTERY AUTHOR JUDY PENZ SHELUK WEAVES A TALE AROUND OLD DAGUERREOTYPES

 

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plansand Heartbreaks & Half-truths, which she also edited. Learn more about Judy and her books at her website.

Facts in Fiction: Daguerreotypes

 

“There is, at least, no flattery in my humble line of art. Now, here is a likeness which I have taken over and over again, and still with no better result. Yet the original wears, to common eyes, a very different expression.” Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables (1851).

 

What Hawthorne is referring to is the daguerreotype, an early photographic process using silver-plated copper and mercury fumes (doesn’t that sound safe?), which results in a mirror-like image, similar to a hologram. While the use of negatives in photography would eventually become the norm, in 1840s and 50s America, the daguerreotype had little competition, especially in the area of private portraiture. Until the daguerreotype, portraits and miniatures were considered luxuries for the rich. 

 

Nevertheless, the heyday of the daguerreotype was short-lived. The beginning of the end came in 1854, with the patenting of the ambrotype, a less expensive photographic process, followed by the tintype in 1856. Although the images produced were clearly inferior to the daguerreotype, soldiers in the Civil War embraced the lightweight tintype; almost as quickly as the daguerreotype had risen to fame, it became obsolete.

 

The shift towards renewed public recognition began in October 1995, when Sotheby’s sold a half-plate of the United States Capitol, circa 1846, for a [then] world record price of $189,500. Other auction sales followed. One of the most significant was The David Feigenbaum Collection, which included 240 daguerreotypes from the renowned Boston partnership of Southworth & Hawes. The sale totaled $3.3 million.

 

I first became familiar with daguerreotypes in my early days as a freelance writer specializing in antiques, and my fascination with them increased with every article written. Later, as the Senior Editor of New England Antiques Journal, I would interview Keith F. Davis, a renowned expert in the field, as well as members of the Daguerreian Society. One of those members was kind enough to send me a copy of The Daguerreian Annual 1998: The Official Yearbook of the Daguerreian Society. Inside, there’s an article on Reading Daguerreotypes written by Keith F. Davis, and while it took a few years, it eventually inspired one of the plot points in my latest Glass Dolphin antiques shop mystery, Where There’s A Will. 

 

In the book, the beneficiary of the old Hadley house estate, Faye Everett, asks Arabella Carpenter, owner of the Glass Dolphin, to appraise a reading daguerreotype found hidden inside the house. Of course, the daguerreotype is not the only thing hidden inside the old Hadley house, as Arabella soon finds out. 

 

Where There’s a Will

A Glass Dolphin Mystery, Book 3

Emily Garland is getting married and looking for the perfect forever home. When the old, and some say haunted, Hadley house comes up for sale, she’s convinced it’s “the one.” The house is also perfect for reality TV star Miles Pemberton and his new series, House Haunters. Emily will fight for her dream home, but Pemberton’s pockets are deeper than Emily’s, and he’ll stretch the rules to get what he wants.

 

While Pemberton racks up enemies all around Lount’s Landing, Arabella Carpenter, Emily’s partner at the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, has been hired to appraise the contents of the estate, along with her ex-husband, Levon. Could the feuding beneficiaries decide there’s a conflict of interest? Could Pemberton?

 

Things get even more complicated when Arabella and Levon discover another will hidden inside the house, and with it, a decades-old secret. Can the property stay on the market? And if so, who will make the winning offer: Emily or Miles Pemberton?

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Photo credit: An example of a reading daguerreotype. Mary H. Lee, half-length portrait, seated, holding a book; McClees & Germon, photographer, 1850-55. Library of Congress #2008680501. Used with permission.

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--CHRISTMAS WITH ANASTASIA

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I suspect more and more of you are doing most of your shopping online this year. Maybe by next year life will return to normal, and we’ll be able to shop in and enjoy the holiday decorations in all the local stores—assuming there are any brick and mortar stores left.  

Lois Winston, my author, hasn’t yet dropped the bombshell about the demise of Lord & Taylor. The chain was still hanging on by a thread when she finished writing A Sew Deadly Cruise, the latest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery. When Mama learns of the iconic department store’s demise, it will send her reeling. My mother’s relationship with Mr. Lord and Mr. Taylor has lasted far longer than any of her marriages, including the one to my father. I’m assuming Mama will learn of the bankruptcy in the next book Lois writes about me. If I’m lucky, she’ll make sure I’m out of town when Mama hears the awful news.

 

Anyway, since most holiday shopping this year will occur on our smart phones, tablets, and laptops, that leaves more time for holiday reading, which is less fattening than doubling your usual Christmas cookie output. (This pandemic is making the Freshman Fifteen look like a fond memory!)

 

There are two books in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series that take place during the holidays, Drop Dead Ornaments and Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide. The two books are available individually, both as ebooks and in print, but they’re also bundled together in one ebook set. They’ll go great with a cup of hot cocoa, tea, or coffee and a few Christmas cookies. 

 

Drop Dead Ornaments

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 7

 

Anastasia Pollack’s son Alex is dating Sophie Lambert, the new kid in town. For their community service project, the high school seniors have chosen to raise money for the county food bank. Anastasia taps her craft industry contacts to donate materials for the students to make Christmas ornaments they’ll sell at the town’s annual Holiday Crafts Fair.

 

At the fair Anastasia meets Sophie’s father, Shane Lambert, who strikes her as a man with secrets. She also notices a woman eavesdropping on their conversation. Later that evening when the woman turns up dead, Sophie’s father is arrested for her murder.

 

Alex and Sophie beg Anastasia to find the real killer, but Anastasia has had her fill of dead bodies. She’s also not convinced of Shane’s innocence. Besides, she’s promised younger son Nick she’ll stop risking her life. But how can she say no to Alex?

 

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Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 8

 

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend and possible spy Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.

 

In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?

 

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Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Books 7-8

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--ROMANTIC SUSPENSE AND MEDICAL THRILLER AUTHOR BEVERLEY BATEMAN'S GLASS FUSION HOBBY

Glass Fusion Peppers Dish

Canadian author Beverley Bateman's life writes contemporary romantic suspense and medical thrillers and loves to plot, kill, and hopefully baffle her readers along the way. Today she joins us to talk about one of her hobbies. Learn more about Beverley and her books at her website and blog.

Thank you for inviting me. I thought I’d talk about a hobby of mine. It’s Glass Fusion. I’d never heard of Glass Fusion, also referred to as fused glass, until a few years ago. When winter arrives, we head south to a warmer climate for about five months. The place we winter has multiple craft opportunities. I thought I’d like to try something new. I checked the large display of projects in the window of a glass fusion shop. One of the volunteers saw me, took me on a tour, and talked me into trying it. Cutting glass? I don’t know.

 

I signed up for the introductory class, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Glass fusion is the process where different forms and colors of glass are bonded through heat in a kiln. Glass fusing allows people to create an endless range of objects that capitalize on the unique properties of glass. As a beginner, you learn to cut glass with a glass cutter and fuse it together in a large or small kiln into multiple projects. 

 

You do not use window glass or regular glass. You purchase the glass you want for your special projects from Bullseye glass. There is an amazing amount of colors and patterns. You can check these out on their website. http://www.bullseyeglass.com/  There may be other suppliers, but this is the one I’m familiar with and have used.

 

Bullseye also sells supplies you need to do this hobby – safety glasses, running pliers, and breaking pliers. You also need access to a grinder to smooth edges after you’ve cut the glass into the shape you want. I started small, making jewelry in the small beehive kiln. Many people have one like this at home. It can hold any projects up to about 4” or smaller. I advanced to Christmas ornaments, things for Valentine’s and small dishes, still using the small beehive kiln and doing most cutting by hand. 

 

I got addicted and advanced to appetizer trays, plates, candle holders, sushi dishes, pictures, etc. I even made a clock which actually works. Because these items are larger, they get fused in the largest kiln, the Scutt kiln, or the medium Paragon kiln. Some people have the beehive kiln and/or the Paragon at home to fuse their home projects. 

 

You can also buy, or make Frit, which is finely chopped glass. I used it to make the desert sand on one plateand to make grass on another one. For last Christmas I made a Mr. Peanut bowl for my husband for his peanut shells.

 

At the moment I don’t do Glass Fusion at home, just when I go south and have access to the glass fusion shop. I’m Canadian so with Covid this year we can’t cross the border. I have some equipment, but I may buy a small kiln. If you’re interested in trying this, you may be able to find a glass fusion store or studio near you that offers classes and the use of their equipment.  

 

Death Southern Style

When Perrine Dupré dies under suspicious circumstances her daughter, Julie Ann Dupré, returns to New Orleans to find the truth about her mother’s death. She uncovers a family secret, hidden for years. Now someone is trying to kill her. Will the little dog who appears after her mother’s death help her? Is the sexy detective out to help her, or is he part of police corruption?

 

Detective Connor O’Reilly, a native of New Orleans, comes from a family of police. He’s an honest cop but realizes there is corruption in the division. His father may have died as part of that corruption. He meets Julie Ann, checks out her mother’s death and finds it was badly handled. Julie Ann deserves the truth and he wants to find it for her. 

 

Julie Ann and Connor work together to unravel the real reason behind Perrine Dupré’s murder, Julie Ann’s mysterious past, and why people want her dead, while developing their challenging relationship. Can they both survive? And can their relationship survive?

 

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--AUTHOR RADINE TREES NEHRING CRAFTS MYSTERIES AND MINIATURES

Radine Trees Nehring’s broadcast and writing career began when she fell in love with the Arkansas Ozarks and beginning in the 1980’s, wanted to tell people why. Her many magazine and newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, and now, her multi award-winning Carrie and Henry amateur detective series, environmental writing, and short stories bring readers the gift of exciting adventures featuring right, wrong, human kindness, and redemption. Learn more about Radine and her books at her website and blog. 

How Many Ways Can You Tell a Story? 

I wanted a doll house. There was no money for one, so, using pick-up-sticks, I outlined rooms on my bedroom rug. I furnished my house with small, discarded containers, lids, and scraps of fabric. There is only one piece of my imaginary furniture left—a discolored and bent matchbox bed with my baby brother’s worn cotton diaper scraps for sheets. Various imaginary occupants lived within the house walls as I made up the stories of their lives.

 

Fast forward more than a half century. Though employed full time, I was now also an author writing a series about an amateur detective couple, Carrie McCrite and Henry King. Two Indy bookstores in my area, now closed, were among those that carried all my books. The owner of one store became a good friend, and I did at least four bookish events for her every year. One Christmas her window display featured toys along with children’s books. There was a wooden doll house in the display. I was seated at a signing table across the store entrance from the doll house window. The store owner noticed my reaction to that house. Pure love. She said after Christmas, I could have the house so she wouldn’t have to store it. She had paid $3.99 for it at a thrift shop.

 

In January I carried home my vintage, autographed Melissa and Doug solid wood Fold and Go doll house. It had been badly damaged. My husband, a master carpenter, repaired much of the damage, and where bits of wood veneer had broken off, I “planted” miniature flowers and vines to cover damage. We had yet to learn about Hobby Builders Supply, miniatures.com, or even the small doll house display at the local Hobby Lobby. So John and I created furnishings for our doll house. Four small wooden letter “I’s” intended for signs were bed posts. My husband cut shapes and glued. I made wall art out of costume jewelry and small pictures from magazines. Books were cardboard covered in colored shelf paper. Furniture was all wood, and unupholstered. You get the idea.

 

I still made up stories for miniature settings even as I wrote other stories on my computer. I was hooked by both ways of using creative ability and imagination.

The next problem was finding places for the Nehrings to display their miniature art. Some books had to go from living room shelves, and, in my office, my husband built and I decorated and furnished a two story log home that now sits on top of my filing cabinets. (I shingled the roof and am proud of that.) These days, interior furnishings often come from retail outlets serving thousands of hobby miniature builders around the world. As a miniaturist, as well as an author, I am far from alone.

 

Did you know that, in every box of plain Cheerios, there are a few small, round, brownish Cheerios? My doll house breakfast tables serve these “donuts!”

 

And, since my husband is gone now, there will be no more miniature settings. But I am still writing mystery fiction. The latest? Solving Peculiar Crimes is available December 1^st, but you can pre-order the Kindle version now.

 

Solving Peculiar Crimes

This short story collection stars Carrie McCrite, her retired police detective husband, Henry King, and their Ozarks friends, (including, in two stories, pre-school twins). Included are thirteen unusual crimes ranging from “The Hanging” to an adventure with a tracking dog, to “Planning a Crime—and a Wedding.” The crimes range widely--from misdemeanor to murder--but each gives the reader an opportunity to enjoy spending time with characters who, one reader states, “you would like to have as your neighbors.” All stories lead to surprising resolutions! 

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH SUSPENSE AUTHOR WILLIAM ADE

Today we sit down for chat with author William Ade. William mostly writes what he describes as suspense crime—neither cozy nor hardcore. However, the reader is held in suspense throughout, wondering whether the perpetrator will get away with the crime. He also has one unfinished dystopian novel and enjoys writing humor. Learn more about William and his books at his Eclectic Stories for the Humans website.

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

I started having success placing short stories in my second year of dedicated writing. I self-published a short story collection and one novel in early 2020. In July, the dream came true when I signed a contract with Level Best Books for a book titled, Do It for Daisy.

 

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

I'm a hybrid now.

 

Where do you write? 

I have a fantastic set up in the finished part of our basement. A small window over my desk allows sunlight and autumn breezes. A sliding glass door opens up to my wooded backyard. There's space for me to take breaks and play with my cat. Best of all, I don't have to share the room, so any mess is my mess.

 

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

I write in silence but edit and rewrite with either classical, opera, or 60’s music.

 

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

In Art of Absolution, an actual criminal act drives the narrative. I heard about it when I was in my twenties and worked at a large public institution. From that incident, years later, I built my plot. As far as drawing upon real life people for characters, my sister serves as a secondary character model, but everyone else was a product of my imagination. The characters in Do It for Daisy are all imaginary, thank goodness, while my WIP is highly personal in plot and characterization.

 

Describe your process for naming your character? 

I read the obituaries and will make a note of the intriguing first and last names. I tend to stay away from elaborate names, preferring, somewhat old-fashion first names for my short stories. Recently, I noticed I have a tendency to use names with the same number of syllables and cadence, like Billy, Bobby, Tommy, or Mary, Harry, Larry. Recently, I discovered Jimmy showed up in more stories than I realized. 

 

Real settings or fictional towns? 

I tend to draw from towns and cities where I’ve visited or lived. I find the memories of those places help feed my descriptions. 

 

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

Nik Knuckles, a private eye, seems to interpret every clue incorrectly, yet somehow solves his cases.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk? 

Loudly conversing when alone, whether it is my cat, myself, or an inanimate object. Maybe that’s true of all writers. Since we spend so much time inside our heads, we find nothing wrong hearing our voices.

 

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

I loved A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, a book that translated wonderfully to film. It's a story about quirky characters with big hearts that I found myself charmed to the end.

 

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

I wish I’d been kinder to people when I was younger.

 

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

A storage container filled with an eclectic collection of books, 10,000 sheets of writing paper and a hundred pencils, and a robust cable connection for my Netflix.

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held? 

I worked for a janitorial service for a few months as a second job. Cleaning up a tavern after a weekend of revelry taught me a few things about humans I’d never have learned otherwise.

 

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

I fell in love with reading novels when I was sixteen and spent the hot summer nights plowing through my high school reading list. I fell hard for the classics, like Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, and Moby Dick. When I was in college, I fell hard for Vonnegut. Of course, I've read many more modern novels that were as good or better, but the sense of discovery I felt at sixteen makes the older works more powerful.

 

Ocean or mountains? 

I grew up in a small town in Indiana, and the idea of a beach vacation had a powerful hold on my imagination. When I moved to Virginia and finally saw the ocean, I loved it. Of course, we're talking offseason, no crowds, one or two café's open, and a bookstore kind of ocean experience.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy? 

I think I’d want the city, although I've never lived or worked in an authentic downtown. In the last forty years, I've lived in the suburbs, so what does that say about me? Maybe I’m a hybrid there as well.

 

What’s on the horizon for you? 

In addition to promoting my self-published novel, Art of Absolution, I'll be working with Level Best Books to put out Do It for Daisy in May 2021. I'm also jumping into the challenges of book promotion and marketing. My current writing project is in a beta-read status. It’s about a father who thinks he can fix anything, even his child, his wife, and his sister.

 

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

I seriously started writing when I retired six years ago. Of course, I had no idea how challenging it would be to elevate my craft and understand the business. One advantage of starting a writing career late is that I'd had enough success in life by then, that I could handle the rejections that came fast and furious at first. I've also enjoyed getting to know a wonderful community. I'd be surprised if there were a more generous group of practitioners than writers of cozy murder mysteries. 

 

I have to shout out to the host of Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, Lois Winston. As a writer, I admire how she uses short, richly worded sentences that pull you along, making it hard to put down her books. It’s a skill I hope to master. (Anastasia here. Lois says to tell you she’s blushing and thanks you for the lovely compliment.)

 

Art of Absolution

Bailey Robertson only wants a soft landing after her husband's death. Yet her son, Teddy, won't stop digging into her past. Why doesn’t he accept her explanations? She's doing what any good mother would do – lie through her teeth.

Art of Absolution is a story where sins of the past refuse to stay buried, and a child's curiosity risks destroying two families.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH MYSTERY AUTHOR MAGGIE FOSTER'S SLEUTH GINNY FORBES

Today we sit down for a chat with Virginia Ann Forbes (Ginny) from award-winning author Maggie Foster’s Loch Lonach Mystery Series, Murders with a Scottish Slàinte.

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

Oh, gosh! I had no idea how wicked people could be! I mean, people you think you know. Don’t get me wrong. My hobby is genealogy and you can’t do that without studying history, so I’ve seen the worst of human nature, but only on paper. I guess I always just expect the best of everyone. I don’t really want to give that up, but I’m older and wiser now. I’ll be more aware of my surroundings, if you know what I mean.

 

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

My best trait is also my worst trait. I’m stubborn. It’s in my genes. I stick to my guns and that can really annoy some of the people in my circle, especially my family.

 

What do you like least about yourself? 

I don’t always follow my own advice. That has gotten me into trouble more than once. I should spend a little more time thinking things through before I act on them.

 

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

She had me tightrope walking across a dead tree, over a ravine, in upstate New York, in the middle of winter! What if I had slipped? Never mind the broken bones, this Texas girl doesn’t like cold water!

 

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

LOL! Oh, yes! She and I don’t always agree on what should be shared with the readers. I tend to be more forthright. I think she’s a bit timid. If I want to kiss a man, I should be allowed to do it. That’s my call.

 

What is your greatest fear?

Being an old maid. I don’t want that.

 

What makes you happy?

Being outside on a beautiful day. I love the fall season—the cooler air, the colors in the trees, the sky. Sharing it with someone makes it even better.

 

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

(Sigh.) My father died when I was twelve. I’d change that, if I could. He was a good man and I’d like to be able to talk to him about life.

 

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

I’m an ICU nurse, you knew that, right? Well, I’ve got a couple of co-workers I’d gladly do without. Two in particular. Without naming names, there’s one that digs up dirt, the worst kind of gossip, and spreads it around the unit, just to see if she can get a rise out us. The other is husband-hunting. Too much makeup, too little uniform. She’s a good object lesson, though. I don’t want anyone ever to say that about me. 

 

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

Oh! That’s easy. Angus, of course. He’s lived such an interesting life! I want to travel the way he does, and do important things, and be respected, the way he is.

 

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

We only met a few years ago. She’s been working on other projects since forever, but not my story. I suspect she secretly wants to be me, but she’s ruthless in the danger she throws in my direction so I’m not sure she likes me. Doesn’t she understand scars? 

 

Maggie Foster is actually the nom-de-crime of a woman with a past she would rather not admit to. She’s a seventh-generation Texan of Scottish descent. In addition to being steeped in Scottish traditions and culture, she has a lifetime of background in healthcare as a registered nurse, a medical malpractice litigation attorney, and a nurse educator. Her numerous interests include genealogy, history, travel, music, dancing, computers, writing, red hair, dark chocolate, good scotch, and men in kilts, not necessarily in that order. 

 

Anyway, her website is www.lochlonach.com. Loch Lonach is where we live. It’s a settlement in north Texas, on the east side of Dallas. Our Scottish ancestors arrived in the mid-1800s and set up shop and stayed. It’s a nice place. You should come visit the Homestead. I’ll give you the grand tour.

 

What's next for you?

I snuck out of my folder and took a peek at the planning files. She’s got more than twenty stories lined up, in varying stages of completion. Guess I’m going to be busy! I hope she’s got some fun planned. And travel. I want to travel.

 

The Arms of Death

A Loch Lonach Mystery, Book One

 

Ginny Forbes is a nurse with an insatiable curiosity, a special talent for critical thinking, and a gift for getting into trouble. When one of her ICU patients dies unexpectedly, she finds herself on the trail of a centuries-old secret. 

 

Ginny is no stranger to investigation. Her hobby requires ferreting out and fitting together the traces of her ancestors, to create a mosaic of their lives. She knows how to dig and she knows how to read between the lines. 

 

When a handsome newcomer offers to help, she allows him to tag along, but reports back on his actions to her long-time boyfriend, also an historian and genealogist. Following the clues seems no more than a lark, but between the cause of death and the growing jealousy of her two helpers, Ginny is about to find out just how dangerous idle curiosity can be.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH MIDDLE GRADE, YOUNG ADULT, AND NEW ADULT AUTHOR BETTY MAY

Today we sit down for a chat with middle grade, young adult, and new adult author Betty May. Learn more about Betty and her books at bettymayauthor.com.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

Like most writers, I was an avid reader as a kid (when I could sit still long enough). I wrote many short stories—some kind of weird. As a theatrical director I wrote many one-act plays for my Kids’ and Teens’ theater groups. It wasn’t a giant step to move on to novels.

 

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

After more query letters than I care to count, I finally decided to take things into my own hands. In 2014 I self-published a New Adult nonfiction piece, FACES, based on my experiences working with a group of lifers in a state prison. A year later I published Changing Corners. Last year Payback came out.

 

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

Indie Published

 

Where do you write?

On my bed, hunched over my computer—probably the worst thing possible for posture.

 

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

I have to have some background noise – whether it’s TV or music—classical, pop, jazz and Broadway. Love rock ‘n roll and disco—especially the Bee Gees. Total silence freaks me out.

 

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

Bobbie, the protagonist in Payback and co-star of Changing Corners, is based on me, but she is the girl I wish I had been. I wish I had been more aware of racial injustice, but I didn’t have a Phillis to teach me. Many of the scenes in both books came out of my life, but Payback is semi-autobiographical—based on a traumatic incident in my life. I’d have to say it is a bit cathartic.

 

I explain the reason for writing Changing Corners in the beginning of the book—perhaps a mea culpa: 1950s teenagers are often called the “do-nothing” generation. Consumed by their cars, poodle skirts and dance parties, they appear to be an unconcerned lot. However, their seemingly nonchalant, selfish lives had more to do with lack of awareness than lack of caring. Many, when confronted with the truth about racial inequality, became activists in civil rights issues—sometimes with tragic results.

 

Now, in the 21^st century, the struggle continues.

 

Describe your process for naming your character?

I’m glad you asked this question. I had a lot of fun naming the characters in Changing Corners. They are all based on either real historical figures or people who were important in my life.

 

For example, Phillis, an aspiring writer, is named for Phillis Wheatly (1753-1784), the first African American poet to be published in the United States.  Her surname, Simpson, is for my best friend’s mother, who lived to be 102.

 

Leonard Marshall (Phillis’s love interest) is named for Thurgood Marshall. Frank Miller (Bobbie’s love interest) is named for Glenn Miller and Jimmy Miller.

 

Camille Simmons, the teenage villain, is named for Kamelia, a women’s offshoot of the Ku Klux Klan founded in 1923. Her surname is for William Joseph Simmons (1880-1945), Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan 1915-1922.

 

Bobbie is just Bobbie. I chose an androgynous name because she could be any teenager, male or female, fighting against an evil.

 

Real settings or fictional towns?

I needed a big high school so I chose mine. The town is fictional but resembles any small town in 1950s New York.

 

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

Bobbie can’t sit still. She never shuts up. And she’s always getting into trouble.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

As a kid, I could never sit still. I talked too much. And I was always getting into trouble. I still can’t sit still for long—a problem when I taught in a Quaker high school where sitting is the favorite indoor sport.

 

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

I love historical fiction. My favorite historical novel is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Well-developed characters, great story lines, impeccable research. Now reading the prequel: The Evening and the Morning.

 

For kid lit it would be The Secret Garden because as a child I related to the protagonist’s loneliness. Also high on my list is any book written by Richard Peck. His whimsical stories and fascinating characters speak to me.

 

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

I wish I had been more patient with my kids. On the other hand, all five of them have grown into incredible people. They all graduated from college, and they all have successful, happy lives. So my husband and I must have done something right.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I have three passions in my life: bullying, racism, and social justice. I turn into a raging maniac when I see bullying, a screaming banshee when I hear about racism, and a radical activist when I witness injustice. I have addressed these passions in my books: FACES (social justice); Payback (bullying); and Changing Corners(racism).

 

On a lighter note, I don’t like unnecessary adverbs, and I hate it when people say nauseous instead of nauseated.

 

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

Knife. Source of water. Pens/paper. Maybe some sunscreen.

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Without a doubt, high school substitute teacher. All the worst parts of teaching and none of the good ones. You don’t get to know the kids. You don’t get to see them grow. You don’t know if you’re teaching them anything. And you are often treated like dirt by the students and as a nonentity by the teachers. (The question I was asked every day: “Who are you today?”)

 

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

The Secret Garden

 

Ocean or mountains?

Definitely mountains. Fortunately, my husband also loved the mountains. Mixed marriages (mountains vs. beach) don’t work.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

As much as I enjoy mountains, I love the hustle and bustle of a city. If I had a million dollars, I would rent a hotel suite for six months in New York City, go to every Broadway show, and walk the streets enjoying the people, the sirens and the honking taxis.

 

What’s on the horizon for you?

Have no idea. Just enjoying my family and friends. Continue freelance directing. Maybe write another book. I’m working on an adult mystery-romance but, so far, it’s just garbage. Fun writing, though—a big change from MG and YA. I can expand the vocabulary, use naughty words and people can have—you know—s-e-x. Only problem is, I don’t know how to write sex scenes. Have about seventy pages so far with little notes tucked into the pages: “Insert sex scene here.”

 

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

As much as I enjoy writing, my first love has always been and will always be theater. I’ve worked in all facets of the theatrical world: cast, chorus, crew, director, ticket taker, janitor… I had my own theater for ten years and I still freelance in community theater.

 

One of the most exciting things in my life is the time I spent producing and directing productions with ninety street children in a squatters’ settlement in Guatemala. I spent seven summers there from 1993-2000. I met the strongest, bravest women I have ever met in my life. The children were beautiful and talented and more than eager to participate in a song-and-dance show even though they weren’t quite sure what it was. They enchanted every audience they had in their community, in mountain villages, in churches and synagogues, in schools, at the Concha Acustica (Guatemala City’s version of the Hollywood Bowl) and at the National Palace. They were featured on Guatemalan National Television. My first year was difficult because my Spanish vocabulary consisted of eight words: hóla, sombrero, burrito, taco and ¿Dónde está el baño? But we had a wonderful time and I learned as I went along.

 

Another opportunity arose after my theater closed. I work with a group of lifers at a women’s state prison. They wanted help writing a play that would warn young adults about the dangers of bad choices. The women were amazing, and a number of at-risk kids turned their lives around because of their words. As an additional honor, I was asked to direct the play with professional actors for presentation at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. My New Adult nonfiction book, FACES Imprisoned Women and Their Struggle with the Criminal Justice System, tells the women’s stories and my experience with them.

 

I have been more than lucky with my personal life: Forty-three years with the love of my life and five incredible kids. 

 

Payback

Eleven-almost-twelve-year-old Bobbie is a bright, inquisitive, cute annoying pest who never sits still and can’t shut up. She is thrilled to be at a week-long Long Island summer camp. There she meets her roommates: three ultra-sophisticated teenagers who are not at all happy about sharing their room with this creature who bounces around like some kind of zany pixie. Their hostility accelerates from ridicule to merciless bullying and near tragedy.

 

She makes a good friend, Rose, and the two girls talk about their feelings and ideas. Rose is fighting her own battle: her parents fight constantly and are getting divorced. One of their many discussions involves racism, and Bobbie tells Rose about Phillis, an African American girl who was Bobbie’s best friend when the two were five years old. 

 

The bullying continues until the only friend Bobbie has is a Hoover vacuum cleaner.  How can Bobbie fight back when the girls turn the entire camp against her? Even Rose, upset about the hostility among the girls, turns her back when the roommates spread vicious lies about Bobbie.

 

How can Bobbie regain her spirit when she feels beaten down and lost?

 

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