Author interviews

Femme Fatale as Private Investigator with SG Wong

03/01/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:00 — 16.1MB) | Embed

Welcome to an alternative Los Angeles.

Femme Fatale as Private Investigator SG Wong

The femme fatale is an archetype in literature, especially in crime novels. Think of Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice or Phyllis in Double Indemnity. (Both those novels were written by James M. Cain. He seems to have had a thing for femme fatales.) These are women who are seductive and usually beautiful who lure men into compromising or dangerous situations.

SG (Sandra) Wong has taken this classic noir mystery trope and turned it on its head, which I just love. Lola Starke is the femme fatale in Sandra’s historical crime novels, and she’s also the private investigator.

Sandra reads to us from book 2 in the series (there are 3 books so far), called In for a Pound which finds Lola Starke and her friend Ria on the scene when a murder takes place.

Today’s show is supported by my patrons at Patreon. Thank you! When you become a patron for as little as $1 a month you receive a short mystery story each and every month. And the rewards for those who love mystery stories go up from there! Learn more and become a part of my community of readers at www.Patreon.com/alexandraamor

This week’s mystery author

SG (Sandra) Wong writes fiction across genres, has garnered some crime fiction awards nominations, speaks on writing and publishing topics, and volunteers for important community causes such as Sisters in Crime, which she serves as National President.

Her Lola Starke novels and Crescent City short stories are set in a 1930s-era, fictionalized “Chinese Los Angeles,” with ghosts and magic, in an alternate history in which China established a city-state colony at the start of the Gold Rush.

Sandra’s next book is coming in 2022 from HarperCollins Canada and is a stand-alone suspense novel.

To learn more about SG Wong and all her books visit SGWong.com

[Read more…]

Share1

Pin1

Buffer

2 Shares

Murder and Mayhem in Small Town Ontario with Gloria Ferris

02/22/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:31 — 14.1MB) | Embed

Small town, big mystery.

murder and mayhem in small town Ontario with Gloria Ferris

Gloria Ferris writes in several genres, but today we’re talking about her Cornwall and Redfern mysteries, specifically book #3 in the series, Skull Garden.

Small towns in Ontario are some of my favorite places in the world. I grew up visiting my paternal grandparents outside Gravenhurst, and now have an uncle who lives in the exact area near Lake Huron that Gloria is writing about in these books. So it was very easy for me to picture the landscape and architecture as Gloria read from her book, which was a delight.

In the introduction, I also mention a class I took recently on using the Enneagram to create characters. I loved the class and it made me reflect that there is always something new to learn about writing, which I love. Sometimes it can be intimidating, but mostly I love learning and hopefully improving my craft.

This week’s mystery author

Gloria Ferris is a former procedure writer at a nuclear power plant, an exciting job to be sure, but it afforded little opportunity for plot and character development. So, she turned to fiction writing and is now the award-winning author of the humorous Cornwall & Redfern mysteries; a co-written Suspense series; and a YA urban fantasy series. Occasionally, she writes a short story just for the heck of it.

Gloria lives in southwestern Ontario and is a member of the International Thriller Writers and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

To learn more about Gloria and all her books visit GloriaFerris.com

[Read more…]

Share2

Pin1

Buffer

3 Shares

Bad Decisions Make Good Stories with Mike Faricy

02/15/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:03 — 20.1MB) | Embed

Every goodhearted detective needs a loathsome nemesis.

Bad Decisions make good stories with Mike Faricy

Mike Faricy is a prolific author and has several mystery series on the go. Today we focus on his Dev Haskell series with book #27, Alley Katz. Readers describe Dev as a ‘likeable rogue’ and I think that’s the perfect description. In our interview I mention to Mike that Dev made me think of a cross between Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser. And I love how deliciously nasty Dev’s nemesis/employer, Tubby Gustafson, is.

If you like what you hear when Mike reads to us, there are two Dev Haskell novellas available at Mike’s website for free, Twinkletoes and Dollhouse. You can sign up to receive those books here.

In case you missed it, I shared the first part of one of my monthly short stories yesterday here on the blog. You can read that here.

This week’s mystery author

Mike Faricy was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He developed his love for books from his parents reading to him at an early age. He currently has written seventy-five books in four crime fiction series; The Dev Haskell series, the Corridor Man series, the Hotshot series, and the Jack Dillon Dublin Tales series.

Mike is the winner of the 2019 Crime Master’s of America Poison Cup Award and the winner of the 2020 Crime Master’s of America Poison Cup Award for the Best Selling series.

Mike lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland, which makes me the most boring guy in two towns.

To learn more about Mike and all his books visit MikeFaricyBooks.com

[Read more…]

Share33

Pin1

Buffer

34 Shares

Knitting Together Murder with Reagan Davis

02/08/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:53 — 9.5MB) | Embed

A perfect blend of knitting and cozy mysteries.

Knitting Together Murder with Reagan Davis

Reagan Davis writes cozy mysteries set in small town Ontario. Her protagonist, Megan, owns a knitting shop; the perfect job for an amateur sleuth 😉

In the introduction I mention speaking (via zoom) with a university psychology class last week about my memoir about ten years I spent in a cult in the 1990s. The students were super engaged and thoughtful and it was a joy to chat with them and answer questions. I’m always thrilled to help educate anyone about how cults work and how even smart, self-aware people can get sucked into them.

This week’s mystery author

Reagan Davis doesn’t really exist.

She is a pen name for the real author who lives in the suburbs of Toronto with her husband, two kids, and a menagerie of pets.

When she’s not planning the perfect murder, she enjoys knitting, reading, eating too much chocolate, and drinking too much Diet Coke.

The author is an established knitwear designer who regularly publishes individual patterns and is a contributor to many knitting books and magazines.

To learn more about Reagan and all her books visit ReaganDavis.com

[Read more…]

Share1

Pin1

Buffer1

3 Shares

A Tough, Compassionate Hero To Root For with Dharma Kelleher

02/01/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:51 — 16.7MB) | Embed

Step aside Stephanie Plum!

A touch compassionate hero to root for with Dharma Kelleher

In Jinx Ballou, Dharma Kelleher has created a tough, complex character who is a former police officer, a comic book nerd, and a Wonder Woman cosplayer. Jinx also happens to be transgender.

Dharma herself is trans and in our interview she talks about writing the books she wants to read, something I can totally relate to because I do the same thing. Dharma wanted to read about complex characters with rich lives in a way that wasn’t focused on their gender identity or their transition. Those kinds of books are amazing and have undoubtedly supported and assisted many people, and now there’s room in the publishing space for the type of book Dharma wants to read and write. Thank goodness for that!

In the introduction I also mention that I recently found out that my memoir, Cult, A Love Story, is being used as one of the textbooks in a psychology of cults class at a university in Iowa. Exciting!

This week’s mystery author

Dharma Kelleher writes gritty crime thrillers including the Jinx Ballou Bounty Hunter series and the Shea Stevens Outlaw Biker series.
Dharma is one of the only openly transgender authors in the crime fiction genre. Her action-driven thrillers explore the complexities of social and criminal justice in a world where the legal system favors the privileged.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the International Thriller Writers, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She lives in Arizona with her wife Eileen and a black cat named Mouse

To learn more about Dharma and all her books visit DharmaKelleher.com

[Read more…]

Share1

Pin1

Buffer

2 Shares

Straight Into The Deep End with PA Wilson

01/25/2021 By Alexandra Amor Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:07 — 17.9MB) | Embed

Another Vancouver private investigator series!

Perry (PA) Wilson writes about a Vancouver private investigator named Charity Deacon. I said to Perry at the beginning of our interview that I feel like Charity and my own heroine Freddie Lark are PI sisters; they’re both in Vancouver and they’re both independent women living the lives that suit them, not to mention solving crime.

Perry writes in several genres so if you enjoy reading outside the mystery genre I highly recommend you check out her other books. She is also in the process of narrating her books for audiobook. It’s a laborious process but she’s making progress and you can buy those audiobooks, including the one for Dreams, directly from her on her website.

Selling ebooks and audiobooks (not paperbacks) directly to the reader is one way independent authors like Perry are able to earn a living from their writing. When you buy directly from an author’s website, she doesn’t have to share the royalties for her books with the online vendor.

Last week on the podcast intro I mentioned a survey I had going about audiobooks. It was Perry who inspired that survey. She gave me some tips about the equipment she was using and after we stopped recording the podcast interview we talked about audiobooks and selling direct.

The survey results looked like this:

37% of people surveyed read between 1 and 5 audiobooks a week; and
58% of respondents DO prefer it when a narrator does character voices

I wanted to know how audiobook readers feel about narrators doing character voices because I’m debating about narrating my own novels, but I’m not sure I could do different voices for each character. But now I have some information about readers’ preferences and that’s good to have. I don’t have the bandwidth right now to add narrating to my plate, but maybe one day I will be able to pick up that project.

This week’s mystery author

PA (Perry) Wilson lives in New Westminster BC and writes while looking out over a busy arm of the Fraser river. Nothing like watching a tugboat pull a barge to inspire you.

She worked in project management for several years after a long stretch at a local credit union. Always a writer, she found National Novel Writing Month in 2008 and hasn’t looked back since. She writes mystery fiction with a thriller vibe and a few other genres which she admits are just mystery books with an other world backdrop.

To learn more about Perry and all her books visit PAWilson.ca

[Read more…]

Share4

Pin1

Buffer

5 Shares

Femme Fatale as Private Investigator with SG Wong

This week’s mystery author

Murder and Mayhem in Small Town Ontario with Gloria Ferris

This week’s mystery author

Bad Decisions Make Good Stories with Mike Faricy

This week’s mystery author

Knitting Together Murder with Reagan Davis

This week’s mystery author

A Tough, Compassionate Hero To Root For with Dharma Kelleher

This week’s mystery author

Straight Into The Deep End with PA Wilson

The survey results looked like this:

This week’s mystery author

Receive a short story each month when you become a Patron for as little as $1

Got enough to read?

Looking for something?

Listen to the podcast made just for mystery readers

Author interviews

This week’s mystery author

This week’s mystery author

This week’s mystery author

This week’s mystery author

This week’s mystery author

The survey results looked like this:

This week’s mystery author

Footer

Connect with Alexandra

Receive a short story each month when you become a Patron for as little as $1

Got enough to read?

Looking for something?

Listen to the podcast made just for mystery readers