My Guest: Susan Russo Anderson

Photo of  Notre Dame in Paris, France: © Depositphotos.com/boggy22

My guest today is Susan Russo Anderson. She is a writer, a mother, a grandmother, a widow, a member of Sisters In Crime, and a graduate of Marquette University. She has taught language arts and creative writing, worked for a publisher, an airline, and an opera company. Susan discusses her work and what inspired her to write two different mystery series that take place centuries apart.

Welcome to my blog, Susan. You are the author of four books in the Serafina Florio Mystery series set in 19th-century Sicily. What enticed you to write about the adventures of a “midwife turned sleuth” in that period?

Great question, Sandra. Beyond the surface stories—there’s always a murder that needs to be solved—is the overarching theme of the Serafina mysteries in all the novels. And that’s migration—in the broad sense, that is.

I became interested in migration a long time ago when I became enthralled with the Lower East Side, an important neighborhood in Manhattan, teeming with immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe from the 1880’s to 1925. And they’ve left their mark. The neighborhood is still an amazing place, a real melting pot, and one of my favorite places to visit. But in the beginning, as I walked the streets of the Lower East Side, characters would appear in my head and they began talking and telling stories. That’s how the series began. My head is filled with them, all related to Serafina, by the way, generations of them.

About Serafina. She’s a 19th-century sleuth and a sleuth has to have a reason for getting around the neighborhood, and one of the best reasons for a woman in the 19th century was midwifery. Midwives were a vital part of the community. They knew everything about everybody. They had instant cachet, far more important than most local officials.

Murder on the Rue Cassette is the most recent book in the Serafina Florio Mystery series. Tell us a bit about it.

The book begins in Paris on April 15, 1874. A group of painters hang their works in a studio on the Boulevard des Capucines. Elena, a Sicilian countess estranged from her husband and living in Paris for the past seven years, attends the opening with her latest flame. She counts many of these artists as her friends, some as her former lovers. Three hours later, Elena’s body is found in the Rue Cassette, fatally shot in the left temple. Her husband, Loffredo—also Serafina’s lover—is charged with her murder and awaits trial in a Paris prison.

Serafina is commissioned by Elena’s father to investigate the countess’s death. The sleuth and her entourage travel to Paris where Paul Cézanne, Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet, and other notables make cameo appearances as Serafina interviews friends of the countess. At the same time, she attempts to prove Loffredo’s innocence. As the plot twists and turns, Serafina and her friends find themselves in the dangerous grip of a mind gone feral.

It’s been a busy year for you, Susan. You’ve also written Too Quiet in Brooklyn, the first book in a new adult mystery series featuring private investigator Fina Fitzgibbons. What prompted you to diversify with a contemporary series?

The protagonist, Fina Fitzgibbons, has been rattling around my head for quite some time. She’s a descendant of Serafina, by the way, and has inherited her sleuthing talent and her jade eyes. Someday I’ll write more about the family.

Anyway, Fina had to write her story, and beyond the mysteries and making a living as a private investigator, she’s got issues that need to be aired. Issues that many of us have today, but especially new adults, adults in their early twenties. I think they grapple with these issues—like loving and leaving, friendship and privacy and being disillusioned with society’s constructs, and, for women, making it in a man’s world. Beneath the surface story of Too Quiet In Brooklyn—a murder and a kidnap—Fina struggles with these modern-day issues.

Which characters did you find more challenging to write about: the ones in the Serafina Florio series or the ones in the Fina Fitzgibbons series? Why?

Another great question, Sandra! Oh, I think historical fiction is much harder to write. For instance, I know Paris pretty well, but the Paris of 1874, well, that’s a different place than the Paris of today. I had to do a lot of research, and it takes me more time to develop the characters and to walk in their shoes. I have to be very careful not to give them a modern mouth and brain. But whether the characters are contemporary or historical, I spend a lot of time with them.

Thank you, Susan, for sharing your innermost thoughts with us today. We wish you continued success and look forward to more books featuring your strong-willed protagonists!

How to connect with Susan:

Website

Twitter @susanrussoander

Where to find Susan’s books:

Amazon Author Page

Smashwords

My Guest: Carmen Amato

Photo of Acapulco: © Depositphotos.com/milosk50

My reading world is filled with books by other authors that I’ve read and enjoyed. One of these is Carmen Amato, author of the EMILIA CRUZ mystery series set in Acapulco. Carmen is a rising star in the International Mystery category and she joins us here today.

Sandra Nikolai: Welcome, Carmen. Here’s my first string of questions for you: Do you plot your novels beforehand? If so, how do you go about it? If not, what’s your method?

Carmen Amato: I’m an outline addict. Before I start a novel I create an outline. I scribble “scenes” on sticky notes and post them on a wall. I’ll arrange and rearrange until I like the flow, at which point I’ll tape them to a poster and hang it over my desk.

That preliminary outline usually survives to about the middle of the book, at which point I’ll have had better ideas and will repeat the sticky note process. For HAT DANCE, I did this three times. By the time the book was done, the last poster was a mess, with some stickies overwritten in red and others hidden behind a snowfall of new ones.

SN: In your Emilia Cruz mystery series, Emilia keeps a log of women who have gone missing from Acapulco. Is this aspect of your novels based on actual statistics?

CA: The official Mexican government count remains elusive, but most news outlets report that at least 60,000 people have been killed or have been reported missing due to Mexico’s drug violence over the past decade. While most think that the casualties are rival drug cartel members fighting each other for control of the lucrative smuggling routes, known as plazas, too many of the victims are those simply caught up in the violence. Poet Javier Sicilia brought awareness to the missing victims of Mexico’s drug wars with a series of rallies and marches after the murder of his son. I saw one news report that said trying to find out what has happened to a missing family member costs about $32,000 in legal fees, bribes, travel, etc. The average annual family income in Mexico is about $20,000.

Emilia’s list of the missing is also a nod to the murders of over 340 women in the Cuidad Juarez area, on the US-Mexican border. More bodies are found every few months and no one has ever been held accountable.

SN: Research plays an important part in a writer’s work. Did you do your own research for scenes involving the lucha libre on the wrestling stage of the Coliseo? Or the fire scene in the restaurant?

CA: I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled a great deal and experienced many of the events and locations in my books. I’ve never been caught in a restaurant fire, however, but used my own experience being in a train derailment years ago to shape Emilia’s reaction to the fire.

As far as research goes, I’m a news junkie and often find ideas in the headlines. Books, online images, and my extensive map collection help me fill in details. My goal is to bring the reader shoulder-to-shoulder with Emilia, hearing her heart pound and helping her calculate the odds of survival.

SN: Can you give us a glimpse into your next book?

CA: Out in October, MADE IN ACAPULCO is a collection of five Emilia Cruz short stories, including “The Beast,” which was recently published in The Huffington Post’s Huff/Post 50 fiction showcase. The stories take place before CLIFF DIVER, the first Emilia Cruz novel.

I’m also outlining the next Emilia Cruz novel, in which Emilia’s discovery of a cartel killing field has unexpected implications for Acapulco’s embattled tourism industry. I’m struggling with the title—DIABLO RIDGE? DIABLO SUN? MACHETE BEACH? Any thoughts, anybody?

SN: If you could bring any fictional character to life for one day, who would you choose and why?

CA: My choice would probably be Jo Nesbo’s brilliant but dysfunctional Norwegian crime stopper, Harry Hole. I’ve read all the Harry Hole books and am waiting impatiently for the next, entitled THE POLICE. They are some of the best international mysteries out there.

Nesbo has put this character through a lot over the years and I think the maverick cop with his jeans, rocker tees, Doc Marten shoes, buzzed blonde hair, and disfiguring scars would be a fascinating person to sit around and trade snide remarks with. Provided he was sober, that is.

SN: Thanks so much, Carmen. I can’t wait to read the next book in the Emilia Cruz mystery series!

About the Author:
Carmen Amato is the author  of political thriller THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY and the EMILIA CRUZ mystery series set in Acapulco. Both draw on her experiences living in Mexico and Central America. A cultural observer and occasional nomad, she currently divides her time between the United States and Central America. Visit her website at carmenamato.net and follow her on Twitter @CarmenConnects. All of her books can be found on Amazon.

Setting: Portland, Maine

 Photo: © iStockphoto.com/rossandgaffney

Everything about Portland, Maine appeals to me, from its world-famous lighthouse to its charming boutiques to its alluring harbor front. I couldn’t think of a better way to capture the distinctive flavors of this coastal New England town than to use it as the setting for my second book in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery series.

So I created Fatal Whispers, a mystery that focuses on the unexplained deaths of a millionaire’s beautiful young wife, a homeless woman, and a parish priest. Megan and Michael face imminent danger as they try to find the cause of these consecutive deaths in a town where such an occurrence is rare—even in real life. While the story will keep the mystery buffs among you searching for clues, the blend of historic and modern settings in it will add interest to your pursuit.

You’ll journey with my sleuths through the cobblestoned streets in the Old Port and visit trendy shops with arched façades and colorful awnings. You’ll awaken your senses through Megan as she breathes in the briny scent of Casco Bay and enjoys scrumptious seafood dishes in restaurants along the waterfront. A feast for the eyes, Bianca’s Gardens will help you visualize the vibrant flora displayed in this upscale flower shop at the center of a police investigation.

You’ll sit through meetings with Megan and Michael as they interview witnesses connected to high-society charities, forensic pathology, social services, and churches. You’ll be at their side as they follow leads into shadowy corners and beyond locked doorways. And you’ll hold your breath as they confront the enemy.

With a cast of colorful characters and intriguing settings, Fatal Whispers is a triple whodunit just waiting for you to solve.

To get your copy of Fatal Whispers, you'll find the link here.

Hosted at a Ladies’ Book Club Meeting

It was my first author invitation to a ladies’ book club meeting. It was their first book club meeting with a “real-life” author. I eagerly accepted the offer and looked forward to spending an afternoon with seven of my fans and chatting about my mystery novel, False Impressions.

After we’d gathered in Celia’s comfy living room, I soon discovered that the ladies were welcoming, easygoing, and witty. Laden with paperbacks they planned to exchange with one another later, this energetic group of seniors admitted that they devoured books like candy and that their passion for reading often stretched into the wee hours of the morning. They were open about the sorts of books they liked and those they didn’t. I could only assume that my book fell into the first category; otherwise I’d have a lot of explaining to do.

As the conversation turned to False Impressions, it was clear the ladies had done their homework and were more than prepared with an arsenal of questions for me. This was not a group to be reckoned with if I came up shorthanded in the answers department. Considering the options, I was determined not to let them down and hoped that my memory would stand up to the test.

To my delight, their questions and comments were insightful, thought provoking, and at times surprising. Here are a few examples:

How did you choose the names and descriptions for your characters?

Will Megan and Michael tie the knot in the next book?

How long did it take you to write False Impressions?

Why was that detective so relentless?

I was so sure the killer was _____!

My get-together with the ladies was by no means a one-sided event. I learned about their work backgrounds, their families, their involvement in church groups, and other activities they pursued. Throughout the afternoon, the camaraderie they exhibited was exhilarating, and my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard at their jokes. I kept thinking how their rapid retorts and sidesplitting bantering could have provided excellent material for the cast of The Golden Girls once upon a time.

The meeting wound down, and I said goodbye to newfound friends who shared the same love of the written word as I did. But it wasn’t a final goodbye. The ladies promised they’d invite me to another book club meeting after my second novel, Fatal Whispers, is published this year.

You can bet I’ll be there!

Meet the Characters of False Impressions

If you haven’t yet met the characters in my first mystery novel, False Impressions, I’d like to introduce you to the personalities who worked their way into my imagination and decided to stay for a while. The following excerpts from the book are narrated through the first-person POV of Megan Scott, one of the two main characters featured in this series.

Michael Elliott (main character #2)
The last time I’d seen him, he was reading Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood while our English Lit professor lectured the class on Renaissance culture. I had a secret “thing” for this boy with the tousled brown hair and blue eyes, but he didn’t even know I existed.

He looked as if he’d just stepped out of bed and all the more charismatic than I remembered. His tanned, chiseled features suggested a preference for rigorous outdoor pursuits, such as mountain climbing or sail boating, rather than writing. Tousled brown hair still framed those blue eyes.

Tom Scott (Megan’s husband)
I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You know that trying to get pregnant is the most important part, don’t you?” I kissed him on the lips.

He responded with a passion that made me want him even more and reminded me how much I loved him.

We lingered in bed later, my head resting against his back. Even in the dim light, I could see the small tattoo of two intertwining roses on his lower back—the same one we’d both had engraved while honeymooning in Nassau.

Pam Strober (Megan’s boss and friend)
The metal tips of Pam’s three-inch heels clicked against the back-and-white checkered linoleum as she moved to her desk, the trail of Prada perfume lingering in the air behind her.

Pam had dated more men in the last year than other thirty-three-year-old women had in a lifetime. “Use them, then lose them” was her mantra.

I sat down, glanced at her collection of cat figurines displayed in a corner bookcase. Trips-without-sex gifts from the older men she’d dated. I was relieved to see she hadn’t added any other pieces since January.

Detective Lieutenant Moreau
I caught the scent of cigarette smoke on Moreau’s clothes as he breezed past me into the living room. A tweed jacket, a lilac shirt, and a tie that looked as if it had been used to wipe off paintbrushes gave the impression he’d selected his clothes in the dark. While strands of mousey-brown hair made a futile attempt to cover the top of his head, a thick mustache filled the narrow space between thin lips and a pointy nose. Sporting a black attaché case, he could have passed for a fifty-year-old salesman peddling insurance door-to-door.

Emily Saunders (Megan’s co-worker)
Emily strutted down the corridor toward us on black high heels identical to a pair Pam had bought at Browns Shoes last month. She couldn’t possibly afford designer strap sandals on her salary, so I assumed she’d dug them out of Pam’s office closet. Bits of mascara smudged the rims of her eyes and streaks of pale skin showed through where tears had washed away the makeup. That girl was going to be at a loss without her mentor around to crack the whip whenever she spoke out of line or applied her lipstick wrong.

Peter Ewans (Tom’s co-worker)
Gray hair at the temples, a sagging facial expression, and rimless gasses, Peter looked as if he’d aged ten years since I’d seen him weeks earlier. As we stood by the front door to my apartment, he handed me the car keys but dropped them. We both made a move to retrieve them. I was faster.

Tricia Bradford (wife of publishing company owner)
Bradford’s offices only occupied fifteen hundred square feet, so conversations flowed easily through the air when doors were left open. I couldn’t tell who the other woman was, but her tone of voice grew argumentative.

Footsteps approached. A woman with a stride that said, “Get out of my way!” whizzed past my office. Well-coiffed hair, dark blue suit, lots of makeup, fiftyish. Old money.

I recognized her as Tricia, the wife of company president, Bill Bradford.

Dan Cummings (lawyer)
Dan stood about four inches taller than Michael and had the kind of build that might have secured him a football scholarship in earlier days. Now salt-and-pepper hair and a fleshy waistline added years to his age. His leather shoes made a statement about the style of attire that people in his profession could afford, while Michael’s jeans and running shoes embodied the dress code for blasé writers.

Jane Barlow (paralegal)
Her hair hung straight down to her shoulders. A band pulled it away from her face to reveal high cheekbones and accent blue-gray eyes. She wore a navy jacket, a matching skirt that stopped right above the knee, a white shirt, and a pearl necklace. The look was austere, but I supposed it was all about depicting reliability and a sense of business ethics. The only thing that betrayed her woodenness was the scent of her perfume. A blend of lavender and vanilla, it alluded to a lighter, more carefree side of her personality and was more in line with her age group. Rather, our age group.

This list isn’t complete, and other characters play minor though colorful and vital roles in False Impressions. There’s Mrs. Speck, the snooping widow; Willie, the elusive informant; and Anita, the hotel maid who… Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Here's the link. Happy reading!