Mysteries and Misdirection: Author Interview with Rosie Genova

You’ve now published several books, but what inspired you to write that first one? How long did it take you to write your first book that was published? How many rewrites did you do on it?

Though I’d already written three women’s fiction novels, my first published book was Murder and Marinara, the first of my cozy series, The Italian Kitchen Mysteries. My agent at the time suggested I write a mystery set in an Italian restaurant; my main character, Victoria Rienzi, is herself a mystery writer who ends up in the middle of some real-life murder investigations. Counting drafts, revisions (3), rewrites, copyediting, and proofreading, the process took about a year.

How do you go about plotting your mystery? Do you pick the victim or the murderer first? What do you think makes for a perfect murder mystery?

I always know who the victim is, but sometimes the murderer switches characters on me as I’m writing! Before I start writing, I create a quick five-act outline of how the murder will be carried out, along with any twists or red herrings I might have planned. For me, an effective murder mystery plays fair with the reader—if they went back and looked, they should be able to find every clue no matter how subtle. I think the best skill an author can bring to a mystery is misdirection; I liken it to holding up a shiny object that seems to be the solution—when the real one is hiding in plain sight.

Your newest cozy mystery is a time travel book. How did you go about doing research for the time era in that story? Was there anything that came up in your research that was a special "aha" moment for you?

I cannot count the rabbit holes I happily burrowed into as I researched Atlantic City in the 1950s. I read books and articles, online interviews, perused images of 1950s fashion, dug into The Press of Atlantic City newspaper archives, and picked the brains of a Facebook group who shared memories and valuable insights into vintage Atlantic City. I even submitted questions to a classic car enthusiast who described the engine and transmission of a 1947 Buick Roadmaster—the car that Tess drives when she’s back in time. There were several “aha” moments for me, one being how progressive Atlantic City was in the area of civil rights, at least for 1955, in which the book is set. Also, I’d long had the idea of a suspected Nazi hiding out in South Jersey before I learned there actually were Nazis in my home state in the years following WW2.

 What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?

I once threw away a short story that my husband fished out of the trash and made me submit for publication right before the midnight deadline. He drove me to the mailbox so it would go out on time! It was not only published, but it took first prize in the anthology. Since then, I have believed every word he’s said about my work…

Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produced more sales rather than just clicks?

 There is no secret sauce here, believe me. Discoverability is the single biggest issue for authors, particularly those who publish independently. I’ve had modest success with promo stacking, running low-priced or free specials in several reader newsletters on the same day. Recently, I was lucky enough to get a Featured Deal in BookBub’s daily newsletter, which brought promising results.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?

 How much of my own marketing and publicity I’d have to do. And how it cuts into my writing time.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?

 This might sound weird, but the best advice I’ve gotten about writing is actually about … fishing.  In Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, the main character muses about whether he is unlucky, but ultimately decides he would rather be “exact” in his fishing skills, explaining, “Then when the luck comes, you are ready.” I spent years honing my craft, trying to be “exact” in my work and learning about every facet of publishing. Luck is fickle. It comes and goes. But your skill set is always with you—and best of all, you can add to it.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?

Learn everything you can. Write and revise and revise some more. Learn to take criticism. Grow a great big callous where your skin used to be. And be ready for the luck when it comes!

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?

This summer, I am planning to release a much darker, standalone suspense story, Seeing Things, in which a down-on-her-luck boardwalk psychic finds her childhood visions returning—and herself in the middle of a dangerous scheme—when she takes on a troubled and mysterious elderly client.

That's all for today's interview. I hope you will check out her links below to learn more details about her writing. I just finished reading her latest book, MURDER ON THE STEEL PIER and highly recommend it!

Website: www.rosiegenova.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosieGenova 
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rosie-genova 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6462450.Rosie_Genova 

And here's a bonus for my readers... Leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of one of Rosie's eBooks. So do that now. It can be as simple as I want to be in the giveaway. We'll chose a winner after Easter.

Dig Into Your Soul for Inspiration: Author Interview with Steven Rogers

Your main career has been in accounting. What inspired you to go from numbers to words and write a novel? 

I’m a lifelong lover of reading fiction and can’t remember a time I didn’t want to write my own stories. During my professional career I occasionally dabbled with short stories and (unfinished) novels, but it wasn’t until my retirement from the corporate world in 2016 that I seriously pursued the craft.

I always assumed I would write a novel. I really wanted to discover if I could put together a story with a complex plot and well-developed characters. My first one-and-half novels are stored on the shelf in my office. I describe them as “learning opportunities that will never see the light of day.”

How long did it take to write the first one you published? Did you have in mind that it would be a two-book set or did it just expand too much for one?

My first published novel, Into the Room, took about fourteen months to write. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about a series, but, once the book was completed, I knew there was more I wanted to say about my main character, Ben Cahill. A Year in the Room was the result. This summer, I plan to begin the third book in the “Reluctant Pilgrim” series. 

Your story is a transformative one with the main character trying to recreate his life after alcoholic addiction. What drew you to focusing on this issue?

When I began writing, I never considered alcoholism or addiction as potential topics. Initially, I wrote horror and time travel stories. However, on a flight to Israel in 2017 I had a thought— “I wonder what would happen if I was an alcoholic, just released from rehab, and I had to take this trip?” Ben Cahill and Into the Room were how I answered the question. Why did I have this thought and why did I suddenly begin writing Christian Fiction when I was trying to be Stephen King? I can’t really answer either question other than to say, it was a “God Thing.”

However, both books reflect my own experiences observing alcohol and drug abuse in others. This perspective was forged by living with those around me suffering from the disease, witnessing their recovery, and addressing the impacts those addictions had on me and my life. My journey has led me to do extensive research into the mind of the alcoholic/addict and the reality of alcoholism/addiction as a family disease. No one escapes untouched. I’ve tried to reflect this perspective through my writing.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? Starting? Creating a scene? Dialog? Tension, etc.?

Patience. I always want to write faster and complete my books more quickly. However, I can’t and still be satisfied with the product. For instance, with A Year in the Room, I wrote sixty pages before deciding the narrative was too “flat” and that I wasn’t letting my characters drive the plot. I ended up throwing away all but about ten of those sixty pages and starting over. For me, sixty pages are a couple of months’ worth of work. I forced myself to take a deep breath and trust my process.

On a more specific level, I find creating tension without overusing adjectives and adverbs to be the most challenging part of writing

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?

There are two things that come to mind. First, three successful authors—Brad Parks, Heath Lee, and Adriana Trigiani—mentored and encouraged me. They offered in-person guidance and answered questions by email. Their advice ranged from “how to find a publisher” to “how to make an unlikable character likeable (for the record, the answer is either get him a dog or have him save a cat) to “if you could achieve what you did in the corporate world, you can certainly write a piece of fiction worth publication.” Secondly, a short story I wrote, “Deep Waters,” won an honorable mention award in a Writer’s Digest competition. The award helped me believe I was moving in the right direction.

How did you go about finding your publisher?

Before I began submitting the book for publication, I hired a professional editor, Michele Chynoweth, to help me polish the manuscript of Into the Room. My plan was to find an agent and work with him/her to identify a publisher.

Once we were finished revising/improving, Michele told me the book was worthy of publication. She asked if I’d for like her to submit the manuscript to Elk Lake Publishing for consideration. Of course, I said yes. A week later they sent me a contract with an offer to publish the book. Elk Lake is also the publisher of A Year in the Room.

 What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?

Initially, I avoided my own instincts on style and topics, focusing on the reader rather than on what my writing meant to me personally. The result was mechanical storytelling. However, beginning with the short story that won the award, I began to tell stories reflecting my own experiences and personal history. Writing them impacted me as much as any reader.

For example, we discussed above about how my two published novels focus on alcoholism and addiction. While both books are 100% fiction, writing them taught me to forgive others and helped clear my heart of the resentment, anger, and guilt directed towards the alcoholics/addicts in my life. In addition, walking with my main character, Ben Cahill, helped me to better understand God’s grace and His love for all of us. I truly believe that, if these books had never been published, telling Ben’s story would still have changed my life.

Said another way, I wish I’d known sooner that fiction is better when the author digs deep into his/her own soul when telling a story.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?

Write the story you want to write and be yourself as an author. Not everyone is going to like your work. You better be darn sure you do.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?

I recommend focusing on characters first. For me, the most enjoyable fiction draws me into the characters and then impels me to follow them through whatever conflict/events the author’s mind has invented.

 As a result, I spend a lot of time getting to know my main characters before I begin writing. Also, I’m a “pantser.” For my stories, I know the beginning and the ending before I start. However, the details in between are determined by my characters and how they react to the events occurring in the story.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?

I’m not sure when the book will be published, but I’m planning a third book in the series. The working title is Beyond the Room. I’m still developing characters and the overall storyline, but I know three things so far: (1) the first and last scenes (I can’t say anymore without offering a major spoiler), (2) that Ben Cahill will help someone else with an addiction, and (3) there will be a travel component to Italy, Greece, and Turkey as the characters follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. My wife and I are taking a tour in May to help me research that part of the book.

That's all for today's interview. Hope you'll look into Steven's books. I'm currently reading one of them and am finding it an insightful read. I don't usually like books written in the first person, but this book is done well.

Website: steven-rogers.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevenRogersWriter 

Instagram: @stevenrogerswriter 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steven-Rogers/author/B09MDP39BR 

Publisher: https://elklakepublishinginc.com/steven-rogers/

And here's a bonus for my readers... Leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of one of Steven's eBooks or a paperback. So do that now. It can be as simple as I want to be in the giveaway. We'll chose a winner next weekend