Giving Thanks for a Solved Murder: An Interview with Christa Nardi

How did you come up with the idea of your book?

There is a community theater in the area and we enjoy going to the productions of popular plays/shows in the community atmosphere, sometimes even with people we know in the cast. What better venue for a murder? 

Could you give me a short synopsis on the story for my readers?

It’d be the season to be jolly if only someone hadn’t set the stage for murder. The drama program has never been so dramatic. When a student is arrested for the crime, Professor Sheridan Hendley is cast in the role of amateur sleuth.

Tensions run high, friendships are strained, and the college administration is beginning to panic. As the plot thickens Sheridan is yet again drawn deeper into danger. Will she find the truth before the final curtain call?  

What made you decide to do a Thanksgiving themed book?

Murder in the Theater is the fourth in a five-book cozy mystery series. The mysteries are stand-alone stories, however, the relationship between Sheridan Hendley and Brett McMann progresses gradually with each book.

They've reached the point where it's time for Brett to meet Sheridan's family. Only all her family lives a distance away and finding a time to meet both their work schedules, her siblings' schedule, and her parents is a challenge. Thanksgiving made it work.

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Getting together with family and too much food?  

What’s next? 

The Cold Creek Series finished up with Murder and a Wedding. Sheridan and Brett moved closer to his job and so the future includes acclimating her to her new home, her role as a step-mom and wife, and of course, more mysteries.  It will be interesting and challenging to see how the Sheridan Hendley series progresses.  

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given that you’d like to share?

Write, write, rewrite and edit. Write down the ideas as they come and let it come together over time. 

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?

You just have to keep with it and there are a lot of groups and other authors to lend support. The marketing is probably the one thing I never gave enough thought to in the beginning.

Any last words or tips?

Find support groups and the tools that work best for you.

That’s all for today’s interview. If you’d like to get started reading Christa’s series, here are a couple of links to get you started. If you’d like to share some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions, I’d love to hear them.

Purchase link: http://smarturl.it/Theater

Newsletter link: http://smarturl.it/NardiNewsletter

Mystery Writing for Two: An Interview with Christa Nardi and Cassidy Salem

Today marks the beginning of my holiday-themed blog posts for the next two months. Fi This interview is with two authors who teamed up to write one book. Personally, I don’t know how I could co-write with someone else. Who would get the last word? But enough about me. Let’s get into the holiday spirit with this interview!

How did you come up with the idea of your Thanksgiving themed book?  

We both grew up with Nancy Drew and the Dana Girls books. We wanted to create a mystery with two sisters as the main characters, each with a different voice. 

Could you give me a short synopsis on the story for my readers?

Hannah and Tamar are looking forward to spending the Thanksgiving break with their grandparents. On the long ride to Vermont, the sisters are quick to offer assistance when a fellow passenger – a girl in her late teens – is hassled by a rough-looking young man.

Grateful as she may be for their help, Gwen is in no hurry to make friends, not even as she thrusts a mysterious package into Tamar’s hand and disappears in the Rutland train station. Puzzled by her behavior, Hannah and Tamar set out to locate Gwen and unravel the secret of the mysterious package.

What made you decide to do a Thanksgiving themed book?

We wanted to write a family-friendly mystery. It was a natural to have a family focus around that holiday. 

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Too much food? Honestly, I think Thanksgiving was the only time we had turkey and the meat stuffing my mother used to make, which is very different from any bread stuffing I've ever had.

What’s next? 

The Mysterious Package is the first in a series.  What's next? Book 5 is a work in progress.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given that you’d like to share?

Don't think it has to be perfect to begin with. The hardest part is getting the ideas down. So write, knowing you will re-write, probably many times before you're done.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?

All that is involved in marketing and using social media is a definite challenge. We've learned a lot about it along the way, but it changes so quickly it is hard to keep up.

Any last words or tips?

There are a lot of author groups and writing resources - find the ones that work best for you.

That’s it for today’s interview. If you’d like to learn more about this book and the series, here is a link to give you access to a sample of the story http://smarturl.it/MysPkg

I’d love to hear some of your Thanksgiving traditions, just add them below.