Interview with Saralyn Richard

 By Lynn McPherson

Saralyn Richard is a best-selling, award-winning mystery author. Her newest release, Bad Blood Sisters, may be the best yet. With its twists and turns, it will keep you reading all night long. Read on to find out more about Saralyn and her fabulous books!

Lynn: In Bad Blood Sisters, you incorporate one of my all-time favorite themes: secrets. Why do we all love to read about secrets? When is the right time to unravel the truth?

Saralyn: What a great question, Lynn. Secrets are juicy and exciting. They are never boring. They imply cloak-and-dagger intrigue, forbidden fruit, and mysterious happenings. They set up puzzles for readers to solve, and who doesn't like a good puzzle? In BAD BLOOD SISTERS, Quinn and her BFF Ana have pledged a blood oath never to tell something that happened many years ago. But when Ana dies a violent death, Quinn is thrust into a dangerous position, and she must decide whether to violate her pledge. 

When and how much to tell the reader about this secret is a very delicate matter. Divulge too soon, and the plot's tension will be lost. Divulge too late, and the reader might end up frustrated with waiting. The key to deciding, for me, is answering the question:  how important is this secret to the character motivation and action of the story? Once I figure that out, I can determine the "sweet spot," where the secret needs to be revealed. Of course, that secret is only one of the driving forces in the book--once it's revealed, there is still plenty of mystery to puzzle over.

Lynn: Your characters have so much depth. How well did you know your protagonist, Quinn McFarland, before you started writing? In general, what comes first, the characters or the story?

Saralyn:  My books always start and end with characters. Who they are, what they want, what stands in their way--these are central to the story and come to me long before I start writing. In this book, there is a single person's close point of view, and that's Quinn's. We get to know her struggles, past and present, and sometimes they are quite intense. I've found myself identifying with Quinn, and I hope the reader does, too.

Lynn: You've written a diverse collection of books, and they're all great. Bad Blood Sisters is a mixture of suspense, mystery, and romance. Do you have a favorite genre to write?

Saralyn Thanks for the compliment. Coming from you, it means a lot. I've published five books now, including two Detective Parrott mysteries, two standalone mysteries, and a children's book. While the settings and characters are quite diverse, there are common threads that run through them all:  mystery, humor, suspense, and romance. These basic ingredients make for a fun read.

Lynn: Quinn McFarland is a mortician. How did you research her job and what was the most surprising thing you found out?

Saralyn: In researching my mystery novels, I've interviewed people who work in death services. While many prefer not to think about what that profession entails, morticians provide necessary services, and, because they deal with death every day, they often have a matter-of-fact attitude about it. It's not unusual, in fact, for people in the industry to joke about death--never in the presence of the bereaved, of course. The opening line of BAD BLOOD SISTERS is, "Quinn's family often joked about death, but that summer, death stopped being funny."

Lynn: Bad Blood Sisters takes place in a small town on the coast of Texas. It really adds to the mood of the story. Why did you set it there? How important is setting in a mystery?

Saralyn: I was born and raised in a small town, an island on the coast of Texas. I've always wanted to set a book there, because the small town can be familiar and comforting, or it can be intrusive and oppressive. In this book, it is both. The steamy tropical setting adds atmosphere and tension to the story, always  crucial to a mystery. 

Lynn: I think we're ready to read the blurb. Thanks Saralyn!

 

Happy Valentine's Day

by Saralyn Richard

 

Today is Valentine’s Day, and I hope you are spending the holiday enjoying the people, places, and things you love most. As for me, I can't help thinking of my most cherished Valentine's Day gifts over the years--you guessed it--books.

Unlike the more traditional Valentine's Day gifts, books don't die in five days. They don't increase the numbers when you step on the scale. They don't break or go out of style.

Instead, they provide hours of entertainment, improve the mind and spirit, offer topics for discussion, and connect readers. Also, purchasing books stimulates the economy, because so many different industries are involved in the creation, production, and selling of books.

Romances aren’t the only appropriate Valentine’s Day books. Most mysteries also include love in their plots, sometimes as motives. Whatever your genre, take yourself on a love-ly journey of the heart, and snuggle up with a great book!

Not ready to commit to a deep relationship? How about having a blind date with a good book? You might just fall in love!

 

Saralyn Richard is the award-winning author of the Detective Parrott Mystery Series, as well as the standalone mystery, A Murder of Principal, and the children’s picture book, Naughty Nana. Her new mystery, Bad Blood Sisters, is up for pre-order and releases on March 9. Check out Saralyn’s book events and subscribe to her monthly newsletter for fun content at http://saralynrichard.com.

BODIES GALORE

 

BODIES GALORE

by Saralyn Richard

             

This month, it’s my pleasure to interview fellow-Stiletto-Gang-member, Gay Yellen, author of the Samantha Newman Mystery Series: The Body Business and The Body Next Door. While I’ve known Gay for a very long time, I learned a lot from this interview, and it’s fun to share these things with you.

SR:  Before we get serious, here’s a burning question: The Body Business and The Body Next Door feature a leggy woman wearing drop-dead gorgeous stilettos. (Way to go with subliminal advertising for the Stiletto Gang!). Whose legs are those? Samantha Newman’s or yours?

 

GY:  I wish my legs were that great! Since the titles reveal that the book is a mystery, I wanted the images to reflect the tone: fun and a little bit sassy.

 

SR:  As someone who’s followed your career from the early days in Hollywood, I’m fascinated by the cinematic nature of your writing. How do you feel your writing has been influenced by your experiences as an actor and director?

 

GY:  My training gave me an ear for authentic dialogue, scene pacing, and character motivation, all of which helps create what I hope are entertaining stories. And improv allowed me to think outside the box.

 

SR:  I enjoyed getting to know Samantha Newman. She’s spunky and clever and totally likable. How did Samantha’s character develop in your imagination? Is she a lot like you or someone you know? If Samantha could change one thing about herself, what would that be?

GY:  Samantha was orphaned at a young age and forced to make her own way; I was lucky to have a loving family circle. We do share a sense of justice, and like many women, hard-won resilience. As for change, I think Samantha would prefer to live a less complicated life.

 

SR:  As much as I enjoyed Samantha’s character, the secondary characters in the series really resonated with me. What techniques do you use to depict secondary characters in such a way as to give them the attention they deserve? Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

 

GY:   I love all my characters, but there's a special fondness for Gertie, who holds a certain likeness to my grandmother. Lizzie, the little girl that Samantha befriends in an elevator in Book 2, simply showed up fully formed and stole my heart as I wrote the scene.

 

 

SR:  I remember reading one of the sex scenes in The Body Business and thinking it was the most scintillating, but tasteful sex scenes I’ve ever read. Are sex scenes difficult for you to write? What is your philosophy about them?

 

GY:  A reviewer once complained that just when the sexy stuff gets interesting in my books, I shut the bedroom door. To me, part of the fun is leaving the rest to a reader's imagination. We don't really need an anatomy lesson, do we?

 

SR:  Can you give us a hint about what Samantha might become embroiled in next?

 

GY:  Sam is struggling with a new career that isn't turning out as hoped. She's also a material witness to a shooting, and faces a big decision about her relationship with Carter Chapman.

 

SR:  What makes Samantha and Carter Chapman a perfect couple? What stands in the way of this?

 

GY:  They're both strong-willed, and they both like to fight for the underdog. Problem is, he keeps wanting to protect her, and she doesn't want his help. Stubbornness could be her undoing.

 

SR:  I read on your website that you are toying with the idea of writing a historical novel set in the 16^th century. What is it about that time that draws you to that setting?

 

GY:  I'm fascinated by the clash of cultures in the New World at the dawn of that century: indigenous peoples, conquistadors, the secrecy and terror of the Inquisition. It left a legacy that's still with us today.

Won't you join me in celebrating Gay and her fun and sparkling books?

 

 

After a show-biz stint in Hollywood, Gay Yellen began her professional writing career as managing editor of Tennis Illustrated Magazine and later, of D Magazine in Dallas. She was the contributing editor/ghost writer for Five Minutes to Midnight, a New York Times New & Notable  thriller, after which she began her own multi-award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series, which includes The Body Business, The Body Next Door and the soon-to-be released, Body in the News.

Want to know more about Gay and her books? Read more at her website and Amazon. 

GayYellen.com

THE BODY BUSINESS
            RONE Finalist
            Pages from the Heart Finalist
THE BODY NEXT DOOR
            Readers’ Favorite Mystery
            Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem 1st Place
            Silver Falchion Finalist, Killer Nashville
BODY IN THE NEWS - Coming in 2021

 

Award-winning and best-selling author, Saralyn Richard was born with a pen in her hand and ink in her veins. A former educator, she loves connecting with readers. Her humor- and romance-tinged mysteries and children's book pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools.

Saralyn’s most recent release is A MURDER OF PRINCIPAL. Look for her mystery/thriller, BAD BLOOD SISTERS in March 2022.

Visit Saralyn here, on her Amazon page here, or on Facebook here.

Gay Yellen: Spotlight on Saralyn Richard

It's my pleasure to interview sister-Gangster and award-winning author Saralyn Richard today to find out more about her latest mystery, A Murder of Principal, which recently earned a Readers' Choice Award from Killer Nashville. Way to go, Saralyn!

Before her publishing career, Saralyn was a highly regarded educator. So it's only natural that her latest book is set at a fictitious high school where murder and mayhem ensue. Did her former career lead to A Murder of Principal? Read on...

Gay: How does the atmosphere at the fictitious Lincoln High mirror your experience as a high school educator?

Saralyn: I have worked in dozens of urban high schools as a teacher, administrator, and school improvement consultant. My experiences could fill thousands of books, so I have many memories from which to choose. Readers who knew me at a particular school have pegged Lincoln High as that school, but I've heard from teachers at schools unknown to me that Lincoln High is exactly like theirs. What that tells me is that the atmosphere in urban schools is universal and relatable. 

However, A Murder of Principal is a work of fiction, designed to entertain.

Gay: Would you share some teachers' reactions to the book?

Saralyn: Most comment that the setting and issues in the book are so authentic, they can actually name individuals in their own school who match my characters. But teachers are actually a small part of the book. The primary characters are administrators, school leaders, and students. Schools are a microcosm of society, and while everyone is supposed to share the common purpose of elevating students to achieve their highest potential, people have their own goals, desires, and emotions. The dynamics are always fascinating. As I like to say, there are a million stories beyond the flagpole.

Gay: One side plot in the book that piqued my interest is the conflict between proponents of the commonly used lecture as a teaching technique and those who use the Socratic method. Would you elaborate?

Saralyn: Educational research, brain-based research, and a trend toward results-driven decision-making have revolutionized thinking about curriculum and instruction. Lectures have given way to more interactive, student-centered lessons, like Melody Singer's Socratic seminar in my book. The higher level questions engaged her students to find deep meaning in the lessons of the Salem witch trials. Her lesson was so powerful, it affected the whole school.

Gay: This book is a departure from your Detective Parrott series. Are you returning to it soon?

Saralyn: I wrote A Murder of Principal in between the first two Parrott books, but I waited to submit it until I thought the time was right to talk about race relations, sexual harassment, gangs, safety, and leadership. Another stand-alone mystery/thriller, Bad Blood Sisters, is to be released in March 2022. I'm currently writing the third Detective Parrott mystery, so my pattern has been Parrott/standalone/Parrott/standalone/Parrott. I should also mention my very first book, Naughty Nana, a children's book narrated by my sheepdog. All have "mystery" in common.

Gay: Here's more about Saralyn:

Award-winning Saralyn Richard was born with a pen in her hand and ink in her veins. She loves connecting with readers. Her humor- and romance-tinged mysteries and her children's book pull back the curtain on people and settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Her most recent release is A Murder of Principal. Look for her mystery/thriller, Bad Blood Sisters in March 2022. Visit Saralyn here, on her Amazon page, or on Facebook.

Gay Yellen writes the award-winning Samantha Newman Mysteries, including The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and the soon to be released Body in the News. She'd love to hear from you here, on Facebook, on BookBub, or via her website.