Good Morning, Booklovers!
It’s time for our weekly get-together with authors to chat about all things writing and to take a peek at their featured books. This week’s guest is mystery writer E.W. Cooper, showcasing her Penelope Harris series.
Welcome, Elizabeth. How do you take your coffee?
EWC: Coffee with cream but I prefer Café au Lait if I can get it. No sugar.
Ally: No problem. On a magical blog, you can request anything…and get it! Café au Lait coming right up. While I prepare our drinks, please tell readers something about yourself.
It’s time for our weekly get-together with authors to chat about all things writing and to take a peek at their featured books. This week’s guest is mystery writer E.W. Cooper, showcasing her Penelope Harris series.
Welcome, Elizabeth. How do you take your coffee?
EWC: Coffee with cream but I prefer Café au Lait if I can get it. No sugar.
Ally: No problem. On a magical blog, you can request anything…and get it! Café au Lait coming right up. While I prepare our drinks, please tell readers something about yourself.
BIO:
Author of the Penelope Harris Mysteries, E.W. Cooper was ecstatic to learn her debut in the series, The Jade Tiger, was the 2020 Booklife Prize Finalist in Mystery/Thriller. A lifelong fan of classic mysteries and Grand Opera, Ms. Cooper is hard at work on the second book in the Penelope Harris Mystery series, Murder at the Met (April 2021). She lives quietly with her partner, children, three dogs, and one cat in a very noisy house in South Texas.
Author of the Penelope Harris Mysteries, E.W. Cooper was ecstatic to learn her debut in the series, The Jade Tiger, was the 2020 Booklife Prize Finalist in Mystery/Thriller. A lifelong fan of classic mysteries and Grand Opera, Ms. Cooper is hard at work on the second book in the Penelope Harris Mystery series, Murder at the Met (April 2021). She lives quietly with her partner, children, three dogs, and one cat in a very noisy house in South Texas.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I paint to clear my head while I am plotting the next mystery. For example, while I was developing my protagonist Penelope Harris, I painted this - ”
Author Contacts:
Email: ewc@ewcooper.com
Website: www.ewcooper.com
Twitter: @ewc_cooper
Instagram: ew.cooper
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysteryattheopera
INTERVIEW:
Ally: What or who inspired you to write your featured book?
EWC: I ran out of things to read in my favorite genre – classic historical mysteries. While searching for something new, I had a dream and thought it was a good start for a mystery. I began to write that book and never looked back.
Ally Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
EWC: I am independently published. There were two important factors in my decision. The first (and most critical) was querying was interrupting my writing. This was especially true after I finished the second book in the series, Murder at the Met. Rejections, no matter how polite or impersonal, are difficult. No matter how much a writer might say they don’t take it personally, they do. I realized that I was slowly taking these rejections to heart and began viewing my writing negatively. Slowly, I began to stop writing altogether.
At the same time, with book 2 complete, subsequent plot ideas started coming like crazy.
When I looked at the amount of time required to find an agent, then the delay in rewriting for a publisher and how both of those things would impact the writing, I realized it could be a very long time before I wrote anything new. On top of the emotional drain of querying, I made the decision to move forward with launching my own imprint and publishing myself.
I haven’t written off traditional publishing quite yet. I have other books that could appeal to a publisher, and I expect that when those are polished, I will query agents. But for now, I am happy with presenting Penelope Harris to other readers like myself.
Ally: Do you write with an audience in mind or to a publisher’s required theme?
EWC: I did not consider a publisher’s required theme. Because the topic was interesting to me personally, it was easier to commit to serious editing and revision to make the book appeal to an audience. In terms of an audience, I follow a number of old Hollywood accounts run by young women in their mid-twenties. Their fresh discovery of the history of feminism, equality, and women in the arts during the interwar years really excited me. I wanted to write something those young women might appreciate while remaining true to the other core demographic of this type of mystery – older women.
Ally: When did you first decide to pursue writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
EWC: I am an IT Manager. This may sound like night and day when compared to writing, however – when you add that I write mysteries it becomes more clear. A large part of my “day job” is investigation and problem solving. It is the part of my job I love most. This extends a positive effect to my writing. I do my writing after work or on the weekend. I can write very quickly, but if I need extra time to get something done, I sacrifice a little vacation time and get it done.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
EWC: I am very excited about the next book in the Penelope Harris Series. Murder at the Met is set for release April 8th, 2021. Book #3 in the series is well underway and shaping up nicely. I hope to have that title released in late 2021 or early 2022!
Ally: Which is the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
EWC:
Ally: What or who inspired you to write your featured book?
EWC: I ran out of things to read in my favorite genre – classic historical mysteries. While searching for something new, I had a dream and thought it was a good start for a mystery. I began to write that book and never looked back.
Ally Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
EWC: I am independently published. There were two important factors in my decision. The first (and most critical) was querying was interrupting my writing. This was especially true after I finished the second book in the series, Murder at the Met. Rejections, no matter how polite or impersonal, are difficult. No matter how much a writer might say they don’t take it personally, they do. I realized that I was slowly taking these rejections to heart and began viewing my writing negatively. Slowly, I began to stop writing altogether.
At the same time, with book 2 complete, subsequent plot ideas started coming like crazy.
When I looked at the amount of time required to find an agent, then the delay in rewriting for a publisher and how both of those things would impact the writing, I realized it could be a very long time before I wrote anything new. On top of the emotional drain of querying, I made the decision to move forward with launching my own imprint and publishing myself.
I haven’t written off traditional publishing quite yet. I have other books that could appeal to a publisher, and I expect that when those are polished, I will query agents. But for now, I am happy with presenting Penelope Harris to other readers like myself.
Ally: Do you write with an audience in mind or to a publisher’s required theme?
EWC: I did not consider a publisher’s required theme. Because the topic was interesting to me personally, it was easier to commit to serious editing and revision to make the book appeal to an audience. In terms of an audience, I follow a number of old Hollywood accounts run by young women in their mid-twenties. Their fresh discovery of the history of feminism, equality, and women in the arts during the interwar years really excited me. I wanted to write something those young women might appreciate while remaining true to the other core demographic of this type of mystery – older women.
Ally: When did you first decide to pursue writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
EWC: I am an IT Manager. This may sound like night and day when compared to writing, however – when you add that I write mysteries it becomes more clear. A large part of my “day job” is investigation and problem solving. It is the part of my job I love most. This extends a positive effect to my writing. I do my writing after work or on the weekend. I can write very quickly, but if I need extra time to get something done, I sacrifice a little vacation time and get it done.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
EWC: I am very excited about the next book in the Penelope Harris Series. Murder at the Met is set for release April 8th, 2021. Book #3 in the series is well underway and shaping up nicely. I hope to have that title released in late 2021 or early 2022!
Ally: Which is the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
EWC:
- a. book you're currently reading: Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson
- b. a movie you’ll always remember: The Women (1939)
- c. color of nail polish you have on: “I’m Not Really a Waitress” by OPI
- d. most beloved comic book character: Hera in “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe
- e. favorite book character: Peter Wimsey
The Jade Tiger (Penelope Harris Mystery #1)
Genre: historical mystery
Rating: PG-13
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 1928. The Big Apple teems with the glitter of Bright Young Things, Prohibition, and scofflaws-the perfect place for Penelope Harris to start her life over.
As a former opera singer turned Shanghai nightclub owner, she's seen and done a lot, maybe too much. With any luck, she'll leave more than The Jade Tiger casino behind her-a murdered husband, a blackmailing torch singer, and Thom Lund, the ex-cop who stole her heart. But Penelope has never had that kind of luck; her past is already waiting for her in New York.
When someone murders her chiseling blackmailer at an out-of-control party and Thom is accused of the crime, Penelope must face down her darkest memories to prove his innocence. Is the murderer her cousin Charles, suckered into a hasty marriage by Penelope's blackmailer? Or is it Penelope's over-protective mother, who can't remember a thing after a blow to the head? Or was it Thom after all, ready to commit murder to save Penelope from the blackmailer's wicked plans?
Among the opulent mansions of the obscenely wealthy and the grit of a Hell's Kitchen speakeasy, Penelope and Thom must navigate double-crosses, bad liquor, bootleggers, and dark, obsessive love to find the murderer before the past reaches out to put a noose around both their necks
Publishers Weekly review - "Set in 1928, Cooper's promising debut and series launch introduces aspiring opera singer Penelope Harris, who has returned home to New York City after eloping against her father's wishes with shady businessman Kinkaid … Cooper reveals intriguing secrets about her lead that make the prospect of future books welcome. Fans of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher will enjoy Penelope's adventures."
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jade-Tiger-W-Cooper-ebook/dp/B08FXRK8TY
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-jade-tiger-e-w-cooper/1137484283
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-jade-tiger
Also available at other bookstores
Genre: historical mystery
Rating: PG-13
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 1928. The Big Apple teems with the glitter of Bright Young Things, Prohibition, and scofflaws-the perfect place for Penelope Harris to start her life over.
As a former opera singer turned Shanghai nightclub owner, she's seen and done a lot, maybe too much. With any luck, she'll leave more than The Jade Tiger casino behind her-a murdered husband, a blackmailing torch singer, and Thom Lund, the ex-cop who stole her heart. But Penelope has never had that kind of luck; her past is already waiting for her in New York.
When someone murders her chiseling blackmailer at an out-of-control party and Thom is accused of the crime, Penelope must face down her darkest memories to prove his innocence. Is the murderer her cousin Charles, suckered into a hasty marriage by Penelope's blackmailer? Or is it Penelope's over-protective mother, who can't remember a thing after a blow to the head? Or was it Thom after all, ready to commit murder to save Penelope from the blackmailer's wicked plans?
Among the opulent mansions of the obscenely wealthy and the grit of a Hell's Kitchen speakeasy, Penelope and Thom must navigate double-crosses, bad liquor, bootleggers, and dark, obsessive love to find the murderer before the past reaches out to put a noose around both their necks
Publishers Weekly review - "Set in 1928, Cooper's promising debut and series launch introduces aspiring opera singer Penelope Harris, who has returned home to New York City after eloping against her father's wishes with shady businessman Kinkaid … Cooper reveals intriguing secrets about her lead that make the prospect of future books welcome. Fans of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher will enjoy Penelope's adventures."
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jade-Tiger-W-Cooper-ebook/dp/B08FXRK8TY
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-jade-tiger-e-w-cooper/1137484283
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-jade-tiger
Also available at other bookstores
Available for pre-order soon -
Murder at the Met, book #2 (April 2021):
November 1928, New York City. There are two things Penelope Harris would rather do than get involved with another murder—sing opera and flirt with Thom Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Thom get some precious time together at the Metropolitan opera, neither believes another murder will interrupt their romantic evening.
Murder at the Met, book #2 (April 2021):
November 1928, New York City. There are two things Penelope Harris would rather do than get involved with another murder—sing opera and flirt with Thom Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Thom get some precious time together at the Metropolitan opera, neither believes another murder will interrupt their romantic evening.
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