Welcome to the Coffee Chat!
Join me in talking books with this week’s guest author, mystery writer Catherine Maiorisi. Thanks for coming out in the cold weather, Catherine. How do you take your coffee?
CM: I love coffee. One of my early memories is sniffing the freshly ground Eight O’ Clock coffee my mother would bring home from the A&P. And happily, even at that young age I was allowed to have coffee in the morning. But then I took it with milk and sugar.
Somewhere along the way, in high school, maybe college, my taste changed and I started drinking it black, no sugar. Now unless it’s strong, espresso strength, and hot, I won’t drink it.
Until I’ve had a cup of coffee in the morning, I’m like a sleepwalker. Generally, I drink about four cups while reading the New York Times and eating breakfast. I might have a cup or two at lunch but I rarely have coffee in the evening unless I’m out to dinner. And then I’ll have an espresso, maybe a double, and stay up late reading.
Ally: More power to you! I’m a natural night owl. If I drank espresso at night, I’m afraid I’d be up for 24 hours. :) While I pour our drinks, please tell readers about your background.
Join me in talking books with this week’s guest author, mystery writer Catherine Maiorisi. Thanks for coming out in the cold weather, Catherine. How do you take your coffee?
CM: I love coffee. One of my early memories is sniffing the freshly ground Eight O’ Clock coffee my mother would bring home from the A&P. And happily, even at that young age I was allowed to have coffee in the morning. But then I took it with milk and sugar.
Somewhere along the way, in high school, maybe college, my taste changed and I started drinking it black, no sugar. Now unless it’s strong, espresso strength, and hot, I won’t drink it.
Until I’ve had a cup of coffee in the morning, I’m like a sleepwalker. Generally, I drink about four cups while reading the New York Times and eating breakfast. I might have a cup or two at lunch but I rarely have coffee in the evening unless I’m out to dinner. And then I’ll have an espresso, maybe a double, and stay up late reading.
Ally: More power to you! I’m a natural night owl. If I drank espresso at night, I’m afraid I’d be up for 24 hours. :) While I pour our drinks, please tell readers about your background.
Bio:
Catherine Maiorisi lives in New York City and often writes under the watchful eye of Edgar Allan Poe in Edgar’s Café near her apartment.
Catherine has published two NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mysteries, A Matter of Blood and The Blood Runs Cold. She has also published three mystery short stories. The latest, “Love, Secrets, and Lies” is included in Murder New York Style: Where Crime Never Sleeps, a New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime anthology.
In addition to her mysteries, Catherine has published two full-length romances and four short stories. Her third full-length romance will be published in the fall 2019.
Catherine is the President of the New York/Tri-State chapter of Sisters in Crime and an active member of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I’m an activist. It seems I’m asked to assume a leadership position in any group I become a part of. It took a while but I’ve learned to say no unless it’s something I really want to do.”
Author Contacts:
Website: http://www.catherinemaiorisi.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Maiorisi/e/B00ML119ZQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathMaiorisi
Catherine Maiorisi lives in New York City and often writes under the watchful eye of Edgar Allan Poe in Edgar’s Café near her apartment.
Catherine has published two NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mysteries, A Matter of Blood and The Blood Runs Cold. She has also published three mystery short stories. The latest, “Love, Secrets, and Lies” is included in Murder New York Style: Where Crime Never Sleeps, a New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime anthology.
In addition to her mysteries, Catherine has published two full-length romances and four short stories. Her third full-length romance will be published in the fall 2019.
Catherine is the President of the New York/Tri-State chapter of Sisters in Crime and an active member of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I’m an activist. It seems I’m asked to assume a leadership position in any group I become a part of. It took a while but I’ve learned to say no unless it’s something I really want to do.”
Author Contacts:
Website: http://www.catherinemaiorisi.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Maiorisi/e/B00ML119ZQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathMaiorisi
INTERVIEW:
Ally: What type of books do you write?
CM: My mysteries (including today’s featured book) about NYPD detectives are considered police procedurals, though I see them more as character-driven mysteries. Both Chiara Corelli books contain light f/f romance and flirtation.
My romance novels, on the other hand, have some graphic sex scenes.
Ally: Why did you start writing? Why fiction? What keeps you writing?
CM: Unless you count some of the reports I was obliged to write when I was a management consultant, I’d never written any fiction. And I was sure I had no imagination. So I challenged myself to write a novel. I wasn’t thinking of publishing, only of testing myself. But, even though I’d been a huge reader my entire life I didn’t have the vaguest idea of how to start. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed help. So, as I do for most things, I turned to books. I actually spent nine months reading every book on writing that I could find.
One day I sat at my computer and started writing what I had decided would be a mystery. And realized, I had a pretty good idea of how to write it, but no idea of how to structure it, how to pull all the pieces together. Then, Elizabeth George, my favorite writer at the time, published her book Write Away, which described her approach to writing her mysteries. And the final pieces fell into place for me. From that point, I was off and running.
I continue to write because I enjoy the process. For me, writing is like meditating. I enter a world that’s only in my head and everything else fades for me. I don’t hear music or voices, I don’t get hungry, I don’t move for long periods of time (not a good idea so I have to set an alarm to remind myself to stand and walk). And I love the fact that I do have an imagination, that I have lots and lots of stories that I want to tell.
Ally: Talk about your main characters. Are they likable? Do they have off-putting flaws or beliefs? Are they “good” people? Is it important for them to be real or relatable?
CM: NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli is troubled at the beginning of the series. But she’s dealing with a lot. She’s served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the last being a year-long mission to train Afghani police. When she returned to the NYPD she was still reeling from watching her partner killed but agreed to the undercover assignment from hell, exposing a ring of dirty cops.
Now she’s being ostracized by her colleagues and a requirement of getting back to investigating homicides is she work with a bodyguard, NYPD Detective P.J. Parker. Corelli is agitated and nasty to Parker who fluctuates between taking it and fighting back. Corelli doesn’t understand why she’s so nasty to Parker. Parker thinks Corelli has PTSD.
There’s a fine line between a flawed character and a likeable character. I believe I’ve walked that line with Corelli. I hope the fact that she’s a good, hardworking, family person who tries to do the right thing and fights for what she believes in balances out her aggressive behavior toward Parker.
Parker has her own issues but the fact that she sees through Corelli’s anger and cares about her shows Parker in a better light than Corelli.
To me, they both are likeable because they are both human.
And I do think it’s important for characters to be real and relatable. To me Corelli and Parker are very real and very relatable. I hope readers see them the way I do.
Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you’ve been given?
CM: One of the first books on writing that I read, You Can Write a Mystery by Gillian Roberts, contained Fifteen Commandments For Mystery Writers Who Want To Be Published. It’s been about fifteen years since I first read them but each one of the commandments still resonates with me today. Perhaps the most important for me was:
“II. Thou shalt begin and keep going till you ‘re through.
All beginnings are hard. The beginning of a novel is the hardest part to write. The beginning of each chapter is hard. The beginning of each day’s work is hard. Knowing that, grit your teeth and get past those beginnings. Then finish the book. Nothing is more discouraging than an unfinished piece of work. Writing is rewriting. Let that give you confidence as you stumble along—you can and will make it better after you finish a draft.”
I took from this: it’s not easy but keep your butt in the chair and keep writing until you have a first draft. Then rewrite and rewrite until it’s the best you can make it. It’s how I work.
Ally: Have you written or considered writing in other genres or other forms, such as short stories or screenplays? Why or why not. Would they be easier, harder, or just different?
CM: Actually my first publication was a mystery short story. And, the short story I wrote in order to understand the background of the love interest in the NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mysteries, turned out to be a romance. I had not ever read or written a romance so I was surprised when it was accepted for publication in a Best Romance anthology. That story sparked my interest in romance. So far I’ve had two romance novels published and a third will be out in the fall 2019. I’ve also published additional mystery and romance short stories.
Writing short stories is very different than writing novels, but I don’t find them harder. The same for romances and mysteries. They are very different, both have a lot of conventions, and I enjoy writing both.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
CM: I’ve just started the third in the NYPD Chiara Corelli Mystery series. And I’m writing another romance. I hope both will be published in 2020. I have a completed family drama novel that I also expect to be published in 2020.
Ally: Now for a few quick answer questions:
Ally: What type of books do you write?
CM: My mysteries (including today’s featured book) about NYPD detectives are considered police procedurals, though I see them more as character-driven mysteries. Both Chiara Corelli books contain light f/f romance and flirtation.
My romance novels, on the other hand, have some graphic sex scenes.
Ally: Why did you start writing? Why fiction? What keeps you writing?
CM: Unless you count some of the reports I was obliged to write when I was a management consultant, I’d never written any fiction. And I was sure I had no imagination. So I challenged myself to write a novel. I wasn’t thinking of publishing, only of testing myself. But, even though I’d been a huge reader my entire life I didn’t have the vaguest idea of how to start. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed help. So, as I do for most things, I turned to books. I actually spent nine months reading every book on writing that I could find.
One day I sat at my computer and started writing what I had decided would be a mystery. And realized, I had a pretty good idea of how to write it, but no idea of how to structure it, how to pull all the pieces together. Then, Elizabeth George, my favorite writer at the time, published her book Write Away, which described her approach to writing her mysteries. And the final pieces fell into place for me. From that point, I was off and running.
I continue to write because I enjoy the process. For me, writing is like meditating. I enter a world that’s only in my head and everything else fades for me. I don’t hear music or voices, I don’t get hungry, I don’t move for long periods of time (not a good idea so I have to set an alarm to remind myself to stand and walk). And I love the fact that I do have an imagination, that I have lots and lots of stories that I want to tell.
Ally: Talk about your main characters. Are they likable? Do they have off-putting flaws or beliefs? Are they “good” people? Is it important for them to be real or relatable?
CM: NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli is troubled at the beginning of the series. But she’s dealing with a lot. She’s served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the last being a year-long mission to train Afghani police. When she returned to the NYPD she was still reeling from watching her partner killed but agreed to the undercover assignment from hell, exposing a ring of dirty cops.
Now she’s being ostracized by her colleagues and a requirement of getting back to investigating homicides is she work with a bodyguard, NYPD Detective P.J. Parker. Corelli is agitated and nasty to Parker who fluctuates between taking it and fighting back. Corelli doesn’t understand why she’s so nasty to Parker. Parker thinks Corelli has PTSD.
There’s a fine line between a flawed character and a likeable character. I believe I’ve walked that line with Corelli. I hope the fact that she’s a good, hardworking, family person who tries to do the right thing and fights for what she believes in balances out her aggressive behavior toward Parker.
Parker has her own issues but the fact that she sees through Corelli’s anger and cares about her shows Parker in a better light than Corelli.
To me, they both are likeable because they are both human.
And I do think it’s important for characters to be real and relatable. To me Corelli and Parker are very real and very relatable. I hope readers see them the way I do.
Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you’ve been given?
CM: One of the first books on writing that I read, You Can Write a Mystery by Gillian Roberts, contained Fifteen Commandments For Mystery Writers Who Want To Be Published. It’s been about fifteen years since I first read them but each one of the commandments still resonates with me today. Perhaps the most important for me was:
“II. Thou shalt begin and keep going till you ‘re through.
All beginnings are hard. The beginning of a novel is the hardest part to write. The beginning of each chapter is hard. The beginning of each day’s work is hard. Knowing that, grit your teeth and get past those beginnings. Then finish the book. Nothing is more discouraging than an unfinished piece of work. Writing is rewriting. Let that give you confidence as you stumble along—you can and will make it better after you finish a draft.”
I took from this: it’s not easy but keep your butt in the chair and keep writing until you have a first draft. Then rewrite and rewrite until it’s the best you can make it. It’s how I work.
Ally: Have you written or considered writing in other genres or other forms, such as short stories or screenplays? Why or why not. Would they be easier, harder, or just different?
CM: Actually my first publication was a mystery short story. And, the short story I wrote in order to understand the background of the love interest in the NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mysteries, turned out to be a romance. I had not ever read or written a romance so I was surprised when it was accepted for publication in a Best Romance anthology. That story sparked my interest in romance. So far I’ve had two romance novels published and a third will be out in the fall 2019. I’ve also published additional mystery and romance short stories.
Writing short stories is very different than writing novels, but I don’t find them harder. The same for romances and mysteries. They are very different, both have a lot of conventions, and I enjoy writing both.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
CM: I’ve just started the third in the NYPD Chiara Corelli Mystery series. And I’m writing another romance. I hope both will be published in 2020. I have a completed family drama novel that I also expect to be published in 2020.
Ally: Now for a few quick answer questions:
- Book you're currently reading: “I’m nearing the end of The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey. It’s an historical mystery that takes place in Bombay, India in the early 1900s. I love to read history and I adore historical mysteries if they are done well. And this one is.”
- An author (living or dead) you'd love to take to lunch: “Michele Obama. I’m fascinated by her, her remarkable life, her grace and courage in the face of harsh treatment by some based on nothing but the color of her skin.”
- An item on your bucket list: “I would love to live in a small town in Italy for three months, reinforcing my mediocre Italian, making friends with neighbors, learning to cook the local cuisine. And mixing quiet days writing with travel in the area.”
- Do you believe in love at first sight? “I do. If you’d have asked me before I started writing romances I might have said no but there’s something about imagining the circumstance that bring two people together and having them fall in love that’s changed my mind. Maybe it’s the idea (or is it a fantasy) that some are destined to be together? Or maybe I’ve become a romantic as I get older.”
- What comes to you first - character or plot? “Rarely plot. The beauty of writing for me is discovering the characters and the story as it unfolds. I do little or no pre-planning. Before I start writing, I might have a character, a scene, a snippet of dialogue, an image or a voice in my head but when I sit down in front of a blank screen and begin to write I have no idea where I’m headed or how I’m going to get there.”
The Blood Runs Cold (A Chiara Corelli Mystery #2)
Genre: police procedural / f/f romance
Heat rating: flirtation/no sex scenes
Still battling each other and the blue wall, NYPD Detectives Chiara Corelli and P.J. Parker catch a new murder case. The victim, a gay man, is posed with a rosary in his hands, the smell of incense in the air and Gregorian chants playing in the background.
While Corelli and Parker search for leads, Kate Burke, the lesbian Speaker of the City Council asks for an update on the investigation. Thinking Burke is playing politics, Corelli ignores the request. In the meantime, two more bodies are found, both laid out in the same way.
Pressured by the chief, Corelli goes to Kate’s office where a photograph of the speaker with a group of friends catches her eye. Corelli recognizes the three victims and, to her horror, three others. Suddenly the case becomes personal.
Fearing a serial killer is picking off the people in the photograph, fearing the next victim will be someone she loves, Corelli races to find the murderer before he kills again.
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Runs-Chiara-Corelli-Mystery/dp/1642470260/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1548438894&sr=8-3&keywords=the+blood+runs+cold
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