Welcome to our Wednesday book chat!
This week's guest is mystery author B.K. Stevens, who brought her YA martial arts mystery, Fighting Chance.
Thanks for visiting the blog, Bonnie! What may I get you to drink?
BK: I hate to admit this on a blog called Coffee Chat, but I’ve never finished a cup of coffee in my life. I’ve tried many times, but I simply don’t like it. I love hot tea—nothing fancy, just regular old tea loaded with caffeine. Lipton’s suits me fine. And I don’t put anything in it.
Ally: We consider ourselves equal opportunity drinkers! :) I suspect some of our readers in parts of the world where it isn't morning are drinking something a bit stronger. I'll have your tea ready in a moment. Meanwhile, please introduce yourself.
This week's guest is mystery author B.K. Stevens, who brought her YA martial arts mystery, Fighting Chance.
Thanks for visiting the blog, Bonnie! What may I get you to drink?
BK: I hate to admit this on a blog called Coffee Chat, but I’ve never finished a cup of coffee in my life. I’ve tried many times, but I simply don’t like it. I love hot tea—nothing fancy, just regular old tea loaded with caffeine. Lipton’s suits me fine. And I don’t put anything in it.
Ally: We consider ourselves equal opportunity drinkers! :) I suspect some of our readers in parts of the world where it isn't morning are drinking something a bit stronger. I'll have your tea ready in a moment. Meanwhile, please introduce yourself.
About the Author:
B.K. (Bonnie) Stevens is the author of Fighting Chance, a martial arts mystery for young adults (Agatha and Anthony finalist). She’s also written a traditional whodunit for adults, Interpretation of Murder, which offers insights into deaf culture and sign language interpreting. In addition, she's published over fifty short stories, most in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Some of those stories are included in Her Infinite Variety: Tales of Women and Crime, a collection published by Wildside Press. Some of B.K.’s stories have been nominated for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards; one story won a Derringer. Another story won a national suspense-writing contest judged by Mary Higgins Clark. Currently, one of her stories is nominated for an Anthony. B.K. and her husband, Dennis, live in Virginia with their self-satisfied cat.
Not in my regular bio: "When I was in high school, I spent a summer working illegally in Canada, as the mother’s helper for a wealthy family."
Website: www.bkstevensmysteries.com
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/bkstevens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003534785806
B.K. (Bonnie) Stevens is the author of Fighting Chance, a martial arts mystery for young adults (Agatha and Anthony finalist). She’s also written a traditional whodunit for adults, Interpretation of Murder, which offers insights into deaf culture and sign language interpreting. In addition, she's published over fifty short stories, most in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Some of those stories are included in Her Infinite Variety: Tales of Women and Crime, a collection published by Wildside Press. Some of B.K.’s stories have been nominated for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards; one story won a Derringer. Another story won a national suspense-writing contest judged by Mary Higgins Clark. Currently, one of her stories is nominated for an Anthony. B.K. and her husband, Dennis, live in Virginia with their self-satisfied cat.
Not in my regular bio: "When I was in high school, I spent a summer working illegally in Canada, as the mother’s helper for a wealthy family."
Website: www.bkstevensmysteries.com
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/bkstevens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003534785806
INTERVIEW:
Ally: How did you select the mystery genre? What about it intrigues you and readers?
BK: I enjoy the challenge of constructing a whodunit—that’s a lot of fun—but I write other kinds of mysteries, too, including ones that aren’t built around puzzles. Basically, I read and write mysteries because I have old-fashioned tastes, and mysteries have the same elements as the nineteenth-century novels I love. Among other things, mysteries have real plots—plots with a beginning, a middle, and an end, plots shaped by the choices characters make and the actions they take. And most mysteries have at least some characters who, despite any flaws and limitations they may have, struggle to uncover the truth and see that justice is done. Modern literary fiction often portrays human beings as helpless victims of absurd circumstances, but mysteries usually insist we can and should try to understand the circumstances that shape our lives, can and should try to set things right. On the whole, I agree with the way mysteries see the world, and that’s why I write mysteries. (On my website, I explore these ideas further in an essay called “What’s Wrong with Mysteries?” You can find it at http://www.bkstevensmysteries.com/thoughts-about-mysteries/.)
Ally: Did someone or something inspire you to write? If so, in what way?
BK: My father definitely inspired me to write. He was an English professor (as I was for over thirty years—he inspired my choice of career, too). In any spare time he could find, he loved to write—novels, plays, humorous verse. He didn’t have much luck at getting published, but I think he was very talented. I can remember sitting on the floor in his study, reading or doing my homework while I waited for the next page to emerge from his manual typewriter. We discussed what he was writing, I made comments and suggestions, and he treated them with respect. He encouraged my writing, too: Even before I could read, I’d dictate poems and stories to him, and he’d type them up and bind them into folders. My father always made writing seem like the most fascinating, exciting thing a person could do. I should also mention my mother. When I was in second grade, she gave me a diary and told me to write something every day. It’s a good habit, and it made a difference.
Ally: Have you thought about one of your books being made into a movie? Who would play the parts, if you could choose?
BK: Of all the books and stories I’ve ever written, I think Fighting Chance would make the best movie. It’s like a cross between The Hardy Boys and The Karate Kid—it’s a fair-play whodunit laced with action and adventure, but it’s also a coming-of-age story about a teenager growing into adulthood as he studies a martial art. As I was writing the book, I had one actor clearly in mind—Chuck Norris. He’d be perfect in the role of Aaron, the Krav Maga teacher who becomes Matt’s mentor. Thanks to my fifth-degree black belt husband, I’ve seen all of Mr. Norris’s movies (most many times), and I think his gentle, encouraging demeanor is just right for Aaron. As for Matt and Graciana, I don’t know the names of many teenaged actors, so I’ll say Matt could be played by a seventeen-year-old Mark Wahlberg, and Graciana could be played by a seventeen-year-old Eva Mendes. And I think William H. Macy and Karen Allen (first and fourth Indiana Jones movies) would be great as Matt’s parents.
Ally: I know we're going to learn more about Fighting Chance, the YA novel you're featuring today, but tell us about the main character and what kind of person he is.
BK: Seventeen-year-old Matt Foley is a thoroughly nice guy with good instincts and a generous nature—for example, he won’t stand idly by when someone else is being bullied. But he sometimes gets taken in by a pretty face or a smooth talker, he's too quick to believe gossip, and he tends to think the people in his own popular crowd at school are superior to the misfits. He’s also a star basketball player and a talented martial artist who sees himself as a jock who’s bored with school—but he’s smarter than he thinks he is, and reading and writing interest him more than he’ll admit. Although he loves his parents and knows they’re good people, he can’t help feeling distant from them. By the end of the novel, Matt’s taken some important steps toward growing up.
Ally: What is your next writing project?
BK: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine has accepted a story called “Death under Construction,” which will appear in the November/December 2017 issue; AHMM has also accepted a story called “One-Day Pass,” but that hasn’t been scheduled for publication yet. I’ve just about finished revising a novel featuring characters from one of my series for AHMM (the Iphigenia Woodhouse/Harriet Russo series) and plan to send it out during the next week or so. And I’m in the early stages of working on a nonfiction project, a collaboration with another writer.
Ally: Since I enjoy urban fantasy so much, I have to ask this question. If you could have a supernatural power, what would it be and why?
BK: Without a doubt, I’d choose super-speed. I could fix dinner in thirty seconds, clean the house in two or three minutes. And how wonderful it would be to pack an hour of exercise into a minute—provided, of course, that I’d still burn off the same number of calories I would in an hour. Another few minutes would be enough for me to zip through e-mail, tend to promotion, and take care of other routine tasks. Then I’d have lots of time left for reading and writing. I’d slow down and enjoy myself for those.
Ally: It's time for one of my favorite parts, the short answer questions:
Ally: It was terrific to have you visit, Bonnie! Thanks for stopping by. Before you go, let's check out your novel, Fighting Chance.
Ally: How did you select the mystery genre? What about it intrigues you and readers?
BK: I enjoy the challenge of constructing a whodunit—that’s a lot of fun—but I write other kinds of mysteries, too, including ones that aren’t built around puzzles. Basically, I read and write mysteries because I have old-fashioned tastes, and mysteries have the same elements as the nineteenth-century novels I love. Among other things, mysteries have real plots—plots with a beginning, a middle, and an end, plots shaped by the choices characters make and the actions they take. And most mysteries have at least some characters who, despite any flaws and limitations they may have, struggle to uncover the truth and see that justice is done. Modern literary fiction often portrays human beings as helpless victims of absurd circumstances, but mysteries usually insist we can and should try to understand the circumstances that shape our lives, can and should try to set things right. On the whole, I agree with the way mysteries see the world, and that’s why I write mysteries. (On my website, I explore these ideas further in an essay called “What’s Wrong with Mysteries?” You can find it at http://www.bkstevensmysteries.com/thoughts-about-mysteries/.)
Ally: Did someone or something inspire you to write? If so, in what way?
BK: My father definitely inspired me to write. He was an English professor (as I was for over thirty years—he inspired my choice of career, too). In any spare time he could find, he loved to write—novels, plays, humorous verse. He didn’t have much luck at getting published, but I think he was very talented. I can remember sitting on the floor in his study, reading or doing my homework while I waited for the next page to emerge from his manual typewriter. We discussed what he was writing, I made comments and suggestions, and he treated them with respect. He encouraged my writing, too: Even before I could read, I’d dictate poems and stories to him, and he’d type them up and bind them into folders. My father always made writing seem like the most fascinating, exciting thing a person could do. I should also mention my mother. When I was in second grade, she gave me a diary and told me to write something every day. It’s a good habit, and it made a difference.
Ally: Have you thought about one of your books being made into a movie? Who would play the parts, if you could choose?
BK: Of all the books and stories I’ve ever written, I think Fighting Chance would make the best movie. It’s like a cross between The Hardy Boys and The Karate Kid—it’s a fair-play whodunit laced with action and adventure, but it’s also a coming-of-age story about a teenager growing into adulthood as he studies a martial art. As I was writing the book, I had one actor clearly in mind—Chuck Norris. He’d be perfect in the role of Aaron, the Krav Maga teacher who becomes Matt’s mentor. Thanks to my fifth-degree black belt husband, I’ve seen all of Mr. Norris’s movies (most many times), and I think his gentle, encouraging demeanor is just right for Aaron. As for Matt and Graciana, I don’t know the names of many teenaged actors, so I’ll say Matt could be played by a seventeen-year-old Mark Wahlberg, and Graciana could be played by a seventeen-year-old Eva Mendes. And I think William H. Macy and Karen Allen (first and fourth Indiana Jones movies) would be great as Matt’s parents.
Ally: I know we're going to learn more about Fighting Chance, the YA novel you're featuring today, but tell us about the main character and what kind of person he is.
BK: Seventeen-year-old Matt Foley is a thoroughly nice guy with good instincts and a generous nature—for example, he won’t stand idly by when someone else is being bullied. But he sometimes gets taken in by a pretty face or a smooth talker, he's too quick to believe gossip, and he tends to think the people in his own popular crowd at school are superior to the misfits. He’s also a star basketball player and a talented martial artist who sees himself as a jock who’s bored with school—but he’s smarter than he thinks he is, and reading and writing interest him more than he’ll admit. Although he loves his parents and knows they’re good people, he can’t help feeling distant from them. By the end of the novel, Matt’s taken some important steps toward growing up.
Ally: What is your next writing project?
BK: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine has accepted a story called “Death under Construction,” which will appear in the November/December 2017 issue; AHMM has also accepted a story called “One-Day Pass,” but that hasn’t been scheduled for publication yet. I’ve just about finished revising a novel featuring characters from one of my series for AHMM (the Iphigenia Woodhouse/Harriet Russo series) and plan to send it out during the next week or so. And I’m in the early stages of working on a nonfiction project, a collaboration with another writer.
Ally: Since I enjoy urban fantasy so much, I have to ask this question. If you could have a supernatural power, what would it be and why?
BK: Without a doubt, I’d choose super-speed. I could fix dinner in thirty seconds, clean the house in two or three minutes. And how wonderful it would be to pack an hour of exercise into a minute—provided, of course, that I’d still burn off the same number of calories I would in an hour. Another few minutes would be enough for me to zip through e-mail, tend to promotion, and take care of other routine tasks. Then I’d have lots of time left for reading and writing. I’d slow down and enjoy myself for those.
Ally: It's time for one of my favorite parts, the short answer questions:
- a. Favorite book: Jane Eyre
- b. Book you’re currently reading: Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law (Alan Dershowitz)
- c. Favorite television program: Columbo
- d. Favorite movie: Casablanca
- e. Your pet: Ari, our fifteen-year-old enormous gray calico
Ally: It was terrific to have you visit, Bonnie! Thanks for stopping by. Before you go, let's check out your novel, Fighting Chance.
Blurb for Fighting Chance (Poisoned Pen Press):
Genre: Young Adult mystery PG
When seventeen-year-old Matt Foley’s coach and mentor is killed in a sparring match at a tae kwon do tournament, the police decide it was a tragic accident. Matt’s not so sure.
With help from a few friends, including the attractive but puzzling Graciana Cortez, Matt learns the coach’s opponent, Bobby Davis, is a brutal, highly skilled martial artist, the central attraction at an illegal fight club. Now, Matt’s convinced someone hired Davis to murder the coach. But who would want to harm the coach, and why do it at a tournament?
Matt’s efforts to find the truth pull him into some dangerous conflicts. To improve his self-defense skills, he joins a krav maga class taught by a man who becomes his new mentor. Matt suspects that he’s going to need those skills, that some day he’ll have to face Bobby Davis himself.
Fighting Chance was an Anthony and Agatha finalist. Kirkus Reviews calls it “a smartly crafted mystery filled with suspense and intrigue.”
You can find Fighting Chance on Amazon— here.
or Barnes and Noble— here.
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