Author Interviews

The novel begins in 1925 Shanghai with Irene Blum finding out she will not get the curator’s position at the Brooke Museum of Oriental Art she has wanted for as long as she can remember. The reason she loses the position is that she is a woman and the world of museum curation and treasure hunting is a man’s world.

When Irene is approached by her long-time mentor about the opportunity to hunt for lost treasure in Cambodia from the Khmer civilization, she jumps at the opportunity. Irene assembles a team of experts to steal ten copper scrolls not seen in more than 700 years. With a plan in place to force the museum’s directors to make her the curator when she returns with the scrolls, Irene quickly discovers her expedition is destined to face challenges every step of the way. Little does Irene realize that her journey will bring her in contact with dangerous individuals from corrupt politicians to back-street opium dens, and locations as diverse as Shanghai’s dark alleys to the wilds of the Cambodian jungle. By the end of her journey, she discovers that what she thought she wanted may not be her real reason for facing the struggle at all.

The book is not a typical murder mystery, but had elements strong enough to qualify it for the Edgar nomination. At times, Fay has a tendency to over-explain, which gives the book a literary feel. But, as the story progresses, this becomes a book filled with rich descriptions of diverse characters and dramatic locations. Its historical references are sure to appeal to history buffs or those who are merely curious about this distant part of the world. “The Map of Lost Memories” paints a picture that readers won’t soon forget.

I met Chris Swinney through Oak Tree Press. He’s been steadily working toward publication of his first novel and is a dynamo when it comes to social media. He’s also an active narcotics officer whose first mystery, titled “Gray Ghost,” is about cocaine being smuggled from the Bahamas to Miami. “Gray Ghost” follows two Miami Dade Police Department Narcotics detectives, Bill Dix and Steve Petersen, on a fly fishing vacation to Andros Island in the Bahamas. When the detectives learn that their fishing guides might have been drug smugglers who were killed for their $100 million cocaine load, they decide to help local officials bring in the man behind the killings.

Dix and Petersen are drawn into helping their island friends, and chase down leads in Miami as well as the Bahamas until they identify the diabolical plot of the man known only as “The Caller.” The detectives set an elaborate trap to snare The Caller. What they don’t know is that The Caller already knows about the trap. With the help of the locals, the detectives are led back to Miami, where they capture another dealer, who says he can lead them to The Caller. But, is The Caller one step ahead again?

Some readers might find the plot a bit slow at first, but there is a good build up of tension and action toward the end. While this book has a great storyline about cocaine smuggling and the characters are well developed, the dialogue is very clean for law enforcement. This is the first book in the “Bill Dix” series; I’ll be waiting to see how Chris develops his characters in subsequent installments.

For more information about C.L. Swinney, visit his website at clswinney.wordpress.com.

Joanna Campbell Slan is a fellow Booklovers Bench author. She’s one of those prolific writers who turns out quality material quickly and consistently. I’m not sure I could keep up with the writing pace she maintains. This interview was also published in my Examiner.com column, National Crime Fiction.

Award-winning and National Bestselling author Joanna Campbell Slan (www.JoannaSlan.com) is the creator of the Kiki Lowenstein Mysteries, (nominated as an Agatha Award Finalist), and The Jane Eyre Chronicles. She’s an extremely busy writer, but took time out for this interview to discuss why she wrote a series that casts Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth and how winning the Daphne du Maurier Award has affected her writing.

Slan likes to write books that do more than just entertain. She said, “Every book I write includes a social issue. ‘Death of a Schoolgirl’ explores the question, ‘How much responsibility should we take for other people’s children?’” She added, “Books that stand the test of time illuminate human nature and the grave questions every one of us faces as we move through our lives. Although my book is set in 1820, we’re still grappling with questions about child abuse today—and more importantly, we all need to consider our role in protecting the least among us.”

When she began writing her new series, Slan knew she needed a strong protagonist. She felt as though she’d found that protagonist in Jane Eyre. Slan said, “I decided to tackle a continuation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic because I realized Jane Eyre would make a marvelous sleuth.” A book called “Governess: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres” by Ruth Brandon was further impetus for her story. “I was struck by the horrible circumstances of these young women. Many were impoverished gentlewomen who worked for nouveau riche employers who hated them. They were isolated in the extreme and often mistreated—both mentally and physically. Those two books, one fiction and one non-fiction, were the catalysts for the first book in The Jane Eyre Chronicles.”

“Death of a Schoolgirl” is a continuation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic love story. The book begins in 1820 with Jane happily married to Edward Rochester. A cryptic letter warns that his ward, and Jane’s former student, is in danger. Jane travels to London and quickly learns that a murderer walks the halls of a girls’ school. Jane does her best to protect the students while investigating—but her first turn at playing amateur sleuth might well prove her last.

Slan said that she’s always wanted to be an author. “As a kid I stapled papers together and told everyone, ‘This is my book.’” Now that she’s a multi-published author, she has also realized how difficult an author’s job can be. She said, “Every author has to prove herself every day in the eyes of her readers.” As the winner of the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, Slan has proven herself. That has not, however, changed the way she sees her writing. “The Daphne is like this huge blessing from an unseen hand. I approached writing historical romance on my knees in fear, trembling and quaking. I kid you not . . . From the moment I conceived the project, I knew I was treading on sacred soil. Brontë was a genius.”

The award has affirmed for Slan her status as a writer. “I feel a warm glow inside. A little voice keeps doing a happy dance and yelling, ‘I did it!’ I hope she never settles down.”

More Information:

Learn more about Joanna Campbell Slan on her website at www.JoannaSlan.com.