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Thank you all for taking the time to spend Around the Fire. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I’m heading for Lancaster, PA, with friends tomorrow. We plan to spend a lot of time sitting around a crackling fire and discussing everything. We’ll spend time at Farmer’s Markets and may even take a train ride through the countryside. But today, we’re relaxing around the virtual fire with my guest, Caryl Janis. Caryl, why don’t you introduce yourself while I pour us some coffee? Who are you other than your bio? A wife who gets to spend more time with my wonderful, now-retired English teacher husband. (And, yes, he reads my drafts and makes good suggestions!) We have a terrific grown daughter who lives cross-country-- we try to see her often. The piano is also a big part of my life. I enjoy all music and especially like playing old pop standards and ragtime pieces. I’m also a part-time church organist. I’ve always dreamed of playing the piano. After several attempts, I now just listen. What interests besides writing do you enjoy? For instance, what do you read or hobbies do you have? I love reading mysteries. But I also like biographies, particularly those of people who are not quite as well remembered these days. Their lives are so interesting and inspiring. I also collect old sheet music – the kind with the beautiful covers and songs that can be anywhere from 25 to a hundred years old. And then there’s baseball – I’m a NY Mets fan! You and my hubby should talk. He’s a stalwart Mets fan. I’ve collected old hymnals for years. My oldest is from the 1800s. You mentioned your husband as an early reader of your books; who else are your supporters? My husband and daughter have always been my cheerleaders as are good friends, a critique group, and writing organizations (Liberty States Fiction Writers and SinC/NYTriState). And everyone at The Wild Rose Press (Rhonda, RJ, my wonderful editor Dianne Rich, fellow authors) has been beyond supportive and helpful. I’m grateful to be one of the Roses. As a Wild Rose author, I agree. Authors need to be readers, too. Who or what books or authors are your inspiration? There are so many – fiction authors like Ann Patchett and Barbara Kingsolver, mystery/suspense writers from Hank Phillippi Ryan to David Baldacci, and nonfiction authors including Susan Orlean and Pamela Paul. Each one is so different and has a unique approach. Their writings are inspiring to analyze and also offer a reminder of how important it is to be true to your own individual voice and style. I also love stories about authors who keep trying and never give up. Do you have any fun or outrageous talent? Oh, gosh. I guess it’s outrageous when I mess up cooking or when I try to sing, but you couldn’t really count that as a talent. But I try to find the humor in everyday things, so that’s sort of fun. Janis, what is your neighborhood like? Are there any places you frequent? What makes them special? It’s pretty busy here – a mix of the urban and suburban with lots of traffic. But the best place to get away from it all is our local park. It’s huge and beautiful with lots of walking paths and playing fields and trees. I like to walk there with friends or just sit on a bench and enjoy the fresh air. It’s a great place to watch the change of seasons, especially in the fall. I also like some of our little restaurants. There’s an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that’s the best. Their homemade candy and ice cream are worth every calorie. It sounds lovely. We often visit our local park to walk the paths, especially this time of year. If you could time travel, where would you go and when? Why? I’d go back to 1880s/1890s New York. It seemed like such an innovative and exciting time. And I would love to see neighborhoods I know now and find out what they were like when some of my ancestors lived there. Sort of like Jack Finney’s Time and Again. What was your first job? I was a secretary in a small legal office. During the first week, I put a hole in a letter I was typing when trying to erase and correct my mistakes and, also, managed to burn the bottom of the coffee pot. My boss reacted with extremely good humor. When I left a few months later, he wished me well – and hopefully hired someone more efficient. Let’s talk about writing some more. Does it energize or exhaust you? Usually writing energizes me. I love the challenge of working on a few pages and then going back and reworking them and seeing how I can do it better. It’s sort of like figuring out a puzzle. You know, maybe this paragraph should be first instead of that one – or some dialogue would be better than a description somewhere else. It’s all a process of discovery for me, and I love it. What would you do if you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult? Oh, wow. Good question. I would have ignored my insecurities and feelings about not being good enough, and I would have written more and tried out for the school newspaper or entered a local essay contest. I think I would have learned more about the writing process and would have gained a little more confidence earlier in life. How do you select the names of your characters? It’s pretty random. I listen to my car radio and an announcer will mention a name -- or I’ll read a magazine article or something on the internet, and a name or two will grab me. (Or I’ll overhear a name at the next table in a restaurant!) Then I mix and match these names and often come up with variations. And I have to feel as if the name fits the character and that’s just instinct, I guess. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? Going to conferences is one – there are lots of panels, speakers, new perspectives to discover, people to talk with – it’s all a learning experience and most conferences have been well worth it. The other thing is taking writing workshops in a supportive environment. These types of opportunities have made me think about and analyze my writing in different ways, and then I can better figure out what I’m trying to do with any given project. What does literary success look like to you? If just a few people read my books and tell me they enjoyed them, or a scene or a character diverted, touched, or inspired them somehow, then I consider that success. Connecting with people through my writing is, to me, the most important thing. And the journey of getting to a finished manuscript is a joy and success in itself. Caryl, thank you so much for joining me Around the Fire. You have some exciting news I hear. A new book coming out October 20th. Can you tell us a little and how to get a copy? To Sketch a Killer
by Caryl Janis An urban cozy mystery October 20,2023 Sarah Quinlee needed a change. She sublet a tiny Manhattan apartment, took a new job, and rekindled her passion for sketching. But after accidentally stumbling on a murder victim outside the church next to her workplace, change proved far riskier than she'd anticipated, even for the crime-ridden 1970s. Sarah is quickly pulled into a tangle of neighborhood secrets involving an enigmatic homeless woman, a menacing street punk, a quirky assortment of locals, and coworkers with a past. Her perceptive sketches of them raise some serious questions—and some serious danger. Unable to resist playing sleuth, despite the profound concern of a very attractive police detective, Sarah is soon up against a killer desperate to hide the crime at all costs. Amazon: To Sketch a Killer: Janis, Caryl: 9781509251926: Amazon.com: Books https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/to%20sketch%20a%20killer More about the author. Caryl Janis has been a fan of mysteries since childhood and now writes her own. To Sketch a Killer is her first. Research Can Be Murder will be available soon. She is also a freelance musician and nonfiction author who enjoys theater, museums, and spending time with family and friends. You can find her online at: www.caryljanis.com or at Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarylJanis 9/27/2023 12:46:16 pm
Terrific interview ladies. Can't wait to read your book Caryl! I adore Finney's Time and Again. Weather is getting fallish! Donna will have to Crack out the s'mores soon! Best of luck with your book! Isn't Dianne amazing to work with? Enjoy!
D. V. Stone
9/27/2023 12:48:29 pm
Ha! Smores are always available arund my fires😁 9/27/2023 04:48:07 pm
Those smores sound great!
Barbara Bettis
9/27/2023 10:48:43 pm
Wishing you the very best with your release, Caryl! Love the sound of your local park, with the views and the old ice cream parlor. Somehow i envision you in your 1890s New York -- visiting the ice cream parlor :) 9/28/2023 08:51:54 am
Good to read about your approach to writing and about your forthcoming book ‘To Sketch a Killer’. All the best, Caryl.
joyce
9/29/2023 08:29:49 am
Enjoyed reading about what is important to Caryl and where she likes to go. The book is a spell binding page turner. Will look forward to future books by this author. Comments are closed.
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Your Host D.V. StoneAward winning multi-genre author and blogger. Fantasy, romance, mid-grade. Nothing better than a campfire, book, and glass of wine. Okay maybe there is.📚 Follow Me!
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