|
When
the cold winds of winter blow into town, I take
it as a sign that it’s the perfect time
of year for reading a good murder mystery. As
you know, I’m always on the look-out for
a new author, especially one that has that amazing
ability to keep me guessing until the very last
page. Of course, blood and guts don’t really
appeal to me. Being the romance guru that I am,
a nondescript shot to the head or back will do
just fine. I really don’t see the need to
delve into all the minute details of exactly how
the victim met his demise. C.S.I. does a really
great job with that. Clearly, it’s best
to leave it to the experts.
 PREACHING
TO THE CORPSE combines the good with
the bad. Sure, going to church is a positive thing.
Our world would be a much better place if we all
visited it a little more often. And as for the
corpse part, who doesn’t like a good old-fashioned
murder mystery? I was first introduced to Roberta
Isleib through a recommendation from my good friend,
Elaine Viets (www.elaineviets.com),
who loves to keep me abreast of who is hot and
who is not! After reading Roberta’s latest
release, I was quite impressed and just had to
find out more about the woman behind the making
of this delightful story. Not to mention, her
writing style, character development, and overall
ability to quite simply entertain make her book
definitely worth the read. So without further
ado, please go grab yourself something warm to
drink and get to know my new friend, Roberta Isleib.
Jen: Please tell us
a little bit about your educational and professional
background so that my readers can get a better
understanding of who you are as a person and not
solely as a writer.
Roberta:It’s
a little embarrassing to admit just how many years
I’ve spent in school, but here goes…I
graduated from Princeton (my class was the 3rd
year they admitted women—an interesting
experience!) Then I worked a few years before
attending the University of Tennessee for a master’s
degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling.
Worked a few years, and then attended the University
of Florida for a PhD in clinical psychology. Did
my internship and two postdoc years at Yale, and
then had a private psychotherapy practice for
13 years before turning to writing. My poor father
can’t believe I gave up all that education
to become a writer. I explain to him that nothing
is ever wasted in this writing business!
Jen: When was the defining
moment in your life when you decided to become
a writer?
Roberta:Because
I was a student for so many years, I should say
I’ve always written. But I began writing
seriously in order to make something useful out
of my obsession with all things golf. In the beginning,
I wrote articles about golf psychology (to use
my training as a clinical psychologist.) But I
found breaking into the freelance magazine market
to be very challenging, so I decided to try writing
a mystery. Wow, if I had only known…
I had always loved reading mysteries and I imagined
it would be fun to write one with a neurotic lady
golfer as a protagonist (write what you know and
all that!)
Jen: Who has had the
most influence on your writing career and why?
And whose opinion do you value most when it comes
to criticism and praise in relation to your work?
Roberta: I count
heavily on my amazing network of writer friends.
My older sister is a nature writer—she got
into the business well before I did and is a great
source of support. My husband is a business editor
and has an excellent eye for wordiness and slow
plots. I belong to a writers group and they are
also ruthless editors. And I have a couple of
other writer friends who are excellent at brainstorming
plot problems. In general the mystery writing
community is an astonishing source of support
and inspiration (Sisters in Crime and Mystery
Writers of America, in particular.) And don’t
let me forget the best money I ever spent: hiring
independent editor Nora Cavin to review several
of my manuscripts. That was like taking the private
writing tutorial I never had in school.
Jen: Please
take us through your writing process. Plot first?
Characters? Outline? What is the most challenging
part of a novel for you to write and why?
Roberta:I generally
start with a character and have to be prodded
to move the plot forward. I think my training
and experience as a clinical psychologist help
me shape the characters, and then imagine their
long-term evolution. I save headlines and articles
from newspapers and magazines to keep in my “future
book” folder, but some days I can stare
at them all day and still come up without a shred
of plot.
My contracts with Berkley Prime Crime
have required me to turn in an outline of the
books I’m going to write. Then I use that
synopsis as a general guide—no one has ever
pointed to those pages and accused me of not following
them. For the upcoming book, the third in the
advice column series, I did the most extensive
synopsis ever. It was hard work, but it did make
the writing easier. I spent less time moping in
front of the computer screen with no idea about
where the story would go next.
Jen: I have to go on
the record and say that I am slightly biased towards
you since we have so much in common. ? I also
grew up in New Jersey and I am an avid golfer.
Please tell us about your first series, Golf
Lover’s Mysteries. What was your inspiration
for this series? Has golf always been a passion
of yours?
Roberta:: Oh heavens,
no! I used to despise golf—it made my top
three list for dull sports—drag-racing,
bowling, and golf. Then I met a golfer and fell
in love—with both the man and the game.
I began a furious campaign to learn to play and
spent lots of time and money trying to master
it. I couldn’t get over how nervous I felt
on the first tee, especially in a competition.
How did professional golfers survive and even
thrive with this kind of stress? Golf is a very
mental game. So the picture of Cassie Burdette,
neurotic professional golfer wannabe, began to
take shape. Over the series I was able to talk
her into starting psychotherapy so that her golf
game and her taste in men both improve!
 Jen:
Your latest release, which I loved by the way,
is called PREACHING TO THE CORPSE. This
novel is the second title in your Advice Column
Mysteries series. This series is similar to your
first in the sense that you draw from your own
clinical career to give your readers some validation
to your lead character’s authenticity. How
did you arrive at the premise for this novel?
Find
in the library's catalog.
Roberta:First of
all, thank you! I think the idea for PREACHING
TO THE CORPSE must have come when I was sitting
in a church meeting. Either I was bored to death
or annoyed to death; probably grumbling to myself
that someone was going to die if they didn’t
stop yakking. I started daydreaming, as writers
do: What if one of the members of a committee
like this one was murdered? Wouldn’t it
be especially frightening to have the crime committed
by someone you think you know, in a place where
most people expect nothing but good thoughts and
deeds?
Jen: A question I just
have to ask… How similar are Dr. Butterman
and you?
Roberta: We certainly
have some surface similarities—both psychologists
with private practices in New Haven (though I’m
now writing full time.) We both love to eat, though
she’s a better cook than I am! On the other
hand, my person life is a lot less tumultuous
than hers. And if some big redheaded detective
told me to butt out of a case, you’d see
me running…I’m not particularly brave.
Or nosey.
Jen: I liked the history
blurb you had at the beginning of the novel. How
much research went into the writing of this novel?
Roberta:: I’m
a member of the Congregational church that the
Shoreline church was modeled after, and I’ve
been very involved with committees. And I have
a good friend who’s a minister. So really
very little outside research was necessary. It
was all there for the plucking. The historical
quote in the beginning of the book is from a pamphlet
about the history of the First Congregational
Church in Madison, CT. All that said; let me assure
you that PREACHING TO THE CORPSE is strictly fiction!
Jen: Every good mystery
novel needs a sexy hunk and you certainly delivered!
Besides his persona, what do you like best about
Detective Meigs and why?
Roberta: I must
admit to having a thing for Detective Meigs. He’s
got a warm heart underneath his tough and gruff
exterior. And it’s important to him to do
the right thing, even if his heart breaks over
it.
Jen: In my opinion,
the role of the clergy has changed drastically
over the past three to five years. I think your
novel accurately depicts that by the range of
personalities your clergymen have. Were you consciously
trying to incorporate their idiosyncrasies as
a way of making the “men of God” seem
believable as fallible human beings in spite of
their religious position and stature in life?
Roberta:Partly
this book came out of my curiosity about what
kind of people go into ministry and why. It’s
such a hard job. You are put on a pedestal—the
height depending on the type of church—and
then expected to handle an immense amount of human
suffering and doubt, all while displaying wisdom,
caring, and a stellar personal life. How can someone
manage that kind of pressure? And, at what cost?
And why would a person want that kind of life?
These were the questions I was asking as I wrote
those characters. I spoke with a psychologist
friend who does many candidate evaluations for
the Yale Divinity School. He assured me that most
of the people he interviews feel a strong calling
for the ministry, much in the same way a person
would feel called to write or teach or doctor.
Jen : In my opinion,
the role of the clergy has changed drastically
over the past three to five years. I think your
novel accurately depicts that by the range of
personalities your clergymen have. Were you consciously
trying to incorporate their idiosyncrasies as
a way of making the “men of God” seem
believable as fallible human beings in spite of
their religious position and stature in life?
Roberta: Partly
this book came out of my curiosity about what
kind of people go into ministry and why. It’s
such a hard job. You are put on a pedestal—the
height depending on the type of church—and
then expected to handle an immense amount of human
suffering and doubt, all while displaying wisdom,
caring, and a stellar personal life. How can someone
manage that kind of pressure? And, at what cost?
And why would a person want that kind of life?
These were the questions I was asking as I wrote
those characters. I spoke with a psychologist
friend who does many candidate evaluations for
the Yale Divinity School. He assured me that most
of the people he interviews feel a strong calling
for the ministry, much in the same way a person
would feel called to write or teach or doctor.
Jen: Your lead character,
Rebecca, has quite the back-story yet she manages
to overcome life’s struggles and remain
overall a positive person. What are Rebecca’s
greatest strengths? Her weaknesses?
Roberta: As with
all of us, Rebecca has been shaped by her family
and life history. But as a psychologist, she understands
the importance of knowing herself thoroughly so
she doesn’t mix up her own issues with those
of her patients. Hence, psychotherapy! But she’s
still vulnerable to feeling lonely and she yearns
for a big lug to take care of her, though she’s
quite capable of managing her life. But these
feelings drive her to get involved with situations
she’d be better to leave alone. (Like solving
murders of course!)
As for strengths, she’s loyal, loving, generous,
and smart. And a fabulous cook!
Jen: Your work has
been recognized for excellence (Agatha and Anthony
Award nominee) and after reading Preaching to
the Corpse I can definitely see why!! Currently,
you serve as president of International Sisters
in Crime. Please tell us about this organization
and its relevance to your career.
Roberta: Sisters
in Crime was founded in 1986 by a small group
of writers including Sara Paretsky and Nancy Pickard,
and has grown to an international organization
with over 3400 members. SinC began by monitoring
review space in newspapers and pointing out potential
biases to reviewers. The group found that a book
written by a man was seven times more likely to
be reviewed than a book by a woman, important
because libraries and fans make choices depending
on reviews.
Over the past twenty years, SinC has continued
to combat discrimination against women in the
mystery field, educate publishers and the general
public as to inequities in the treatment of female
authors, raise the level of awareness of their
contributions to the field, and promote the professional
advancement of women who write mysteries.
The publishing world is changing and our current
goal is to figure out how to continue to support
women crime writers even as publishing gets more
challenging. We will be thinking of ways to strengthen
our chapters, help our published authors get the
most out of their books, and educate our pre-published
writers. It’s an amazing organization! I
truly knew no one in the publishing business or
the mystery field when I started to write. The
New England chapter has come to be an enormous
source of support and energy for me and I’m
honored to be part of the national leadership.
Jen: What project are
you currently working on and what can you tell
us about it?
Roberta:I have
just finished and mailed off the third book in
the Rebecca Butterman advice column series. The
working title is LINE IN THE SAND, though I have
a feeling that will change. Rebecca's good friend,
a social worker who does sand tray therapy, is
found beaten and left for dead. Rebecca searches
for clues in the sand trays to track a would-be
killer. The book should be out next September
(2008.) After the holidays, I'll start thinking
about what to write next...
Jen: Please tell us
a bout your website. Do you have email notification
of new releases? Do you participate in author
phone chats? And if so, how would my readers go
about arranging one? Do you participate in any
blogs?
Roberta:I do have
a mailing list and will gladly send big news to
anyone who signs up through the website. I’m
always delighted to be part of a phone chat—love
talking to readers groups and book clubs. You
can email me directly roberta@robertaisleib.com.
I have a personal blog attached to my website:
http://www.robertaisleib.com/blog And I’ve
recently been invited to join the Jungle Red Writers—including
Hallie Ephron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rosemary Harris,
and Jan Brogan. They are wonderful New England
mystery writers and lovely women besides: http://www.jungleredwriters.com/
I swore I wasn’t getting sucked into writing
blogs, but I’ve been unable to resist!
Jen: Thank you so much
for taking the time out of your busy schedule,
especially during the post-holiday season, to
speak with my readers. Best of luck with your
career!
Roberta:Thank you
so much Jen! I’m grateful for this opportunity!
I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Roberta!
If you would like to read my review of Preaching
to the Corpse, please visit www.freshfiction.com.
Okay, it’s time for the book give-away!
The first five readers to correctly answer the
following question and email me their response
at jensjewels@gmail.com
will win a copy of Preaching to the Corpse!
Good Luck!
What is the title of the next book in
the Advice Column Mystery series due out in September
2008?
Next time, I will be bringing to you my interview
with the one and only…Barbara Delinsky!
We will be discussing her new release,
The Secret Between Us, which hits the
stores this February! You won’t want to
miss this in-depth interview!
Until next month…Jen
|
Meet
the Author: featuring Jen's Jewels