It’s always a pleasure to introduce a debut author when I loved her book. Tomorrow, I’m running my review of A Dream of Death. It was an outstanding, atmospheric mystery with characters I love. Today, it’s my pleasure to introduce author Connie Berry with an interview. Thank you, Connie, for taking time to answer questions.
Connie,
Would you introduce yourself to readers?
Would you introduce yourself to readers?
If we
met on the street, you might think you know me already. People are always
saying that—”You look so familiar.” Then I have to wrack my
brain to figure out if they look familiar, too. Embarrassing.
met on the street, you might think you know me already. People are always
saying that—”You look so familiar.” Then I have to wrack my
brain to figure out if they look familiar, too. Embarrassing.
I was
born in Wisconsin and grew up in northern Illinois. But apart from four
peripatetic years in the Air Force, my husband and I have lived all our married
lives in Ohio. We have two grown sons and a very sweet dog named Millie.
Besides reading and writing mysteries, I love foreign travel, adventures with a
hint of danger, cute animals, the northwoods of Wisconsin, and all things
British.
born in Wisconsin and grew up in northern Illinois. But apart from four
peripatetic years in the Air Force, my husband and I have lived all our married
lives in Ohio. We have two grown sons and a very sweet dog named Millie.
Besides reading and writing mysteries, I love foreign travel, adventures with a
hint of danger, cute animals, the northwoods of Wisconsin, and all things
British.
Would you
introduce us to Kate Hamilton?
introduce us to Kate Hamilton?
Kate is
the kind of woman I’d like as a friend. She’s in her mid-forties, of
Scandinavian descent, a recent widow with two college-age children—an
academically inclined son, Eric, who’s working on a graduate degree in nuclear
physics; and the tempestuous Christine, drawn to men she thinks are too good to
be true and usually prove her right.
the kind of woman I’d like as a friend. She’s in her mid-forties, of
Scandinavian descent, a recent widow with two college-age children—an
academically inclined son, Eric, who’s working on a graduate degree in nuclear
physics; and the tempestuous Christine, drawn to men she thinks are too good to
be true and usually prove her right.
Kate’s
father, who taught her about antiques, teasingly called her a divvy, an
antique whisperer, able to spot a fake at fifty paces, drawn to the single
treasure in a roomful of junk. She has a gift for spotting patterns and
anomalies, which comes in handy when she is sleuthing.
father, who taught her about antiques, teasingly called her a divvy, an
antique whisperer, able to spot a fake at fifty paces, drawn to the single
treasure in a roomful of junk. She has a gift for spotting patterns and
anomalies, which comes in handy when she is sleuthing.
Having
suffered a series of losses—her beloved Down-syndrome brother when she was
five; her father when she was seventeen; and her husband when she was
forty-three—Kate fortifies her heart against emotional involvements. That
becomes a problem in the Scottish Hebrides when she meets a dashing detective
inspector from England. Fortunately, Kate has an intelligent, down-to-earth,
and wise mother who keeps her on track (usually).
suffered a series of losses—her beloved Down-syndrome brother when she was
five; her father when she was seventeen; and her husband when she was
forty-three—Kate fortifies her heart against emotional involvements. That
becomes a problem in the Scottish Hebrides when she meets a dashing detective
inspector from England. Fortunately, Kate has an intelligent, down-to-earth,
and wise mother who keeps her on track (usually).
I know
Kate is an antiques dealer. Why did you pick that profession for her?
Kate is an antiques dealer. Why did you pick that profession for her?
“Write
what you know” is a piece of literary advice I took to heart. Like Kate, I
was raised by charmingly eccentric antique collectors who eventually opened a
shop, not because they wanted to sell antiques but because they needed a
plausible excuse to keep buying them. Although I didn’t realize it at the time
(we all believe our lives are normal, don’t we?), I grew up in a house that
looked more like a museum than a residence. One time my parents went out to buy
a new mattress and came home instead with a larger-than-life-size marble bust
of Marie Antoinette. None of my friends had one of those in their living rooms.
Their houses were French Provincial or Traditional or Country. Ours, my mother
said, was “eclectic,” meaning a jumble spanning three continents and
six centuries. I asked her once, “Why don’t we have new furniture like
everyone else?” “Our things have a history,” she answered
mysteriously. “So much more interesting, don’t you think?” That line
made it into my first book. Growing up surrounded by the artifacts of the past
has given me a life-long passion for antiques and history, elements in
everything I write.
what you know” is a piece of literary advice I took to heart. Like Kate, I
was raised by charmingly eccentric antique collectors who eventually opened a
shop, not because they wanted to sell antiques but because they needed a
plausible excuse to keep buying them. Although I didn’t realize it at the time
(we all believe our lives are normal, don’t we?), I grew up in a house that
looked more like a museum than a residence. One time my parents went out to buy
a new mattress and came home instead with a larger-than-life-size marble bust
of Marie Antoinette. None of my friends had one of those in their living rooms.
Their houses were French Provincial or Traditional or Country. Ours, my mother
said, was “eclectic,” meaning a jumble spanning three continents and
six centuries. I asked her once, “Why don’t we have new furniture like
everyone else?” “Our things have a history,” she answered
mysteriously. “So much more interesting, don’t you think?” That line
made it into my first book. Growing up surrounded by the artifacts of the past
has given me a life-long passion for antiques and history, elements in
everything I write.
Tell us
about A Dream of Death, without spoilers.
about A Dream of Death, without spoilers.
Autumn
has come and gone on the Isle of Glenroth, and the locals gather for the Tartan
Ball, the annual end-of-tourist-season gala. Spirits are high. A recently
published novel about island history has brought hordes of tourists to the
small Hebridean resort community. On the guest list is American antiques dealer
Kate Hamilton. Kate returns reluctantly to the island where her husband died,
determined to repair her relationship with his sister, proprietor of the
island’s luxe country house hotel, famous for its connection with Bonnie Prince
Charlie. The next morning a body is found, murdered in a reenactment of an
infamous crime described in the novel. The Scottish police discount the
historical connection, but when a much-loved local handyman is arrested, Kate
teams up with a vacationing detective inspector from England to unmask a killer
determined to rewrite island history. And the only clue lies within a curiously
embellished marquetry casket.
has come and gone on the Isle of Glenroth, and the locals gather for the Tartan
Ball, the annual end-of-tourist-season gala. Spirits are high. A recently
published novel about island history has brought hordes of tourists to the
small Hebridean resort community. On the guest list is American antiques dealer
Kate Hamilton. Kate returns reluctantly to the island where her husband died,
determined to repair her relationship with his sister, proprietor of the
island’s luxe country house hotel, famous for its connection with Bonnie Prince
Charlie. The next morning a body is found, murdered in a reenactment of an
infamous crime described in the novel. The Scottish police discount the
historical connection, but when a much-loved local handyman is arrested, Kate
teams up with a vacationing detective inspector from England to unmask a killer
determined to rewrite island history. And the only clue lies within a curiously
embellished marquetry casket.
I know
your next book is set in England. How did you become familiar with those parts
of England and Scotland where you set your books?
your next book is set in England. How did you become familiar with those parts
of England and Scotland where you set your books?
Since
my father’s parents were immigrants from Scotland, I grew up with the taste of
shortbread in my mouth and the Scots’ accent in my ears. One of the characters
in A Dream of Death is partly modeled on my Scottish grandmother who, in
her old age, sent me frequent letters, informing me about all the Scots who’d
played instrumental roles in American history. She was sure my friends would be
impressed.
my father’s parents were immigrants from Scotland, I grew up with the taste of
shortbread in my mouth and the Scots’ accent in my ears. One of the characters
in A Dream of Death is partly modeled on my Scottish grandmother who, in
her old age, sent me frequent letters, informing me about all the Scots who’d
played instrumental roles in American history. She was sure my friends would be
impressed.
My
first trip to England was during college when I studied at St. Clare’s College
in Oxford and traveled with a friend throughout the British Isles. Once our
sons were old enough, we took them to the UK and have traveled there just about
every year since. Suffolk is one of my favorite spots in England—off the beaten
path tourist-wise but a lovely place with impossibly quaint villages and a
history going back to Anglo-Saxon times and beyond. This past autumn we rented
a fourteenth-century weaver’s cottage in the village of Lavenham and spent an
afternoon with a detective inspector in Bury St. Edmunds.
first trip to England was during college when I studied at St. Clare’s College
in Oxford and traveled with a friend throughout the British Isles. Once our
sons were old enough, we took them to the UK and have traveled there just about
every year since. Suffolk is one of my favorite spots in England—off the beaten
path tourist-wise but a lovely place with impossibly quaint villages and a
history going back to Anglo-Saxon times and beyond. This past autumn we rented
a fourteenth-century weaver’s cottage in the village of Lavenham and spent an
afternoon with a detective inspector in Bury St. Edmunds.
Can you
give us some hints about your next book?
give us some hints about your next book?
A Legacy of Murder comes out in October of
2019.
2019.
What
could be lovelier than Christmas in England? American antiques dealer Kate
Hamilton arrives in the Suffolk village of Long Barston, dreaming of log fires,
steaming wassail, and Tom Mallory, the detective inspector she met during a
recent murder investigation in Scotland. Kate also looks forward to spending
time with her daughter, Christine, an intern at Finchley Hall, famous for the
unearthing in 1818 of a treasure trove known as The Finchley Hoard. But when
the body of another intern is found on the estate, romance takes a back seat.
Long Barston is on Tom Mallory’s patch, and the clues to the killer’s identity
point backward more than four hundred years to a legacy of murder and a
blood-red ruby ring.
could be lovelier than Christmas in England? American antiques dealer Kate
Hamilton arrives in the Suffolk village of Long Barston, dreaming of log fires,
steaming wassail, and Tom Mallory, the detective inspector she met during a
recent murder investigation in Scotland. Kate also looks forward to spending
time with her daughter, Christine, an intern at Finchley Hall, famous for the
unearthing in 1818 of a treasure trove known as The Finchley Hoard. But when
the body of another intern is found on the estate, romance takes a back seat.
Long Barston is on Tom Mallory’s patch, and the clues to the killer’s identity
point backward more than four hundred years to a legacy of murder and a
blood-red ruby ring.
Everyone’s
journey to publishing is different. Tell us about your journey to the
publication of A Dream of Death.
journey to publishing is different. Tell us about your journey to the
publication of A Dream of Death.
My
journey was a long, slow process of learning the craft of writing. With a
master’s degree in English literature and having read countless mysteries, I
thought writing one would be easy. Believe me, it was not. I didn’t know what I
didn’t know.
journey was a long, slow process of learning the craft of writing. With a
master’s degree in English literature and having read countless mysteries, I
thought writing one would be easy. Believe me, it was not. I didn’t know what I
didn’t know.
I began
writing A Dream of Death almost ten years ago. When I retired from teaching
theology two years ago, I embarked on a final, major revision. Two months later
at Sleuthfest, a writer’s conference in Florida, I met my wonderful editor,
Faith Black Ross, who offered me a contract. With the help of my agent, Paula
Munier of Talcott Notch Literary Services, I signed a two-book contract with
Crooked Lane Books.
writing A Dream of Death almost ten years ago. When I retired from teaching
theology two years ago, I embarked on a final, major revision. Two months later
at Sleuthfest, a writer’s conference in Florida, I met my wonderful editor,
Faith Black Ross, who offered me a contract. With the help of my agent, Paula
Munier of Talcott Notch Literary Services, I signed a two-book contract with
Crooked Lane Books.
If you
had to recommend 5 books for a person to read so they could get a feel for you
and your reading taste, what 5 would you pick?
had to recommend 5 books for a person to read so they could get a feel for you
and your reading taste, what 5 would you pick?
1.
Agatha Christie (of course) 2. Deborah Crombie 3. Jane Austen 4. Susan Hill 5.
Charles Todd
Agatha Christie (of course) 2. Deborah Crombie 3. Jane Austen 4. Susan Hill 5.
Charles Todd
What
books did you love as a child?
books did you love as a child?
My
mother was a retired schoolteacher, so I was read to from my earliest memory. I
vividly remember The House at Pooh Corners, Now We Are Six, and
the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. Later, when I could read myself, I
loved Charlotte’s Web, The Borrowers, and Nancy Drew. And
comic books. My sensible mother decided at least I was reading.
mother was a retired schoolteacher, so I was read to from my earliest memory. I
vividly remember The House at Pooh Corners, Now We Are Six, and
the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. Later, when I could read myself, I
loved Charlotte’s Web, The Borrowers, and Nancy Drew. And
comic books. My sensible mother decided at least I was reading.
As a
librarian, I like to end my interviews with the same question. Would you tell
us a story about how a library or librarian influenced you?
librarian, I like to end my interviews with the same question. Would you tell
us a story about how a library or librarian influenced you?
I’d
love to because when I was growing up, the public library was a magical place
where new worlds were opened to me. I spent time wandering through the stacks,
reading at random. My love of all things British began when, in eighth or ninth
grade, I discovered the writings of P.G. Wodehouse. I’d never read anything so
exquisitely witty in my life and was certain I’d discovered an author no one
knew about but me. Ha! From there, with my precious library card in hand, I
went on to devour the English classics and the Golden Age mysteries by writers
like Agatha Christie, Cyril Hare, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and G. K.
Chesterton. With my beloved hometown library as a foundation—and in spite of my
parents’ fear that I’d never earn a living by reading great books—I studied
English literature in both college and graduate school. Then, to please my
father, I attended Katharine Gibbs Secretarial College in New York City. Trust
me, I was never meant to be a secretary, but those lightning-fast typing skills
sure come in handy as a writer.
love to because when I was growing up, the public library was a magical place
where new worlds were opened to me. I spent time wandering through the stacks,
reading at random. My love of all things British began when, in eighth or ninth
grade, I discovered the writings of P.G. Wodehouse. I’d never read anything so
exquisitely witty in my life and was certain I’d discovered an author no one
knew about but me. Ha! From there, with my precious library card in hand, I
went on to devour the English classics and the Golden Age mysteries by writers
like Agatha Christie, Cyril Hare, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and G. K.
Chesterton. With my beloved hometown library as a foundation—and in spite of my
parents’ fear that I’d never earn a living by reading great books—I studied
English literature in both college and graduate school. Then, to please my
father, I attended Katharine Gibbs Secretarial College in New York City. Trust
me, I was never meant to be a secretary, but those lightning-fast typing skills
sure come in handy as a writer.
Connie, Thank you so much for taking the time for the interview. Good luck with A Dream of Death!
And, watch for my review of A Dream of Death tomorrow on the blog.
Connie Berry’s website is www.connieberry.com
Terrific interview, Connie. I enjoyed learning more about you, especially about your antique-collecting parents. Makes for more interesting story telling that if your parents had selected Danish modern.
Oh, that's funny, Grace. Maybe the mystery would have been set in Denmark instead of Scotland.
My parents, being not only eccentric but also wise, allowed me to choose ultra-modern furniture for my bedroom.
Great to read about Connie and the new book! And that there is another one in the works, it sure sounds like it will hit a lot of fave points for me! I love a good sense of place and the setting sounds wonderful!
Oh, Holdenj, I hope you enjoy it. I thought it was terrific!
and another book for my library list…Thanks.
You're always welcome, Gram!