Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Wendall Thomas: Snakes in her luggage and award noms up her sleeves

HALLIE EPHRON: Back in the fall, we welcomed Wendall Thomas ("Your Handbag is Killing Me") to talk about her debut novel, LOST LUGGAGE. So I was thrilled to see the book pop up as a finalist for the Lefty Award for best first, and for a Macavity Award. Huge honors, both!!


Here's how the book begins:

Travel is my business. Or at least it was. After the last two weeks, no one may trust me with a drink order, much less their seat assignments, cabin preferences, or credit card numbers.



Irresistible, right?!



And here's what one reviewer said: "Thank heavens! I've been waiting for years to find a successor to Janet Evanovich, and I've finally found one."



So welcome back, Wendall. Are you pinching yourself? Is your publisher over the moon? Just give us a taste of what it was like when it occurred to you that the book was going to be such a success and what the ride's been like?



WENDALL THOMAS: When you write a novel where your protagonist’s false eyelashes are taken out by a chameleon tongue and she’s forced to smuggle snakes in her bra, you don’t really figure you’re creating “award bait.” The idea that my name would even appear next to the fabulous writers up for both these awards still seems like an elaborate prank, but I’m very grateful the joke’s on me.


I think the nominations took my publishers by surprise as well, but of course anything that gets the word out about the book is great for them and for me.



Honestly, the loveliest thing about being nominated has been the chance to meet and hang around with the other nominees and to speak with some of the generous readers who voted for the book. The mystery community in general has been particularly generous and kind.



Besides, that, there have been three things that have probably thrilled me most since the book came out. The first was having my very first reading/signing in my hometown bookstore, TheRegulator in Durham, NC. The second was seeing Lost Luggage on the shelf in the Mystery section of the Los Angeles Central Library. And the third was getting to write a chapter of the sequel in the window of LA’s Book Soup on Sunset Boulevard, across from my former mecca, Tower Records. That’s burned on my brain forever.



HALLIE: I can't tell you how many aspiring authors who've told me their goal is to write like Evanovich. Was she your model? And what IS your one piece of advice for any author trying to write a funny crime novel?



WENDALL:  Janet Evanovich is the gold standard and funny beyond measure.  I’m assuming anyone who wants to write comic crime has to credit her with their inspiration. I certainly do. And, because I come from a screenwriting background, I’m also inspired by the screwball heroines of films like Bringing Up Baby, Ball of Fire, Charade, and of course, Romancing the Stone.


I guess my one piece of advice in terms of writing comedy in a  crime novel is the same as it would be for creating any kind of humorous piece—the comedy works best when a character is completely serious about what they’re doing. It doesn’t come from trying to write jokes or having your character try to be funny. It comes from creating situations where your character is going to have trouble, or create chaos, just because of who they are.



If you can create a character who’s conflicted by nature and put them in situations where that conflict comes into play, you can always create comedy in the unique way they handle the problem. Just take a look at Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory and you’ll see what I’m saying.



HALLIE: Do you think it's easier for you to write humor because you come to this from screenwriting?


WENDALL: God, I thought it was going to be. I do think it helps with writing dialogue, as at least I’ve had lots of practice with that. But in terms of the rest, it’s almost made it harder. There’s something about the format of screenwriting, with its separation of dialogue and action, and its availability of white spaces on the page, that makes it much easier to create a comic rhythm and build to a big joke or ending to a sequence.


I had to completely relearn and reinvent how I wrote pratfalls and banter once I was doing it in prose. The hardest thing about both Lost Luggage and the upcoming Drowned Under has been getting the physical comedy sequences right.



I’m still not sure I’m there yet.



HALLIE: And, honestly, has it got you amped or anxious about the next book? What have you got up your sleeve and when can we expect to see it? Will there be reptiles?



Oh, it’s made me a complete and total wreck. The next book, Drowned Under, is due to my editor this week and last night, as I was doing some proofreading, the theme music for The Newsroom came on and I just burst into tears. That pretty much tells you where I am at the moment...

The new book finds Cyd in Australia on her first ever cruise—
from Melbourne to Tasmania. Best research trip ever, for me. In terms of reptiles, the cabin stewards admit a pet python has gone missing on a former voyage, but on this trip, while looking for her ex-husband’s missing parents, she winds up with a “functionally extinct” baby Tasmanian tiger in her purse.

HALLIE: Seriously!?! I'm laughing already. And thinking about Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant and the leopard in Bringing Up Baby.

So today Wendell (though she's finishing a manuscript) is open for questions. Mine: Wendell, what actress (in your mind's eye) would be perfect for the role of Cyd Redondo?

AND for those of you who missed it, Wendell Thomas's MULTI-award nominated first Cyd Redondo (travel agent) novel is zany adventure and  a perfect summer read.
Cyd Redondo, a young, third-generation Brooklyn travel agent who specializes in senior citizens, has never ventured farther than New Jersey. Yet even Jersey proves risky when her Travel Agents' Convention fling, Roger Claymore, leaves her weak in the knees-and everywhere else-then sneaks out of her Atlantic City hotel room at three a.m.

Back in Brooklyn, when she reads about smugglers stopped at JFK with skinks in their socks or monkeys down their pants, she never imagines she will join their ranks.... Find it on Amazon.
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67 comments:

  1. What a well-deserved honor, Wendall; congratulations on the award nominations . . . .

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    1. Thanks so much, Joan. I still can't believe it but I'm so grateful. See the answer to Halie's question below, as its 4am in LA and I'm just starting the coffee...

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  2. Wow, double congratulations! These books sound hilarious. That trip does sound fantastic. Why did you decide to stage a book there - because you'd always wanted to go? ;^)

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    1. Exactly Edith! As a freelancer you're always thinking about write-offs and so when I had the idea for a travel series, I decide to set the books in places I'd either loved and wanted to go back or had never been. For the new book, I had been to Australia for work many times, but never Tasmania. I absolutely fell in love with it and have had so much fun writing to integrate all my favorite parts into the plot, with varying succes...

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    2. Tasmania! Putting it on my list...

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    3. James and I completely fell in love with it. We stayed in Hobart, which is a completely charming city. It also has one of the most unusual museums in the world, called MONA (https://mona.net.au/visit). You have to get there on a 25 minute ferry ride and parts of it are in a cave. There's also a restaurant called the Drunken Admiral that feels like you are eating in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The island is only an hour's flight from Melbourne.

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  3. Love this interview ladies! Wendall, you were so very clever to get a research trip in Australia on the docket! And I'm fascinated that a background in screenwriting made this all harder. And the title is fabulous! What kinds of shows did you work on in your other life, and how did you decide to turn to mystery?

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    1. Hi Lucy! Probably the most relevant show I worked on for this particular novel was PBS's WISHBONE, where I was flown to Dallas for a week to find out what a Jack Russell Terrier would and would not do (in costume). I had always wanted to write novels and to be frank, was too intimidated, figuring screenwriting looked easier. When I finally got the guts to do it, I was sucking down multiple mysteries a week. I wrote LOST LUGGAGE first as a ROMANCING THE STONE-esque feature film and when it didn't sell and I couldn't give up on my character, I thought I would see if I could write a potential series.

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    2. YOU HAVE TO TELL US: What will a Jack Russell Terrier NOT do???

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    3. For one thing, back up on command. We had to keep "Wishbone(as Sherlock Holmes or Ulysses)backs away" out of the script. The dogs they had (there were 7!)also would not wear anything on their feet, which I thought was reasonable.

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  4. Wendall, I'm already laughing and I haven't even had enough caffeine to wake up yet! Congrats on the first novel, even bigger congratulations for the amazing awards!! Cyd's adventures sound like just what I need mid-summer--but I gotta tell ya, snakes in her BRA??? URGH, my skin is crawlin'.....

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    1. Thanks, Flora. Yes, my skin was crawling too, writing it, but I was trying to think about the absolute worst thing that could happen to me and then do it to her. She's forced by Interpol to do it on a flight back to the US. They are in zip-lock backs and she has to be hypnotized to get through it. Too bad her wake-up trigger word gets said by accident. Hope that makes sense - it 4am here in LA and I'm not even close to caffeinated.

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  5. Hallie - thanks so much to you and all the Jungle Red writers for having me today. It's always an honor. In terms of actors to play Cyd, if it were the 40s my first choice would have been Barbara Stanwyck, but now I think Amy Adams hasn't fully explored her capacity for comedy--I love her-- and Anna Kendrick could be great. It has to be someone with spine or I don't think the comedy will work. Any ideas from Jungle Red would be much appreciated.

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    1. Barbara Stanwyck OR Amy Adams? For me that's counter-intuitive. BS is such a wisecracker. (Or maybe it's because I've been watching Amy Adams on Sharp Objects.) Kate McKinnon?

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    2. Kate McKinnon is GENIUS!!! I still play her SNL skit on Alien Abduction anytime I really need to laugh. That's now my first choice. Jamie Lee would have been perfect too. She was so great in A FISH CALLED WANDA. I'm thinking more of the ENCHANTED version of Amy Adams.

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    3. Yes, Amy Adams in enchanted! Because she is so cluelessly funny…

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    4. Thanks. You get it, Hank! She also has come great comic moments in JUNEBUG. I think she wants to do serious work, but is totally capable of convincing pratfalls and I always believe her on screen.

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    5. I'd watch Kate McKinnon do anything!

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    6. Amy Adams is also brilliant in Sunshine Cleaning. I love her.

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    7. Agreed, Deborah! Her ability to transform herself is astonishing. It's not everyone who could pull off Hillary Clinton AND Jeff Sessions.

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    8. Agreed, Karen! I had forgotten about that one, thanks for reminding me.

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    9. I LOVED Amy Adams in Junebug. We still replay her, "You did not!" reaction to the other actress saying she'd lived in (or was born in?) Japan (or something like that).

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    10. I know, Edith! My favorite line is when she tries to sit down in the kitchen and says "I'm too excited!" Love that film.

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  6. Congratulations on the nominations Wendall. And bonne chance.

    I just ordered your book as I need something to make me laugh after a summer of heavy reading material. (I even cried over the ending of a book last week, something I haven't done since reading My Friend Flicka.)

    I haven't met Cyd Redondo yet, but imho, the American actor who plays any role to the hilt is Meryl Streep. Is she too old to be your protagonist? Watch what you say here. That was a trick question!

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    1. Hahaha! Thanks, Ann. And thanks so much for ordering the book. Actually just seeing the words My Friend Flicka made me cry. Love. I agree that Meryl Streep is a national treasure and can do anything (my favorite role of hers is still SILKWOOD). My publisher insisted I make Cyd younger than she was originally, so she's thirty-two. But if Meryl Streep can pull off Julia Child, she can do anything. I think the bigger problem would be her availability...

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  7. Congratulations! Looking forward to reading your book...except maybe I'll skip the snake pages.

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    1. Thanks so much, Margaret. You absolutely have my permission to skip the snake pages! They terrify me as well, so it was really hard to make those pages funny.

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  9. Congratulations, Wendall! Snakes in her bra? I can't even.

    Mary/Liz

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    1. Thanks so much for the kind words, Mary. As I think I said above, she has to be hypnotized and she still freaks out. The snakes start out in Zip-locks, at least.

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  10. Think I'll have trouble bringing the book through airport TSA? That cover might spike concerns.

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    1. Haha! If you had my browser history, possibly, Hallie, but I have carried it so far without incident.

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  11. Wendall, I can't wait to get your book! It's on my to-do list for later today.

    On occasion when I've told a friend or relative "I'm reading a humorous murder mystery", the reaction has been " what's humorous about murder?" "Just read it, and see", I respond.

    DebRo

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    1. Thanks so much, Deb, for being interested in the book and for sticking up for comic mystery writers everywhere. We love you for it.

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  12. Welcome! And you have such a difficult task… No pressure :-), but it is very difficult to write a funny book that isn’t forest. I guess it’s because you look at the whole world as funny, you know? Everything is funny. Or can be — if the character sees it that way. But my big question: why were you crying at the newsroom theme?
    And hey, congratulations!

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    1. Hi Hank, thanks for the welcome and kind words. I come from a very sarcastic family, so we always try to turn anything into a joke. Regarding The Newsroom, for some reason, Aaron Sorkin theme songs choke me up. I usually don't sob, though. That's only when I decide to change the ending of my book six days before it's due...

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  13. Hi Wendall! Congrats on all the noms! Can't wait to read Lost Luggage. If ever we needed to laugh...

    And Wishbone (at least in part) was filmed just a few streets from me in McKinney, Texas! So on that basis I think we already have a good connection:-)

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    1. Deborah! Thanks so much for your generous words and yes, I'm pretty desperate for anything that can crack me up at the moment, too. I think I was on set in McKinney, so sorry I didn't hit you up for some desperately needed coffee at that time. Maybe we'll meet at Bouchercon and connect in person.

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  14. Now I'm wondering about this woman's physique, that she can hide snakes in her bra! A friend carries her cellphone in hers, which is hilarious when it lights up, but I am having trouble imaging a bag of snakes.

    I'm always looking for something fun and funny to read, so I will definitely look for your books, Wendall! Congratulations on the nominations. So exciting.

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    1. Hi Karen. Thanks so much. It's not so much that the bra is big, but that the snakes are small, and inserted into the fabric with a secret Interpol technique. It would have been better if they lit up, though. I wish I'd spoken to you earlier!

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  15. I've bought this one, and I'm very much looking forward to reading it. Congrats on the nominations!

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    1. Hi Mark - lovely to see you here and thanks so much for the kind words.

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  16. Congrats on the nominations, Wendall, and thanks for joining us during the home stretch of your current manuscript! The cruise in Australia sounds amazing; did you plan that as a research trip ahead of time or mine it for material afterwards? Any research trips on the docket?

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    1. Thanks so much for having me, Ingrid. I had been to Australia (not on a cruise) and new I wanted to set the second book there, but I was lucky enough to sneak a couple of days Tasmania for research when I was over on a work trip. I'm planning the next book for London and then, for some reason, I'm dying to go to Macao.

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  17. No questions, just a statement: I'm so happy to see another funny mystery! Writing comedy is hard, but the dark, dramatic stuff always seems to get all the attention. We need more works that channel Arsenic and Old Lace or The Trouble With Harry, especially these days.

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    1. Thank you so much for that, Julia. It's great to hear someone out there might want this kind of "hybrid." I love dark books too, but I've always favored comedy in my watching and writing and I'm thrilled to see the films you've mentioned, as they are two of my favorites.

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    2. Arsenic and Old Lace. I confess, I still jump at certain points even when I know what's coming! Love those Cary Grant comedies.

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    3. Me too, Flora. Can't get enough of them.

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  18. Apologies to everyone for the horrific number of typos I've perpetrated above!

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  19. I'm on the edge of my seat for Drowned Under (and anything else that comes from you!), and that's not just fear of snakes in my bra talking. Adore you and your writing!

    Another vote for in the Kate McKinnon column for me.

    Congrats on everything!

    xoxo

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    1. Kathy -- You are one of the main generous and lovely people I was referring to in the Q&A. Meeting you and reading PROTOCOL was a highlight of my year. And yes, I think Hallie has nailed it - does anyone know Kate McKinnon????

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    2. Aw, Wendall!! You are the best. Big, big hugs from Oregon. I can't tell you how glad I am to know you and your books!

      We need to get Kate on the phone STAT!! :)

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  20. Congrats, Wendall!!! This is wonderful! I love a great comedy so I am so looking forward to reading yours!

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  21. Thanks so much, Jenn! Your reissue of TO CATCH A LATTE is next on my TBR pile.

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  22. I do have Lost Luggage and am working hard to get to it before Bouchercon. July is for reading ARCs coming out in August (just finished Lucy's Death on the Menu and loved it so much), and August is for catching up on books for Bouchercon. So, I know that I will have a delightful read in Lost Luggage in August, and I could use a laugh for sure. Congratulations, Wendall, on the Macavity Award nomination and making the finalist list for the Lefty Award for Best Firsts. Looks like we're going to have lots more to look forward to from you.

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    1. Kathy! How very kind of you to say. It will be my first Bouchercon, so please come find me, say hello, and tell me what you think. Good like with your reading list. We all love to read all the time, but having a "have to read" stack can be stressful.

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    2. Oh, I am looking forward to meeting you at Bouchercon, Wendall! I will find you.

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    3. Please do! That would be great, Kathy.

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  23. I love love love funny mysteries! Can't wait to read Lost Luggage. A buddy of mine wants to go to Tasmania. I told her to figure it out and let me know. I did the planning last time. So, fly to Melbourne and then on to Tasmania?

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    1. Hi Pat. Thanks so much. Melbourne is the closest city, so the quickest and easiest flight. We take JetStar. There's also an eleven hour ferry. I'm sure you can fly there from any major Australian city, though, so it depends on what other things you want to see. We're going back in mid-August and can't wait.

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  24. I love funny mysteries, too. Also like stories about travel or set in interesting places. I used to travel a lot but now prefer to travel by book or TV.

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    1. Hi Sally, I very much hope my series might be up your alley in that case. Thanks so much for commenting.

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  25. Congrats on your nominations! I love a good funny mystery.

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  26. As a huge fan of funny mysteries--and hopefully writer myself--I love the premise of your novels. Such fun! I had heard about Lost Luggage a year or so ago from one of the blogs I follow. So, I checked my Kindle. Seems I bought Other People's Baggage instead. I'll just give it a quick plug--funny, funny set of three linked novellas. Mixed up baggage, very different fashion taste, complications ensue. Also, murder.

    So, this time, I'm downloading Lost Luggage. Snakes do not frighten me.

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    1. Melanie! Thanks so much for getting the book. Anxious to know what you think and best of luck with your own work. I'm living proof it's never too late to start.

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