Friday, December 30, 2022

When Your Book Club Takes Over: A Guest Post by Karin Fitz Sanford.

 RHYS BOWEN:  One of the things that’s good about our Jungle Reds blog is that we can introduce new writers to our followers. I am doing this today: her name is Karin Fitz Sanford, she lives close to me in the wine country I enjoy visiting so much, and her first book was due out on Christmas Day (bad timing?) but has now been put back to early January. 

Her conversation with her book club echoes the questions many of us writers have been asked. So welcome Karin:

KARIN:

 Thank you, Rhys, for the invitation to write on Jungle Red Writers’ blog. It’s such an honor.

 When I mentioned to my book club group that I’d be blogging about my first mystery, THE LAST THING CLAIRE WANTED, these smart, funny, and irreverent women had, as usual, plenty of opinions and pointed questions: “Explain why you wrote a mystery.” And, “Did you base your characters on anyone you know—like us, for example?” And ominously, “Aren’t you afraid of getting sued?”

 After a while, tired of taking notes, I threw up my hands and said, “Fine, you take over.” And so they did. What follows, in a Q&A format, are questions they thought my target audience—readers like them and, hopefully, readers of this blog—might find interesting. Here goes:

 BOOK CLUB: Why write in the mystery/crime genre?

KS: Because at least ninety percent of the books I read are mysteries and police procedurals. Part of their attraction for me is that mysteries have their roots in mortality plays, as my editor Harriette Sackler says—they’re tales of bad behavior being punished and wrongs being mostly righted. So they’re satisfying in that sense, and also, so much of the writing is wonderful, easily comparable to any genre. It’s hard to top an opening sentence like Ben Hecht’s in his “Crime Without Passion” story: “Mr. Lou Hendrix looked at the lady he had been pretending to love for the past six months and, being a lawyer, said nothing.” It just made sense to write what I read and love.

 BC: Your female protagonist is an ex-FBI agent turned estate liquidator. Why that career?

KS: When my mother passed away a few years, our family hired an estate liquidator to sell and auction off valuables to settle the estate. While she was working with us, it occurred to me that she had incredible entree into all kinds of family secrets. An estate services professional overhears private conversations. Finds journals and money. Understands family dynamics. I thought the career would be ideal for a protagonist, and as far as I know, it’s has never been used before.

 BC: Why write your first book now—at this late stage in your life?

KS: Well, I never! I’d always promised myself I’d write a mystery when I retired and had the time. So now that I’m at that “late stage of life,” as you so kindly remind me, it was now or never. One of our book club selections, “Old in Art School” by Nell Painter, was a great inspiration: Here’s a sixty-something woman, a leading art historian and writer, going back to art school with twenty-somethings to learn how to paint, an entirely new craft—with no fear of making a fool of herself. A big advantage of age.

 Even though I spent over thirty years writing professionally, I had never tried my hand at fiction, and what surprised me was the steep learning curve. But learning a new craft is exhilarating, especially at an older age when there’s little to lose or prove.

 BC: Did you expose any of our dark secrets about our hometown, Santa Rosa, California?

KS: My book is entirely a work of fiction. But that said, Santa Rosa may look like an all-American hometown—movies like “Pollyanna” and “Shadow of a Doubt” by Hitchcock were filmed there—but it has all the colors of a modern city: prosperity, poverty, crime, honest people, bums. And my book reflects that. As for characters, they’re a mix and match of many people I’ve known. Except for Claire; she has a lot of my mother in her.


Karin Fitz Sanford, a former advertising copywriter, was born in New York but grew up in Northern California’s Wine Country, the setting for her debut novel, THE LAST THING CLAIRE WANTED. Having run her own award-winning ad agency for over twenty-five years, she now devotes herself full time to writing her second mystery in the WINE COUNTRY COLD CASE series. When she isn’t writing, Karin can be found hiking, reading, traveling, babysitting the grands, or binge watching Schitt’s Creek and Chicago P.D. She lives in Northern California with her husband.

 

“With vivid and gripping characters, an intricately woven plot, and a history that sticks its claws in you and doesn’t let go, Karin Fitz Sanford leaves readers with something truly remarkable. A brilliant debut!”

—Amanda Jayatissa, ITW Thriller Award-winning author of My Sweet Girl and You’re Invited

 

THE LAST THING CLAIRE WANTED

Her FBI career imploded. Her marriage crumbled. Now 32-year-old Anne McCormack is finally getting her life—and new estate-sales business—on track, and she needs to keep it that way. But when she stumbles on a clue that leads her to a prominent Wine Country matriarch, Claire Murray, she can’t say no to the dying woman’s plea to solve her young son's decades-old murder.

Together with her retired detective uncle, Anne juggles personal troubles with family drama to overcome roadblocks to solving the case—including Claire’s skittish adult children who aren’t talking. But others in town are talking, and what they say leads Anne from swanky hotels to a sex-offender trailer park—and into a twisted maze of blackmail and obsession as she races to find a killer who’s on the loose and out to take down the rest of the family.

 

Available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com in early January 2023. Fitzsanford.com

RHYS: Who doesn't love a visit to the Wine Country? I think this book has reminded me it's time for a little tasting!

57 comments:

  1. Your book club pals asked great questions, Karin!

    Congratulations on following your dream. I'm definitely going to read this book! Welcome to the Red jungle.

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  2. Congratulations, Karin . . . This sounds like the start of a great series and I'm looking forward to reading your book. [And your book club asked all the questions I might have asked!]

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  3. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to reading your book!

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  4. Karin, congratulations on the debut! The book sounds great. I'm another one who started "at this late stage" and I'm glad I did. (We should talk - my alter ego Maddie Day and I have a series debut, Murder Uncorked, out next October, and it's set in the Alexander Valley.)

    Great questions from the book club. Here's another - how did you do your research on what it's like to be an FBI agent - or an ex-agent? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Edith, I look forward to checking out Murder Uncorked...Alexander Valley is just up the road. Isn't the late Raymond Burr's winery up there? As for research, much online, of course, but I met a former FBI agent, George Fong (an author, too) at the Book Passage Mystery Writer's conference and he was so helpful.

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  5. Wow, this book sounds like a great read! Congratulations on debuting with such stunning write-ups. I agree that your book club asked good questions. Also, like Edith Maxwell, I too, started writing full-time late in life, after retirement. I also share her question about how you did your research on being an FBI agent.

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    2. Hi Elizabeth, It's amazing what info you can find online, but nothing better than talking to a real FBI agent. Like I mentioned to Edith...I found George Fong at a conference. Conferences are invaluable! As for police research, I have a retired homicide detective in the family who was so helpful.

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  6. Karin, congratulations on your debut mystery. I love to read series and am excited to discover yours right from book #1! Anne sounds like the kind of character who will soon feel like an old friend.
    Best of luck on your release next month.
    Happy New Year Reds!

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    1. Thanks, Judy, I appreciate it. And Happy New Year to you, too!

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  7. Congratulations Karin! We could all use a book group like yours! wishing you fine reviews and many sales!

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    1. Thanks for the kind wishes, Lucy. Fyi, a friend recently recommended your "Deadly Advice." Can't wait to check it out!

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  8. Welcome to JRW and congratulations on your debut book! I'm curious about your original publication date being Christmas Day. That sounds like an odd day/date to launch a book: How are pub dates chosen? And why did yours change? I look forward to meeting Anne when she arrives in January!

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    1. Thanks, Amanda! It was actually set to publish a few weeks before Christmas, but holiday madness/delays took over. I'm new to publishing, so not sure about pub date strategies. I'm just as happy that it's coming out in January. Less stressful!

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  9. KARIN: Congratulations on your mystery novel! I have never joined a book club. Hope you enjoyed your time with Rhys & the other ladies. I have visited California's wine country several times and am looking forward to this virtual visit. I am certainly curious to learn what Anne did to have her FBI career go blooey!

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    1. Thanks, Grace! Poor Anne got a little obsessive about her ex and used high security FBI equipment to keep her eye on him. Not advised.

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  10. Welcome Karin! Estate liquidator offers lots of possibilities for an amateur sleuth. Your book group cracks me up. I'm sure you all have a great time together. Best of luck with your new life as a mystery writer.

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    1. My life would be a lot duller without them! Thanks for the good wishes.

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  11. My husband has a brother who lives in Santa Rosa. At least we think he does. No one ever hears from him. A mystery unto itself. Cleaned out my parents’ house a few years ago after Mom died. I would not want to do that for a profession! Your book sounds good though. I’m with Grace…what did she do for her FBI career to go blooey?

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    1. Great story about your mysterious brother-in-law! As for her career, Anne quit the FBI before getting fired due to unauthorized use of their search equipment.

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  12. Karin, welcome to JRW! I look forward to reading your novel.

    Visited the ice skating rink in Santa Rosa ⛸⛸🎄♥️🤶🎅🏻❄️ And yes, we skated 😊

    Diana

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    1. It's a pretty chalet, isn't it, Diana.

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    3. Thanks, Diana. Love the Charles Schultz skating rink!

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    4. Yes, it’s a pretty chalet. ♥️⛸⛸

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  13. Coralee who misses Sonoma CtyDecember 30, 2022 at 9:40 AM

    Oh this looks good, I just checked and you are not on goodreads.com yet, but you are on Amazon. Can't wait to get my Kindle talking to your ebook. I lived in Petaluma from 1975-1978. Really excited to discover how Santa Rosa will be seen through Anne McCormick's eyes.

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    1. Coralee...I keep replying, but nothing gets published. Just wait, this one will!

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    2. Trying again. We might have crossed paths during those years...SR has changed a lot since 1978

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    3. Thanks, Coralee. I'll get to work on my marketing efforts! Nice to hear from a former Petaluma resident.

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  14. Congratulations Karin. Sounds like a winner!

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  15. What a great engaged book group! And big congratulations on your debut …. Sounds like you’re having a great time with it

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  16. This is wonderful, also I think I need a book club to take over, lol. Your debut sounds fabulous, Karin. I can't wait to read it!

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  17. This is absolutely great, and so brilliant! One of the amazing things about book clubs is how absolutely brilliant the members are. Insightful and interested and probing. And wow, they never miss a thing, right ? And they aren’t afraid to say it :-) I have learned so much about my books from them, and I am constantly delighted. Love these answers, and congratulations on your book! Happy new year!

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    1. Dear one of my favorite mystery writers: Yes, life would be a lot less colorful with book clubs. Happy new year to you, too!

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  18. Congratulations on your new book, Karin. Like your friends, I too I'm curious to see how you fictionalized our lovely town of Santa Rosa. Yup, I'm here. (Do you leave the tree in the middle of Magowan?) Will you keep Anne in SoCo or will her estate sales business send Anne traveling?

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    1. OMG, the tree on Magowan! Anne stays in NorCal because really, what compares?

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  19. Congratulations Karin! You've got so many elements to work with: ex-FBI, estates, heirs. This sounds like a winner!

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  20. I love this Q-and-A format, Karin, and THE LAST THING CLAIRE WANTED looks like a winner. I have to confess, I wouldn't be brave enough to show one of my manuscripts to a book club - those folks can give English teachers and professional critics a run for their money!

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  21. Congrats on your debut! I grew up in Santa Rosa and was up there for Christmas earlier this week. I live in So Cal now.

    The premise sounded interesting, but knowing you set the book there, it is now on my must read list.

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  22. Congratulations - a debut novel is always a special thrill! I live near enough to suggest lunch sometime, maybe with Rhys?

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    1. That would be fabulous, Susan. You're in my acknowledgments, btw.

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  24. Congratulations on your debut novel, Karin! I love the wine country and the book is immediately going on my list! I think you're very brave to submit your manuscript to your book club!

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    1. Thanks, Deborah. Actually, they haven't read it yet...just heard me go on and on about it.

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  25. Karin, your debut novel sounds fascinating. I love the idea of an estate liquidator as the lead character. And, your book club is a great support group and whose questions get right to the heart of the matter. Congratulations on your debut!

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  26. Can't wait to read this book. Awesome!

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