JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Usually, when we have a guest who writes as part of a team, we like to explore how the dynamic works. Since Jeff Cohen is collaborating with E.J. Copperman, who is... Jeff Cohen... I'm not going to ask. I don't want to disturb the delicate balance. We have several prolific writers here at Jungle Reds who produce two to three books a year, including Jenn McKinlay, Rhys Bowen, and Edith Maxwell. I can, however, honestly state none of them has ever released books in two different series on the same day. Thank heavens, we always say writers aren't competing against one another. I hope your monthly book budget runs to more than one purchase, because you're going to want to get both BIRD, BATH AND BEYOND and THE QUESTION OF THE DEAD MISTRESS from two of the funniest cozy mystery writers around.
At
a conference recently I was asked (as authors occasionally are) to
name my influences. And I always cringe at the question because the
artists who actually have influenced me had virtually nothing to do
with the kind of thing I have ended up writing. My influences are not
Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett or Tony
Hillerman. I admire the work of each of those masters, but they
didn’t set me on any path other than to want to read more of their
books.
When
I was writing a Capstone project for my master’s degree about six
years ago (a non-mystery novel that was never published, possibly for
good reason) I was required to list in the bibliography works that
had influenced my thinking for the project and my style in writing
it. Mostly I lied. I brought up Cicero and Kierkegaard and Kant, for
goodness’ sake, all of whom I had read strictly for courses in the
master’s program and have completely forgotten about since.
The
conference panel at which I was asked the question was about writing
books in the mystery genre that are also (hopefully) funny. So I
finally felt comfortable uttering the one name that really has had an
influence on my writing since I picked up a crayon in second grade.
The one artist whose style I might not have directly emulated, but
who definitely has had an impact on every work I’ve ever written.
That’s
right. Bugs Bunny.
Bugs
is a demon, a wiseguy, the kind of comic nuisance you’d never want
to face as an adversary. But he never punches down. That is,
he doesn’t use his lethal wit on anyone who hasn’t directly come
after him. He doesn’t attack the defenseless or the weak—he only
makes fun of those who deserve it.
I’ve
always tried to create characters who follow the same code. They’re
smart and funny, but they don’t ridicule anyone who isn’t
flat-out asking for it. I have two books that were published on October 9
(it’s a long story, and it gives me headaches, so don’t ask), and
their main characters are very different, but they hold to the code.
Kay
Powell, the main character in BIRD, BATH AND BEYOND, is a theatrical
agent whose clients are all animals. The non-human kind. In this, the
second book in the series, she’s representing a parrot who might be
the only witness to a murder. And Kay, a showbiz kid who left the act
to get a law degree and become an agent, runs into a lot of people
who think the bird should just speak up and name the killer.
She
hears that from police detectives and reporters. To the cops she
explains what is and is not possible with parrots. To the reporters,
whom she sees as crass leeches trying to destroy her privacy, she’s
slightly less patient.
So
she tries to defuse the situation:
“Is
this going live to any of your affiliates?”
“Yes!”
a couple of the reporters yelled out.
It
was a pity. Because I didn’t want to get in trouble with the FCC,
my planned two-word statement was not going to be usable.
Samuel
Hoenig, on the other hand, is not trying to be a rapier wit. Samuel,
who is the narrator of THE QUESTION OF THE DEAD MISTRESS (also published
October 9, and it’s still a good policy not to ask me why), has an
autism-spectrum disorder and answers questions for a living. When a
woman asks whether her husband is having an affair with his college
sweetheart, who happens to be dead, Samuel does not try to ridicule
her motives. But he doesn’t understand them.
“I
do not expect any payment from you, Ms. Fontaine,” I said. “And
you may rest assured that any client who walks through that door will
get my full attention and an accurate answer to his or her question.
In your case the answer was so obvious that it seemed foolish to
continue with the interview. No. Your husband is not having an affair
with his dead girlfriend.”
“I’m
going to ask you again,” Virginia said. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because
it is physically impossible for a living man to have a mutual
relationship with a dead person,” I said, marveling at the idea
that I even had to point out such an obvious fact.
They approach things differently. Samuel isn’t trying to make you
laugh; it wouldn’t occur to him to do that. Kay uses humor to
deflect and get the upper hand. But neither one of them will take
advantage of someone weak or unfortunate.
It’s
Bugs Bunny as a philosophy. You can keep your Kierkegaard.
E.J.Copperman writes a bunch of mystery series, but the two coming out on
the SAME DAY in October are BIRD, BATH AND BEYOND in the Agent to thePaws series and THE QUESTION OF THE DEAD MISTRESS in the Asperger’sMystery series.
By the way, one of the most moving, affecting things I’ve read
recently was a column by @MaineMillenial.
https://www.pressherald.com/2018/09/16/the-maine-millennial-im-sharing-my-dad-with-the-world/
JULIA: Thank you for the shout out for the Smithie, Jeff! Readers, you can learn more about Jeff Cohen at his web site, and also friend him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter as @JeffCohenWriter. E.J. Copperman, who is on Twitter as @ejcop, also has a web site and a blog, SLICED BREAD.
