Welcome Back!

It's always fun to welcome back former visitors to My Writing Corner. It means they have a new book coming out, and I'm always excited to know there is something I might need to put on my TBR (To Be Read) list.

My guest today is Marla White, who is an award-winning novelist who says she prefers killing people who annoy her on paper rather than in real life. (Boy, can I relate to that!) 

Her first full-length mystery novel, Cause for Elimination, placed in several contests including Killer Nashville, The RONE Awards, The Reader’s Favorite, and finishing second in the Orange County Romance Writers for Romantic Suspense. Originally from Oklahoma, she lived in a lot of other states before settling down in Los Angeles to work in the television industry. She currently teaches at UCLA Extension and gives seminars about the art of script coverage. When she’s not working on the next book, she says, she’s out in the garden, hiking, cheering on the LA Kings, or discovering new craft cocktails.   Let's chat with Marla about her new book and then a bit later get to know more about her's book heroine, Mel O'Rourke.

Marla, what is your book that you will feature today and what was your inspiration to write it?

My book is Framed For Murder. I love murder.  Mysteries were always my favorite things to watch and read as a kid. Well, first horse stories. After I went through that section of the library, I moved on to mysteries. The ability to murder people who annoyed me without going to jail? Perfect.  

The location for the book was inspired by the very real and quirky town of Idyllwild. Although to be honest, what I thought was a babbling brook running behind my little cabin turned out to be a large koi pond 😀Who knew?

Mel’s story of what to do in her “second act” of life when her dream of being a cop was no longer available began in “The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder”. Her doubts of who she is if she can’t be the one thing she always wanted to be were inspired by my own journey hitting a fork in the road. Like most people, it took getting through it to realize how much better life can be on the other side of that mountain you think is in your way. I just had to hang on and enjoy the ride on my way to achieving a lifelong goal of being a published writer. 

Her foil in this book, cat burglar Poppy Phillips, was inspired by a weird event that happened when staying at a moderately tall hotel on the California coast. In the middle of the night, a random person parkoured across our balcony and onto the next one. Or was it a dream? Either way, in my head Poppy said “Yes, please!” and so the opening was inspired. 

My main goal in writing the stories I do is to entertain the readers enough that they forget about whatever troubles they might be facing. To laugh a little, to see a little bit of themselves in the characters, and hopefully be inspired even when life throws them curves.

Heat level – PG.   There’s only 1 fairly chaste kiss but some salty language sprinkled in. 

Fun facts

Something readers might find interesting about this book:

The quirky Babbling Brook Bed-and-Breakfast is loosely inspired by the Silver Pines Lodge in Idyllwild. Highly recommend staying there if you’re even in that neck of the woods. 

A fact about me that readers might find interesting:

I share Mel’s nearly debilitating fear of heights. Well, not to the same extent, I can climb a set of stairs, but looking down more than a few flights? No way 😀

There’s a scene where Mel does a singing bowl session. I’ve done that and honestly, it’s pretty cool!

I accomplished the dream of becoming a published writer in my late fifties after helping other writers craft their stories for thirty years.

Let's get a blurb:

Old enemies become allies to unravel a deadly mystery. 

Mel O'Rourke used to be a cop before a life-changing injury forced her to turn in her badge. Now she leads a relatively peaceful life running a B & B in the quirky mountain town of Pine Cove. That is, until her old frenemy, the charismatic cat burglar Poppy Phillips, shows up, claiming she's been framed for murder. While she’s no saint, Mel knows she’d never kill anyone and sets out to prove Poppy's innocence.

The situation gets complicated, however, when the ruggedly handsome Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks flirts with Mel, bringing him dangerously close to the criminal she’s hiding. And just when her friendship with café owner Jackson Thibodeaux blossoms into something more, he’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime in New Orleans. Should she encourage him to go, or ask him to stay? Who knew romance could be just as hard to solve as murder?

Now let's talk to Mel O'Rourke:

Tell us a little about your background as a cop.  

I was a patrol officer for seven years with the LAPD. Eventually, I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps and become a detective, but I loved working the streets, getting to know the people on my beat. I’m proud to say during that time I was awarded the Commendation Ribbon with a Bronze Star, which means at least eighty people on my beat wrote in to say nice things about me. I’m also proud to say in all that time serving and protecting, I never had to fire my gun. 

Why did you leave the force?

Ugh, it was not by choice. My partner and I were chasing a robbery suspect over the rooftops in the jewelry district. The perp made the jump from one roof to the next, I tried to follow and didn’t quite make it. Remember that video of Tom Cruise breaking his ankle doing a similar stunt? Like that but much worse. The doctors rebuilt my ankle, but it meant retire or limited to desk duty. I opted to retire. 

What do you want out of life now?

At this very moment I would like to make a decent cup of coffee but after years of single living and eating out I haven’t mastered that task yet. 

All kidding aside, I came up to Pine Cove, a tiny village in the mountains just place my family used to come on vacation, to try and picture life outside of the LAPD. I couldn’t do a lot of hiking or anything at that point in time, so I strolled the streets of the quiet, quirky little town. Everyone was so…nice. It was weird. Then I saw the Babbling Brook Bed-and-Breakfast was for sale and I thought maybe the universe was sending me a sign. I talked it over with my family, who agreed to help financially and physically and voila, here we are.

So now I’m hoping for some peace, to help people enjoy their stay here, and work my butt off to make sure my family gets a return on their investment. We’re O’Rourkes, not Kennedys after all. And who knows, maybe romance? I never had time to date as a cop so maybe now that I’m taking time to smell the roses and all it might happen.

Tell us about your relationship with Poppy Phillips.

Remember that suspect I was chasing over the rooftops? It was Poppy, aka “The Ghost”. As a cat burglar, she was a pain in my butt. We could tie her to dozens of crimes, but she was always too good to leave any proof. 

She arrived on my doorstep a few days ago with a bullet wound to the arm, asking for my help clearing her name. I hope I don’t live to regret it, but she makes a fantastic breakfast spread so it’s a chance I’m willing to take. 

I hate to say it, and I’ll never tell her this, but as much as I love Pine Cove, it is nice to have someone from my old life around. Poppy gets me in a way I’m not sure my neighbors do. 

What attracts you to Gregg Marks?

As a fellow cop, Gregg and I just speak the same language. When I first got to town and word about my little issue with heights from nearly falling to my death got around, Gregg was the one person who didn’t treat me like I was fragile. I mean, he’s condescending as heck and keeps reminding me I’m not a cop anymore, but he’s also a good friend. 

Poppy thinks there’s more going on there, but I don’t know. Sure, the man has a six pack, crazy broad shoulders and such blue eyes but an attraction? No way. 

What is your relationship with Jackson Thibodeaux?

Complicated? He’s got a similar story to mine, except he gladly left his old life as a chemical engineer to come back to the little town he spent his high school years in and open his own café. We kind of bonded over finding a dead body in the Brook’s lobby last month, and both of us were nearly killed by my murder happy assistant. But there’s something more there, the way his eyes dance when he’s calling me “sweetheart” in that New Orleans accent of his that I’ve noticed comes and goes at will.  I’m just not sure either one of us is ready to examine whatever this is any closer just yet. 

Want more? Let's get an excerpt:

She made a wild grab at the next chalk mark. Her knees gave out and when her hand connected, her sweaty palm failed to get a grip. She expected to drop a few feet before the belay rope would halt her descent, but when she kept going she let out an involuntary yelp. Finally, four feet off the ground, her fall ended with a jolt.

Furious, she unclipped the rope and dropped to the floor. “Asshole,” she hissed at Jackson as she sat on the gym’s soft mats and yanked off the climbing harness. “You weren’t even paying attention. You know what I’m dealing with, and you dropped me.” Humiliated, tears stung her eyes. He was one of the few people outside of her family who she’d trusted to tell about her fear of heights ever since a rooftop chase ended in a crushed ankle and early retirement. The fall and the fear were the biggest failures of her life, a weakness she hated to reveal to anyone, and he’d thrown away her trust like it was nothing.

He sunk down next to her, but she ignored him, her head bowed in defeat until he hooked a finger under her chin and guided her to face him. His solemn gaze met hers. “Emmeline O’Rourke, I would never let you fall. But sometimes you have to slip a little to learn you’re going to be okay.”

If you want even more, you'll have to get the book. Here are the buy links as well as Marla's social contact information:

Buy Links (WIP)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Murder-Pine-Cove-Mystery

Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/3TKdPDu

Apple Books - https://books.apple.com/us/book/framed-for-murder/id6483932566

Social Media Links

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TheScriptFixer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlawriteswords/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarlaAWhiteAuthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marlaw825

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21467766.Marla_A_White

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/marla-a-white

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MHIzkB

Substack: https://substack.com/@marlawhite?utm_source=edit-profile-page

Thank you, Marla, for being my guest today. Any questions or comments for Marla?

Mysterious Doings

As the  summer begins, it is time to start selecting those books we want to take on vacation or for sitting around the pool or at  the beach. Today's guest in My Writing Corner has a new offering that sounds like a perfect choice for that summer reading.  My guest today is Joyce Sanderly.

She is a Pushcart nominated poet and an attorney. Joyce retired as a Senior Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Her poetry (written under Ellen Sazzman) has been published in numerous journals, and her poetry collection, The Shomer, was selected as a finalist for the Blue Lynx Prize, a semifinalist for the Elixir Press Antivenom Award and the Codhill Press Poetry Award. She has lived in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland for the last forty years where she raised her family and practiced law for the federal government.

Joyce, what is the challenging part of being an author?

I find formulating plots for a full length work of fiction to be challenging. I am a big fan of a

number of mystery authors: Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott, Tana French (Irish), Jane Harper

(Australian) and Lianne Moriarty (also Australian). These writers explore the multi-faceted

relationships among family, friends, lovers, and enemies. Their novels delve into the

psychological impetus behind their characters’ crimes. I find the interplay among characters and

their motivations for crossing over the legal line to be fascinating. I have attempted to follow in

the footsteps of these authors in crafting a story that explores the interlocking dynamics that exist within an interfaith marriage, a family, a friendship and the politics of religious institutions. However, the complexities of these relationships has to be balanced against the pacing of the plot so that the reader is compelled to keep turning the page. The plot also must be realistic enough to be believable – at least with some small leaps of imagination – but not so realistic as to become boring. Finally, I find writing fiction requires discipline. Time must be devoted to research, writing, and revising.

Tell us about your road to publication.

Ever since I was a young girl, I have wanted to write fiction and poetry. Given the economic

necessities of life and my parents’ limited resources, I realized I had to pursue a profession that would enable me to support myself and my family. I practiced law for the federal government for many years and raised my family in the Washington, D.C. area. But when my sons began to pursue their independent interests, I began to pursue my own passion to write poetry and fiction. My publisher for Wild Irish Yenta is The Wild Rose Press (TWRP). A writing friend suggested I send my manuscript to TWRP because the press was supportive of women writers and was open to a wide variety of genres. My novel is a cross between a domestic romance and a cozy mystery with a bit of humor and comparative religion. The book does not fit easily within a genre category, but I was hoping TWRP would be interested. The editor who read my initial submission was very supportive and gave helpful guidance. The submission process was smooth. My novel was released a bit more than a year after submission.

What is the book you are featuring today and what gave you the inspiration to write it?

The story for Wild Irish Yenta began with a focus on the conflicts surrounding an interfaith

marriage. My own experience of the difficulty of finding clergy to officiate at my interfaith

marriage was the impetus. As the plot formed, I researched customs, doctrine and biblical

interpretations of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. I researched how evidence is used to track

leads, interview witnesses, and rule out suspects. I also researched aspects of securities law and

criminal law related to the plot of Wild Irish Yenta.

Set against a backdrop of a suburban Maryland synagogue, Wild Irish Yenta dishes on interfaith

marriage, misbehaving clergy, Biblical myth, and the beauty of religious traditions. When the

body of custodian Roberto Gomez is found in Temple Israel’s parking lot, Patricia Weiss, nee

Reilly, exchanges her suburban-mom sneakers for gumshoes to investigate the hit-and-run. An

ardent new convert to Judaism, Patricia is grappling with her outsider status at the upscale

Reform congregation. For Roberto, the stakes had been much higher. He was struggling to be

adopted by a new country and learn a new language. Inspired by her detective dad, Patricia is

compelled to find out who-dun-it and why. 

Before she progresses with her investigation or with problems in her difficult marriage to a busy cardiologist and his Jewish mother, she is plunged deeper into the Temple’s troubles. Her mentor Rabbi Deborah disappears after delivering a controversial sermon in support of interfaith marriage. Against her husband’s wishes, Patricia, with toddler Danny and buddy Brenda in tow, designates herself as the yenta patrol to unravel the mysteries. 

The novel takes a wry look at marriage, insular suburban cliques, and the politics of religious

institutions. While poking fun at cultural stereotypes, the novel interweaves biblical stories with

questions of contemporary concern. Can a nice Catholic girl find happiness with a Jewish

cardiologist even if she converts? Can Patricia’s yenta patrol detect a connection between a

custodian’s death and other troubling happenings at the Temple?

Let's get a blurb:

Do killers, stock manipulators, and kidnappers stalk the Temple?

After the body of Roberto Gomez is discovered in Temple Israel's parking lot, Patricia Weiss, nee Reilly, exchanges her suburban-mom sneakers for gumshoes to investigate the supposed hit-and-run.

Inspired by her police detective dad, Patricia feels compelled to uncover who killed the hardworking custodian and why. Before she can progress with her investigation or work on problems in her difficult marriage to a busy cardiologist, and his controlling Jewish mother, she is plunged into the Temple's troubles. Her mentor Rabbi Deborah, who has guided Patricia through her own recent conversion to Judaism, disappears after delivering a controversial sermon in support of interfaith marriage. Despite her husband's concerns, Patricia joins forces with her buddy Brenda. Designating themselves The Yenta Patrol, they unravel the mysteries.

Let's chat with the heroine of Wild Irish Yenta, Patricia:

Tell us a bit about yourself and the title of the book?

Wild Irish Yenta, yes, that’s me, Mrs. Patricia (nee Reilly) Weiss, wife of a Jewish cardiologist

and daughter of good Catholic parents. My Italian-American mother is a nurse and a dynamite

cook. I followed my mother’s path into nursing. Unfortunately I did not inherit her culinary gene, much to the dismay of my foodie husband and my adorable four-year-old son. My Irish-American dad was a detective in the Randolph, Massachusetts police force and I did inherit his love of solving crimes and puzzles.

My addictive attraction to puzzling is one of the reasons I was compelled to investigate the

mysterious death of Roberto Gomez, the custodian at my family’s temple in suburban Maryland.

His body was found in the temple’s parking lot squashed against a garbage bin. I had been

tutoring Roberto with his English language skills. Roberto was struggling to be adopted by a new country, learn a new language, and hold down a job to support his family. I felt a kinship with him. I, too, felt like an outsider. As a recent convert to Judaism, I was trying to gain acceptance into the Jewish faith, the temple, and my husband’s family (especially my mother-in-law). In spite of my overly cautious doctor-husband’s wishes, my temple buddy Brenda and I designated ourselves the Yenta Patrol to unravel the mystery.

What is a yenta you may ask. As with most Yiddish words, there is no precise English

equivalent. My buddy Brenda defines yenta as a wise and knowledgeable female who distributes

essential information to parties who have a need to know, kind of like an analog version of social

media. A less complimentary definition of the term yenta might be “busybody.” In any event

Brenda and I made a great detecting team, and we had good intentions at heart.

What made you choose nursing as a profession/career?

I was encouraged to follow my mother into nursing. My mother managed to take good care of

both her patients and her family. She cooked amazing meals – lasagna and peach pie – and made

sure she was home while my father worked long and unpredictable hours. I followed my

mother’s nursing path in hopes that I could simultaneously pursue a caring profession and raise a

family. Although other women of my generation were going into law and medicine, none seemed to live in Randolph. I enjoyed my nursing responsibilities in the hospital. Plus I met my handsome husband when he was a resident in cardiology at the hospital. But when my son Danny was born, I decided to be a full-time mom. My husband was just establishing his cardiology practice in Maryland, and I wanted to ensure I was available to give Danny hugs and meet his needs.

In retrospect, I might have chosen differently. If I had been a boy I might have followed my

father into the police force and become a detective. However, a detective can be put in

compromising situations where she has to intimidate witnesses and bend the truth to obtain the

truth. It’s not like being a firefighter. No one is happy to see a detective on the doorstep with a

search warrant. In an ideal world with unlimited resources of time and money, I think I would

have pursued a medical career. Perhaps I would have become an infectious disease doc or a

pathologist who unraveled medical mysteries. In any event, I am going to encourage my son (and hopefully more children to come) to follow his heart and mind when choosing a career.

What is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is not being the best mother I can be for Danny, my four-year-old son. He is

such a smart, sweet child. He shares with friends and asks lots of questions. I want to encourage

him to be curious, to try new things, but I don’t want to pressure him or stress him out. I wish I

could ensure him a happy life, but I know that is impossible. He will have to face many

challenges by himself. I can only provide a safe and loving environment and give him as many

opportunities as possible. I wish I knew when to protect and when to pull back. My parents were

good parents but they were very traditional, and I was raised in a different era. The world has

become a much complicated place, what with social media, global warming, and pandemics. I

hope I can raise Danny to be a caring person and to have the tools he needs to make fulfilling

Choices.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

The best recent pieces of advice I have received come from my mentor Rabbi Deborah who

guided me through the conversion process and from my buddy Brenda. Rabbi Deborah has

convinced me that I need to be more accepting of my husband’s behavior, my mother-in-law’s

behavior, and my own behavior. No one is perfect, and I need to learn to be more forgiving of all

of our flaws. At the same time, Rabbi Deborah has emphasized that I should not give up on

pursuing my own interests outside of the family. Rabbi Deborah has also emphasized that a

married couple must be loving and beloved friends, passionate partners for life. Brenda, the most

experienced spouse of the three of us, has made clear that marriage is a 50/50 proposition – both

partners must share the responsibilities and the fun times equally.

Thank you, Patricia.  Now let's go back and see what our author, Joyce is working on for her next project. 

I am taking a breather from novel writing for a few months and concentrating on poetry. My

debut poetry collection The Shomer (written under Ellen Sazzman) came out two years ago, and I have had poems published recently in Clackamas Review, Atlanta Review, Folio, Peregrine,

Delmarva Review, Another Chicago Magazine, Sow’s Ear, and Lilith, among others. However I

already have a crime in mind awaiting the sleuthing skills of Patricia and Brenda. I plan to write

Wild Irish Yenta Returns in the near future.

Do have any advice for beginning writers?

Perhaps every writer feels like a beginner at the start of each new project. So my advice should

be taken “with a grain of salt.” First I think an author needs to find a topic that is of interest to

herself as motivation to keep going with the project. Second I suggest an author plow ahead and

try to finish a complete draft so as not to get stuck on perfecting individual chapters. What is that

saying – perfection is the enemy of good progress? Third I found belonging to a writers group

whose members give honest feedback was very helpful in crafting a final draft. Finally I try to

dedicate morning hours to writing projects and to delay phone calls and social engagements until

later in the day when I am less productive. (Unfortunately I have been less successful ignoring

those endlessly seductive emails.) I am convinced everyone has a story to tell. It’s just a matter

of sitting down to write it.

Here are the buy links as well as information on how to get in touch with Joyce.

Buy links:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Irish-Yenta-Joyce-Sanderly-

ebook/dp/B0CVXW6H8K

Barnes and Noble:   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-irish-yenta-joyce-

anderly/1144882468

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/book/9781509250936

To learn more about Joyce Sanderly and her writing go to:

www.joycesanderly.com

https://www.facebook.com/JoyceSanderly.author/

Thank you, Joyce, for being my guest today. Any questions or comments for Joyce?