Greetings, dear Noters!
You’ve found me in the midst of edits — not for Glenmyre Whim Mystery Book 3, but for #TagMe for Murder! I’m so delighted to be back in Coco’s world, and I am deep in the thick of things. I love hanging out with Coco and the gang, but I’m also hard at work making this book the best it can be.
My guest this week knows just how much work goes into getting a book across the finish line.
Without further ado…
About the Author: Former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner is now an award-winning author, screenwriter, arts journalist and lecturer. Erica’s debut novel, Travels with my Lovers, won the Fiction Award in the Direct from the Author Book Awards. Her screenplays have won awards in the Writers Digest, Santa Fe, and WinFemme competitions. Aria for Murder is the first in her Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series being published by Level Best Books. A resident of the Pacific Northwest, Erica lectures on opera and writing on both coasts and internationally. Learn more about her at https://www.ericaminer.com.
Erica, thank you so much for taking the time to join us here at Noteworthy. I’m so excited to learn more about your amazing career and writing. By way of introduction, will you share what book made you first fall in love with reading?
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens. I read it when I was in grade school, and it got me hooked on Dickens to this very day. His gorgeous, mesmerizing writing just takes my breath away.
How did you go from being a reader to being a writer? How did you begin your writing journey?
Also in grade school, I was placed in an afterschool program for Creative Writing. I absolutely fell in love with the whole process of creating characters and plot points and weaving them together to tell stories. I’ve been passionate about that ever since.
How did your character, Julia Kogan, first introduce herself to you?
Julia is my alter ego: myself when I first started out playing violin at the Metropolitan Opera. When I began dreaming up the concept for Aria for Murder, she just begged me to create her so that I could tell her story. “Write me,” she said. Everything fell into place from there.
Your fascinating career must provide a wealth of information as you write about Julia. How does your background continue to influence the fictional murders you write about?
In my 21 years of playing at the Met, I witnessed some extraordinary events, some of which were actually quite frightening and disturbing. It occurred to me that those experiences, coupled with my wicked imagination, could provide the perfect setting for murder. In my Opera Mystery series, I’ve set out to bring murder and music together—and to prove that opera can kill you.
I can only imagine! Julia must be pretty tough to survive such a world. What’s one thing about Julia you admire? What’s one of her biggest flaws?
I admire Julia’s boundless spunk. But she does tend not to think things through when it comes to placing herself in harm’s way.
I have to ask, what’s your favorite Broadway show or musical?
I’m a traditionalist: West Side Story.
An iconic story. I remember being spellbound the first time I watched it. What’s been your favorite “research” moment or activity?
I have the best time researching the opera quotes that I place at the beginning of each chapter of my Opera Mysteries, especially when readers tell me how much they enjoy them.
I bet you can get lost in that research for hours. How fun! Tell us three things that are always on your writing desk/writing space.
1. My favorite amethyst crystal
2. A copy of my latest book
3. A photo of me with my three ‘forever friends’ from high school (we’re still best friends)
What is your favorite, can’t-live-without writing tool?
Microsoft Word. An absolute must.
I’m a big believer in Word, as well. It does everything I need it to. All right, Erica, for our last question: It’s vacation time. What literary hero do you enlist to be your travel companion? Why?
Miss Marple. She’s smart, clever, knows how to find trouble—and get herself out of it.
I love that—”knows how to find trouble.” Every vacation needs a little excitement, right?
Erica, thank you so much for visiting us here at Noteworthy and sharing a bit about your books, your writing, and your life. Noters, learn more about Erica’s work at https://www.ericaminer.com and check out her novel, Aria for Murder, below!
Aria for Murder: Excitement mounts as the moment arrives for brilliant young violinist Julia Kogan's debut in the orchestra of the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera. But the high-stakes milieu of this musical mecca is rocked to its core when, during an onstage murder scene, Julia's mentor, a famous conductor, is assassinated on the podium. Thrust into the investigation when her closest colleague in the orchestra is named chief suspect, Julia teams up with opera-loving NYPD detective Larry Somers to solve the murder. In the process, they are shocked to discover the venerable opera house is rife with a web of secrets, intrigue, and lethal rivalries. But all bets are off when Julia suddenly finds herself the real killer's prime target.
Buy links for ARIA FOR MURDER: