Greetings, Noters!
The countdown to Over My Dead Blog being out in the world is on.
Eleven days and counting.
I’m getting so excited for you to meet Winnie and her friends. I’ve received some truly wonderful feedback from early readers, and their kind words are affecting me even more than my previous books. I think these emotions are due to Over My Dead Blog going on such a wild will-it-won’t-it journey. There were a lot of moments when I didn’t think Winnie’s story would ever get to this moment. But it’s almost here, and that’s something to celebrate!
It’s also encouraged me to dig out my draft of Book Two in the series. It served as my NaNoWriMo project two years ago, and I had no memory of the state of the manuscript. But lo and behold, it’s in really good shape. So much so Book Two might be coming at readers much sooner than I anticipated. Right now, between working on the final scenes of Glenmyre Whim Mystery Book Three, I’m formatting the manuscript and seeing what changes need to be made to reflect all the updates I added to Over My Dead Blog. Fun times!
My guest this week knows about the excitement that comes with a second book joining a series.
Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: A violinist with the Metropolitan Opera for 21 years, Erica Miner is now an award-wining author, screenwriter, arts journalist, and lecturer based in the Pacific Northwest. Her debut novel, Travels with My Lovers, won the Fiction Prize in the Direct from the Author Book Awards, and her screenplays have won awards in the WinFemme, Santa Fe, and Writers Digest competitions. Erica continues to balance her reviews and interviews of real-world musical artists with her fanciful plot fabrications that reveal the dark side of the fascinating world of opera. Aria for Murder, published by Level Best Books in Oct. 2022, the first in her Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series, was a finalist in the 2023 Eric Hoffer Awards. The second in the series, Prelude to Murder, released in 2023, finds the violinist in heaps of trouble in the desert at the Santa Fe Opera. The next sequel, due out in 2024, takes place at San Francisco Opera. When she isn't plumbing the depths of opera houses for murderous mayhem, Erica frequently contributes reviews and interviews for the well-known arts websites BroadwayWorld.com, us.Bachtrack.com, and LAOpus.com. She is a frequent lecturer for the Seattle Symphony; Osher Life Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington; and numerous Wagner Societies worldwide.
For longtime Noteworthy readers, Erica might be a familiar face. She was my guest earlier this year when she was celebrating the release of Aria for Murder. You can read her original interview here. With Erica returning to chat about her latest mystery, Prelude to Murder, we’re exploring her writing world more, as well as catching up with her protagonist, Julia Kogan.
Erica, it’s great to have you back! Last time you were here, you told us that David Copperfield was the book that made you fall in love with reading. Beyond your own work, what’s one novel you always find yourself recommending to others these days?
Any of the Ellie Stone Mystery series by award-winning author James W. Ziskin. His books are enthralling, and he’s such an elegant writer as well; so erudite and yet completely relatable. I especially liked Turn to Stone, since it takes place in Florence, Italy, one of my favorite cities.
How do you find the inspiration to write when your mind may not feel like it’s up to the task?
I would say it’s more about motivation than inspiration, and very similar to the challenges I had as a musician. No matter what, you have to find the motivation to practice, or to show up for a rehearsal or performance and produce the art that’s expected of you. The same holds true for writing. If you have a project you’ve committed to, or a deadline, you have to put words on that screen even if it’s the last thing you feel like doing at that moment. My experience with creativity as a musician has informed my ability to draw upon that inner voice and strength to create, even when your Muse is not showing up when you need it most.
Your latest release, Prelude to Murder, is the second book in your Julia Kogan Mysteries. What was the most challenging “Book Two” hurdle to overcome?
Continuing with the transformational arc of the protagonist, Julia, and connecting her current journey with her previous one as seamlessly as possible. Her initial entry into the opera world was more eventful than anyone possibly could have imagined. Now she must take what she’s learned and apply it to a brand-new situation where she is a fish out of water, away from her comfort zone at home in New York, and thrust into not only an alien desert environment but a whole new set of murderous circumstances. As an author, I had to come up with something entirely original, yet connected with the events of the previous book. That was a tall order.
How has Julia developed or grown from who she was in Aria for Murder, both as a sleuth and a person?
In the first book, Julia was a totally green neophyte: starry-eyed, excited to be playing her debut performance in the world’s most prestigious opera orchestra, but with no idea of the politics and personal dramas at play behind the scenes. She certainly doesn’t know that something terrible is about to happen, that someone very important to her is about to be murdered. The last thing on her mind is the possibility of teaming up with a NYPD detective to investigate the killing, but her keen sense of justice impels her to do so. What she discovers is she has an inner strength she never knew she had, which is absolutely key in her survival. She grows up very fast.
In Book Two, which takes place one year later, Julia has matured; she is in a committed relationship and is about to tackle a key position in the orchestra of Santa Fe Opera: that of concertmaster, or first of the first violinists, hand-picked by the company’s music director. She could not have handled that in Book One. But when she becomes involved in yet another murder investigation in Santa Fe, she also brings a hard-won set of tools to her sleuthing, which she learned from her previous experience. And she is capable of standing up for herself, insisting to the SFPD detective on the case that she has the ability—and the guts—to offer something valuable to the situation.
What drew you to the mystery genre?
A series of nefarious events while I was playing violin at the Met sparked my wicked imagination: people collapsing onstage, committing suicide, falling through empty elevator shafts, and more. Then, when there were some very real death threats to a prominent company member, I thought, why not use that to write a murder mystery that takes place at the Met? That way I could kill off all the people who made my life miserable: wannabe stars, snarky stagehands, detestable divas, and most of all my orchestra colleagues. Suddenly, I was writing mysteries!
What’s one thing about amateur sleuth mysteries that you learned after writing your first book?
I learned that mystery is the most difficult genre to write! After struggling with the first in my Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series, and having a fan urge me to write a sequel, I realized my best move would be to go back to the works of my favorite mystery writer, Agatha Christie, and have those serve as my example from that point forward. With her mesmerizing, elegant storytelling, she is a true inspiration and ultimate example for an aspiring mystery writer. There’s a reason why there are more books of hers in print than any other in history, with the exception of the Bible.
Let’s explore more of your writing world. What does your workspace look like? Is there anything you need for a successful day of writing?
I’m the first to admit that my workspace would look a bit chaotic to an outside observer. I’m not only surrounded by all my equipment (see next response) but also the little ‘accoutrements’ that stimulate my creativity: crystals, symbolic jewelry, photos of beloved friends and family members, water bottle, books, books, books. And of course, my cell phone. But on those bookshelves are also stuffies that inspire me: Brünnhilde Bear (from Wagner’s famous Ring operas); and a one-eyed Minion! Oh—and a gorgeous purple jeweled pen that I picked up at Bouchercon in San Diego. When I’m trying to think of a word or a phrase, I look around at all these and ideas come to me. I can’t explain why. It just works for me. But what I need most is quiet: no music, no extraneous sounds. All of that distracts me from my task of creating something out of nothing.
I had to chuckle at your Minion reference. I have a whole host of little “writing friends” on my desk, too. What are your writing tool must haves?
Desktop computer, laptop, small notebook to scribble in when I’m away from technology, and the Internet. What more could a writer ask?
The tools of the trade! For our final question, it’s vacation time. What literary hero do you enlist to be your travel companion? Why?
Miss Marple. Agatha Christie is my literary idol, and Marple is my clear favorite of all of Christie’s characters: she’s smart, shrewd, yet kind and sympathetic to a fault, and very confident in her own abilities. And she always solves the murders! I would love to take a trip through the English countryside with her guiding me and pointing out all the little details of time and place that she knows so well—and pick her brains about creating great mystery stories!
I can’t begin to imagine the wealth of information you’d come away with! Erica, thank you so much for joining us here again on Noteworthy. Noters, if you’d like to learn more about Erica’s latest release, Prelude to Murder, keep scrolling!
Prelude to Murder: A Julia Kogan Mystery
An opera performed against the enchanting, mystical backdrop of Santa Fe. What could possibly go wrong? Jealousy, egotistical Divas demanding conductors—and murder.
Having survived her entanglement with a ruthless killer in a murder plot at the Metropolitan Opera in Book One of the series, violinist Julia Kogan and her cohort NYPD detective Larry Somers head to the Santa Fe Opera for the summer season. But no sooner do they arrive than murderous activities plague the performers onstage and off, famous opera singers get picked off left and right, and ghostly apparitions spook Julia into a state of constant agitation. Dark and painful secrets emerge as Julia joins forces with Larry to stop the killer from wreaking further havoc. Ghostly apparitions combine with some of the most bloody and violent operas in the repertoire to make Julia question her own motives for searching for the killer. But a threat to her life comes from a source she never would have imagined.