Interview with Judge Debra H. Goldstein, Author of the Cozy Mystery 'One Taste Too Many'

Judge Debra H. Goldstein is the author of One Taste Too Many, the first of Kensington’s new Sarah Blair cozy mystery series. She also wrote Should Have Played Poker and 2012 IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories, including Anthony and Agatha nominated “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. Debra is president of Sisters in Crime’s Guppy Chapter, serves on SinC’s national board, and is president of the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Find out more about Debra at www.DebraHGoldstein.com

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

One Taste Too Many is the story of culinary challenged Sarah Blair, for whom there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!

Married at eighteen, divorced by twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired town she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant.

Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

Because I love cozy mysteries, those were the fun type of books I instinctively wanted to write. My first two efforts were published, but orphaned. Frantic, I talked with agents and editors who all advised me to “write something new.” The problem was what? My skills and familiarity with the usual cozy crafts or food topics was lacking. I decided to write what I knew - a cook of convenience who prefers making easy recipes like spinach pie using Stouffer’s spinach souffle and believes Peg Bracken’s “The I Hate To Cook” cookbook is the Bible.

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

My publishing process always began the traditional way. The new Sarah Blair series is completely traditional. When Maze in Blue was orphaned, I still had almost six months of speaking engagements lined up. In order to continue having print on demand books for these events, I republished the book through Create Space.

For me, the traditional manner of publishing, where I write the book and handle a lot of the pr, but turn over most of the details of the publication process, worked best. My decision was made after weighing the time limitations created by my job, volunteer and family obligations, and the learning curve it would have taken for me to acquire and coordinate the details necessary for indie publishing.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

I’m usually horrible at titles, but in this case, One Taste Too Many was a natural because a mean character dies in the first few pages after having a taste of rhubarb pie.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

Kensington designed the cover (and I think they did an excellent job). When they asked for my input, I told them I wanted something simple that featured RahRah, the Siamese cat who is a major character in the book. Rather than an entire room design, I preferred open space on the cover. They nailed it.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

Kensington has an art department. They asked for my suggestions, but then handled all the details of designing the cover.

How was your experience working with the designer?

Although I didn’t see the cover until it was finished, the process with Kensington was a pleasure. They listened to me and did an excellent job translating my wishes into an inviting cover.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

Readers’ response to the cover has been overwhelmingly positive. Many have told me the cat on the cover is a ringer for their own pets. I think the simplicity, plus the intriguing nature of the cat, combine to attract readers’ eyes to the cover.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Although I didn’t have to seek out a cover designer, I would tell authors to ask friends who did their covers and to get references and prices before handing over the job. I also think it is important to have an open dialogue with the designer about the main themes in the book in case the designer fails to read the manuscript.

Years ago, I saw a well-designed cover that used a stock photo depicting the book’s setting. Anyone glancing at the book, immediately recognized the setting and the book sold well. When that same book was given a new cover after its mass market rights sold, the designer got hung up on a word I the title’s pun. The outcome had nothing to do with the book.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

One Taste Too Many is meant to be a fun read. It is the type of book one can enjoy at the beach, on an airplane, in the bathtub, during lunch hour or at night reading before bed. The protagonist, Sarah Blair, her cat, RahRah, and the other characters in One Taste Too Many are designed to become friends the reader will look forward to seeing evolve through the additional books in the series.

Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Many-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496719476

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-taste-too-many-debra-h-goldstein/1128297322

Books-a-Million:  https://www.booksamillion.com/p/One-Taste-Too-Many/Debra-H-Goldstein/9781496719478

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496719478

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/One-Taste-Too-Many/309566204

Hudson Booksellers: https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781496719478

On the Hot Seat with Thriller Author Sheila Lowe

The mother of a tattoo artist and a former rock star, Sheila Lowe lives in Ventura with Lexie the Very Bad Cat, where she writes the award-winning Forensic Handwriting mystery series. Like her fictional character Claudia Rose, Sheila is a real-life forensic handwriting expert who testifies in court cases. Despite sharing living space with a cat—a Very Bad one at that—Sheila’s books are decidedly non-cozy.

Find out more abut her latest thriller WRITTEN OFF on Amazon! 

Connect with the author on the web:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilalowe

http://www.twitter.com/sheila_lowe

https://www.facebook.com/graphogoddess

https://www.amazon.com/author/sheilalowe

https://www.goodreads.com/SheilaLowe

https://plus.google.com/117993257129801574704/posts

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

Written Off is the story of a female serial killer in prison in Maine and the murdered professor who was writing a book about her. While on assignment to find the manuscript in the professor’s two-hundred-year-old mansion, forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose uncovers explosive research about a group of troubled university students dubbed “Maynard’s Maniacs.” The professor’s personal wealth and academic success made her the target of jealousy at the small private university where she taught. The University expects to benefit from her will, but when a surprise visitor arrives brandishing a new will, all bets are off. After discussing the new will with the local police chief, Claudia rushes back to the isolated mansion where she’s staying, hoping to avoid an impending storm. She ends up trapped in a blizzard. With a killer.

As for what inspired me to write it, I always start with a title and build a story around it. In this case, the title changed halfway through, when I realized that the original title, Unholy Writ, was not going to work after all. I’ve wanted to use Unholy Writ for a long time, but it will have to wait for another story. Honestly, I don’t remember what got me started on the story of Roxanne Becker, a convicted serial killer, but around the time I changed the title, I realized that the theme of the book was what can happen to children who get cheated out of the good start in life they deserve.

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

I’ve gone every which way. For seven years, I tried to get my first mystery, Poison Pen, published by a major publishing house, finally giving up and making a deal with a small press, Capital Crime, in 2007. What a thrill it was when Publisher’s Weekly gave the book a starred review and it was immediately picked up, along with the next three in the series, by an editor at Penguin’s Obsidian. While I was writing book 4, that wonderful editor left the company and was replaced by another, who declined to renew my contract. My then-agent told me that other publishers would not want to pick up a series in the middle. Long story short, I decided to self-publish a standalone where my series characters played a smaller role. Eventually, I got my rights back from Penguin and switched all my titles over to Suspense, another smaller press (they publish Suspense Magazine).

Although I am grateful for having had the big house experience, with Penguin, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. They would send an email with the book cover graphic and a boilerplate note: “here’s your new cover, we hope you love it as much as we do.” And if I didn’t love it—oh well, “it’s too late to make changes.” I like working with a smaller press because I have input into my covers and titles; I get the final say in the text, and I get paid far better. With a big publishing house, you’ll get 8-10% of the cover price if the book is a mass market paperback, which means about .65-.80 cents a book. With a smaller house, you might get better than 50%. Certainly, you have more room to negotiate.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing the story, or did it come later?

Oops, I answered that above.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

My publisher is ultimately responsible for the cover, but as I mentioned earlier, with a smaller house I get input into the design. Since it’s my story, I know the elements that are best brought out. In the case of Written Off, I thought that since a creepy old hut in the snowy woods figures into the prologue, a picture of a creepy old hut would offer the kind of atmosphere I wanted. So I googled some photos and sent them to my publisher to see what she thought. The first design they sent looked too Christmassy to me with the red text against the snowy white and green trees. I want my books to look like the psychological suspense stories they are, not cozies. So the cover designer darkened the edges and, voila! Suspense!

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

Shannon Raab, my publisher, is a terrific graphic designer. The covers Penguin did for the first editions of my book were great covers, but they made my books look cozy, which they are not. When I got my rights back from Penguin and Shannon redid the covers, they finally had the look I wanted—psychological suspense.

How was your experience working with the designer?

Shannon is great. We have an excellent working relationship. She listens to me, I listen to her, and somehow it comes out right.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

I posted the cover on my social media and got an overwhelming positive response. Of course, everyone had their own comment on how to tweak it, but once I told them “this is it,” they loved it.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Look at covers you like and see who is credited with the design, it should be noted in the front cover. When I did my standalone I found an extremely reasonable designer named Lynn Stanzione. Ask around, too, on the various lists you of which you are a member. People love to share good names.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

Aside from “please give the book a try,” just keep reading. Teach your kids to love books, too. And when you write a review, please don’t reveal important plot points. Or if you must, include spoiler alerts. Be honest, and remember there’s a real human being behind the book, so be kind, too.