Monday, August 17, 2015

Scene of the Crime with Laura DiSilverio!




When I finished reading The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco, I had a smile on my face. When I looked at the event calendar for The Poisoned Pen and saw the author's name listed, I had an even bigger smile. And after attending that event, I just knew I had to interview her. Who? Laura DiSilverio, of course!

I also have to admit that once I'd received Laura's answers to my interview questions, I was smiling all over again just from reading the very first one. The book she names is one of my all-time favorites, too. So much so that I still have the copy I received as a birthday gift when I was a child-- even after my huge book purge. 

Laura DiSilverio
After reading this interview, I know you're going to want to know more about this talented writer, and you're probably going to want to connect with her as well, so here are a few links for you!




There you go! You're connected, and you want to know what book I'm talking about, so let's not waste any more time. On to the interview!




What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special? 

King of the Wind is the first book I remember really loving. I think it was the connection between the boy and the horse that made it special for me. That, and the fact that I loved horses, of course! I also read the whole Black Stallion series with the same speed kids today read the Harry Potter books.


Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

I wish I could say I'm a competitive ballroom dancer, or that I teach krav maga on the side, or breed new varieties of iris, but I'm not that exciting, I'm afraid. I like to walk my dog, spend time with my kids (two teenage girls), workout at the gym (weight training and cardio), read (of course!), hike in beautiful Colorado, sing with the church choir, and relax with my hubby and a glass of wine in the evening.


If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

Garden of the Gods
Well, if you're into fitness, you want to try the Incline, a climbing route that gains about 2000 vertical feet in a mile. It's a grueling workout (especially if you're not used to the altitude). Incredible views! If you're not up for that, you might check out Uncle Wilbur in Acacia Park. He's a mechanical device that rises from beneath a fountain to play a song on the half hour. Kids love to splash while he plays. The more common tourist activities include touring the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and Olympic Training Center. Don't miss high tea at Glen Eyrie Castle. I just took my mom there for her 81st birthday and it was grand. If you come in winter, I recommend cross-country skiing in one of our many parks. Magical!


You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Meryl Streep
I've been told all my adult life that I look like Meryl Streep, so I guess I'd have to go with her (although she's a bit older than I am). She's an intelligent actor with amazing technique--I'd probably be scared to see myself as she would play me!


Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

Wow, that's hard. I really can't narrow it down to one because I like different sleuths for different reasons. I enjoy Deborah Knott in Margaret Maron's books because of her rich and varied personal life and relationships. I liked Elizabeth Peters' Vicky Bliss for the humor (so sad there won't be any more!), and still read Grafton's Kinsey Millhone for her organized approach to solving mysteries and trenchant observations. More recently, I've grown attached to Cormoran Strike in the books J.K. Rowling writes as Robert Galbraith. Others I like to keep up with: Sharon McCone, Chet, Bill Smith and Lydia Chin, Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, Jane Ryland, Dandy Gilver, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, Mickey Haller (the Lincoln lawyer).


If you could have in your possession one signed first edition of any book in the world, which book would that be? Why that particular book?  

Barbara Kingsolver's High Tide in Tucson. My father (who wasn't much of one for gift-giving--he left that to my mom) gave that essay collection to me at a stressful time in my life, so it has great meaning for me.

[I just ordered a copy!]


How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published?

I think there was a lot of screaming involved. When the first advance check arrived, my hubby and I went to dinner at the swankiest 5-star restaurant in the state, the Broadmoor's Penrose Room. I think it's important to recognize and celebrate life's accomplishments, and I love to do that with flowers or a special bottle of wine.


Name one thing on your Bucket List.  

You're going to laugh at me, but I would like to be able to re-do a bathroom from top to bottom on my own--replace sinks, light fixtures, vanity, etc. I can already do the painting and tiling (and replace a toilet), but I chicken out when it comes to things involving electricity and carpentry. I need to apprentice myself to someone more knowledgeable and dive in! I'd also like to learn to tap dance, and spend a month leisurely traveling through New England.

[Definitely not going to laugh. I've wanted to be able to do the same thing myself!]


You've just received a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Which bookstore are you making a bee-line for?  

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona.


 

 




 



An extremely reliable source tells you that a thinly disguised you is a character in a book that's currently high up on the New York Times Bestseller List. What kind of character do you think you are? 

Goodness! Can I say what kind of character I'd like to be? I'd like to be a character with few inhibitions, who doesn't give a flip what other people think of her; who takes on new challenges bravely; who is kind, compassionate, and generous; who fails well and often (because that means she's daring to try); who revels in life's little joys; and who can maybe sing and tap dance (because of course they'll make a movie or Broadway musical out of the book).



Thank you so much for spending this time with us, Laura. It was a pleasure to be able to get to know you a little better.

May your book sales do nothing but increase!



Available Now!
Coming in December!










7 comments:

  1. Thank you for a very interesting interview. Love those covers btw!

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  2. What a lovely interview. I really enjoy them and this author sounds like a charming, enthusiastic person -- and one who is very physically fit! (I shudder at the mountain peak climbing and the cross country skiing. I am a New York, after all. We consider walking to be a sport!)

    And I, too, like those book covers. And I like the cover on the Kingsolver book, only I'd subsitute an iguana for that insect. This must be the only book by her that I haven't read. The Poisonwood Bible is one of my favorite books. And The Prodigal summer and Flight Behavior are very good and especially good reads for nature lovers.

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    1. I thought of you when she mentioned the Kingsolver book, Kathy. High Tide in Tucson is a collection of essays, one of which is about a hermit crab that stows away on Kingsolver's return trip from the Bahamas and finds itself in Tucson.

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  3. Thanks for having me on your blog, Cathy. Happy to chat with anyone who stops by. (I love my covers, too, including the one for my new standalone, The Reckoning Stones.

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  4. Loved the interview, and the covers. So glad she likes/liked horses.

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