Author Molly MacRae invited me to take part in a "blog roll" on Nov 28, so here goes. Each author answers 10 questions and then lists links to other participating authors at the end.
What’s the working title of your book?
The Bootlegger’s Nephew
Where did the idea for it come from?
It came
from my interest in local history and a deep fascination with Prohibition. Actually, the story was supposed to be about archaeology during its “Wild West” days
before it became an academic discipline, but Prohibition took over. The novel is
set in Champaign County, Illinois, where I currently live, but I changed the
name of my hometown from Champaign-Urbana to Big Grove.
What genre does your book fall under?
Historical
mystery.
Which actors would you choose to play your
characters in a movie rendition?
Good
question! I can’t think of an actress, but a dancer from Urbana Country
Dancers has the perfect 1923 face for my youngest character, Anna Maria Junker. She looks
like she could step into Flapper dress and be completely at home.
What’s the one-sentence synopsis of your
book?
An
Illinois physician uses his knowledge of local geography and archaeology to
catch a killer and break up a gang of bootleggers during Prohibition.
Will your book be self-published or
represented by an agency?
This
book was published by Hilliard and Harris in February 2012. It is available as
a trade paperback and Kindle edition at Amazon.
How long did it take you to write the first
draft of your manuscript?
At
least two years. My day job as an archaeologist at the University of Illinois kept interfering…
What other books would you compare this
story to within your genre?
Jeanne
Dams’ Hilda Johansson series set in South Bend, Indiana about 100 years ago.
Who or what
inspired you to write this book?
My work at the Illinois Archaeological Survey was the
original inspiration. My older colleagues tell such great stories about early
Midwestern archaeology—all true. One of my favorites was about William
Mac Adams, a famous amateur archaeologist and newspaperman during the late
1800s. When he died from falling into a creek while drunk, his wife celebrated
by burning all his papers.
What else about
your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Bootlegger’s Nephew is a complete departure from my
four published Lisa Donahue archaeological mysteries. The characters, Illinois
Junker and his German wife, Martha Junker, took over my imagination along with their
feisty nineteen-year-old daughter Anna. The research on the dress, language,
speakeasies, and the gazillion ways to make and transport bad booze during the
1920s fascinated me. When my publisher turned down my request to include the
non-fiction research as a supplement at the back of the mystery, we compromised
by including a short glossary of 1920s slang at the front of the book. Then I
published the Supplement as a free pdf download on my website: www.sarahwisseman.com
Now follow these links to some of my favorite authors:
Molly MacRae, author of Wilder Rumors, Lawn Order, and Last Wool and Testament, as well as several short stories in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Go to http://amyalessio.com/?p=7917 for her post on Amy Alessio's blog, and Molly's author website is here.
David Ingram, winner of the Robert L. Fish Award for his 2011 short story "A Good Man of business," published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Read all about him and follow his posts at:
