If setting can be considered a character, and it can, then the entire world of Del Rio is real—the heat, the bodies found in orange groves, the cartel smuggling, you name it. The characters themselves are completely fictional. Although by now, they seem absolutely real to me.
Jane Rosenthal – 13 June 2021
The Back Flap
A suspenseful story of corruption, betrayal and redemption. Giving hope in the end that the way we treat the land and our community – the way we treat the most vulnerable among us – are connected.
Del Rio, California, a once-thriving Central Valley farm town, is now filled with run-down Dollar Stores, llanterias, carnicerias, and not surprisingly the murder of a migrant teen. Del Rio District Attorney Callie McCall is determined to find the killer which pits her against the wealthiest, most politically connected, most ruthless farming family in California: her own.
Callie finds herself in a fight to the death to save her hometown, the people she loves, and, ultimately, herself.
“Del Rio is a suspenseful international thriller involving two countries, multiple crimes, and a district attorney driven by the need to succeed.” – Foreword Clarion Reviews
“An intense tale of a self-involved attorney rediscovering her sense of compassion.” – Kirkus Reviews
About the book
What is the book about?
Del Rio is a mystery/suspense novel set in California’s troubled Central Valley in the fictional town of the same name. Del Rio is modeled on many of the little down-at-the- heels, crime ridden, economically challenged Central Valley towns. It’s a perfect setting to explore the dark side of the Golden State.
When did you start writing the book?
I always had in mind to write a series of books set in various regions in Mexico—Mexico City, the Pacific coast, the central highlands, and so on, books that would blend mystery/suspense with armchair travel. For Del Rio, I’d been kicking around plot ideas, focusing on the resort towns on the west coast of Mexico when one day, after I had moved to my ranch in the foothills above the valley, I was standing in line at the bank in my small, valley farm town and realized I was the only English speaker in line. It hit me right then and there that I practically was on the west coast of Mexico, and the first line of the book—“Fletcher wanted me to meet him at the Starlight Lounge, an old roadhouse set on a bluff above the San Joaquin River a few miles south of town.” —came to me. It was one of those lightbulbs going off in your head moments. After I finished at the bank, I raced up the mountain, charged into my office and wrote the first chapter in a fit of inspiration.
How long did it take you to write it?
From the moment I wrote the first chapter, I completed the first couple of drafts in about a year in between family responsibilities and so on. After the last draft was finished, I worked with my wonderful developmental editor for another year, which was super fun!
Where did you get the idea from?
I’ve lived in Mexico off and on from an early age, and as I said before, I always wanted to write a series of novels set in the different regions of the country. That was the germ of the idea. To be honest, I just wanted to live in those places in Mexico—San Miguel, Oaxaca, a west coast fishing village—to immerse myself in the different areas, and writing is my way of paying close attention to life, frankly. The idea for Del Rio, however, came from living near the Central Valley and seeing the reality of life there—crime, poverty, immigration, cartel violence, drug and human trafficking, juxtaposed to the huge wealth of large farming businesses. My novel sort of spontaneously combusted out of all that.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I’ve been really fortunate to have some wonderful teachers like David Corbett, Donald Maass. Elizabeth George, Jennie Nash plus my brilliant book coach, Annie Tucker. As the saying goes ’When the student is ready. the teacher appears’, and that seemed to be true in my case. I had a lot of guides steering me over the rocks and through the rapids when I felt like I was going under.
What came easily?
I find writing mystery/ suspense to be a real joy. Along with swimming, gardening, spending time with family, and reading, there really is nothing I’d rather be doing than wrestling with tricky plot twists, solving story problems, creating characters and hearing their voices. I’ve come to realize that fear is what makes the writing process so difficult—fear that you can’t do it or it won’t be good enough. One of the gifts of age is I’ve learned to ignore fear and those kinds of negative voices. It makes the whole process a lot easier!
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
If setting can be considered a character, and it can, then the entire world of Del Rio is real—the heat, the bodies found in orange groves, the cartel smuggling, you name it. The characters themselves are completely fictional. Although by now, they seem absolutely real to me. They must have come from somewhere—clips of newspaper articles, stories my hairdresser told me, something I overheard at the local tavern. I’m a terrible eavesdropper! But, they seemed to just walk on stage like they’d been waiting in the wings all along.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
In college I studied poetry, and I had very lofty ideas about what constituted good writing. Genre fiction and mysteries were not even ON my list. Then, of course, life taught me a lesson. One miserable summer during my sophomore year after a bad breakup from someone I thought was the Love. Of. My. Life (spoiler alert: he wasn’t!), a friend came to my room (we were living in a Basque boarding house in San Francisco’s North Beach) and dropped a pile of paperbacks on my bed where I’d been languishing with a box of Kleenex by my side. Pointing to her collection of dogeared Raymond Chandler mysteries, she said, “These will get you through this.” And you know something? They did. Maybe not immediately, but I do remember that moment as a turning point. Ever since then, I’ve had enormous respect for all those writers of commercial page-turners that come to the aid of the heartbroken and miserable. When I finally gave myself permission to write, I remembered how much I loved mysteries and let myself write what I loved.
Do you have a target reader?
Yes, the mystery/suspense genre lover, someone who really appreciates how hard it is to craft a twisty tale of suspense, to fill it with red-herrings, to write characters with strong voices, all the while speaking to contemporary issues and eternal themes, and putting all that into an atmospheric setting that takes you away from real life for a while. That person! Fortunately, as mystery novels are hugely popular—I’ve forgotten the statistics—there are lots of such readers.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Yes, I do. I am writing in my head all the time. If I’m up walking around, I’m probably composing something. Even at night—I’m a terrible insomniac, which I now see as a gift—, I tell myself my story over and over in my head until it is memorized. If I can memorize it, I feel that the language sings, the characters are really speaking. The first sentence, for me is extremely important. Once I’ve got that, I know that the rest will follow.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Yes, I outline. The first pass at my outline is pretty much a mess! I throw everything in there from hero’s journey circles, story-structure grids, to a three-act diagrams, from character bios, to chapter headings to full blown scenes. Whatever I come up with goes into that draft of an outline. I have to know the story won’t collapse in the middle, that I can get to the end, and that everything, no matter how far afield I’ve gone, can come together. After that, I begin to refine the draft into chapters and scene summaries. After that, I write more detailed scenes, making sure each scene is going to be effective and necessary. Then, I write the draft with some assurance that I know where I’m going. Although truth be told, surprises pop up all the time. That’s what makes writing a novel such a great journey.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Yes, I would never consider being an Indie author without hiring a professional editor.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not when I’m actually writing, no. For that I need absolute silence. But, for each book that I’m working on, I will listen to music that my characters would be likely to listen to. For Del Rio, I listened to Nortena music from Mexico. Often while driving in the car, I would listen to music on Central Valley Spanish language radio! The book I’m working on now is set in the forties, so I’m listening to Tommy Dorsey, that sort of thing.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
For my first book, yes. But then, self-publishing started to become more viable, and the writers I knew who were going that route were having a heck of a lot more fun, were building a readership, and establishing a writing career on their own terms! Then, I discovered She Writes Press. I was so impressed with the quality of the books they published, by the talent of the writers they published, and with their vision, and they are visionaries, I knew hybrid publishing with She Writes was my goal. I’m thrilled to be a She Writes writer!
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The astoundingly talented artist and writer Julie Metz designed my cover. All of She Writes Press books have gorgeous covers!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I definitely have a marketing plan for this book and the others. This is something you cannot just wing. I can’t stress that enough. I’m on social media, I’m contacting local and national media outlets, and I have a publicist. I will continue to build on this for the books that follow.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Being an Indie author is a great adventure, but it’s not for everyone. If you are really wedded to being traditionally published, you should stick with that path. However, for those who don’t need everything that traditional publishing represents, and it does offer a great deal, you can have a wonderful writing life pursuing Indie publishing. You can’t go into it thinking that being Indie is second best, and you have to understand it’s a lot of work. You will have to find ways to create your own team—editors, marketers, publicists, writing community— and there are numerous ways to do that. So many excellent resources exist, and more are popping up each day. In fact, for me, discovering the Indie community of writers has been one of the most rewarding things about Indie publishing.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in North Carolina, but I came out west when I was twenty-one. I had lived in Mexico in high school, and so California and the southwest felt very familiar. I now live in New Mexico, and this year is the first year I didn’t spend some time in (old) Mexico due to COVID.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Here’s something readers might be surprised to know about me: I am a total fragrance junkie. I loved touring the perfume factories in Grasse, France, where I even created my own personal perfume! Once I get back to Mexico to do research and soak up the atmosphere of the Yucatan jungle, one of my stops will be in the lovely city of Valladolid where there is an amazing perfume store—Perfumeria Coqui-Coqui. I want to create a scent evocative of my new book. Adventures like this are why I love writing!
What are you working on now?
I’m working on an historical novel set both in the south, where I grew up, and in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. I’m having a blast going back in time, drawing on characters I knew growing up, and submerging myself in a pre-tourist Mexico. I look forward to writing about it every day, and I’m hopeful readers will love the journey, too!
End of Interview:
