Congratulations Kelly on the release of Villainy in Vienna. It is such a please to get to host you on my blog today.
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Me: Hi, tell us a little about your bestselling Jessica James Mysteries – what according to you defines it?
Kelly: Jessica James Mysteries started out based on my own experience in grad school. (No, I didn’t murder my dissertation advisor!). I came from a family of loggers in Idaho and Montana, and I was a fish-out-of-water at the fancy PhD program “back east” as my mom called it.
The seventh novel in the series comes out in a few weeks. And the series has evolved into so much more. It is characterized by its fast-pace, humor, and strong female characters battling ripped from the headlines issues such as date-rape, human trafficking, sexual harassment, and more.
Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Kelly: Growing up, I wanted to be a spy or a teacher. I became a philosophy professor, which is about as close to being both as I could hope for. Instead of looking for clues to whodunnit, I’ve spent my career looking for clues to the meaning of life. Over the last thirty years, I’ve written a lot of nonfiction.
About six years ago, I went to Killer Nashville, a mystery writers convention. I came home and started writing novels, and I haven’t looked back. I joke that if I’d gone to a romance or science fiction convention, I’d be writing romance or science fiction.
Me: You have a new book coming out—Villainy in Vienna, tell us more about it?
Kelly: Villainy in Vienna is the third book in the Fiona Figg Mystery series. Fiona is a file clerk turned British spy in WWI. She is a master of disguise—or so she thinks. These historical mysteries are witty, fun, and suspenseful.
They’re inspired by my own love of historical mysteries. I love Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody, Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, Rhys Bowen’s Georgiana Rannoch (and her standalones), Sujata Massey’s Perveen Mistry, and Mariah Frederick’s Jane Prescott, L.A. Chandlar’s Lane Sanders and more.
A lot of the central characters in the novels are based on real life people. For example, Fiona’s nemesis throughout the series, Fredrick Fredricks, is based on a German spy named Fritz Duquesne, who was a fascinating character in real life. He was a spy for the Germans in both world wars (which means Fiona can chase him across the globe for years to come). He used various aliases, including Fredrick Fredricks. And, like a chameleon, he changed his looks, personality, and professions to evade capture. He is definitely a worthy adversary for Fiona.
In Villainy in Vienna, one of my favorite characters is Frau Anna Sacher. She was widowed young and took over running her husband’s hotel, the Sacher Hotel, which was known for its private rooms and discrete liaisons… and, of course, the famous Sacher Torte. Frau Sacher was rarely ever seen without a cigar in one hand and a French Bulldog in the other.
Emperor Charles and Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary and Mileva Einstein, the first wife of Albert Einstein, also play important parts in the story.
Me: When and where would it be available for readers to purchase?
Kelly: Villainy in Vienna is available wherever books are sold online. It is available for pre-order now in E-book, paperback, and audiobook. It launches on January 4th.
Me: How do you think you have grown as a writer from the very first book you wrote to the one coming out?
Kelly: I’ve learned so much about writing in the last six years. In that time, I’ve written seven novels in the Jessica James Mystery series, three novels in the Fiona Figg Mystery series, and three novels in the Pet Detective Mystery series (for kids 7-12).
Before starting a new novel, I always read or re-read a book on the craft of writing fiction.
As a cat person with three Persian cats, I’ve learned that writing fiction is a lot like combing a matted Persian cat. It takes a lot of patience and determination. And sometimes the cat bites back. You have to keep brushing, combing, and teasing out the mats in your novel. Like the coat of that Persian cat, with every stroke, it will get smoother and finer until it flows beautifully. But, then there are the days when you just have to say to hell with it and get out the clippers!
Me: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Kelly: Before the pandemic, I loved to go to movies and go x-country skiing. Now, I’m content (more or less) to stay home with my cats, a nice cup of Sencha tea, a stack of good books, and my computer.
Me: Are there any new projects underway?
Kelly: My next project is a top secret new cozy mystery series… and of course, there will be more Jessica James and more Fiona Figg.
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, the middle grade Kassy O’Roarke, Pet Detective Mysteries, and historical cozies The Fiona Fig Mysteries. When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Kelly lives in Nashville with her husband and three very demanding felines. To learn more about Kelly and her books (and see some darn cute cat pictures), please visit her website at http://www.kellyoliverbooks.com.
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