JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Amy Beth Arkawy, author of Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery
(Hen House Press)
A terrible secret is at the heart of two murders haunting the sleepy suburban hamlet of Goodship, NY, in the first in a new cozy mystery series. Former soap star Eliza Gordon (now owner of the favorite lunch spot) and pal, local radio personality Midge Sumner, set out to solve the case.
Along the way, Eliza cooks up romance with the dishy police chief and counsels some delightfully quirky characters. Follow the clues and take your best shot at figuring out who’s doing more than just Killing Time.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery?
Amy Beth Arkawy: I’ve been a mystery fan since I was a kid, reading everything from Agatha Christie to P.D. James, John Dexter, Elizabeth George and Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone series. But my writing–plays and fiction–have previously been contemporary comedies underscored by human drama or dramas with comic overtones. I’m not sure where the idea came from. Like most of my work, the characters or stories just emerge organically.
JP: What sets Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery apart from other books in the same genre?
ABA: I’m not re-inventing the cozy wheel, just putting my own unique spin on it. My sensibility, the humor, the quirky characters are hallmarks of my writing. And there’s definitely a chick-lit buddy thing going with Eliza, the young, hip big city transplant and Midge, the life-long sharp-witted townie. I hope readers will have as much fun hanging out with them as they do trying to solve the mystery.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery getting out to the public?
ABA: Well, we’re just getting started. Killing Time has been out for two weeks. So I’ll be working (in tandem with my publisher) as many outlets as possible. I hope to talk with various sites, publications and radio stations. And we’re working on setting up a reading series.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery?
ABA: The story came fast and furiously, so the initial draft was completed within a few months. But, as you know, “writing is rewriting” is a cliché for a reason. So I spent more time tinkering with the manuscript on my own, and later re-worked it again with my editor and publisher.
JP: What’s next for Amy Beth Arkawy?
ABA: I’m working on the second in the Eliza Gordon Mystery series. I’m also finishing a play about a family coping with Alzheimer’s. And there are a few new characters clamoring to be heard. I suspect they’ll make their way into a comic family saga.
http://loveandpublishing.com/KillingTime.htm
http://scribblersfolly.blogspot.com
http://facebook.com/amybetharkawy
Good Reads.com/ Amy Beth Arkawy
Thanks so much. I hope you’ll give Killing Time a shot. I think you’ll have fun.
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