An Interview with Author Sue McGinty
Absolutely. Bella
is both haunted and driven by the murder of her sister on Bella’s doorstep in
Detroit years ago. Like many family tragedies, Bea’s murder destroyed her
family. It led to the premature death of her father and Bella’s estrangement
from her mother.
As “Murder
in Mariposa Bay” opens, Bella’s terminally ill mother has moved in with Bella
and Mike. She and Bella strive to repair their strained relationship. It’s
tough going because of deeply embedded old wounds. The themes that propel the
series forward are Bella’s need for reconciliation and her passion for justice.
I know your covers have become a
family affair. Is there a story behind this one?
You bet. My
granddaughter, Katherine McGinty Loughman, posed for the cover of “Murder in
Los Lobos” when she was an undergrad at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.
Son
Patrick and daughter-in-law Diane did the honors for “Murder at Cuyamaca
Beach.” Granddaughter Julie, scheduled to pose as “the wandering nun,” a
mythical character in “…Mariposa Bay,” moved to Portland for graduate school
and became unavailable for the cover shoot. Fortunately, Victoria Heckman,
fellow Sister-in-Crime member, actor and good friend
stepped in and saved the day. She even provided the photographer, Pat Siemer. One
more reason to love my Central Coast Sisters in Crime chapter members.
Tell us about the benefits and
challenges of writing a series character.
With two
successful series of your own, Rocky Bluff and Tempe Crabtree, there’s probably
not much I can tell you, Marilyn. However, I find the main benefit is knowing
the character so well. She’s become an alter ego, and I pretty much know how
she’ll react in any given situation. Sometimes she surprises me and I love
that. I welcome these moments as growth opportunities for Bella and for me as a
writer.
The main
challenge about writing a series character is to keep the situations and
characters’ perspective fresh and exciting. That way I’m not telling the same
story over and over.
The timeline
at first presented another common challenge—how much to allow the characters to
age between books. The series starts in 2007 to mirror events in Los Osos, the
real town upon which “Murder in Los Lobos,” is based. “Murder at Cuyamaca
Beach” takes place in 2008. “…Mariposa Bay” and the fourth book, now in
development, take place in 2010, again to reflect events happening at that
time. This has actually proved to be a benefit, as the characters age
naturally, from a few months to a year in each book.
Some series characters don’t change
from book to book, such as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, and of course, the redoubtable
James Bond. Tell us how Bella has grown over the span of three books.
Bond,
Reacher and their ilk don’t change because they’re larger than life, kick-butt
kind of heroes. I always find a series where the protagonist grows as a result
of life’s experiences more satisfying, and certainly more realistic, than one where
the character remains static book after book.
Bella spent
25 years as a nun, putting her needs second to those of her church. She went
directly from religious life to marriage under the thumb of Mike, her
strong-willed detective husband. This left her no time to sort out life as a
newly secular and single human being. Now they drift apart as Bella becomes
more her own person and Mike resists her changing.
How about her sidekick, Chris? How
has he changed?
Chris, her
nephew and teen “Dr. Watson,” has grown and matured beyond my wildest expectations.
When he first arrived on the scene, it was a challenge for Bella to keep him
out of jail. Now in “Murder in Mariposa Bay”, he’s graduated from the Culinary
Academy in Napa and working as a San Francisco sous chef. He even has a serious
girlfriend whom Bella adores. (Though she does maintain, at least on the
surface, a separate bedrooms policy when Chris and Milly spend the weekend.)
What are you working on now?
I’m in first
draft agony on “Murder in a Safe Place,” which takes Bella back to Detroit her
hometown, to sell the family home and obtain documents critical to Mike’s
future—and the future of their marriage. But things happen to Bella that don’t
happen to other people: soon she stumbles over a massive cover-up that extends
to the highest reaches of Detroit government. She suspects the person at the
heart of this conspiracy knows things about her sister’s unsolved murder.
The Central Coast settings are such
an essential element in your books. What are the challenges of taking Bella out
of her environment?
Many and
varied, as I’m finding out. You’re right, Bella has lost her physical
landmarks, and she finds Detroit has changed beyond her wildest dreams. Without
Mike, her husband, Chris, her nephew, and her mom, who has just died, she finds
herself rudderless in a dangerous and volatile setting. Bella’s tough, and in
this story, she needs to be.
So, if Bella finds her sister’s
killer in “Murder in a Safe Place,” is that the end of the series?
Absolutely
not. Like life, one door closes, another opens. And don’t forget, she has the
ongoing challenge of keeping Mike in line.
Where can we get copies of your books?
“Murder in
Mariposa Bay” in print and e-book is available on Amazon at, not surprisingly, Murder-in-Mariposa-Bay I’m in the
process of republishing “Murder in Los Lobos” and “Murder in Cuyamaca Beach” on
Amazon. In the meantime, you can order copies from me at: suemcginty@aol.com
All three
books are also available at Volumes of Pleasure in Los Osos and Coalesce
Bookstore in Morro Bay.
Murder
in Mariposa Bay:
Seeking relief from the care of her ailing mother, Bella
Kowalski, former nun, now Central Coast
Chronicle obituary editor, and her husband Mike, spend a camping weekend in
the Mariposa Bay State Park. They wind up their getaway with a romantic night
at a local inn overlooking the bay. The next morning, looking for coffee in the
lobby, they find the body of the desk clerk. Mike’s reaction puzzles and alarms
Bella.
Things go from bad to worse when a Detroit mobster comes to
town looking for more than drop-dead views of the ocean. Sensing there’s some
connection between Mike and the mobster, Bella launches an investigation. The
ill-considered caper soon lands her in a firestorm of malice and mayhem. Even
more disturbing, Bella is forced to seek answers to deeper questions about her
sister’s unsolved murder.
Bio:
Sue McGinty has had a love affair with California’s Central
Coast for more than twenty years. She has chosen to set her Bella Kowalski
mystery series there, in the unique and funky towns that hug the shore of the
Pacific Ocean. Books in the series include: “Murder in Los Lobos,” “Murder at
Cuyamaca Beach,” and the latest, “Murder in Mariposa Bay.”
When not writing, she works at ticking items off her bucket
list, including seeing Willie Nelson live. Sue and Willie share the same
birthdate, April 30. Sue is quick to point out she is much younger.
Thank you, Sue, this was a fun interview! And I love the new photo!
Marilyn aka F. M. Meredith
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