Fast Times, Big City by Shelly Frome | Author Interview

Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!

How long have you been writing?

I switched from playwriting to novel writing about twenty years ago.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the mystery genre?

I spent a number of years as an actor, then teaching acting and directing and incorporating playwriting. When I retired from the department of dramatic arts at the University of Connecticut, I discovered I no longer had to contend with casting (finding the right people) and being limited by a stage set if I turned to the novel format. In a sense, I became free to travel and go inward in terms of any given character’s private thoughts which may be in opposition to his or hers outward façade and behavior. In the world of crime I discovered there was always something at stake, it was never going to be just another day, and things were constantly in motion including the weather.

Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre?

The books I read run the gamut from old detective fiction to literary novels. Whatever pulls me in and involves me in some compelling character or characters’ plight, taking me back to the past or present in a myriad number of ways written by talented writers. Often, as I try in my own writing, it’s as if I’m watching a captivating movie.

Do you have a favorite place to write?

I’m usually at my desk or daydreaming somewhere. As long as there’s no distracting noise.

What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books?

I seem to recall reading classic comics about Robin Hood, the knights of the round table and various other famous tales that carried me away to some bygone era.

Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?

I prefer physical books because they somehow allow me to be carried away. And it’s even okay if I fall asleep and pick it up tomorrow where I left off. Maybe I just associate reading with a book in my hands.

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

I suppose it would be someplace like Paris on the left bank where expats like Hemingway hung out because you’d have the never-ending stimulus of the place and a mixture of creative people.

What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?

Hemingway, Salinger and Ray Bradbury come to mind because they validated the possibility you could have your own distinctive style and way of looking at the world without concerning yourself with marketing, trends or any other externals. Just as the French impressionistic painters took a complete departure from the dictates of the academy.

Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?

The working title is “Charlie and the Blue Ridge Caper.” This time I’m actually working on a cozy. It centers on a handyman who has spent most of his life avoiding involvement with other people until one day a newlywed, who also happens to be a new resident in this little mountain town exactly like my own Black Mountain, comes barging in on Charlie’s woodsy, secluded cabin claiming her husband is missing.

The inspiration is perhaps all the men I know of a certain age who opt for the routine of fixing and maintenance and never stray, supposedly hanging onto a sense of security. I’m reminded of something a minister once told me: we can never be whole until we tap the side of ourselves that’s lying dormant—e.g., spiritual, a naturalist, creative artist of some sort, campaigner or protestor championing some just cause, etc..

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!

Excerpt