1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE IMPROVISERS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A barnstorming pilot turned magical investigator crisscrosses the country to puzzle out a mystery in a magical version of the 1930s. Featuring peril, deadly enchantments, murder, and the company of the most annoying reporter around.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The Improvisers is partially a travel story at\s the main character, Velma Frye, flies her plane across the country. The locations that mark her travels were inspired by historical facts I wanted to highlight. Outside of her travels, the key settings in the book are “homebase” for her, which is Chicago, Philadelphia, and the fictional Bramble Crescent that’s loosely based on Oak Bluffs.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Sure. Velma may get in trouble at times, but she’s take you on amazing journey!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Adventurous. Impulsive. Caring.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
In my final passes with this book, I listen to it using the speech-to-text feature. I’ve done this before but done chores while listening and it wasn’t always the best experience. For this book I got a coloring book colored away as I listened. It kept my hands busy, and allowed me to focus on listening instead of being distracted by other activities.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit after the draft is done. I need to get all the words down first before I start making changes. If I edit earlier, I get lost in the weeds.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Ice cream. My freezer always has a carton.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My writing desk faces a window. It’s an old desk gifted to me when I moved out, and bears all the scars of well loved use. My desk has one drawer that is stuffed with pens, sticky notes, pencils, and other odds and ends. I have two bookcases. Next to be desk is the taller bookcase that’s sagging with my personal library and mementos. A shorter bookcase rests against the opposing wall, holding the books I wrote plus research books. I have tall lamp next to be my desk and the artwork on the walls is celestial related.
10--Who is an author you admire?
There’s so many to choose from! But if I had to pick, it’s Octavia Butler. I like how clear her prose is and her works feel fresh and relevant even now.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
A book that changed how I thought about writing was Toni Morrisons’s Song of Solomon, specifically in the introduction where she explained the craft behind the opening lines of the book. It was like an entire writing course right there.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My book was out on submission with editors for only two months with I got the yes I was hoping for. It was exciting and surreal because it happened so quickly. At the start of that same year, I had put aside the book and had begun querying something new. But in March, I got interest from an agent I had queried in the previous year, who was interested in the book and wanted to see the latest version. In May I had signed with that agent. In October I sent the book out to publishing houses and before Mid-December I had a signed contract for not just one but two books. Which was great… I just had to figure out what the next book was going to be about!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Fantasy all the way. I look for fantasy or science fiction first when pursuing my next read.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Hard to pick! The cerebral answer is Clue. Nostalgic one is Cinderella (1997) or 101 Dalmatians. Into the Spider Verse ranks high as well.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall. It’s the spooky season, pumpkins and gorgeous gourds are in abundance, it’s the perfect running temperature, and all my best clothes can be worn then.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I celebrate my birthday, by celebrating the entire month. It’s a time where I treat myself sometimes it’s fancy artisanal ice cream, or a long trip.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’ve been loving Sherlock & Co podcast lately. It’s an audio drama and a modern update on Sherlock Holmes. With engaging narrative, clever reimagining, and amazing production value it’s been one of my favorite listens.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’ve been using a lot Japanese and Korean flavors lately. I like to cook as a creative outlet and enjoyed trying new recipes.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Reading or video games usually. I bake as well, and I lately I have been experimenting with flavored cheesecakes. A recent success I had was a matcha blueberry cheesecake.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
In my next book, we go to the 1960s with The Starseekers. Cynthia Rhodes, works at a research center at NASA that’s focused on magical solutions to put an astronaut on the moon. Her current project gets interrupted by a deadly accident that she soon becomes convinced is murder. Seeking answers, Cytnhia investigates hoping to find the killer before they strike again.
A Murder and Magic Novel: A Thrilling Jazz-Age Urban Fantasy, Perfect for Fall 2024, Embark on a Magical Journey Across Prohibition Era America
For fans of Nghi Vo, P. Djèlí Clark, and Alix E. Harrow: a new stand-alone set in the world of the critically acclaimed Murder and Magic series during Prohibition. The Improvisers is the tale of Velma, a barnstorming pilot and former magic bootlegger, who pursues dangerous enchanted items and a mystery that crosses the US and cuts through time—right to the heart of her family’s past and present.
Velma Frye is many things. A pilot, a former bootlegger, a well-seasoned traveler, a jazz pianist…and a wielder of celestial magic. She’s also a member of the mystical Rhodes family as well as an investigator for arcane oddities for a magic rights organization, dealing with both simple and complicated cases. And when a pocket watch instigates a magical brawl after one of her flight shows, things become very complicated.
In 1930s America, enchanted items are highly valuable, especially in the waning days of the magical Prohibition. As Velma digs deeper, she discovers the watch is part of a collection of dangerous artifacts manipulating people across the country—and in some cases, leading to their deaths. Something about all this is tickling Velma’s memories, and the more she discovers, the more these seemingly isolated incidents feel as if they’re building to something apocalyptic.
Connecting the dots isn’t easy, though, and further complicating her work is journalist Dillon Harris. He hounds her steps, and while not actively sabotaging her investigation, he also clearly knows more than he lets on. Whether it’s his presence that she finds so vexing or his easygoing charm, that’s a mystery she isn’t interested in solving. Because someone is out there seeding cursed objects with the intent on wreaking havoc, and Velma will have to use every trick in her tool kit, including some well-placed magical improvisation, to win the day.
Focusing on a new generation of the Rhodes family, The Improvisers brims with charming magic, intriguing mystery, and high-flying adventure seeking new heights.
Fantasy Urban | Women's Fiction Historical [Harper Voyager, On Sale: November 5, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063293595 / eISBN: 9780063293601]
NICOLE GLOVER works as a UX researcher in Virginia. She believes libraries are magical places and problems seem smaller with a cup of tea in hand. Her life outside of books include bicycles, video games, and baking the perfect banana bread. The Conductors is her debut novel.
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