Interview with Roberta Isleib

When the cold winds of winter blow into town, I take it as a sign that it's the perfect time of year for reading a good murder mystery. As you know, I'm always on the look-out for a new author, especially one that has that amazing ability to keep me guessing until the very last page. Of course, blood and guts don't really appeal to me. Being the romance guru that I am, a nondescript shot to the head or back will do just fine. I really don't see the need to delve into all the minute details of exactly how the victim met his demise. C.S.I. does a really great job with that. Clearly, it's best to leave it to the experts.

PREACHING TO THE CORPSE combines the good with the bad. Sure, going to church is a positive thing. Our world would be a much better place if we all visited it a little more often. And as for the corpse part, who doesn't like a good old-fashioned murder mystery? I was first introduced to Roberta Isleib through a recommendation from my good friend, Elaine Viets (www.elaineviets.com/), who loves to keep me abreast of who is hot and who is not! After reading Roberta's latest release, I was quite impressed and just had to find out more about the woman behind the making of this delightful story. Not to mention, her writing style, character development, and overall ability to quite simply entertain make her book definitely worth the read. So without further ado, please go grab yourself something warm to drink and get to know my new friend, Roberta Isleib. Jen: Please tell us a little bit about your educational and professional background so that my readers can get a better understanding of who you are as a person and not solely as a writer.

Roberta: It's a little embarrassing to admit just how many years I've spent in school, but here goes...I graduated from Princeton (my class was the 3rd year they admitted women--an interesting experience!) Then I worked a few years before attending the University of Tennessee for a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling. Worked a few years, and then attended the University of Florida for a PhD in clinical psychology. Did my internship and two postdoc years at Yale, and then had a private psychotherapy practice for 13 years before turning to writing. My poor father can't believe I gave up all that education to become a writer. I explain to him that nothing is ever wasted in this writing business!

Jen: When was the defining moment in your life when you decided to become a writer?

Roberta: Because I was a student for so many years, I should say I've always written. But I began writing seriously in order to make something useful out of my obsession with all things golf. In the beginning, I wrote articles about golf psychology (to use my training as a clinical psychologist.) But I found breaking into the freelance magazine market to be very challenging, so I decided to try writing a mystery. Wow, if I had only known...

I had always loved reading mysteries and I imagined it would be fun to write one with a neurotic lady golfer as a protagonist (write what you know and all that!)

Jen: Who has had the most influence on your writing career and why? And whose opinion do you value most when it comes to criticism and praise in relation to your work?

Roberta: I count heavily on my amazing network of writer friends. My older sister is a nature writer--she got into the business well before I did and is a great source of support. My husband is a business editor and has an excellent eye for wordiness and slow plots. I belong to a writers group and they are also ruthless editors. And I have a couple of other writer friends who are excellent at brainstorming plot problems. In general the mystery writing community is an astonishing source of support and inspiration (Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, in particular.) And don't let me forget the best money I ever spent: hiring independent editor Nora Cavin to review several of my manuscripts. That was like taking the private writing tutorial I never had in school.

Jen: Please take us through your writing process. Plot first? Characters? Outline? What is the most challenging part of a novel for you to write and why?

Roberta: I generally start with a character and have to be prodded to move the plot forward. I think my training and experience as a clinical psychologist help me shape the characters, and then imagine their long- term evolution. I save headlines and articles from newspapers and magazines to keep in my "future book" folder, but some days I can stare at them all day and still come up without a shred of plot.

My contracts with Berkley Prime Crime have required me to turn in an outline of the books I'm going to write. Then I use that synopsis as a general guide--no one has ever pointed to those pages and accused me of not following them. For the upcoming book, the third in the advice column series, I did the most extensive synopsis ever. It was hard work, but it did make the writing easier. I spent less time moping in front of the computer screen with no idea about where the story would go next.

Jen: I have to go on the record and say that I am slightly biased towards you since we have so much in common. J I also grew up in New Jersey and I am an avid golfer. Please tell us about your first series, Golf Lover's Mysteries. What was your inspiration for this series? Has golf always been a passion of yours?

Roberta: Oh heavens, no! I used to despise golf--it made my top three list for dull sports--drag-racing, bowling, and golf. Then I met a golfer and fell in love--with both the man and the game. I began a furious campaign to learn to play and spent lots of time and money trying to master it. I couldn't get over how nervous I felt on the first tee, especially in a competition. How did professional golfers survive and even thrive with this kind of stress? Golf is a very mental game. So the picture of Cassie Burdette, neurotic professional golfer wannabe, began to take shape. Over the series I was able to talk her into starting psychotherapy so that her golf game and her taste in men both improve!

Jen: Your latest release, which I loved by the way, is called PREACHING TO THE CORPSE. This novel is the second title in your Advice Column Mysteries series. This series is similar to your first in the sense that you draw from your own clinical career to give your readers some validation to your lead character's authenticity. How did you arrive at the premise for this novel?

Roberta: First of all, thank you! I think the idea for PREACHING TO THE CORPSE must have come when I was sitting in a church meeting. Either I was bored to death or annoyed to death; probably grumbling to myself that someone was going to die if they didn't stop yakking. I started daydreaming, as writers do: What if one of the members of a committee like this one was murdered? Wouldn't it be especially frightening to have the crime committed by someone you think you know, in a place where most people expect nothing but good thoughts and deeds?

Jen: A question I just have to ask... How similar are Dr. Butterman and you?

Roberta: We certainly have some surface similarities--both psychologists with private practices in New Haven (though I'm now writing full time.) We both love to eat, though she's a better cook than I am! On the other hand, my person life is a lot less tumultuous than hers. And if some big redheaded detective told me to butt out of a case, you'd see me running...I'm not particularly brave. Or nosey.

Jen: I liked the history blurb you had at the beginning of the novel. How much research went into the writing of this novel?

Roberta: I'm a member of the Congregational church that the Shoreline church was modeled after, and I've been very involved with committees. And I have a good friend who's a minister. So really very little outside research was necessary. It was all there for the plucking. The historical quote in the beginning of the book is from a pamphlet about the history of the First Congregational Church in Madison, CT. All that said; let me assure you that PREACHING TO THE CORPSE is strictly fiction!

Jen: Every good mystery novel needs a sexy hunk and you certainly delivered! Besides his persona, what do you like best about Detective Meigs and why?

Roberta: I must admit to having a thing for Detective Meigs. He's got a warm heart underneath his tough and gruff exterior. And it's important to him to do the right thing, even if his heart breaks over it.

Jen: In my opinion, the role of the clergy has changed drastically over the past three to five years. I think your novel accurately depicts that by the range of personalities your clergymen have. Were you consciously trying to incorporate their idiosyncrasies as a way of making the "men of God" seem believable as fallible human beings in spite of their religious position and stature in life?

Roberta: Partly this book came out of my curiosity about what kind of people go into ministry and why. It's such a hard job. You are put on a pedestal--the height depending on the type of church--and then expected to handle an immense amount of human suffering and doubt, all while displaying wisdom, caring, and a stellar personal life. How can someone manage that kind of pressure? And, at what cost? And why would a person want that kind of life? These were the questions I was asking as I wrote those characters. I spoke with a psychologist friend who does many candidate evaluations for the Yale Divinity School. He assured me that most of the people he interviews feel a strong calling for the ministry, much in the same way a person would feel called to write or teach or doctor.

Jen: Your lead character, Rebecca, has quite the back-story yet she manages to overcome life's struggles and remain overall a positive person. What are Rebecca's greatest strengths? Her weaknesses?

Roberta: As with all of us, Rebecca has been shaped by her family and life history. But as a psychologist, she understands the importance of knowing herself thoroughly so she doesn't mix up her own issues with those of her patients. Hence, psychotherapy! But she's still vulnerable to feeling lonely and she yearns for a big lug to take care of her, though she's quite capable of managing her life. But these feelings drive her to get involved with situations she'd be better to leave alone. (Like solving murders of course!)

As for strengths, she's loyal, loving, generous, and smart. And a fabulous cook!

Jen: Your work has been recognized for excellence (Agatha and Anthony Award nominee) and after reading Preaching to the Corpse I can definitely see why!! Currently, you serve as president of International Sisters in Crime. Please tell us about this organization and its relevance to your career.

Roberta: Sisters in Crime was founded in 1986 by a small group of writers including Sara Paretsky and Nancy Pickard, and has grown to an international organization with over 3400 members. SinC began by monitoring review space in newspapers and pointing out potential biases to reviewers. The group found that a book written by a man was seven times more likely to be reviewed than a book by a woman, important because libraries and fans make choices depending on reviews.

Over the past twenty years, SinC has continued to combat discrimination against women in the mystery field, educate publishers and the general public as to inequities in the treatment of female authors, raise the level of awareness of their contributions to the field, and promote the professional advancement of women who write mysteries.

The publishing world is changing and our current goal is to figure out how to continue to support women crime writers even as publishing gets more challenging. We will be thinking of ways to strengthen our chapters, help our published authors get the most out of their books, and educate our pre- published writers. It's an amazing organization! I truly knew no one in the publishing business or the mystery field when I started to write. The New England chapter has come to be an enormous source of support and energy for me and I'm honored to be part of the national leadership.

Jen: What project are you currently working on and what can you tell us about it?

Roberta: I have just finished and mailed off the third book in the Rebecca Butterman advice column series. The working title is LINE IN THE SAND, though I have a feeling that will change. Rebecca's good friend, a social worker who does sand tray therapy, is found beaten and left for dead. Rebecca searches for clues in the sand trays to track a would-be killer. The book should be out next September (2008.) After the holidays, I'll start thinking about what to write next...

Jen: Please tell us a bout your website. Do you have email notification of new releases? Do you participate in author phone chats? And if so, how would my readers go about arranging one? Do you participate in any blogs?

Roberta: I do have a mailing list and will gladly send big news to anyone who signs up through the website. I'm always delighted to be part of a phone chat--love talking to readers groups and book clubs. You can email me directly [email protected]. I have a personal blog attached to my website: http://www.robertaisleib.com/blog And I've recently been invited to join the Jungle Red Writers--including Hallie Ephron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rosemary Harris, and Jan Brogan. They are wonderful New England mystery writers and lovely women besides: http://www.jungleredwriters.com/ I swore I wasn't getting sucked into writing blogs, but I've been unable to resist!

Jen: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule, especially during the post-holiday season, to speak with my readers. Best of luck with your career!

Roberta: Thank you so much Jen! I'm grateful for this opportunity!

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I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Roberta! If you would like to read my review of Preaching to the Corpse, please visit Fresh Fictions reviews.

Okay, it's time for the book give-away! Five readers to correctly answer the following question will win a copy of Preaching to the Corpse! Good Luck!

What is the title of the next book in the Advice Column Mystery series due out in September 2008?

Next time, I will be bringing to you my interview with the one and only...Barbara Delinsky! We will be discussing her new release, The Secret Between Us, which hits the stores this February! You won't want to miss this in-depth interview!

Until next month... Jen