Author interview and blook review for Artists and Thieves

Book Review of Artists and Thieves

Book Synopsis:

Linda Schroeder will be touring June 4 – July 27 2012 with her mystery novel, Artists & Thieves.

Winner of the 2011 San Diego Book Awards, Action/Suspense category!

Where there is art, there are thieves.

Mai Ling is both. Artist by day, thief by night, she recovers stolen art for Interpol. It’s  a business, not a passion, until her beloved grandfather reveals a family secret that is also a destiny. He is duty-bound to return to China an especially precious bowl which belonged to his ancestor. Mai must steal it for him.

But Mai Ling is not the only one after the bowl. Four others plan to extract the bowl from a private California art collection. The rival thieves grasp and then lose the bowl until finally Mai is faced with the ultimate dilemma:  save the bowl or save herself. Her duty to her grandfather gives her only one choice.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Monterey Peninsula and peopled with quirky characters, this stylish art caper entertains on every page.

Author InExcerpt:

With screaming force a bullet dug violently into her left shoulder, blasted her onto her side. The bowl jolted from her arm, careened down the hillside, glinted once, twice, three times in the silver moonlight before plunging into the old swimming pool just up the hill from the breakwater.

The bowl itself reacted instantly to the water, glowing brightly. In a streak of light, a stream of fire, it cut through the dark water, hitting bottom in a blaze of red flashes.

Even as severe pain consumed her, Mai, barely able to breathe, her energy ebbing away, watched the oracle bowl as it flew off the cliff into the water. The bowl’s strange light, its stream of fire, seemed normal to her, as if she expected it, as if it motioned to her.

You can visit the author’s website at www.artistsandthieves.com.

Author Interview:

Thank you for joining us today.

1.       What inspired this particular novel/book?

Artists & Thieves began several years ago when I was reading David Hockney’s Secret Knowledge which is his discussion of painters who use a camera obscura to first trace a subject and then paint it. At the same time I was studying Chinese art and also enrolled in a UCSD class on how to write a mystery novel. So for that class I came up with the idea of a very ancient art object which depicted a camera obscura. That art object became a Chinese bronze bowl and my mystery involved the theft of that bowl. All I needed, then, was a plot and a few characters, and four years to figure out how to put it all together.  Piece of cake!

2.       What character was your favorite to write for in this story? Why?

Writing the main character was a challenge. She had to be clever and one step ahead of everyone else. But my favorite character to write was the artist Angelo. He is an “in your face” artist, arrogant, flamboyant, deeply emotional.  He was easy to describe, “costume,” and write dialogue for because I know several artists like him. He is the opposite of the heroine but her good friend.

3.       Which was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite scene was the introduction to Angelo. I had to describe him, make him likable, and show one of the main places in the novel--Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey.  I lived in Monterey and knew exactly what Fisherman’s Wharf looked like, smelled and sounded like. All the colors, sounds, and activity of a tourist place were perfect to display Angelo’s enthusiasm, generosity, and arrogance, traits which get him into trouble and move the plot ahead.

 4.  What was the hardest thing about writing this story?

Finding the plot was the hardest. I don’t work from an outline. I “blank page,” sit down at the computer with a general idea and see what happens. This leads to very creative “Aha” moments but also requires a whole lot of rewrites, rearranging scenes, tightening character relationship, and meshing everything together so the events follow in a logical sequence which could not be otherwise.

5.       What Are Your Writing Quirks & Must-Haves To Write?

I write much better with a deadline. I am in a writing group led by the mystery author Carolyn Wheat. We bring to each meeting a scene to be critiqued. I polish the dialogue, descriptions, and physical happenings and take that scene to be critiqued. Then, I rewrite!

6.       What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I compose on the computer. Somehow the keyboard allows my thoughts to flow and interesting sparks of insight occur. But I rewrite with a pencil, taking time to think of better words and make the scene more visual and the action clearer.

7.       Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I concentrate on two creative things now that I am retired:  learning to do Chinese brush painting and writing. I take art classes and have an art blog which means I have to hunt for local art to blog about. I have time to research for writing--for instance I did a lot of research on Chinese bronze treasures and visited foundries to learn how bronze is cast for Artists & Thieves. Now I am researching Francisco Goya and art forensics for my current novel-in-progress about a forged Goya painting.

8.       As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a dancer and still wish I had had the money to train professionally.

9.       When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I studied literature in college. I wanted to learn to tell stories more than “to be a writer.”

10.   Where do you find your Inspirations?

I study people. Recently I was eating dinner in a restaurant and watched a twenty-something woman and her date in the booth next to me. She constantly fingered a large metal medallion she wore as a necklace. She also put it in her mouth a lot between bites. How odd? I knew there was a story there.

11.   What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I read all genres but most often mysteries and literary fiction. Usually not horror. I’ve read everything by Arturo Perez-Reverte and Haruki Murakami--totally different writers. And Jasper Fforde is delightful.

12.   Please let readers know where they can connect with you and purchase your books...

My web page is www.artistsandthieves.com and my blog is part of that address. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn. Artists & Thieves is available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes&Noble, Nook and Google ebooks.

13.   Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I love the Internet. My thanks to Mindy Wall for this opportunity to connect with writers and readers.

Thank you so much for chatting with us today.

About the Author:

Linda Schroeder divides her time between the bright sun of California and the high mountains of Colorado. She has a Master’s degree in English and one in Communicative Disorders/Audiology. In addition to her novel, Artists & Thieves, she has published a college text.

Her early interest in English expanded to include language disorders and she began a second career as an audiologist and aural rehabilitation therapist working with deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults.

Currently, she studies and practices Chinese brush painting, celebrating the vitality and energy of nature. She follows art and art theft blogs and writes her own blog about art and sometimes includes reviews of novels. She is working on two more novels, a second Mai Ling novel about the Diamond Sutra, and a Sammy Chan art mystery about the forgery of a Goya painting.

You can visit her website at www.artistsandthieves.com.

About the Book:

Winner of the 2011 San Diego Book Awards, Action/Suspense category
Where there is art, there are thieves.
Mai Ling is both. Artist by day, thief by night, she recovers stolen art for Interpol. It’s  a business, not a passion, until her beloved grandfather reveals a family secret that is also a destiny. He is duty-bound to return to China an especially precious bowl which belonged to his ancestor. Mai must steal it for him.
But Mai Ling is not the only one after the bowl. Four others plan to extract the bowl from a private California art collection. The rival thieves grasp and then lose the bowl until finally Mai is faced with the ultimate dilemma:  save the bowl or save herself. Her duty to her grandfather gives her only one choice.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Monterey Peninsula and peopled with quirky characters, this stylish art caper entertains on every page.
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Book Review:

This book is very intriguing.  I love how it introduces historical art pieces without becoming lost in the details.  The tidbits of art information add to the story, rather than distracting from it. 

I enjoyed the tidbits of information regarding Chinese history also,  as well as the look at Chinese culture.  This book ias well as the look at Chinese culture.  This book is a great read and has a remarkable feast of charm, wit, action, humor, sorrow, and love.

I give this book 4 out of 5 clouds.

This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.