This week Max talks to the Agatha-nominated writer Tina deBellegarde -- "the Louise Penny of Catskills" -- about her story Tokyo Stranger. We also discuss what she's learned from writing flash fiction, being influenced by Japanese short story writers, and beginning a story from a single image.
Listen here!
Links to Tina deBellegarde's books -- as well as other titles mentioned in the interview are below.
If you're curious why she's called the Louise Penny of Catskills, then you should start here. Winter Witness is the first title in the series -- followed by Dead Man's Leap, and there's a third book coming down the pike.
If you want more mysteries stories by Tina deBellegarde -- or if you're just looking for another anthology to discover more writers, check out Mystery Most Traditional -- 32 tales in the tradition of Agatha Christie.
If you want to explore more writing about Japan, you can request this anthology of Kyoto-based writers. These are not mystery stories, but more a little bit of everything, from flash fiction to poems. She also recommended the short story collection "Where the Wild Ladies Are" by Matsuda Aoko.
Tina cited Martha Grimes as a influence on her -- and if you haven't this done this classic series, you're in for a treat. Grimes' Richard Jury books don't need to be read in order as such, but I'd still start with the first entry, The Man with a Load of Mischief. Later books in the series are available on Hoopla.
And it was only a matter of time before our librarian Max shoehorned his own classic crime novel suggestion-- and this week he struck, recommending the Golden Age writer Ngaio Marsh. Colour Scheme, published in 1943, is his very favorite.
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