We are delighted to welcome author Nancy Boyarsky to Omnimystery News today.
Nancy's new first in series mystery is The Swap (Light Messages Publishing; February 2017 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to catch up with her to talk more about it.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to your new series character.
Photo provided courtesy of
Nancy Boyarsky
Nancy Boyarsky: Nicole Graves is my series heroine. In book one, The Swap (published this month), she has arranged a house swap, exchanging her L.A. condo for a house in London. At the start of the novel, Nicole seems a bit of a wimp, preoccupied with the problems in her marriage. An important part of her character is her insatiable curiosity about the people she meets. She also tends to be impulsive, acting instinctively when a crisis arises. And there are times in the past when she’s been brave. But when we first meet her, she’s so consumed with anxiety, that these qualities have pretty much shut down.
That soon changes when circumstances put her in danger. Suddenly she faces three new problems: the failure of the London couple to arrive in L.A., the people who are following and threatening her, and her failure to get anyone to believe her.
At this low point, her coping skills are seriously challenged. But it isn’t until she gets truly angry that she grows into the role of de facto detective, willing to take some risks — and gradually much greater ones — to find out what is going on and save herself. At this point, she becomes a force to be reckoned with, confident, assertive, and — when challenged — more than a little dangerous.
OMN: Was it always your intention to make The Swap a first in series mystery?
NB: No, not at all. Once it was published, however, I kept wondering what would happen to my heroine after the story ended. That inspired me to write a second novel about Nicole, The Bequest, which is set in L.A. and will be released by my publisher this summer. I’m now working on a third book in this series.
OMN: How to you see Nicole developing over the course of the series?
I try to make to make her grow and change by forcing her to confront a series of crises. In The Swap, she is confronted by marital problems, a common experience for people today. But her marriage becomes secondary to much bigger threats that force her to use all of her intelligence and courage. That helps her grow as a character and makes her braver and, in my eyes, more admirable.
OMN: Into which genre would you place The Swap?
NB: My book is a mystery of the sort that Alfred Hitchcock used in his classic film The Man Who Knew Too Much. It’s the story of an innocent abroad, the traveler who picks up the wrong suitcase. In Nicole’s case, however, she’s a traveler who picks out the wrong house swap.
I chose the “accidental detective” genre because I enjoy reading this kind of book, as opposed to procedural mysteries. Although The Swap has a female protagonist and some elements of a cozy, my books have too much realistic dialogue (language real people use when they’re angry or threatened) and violence.
I don’t find it a disadvantage to label a book in a genre and a subcategory of that genre. It gives prospective readers an idea of what to expect; that’s always a good thing. People tend to favor certain genres over others. As authors, we should give them information so they can make good choices.
OMN: Tell us something about the book that isn't mentioned in the synopsis.
NB: Someone Nicole first regards as a threat will help save her, and the person she trusts most turns out to be lying about everything.
OMN: When starting a new book, which comes first for you: the storyline or a cast of characters?
NB: In starting a new book, creating interesting characters is important. My main character is central to everything I write. She will provide the viewpoint for the story. In other words, everything that happens will be told through her eyes, even though I’m writing in the third person.
With a mystery, you have to establish some other things before you can start: What is the crime? Who committed it? What is the motive? Why did the crime take place at that particular moment? Who is the detective character? What is the detective’s motive for solving the crime? The crime-solver needs a pretty strong reason to spend time and take risks by getting involved.
OMN: What is the best advice — and harshest criticism — you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiriing writers?
NB: The best advice was “Don’t give up your day job.” The odds of being able to support yourself writing fiction are about as good as an artist has supporting herself with proceeds from her work. Be satisfied with the joys of storytelling and having your work find an audience.
The harshest criticism came from a few readers who complained that too much happened in my mysteries. I, myself, grow impatient when too little happens in a book I’m reading, so I have trouble relating to this. Most of my readers seem like the action and twists that keep my plot moving.
As for what advice I’d give a new author, I’d say don’t give up but be prepared for a lot of rejection letters before your work finds its way into print. And, if all else fails, don’t hestitate to self-publish. That’s how some books find publishers. By all means, hire a publicist so your book doesn’t get lost in the thousands of books that are published at the same time as yours.
OMN: Complete this sentence for us: "I am a mystery author, but I am also …".
NB: I am a mystery author, but I am also a portrait artist and a techie, providing technical support (wifi, computer, smartphone, etc.) for family and friends.
OMN: When selecting a book to read for pleasure, what do you look for?
NB: I look first at various book review sites. Then I read the synopsis of the book, usually on Amazon, as well as reader’s comments. Finally, I download a sample of the book to see if it catches my interest. I generally look for books that are well written and intriguing, usually with some kind of mystery angle.
OMN: If The Swap were to be adapted for television or film, who do you see playing the lead characters?
NB: I’d like to see Piper Perabo, the star of Covert Affairs and Notorious on TV. For Reinhardt, I’d like Rufus Sewell, from TV shows The Man in the Castle and Victoria.
OMN: What's next for you?
NB: The next big event for me will take place this summer when my second book about Nicole Graves, The Bequest will be published. This book has her back in L.A., caught up in a mystery and a media frenzy when a co-worker is murdered and unexpectedly leaves her a fortune of dubious origin. I’m currently working on a third book about Nicole, as yet unnamed. This one involves a campus rape that turns into a murder case.
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Nancy Boyarsky has been a writer and editor for her entire working career. She coauthored Backroom Politics with her husband, Bill Boyarsky. She has written several textbooks on the justice system. She has written articles for publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and McCall's. She has also contributed to political anthologies, including In the Running, about women's political campaigns, and The Challenge of California by the late Eugene Lee. In addition to her writing career, Nancy has served as communications director for political affairs for ARCO. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a major in English literature. She resides in Los Angeles.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at NancyBoyarsky.com and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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The Swap by Nancy Boyarsky
A Nicole Graves Mystery
Publisher: Light Messages Publishing
When Nicole Graves arranges a summer-long swap of her Los Angeles condo for a London couple's house, she thinks it's the perfect arrangement. She's always dreamed of seeing the real London; she's also hopeful the time away with her husband Brad will be good for their troubled marriage.
But things don't turn out the way Nicole expects: The Londoners fail to arrive in L.A. and appear to be missing. Then people begin following Nicole and making threats, demanding information she doesn't have. Soon, Nicole realizes she's in serious trouble — — but she can't get Brad or the police to believe her.
When the confrontations turn deadly, Nicole must either solve the case or become the next victim.
— The Swap by Nancy Boyarsky
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