A Conversation with Mystery Author Beate Boeker

with Beate Boeker

We are delighted to welcome mystery author Beate Boeker to Omnimystery News today.

Beate is the author of the "Temptation in Florence" mysteries, the first of which is Delayed Death (Beate Boeker, December 2012 ebook formats).

We recently had a chance to talk to Beate about her series.

— ♦ —

Omnimystery News: Introduce us to the "Temptation in Florence" series.

Photo provided courtesy of
Beate Boeker

Beate Boeker: It is a combination of my two favorite genres, mysteries and romance. The mysteries, of course, have to be solved and brought to a satisfying end in every novel, but the romance spans like an arch over the whole series, as the relationship between the heroine Carlina and the investigating officer Stefano Garini is developing.

OMN: Is the mystery story in each properly categorized as a cozy?

BB: Definitely. I'm very comfortable with that genre and am glad it exists. In Germany, where I live, the subtle differences in genre are not that well known, and so, hard-boiled thrillers and cozies are often placed side by side, which is counter-productive, in my opinion.

OMN: Have you incorporated any of your own personal experiences or character traits into your books?

BB: Somewhat. I write in a language that isn't my mother language, my mysteries are set in Italy, where I don't live, and I'm glad to say I never came across a body in my life! However, the things that are directly taken from my life are the emotions and the conflicts, be it within the family or in professional life. In my day job, I'm a marketing manager for high quality products, and so I'm very familiar with the challenges of the luxury retail business. I use all of this for the "Temptation in Florence" mystery series because my heroine Carlina is the owner of an upscale lingerie store besides being part of an eccentric and exuberant family.

OMN: Tell us a bit more about your writing process.

BB: I create something that I call "storyline". Basically, it tells in a few words what is happening when until the murderer is found. However, I often add to it while I write. Recently, for example, the irrepressible mother of my heroine suddenly declared that she was going to create a trap for the murderer. There it was, black on white, and I had no clue what sort of trap I should create. It took me several hours to come up with one!

On top of that, I have a "fact sheet" where I list each character and add every single fact about them as they appear in the novel. In doing so, I avoid that a minor character suddenly has a change of hair color half-way through the book.

OMN: The series is set in Florence. How true have you been to the city itself?

BB: The setting is very important because it gives the whole series its flavor and its fun. I take a few liberties by creating stores where they aren't, but I also try to stick to the truth as much as possible, so that people can walk through the streets and say, "This is where Carlina lives with her family", expecting her to come around the corner at any given moment.

OMN: You mentioned that English isn't your native language, and yet it is the language in which you write your mysteries. Surely there must be a backstory here!

BB: Why, yes. When I started out as a writer, I realized that I couldn't find the right kind of help in Germany to learn the craft. However, I found plenty of resources available in the US, so I finally decided to write in English. However, I have just now started to translate my stories into German and — funny enough — I'm finding it more difficult than expected!

OMN: What authors do you enjoy reading?

BB: I love the "Amelia Peabody" series by Elizabeth Peters and the "Meg Langslow" series by Donna Andrews. I'm also a great fan of Georgette Heyer because she has such an ironic way of portraying people — and of Agatha Christie, of course! Sadly Sarah Caudwell died early, or I would go out and buy all her latest releases. They are ironic and very British and total fun.

OMN: What are your interests outside of reading and writing mysteries?

BB: With a full-time job and a family plus writing, there is little room for hobbies. However, I like to go camping in summer, like to visit the zoo, like to meet friends (preferably abroad!) and chat, and like good food (particularly chocolate!).

OMN: How do you interact with readers of your books?

BB: I love to hear from my readers and can be reached on Facebook, via Twitter, and via my website, happybooks.de. Once, a reader told me that my novel kept her happy while her house was cut off from power and heat during a snow storm. That really made me glow inside. Another reader told me my novel had given her a wonderful laugh and a much needed lift to the spirits in a very difficult time. That's my goal — to make readers smile and happy, to make them feel uplifted. Life is difficult enough as it is — reading is escapism without bad side-effects!

OMN: OK, you piqued our curiosity. Why is your website called happybooks.de?

BB: For two reasons. First, if you take a mix of Latin and a German dialect (Plattdeutsch), my name can be directly translated as Happy Books. Nomen est omen, they say, and in this case, it's true that my name is a clear indication of what you get! Second, I like to write books that make you happy, let you finish with a smile and a good feeling, strong and relaxed to return to the real world that isn't always as happy as it should be.

OMN: Create for us a Top 5 list on any topic of your choosing.

BB: I find that a list of the "Top five people I have to bite if I ever get rabies" is very therapeutic. You can smile at them and think "You're on my list. If only you knew." I can't share more details, of course!

OMN: What's next for you?

BB: With indie publishing, there is so much to learn and to do that I don't even know where to begin. I plan to translate my novels into German — a huge project, since I have ten short stories and novels available by now. I also plan to release another romance called Mischief in Italy. This one is set at the Garda lake in Italy (about a two hour drive from Florence). I giggled all the time while writing it. And of course I plan to write more cozy mysteries in the series "Temptation in Florence", so I'm not going to be bored in the next decade or so.

— ♦ —

Beate Boeker is a marketing manager by day with a degree in International Business Administration, and her daily experience in marketing continuously provides her with a wide range of fodder for her novels, be it hilarious or cynical.

While "Boeker" means "books" in a German dialect, her first name Beate can be translated as "Happy" … and with a name that reads "Happy Books", what else could she do but write novels with a happy end?

You can learn more about Beate and her books on her website, HappyBooks.de or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

— ♦ —

Delayed Death
Beate Boeker
A Temptation in Florence Mystery (1st in series)

What do you do when you find your grandfather dead half an hour before your cousin's wedding? You hide him in his bed and tell everyone he didn't feel like coming.

When Carlina finds her grandfather dead on the day of her cousin's wedding, she decides to hide the corpse until after the ceremony. However, her grandfather was poisoned, and she becomes the attractive Inspector's prime suspect.

On top of that, she has to manage her boisterous family and her luxurious lingerie store called Temptation, a juggling act that creates many hilarious situations.