with Carla Neggers
We are delighted to welcome novelist Carla Neggers to Omnimystery News today.
Carla's new novel of romantic suspense is Declan's Cross (Harlequin Mira; August 2013 hardcover, large print, and ebook formats), the third in her Sharpe & Donovan series.
We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Carla and talk about her series.
— ♦ —
Omnimystery News: After publishing Saint's Gate, in which Sharpe and Donovan are introduced, why did you decide to continue to write a series with these characters?
Photo provided courtesy of
Carla Neggers — Photo credit Julie Ireland
Carla Neggers: Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan had to be recurring characters. There was never any question. Emma's an ex-nun from a family of international art detectives. He's a former state marine patrol officer and lobsterman. They're both FBI agents. They — and their relationship — develop over time. It's not so much that I chose this course with them as it just had to be! They have complex and complicated lives that make for multiple stories. We also have their family, friends and colleagues. Finian Bracken, an Irish priest who lands up in Colin's hometown, a struggling Maine fishing village, has become a reader favorite (and a favorite of mine!). Let's just say Father Bracken has a past. It's all great fun for me as a writer, and I hope, of course, for readers.
OMN: Are any of the characters based on, or inspired by, real people?
CN: I don't base characters on real people, but the Irish setting for Declan's Cross arose out of one of my many trips to Ireland. My husband and I visited Ardmore, a lovely village in the heart of Saint Declan country on the south Irish coast. It's rich with history, ancient ruins, gorgeous scenery. I ended up creating my little fictional village of Declan's Cross in this same area. Our visit didn't involve anything more challenging than long hikes and too much great food, but in Declan's Cross, we have a couple of intense FBI agents (Emma and Colin) on vacation, a ten-year-old unsolved Irish art theft and a missing American diver. And Julianne Maroney, a marine biologist and ex-flame of Colin's brother Andy. Look up "intrepid" and you'll see a picture of Julianne!
OMN: How did you decide on a title for the book?
CN: The title, Declan's Cross, arose out of the setting and the story. It's set in a fictional Irish village of the same name, and one of the items stolen in a famous art theft at the heart of the story is a Celtic cross. My gut told me it was the right title for the book, but just in case, I sent it to my editor along with three or four alternative titles. I didn't tell her which was my favorite. She immediately latched onto Declan's Cross. I don't know what I'd have done if she'd picked a different title (I don't remember what the others were, which says something, doesn't it?). Not all titles come about this way, but it was a lot of fun. I love the cover art. I sent my editor photos I'd taken in Ardmore, and Harlequin MIRA's amazing art team got busy. Did you check out the Celtic-inspired endpapers in the print hardcover edition? Gorgeous!
OMN: We did, and they're beautiful. You mentioned visiting Ireland and using that trip as an inspiration for the setting of the book. What other kinds of research did you do? Anything particularly challenging?
CN: My favorite way to fact-check and do research is to talk to experts in the areas I need to know about. For Declan's Cross, an Irish friend was an incredible, one-of-a-kind resource for all things Irish. He even helped with my sheep research. I'd never heard of "liver fluke" until I wrote Declan's Cross, and I'd be fine if I never hear of it again, thank you very much! Seriously, though, I love to do research and learn new things. Most challenging for me is recognizing the things I think I know but don't actually know as well as I thought. Most exciting … researching settings like Ireland and Maine!
OMN: Ireland … Maine … are there any other regions that come into play?
CN: I've always lived in the northeast, but my father was Dutch, my mother is from a small county in the Florida Panhandle and my husband is from middle Tennessee. I've moved a number of times (okay, more than a dozen!), and I love to travel and meet new people. I think this varied background helps me to see settings from different viewpoints, with an eye to detail.
OMN: What's next for you?
CN: I'm looking forward to a quiet fall and winter of writing by the woodstove on our hilltop in Vermont! With trips to visit family, especially our kids in Boston. It's been a busy year so far, and it's time to stay home, make soup, read, write, hike and cross-country ski. I'm deep into Harbor Island, my next adventure with Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan.
— ♦ —
Carla Neggers has been spinning stories ever since she climbed a tree with pad and pen at age eleven. Now she has millions of copies of her books in print in more than 30 countries.
Growing up in rural western Massachusetts with three brothers and three sisters, Carla developed an eye for detail and a love of a good story. Her imagination, curiosity and sense of adventure are key to creating the complex relationships, fast-paced plots and deep sense of place in her books.
For more information about the author and her work, please visit her website at CarlaNeggers.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
— ♦ —
Declan's Cross
Carla Neggers
A Sharpe & Donovan Novel
An escape to an idyllic Irish seaside village is about to turn deadly …
For marine biologist Julianne Maroney, two weeks in tiny Declan's Cross on the south Irish coast is a chance to heal her broken heart. She doesn't expect to attract the attention of FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan — especially since a Donovan is the reason for her broken heart.
Emma and Colin are in Ireland for their own personal retreat. Colin knows he's a reminder of everything Julianne wants to escape, but something about her trip raises his suspicion. Emma, an art crimes expert, is also on edge. Of all the Irish villages Julianne could choose … why Declan's Cross?
Ten years ago, a thief slipped into a mansion in Declan's Cross. Emma's grandfather, a renowned art detective, investigated, but the art stolen that night has never been recovered and the elusive thief never caught.
From the moment Julianne sets foot on Irish soil, everything goes wrong. The well-connected American diver who invited her to Ireland has disappeared. And now Emma and Colin are in Declan's Cross asking questions.
As a dark conspiracy unfolds amid the breathtaking scenery of Declan's Cross, the race is on to stop a ruthless killer … and the stakes have never been more personal for Emma and Colin.
0 comments:
Post a Comment