We are delighted to welcome author Stephanie Gayle to Omnimystery News today.
Stephanie introduces small town chief of police Thomas Lynch in Idyll Threats (Seventh Street Books; September 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the chance to catch up with her to talk about her new series.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to Thomas Lynch.
Photo provided courtesy of
Stephanie Gayle
Stephanie Gayle: My series protagonist is Chief of Police Thomas Lynch. Thomas is gruff, gay, and keeps himself to himself. Thomas is interesting because he's often acting in opposition to his environment and to perceived threats. He's not always right about things, but he often thinks he is. He's an outsider who wants to be an insider.
OMN: How do you expect him to develop over the course of a series?
SG: I expect my characters to develop and change over time. Thomas Lynch is no exception. The internal changes may not be huge, book to book, but some growth must happen or the character would feel stagnant.
OMN: How did you go about finding the right voice for the character?
SG: I hope it doesn't matter to readers that I write a male character. The first thing that came to me when I wrote Idyll Threats was Thomas's voice. So there was never much question about his gender. Also, in 1997, when the book opens, there weren't many women police chiefs.
OMN: Into what mystery genre would you place this book?
SG: I leave the categorizing to other people! But I find Idyll Threats often is slotted as police procedural or LGBT mystery.
OMN: Tell us something about Idyll Threats that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis.
SG: It's funny. Thomas is a smart ass. I promise he can make you laugh.
OMN: Where do you most often find yourself writing?
SG: I have a little home office I write in. It looks out onto my patio and backyard. I spend a lot of time watching squirrels run around while I muddle over plot points. Sometimes I write on my lunch break at work. I'll go to the Hayden Library at MIT and work for about an hour. I love the second floor tables. They're wooden and so smooth, worn from years of students' use.
OMN: Is the small town of Idyll based on a real place?
SG: I had planned to set my book in Naugatuck, Connecticut but a few details were wrong so I ended up creating a small town called Idyll. My own small town (Massachusetts) upbringing definitely influenced how I imagine Idyll. The other day I was trying to figure out distances and I almost typed Idyll, CT into a maps search. I'd forgotten Idyll isn't on any maps. So when I have to calculate distances, I use Tolland, CT as my proxy. That's "where" Idyll is located, approximately.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world to research the setting for a book, where would it be?
SG: Oh, man. That's a great question. My first thought was the Caribbean. Turks and Caicos or Virgin Gorda. But I can't imagine actually doing research. I'd probably just lie under an umbrella reading. So maybe Paris. I loved Paris when I visited it. I'm a big fan of French cuisine. And I like walking all around the city. So, Paris. Just don't ask what I'd be researching.
OMN: What are some of your outside interests? And have any of these made their way into your book?
SG: I love to play board games, the nerdier and more complex, the better. I knit, I bake, and I like to dance. None of these will make their way into the Chief Lynch series unless I share them with a secondary character. Thomas is never going to pick up knitting needles. As a writer, I'm more interested in things outside my own experience.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiring writers?
SG: Some very good advice about writing a novel is that you, the author, should know what your character wants, what obstacle(s) are blocking the achievement of this goal, and the outcome.
Advice to aspiring authors: read as much as you can. Read widely and diversely, not just books that are like the ones you want to write. Figure out what "works" in the books you like and why. What doesn't work and why. Now go and write. As much as you can. Much of the stuff you write you'll trash or edit, but that doesn't equate to wasted effort. Practice makes you a better writer.
OMN: How did you come up with the title Idyll Threats?
SG: Of the two books I've written my titles have never made it to print. My mother came up with my first novel's title, My Summer of Southern Discomfort, after HarperCollins rejected my working title. And Idyll Threats came courtesy of my boyfriend, Todd. My working title, Landlord to a Ghost, no longer worked because I had cut the ghost character. My editor, Dan Mayer, suggested incorporating the town name, Idyll, into a title. Todd suggested Idyll Threats. He's very proud of himself. And I'm zero for two on the title war. It's become a bit of a joke. I swear I am going to make title three mine!
OMN: How involved were you with the cover design?
SG: I was sent the cover as an email attachment. I got it while I was at work. I screamed, "I love it!" Then I printed it and taped it to my wall. It's still there. So I didn't have much involvement, aside from admiring it.
OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?
SG: I read everything as a kid: fantasy, literary novels, horror, and, of course, mysteries. I recall plowing through my grandparents' collection of Agatha Christie mysteries. I didn't understand the Briticisms though, so I couldn't figure out why the cars had "boots" and why everyone was running around at night with "torches." I think all my reading has influenced my writing, but in subtle ways I sometimes don't recognize.
OMN: And today, what do you look for when selecting a book to read?
SG: This is influenced by when I'm reading it and what my mindset is. I tend to read lots of dystopian fiction when I'm on vacation. Because I'm happy so I can read depressing post-apocalyptic stuff. But for every day, I like books with flawed narrators. I also like a strong voice and great details, to make me feel I'm really "in" the book.
OMN: Whats of films do you enjoy watching?
SG: I like films where the story is solid and tight. I have a very editorial mind when it comes to film, so I am forever noticing continuity errors and too-long runtimes. Some of my favorite films are: Jaws, Milo & Otis, The Philadelphia Story, Memento, and The Goonies. My taste is rather eclectic.
OMN: Create a Top 5 list for us on any topic.
SG: Top 5 Crime TV series created by and/or starring women detectives: Happy Valley, Blue Murder, Scott & Bailey, The Killing, and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. All of these are worth watching!
OMN: What's next for you?
SG: I'm scheduling a lot of readings/events for Idyll Threats while I work on writing the sequel. If you want to check if I'll be in your area, visit my website.
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Stephanie Gayle's fascination with crime stories began when she first met a policeman at the age of 4 and outsmarted him. After flirting with the idea of becoming a defense attorney and then suffering through a few weeks as a paralegal, she decided writing crime fiction would be a lot more satisfying — and fun. By day, she's a financial assistant at MIT's Media Lab.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at StephanieGayle.com and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Idyll Threats by Stephanie Gayle
A Thomas Lynch Novel
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
In the summer of 1997, Thomas Lynch arrives as the new chief of police in Idyll, Connecticut — a town where serious crimes can be counted on one hand. So no one is prepared when Cecilia North is found murdered on a golf course. By chance, Chief Lynch met her mere hours before she was killed. With that lead, the case should be a slam dunk. But there's a problem. If Lynch tells his detectives about meeting the victim, he'll reveal his greatest secret — he's gay.
So Lynch works angles of the case on his own. Meanwhile, he must contend with pressure from the mayor to solve the crime before the town's biggest tourist event begins, all while coping with the suspicions of his men, casual homophobia, and difficult memories of his former NYPD partner's recent death.
As the case unfolds, Lynch realizes that small-town Idyll isn't safe, especially for a man with secrets that threaten the thing he loves most — his job.
— Idyll Threats by Stephanie Gayle
