We are delighted to welcome author Silvia Villalobos to Omnimystery News today.
Silvia's debut novel of suspense is Stranger or Friend (Summer Solstice; March 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the chance to spend some time with her talking about it.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to the lead character of Stranger or Friend? What is it about her that appeals to you as a writer?
Photo provided courtesy of
Silvia Villalobos
Silvia Villalobos: As a young woman, Zoe Sinclair wanted nothing more than to leave her hometown behind for bigger, newer places. She moved to Los Angeles and dedicated her life to a legal career, sporadically making time for the occasional boyfriend. A decade later, she found her way back to Wyoming, to her gravely ill mother in need of heart surgery. Mom wants to die with dignity, not cut up on a hospital bed, should something go wrong. Except Zoe is not ready to let her go.
As someone who has moved not only far away, but to another continent, I am interested in exploring characters who disconnect from all that is home, only to find themselves drawn back to an extent, to the place that defines them, even if that place is no longer what they remember, in fact so much has happened in between that home is now an alien place. And as an Eastern European immigrant, married to a California native of Hispanic descent, I am interested in exploring this amazing confluence of cultures we have in the U.S., the interaction between newcomers and locals, the misgivings, the fear of what is new, the understanding, the friendships. All the joy and pain this process brings along the way.
OMN: How would you tweet a summary of the book?s
SV: When L.A. lawyer Zoe Sinclair returns to Wyoming, her town is the scene of two murders. Her friend Lori has been found strangled to death and there is a grave in the woods.
OMN: How much of your own experience have you included in the book?s
SV: Starting a new life somewhere, as I did, leaves a certain mark on an individual. So, that aspect is in the book even if secondary to the mystery itself. Many of Zoe's thoughts in regard to newcomers have been my thoughts — for example toward the end of the story, when she looks at the mountains in the distance, she internalizes this: The mountain peaks had guided the first frontier men to the new land … It must've been a beautiful sight to those wary eyes. New land, new hope. In time, different races and ethnicities would come together, forming a new society.
Also, Zoe's ill mother is based on my aunt who helped raise me. When she fell gravely ill a few years back, and it was clear she only had so much time left, she asked to be taken out of hospital and go home. It was a very difficult decision for the family.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
SV: I usually start with two elements: setting and character. I give the character goals, motivations and conflicts (internal and external). The external conflict is particularly complicated by the world she lives in, hence setting is important.
I had somewhat of an outline for Stranger or Friend — mostly names, events, and a timeline. As I put chapters through my critique group, the characters expanded, especially the villain. I had the villain well defined in my mind's eye, but had to make certain this also came across well for the reader, who was new to story and characters. That is when a critique group becomes absolutely critical.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, to research the setting for a book, where would it be?
SV: Oh, I would love to travel to so many places — as far away as New Zeeland, as near as San Francisco. But since I have to pick one place, that would have to be anywhere in Europe. Once there, it's easy to travel from country to country.
Why? I lived in Europe for the first 20 years of my life — the most impressionable years, I suppose, the years we return to and contemplate later in life, no matter the place we find ourselves. Many of my stories take me back there, whether I want to go or not. The continent and Romania have changed a lot over the years, but there is something irreplaceable in that certain bond, the closeness we feel to our birthplace.
Speaking of research, the protagonist in my next novel is the daughter of a Romanian immigrant whom, while a secondary character, brings with him stories and experiences from the old country — stories from the time of communism, no less. I can hardly wait to go back and work on that novel again.
OMN: What is the best advice — and harshest criticism — you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiring writers?
SV: The best advice I received came from a fellow author who is no longer with us. Barry Aitchison told me to work hard for every word I write, no shortcuts, no throwing in placeholders. That's an easy and sure way to become complacent. So, fight for every word, and think visually about characters. What he was really saying, I later realized, was that there is no pay off for soft and easy. Never. In anything. And when I arrive to that closed door in my mind's eye, step away and take a moment to enjoy life and get re-inspired. The world does not revolve around my book. Sure our stories are our babies, but there is so much more to life. Take time to discover something new, and to make memories.
The harshest criticism also came from Barry, in regard to exactly what I mentioned above — allowing oneself to become complacent. Just because one writes well, doesn't mean one can't write great. And if a writer is great, doesn't mean she can't be excellent, and on and on. He was my dear friend, and offered praise and criticism in the same sentence.
My advice for fellow writers is to be patient. The road to publication is rarely short. Learning from rejections is part of the process. And if you haven't already, please join a critique group. Mine, The Internet Writing Workshop, is staffed with volunteers and free of charge. Joining this community was by far the best decision of my writing life.
OMN: How did Stranger or Friend come to be titled?
SV: Upon her return home, Zoe no longer fits in the lifestyle she once found comfortable, yet a part of her will always belong in that town. So, there is a certain fight within as well as all around her leading to the question: is she a stranger or a friend?
The same is true for new residents in town. They don't fall within a well-defined category, within a certain mold of what is normal, as much as they would like to call the place home. The question then becomes: who is the stranger, and who is the friend? And what if our preconceived notions have us mistake friend for foe and vice versa? In Stranger or Friend, two people lose their lives in this swirl of events, one of them very close to Zoe Sinclair. This prompts Zoe, the lawyer, into action, and when she ventures too close to the case, she discovers something more troubling than she'd ever imagined.
OMN: Suppose Stranger or Friend were to be adapted for television or film. Who do you see playing the key roles?
SV: Claire Danes with light-brown hair as Zoe Sinclair. I am always amazed by Claire's performances, the intensity she put forth in Homeland, but really, in every role. I kept asking myself if I came to this decision too fast, if perhaps there isn't someone better, but no, Claire Danes remains the only Zoe I see. As for the male character with whom Zoe played love symphony in the truck, in the parking lot of a tavern one very cold evening, Eric Dane. He would make a great Sebastian Herod.
OMN: When selecting a book to read for pleasure, what do you look for?
SV: I'm fortunate to have many reader friends; they often recommend books to me. Awards help. That's how I came to read The Goldfinch and The Best American Short Stories. It's a hit or miss system, but it works most times.
While I am drawn to mysteries and thrillers, many times I read to feed my heart and soul, to linger over the beauty and musicality of a sentence, the unique description of place and character. So, literary fiction occupies a large space on my bookcase shelf. When I find a literary mystery or thriller, and P.D. James immediately comes to mind, I'm a happy reader.
OMN: What's next for you?
SV: Next, a short vacation somewhere in California — we stay close to home during the school year. Then, I must return to my work in progress, the novel I mentioned above with the character whose father brings his old-country experience and stories with him. I also have a short story with a legal bent. It addresses our crowded court system, the large number or legal cases that never see the light of day, many for good reason. This story has undergone several transformations and it screams for a definite conclusion.
Also, a little time to give the stress wings and let it fly away, to read and let the mind relax.
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Silvia Villalobos, a native of Romania who lives immersed in the laid-back vibe of Southern California, is a writer of mystery novels and short fiction. Her stories have appeared in The Riding Light Review, Pure Slush, and Red Fez, among other publications. When not writing, or hiking the Santa Clarita Woodlands Park trails, she can be found blogging at Silvia Writes.
For more information about the author, please visit her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Stranger or Friend by Silvia Villalobos
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Summer Solstice
L.A. lawyer Zoe Sinclair finds her Wyoming hometown reeling from the murder of its most popular resident: her best friend, Lori. Not less unnerving are the strange cries coming from the woods. The lawyer inside the woman is prompted into action, but she meets resistance from a town wary of outsiders.
When a second body is found and Zoe is threatened, the case turns personal. Under pressure from the sheriff to leave the probing to the police, and taunted by the killer's subtle messages, Zoe finds herself trapped in a game of hunter and prey.
— Stranger or Friend by Silvia Villalobos
