A Conversation Using Helen Barer Author Of Fitness Kills
Oct 31st, 2009 by Reading and Writing
Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Helen Barer author of Fitness Kills.
Helen is a native Fresh Yorker and has spent lots of years because a writer of non-fiction ranging from cookbooks to television documentaries.
Norm:
Excellent day Helen and thanks for participating inside our interview.
Helen:
I’m delighted to have been invited.
Norm:
How did you happen to write a book about a fitness ranch in Baja and could you also tell us a bit about Fitness Kills?
Helen:
I’m a big fan of fitness spas - I’ve been going to one or another for more than 20 years. About 12 years ago, as struggling through an aerobics class at a spa inside Baja California, I looked around and thought it was like being on a cruise ship. We’d each arrived on a Saturday, would leave the following Saturday, and in the meantime got to be ‘intimate acquaintances.’
Fitness Kills is the story of Nora Franke,, a New York City food writer who having broken up with her boyfriend, and having gained weight as a result, expected a temporary job because food consultant at such a fitness spa. She is befriended by a group of regulars, and is caught up by their pain and loss because one, and then another, of the friends die. Nora’s important employer back inside Fresh York assigns her to write an article about the deaths at the health spa, and she becomes invested in solving the murder (and keeping herself alive!).
Norm:
What attracted you to the mystery genre?
Helen:
I like stories using a beginning, middle and end. Because well as those with a strong central character - preferably a female - that have something to say about how we live today and what our values are.
Norm:
What do you consider are the essential ingredients of a excellent mystery novel?
Helen:
Suspense! And caring about what happens to the characters. Which means, of course, that you must know the characters. Believability is also requisite. This is not a fantasy genre.
Norm:
Is your work improvisational or do you have a set plan?
Helen:
It starts off with a plan. Essentially, I’m meticulous at the beginning. I have a summary page, a chapter-by-chapter outline, and know how it ends. But the middle…that’s the real mystery! As I established the characters’ voices, I found they led me inside unexpected directions.
Norm:
Helen, this was your first mystery fiction writing project. Did you enjoy the procedure? How was it different from your typical format?
Helen:
I’d never written fiction before. It was like re-inventing the wheel. I found it very clumsy until a writing teacher at the New School, in a class I’d found called “Starting Your Novel,” suggested I switch to first person. Each of a sudden I found my voice! Slightly smart ass, Fresh York City, and vulnerable. I loved it. The dialogue came very purely to me; it was the plot I struggled with.
Norm:
Can you talk us how you found representation for your book? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this diversity of book? Several rejections?
Helen:
I did pitch it to several agents, every of whom said ‘very well written, but not exact for us - it’s not hard-boiled adequate/sexy sufficient/ complicated enough/ straightforward enough…’ take your pick. It was extra than discouraging, But I’m inside a good writing workshop, and two of the authors were published by Five Star, an imprint of Thomson Gale that publishes mystery novels. I queried Five Star straight, sent the book to them because an attachment to an email, and they expected it almost instantly.
Norm:
What challenges or obstacles did you encounter as writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges?
Helen:
I’d had no idea how to write fiction; it was like learning a foreign language. I read a lot - other mysteries, writers about writing, etc. — and went to mystery conferences. Joining a writing workshop was a main step. Speak about challenges! They pulled and pushed me into writing and rewriting.
Norm:
Was there anyone who in reality influenced you to become a writer?
Helen:
My mother. She was never devoid of a book, nor was I. She encouraged me to write even since a little girl; my first vital piece was a fourth grade project called “My Life inside the Wilderness.” It got an A.
Norm:
Many writers choose to be published, but not everyone is cut out for a writer’s life. What are some signs that maybe someone is not cut out to be a writer and should try to do something else for a living?
Helen:
Don’t provide up your day job! I in reality waited until I was nearly retired to write entire period. Otherwise there’s so much pressure. It also helps to have a thick skin.
Norm:
What are your upcoming projects? How can readers find out extra about you and your endeavors?
Helen:
I’m almost halfway through writing my next Nora Franke mystery novel, as promoting this one.
Norm:
Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?
Helen:
I be able to’t imagine. You’ve been so careful.
