Saturday, May 17, 2008

Guest Interview: Elena Santangelo

Elena Santangelo is a mystery author and musician with a wicked sense of humor. In addition to writing both short stories and novels, she sings and dances in Philadelphia Revels productions, composes choral and handbell music

PPD
On your web site, you seem to be having entirely too much fun: essays about play, a stuffed pig in a paper hat, wicked song parodies, short stories about corporate bosses polished off while riding their Harley. Is nothing sacred to you?

Elena
Walter prefers "warthog" to "pig." And the parodies are tame compared to some of those hidden in my PC, covering a variety of, as Tom Paxton puts it, short-shelf-life political topics. But sacred-wise, I hate humor that's mean. Humor ought to be born of wit, or stem from the ridiculous.  Other than that, anything that can be observed can and should be made fun of.  People need to laugh more.

PPD
Both ghosts and historical mysteries are hot right now. You've combine both themes in your Pat Montella series. What's the most important thing to remember when writing a ghost as a character?

Eleana
That the ghost is a human being who happens to be dead. The only motivation missing from the character is that of survival. Everything else is possible. Ghosts need to be as 3-dimensional as every other character in the book, and must be true to the thinking of his/her time period. The coolest thing about putting ghosts in my novels is in figuring out how each one is going to communicate with Pat (or with anyone else in the book). I work on the assumption that straight-forward conversation isn't possible between here and the Other Side (because, heck, that would be BORING!). Better to have the whiff of black powder, or a phantom kiss beneath the mistletoe. Or even to have an invisible cat brush up against your leg.

PPD
One of your books ties into the American Civil War, another into Reconstruction, and the latest one into the decade after the American Revolution. Each book has a different feel. What do you do to recreate these historical periods? What obligations, if any, does a fiction author have to represent real history accurately?

Elena
My first historical fiction was a short mystery about Valley Forge. I thought my research was decent and I was proud of wanting to be accurate, so I gave it to one of the historians at Valley Forge NHP to read. He tore it to shreds. I vowed never to write a historical again. But I fixed that story and it won a national fiction award.

Now I immerse myself in the time period, listening to the music, viewing paintings of the time, visiting building as old as the ones in the books to see what they feel like, hefting objects like fire irons, weapons, tools. Almost exclusively, I use primary documents (that is, documents written during the time period, like diaries, newspapers, letters, etc.). I try to be accurate to the vocabulary of the time, at least, and not use modern expressions or words. As a musician, I have a personal need to get the SOUND of the prose right.

I don't think a fiction author necessarily has any obligation to be accurate, but the more accurate I can be, the more satisfied I am with the final product. Also, I believe readers enjoy the books more. You have to assume your readers will know something about history and you don't want them gagging on your anachronisms.




PPD
Kay and Karen Bishop are characters in some of your short stories. What are the advantages of having twin psychologists as your protagonists?

No advantages at all, apparently, since I've never been able to interest anyone in publishing a novel about them, even though I've tried changing their names, ethnic backgrounds and hometowns twice. I came up with the notion of Karen's character first--a college prof specializing in personality theory who occasionally assists local police by profiling criminals. It gives her an 'in' on murder investigations but she isn't a full-time law enforcement pro. Instead of giving her a usual sidekick--the cop lover, for instance--I gave her a mirror-twin sister. The relationship is fascinating to play with.

Kay is left-handed.  And one thing that, if I remember right, isn't mentioned in the stories (because it's not important), but came out in the novel, is that they were connected at birth on their non-dominent arms from elbow to pinkie.  When they were separated, Kay got a full pinkie, Karen has one knuckle. Because Kay's left handed, she's right brained--very creative, very good at seeing the big picture.  Karen's got a scientific brain (sort of like Beth Ann grown up)--very logical and good at details.  Fascinating because of this difference, but also, most 20-something identical twins (the ones I know), before they're comfortable in their own skins, they have a few more identity problems than normal folks.  The insecurities feed into all sorts of great character conflict.  Plus, there's always the mistaken identity possibilities.

PPD
In addition to being a mystery writer, you're a musician, dancer, and composer. Are you planing any mysteries with a musical bent?

Please don't call me a dancer. My friends who are genuine dancers, on reading this, will spew whatever they're drinking onto their keyboards and make me pay for the damages. I do love folk dancing, though. Favorites: square dancing, a beautiful Israeli dance called Ma Navu, and a wild French Canadian dance called La Bastringue. But that wasn't your question.

HANG MY HEAD AND CRY has a modern character who's a part-time church singer, and much of the book (including the title) has references to spirituals, which are probably my favorite folksongs. POISON TO PURGE MELANCHOLY has a main character who's a fiddler and music master in 18th century Williamsburg. The thing is, history is FILLED with people making music. It's only since the advent of radio and recordings that Western society started getting odd ideas about music being for musicians only. Before that everyone sang and many people played instruments. Book 4, FEAR ITSELF (hopefully coming out in 2009) begins with a Carnivale celebration in an Italian immigrant community in 1933, dancing tarantellas to tunes from a concertina (a.k.a. a squeezebox).

PPD
What's next?

As mentioned above, FEAR ITSELF in the Possessed Series will hopefully be published in 2009. In the meantime, my first non-fiction book, DAME AGATHA'S SHORTS, is coming out later this year. It's a bedside companion to Agatha Christie's short stories, giving a little review of each, plus information about what was going on in her life as she wrote them, how the series characters developed, and things like chronological lists for you folks out there who like to read works in order. Other than that, I have an idea for a parody on gas prices...

To learn more about Elena and her books, visit his/ her website at www.elenasantangelo.com
 

59 comments:

mybillcrider said...

Enjoyed the interview!

Anonymous said...

Loved the interview.
Loved the books.
I'm happy to know there's more coming!

Buy Viagra said...

yeah, this wome is like the female Lovecraft version, with a strange and dark sense of humor, and that misterious smile, scary.

Anonymous said...

ativan for sale ativan overdose death - lorazepam online kaufen

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol online tennessee - tramadol for dogs or people

Anonymous said...

where to buy tramadol online buy tramadol online yahoo - tramadol for dogs recommended dosage

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod overnight buy tramadol from canada - tramadol high much

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol addiction and withdrawal symptoms - tramadol for migraines

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol online yahoo - where to buy tramadol cod

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol overnight shipping tramadol online illegal - order tramadol online cod

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol in usa - tramadol for dogs used by humans

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol no prescription tramadol stronger than vicodin - tramadol 50mg and dogs

Anonymous said...

buy ativan online withdrawal from ativan - ativan no rx

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cheap online buy tramadol extended release - tramadol 50 mg dog

Anonymous said...

buy klonopin online klonopin lunch excerpt - highest safe dosage klonopin

Anonymous said...

tramadol buy tramadol hcl recreational use - tramadol hcl manufacturers in india

Anonymous said...

cheap lorazepam ativan side effects erectile - ativan overdose wikipedia

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol overnight buy tramadol without a script - buy tramadol online in europe

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online without a prescription tramadol hcl 100mg side effects - tramadol yahoo

Anonymous said...

tramadol 100 mg tramadol 100mg overnight - tramadol 50mg buy

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cheap tramadol online fedex next day - tramadol hcl medication

Anonymous said...

order klonopin online klonopin side effects urination - klonopin dosage rxlist

Anonymous said...

ambien pharmacy buy ambien argentina - ambien cr side effects anger

Anonymous said...

online soma buy soma cod overnight - soma muscle relaxant medicine

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod next day delivery tramadol online pharmacy - buy tramadol texas

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online zolpidem side effects hallucinations - ambien generic not working

Anonymous said...

buy ativan online ativan 0.5 mg price - ativan for panic attacks

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol generic names - tramadol dosage directions

Anonymous said...

soma price soma fm online radio - who makes soma bras

Anonymous said...

tramadol online buy ultram tramadol - order tramadol cod nc

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol order tramadol australia - buy tramadol free shipping

Anonymous said...

cheapest ambien ambien 10 mg too strong - ambien overdose canine

Anonymous said...

clonazepam online klonopin crazy meds - buspar vs klonopin for anxiety

Anonymous said...

purchase soma order soma online cod - soma 250 mg generic

Anonymous said...

ambien sleep ambien cr generic available - ambien side effects funny

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online what is tramadol 50mg for - tramadol tylenol dosage

Anonymous said...

discount klonopin klonopin withdrawal 0.5 mg - klonopin versus generic

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online cost ambien 10mg - ambien cr long can you take

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol without a script tramadol with alcohol - tramadol high review

Anonymous said...

order viagra with mastercard purchase viagra with paypal - buy viagra queensland

Anonymous said...

soma online pharmacy buy soma online pharmacy - soma ultralounge

Anonymous said...

can you buy viagra at walmart viagra online safety - female viagra online canada

Anonymous said...

generic ambien ambien side effects next day nausea - generic substitute ambien cr

Anonymous said...

how to order viagra viagra buy in usa - generic viagra efficacy

Anonymous said...

order herbal viagra buy viagra online dublin - cheap viagra in usa

Anonymous said...

cialis drug cialis online south africa - generic cialis daily use

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cheap tramadol - tramadol online ireland

Anonymous said...

buy propecia online propecia results 2 months - when will generic propecia be released

Anonymous said...

soma online soma compound 350 mg - motels near soma san diego

Anonymous said...

buy retin a buy retin a 1 gel - retin a cream clog pores

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol high from tramadol hcl - buy tramadol no rx

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol can get u high - tramadol 50 mg cheap

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online generic tramadol usa - can you buy tramadol over the counter in usa

Anonymous said...

generic xanax xanor 0 5mg alprazolam - xanax drug mechanism

Anonymous said...

tramadol 100mg tramadol headache - buy tramadol online prescription

Anonymous said...

WebMD Expert Blogs: Read expert views and commentary on popular health topics., Extra resources: http://qesoled.crystal-hosting.org#91963 - Do you realize you really can make $2000 per week trading? I would have never believed it until I saw it for myself or I started doing it. And that's exactly what happened to me because now I'm making that much money. You just need to know the right place to learn and where I went to is a website called Traders Superstore, you should be able to find them on Google or just search for them. Their support is the best I've ever seen on any website before and they helped me to learn to trade, and it was nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be., Check Out Your URL: http://ehobmako.herobo.com#47415 - To cure chronic depression, it is important to continually work hard and practice changing your thinking. Challenge your thinking to reduce chronic depression with help from a practicing psychotherapist in this free video on anxiety and depression.

Anonymous said...

Research shows that having depression and anxiety together is much worse than having just one of these conditions. order Klonopin 0.5mg online purchase Klonopin 2mg online. Many times when a child is put through a very stressful and traumatic situation they fall into a post traumatic stress syndrome. [url=http://www.buyklonopinonlinepills.com/#248635-order-Best-price-clonazepam]purchase Klonopin 0.5mg online without a prescription[/url] The adrenal glands also produce steroids including corticosterone.

Anonymous said...

Is anxiety bothering your life and yet you don't know if your should treat it or not? Anxiety and panic can be very effectively treated. high on ambien cr. It all depends on how severe is your attack. cost ambien lunesta. Purchase Zolpidem Online Cheap, explained here- [url=http://www.ambienbuyonlinepills.com#zolpidem-online-without-a-prescription]buy ambien[/url] 2009 buy ambien no rx, Order Zolpidem Online Without a Prescription Cheap - buy online ambien. negative effects of long-term use of ambien. We must be careful to differentiate the normal anxiety from anxiety neurosis, which is a psychological disorder, and appropriate treatment should be given. ambien safe liver

Anonymous said...

Buy Generic Ultram (Dapoxetine 60mg) without prescription, Men's Health medicines from Indian Pharmacy Pays less but gets the very same result on quality Indian Pharmacy products. purchase Tramadol online without a prescription purchase cheap Tramadol online medication darvocet buy. [url=http://www.onlinetramadolbuy.net/#942067-buy-cheap-ultram-without-rx]buy cheap Tramadol online[/url] Uniquely combining Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and infrared therapies with therapeutic red light