Wendy Corsi Staub lives to tell another story (A Q&A/book giveaway)

To enter for your chance to win a copy of Wendy Corsi Staub’s Live to Tell, simply email me at OyeJohn52@aol.com before 11:59 PM EST on Friday and write GIVEAWAY in the subject line. In addition, please feel free to leave your comments (excluding email address) below, as the authors and I truly appreciate reading them. And don’t forget to subscribe to Hartford Books Examiner—by doing so, you will receive an email notification when each new entry is posted.

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Today, Hartford Books Examiner is happy to be in the company of the ever-thrilling Wendy Corsi Staub.

The bestselling author of more than seventy books written under her own name and the occasional pseudonym, Wendy is the recipient of the 2008 RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense and the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Also a wife and mother, Wendy draws on her experiences to create stories of domestic distress set against the backdrop of suburbia.

Her newest title, Live to Tell, is now available from Avon Books and marks the first installment of a planned trilogy. (You can read my full review here.) From the publisher:

Secrets can scandalize …

In a lovely suburban town just north of New York City, the gossip mill runs more efficiently than the commuter train line. And in every impeccably decorated house, they’re talking about Lauren Walsh. They say that nothing could be worse than being abandoned by your husband for another woman. They’re wrong …

Secrets can shock …

All Lauren wants is to protect her children from the pain of her messy divorce. But when their father goes missing, a case of mistaken identity puts all their lives in danger, and a stealthy predator lurks in the shadows, watching…waiting…

Secrets can kill …

Lauren is about to uncover an unfathomable truth—a truth this cold-blooded mastermind would never let her live to tell…

Now, Wendy shares the story behind the story…

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1) LIVE TO TELL was inspired by something that happened to you in real life. Can you give us the behind-the-scenes details on how you actualized your vision and then fleshed out the rest of the book?

Every novel is triggered by a “What If” moment in real life—that’s how it is for me, anyway.
Appropriately, I got the idea for LIVE TO TELL while I was at Thrillerfest –an annual convention for authors and readers sponsored by International Thriller Writers--in NYC in 2008, I had convinced a bellhop at the conference hotel to let me check a tote bag for a few hours even though I wasn’t an overnight guest (I live in the nearby suburbs and didn’t want to lug my stuff around all day). Later, I was rushing to catch my train at Grand Central and had to quickly retrieve my bag but there was, of course, a line. Finally, I got it and as I ran to Grand Central (no baggage check there since 9/11), I wondered where else I might have been able to leave that bag for a few hours where it could be easily retrieved.

Then I started wondering what someone would do if they were being chased through the city and had something the pursuer wanted. Where could it be quickly stashed--and guaranteed to still be there, say, a few weeks later? If you checked something at a baggage check, you would have to keep the receipt—and anyone who searched you (or arrested you, for the purposes of my plot) could confiscate it.

As I zipped past a sign for the Grand Central Lost & Found, I had my answer. Suppose you claimed to have found an item and turned it in to the Lost & Found. Only you would know it was there; therefore, no one else would be able to retrieve it unless they knew to come looking for it. And you wouldn’t need to have a claim check, obviously.

I then had to decide who was running, why he was being chased, what was in his possession, and why. The plot evolved into an investigative reporter being chased by someone connected to a high-powered gubernatorial candidate who was after a memory stick that contained incriminating evidence. The reporter concealed it inside a child’s stuffed animal.

But of course, because I write domestic, as opposed to political, suspense, I had to have it fall into the wrong hands when a clueless father mistook it for his daughter’s lost toy. I visited the Grand Central Lost & Found, where a very nice guy named Nick walked me through the process and explained how every found item is catalogued, and how they keep files on whoever claims the item. Perfect for my plot!

2) You are well known for writing what has been called the "Mom-Jep" thriller, and Lauren Walsh's story certainly fits that categorization. Can you define this sub-genre for readers? How do you keep your books fresh, both for yourself and for your readers?

Mom-Jep is basically domestic suspense—a thriller set against a backdrop to which every reader can relate: home—featuring main characters whom we all know—or even are: moms. For me, the genre evolved when I became a mom, because the world suddenly seemed like a scary place, full of real and imagined threats. There are few things in this world as powerful or intriguing as the maternal protective instinct. My books are not about international spies or mobsters or superheroes who take risks for a living. I write about ordinary moms who will stop at nothing to defend their children. In my opinion. fear that strikes close to home is particularly unsettling, because it can happen to anyone at any given time—and because home is supposed to be a haven.

Every time I write a book, I create a whole new world within the pages. It might contain familiar elements—neighborhoods, schools, cars, kids—but just as those places are not interchangeable in real life, they are unique in my books as well. Even when I use continuing characters—LIVE TO TELL is the first in a trilogy—the people have changed significantly since we last met them, and they’re facing new challenges and conflicts.

3) You will be appearing at Borders (Fairfield) on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and Elm Street Books (New Canaan) on Saturday at noon. What can readers expect from a Wendy Corsi Staub book signing? Do you have favorite and not-so-favorite parts of public appearances?

I love to interact with readers in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. I’m not the author who will stand behind a podium and read from my work unless I’m forced to (and I will admit that I hate doing it). I’d much rather just hang out and chat. I’m the author who will answer just about anything readers or aspiring writers want to ask me. I love and welcome kids. I keep in touch with most everyone who wants to exchange emails. And I always have goodies and handouts!

4) You are now published by Avon Books and will have two thrillers out in 2010 as opposed to the customary single suspense title. What are the benefits of this publication schedule? Are there any drawbacks?

No drawbacks for an author who has always been prolific. Doing one book a year was incredibly frustrating for me, particularly when I had readers who were begging for me to write faster. Writing fast was never the problem—it was being held to the constraints of a publishing schedule. When I made the jump to Avon, they told me they would do everything in their power to have less time between books, which made me—and my loyal readers—very happy. After all, when cliffhangers are the nature of your genre, readers—and authors—are impatient for the next installment!

5) Your next book, SCARED TO DEATH, is a sequel (of sorts) to LIVE TO TELL, though both can be read as stand-alones. Can you offer us any juicy morsels to tide us over until its release?

Actually, there are two sequels; this is a trilogy, and SCARED TO DEATH will be followed by HELL TO PAY. In a bit of horn-tooting good news, LIVE TO TELL received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who said, “Once Staub’s brilliant characterizations and top-notch narrative skills grab hold, they don’t let go”—and I must admit, that’s how I feel about these characters; they won’t let me go until I’ve told their stories completely.

There is a tremendous twist in the epilogue of LIVE TO TELL, and that revelation is the springboard for SCARED TO DEATH. Like all good thrillers, SCARED TO DEATH keeps you guessing. You will probably assume you know exactly what’s going on, but I hope—and will stop just short of guaranteeing—that readers will be very surprised when they reach the end. As for Hell to Pay, I’m plotting that now. The What If moment that triggered this plot was inspired by something I read about the tragic Haitian earthquake. I won’t reveal more than that until it’s more fleshed out. I’m still working on the germ of an idea.

6) What are you currently reading? And if you had to recommend one book (other than your own) to readers, which would it be and why?

Suspense is my favorite genre and as a rule, I never read it while I’m writing it, to help preserve the freshness of my own work. So, since I’m rarely between books, I rarely get to read fiction anymore. Last year, I literally wrote more novels (four) than I read! When I read, it’s either for research, or it’s non-fiction. I love the historic true crime, biographies, forensics, paranormal, and travel genres.

Right now, I’m re-reading 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz, because travel is my passion and I’m in the midst of planning another leg of my 50-State Book Tour. I love to soak up local flavor and sights when I’m on the road—particularly when I’m traveling with my family. This is the book I’d strongly recommend for any reader, regardless of whether far-flung travel is in the immediate future. Chances are, there’s an interesting place to visit that’s close to home.

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With special thanks to Wendy Corsi Staub for sharing her insights and to Harper Collins publicist Christine Maddalena for providing the giveaway copy of Live to Tell. (Don’t forget to email me at OyeJohn52@aol.com before 11:59 PM EST on Friday for your chance to win!)

Local readers can meet Wendy this week at the following book signing events:

Thursday, February 25th at 7 p.m. – Borders, Fairfield

Saturday, February 27th at noon – Elm Street Books, New Canaan

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A related article from Hartford Books Examiner:

Live to Tell by Wendy Corsi Staub (Book review)