Sunday, March 23, 2014

Levinson a la Christie - An Interview

I'd like to welcome Marilyn Levinson to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Murder a la Christie is the first in the Golden Age of Mystery series.


Kathy: Murder a la Christie could be considered an homage to the Grande Dame of mystery, Agatha Christie. How were you first introduced to her work?

ML: I can’t remember when I first heard of Dame Agatha. What I do know is I devoured many of her novels when I was pregnant with my older son, David, who’s now 43. While writing Murder a la Christie and rereading many of Agatha Christie’s books, I discovered I owned 27 of her mysteries.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie novel?

ML: Among my favorites are The Body in the Library, N or M? , Murder on the Orient Express, and The Pale Horse.


Kathy: Agatha Christie's novels have been brought to both the small and big screen. Do you have a favorite movie/TV show? Do you have a favorite Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot?


ML: I love David Suchet as Poirot. To me, he is Poirot.

I enjoy seeing various actresses playing Miss Marple, though I must admit there’s a small window of time in which I must adjust to the “new” Miss Marple. I suppose we all envision her a certain way in our minds.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

ML: I like to read mysteries that take place in villages, where everyone knows everyone yet secrets and misdeeds abound.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

ML: I write novels for kids and the occasional romantic suspense novel.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

ML: Murder a la Christie is the first in my Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series. In each book, my characters discuss the works of a well-known mystery writer. The next in the series is called Murder the Tey Way, and includes conversations about Josephine Tey’s books as Lexie solves the murders taking place around her.

A Murderer Among Us & Murder in the Air are the first and second novels in my Twin Lakes series. My sleuth, Lydia Krause, is a widow who has sold her business and moves to a retirement community where she encounters murder and mayhem while forging a new life for herself.

Giving Up the Ghost features 30-something Gabbie Meyerson, who takes a position as an English teacher in a small Long Island village. Gabbie discovers she has a ghost for a housemate, who nags her until she agrees to find out who killed him. Cam, my ghost, was to disappear when his murder was solved. However, so many people have asked me to write another book that includes Cam, and I intend to do so in the near future.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

ML: Cam (Cameron Leeds) is one of my favorite characters because he’s a wheeler-dealer who thinks nothing of using his friends, though he’s quick to make amends. He’s aware than any one of five or six people may have killed him. Cam’s fun-loving and a ladies’ man. He only realizes how much he loved his girlfriend when he’s dead.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

ML: Not really.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

ML:I’ve been writing for many, many years. My children’s books were published many years ago.



Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

ML: Mark Twain, Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, William Shakespeare


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

ML: Krista Davis’s Murder She Barked: A Paws & Claws Mystery


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

ML: Of course I love to read. I knit for my granddaughter and daughter-in-law, do Sudoku, love foreign films, and love to travel.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

ML: Wine, cheese, various nuts, various kinds of bread


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

ML: I plan to write more books in my Golden Age of Mystery series. I’ve also begun a series about a librarian in charge of events and programs in a picturesque CT village.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

ML: I love hearing from readers that they’ve enjoyed my books and want to read more of them.


Want to learn more about Marilyn Levinson and her books? Check out these links:

web page: http://www.marilynlevinson.com
Untreed Reads books: http://goo.gl/ktYzs
Amazon page: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson

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