Summer Club - An Interview & Review

I'm pleased to welcome Katherine Dean Mazerov to Cozy Up With Kathy today. A former journalist, SUMMER CLUB is Katherine's debut novel.

Kathy: There is room for a lot of dark humor in domesticity. Are any of the antics found in SUMMER CLUB based on your own experiences?

KDM: Almost all the antics in SUMMER CLUB are based on my own experiences and observations. The interpersonal dynamics and universal foibles of human nature that emerge when people are thrown together in a situation – the HOA, the PTA, swim club or any volunteer board – can be effectively portrayed in a fun, humorous way that resonates with readers as they recognize crazy events/mischief and quirky personalities – maybe even themselves. 

Kathy: Why is it important to add humor in thrillers? Or is it not important?

KDM: I think it’s very important. Incorporating a bit of humor in a thriller makes for a richer story, breaks up the tension and gives more dimension and complexity to the characters, allowing the reader to connect with them in a meaningful way.

Kathy: What first drew you to thrillers?

KDM: I didn’t set out to write a thriller. But as I got further into the book, I realized I needed to add a dark element to the story that would give readers some suspense to keep them engaged as they laughed at the outrageous, often hilarious, goings-on in SUMMER CLUB’s Meadow Glen Swim and Tennis Club.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KDM: No…at least not yet. I am a career journalist, but this is my first novel.
 

Kathy: Tell us about your book. 

KDM: Murder meets the absurd in a sizzling summer thriller when a newspaper reporter-turned-stay-at-home mom stumbles onto a dark fraud scheme at the rundown, dysfunctional Meadow Glen Swim and Tennis Club. As hilarious chaos, politics and snarkiness reign at the club, she unravels the mystery, putting herself in harm’s way.


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

KDM: It’s a toss-up between Stacie, the spoiled rescue dog, and Jules, the artistic and bright pothead snack bar manager. Both are complex as they exhibit endearing and undesirable qualities. Despite their often-bad behavior, they emerge as good characters in the end.

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

KDM: Yes, one crazy summer from my own life. Like Lydia Phillips, the protagonist in SUMMER CLUB, I was a journalist-turned-stay-at-home-mom who found myself as president of our own swim and tennis club. The experience made my days in the high-pressure, ego-driven newsroom of The Denver Post seem like child’s play.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KDM: Reality really is stranger than fiction. Roughly 70 percent of the daily shenanigans at Meadow Glen Swim and Tennis Club – constant complaining and carping, neurotic swim team moms, cheating on the tennis courts, board politics, drunken soirees – are based on real events from that crazy summer. “You can’t make this stuff up,” I kept telling myself. “I’ve got to write a book.”


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

KDM: Amor Towles (“A Gentleman in Moscow”); Delia Owens (Where the Crawdads Sing”); Theodore Dreiser (“An American Tragedy”); Yaa Gyasi (“Homegoing”)


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KDM: “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins. It is riveting


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

KDM: I love to read, especially historical fiction, mystery/suspense books and women’s fiction, as well as non-fiction. I enjoy tennis, cycling, hiking and traveling.

I can’t imagine a world without dogs.


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

KDM: Real butter (There’s nothing bettah!)

Peanut butter (It’s my dog’s favorite food)

Maraschino cherries (For Old-Fashioned cocktails)

Triscuits (My go-to, sort-of-healthy snack)


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books?

KDM: Yes, along the same lines as SUMMER CLUB with some of the same characters and a few new ones, in a different setting. I want to write a book that resonates with readers and keeps them on the edge of their seats while laughing out loud. 

 

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

KDM: I love the process of writing which, for me, is a construction project: taking an idea or vision for a book or story and developing a good, engaging read with rich, colorful characters. Then it’s about working through problems and transitions to put the pieces together so the story flows. All with the objective of giving readers a memorable experience and enjoyable escape. 

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Review

SUMMER CLUB 

By Katherine Dean Mazerov

Lydia Phillips has volunteered to be president of the Meadow Glen Swim and Tennis Club, a decision she soon regrets. Petty complaints, egotistical board members, unruly children, and now too many odd occurrences. With strange cars, found money, and a body pulled out of the river, Lydia will have to use her former reporter savviness to make it through the summer.

 

SUMMER CLUB takes readers through the summer of the volunteer president of a small swim and tennis club. Dark humor suffuses the book as we witness the petty squabbles as well as more serious issues the members and board face. While funny to read about, I would be appalled and angry if I had to deal with some of the children in reality! In fact, most of the characters are not very likable, including Lydia's husband. 

 

I'm not sure I would consider this book a mystery. There are elements of a mystery, we do get a body being dumped right off the bat, but no more is said about it until the book is almost half over. Lydia does do a little sleuthing as the book nears its ending, but that's not her main purpose. There are also other mysterious goings on, but none of it appears to be the focus. The focus appears to be simply getting through the summer. The book is also marketed as a thriller or novel of suspense. However, the pace is too meandering for a thriller and the tension not high enough for suspense. The writing is crisp, but the dialogue often seems stilted and unnatural, especially in the penultimate action scene. Yet, I did find the book enjoyable. It managed to keep me interested and engaged...and rooting for Stacie.

 

SUMMER CLUB looks at the foibles and follies of a neighborhood swim and tennis club during one unforgettable summer. From unruly children, demanding parents, and something entirely more sinister, this novel made me very happy that I neither swim nor play tennis!