Mystery author Laura Kelly Robb joins me today and we’re chatting about The Laguna Shores Research Club.
Bio:
Laura Kelly Robb studied Political Economy at the University of Toronto, where she wrote for the university newspaper, The Varsity. A linguaphile, she lived in France and Spain, teaching at the Colegio de Vigo and studying at the University of Santiago de Compostela. She went on to teach school in Seattle and started writing fiction. She published her first novel, China Rock, in 2013 and is working on a sequel to The Laguna Shores Research Club. Married to Paul, she lives on St. Simons Island, taking summer breaks in Friday Harbor, Washington.
Welcome, Laura. Please tell us about your current release.
The story is set in St. Augustine, Florida and revolves around Laila Harrow, a married woman in her 30’s with four school-age children. She is ready to re-activate her art career, and she volunteers at the local museum to create a catalogue of Florida Highwaymen paintings, beautiful landscapes out of the old, wild Florida. She gets help from her Research Club, led by Billie Farmer, an expert at online investigation.
When Billie dies suddenly, the club members come under suspicion. Laila’s husband warns her away from the group, but too many unanswered questions draw Laila into a dangerous game.
What inspired you to write this book?
The idea for the book comes from a visit to Fort Pierce, Florida during week-long Florida Humanities Council seminar on Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston’s last resting place, Fort Pierce was also the home of the Florida Highwaymen from the 1950’s through the 1980’s. We heard the Highwaymen’s story of taking their self-taught art on the road, selling out of the trunk of a car to tourists heading home from vacation. This group of twenty-six African American painters produced well over 100,000 works during their active years.
In the late 1990’s, as Florida’s urbanization intensified, their vibrant landscapes rose in value. I wondered how art professionals might approach works belonging to such a cultural heritage, and a kernel of a story started developing.
Excerpt from chapter 1 of The Laguna Shores Research Club:
Sunday, Day One – A Death at Laguna Shores
Laila spotted the HOA President, Bob Page, exiting the building. He paused under the portico to speak to a woman in trousers and an emblazoned shirt holding a clipboard. She jotted down whatever Bob was telling her and returned inside. Forrest held on to Alton, who had Laila’s
hand. The boys extended from her side, vibrating with curious energy, but curtailed by the gathering crowd. They made no move to break away to explore on their own. Laila waved to Bob, and he joined her on the sidewalk where knots of neighbors stood, murmuring.
“A bad day for the Research Club, I guess,” he said.
Laila was dumbstruck. Only one member of her Research Club lived in this building, and Laila had seen her the day before. They spoke about the meeting to be held that Monday. Laila was scheduled to host, and they outlined the agenda together. She gaped at Bob.
“She was all alone,” Bob said.
Laila squeezed her eyes shut, but the boys were tugging on her hand, and she couldn’t keep her balance. She blinked open to find Bob with a knowing expression.
“Billie?” she whispered.
“Oh, you hadn’t heard,” he said.
“What hospital is this? Where are they taking her?”
An ambulance stood at the curb outside Billie’s condo. The red lights rotated rhythmically. The siren had been turned off.
“It won’t be right away,” Bob said, watching her face.
“Was it a fall? They can’t move her?” Laila asked.
“Laila,” he said, “they’re waiting for the coroner.”
“No. No, it can’t be.”
Forrest and Alton moved in closer to her, each folding a hand around a fistful of the fabric of her slacks. Alton slipped a thumb into his mouth. Laila looked up to the curtained window of Billie’s second floor bedroom. Her small condo was on the street side and was noisy, Billie complained, too noisy to sleep late so she ended up napping in the afternoon. Research Club meetings were bright and early Monday mornings mainly because it was Billie’s prime time.
What exciting story are you working on next?
Laila Harrow’s story is far from complete and I can’t get her out of my mind. I am working on a sequel to The Laguna Shores Research Club where Laila and many of her friends pursue their version of justice.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In college, I wrote for the campus daily under an edgy editor who pushed his staff to take risks. Another female reporter and I posed as job applicants in a strip club close to campus that bought advertising space in our paper. We wrote anonymously about that experience of vulnerability and shame. When the piece came out, I overheard one male student tell another “Those girls were brave.” I began to believe that writing was the most productive thing I could do in life.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write full-time, usually six hours a day, five to six days a week. If I am in a part of the story that is flowing well, sometimes I will write eight hours or more. If I am in a hole, I generally need to break up the day with a walk or a visit. My sister lives a few blocks away and I can bike to her house, have a chat and a laugh (she is very funny) and then get back to it.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I was not an English major in college, and I feel a lack of formal instruction about writing and literature overall. I read as much fiction as I can, current and past. After I finish a book, I look up critical comments and reviews. That reading helps me identify both what readers need from a writer, and what techniques writers use to further a story and create convincing characters. I feel like other writers and their critics can teach us a lot about storytelling.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be something fun. I thought horse-back riding for a living, maybe on a ranch or in a rodeo, would be great. Later, I thought being a travel guide touring the world would be a good career. I considered becoming a bicycle tester and going on long rides with other testers. The closest I came to my childhood dreams was working in Spain on land tours for cruise passengers.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Words and stories are fun, and language is the most amazing gift we humans have. The more we read and write, the better company we can be to other humans. Reading and writing gets us into another’s mind and stretches our awareness. These abilities are miraculous!