Interview with mystery author Barbara Casey

Today’s special guest is mystery author Barbara Casey to chat with me about The F.I.G. Mysteries.

During her virtual book tour, Barbara will be giving away a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, author/agent/publisher Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, N.C. State University, and N.C. Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. In 1995 she established the Barbara Casey Agency and since that time has represented authors from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. In 2014, she became a partner with Strategic Media Books, an independent nonfiction publisher of true crime, where she oversees acquisitions, day-to-day operations, and book production.

Ms. Casey has written over a dozen award-winning books of fiction and nonfiction for both young adults and adults. The awards include the National Association of University Women Literary Award, the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award, the Independent Publisher Book Award, the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel, the IP Best Book for Regional Fiction, among others. Two of her nonfiction books have been optioned for major films, one of which is under contract.

Her award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in both national and international publications including the North Carolina Christian Advocate Magazine, The New East Magazine, the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Sunday Telegram, Dog Fancy, ByLine, The Christian Record, Skirt! Magazine, and True Story. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories. Her award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in The Cosmic Unicorn and CrossTime science fiction anthologies. Ms. Casey’s essays and other works appear in The Chrysalis Reader, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, 221 One-Minute Monologues from Literature (Smith and Kraus Publishers), and A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media Corporation).

Ms. Casey is a former director of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida, where she served as guest author and panelist. She has served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003. In 2018 Ms. Casey received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas. She makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest Georgia with three cats who adopted her, Homer, Reese and Earl Gray – Reese’s best friend.

Excerpt from The Wish Rider:
As soon as Jennifer went to her room, she pulled out her portfolio of blank, eight-stave paper and artist pad and climbed into bed. The black and white image had returned during supper, this time with some color—a broad horizontal streak of brilliant red. A splash of bright yellow. And along with the red and yellow was a beat—insistent, demanding. Pulling out a sheet of her drawing paper, Jennifer quickly started sketching the image: swirls of fog and smoke, the brilliant streak of red. When she did, the notes started to reveal themselves—tentatively, pianissimo, and without expression. Grabbing a sheet of her eight-stave paper, she rapidly began writing down the notes until there were no more.

The stone in her chest had gotten large again. She folded her arms tight against her, trying to ease the pain. When that didn’t work, she threw back the covers and went to Dara’s room where she knew she would find her two best friends. Crawling into bed with them, she turned on her side, her foot touching another, reaching for a hand. Lying down next to Dara and Mackenzie helped to ease the pain—a little; the stone was getting smaller again.

Soon the pain would disappear, and when it did, Jennifer would sleep.

Can you describe your dream home?
Actually, my dream home is where I live now. It is a large brick and stone two-story house located on 47 acres of land on top of a mountain. It is surrounded by thick forests, and the Chatooga Creek marks the north/northeast border of the property. I love to walk through the woods, no matter what the season, and that is when I get my best ideas for writing. There are deer and wild turkeys that live on the property, along with the usual small wild animals. I have lived here for almost 14 years now, so I have learned when to expect the hummingbirds, where the wrens will nest, what it means if the robins come early, and to not panic if I see the marmot stretched out on the ditch bank down near the creek. It is simply sunning itself.

If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
My late husband was the cook in our family, but when pushed, I can cook up a pretty good Italian pot roast with pasta, a green salad with chunks of Italian bread. A good Italian red wine is optional.

Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.
I don’t know if it was the best, but it was certainly the most memorable. The Cadence of Gypsies – Book 1 of The F.I.G. Mysteries – had been out only a short time when I received a hand-written letter from a mother who had adopted her daughter. She had read The Cadence of Gypsies because the three F.I.G.s are orphans living in the same orphanage. Even though my book is fiction, she said she loved how the three young girls were so independent and even though they caused mischief at the orphanage, she could relate because she had also been adopted. As much as she enjoyed the book, it was her daughter who seemed to bond with the characters – the three F.I.G.s, and they couldn’t wait for the next book. I was deeply touched not just because she took the time to write such a nice letter, but because the story I had created somehow reached her own daughter.

Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
I am facing that right now. My publisher recently contacted me to ask if I would consider continuing The F.I.G. Mysteries. I will get paid an advance, and more than likely, that will go toward the research on my next book. When I wrote the fourth book in the series – The Nightjar’s Promise – I thought I was saying goodbye to Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer – the three F.I.G.s. But apparently they aren’t finished with me yet. I am not sure yet where they will take me, but I can promise you it will be exciting.

Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?
My publisher is also a professional artist, and she created the beautiful covers for each book in the series. Each cover is unique, yet they look as though they belong together in a series. I really love them. There is a quiet beauty to them.