Mystery author Sara Winokur joins me to chat about her new historical Nordic noir, Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders.
Bio:
Sara Winokur is a geneticist, researcher, and author. Her historical fiction and cultural thrillers embody elements of DNA and forensic science, as she has a Ph.D. in molecular genetics. Her research helped identify mutations underlying muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, and achondroplasia.
In her Nordic noir novel Double Blind: The Icelandic Manuscript Murders, a young boy disappears from a fjord in Iceland. Years later, his twin sister Brynja, a DNA scientist, searches for him but lands in a world of trouble. Her second novel, the historical thriller Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders, finds Brynja racing against time to find the valuable medieval chess pieces before she herself becomes the target. Sara is a direct descendent of two of the main historical characters: the ruthless Barbary pirate Jans Janszoon and his son Anthony, the largest landowner in 1600s Brooklyn and Coney Island.
As an ovarian cancer thriver of fifteen years, Sara has a sense of gratitude, strength, and perspective that she extends to family, friends, work, and her writing. On her journey from science to writing, she says “Let go of who you are and become what you might be. Do what scares you.”
A mother of three, Sara Winokur resides with her husband and writes in Southern California. That is, when she is not traveling the world in search of unique stories. Discover more on her website sarawinokur.com.
Welcome, Sara. Please tell us about your current release.
Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders (release date February 4, 2025)
When Icelandic forensic geneticist Brynja Pálsdóttir, haunted by her family’s dark legacy, is drawn into the search for the missing Lewis Chessmen, she becomes a pawn in an assassin’s deadly game.
A centuries-old diary, written by a woman abducted during the brutal Barbary pirate raid on Iceland in 1627, lands on her desk. Brynja soon realizes the woman’s story may hold the key to finding the priceless medieval artifacts. As Brynja digs deeper, she becomes the target, surrounded by deception and unsure of whom she can trust: the NYPD colleague hiding her own motives, the sculptor whose family lays claim to the chessmen, the lover she has spurned, even her own assistant.
As the past and present collide, betrayal, loss, and survival transcend time and place. Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders is a gripping blend of Nordic noir, historical intrigue, and murder mystery, where ancient secrets and modern dangers force Brynja to face a dark, inner truth before the assassin makes their final move.
What inspired you to write this book?
In researching my genealogy, I uncovered skeletons in my own family history: a Barbary pirate who masterminded several raids on Iceland in 1627! I felt an immediate connection to my main character Brynja, who, aside from being a geneticist, is related to a ruthless killer. Coincidentally, at the time I was reading Nancy Marie Brown’s Ivory Vikings in which she presents the case for the medieval Lewis Chessmen being carved in Iceland. I tied the two together: a young Icelandic woman captured by the Barbary piratescarries with her all but a few of the Lewis Chessmen. . .while leaving clues in her diary as to where the missing pieces are hidden. Brynja must decipher the clues and locate the extremely valuable pieces before an assassin finds them first. I’ve always loved solving puzzles (perhaps that’s the scientist in me) and couldn’t resist the opportunity to link historical fact with a modern-day forensic mystery.
What exciting project are you working on next?
In the third in my Icelandic trilogy involving the forensic geneticist Brynja Pálsdóttir (each of the novels can be read independently), Viking artifacts are discovered in a Maine peat bog. Among them, a parchment map of the Icelandic explorer Leif Eriksson’s expedition, challenging the widely held assumption that Vikings reached only as far south as Canada. Competing forces challenge the provenance and validity of the map. . .politicians, art historians, and black marketeers collide with devastating consequences to all involved.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In my career as a geneticist, I wrote many fact-driven, analytical scientific articles. In truth, I didn’t consider myself a writer until I experienced the freedom and excitement of creative expression. Looking back at the crossroads in my life when I retired early to focus on my health, I am grateful that I had the time to reflect on what new challenge might inspire me. After much introspection, I came to the conclusion that solving fictional mysteries could be just as exciting as real-life scientific mysteries.
Thus was born my first novel Double Blind, the title being a double entendre drawn from the double helix of DNA and the mystery of a vanished twin.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
One of the aspects of writing I appreciate most is that I can write from anywhere on the globe. I don’t write full-time, although I am always thinking of plot twists, character development, and red herrings in the back of my head, even while sleeping! I’ve been fortunate to spend time traveling, most recently to Laos where my husband is a medical volunteer. I’ve been to Iceland several times (for “research” 🙂 and to many other countries on hiking expeditions. I find that different cultures and environments stretch the mind and allow me to dive into other worlds and perspectives other than my own, enhancing not only creativity but the “truth” in fiction.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to give each character quirks of their own. In Ivory Bones, I especially enjoyed having Brynja’s Danish assistant blurt out common Danish sayings which, on their surface, make no sense at all. “It’s blowing half a pelican” (It’s so windy), “There is no cow on the ice” (It’s no problem), and “Was his beard in the mailbox?” (Did they catch him?) were some of my favorites.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a medical doctor until I got to college and started taking courses in biopsychology. The mystery of the human brain has always fascinated me and that interest likely jumpstarted me on a career as a scientist in the field of human genetics. I realized I much preferred discovering the underlying basis of a disease rather than treating one.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Lots! How much space do I have? I suppose the main take-home message of my journey into creative writing is that it is never too late. One can always reinvent themselves and take on new challenges. Don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from exploring. You don’t have to be the next Charles Dickens or Agatha Christie to simply enjoy the craft of writing. Just go for it.