Interview With Author Carole Price by Jacqueline Seewald

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Five Star/Cengage author Carole Price who is a Buckeye, born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University. She moved to Livermore, California in 1980 with her husband and two daughters. Carole is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. I originally interviewed Carole when her debut novel TWISTED VINES was published. Her new novel is entitled SOUR GRAPES.

Question: What is the genre of your novel?  Why did you select it?

Answer: I write suspense with a touch of romance. I think it’s fair to say this genre picked me since that’s mostly what I read. I love mysteries, particularly international intrigue.

Question:   What inspired this novel? How did it come about?

Answer: I took a college course on Shakespeare. When my daughter moved to Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, I fell in love again with the Bard and the theater. When I signed on for a behind-the-scene tour, my creative juices started to flow. Why not create my own festival and bring Shakespeare to the Livermore wine country?

Question:  Could you tell us a little bit about the heroine and/or hero of your latest novel?

Answer:  When Caitlyn Pepper inherited a vineyard and two Shakespearean theaters in Livermore, California, she gave up her job as a crime analyst in Ohio. She never expected her law enforcement training would be so useful in this idyllic wine country setting. In Sour Grapes, Cait is once again faced with murder and mayhem at the Bening Estate. Someone seeking revenge for a shooting that occurred during a bank robbery when Cait was on duty as a cop, tracks her down in California. As always, the actors’ safety is her priority, and she will do whatever it takes to protect them while they are performing.

Question:   Can you tell us about some of your other published novels?

Answer:  Twisted Vines was the first book in my Shakespeare in the Vineyard mystery series. Sour Grapes, the second in the series, was released October 22, 2014.

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  I’m currently working on Prey in the Vineyard, the third in the series. I introduce Cait’s friends, Sadie and Luke Sloane, who recently purchased a winery in Livermore, CA. Sadie is Amish and left her community in Sugar Creek, Ohio to further her education. The story revolves around the Sloane’s and the trouble they inherited when they bought their winery. Cait is busy with her Shakespeare Festival, but manages to help her friends with the mystery surrounding their winery.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer: My love of a good mystery—the intrigue, the puzzle solving, the hunt to crack the crime, and to watch the characters grow in their quest to solve them. My only regret is that I didn’t start writing until after I retired. This has been of interest to many people at my book events. It’s never too late to pursue a new career.

Question:   What advice would you offer to those who are currently writing novels?

Answer: Never give up. Enjoy the whole writing process, including the frustrations that are bound to occur when you put your whole heart into a project. Care about your characters. Take a creative writing class and join a critique group. I went through Livermore’s Citizens Police Academy and became a volunteer. I work events, like the wine festival and the Livermore rodeo, and I role-play with the SWAT team. Volunteering has provided me a better understanding of police procedures and the passion the men and women have for their job, and the pride they have for their city.

Question:  Where and when will readers be able to obtain your novel?

Answer: Five Star/Cengage released Sour Grapes on October 22. Both books in the series are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and local bookstores.

Questions and/or comments for Carole are most welcome!