AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
I asked Lisa why she chose a dance floor and the tango as the backdrop for a murder. Here is here response:
Why I
chose a dance floor and the tango as the backdrop for murder:
Why I
set my mysteries in the tango world is simple: I dance tango and I love mysteries
so I guess it was inevitable that these worlds would someday collide.
I came
to the dance accidentally. When I was visiting Buenos Aires I happened to be
out walking in San Telmo, one of the old neighborhoods, and came across an
elderly couple dancing tango in the square. They moved with such heartbreaking
beauty I returned to Atlanta determined to learn this difficult but rewarding
dance. So I took lessons and went to the milongas – the dances – and was
hooked.
The
social dance you see is nothing like what you see in the movies. It’s far more
intimate.
And
therein lies the danger.
Tango is
known for stirring up passions that can easily spin out of control if you don’t
honor the codigos – the moral codes – of the community. You are dancing in a close
embrace to some of the most romantic, sensual music ever composed. Your partner
may be someone you know well, or a total stranger, but something is likely to
spark between you. What happens on the dance floor is supposed to stay on the
dance floor but sometimes people forget, at their peril.
Tango
also has a rich history of men getting into knife fights. The earliest tango
dancers were immigrants who came to Argentina hoping for new lives – these men
outnumbered the available women by 5 to 1 so the odds of finding romance and
(ahem) companionship were greatly against them. Competition for dance partners
was fierce, and men fought over the available women. Blood was spilled. Even
today, something as seemingly innocent as being bumped into on the dance floor
can be enough to set off a proud Argentine.
So it
seemed only natural to set my murder mystery in the tango world.
As to
why I chose the actual dance floor as the backdrop for murder, I have always
been a huge fan of locked room mysteries. Sherlock Holmes’ The Adventure of the
Speckled Band was one of my favorites as a child. And Agatha Christie was a
master of setting her mysteries in closed spaces with a clear list of suspects
– remember Murder on the Orient Express? And of course, there is And Then There
Were None where the murders took place on an island.
So
setting the actual murder on the dance floor was a fun challenge to take on. I
am happy to say that very few people figure out how the murderer did it. But if
you know enough about tango, and examine the clues carefully, you can!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tango instructor and chronic rule-breaker Antonia “Ant” Blakeley
has no respect for authority. So when a much-hated member of the Atlanta tango community
is stabbed in the middle of the dance floor, leaving her troubled nephew
Christian first on the list of suspects, the last thing she wants to do is use
her tango expertise to help the police work out how someone could have struck
the fatal blow, unseen. As someone who has experienced police incompetence
first hand Antonia doesn’t trust them to find the real killer. So she lies to
give Christian an alibi, and the coverup begins.
Unfortunately for Ant, former marine Detective Sam Morrow is on
the case and he will do whatever it takes to solve the crime. He’s not about to
let Antonia hijack his case. As both Ant and Sam investigate (or in Ant’s case,
interfere), the two sleuths are about to find out the more antagonistic meaning
of “it takes two to tango.”
AN EXCERPT
“Tango can be about many
things—seduction, longing, nostalgia, intimacy, tenderness— you get the
picture. Whatever the music and the moment inspires. This song isn’t one we
normally dance to but I happen to think it’s a beautiful piece, especially if
you understand the words. It’s called ‘Uno.’ One.” Uno, oh yeah, she thought.
“He gave away his heart to a woman
who betrayed him and now he can’t love the way he used to. That’s life and
death stuff.” She was pleased to see Christian nodding, solemnly. “For this exercise
I want you to move with whatever emotion inspires you. No partners. Walk around
the room in the line of dance, counterclockwise, everyone, remember? Don’t
worry about steps, the idea is to get used to feeling the music and
transmitting it through your bodies.”
Antonia started the track, savoring
the instrumental opening. When Sosa finally started to sing the yearning in his
voice punctured her heart as it never failed to do. The class shuffled around
the room, some self-consciously, others with more abandon. One of the Emory
students seemed to be channeling Martha Graham, in a good way.
Something out of the corner of her
eye caught her attention: a stranger, not that much taller than she was,
standing in the doorway. His military bearing, neatly trimmed mustache, and
close-cropped sandy hair would have conveyed unyielding strength if it hadn’t
been for the fact that his eyes were pale blue and his nose had been broken at
least once. He would have been just her type if she were interested in a relationship.
SPECIAL LINKS
Website: www.lisafernow.com
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/lisafernow/
Twitter: @lisafernow
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lisafernow/
Book Links:
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/1okdIeu
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1kLdhdq
Barnes and Noble:
http://bit.ly/1pZeD0p
Lisa will be awarding a $30 GC to winner's choice of online bookseller to a
randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
