The Two Minute Interview: Author R.W. Wallace
I’m very pleased to welcome author R.W. Wallace to talk about her latest release, THE RED BRICK CELLARS: A TOLOSA MYSTERY
Lida: Hello R.W. Tell us a bit about yourself.
R.W.: I’m a Norwegian who lives in France and writes in English. I usually say I’m linguistically confused, except I’m not, really. Family is in Norwegian, everyday life is in French, and reading and writing is in English. Simple!
Lida: It makes perfect sense to me. What’s your book about?
R.W.: A murdered mayor. A second body reduced to skeleton and dust. The public display so horrific that the police are baffled.
Everyone assumes uninterested heir Louis Saint-Blancat will finally settle down and focus on the politics of Toulouse, France. Louis becomes the center of attention in the press while his mother and sister pressure him to follow the family’s political tradition when all he wants is to track down his father’s killer, then return to his globe-trotting lifestyle.
Determined to ferret out the story behind the perplexing assassination that took place at the very center of Toulouse to advance her career, struggling English journalist Catherine Marty finds an unlikely ally in Louis.
Will the two sleuths discover what is lurking beneath the apparent congeniality of la Ville Rose?
Lida: I certainly want to know what’s lurking! How did you come to write this book?
R.W.: Deciding that I’d set the story in my hometown, Toulouse, France, really got my creative juices going. Instead of having a bland setting with no particularities, I suddenly thought of all these awesome places I wanted to take my readers. I found several anecdotes regarding an ancient church in the city center (today only the bell tower and part of an entry arch are left standing), which made me decide to have the climax of the story right there. I just had to figure out why anyone would go there, and work my way backward.
The two protagonists actually came from a comment made by Jennifer Crusie on her blog. She claimed that “everyone wants to write a Cinderella story.” I didn’t really agree, but all of a sudden my mind started wondering how I would write such a story. So my story starts out with a ball (ahem, funeral), a prince (well, son of the mayor), and a poor girl (sorry, woman, who is low on funds because of a pending divorce). It’s not a love story, though; the mystery took over from chapter one.
Lida: I like your turn on “a Cinderella story.” Do you have a favorite character?
R.W.: Probably Louis. Physically, I based him on several guys I find attractive (and when I named him, he suddenly looked kind of like the French actor Louis Garrel) and some of his characteristics are inspired by my boyfriend – like being able to bring everything back to soccer. So what’s not to like?
Lida: Isn’t that funny how sometimes small traits of loved ones wind their way into our books. Why should I (or any reader) read your lovely creation?
R.W: In addition to being a murder mystery, The Red Brick Cellars is also something of a travel log for Toulouse. If you’re curious about France and want to see something different that Paris (don’t get me wrong, Paris is great, but France has so much more to offer), my novel should give you an insight into this laid-back city that pretends to be a small village despite its almost one million inhabitants.
Lida: I want to know more. Sounds like an exciting read, R.W. Thanks so much for joining me and sharing the juicy details of your new book!
Author bio:
R.W. Wallace grew up in Norway, but has lived almost half her life in South-Western France. Since books were always more enjoyable in English, that is the language she chose for writing. Fascinated with Toulouse and its history, it became the natural setting and inspiration for her stories.
She divides her time between a busy city life in Toulouse and a laidback country setting at the foot of the Pyrénées with her better half and two miniature versions of herself.
Book Buy Links: AMAZON
To learn more about R.W. Wallace, please visit her website.
