Today, I have the very great pleasure of welcoming Rosalind Barden to the blog - who, amongst other things, is a fellow historical mystery writer, so if you like my books, I know you're going to love this interview...
Hi, Rosalind! Great to have you on the blog, thank you so much for joining me. Please introduce yourself and your books, and include one fun fact about you (or three very boring facts)
Hello, Saffron! Thank you so much for having me on your blog. My name is Rosalind Barden. I’ve been writing for quite a while, so I have accumulated many books and stories in multiple genres.
I’ve written and illustrated children’s books, with the latest being “I Love You” published this summer. After 30 stories, I lost count of the number of my short stories published in webzines and anthologies. Most are humorous horror stories, such as the ones I contributed to the “Strangely Funny” anthology series.
I’ve also written humorous short mysteries, such as “The Monkey’s Ghost” in the “History and Mystery, Oh My!” anthology.
That story ultimately inspired my humorous 1930s Los Angeles cozy noir “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery” series that is a fun read for pre-teens to grown-up fans of historical cozy mysteries. “The Cold Kid Case,” the first book in the series, is an Amazon #1 Bestseller and Firebird Book Award Cozy Mystery First Place Winner.
I recently released an eBook boxed set of the first three Sparky mysteries, which also includes a new 1920s Tootsie LaFemme short Hollywood mystery. That short mystery is based on Sparky’s movie star guardian, Tootsie, when she first arrives in Hollywood as a teenager in 1920. Hollywood’s secrets are no match for Tootsie’s sleuthing!
Those sound right up my street, I'll definitely have to check them out! We all love a good trope, so what can we expect to find in your books?
Sounds fantastic! I bet you have some fantastic characters, so with just five words each, how would you describe them?
There are a lot of characters in the Sparky books. I didn’t include everybody, and I left out the animals!
The kids:
Sparky: street-kid, tough, brave, smart, eleven
Bobby: uptight, orderly, studious, loyal, twelve
Marigold: charming, ham, darling, obnoxious, eleven
Cornelius/Archie: thinker, quiet, interesting, loner, twelve
Hollywood grown-ups:
Tootsie: fun, sad, happy, famous, fascinating
Mr. Grossman/Goblin: worried, loyal, fearless, kind, emotional
Doctor: slippery, sneering, secretive, discreet, devoted
Old Bob: movie cowboy, stern, disciplined, no-nonsense, law-and-order
Sally Smiths/Onion Girl: famous, rich, selfish, focused, “I get what I want”
Criminal grown-ups:
Bookie: mobster, angry, insecure, dangerous, clothes-horse
Knucklehead: crook, glib, dishonest, friendly, fun
Chum-Chum: mobster, strange, violent, greedy, businessman
City Hall/Police grown-ups:
Whisper-Whisper: power-behind-the-throne, evil, strategist, unforgiving, ruthless
Mug: cop, quick-tempered, friendly, softy, tries-his-best
LT: female police lieutenant, stern, hardcore, by-the-book, relentless
That's a wonderful group of characters, I can't wait to meet them all. Next, please fill in the blanks: [Your book/series] is [book or film 1] meets [book or film two] with a dash of [whatever]
The “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery” series is “Paper Moon” meets Raymond Chandler with a dash of P.G. Wodehouse.
What a fun combination! Okay, let's have a slightly siller question now: If my book were scratch-n-sniff, it would smell like…
The costume room for a movie project about “the gritty streets.” where the costumer is into fabulousness and playing dice.
Great answer! Your books are obviously about making movies, so this next question is perfect for you: If your book were to be made into a movie or TV show, who would be your dream cast?
I had a lot of fun with this. I stayed with a vintage cast, though jumped around the decades a bit. Some of the casting is way out of type. But I think it works. If the Sparky role had been available for Shirely Temple when she aged out of her usual kiddie parts, I think it would have taken her career in a whole different direction. I love the idea of Buster Keaton for Bookie because of Mr. Keaton’s deadpan face. Though, handsome Ramon Navarro would also be a great Bookie.
An amazing cast, and I love that you stuck with actors from the era you write in! If you could step into your book and join your own stories, would you? Why/why not?
No, because it is the middle of the Depression in Los Angeles. Also, it gets a bit dangerous now and again with the tommy guns and bodies.
Absolutely fair! As writers, our research can take us in some pretty strange directions, so what’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched for a book?
Municipal garbage disposal in 1930s Los Angeles. It turns out the City of Los Angeles did not have a garbage collection service until the 1950s. There were private rubbish collectors who sold kitchen scraps to pig farms. Most residences had backyard incinerators to take care of everything else.
Oh, that's interesting! All right, I'm going to let you taks a break and ask your main characters speak for a sec: Hey, guys! What do you think of your author?
Sparky: “Why’s she always writing down what I do? What’s with that?”
Bookie: “Never trust anyone with a pen and paper. What gets written down is what gets you in the slammer.”
Tootsie LaFemme: “Did that author write any of my scripts? I’ve starred in so many movies, I lose track.”
Haha, I think Sparky is asking the questions all characters ask about their authors. All right, Rosalind, back to you and your books. Please share:
a. The first line of your book
From “The Cold Kid Case,” the first “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery”:
“There’s something to this thirteenth business.”
b. The last line of your book (if there’s no spoilers)
From “Death on the Set of Dolly Dear,” Tootsie LaFemme 1920s Hollywood Short Mystery:
“Not bad for a hick from the sticks, huh?”
c. Your favourite line that you’ve written
It’s actually two lines from the beginning of “The Monkey’s Ghost,” the third Sparky Mystery:
I think this was the worst day of my life. I know I’m only eleven, but still.
d. A line without context that raises more questions than it answers
“Business is business so suck up the candy and forget about it.”
Thank you so much for joining me today! Before you go, please tell me where people can find your and your books online?
My “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mysteries” are available wherever books are sold. Here is a handy BookFunnel link with buy options for my 3-book Sparky boxed set with the bonus Tootsie 1920s short mystery: https://getmybook.com/7g5ggyo2vv
Discover more about me and my books at RosalindBarden.com. You can also sign up for my Readers Club email list on my website. You’ll receive exclusive short stories and an annual holiday story for Readers Club members only.
Thank you again to Rosalind Barden for taking the time to talk to me about her books! If you enjoyed finding out about her stories, please make sure to go check them out :)