Thriller Thursday: A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal #ITWBlog

by Amy Shojai | Jun 23, 2016 | Books | 0 comments

Chills, thrills and spills with Thriller Thursday by Amy Shojai

THRILLER THURSDAY is a new occasional feature of Bling, Bitches & Blood. As a member of International Thriller Writers and alumni of the ITW Debut Author Program, it is my honor to showcase select ITW authors and books participating in the ITW Bloggers Program. If you love reading great books as much as I do, check out my Spotlight Guest Radha Vatsal!

When this blog releases, I will be in Phoenix herding cats…literally! I’m coordinating the CWA Conference in conjunction with BlogPaws, and besides wonderful bloggers and writers, there will be dogs, cats, and other critters onsite. So with my “paws” full with that event, I’m delighted to have a guest post from Radha. Take it away, Radha!

A Front Page Affair is the first in a series featuring Kitty Weeks, a journalist with society connections. Weeks is particularly positioned to have access to all of walks of life. Her society connections get her into the parties and Upper East Side penthouses off-limits to the average journalist and her press pass allows her access and movement that women in 1915 New York would not have enjoyed.

INSPIRED BY CHRISTIE & FRANCIS . . .

Growing up, I loved to read mysteries, particularly those by Agatha Christie or Dick Francis. They made me feel happy at any time, but especially on rainy days when I could think of nothing I’d like more than to lie in bed and read one from cover to cover. Agatha Christie was my introduction to the genre and Dick Francis taught me that mysteries could draw me into a world that I knew nothing about—in this case horseracing—and teach me a lot.

For some reason, which I can’t explain, my desire to write seriously was tied to writing a mystery novel. Perhaps part of me thought that the “rules” of mystery writing would make the process easier. Was I mistaken. For me, as a reader, a book has to hit certain marks. I’ve been trained to expect certain things to happen at certain moments—a murder, a plot twist, a doubling back—and for the plot to keep humming along. As a writer, you have to make those same things happen and make them happen effortlessly. You have to follow a format that’s been done thousands of times but make it different. And that’s no easy task.

WHY THIS TIME FRAME?

I chose the mid-1910s for the setting of my first novel because so much was happening then—culturally and politically—and yet it remains a relatively under-explored area in fiction. New York became the location because I love all the facets of the city and it happened to be home to a fascinating array of historical characters. Settling on a heroine was a harder: she had to be someone who could carry a series and who was able to undertake an investigation, but at the same time, she needed to be part of her milieu. She couldn’t flaunt all the rules that applied to women during the 1910s because that would take away some of the tension and the fun.

So, she became a reporter for the Ladies’ Page of a newspaper and after much deliberation I decided to name her “Capability”—because it speaks to her character—but also because it could be shortened to Kitty, which is far less threatening. Her ability to navigate different worlds makes her effective at what she does. Meet Kitty Weeks, Ladies Page reporter at the New York Sentinel. I hope you will enjoy A FRONT PAGE AFFAIR, her first outing in 1915 New York.

WHAT READERS SAY?

“This lively and well-researched debut introduces a charming historical series and an appealing fish-out-of-water sleuth who seeks independence and a career in an age when most women are bent on getting married, particularly to titled Englishmen. Devotees of Rhys Bowen’s mysteries will enjoy making the acquaintance of Miss Weeks.” —Library Journal (starred review), Debut of the Month

“Vatsal deftly intertwines the tumult of the era, from emerging women’s rights to spreading international conflict, into this rich historical.” —Publishers Weekly

AUTHOR BIO

Radha Vatsal grew up in Mumbai, India, and came to the United States to attend boarding school when she was sixteen. Her fascination with the 1910s began when she studied women filmmakers and action-film heroines of silent cinema at Duke University, where she earned her PhD from the English department. Vatsal lives with her husband and two daughters in New York City. A Front Page Affair is her first novel.

CONNECT WITH RADHA & HER BOOK HERE!

Subscribe to Amy’s YouTube Channel

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!

0 Comments

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Categories:

Recent Posts

First Aid for Pet Heatstroke Danger in Hot Weather

These hot summer days, Shadow loves to run and play outside, but the hot weather can lead to heatstroke dangers in dogs as well as people. …

Dog Problems? Cat Concerns? Here’s How to Find Pet Behavior Help

Do you know how do you find pet behavior help? As a certified animal behavior consultant for cats and dogs, I receive many requests for pet behavior help. Solving cat behavior problems and bad dog behavior can be a challenge. Some of these I address with articles explaining cat behavior (how to stop meowing, for example, or dealing with cat aggression), as well as puppy and dog behavior issues like noise phobias and separation behaviors.

Some pet behavior challenges have solutions through reading books and articles, others via phone call advice, and more serious issues (dog aggression, for example) need one-on-one help. But how do the behavior experts receive training?

Nailing Pet Claws: How to Trim A Pet’s Nails

Do you know how to trim a pet’s nails? Pet nail trims can cause angst for pets and people alike. Here’s what you need to know.

Dog Hot Spots & Home Remedies

Dog hot spots often happen during both the spring and fall shedding season and are the bane of many dogs’ existence. Some develop hot spots all year long, especially those with very thick, wooly coats. Have your dogs ever suffered from hot spots?

Fortunately, hot spots are not a problem for cats. Kitties, though, do have their own issues with shedding and hairballs. Bathing cats can help with that.

When dog hot spots are a chronic problem, it can be aggravating and frustrating for pet owners. And painful for the dog! While severe problems need veterinary attention, home remedies for dog hot spots often help enormously. Here’s what you need to know.

Memorial Day & National K9 Veteran’s Day

Memorial Day honors the American men and women who have lost their lives while serving in the military. It originally honored those who died in the Civil War, and now honors those who died in any war. It is also known as Decoration Day. This holiday differs from Veterans’ Day which honors all those who served in the military.

There is no Memorial Day for the brave military K9s who served and lost their lives, often heroically saving their human partners. I can’t imagine the bond that must exist between the soldier and his or her war dog—they share things and stand against danger to protect the rest of us against horrors we don’t want to think about. And because of them, we don’t have to worry about such things. Thank you.

I’m eternally grateful to those who sacrifice for our freedom. Losing a beloved animal companion anytime cuts deep. It must be horrific to lose a comrade-in-arms, including those with four feet and fur.

And since I focus on pet issues, I want to shine a light on the dogs of the military. There is a National K9s Veteran’s Day on March 13, too. But here’s an excerpt from my book DOG LIFE to shine a light on military dogs through the ages.

What to Do About Dog Choking & Cat Choking: First Aid & Pet Heimlich Help

Have your pets ever choked on something they chew? Shadow-Pup loves to chew up inedible objects, no matter how much we supervise. Learn how to administer the pet Heimlich to save a life!

When Karma-Kat came to live with us, that put lots of cat toys within Magical-Dawg’s reach. Seren had never been too keen on such things and she was already nine years old when Magic came as a puppy. He loved to swipe Seren’s “sparkle-balls” and ended up with sparkly poop. Once Karma’s toys added to the kitty quotient, the big ol’ dog had a field day seeing how many cat toys he could stuff into his jaws.

Bravo played with rocks. And the new puppy Shadow loves to chew sticks. He’s already got one caught in the roof of his mouth. That’s the perfect opportunity for choking, and a need for the pet Heimlich. I hope that we’ll never need it, though. In case you do, read on!

Please Fence Me In: Creating Good Neighbors & Keeping Dogs Safe

Do you have a dog fence? Magical-Dawg used to take off after “critters” every so often, racing around the 13-acre spread (or beyond). We eventually trained him to stay with us, even when off-leash. It would have devastated me if Magic disappeared. He was microchipped, but folks would need to catch him first.

Bravo was a very different dog. He was so good off-leash during most morning rambles and didn’t want to go too far away from us. He’d chase and play with his “big-ball” in the field, and baptize every tree and grass tussock. And once he lost his leg, he couldn’t get out the back fenced area even if he’d wanted to.

Shadow-Pup, though, takes after Magical-Dawg. He’s so small, not even the fenced back area keeps him contained. He also likes to dig, so we needed to address possible escapes. A fence is a dog’s best friend!

Why Cats Fight! What to Do About Cat Fighting

How do you stop a cat fight? And how do you know if the cat fighting turns serious—rather than just kitten play? Shadow-Pup thinks it’s great fun to chase and wrestle with Karma-Kat. We supervise, of course, and interrupt the play should one or the other object.

There are many kinds of cat aggression, and many are perfectly normal behaviors. Certainly, it’s not fair to you or the cats to allow cats to fight. Learn how to recognize the potential and reasons behind cat aggression and fighting cats, and what you can do.

Discounted Thriller: Get TRICK OR TREAT for 99-cents!

May 14-17, get the digital (Ebook or Audiobook) for only 99-cents!

How to Make Pets Vomit

A dog vomits more easily than nearly any other creature. So why in the world would a pet parent want to make pets vomit? When dogs or cats eat the wrong thing that could cause harm, you can save your pets’ lives by inducing vomiting.

Pets vomit for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it’s because of illness, while other times the dog vomiting or cat hairball upchuck is more innocuous. Some pets eat grass to induce vomiting, or they get into dangerous candy that makes them sick. However, sometimes making pets vomit means life or death. That means you need to know how to make pets vomit.

Visit Amy's Website

Amy Shojai CACB is an award winning author. You can find all her publications and book her to speak via her website.

Visit the website

On Demand Writer Coaching

AmyShojai.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com http://amazon.com/.