Welcome to Interview Alley, the place on my blog I conduct and store interviews. Author Gay Yellen is one of my blog partners over at The Stiletto Gang. I interviewed her about her Samantha Newman Mystery series as her third book in the series recently released. Please welcome Author Gay Yellen. ~ Donnell Ann Bell
Donnell: Hi, Gay. In intrigued by all I’ve read. What inspired you to create the Samantha Newman Mystery series?
Gay Yellen: After helping another author give birth to a successful thriller, I was inspired to write a mystery of my own. Having just left a fairly toxic business environment, I started thinking about why I hadn’t quit sooner. Many people have jobs where, no matter how hard they try to succeed, they are thwarted by other people’s hidden agendas, power struggles, or something else beyond their control. That feeling of powerlessness was the jumping off point for Book #1, The Body Business. However, I love to entertain readers, so the series is pure fiction, with extra thrills, romance, and humor sprinkled in.
Donnell: In what way is Gay Yellen like your protagonist Samantha Newman and in what way are you different?
Author Gay Yellen
Gay Yellen: Throughout the series, I’ve tried to make Samantha a fully-rounded woman with wants, needs, and flaws—just like the rest of us. So, in that way, we are alike. And certainly, a book’s characters are an expression of the author who created them, even in a tiny way. I know what it’s like to be a single woman trying to make her way in the world while facing obstacles to success. A past experience or two of mine may pop up in Samantha’s world, though it’s usually altered to serve the story. Deep down, she is loyal to friends, and I’d like to think I am, too.
Some might call Samantha foolhardy for marching into potentially hostile territory, whereas I would tend to be more cautious. But we do share a sense of humor, a passion for justice, and especially, a love of delicious food!
Donnell: Sounds like my kind of read. a protagonist with a sense of humor and someone who loves delicious food. What would you say is the worst predicament you’ve put her in?
Gay Yellen: Ha-ha! It’s hard to pick just one, because in each book Samantha faces several precarious situations. But here goes:
In The Body Business, Samantha sets out to find a missing co-worker and is nearly murdered twice. In The Body Next Door, on top of losing her job and her home, she’s a suspect in a murder case. In The Body in the News, she fights off an armed intruder with dire results that may cause her to lose her new career and the man she loves.
Donnell:Sounds intriguing. They say it’s an author’s job to make our characters suffer, but does that ever get to you? How do you deal?
Gay Yellen: I cried real tears as I wrote a scene in which I “killed” a friend of Samantha’s. When I finished the scene, I had to get up and walk around a bit before I could return to the manuscript. There isn’t much death in my books, and this was the first time I’d let someone die. But the event made Sam even more determined to bring the bad guys to justice.
Wow, Donnell, you’ve made me realize how much I’ve put Samantha through! But to my mind, when a writer works to create a fully rounded character that our readers can relate to, there’s not much difference between fiction and real life, where overcoming our fears and facing up to obstacles can make us stronger.
Donnell: Exactly, Gay, and isn’t that why we write? We may write fiction, but at the same time, we write to share a theme, a message, our hopes, inspiration, and even a potential warning for readers to consider. Thank you again for being my guest. I cannot wait to dive i more into your series.
And readers, this just in: Gay will be doing a #giveaway on my blog. Something I rarely do. Comment on the blog and we will use a random generator to pick one winner to receive one of Gay’s books. Contest ends Friday November 17th. Good luck!!!
About the Samantha Newman Mystery Series
All Samantha Newman wants is a good job, a place to call her own, and a chance for love. But in her rollercoaster life, things don’t come easy. Just when success seems possible, a dead body shows up and Sam is in the hot seat. If she didn’t have a sense of humor, she’d really go crazy.
In the Samantha Newman Mysteries—The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News—you’ll chuckle and perhaps even shed a tear as she wades through minefields in search of the life she wants to live.
About the Author: Gay Yellen began working life as an actress, then moved behind the camera at The American Film Institute (AFI) as Assistant to the Director of Production. A former magazine editor and national journalism award winner, she was the contributing book editor for Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), an international thriller. Her award-winning Samantha Newman Series of romantic mystery novels includes The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and the Body in the News. To learn more about Gay Yellen check out https://gayyellen.com/
Thanks a million for hosting me, Donnell!
My pleasure, Gay!
An intriguing entry into a cut-throat business world! One I’ve only seen from my first very low-level job, which led me to decide that it wasn’t a career I wanted.
I look forward to reading them.
Thanks, KM. I hope you enjoy the read.
Great interview from two of my favorite writer friends!
Ah, thanks, Lois 😉 Back at ya!
This sounds like a must-read series!
Patricia, Gay puts the relatable “been there” in her work.
Thank you, Patricia!
These sound like great reads. Thank you Donnell for introducing me to a new series! And, as a fellow author, I get how hard it is to kill your characters, especially popular ones!
You’re welcome, Merit. But now I’m hyperventilating. I know Jack has been sick but … you wouldn’t!!! Hope you’re doing well.
Thanks, Merit. It’s funny how we’re compelled to write about murders and still get queasy when we’re doing the deed!
Gay’s books sound intriguing and mysterious with bits and pieces of true life sprinkled in the mix.
You summed them up perfectly, Violet.