THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Gail Meath's Jax Diamond Mysteries Series!
SYNOPSIS:
Join PI Jax Diamond, his courageous German Shepherd partner, Ace, and Broadway star, Laura Graystone on a crazy, whodunit mystery ride during the 1920s, an era of fun and frolic, song and dance, speakeasies, gangsters, bootlegging, and bribes.
The books are all based on those old gumshoe mysteries of the 1920-1940s. Jax Diamond, Ace, and Laura Graystone are co-stars in each of the books, although they have a few good friends who join them along the way!
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or
was that decided before the story began?
All of my books are historical romance in a variety of sub-genres, mysteries, westerns, medieval, and biographies.
My mother and I used to watch the old detective movies together. When she passed away, I started researching the 1920s, and what a fun that era was!!
My book takes place just after WWI and before the depression. Women had just won the right to vote, jazz was born, and even prohibition all contributed to everyone’s great desire to drink, dance, and be merry.
Are you more character or plot driven?
I love developing my characters, although I think I merely set the groundwork for them…they do the rest. I would say I’m character drive.
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep
them separated in your mind? Do you have
a story/vision board above your workspace?
With all my characters, I have a spreadsheet with their names, but once I develop them in my mind, and they start participating in the book, it’s easy to remember who’s who.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a
life of their own. Were any of the
characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of
where you initially wanted them to go?
Laura is far more independent that I originally thought. Jax is sweeter than I had intended, and Ace…well, he’s just perfect the way he is.
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
No
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
No
Was there any one character/scene
that was harder to write about than the other?
I do find transition scenes more difficult. I love writing action scenes!
What is your favorite book in the series?
I have only completed two books so far. I love Songbird, like a mother loves her firstborn. But, Framed is a whole lot of fun!
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far
as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
This is easy! Ace is Jax Diamond’s canine partner, an adorable, sweet, and courageous German Shepherd. His character is based upon my beloved Gretchen, a beautiful German Shepherd who was with me for fifteen years. She loved my children dearly, guarded them well, and even saved my son’s life once.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did
you decide on their dynamics?
Jax and Laura have a great dynamic. They fall in love, but murders keep getting in the way (romance is secondary in my series).
Tim Murphy, Jax’s previous partner on the police force, and his wife, Carla, are a lot of fun together – she is spunky and rules the roost.
How do you get inside these character’s heads to find
their perfect HEA?
As much as Jax and Laura squabble – she’s a Broadway star, auto expert, and stubborn enough to win many of their arguments, they both work very well together using their own expertise to solve the crimes.
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for
you? Why?
There are a lot of action scenes I love. Probably the best one so far is in Framed when Jax and Ace are going to help their cop friend, Tim, break out of jail. Ace needs to ‘play dead’ to distract the prison guards.
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than
others?
Book #3 has been a little difficult writing. I’m about half-way through it. Rather than taking place in New York City, Jax, Ace, and Laura visit Laura’s small hometown in Massachusetts, which involves building a whole new setting.
This question is if you write in MULTIPLE POVs not just
the hero and heroine - I love the multiple POVs in a book. It’s not just the hero and heroine, but we
get inside the heads of multiple characters throughout this series. I feel that it gives the story further
depth. Do you think you will write
another book or series following this multiple POV outline?
Basically, I stay with Jax and Laura’s POV, but I do slip in a couple of other POVs (Jax’s friend, Tim, and a couple of the criminals)
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
It takes me about 3-4 months from start to finish for each book.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
My husband and I were playing euchre with friends last summer when the series was just a hint of an idea. I saw the jack of diamonds card and knew it would be the perfect name for a 1920s private detective.
If you met these characters in real life would you get
along?
Absolutely! I love Jax’s wise-crack sense of humor and Laura’s strong and down-to-earth personality.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were
going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand
their own story?
I toyed with the idea of a series before since they’re so popular. Once I chose the era and Jax’s name, I knew one book wouldn’t be enough.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors
do you see as playing your characters?
Chris Hemsworth (or a younger Brad Pitt) for Jax. Myrna Loy, the 1940s actress, would have been perfect for Laura.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect
next? Whether a new book and series or a
sequel to an existing series? Can you
share a small tease?
Other than Deuce, Book 3, I plan on releasing Two of a Kind at Christmas. It will be a novella about how Jax and Ace met.
Book 4 is going to be a wild ride back in New York City when Jax discovers who his parents were/are. (Someone had left Jax at the doorstep of an orphanage when he was one month old – in a basket with the jack of diamonds playing card underneath him. One of the nuns found him and gave him his name.)
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Gail Meath!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/06/author-at-glance-gail-meath.html#more
BIO:
Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.
The subgenres of her books vary from action-packed westerns, plot twisting murder mysteries and biographies of powerful women who defied the strict rules of society fighting for the freedom of their countries. Her romances may exclude steamy sexual scenes, yet the intensity between heroine and hero will satisfy your deepest fantasies.
Outside of writing, she spends loads of time with her husband, children and grandchildren.
Connect with Gail:
Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he? Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorizes criminals into submission. Well, maybe not.
But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full when a playwright’s death is declared natural causes, and his new manuscript worth a million bucks is missing.
Laura Graystone, a beautiful rising Broadway star, is dragged into the heart of their investigation, and she’s none too happy about it. Especially when danger first strikes, and she needs to rely on her own ingenuity to save their hides.
Join Jax, Laura and Ace on a fun yet deadly ride during the Roaring Twenties that takes twists and turns, and a race against time to find the real murderer before he/she/they stop them permanently.
A B.R.A.G. Medallion Award
Gold Medal, Highly Recommended - Historical Fiction Company
Things get pretty sticky for PI Jax Diamond and his courageous canine partner, Ace, when their best friend, a cop, is framed for murder. And not just anyone’s murder. The victim is the fiancée of the most notorious gangster in the city, Orin Marino, Jax’s worst enemy.
Laura Graystone, the budding Broadway Star and Jax’s new squeeze, proves to be an ingenious partner as they sift through clues trying to find the real murderer. But when Jax is pinched for another crime, Laura and Ace are forced to go undercover.
Hang on to your seat as Jax, Laura and Ace take you on another crazy, whodunit ride during the Roaring Twenties. Where no one is who they seem, and those who do, aren’t. Anything goes during an era of fun and frolic, song and dance, speakeasies, gangsters, bootlegging, and bribes.
While vacationing in New England, PI Jax Diamond and his courageous canine partner, Ace, bite off more than they can chew when two small town deaths reveal two big time killers, and the locals don’t take too kindly to strangers.
Laura Graystone, Broadway star, auto expert, and Jax’s heartthrob, is once again front and center digging for clues while trying to ditch an old boyfriend. That is, until her brother becomes Jax’s prime suspect. Then all hell breaks loose, and Ace is left in the lurch, tracking down leads with his new sidekick, Susie.
A crazy duet of crimes sends Jax, Laura and Ace into a tailspin in small-town USA during the Roaring Twenties. Where no one is above the law, everyone is a suspect, and time is running out before the clock strikes one.
Officer Jax Diamond doesn’t always play by the rules, and he’s in the hot seat again with the captain of his precinct. So, when a brazen little puppy alerts him of a crime, Jax is ordered to stand down or get canned.
On the city streets, broke and alone, Jax beats himself up for making the wrong decision. Even the little tramp who keeps trailing him everywhere can’t lift his spirits. But crime never stops in New York City and a string of deadly Christmas capers spirals out of control.
Hang on to your seat as Jax and his new pint-sized partner, Ace, team up to save the Christmas holidays during the Roaring Twenties, an era of fun and frolic, song and dance, speakeasies, gangsters, bootlegging, and bribes.
Laura Graystone’s career soars as she rehearses for her new Broadway musical. Yet, she senses something’s amiss when Jax spends more time with a new buddy aboard a steamboat than solving crimes. With the help of their friends and a mysterious stranger, Laura and Ace set out to get to the bottom of it.
It’s a whirlwind of twists and turns as Jax discovers there is far more to a family than just blood relatives. And who knows? They may just solve the biggest case of his life.
Thank you SO much, Deb!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Loved doing it!
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