Death by Coconut
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Susie Black's Death by Coconut!
***Synopsis***
Obnoxious Mystique Swimwear sales rep Simon Posnick was universally despised by competitors and customers alike. So the question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating scoundrel dead. The question was who didn’t.
Mariel Levine, Laurie’s Fashions' swimsuit buyer and Holly Schlivnik’s career mentor, is wrongly arrested for murdering Posnick by impaling him with the jagged edge of a coconut shell at the base of his skull.
The wisecracking, irreverent President of Mermaid Swimwear jumps into action to uncover the real killer. But the treacherous trail holds more dangerous human predators than the alligators and black pythons in the Everglades.
Everything turns out differently than the way amateur sleuth Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a killer hellbent on revenge.
How are the books in the series related?
The books in the series are related by locale and by a cast of continuing characters. All the books in the series take place in the ladies’ swimwear industry.
Holly Schlivnik, the protagonist, and the Yentas, her group of colleagues, appear in every book, as does Doctor Sophie Cutler, Holly’s lifelong friend and a Los Angeles County Assistant Coroner.
All previous books in the series took place in the Los Angeles garment center at the California Mart. This book is the first in the series where the story takes place in a different city.
What is the sub-genre and trope?
The sub-genre is a humorous cozy mystery. The trope is that all the stories take place in the ladies’ swimwear industry. The main characters meet every morning for coffee at the same place and time. Garment jargon is in every story.
Did your characters lead you to this genre, or was that decided before the story began?
No, the characters did not lead me to this genre. It was decided before the story began.
Are you more character- or plot-driven?
As a career ladies’ apparel sales exec, I am by nature a people person, so I am naturally more character than plot-driven.
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?
All of my characters, except medical and law enforcement, are based on real people I know or knew, so it is easy for me to keep them separated in my mind. So, no, I do not need a story/vision board above my workspace to keep the characters straight.
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?
Are you kidding? With my cast of annoyingly pushy characters, ALL of them were determined to take their own direction instead of where I initially wanted them to go! LOL.
The cast of continuing characters and I have worked out a compromise: I write the beginning and end of the story, and the characters take the plot from the middle to the end.
BUT…I have the last word. They know that they MUST get to my ending, not one of theirs.
Generally, they behave because if they don’t and I get really upset, they know I can write them out of the story…or kill them off. Nothing is as lasting as a relationship based on fear…
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
Yes. All of the male POVs are based on someone I know.
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
Yes. Except for the Assistant Dade County Coroner, all of the female POVs are based on someone I know.
Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?
Yes. There is a scene in which the protagonist’s mother asks whether she would like to visit her grandmother’s grave. The protagonist says no, she’d rather pretend Nana is on a cruise. This scene is based on a conversation I had with my mother about my Nana. It was hard to write.
What is your favorite book in the series?
My favorite book in the series has been the debut title, Death by Sample Size. But now, Death by Coconut is my favorite because it has so many firsts and is the most autobiographical one in the series.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
Hands down, Holly Schlivnik is my favorite character because she is based on me. Holly is the me I always wanted to be and more.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?
My favorite couple has recently changed from a selfish, conniving couple you love to hate in Death by Surfboard: Jack Tyne and Carrie Le Beau. Now my favorite couple is Holly Schlivnik and Mo Lehrman.
I decided on their dynamic because Mo is a man from Holly’s past who has never been mentioned before, and his reappearance could change the direction of the entire series.
How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?
Since these two characters are based on real people I knew and worked with, it was quite easy to get into their heads and find their perfect HEA as I imagined it would be.
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you? Why?
The scene where Holly receives a phone call from a man she is dating while Mo is in the room with her sticks out the most for me because Mo realizes he’s got competition and takes steps to quash the contest.
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than others?
Yes. There were two. Death by Cutting Table and Death by Coconut were both harder to write because both were more autobiographical than the others.
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?
I write all my stories in the first person from the protagonist’s POV, so multiple POVs are not part of my writing scheme.
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
Including Death by Coconut, there are currently seven books in The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series. It took approximately three months to write each book. So, all totaled, almost four and a half years to write them all.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
All of my book titles give the reader a clue to the plot and how the murder victim is killed. So, all the titles begin with “Death by…”
In this instance, Death by Coconut tells the reader that the story is about someone who meets their death being struck by a coconut.
Coming up with the series title, I wanted to give the reader an idea of what all the stories in the series were about. The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series tells the reader who the continuing protagonist is, hints at her profession, and that the series is in the murder mystery genre.
If you met these characters in real life, would you get along?
Since these characters are based on real people whom I did meet, the answer is: Some of them, absolutely yes. Some of them would be just colleagues, and others close friends. BUT there are others-definitely NOT. We would buck heads most of the time.
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 knew in advance that I was going to write this as a series, but the protagonist definitely demanded that every story featured her as the star.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?
Sarah Silverman- Holly Schlivnik;
Katherine Heigel-Queenie;
Melissa McCarthy-Joan;
Elizabeth Banks-Sonia;
Rebel Wilson-Hope;
Anna Kendrick- Avril;
Juliette Rylance-Harriet-;
Edgar Ramirez or William Levy-Mo Lehrman;
Paul Rudd-Walter;
Edward Norton-Jack;
Kate Mckinnon-Mo Mac;
Mayim Bialik-Lynnie;
Mrs. Schlivnik-Charlotte Rae
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?
The Case of the Croaked Coach is the debut title of The Hannah White Mystery Series, which features the protagonist as a high school newspaper reporter and amateur sleuth.
Can you share a small tease?
There wasn’t an honest bone in Buzz Bixby’s body. The Encino High School’s head football coach was an equal-opportunity scoundrel. Bixby cheated and lied his way to the top and screwed anyone and everyone in his wake.
So, the question wasn’t who wanted the bastard dead. The question was, who didn’t?
Student reporter Hannah White’s interview with the coach is a nonstarter when she discovers varsity football hero Dean Snyder standing over Bixby’s battered corpse, holding a bloody trophy. When Snyder is arrested for Bixby’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer.
But the trail has more twists and turns than a slinky, and nothing turns out the way Hannah thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book
Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple
but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly
Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie
began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the
stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.
She reads, writes, and speaks
Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went
on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life
without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living,
she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s
also an avid stamp collector and ardent sailor. Susie lives with a highly
intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who
inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
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