The Book Resort is thrilled to have the charming, Cleo Coyle pop on over for a lil' chat.
Psst! I hope she brought something yummy to nosh on ; 9. LOL!
Ready? Let's eat dish!
Me: What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)
CC: A new murder mystery to be released next year. No hints on that one yet, but I can tell you about this year’s book: HOLIDAY GRIND takes place during the Thanksgiving-Christmas-Chanukah nexus, which is often a very merry time, but (let’s face it) sometimes a real grind to get through!
You can read the complete story description at my *virtual* coffeehouse:
http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/
Me: Spider-Man or Superman?
CC: While I’ve always had a thing for Clark Kent’s nerdy sexiness, Spidey’s from Queens so he’s my homeboy!
Me: Wonder Woman or Batgirl?
CC: Batgirl, even though Catwoman is more my style…Mrrrrorrw!
Me: Chunky or Smooth?
CC: Chunky because texture is 50% of the experience.
Me: Favorite flavor ice cream?
CC: I’ll walk a mile for gelato—which is probably what I should be doing, given the calorie drift to my, er, assets. Bacio is one of my favorite flavors, which is a marriage of chocolate and hazelnut. Top it with chopped, caramelized hazelnuts and I am happy, happy. Second runner up: a good, old-fashioned soft serve vanilla encased in a hard chocolate shell and rolled in nuts--can't you just hear that little snap of your front teeth through crispy, cold chocolate into soft, sweet creaminess?
Me: Favorite ice cream topping?
CC: Hot fudge
Me: Subway or Taxi?
CC: Subway—not only is it faster and cheaper, it lets a writer like me eavesdrop on your conversations!
And if you don’t believe me, check out this link:
http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/
Me: Broadway Show or Movie Theater?
CC: Movie theater
Me: TiVo or DVR?
CC: IDK
Me: Favorite vacation place?
CC: Staycation. Although I’ve lived in NYC for years, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I’m still in awe of New York's amazing-ness (see my answer below if you don’t believe me…)
Me: Next vacation destination?
CC: Bejing, China—by way of the Number 7 line to Flushing, Queens. Click the link below to see what I mean!
The link will take you to the New York Times story: Let the Meals Begin: Finding Beijing in Flushing…
Me: Favorite NYC hotspot?
CC: When not munching a sizzling sausage and pepper sandwich at Rocco’s stainless steel trailer in Home Depot’s parking lot (I kid you not), I enjoy dropping by Otto at One Fifth Avenue. The gourmet pizzeria is owned by Chef Mario Batali, who does not believe in a dress code. Thank you, Mario! Prices are reasonable for Manhattan and Batali’s vision for his bar is inventive and fun. The large bar space is designed to have the look and feel of an Italian railway station, complete with big clocks and an arrival/departure board. My favorite nosh is a pizza bianco topped with sea salt and imported olive oil—I won't say no to a bubbly glass of Prosecco on the side, either. One last ordering tip: Mario’s father has a Salumi shop in Seattle and that’s where Mario gets his expertly cured, razor-thin sliced, melt-in-your-mouth Italian cold cuts for his meat antipasti plates.
Click this link to visit the restaurant virtually:
http://www.ottopizzeria.com/.
To virtually visit Mario’s father’s Salumi Cured Meat shop in Seattle, click this:
http://www.salumicuredmeats.com/ (Okay, now I’m hungry.)
Me: Guilty Pleasure?
CC: Jacques Torres chocolate bark. The French chef’s staff makes the chocolate right before your eyes at the Hudson street shop. Ooo-la-la, the smell of fresh chocolate!
Click this link to visit virtually:
http://www.mrchocolate.com/hudsonLocation.aspx
Me: Good luck charm?
CC: My hunky husband. Always. He’s my hero, too.
Me: When you were a little girl, you thought you would grow up to be a?
CC: Writer. I can’t believe it, but (so far anyway) the gig’s actually working out…
Me: Last thing bought at the mall?
CC: Old Navy Flag Tanks
Me: Item on your grocery list
CC: Garlic. (No, I’m not afraid of vampires. I’m Italian. )
Me: French fries or Onion Rings?
CC: Onion rings. Big, hot, crunchy. Yum….check out White Horse Tavern in Greenwich Village—the best onion rings—order a big plate with a cold beer.
Me: Pizza: New York or Chicago?
CC: Is there any doubt? New York!
Me: Midnight snack?
CC: Cereal. Bowl sometimes optional.
Me: Bookmark or dog ear?
CC: dog ear.
Me: Read with dustjacket or remove it?
CC: Paradoxically (considering my previous answer) remove it.
Me: Ocean, Lake, Desert, Mountain?
CC: Ocean or Mountain. At the moment, however, it’s more like: Concrete Jungle. LaGuardia Flight Path.
Me: Favorite book?
CC: Tough to pick just one! However, if pressed by Ray Bradbury to memorize a single volume for eternal preservation, I’d choose The Great Gatsby, which is basically a Jazz Age romance that ends in murder but is also a wickedly wise, brilliantly engrossing commentary about America’s socio-economic divide and the snares hidden on almost every road leading to an established society’s higher ground. The prose is clean and sharp, the story moves with swift grace, and there's even a recognizable plot (for fans of contemporary literary fiction, I do apologize). Gatsby is also the kind of cautionary tale that has special appeal for children of immigrants, outsiders, and working class kids with aspirations (like me).
Me: Item you can't live without?
CC: Laptop.
Me: Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?
CC: Richard Price. I just read and loved his novel Lush Life. Price is also a screenwriter with an astonishing gift for dialog. What I like most about him, however, is his talent for creating characters with dimension and decency—the kind of fictional people I wish I could check in with after I turn the last page, just to make sure they’re doing okay.
Me: What kid or teen books made a difference in your world growing up?
CC: Although not a kid/teen book, Heartburn by Nora Ephron was important to me as a dorky young woman because it made me laugh and feel and think. The story (based on her own experience) follows the misadventures of a cookbook writer who struggles to hold on to her sanity and self-worth despite discovering, in her seventh month of pregnancy, that her new husband has been cheating on her with a friend. The book is a triumph of voice and vision. Plus it’s funny. Our society laps up comic literature but never honors it as frequently as the “serious” D writing (you know, stories about disease, dysfunction, depression). For me, however, after dragging through a weighty high school reading list that included Heart of Darkness, Crime and Punishment, and Moby Dick, Nora showed me that reading could be amusing and pleasurable as well as penetrating and poignant. Sure, all those masterpieces written by men living in another age were brilliant and I’m glad that I read them. But with Heartburn I discovered that a book could be a friend; and the insight of an older, wiser female author, who lived in the same day and age, was no less valuable to a clueless girl like moi. I still have the copy of Heartburn that I read back then and have re-read many times since. To say the book has influenced me would be an understatement.
Me: Where do you like to write your books (bed ~ coffee shop ~ an office)?
CC: Coffee shop (of course)
Me: Describe your ideal place to write:
CC: Oceanfront mansion. (Did I mention I live in a Queens rowhouse? But a girl can dream.)
Me: What are you reading @ the moment?
CC: The Watchmen graphic novel (again) along with nonfiction research for my next mystery. These include books on espresso machine maintenance and one on the ratios of ingredients that go into the making of various types of baked goods (exciting, I know).
Me: Where do you usually read?
CC: Everywhere!
Me: Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
CC: Does Spidey love Mary Jane?
Holiday Grind will be released on Nov 3, 2009.
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