Caryl Janis is...On the Writing Block!

It’s time for another guest author, and this time, we are learning just who is Caryl Janis?

A fan of mysteries since childhood, Caryl Janis now writes her own. Her first, To Sketch a Killer, is a 1977 urban cozy. A sequel is in the works. Research Can Be Murder is her latest—a contemporary cozy set in Manhattan and nearby suburbs. A freelance musician and nonfiction author, Caryl enjoys concerts, museums, bookstores, and spending time with family and friends.

What is your ultimate goal as an author?

I want to tell the best story I can so readers will forget about the troubles of their everyday lives for just a little while and be thoroughly entertained. In Research Can Be Murder, I tried to make Emma a truly likeable sleuth who everyone can root for personally as well as worry about when she gets deeper into danger. And I hope that solving the mystery along with her each step of the way will be fun—and a surprise right until the end. If a reader comes to me and says they enjoyed my book—and might even pinpoint a character or a part of the plot they especially liked—this gives me an enormous amount of satisfaction.

Do you have a writing schedule, or do you write whenever you can squeeze it in?

I definitely write whenever and wherever I can squeeze it in. There are times when I work on my laptop at my desk or someplace away from home, but it’s not according to any schedule. I also find it really productive to sit with paper and pen and draft out a chapter or edit and revise a couple of printed out pages during random snatches of time. This often happens while I’ve arrived early somewhere and am waiting in my car, or during an extended intermission at a concert, or when I’ve just grabbed a sandwich at a coffee shop. Those little writing sessions are really helpful because they keep me focused on my story without too many time gaps in between.

Do you always know who the killer is, or do your characters surprise you in the end?

Everything surprises me when I write! I’m definitely a pantser. I start with a basic idea of the setting, timeframe, and main character and go from there. I’m just about as surprised when a murder is committed as my characters are. And the killer? Sometimes the killer—and the logic behind the crime—just pop up a while after the deed is done. And my characters always surprise me. They have a way of driving the story forward by themselves. And new characters, like a few of the more unusual ones in Research, seem to have a way of popping into the story unannounced.

Who is your favorite mystery sleuth? (Books, TV, amateur and professional alike)

I have so many favorites. Of course, I started with Nancy Drew. She got me hooked on mysteries early on. Now, I like a lot of different types of sleuths—from comic to identifiable to very unusual—Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich’s books to Clare Cosi in Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries to Vera Vixen, the very unique fox in Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow series. I always loved Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote. She was so clever. And now, I’ve become enthralled with the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. The funny and unusual trio of sleuths make a charming and unbeatable combination.

Bonus Question:

What is your favorite food to eat?

Pizza. Hands down, it’s pizza. And I’ve somehow tricked myself into believing that it gives me additional inspiration and energy to write!

What is Research Can Be Murder about?

Emma Streyt hated to admit she was bored. But her newly retired brother puts an end to that by dropping a stash of old family memorabilia on her doorstep. Cheered on by her best friend, Emma enthusiastically dives into these boxes of antique treasures. But some faded diary pages convince her that century-old thefts-- and maybe something worse -- are tied in with their past. Eager to dig deeper into this mysterious puzzle by doing some serious research, she settles into a neglected New York City archive with an eccentric cast of characters. But more sinister matters than history soon unfold there when a fellow researcher is murdered. And Emma's determination to solve the case makes her a dead-center target for the killer.