Wild
Women Authors features debut author Joyce Sanderly and Wild Irish Yenta, a current release out of
The Wild Rose Press. Going first
is Patricia Reilly Weiss, wife, mother and crime solver.
Good morning, Patricia.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us. Let’s
start with you telling us a bit about yourself and Wild Irish Yenta. I
am Patricia Reilly Weiss, wife of a Jewish cardiologist and daughter of good Catholic
parents. My Italian-American mother is a nurse and a dynamite cook. I followed
my mother’s path into nursing. Unfortunately I did not inherit her culinary
gene, much to the dismay of my foodie husband and my adorable four-year-old
son. My Irish- American dad was a detective in the Randolph, Massachusetts
police force and I did inherit his love of solving crimes and puzzles.
My
addictive attraction to puzzling is one of the reasons I was compelled to
investigate the mysterious death of Roberto Gomez, the custodian at my family’s
temple in suburban Maryland. His body was found in the temple’s parking lot,
squashed against a garbage bin. I had been tutoring Roberto with his English
language skills. Roberto was struggling to be adopted by a new country, learn a
new language, and hold down a job to support his family. I felt a kinship with
him. I, too, felt like an outsider. As a recent convert to Judaism, I was
trying to gain acceptance into the Jewish faith, the temple, and my husband’s
family, especially my mother-in-law. In spite of my overly cautious
doctor-husband’s wishes, my temple buddy Brenda and I designated ourselves the Yenta Patrol to unravel the mystery.
What
is a yenta you may ask. As with most
Yiddish words, there is no precise English equivalent. My buddy Brenda defines yenta as a wise and knowledgeable female
who distributes essential information to parties who have a need to know, kind
of like an analog version of social media. A less complimentary definition of
the term yenta might be “busybody.”
In any event Brenda and I made a great detecting team, and we had good
intentions at heart.
What made you choose
nursing as a profession? I was encouraged to follow my mother
into nursing. My mother managed to take good care of both her patients and her
family. She cooked amazing meals – lasagna and peach pie – and made sure she
was home while my father worked long and unpredictable hours. I followed my
mother’s nursing path in hopes that I could simultaneously pursue a caring
profession and raise a family. Although other women of my generation were going
into law and medicine, none seemed to live in Randolph. I enjoyed my nursing
responsibilities in the hospital. Plus I met my handsome husband when he was a
resident in cardiology at the hospital. But when my son Danny was born, I
decided to be a full-time mom. My husband was just establishing his cardiology
practice in Maryland, and I wanted to ensure I was available to give Danny hugs
and meet his needs.
In
retrospect, I might have chosen differently. If I had been a boy I might have
followed my father into the police force and become a detective. However, a
detective can be put in compromising situations where she has to intimidate
witnesses and bend the truth to obtain the truth. It’s not like being a
firefighter. No one is happy to see a detective on the doorstep with a search
warrant. In an ideal world with unlimited resources of time and money, I think I
would have pursued a medical career. Perhaps I would have become an infectious
disease doc or a pathologist who unraveled medical mysteries. In any event, I
am going to encourage my son, and hopefully more children to come, to follow his
heart and mind when choosing a career.
What is your biggest
fear? My biggest fear is not being the best mother I can be
for Danny, my four-year-old son. He is such a smart, sweet child. He shares
with friends and asks lots of questions. I want to encourage him to be curious,
to try new things, but I don’t want to pressure him or stress him out. I wish I
could ensure him a happy life, but I know that is impossible. He will have to
face many challenges by himself. I can only provide a safe and loving environment
and give him as many opportunities as possible. I wish I knew when to protect
and when to pull back. My parents were good parents but they were very
traditional, and I was raised in a different era. The world has become a much complicated place,
what with social media, global warming, and pandemics. I hope I can raise Danny
to be a caring person and to have the tools he needs to make fulfilling
choices.
Who are your favorite
fictional characters and why? Growing up, I loved
reading Nancy Drew mysteries and the Hardy Boys. I watched Cagney and Lacey reruns
and Murder She Wrote on TV. My favorite character is Detective Olivia Benson on
Law & Order SVU. She is compassionate and works for victim rights. She is
not only a relentless pursuer of crime but also a single parent raising a young
son.
What is the best piece of
advice I have ever received? The best recent pieces of
advice I have received come from my mentor Rabbi Deborah who guided me through
the conversion process and from my buddy Brenda. Rabbi Deborah has convinced me
that I need to be more accepting of my husband’s behavior, my mother-in-law’s
behavior, and my own behavior. No one is perfect, and I need to learn to be
more forgiving of all of our flaws. At the same time, Rabbi Deborah has
emphasized that I should not give up on pursuing my own interests outside of
the family. Rabbi Deborah has also emphasized that a married couple must be
loving and beloved friends, passionate partners for life. Brenda, the most
experienced spouse of the three of us, has made clear that marriage is a 50/50
proposition – both partners must share the responsibilities and the fun times
equally.
Thank you again,
Patricia. Now we’d like to chat with Joyce.
Which writer or character
from books or movies has had a major impact on your writing? I
am a big fan of a number of mystery authors:
Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott, Tana French who is Irish, Jane Harper, an Australian,
and Lianne Moriarty, also Australian. These writers explore the multi-faceted relationships
among family, friends, lovers and enemies. Their novels delve into the
psychological impetus behind their characters’ crimes. Faye Kellerman, Susan
Isaacs and Julia Dahl write Jewish-themed mysteries that add a layer of
cultural complexity to their plots. I find the interplay among characters and
their motivations for crossing over the legal line to be fascinating.
With regard to research
where did you start with this novel and did your path change in any way? My
story began with a focus on the conflicts surrounding an interfaith marriage. My
own experience of the difficulty of finding clergy to officiate at my
interfaith marriage was the impetus. As the plot began to form, I researched
customs, doctrine and biblical interpretations of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam. I researched how evidence is used to track leads, interview witnesses,
and rule out suspects. I also researched aspects of securities law and criminal
law related to the plot of Wild Irish
Yenta.
Who is your publisher? My
publisher is The Wild Rose Press. A writing friend suggested I send my
manuscript to them because the press was supportive of women writers and was
open to a wide variety of genres. My
novel is a cross between a cozy mystery and a domestic romance with a bit of
humor and does not fit easily within a genre category. So I was hoping TWRP
would be interested. The editor who read my initial submission was very
supportive and gave helpful guidance. The submission process was smooth. My
novel was released a bit more than a year after submission.
What are you reading
right now? I recently read Toni Morrison’s Beloved, one of the great novels of the
20th century although not a mystery. I am also reading William Kent
Krueger’s new book The River We Remember.
He is a great mystery writer, and his earlier novel Ordinary Grace is one of my all time favorites. I am looking
forward to reading The Maid by Prose,
The Hunter by French, and Bright Young Women by Knoll. And I
always enjoy the new Michael Connelly mystery.
What’s up next for you? I
am taking a breather from novel writing for a few months and concentrating on
poetry. My debut poetry collection The
Shomer, written as Ellen Sazzman, came out two years ago, and I
have had poems published
recently in Clackamas Review, Atlanta Review, Folio, Peregrine, Delmarva
Review, Another Chicago Magazine, Sow’s Ear, and Lilith. However I already have
a crime in mind awaiting the sleuthing skills of Patricia and Brenda. I plan to
write Wild Irish Yenta Returns in the
near future.
To learn more about Joyce
Sanderly and her writing go to:
www.joycesanderly.com
What people are saying about Wild Irish Yenta:
“In Wild Irish Yenta, Philip Roth
meets Agatha Christie, and the result is a page-turner that also explores the
interlocking dynamics that exist within an interfaith marriage, a family and a
Maryland synagogue.” Michelle Brafman, author of Swimming With Ghosts.
“This keenly observed, funny mystery …
combines an insightful look at interfaith marriage, the complexities of
friendship, and the politics of religious institutions.” – Susan Coll, author
of Bookish People
Wild Irish Yenta is available at:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Irish-Yenta-Joyce-Sanderly-ebook/dp/B0CVXW6H8K
Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-irish-yenta-joyce-anderly/1144882468
Bookshop https://bookshop.org/book/9781509250936
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