Interview with Nanci Rathbun, Author of Blood Kills

by grant

in Author Interviews, eBook, Mystery, News

20 Apr 2021

What can you tell us about your new release, Blood Kills?

Blood Kills is much more of a thriller than the other books, but there is a deep vein of romance running through it, too, as PI Angelina Bonaparte and her homicide detective boyfriend reunite and several years apart. The main plot twist seemed to call for an increased level of tension. It was inspired by newspaper articles about the capture of the Golden State Killer in 2018. I’m attaching the Notes at the end of the book, but the gist is that DNA evidence is not necessarily definitive in a small number of cases. There are people who have human chimeric DNA – that is, the DNA in some of their organs doesn’t match the DNA in others. Since that’s the ah-ha moment, I’d hate for it to be explicitly revealed.

Another interesting aspect of the story revolves around Angie’s family connections with the Milwaukee Mafia via her father, Pasquale “Pat” Bonaparte. In Blood Kills, she must confront a mobster who is involved in Bratva, the Russian organized crime network. So the daughter of a Mafia leader (retired) must deal with the boss of an Illinois Bratva branch as she pursues justice for a slain metal artist.

I’ll be taking a slight turn after this book (#4 in the series) is published, as I prepare to research and write mysteries about Angie’s female ancestors – her mother during WWII, her grandmother in the 20s, and her great-grandmother in post-Civil War Colorado.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I always wanted to write, but working full time in a demanding IT position and raising two children as a single mom pretty much took all my time. When the kids got older and more self-sufficient, I joined a local writer’s group. At first, I was very reluctant to share my work, but I wanted to learn and grow as a writer. Those critique partners gave me the encouragement I needed to believe in myself and in the possibility of bringing a book to publication.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Oh, man. That’s a hard one!

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (I love Harriet’s fierce independence and her insistence on a woman’s right to do what she loves and not what is expected of her)
A Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (because Sue is the consummate mystery writer, and I can’t pick just one of her books so I chose #1)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (so much depth in the world he created)
The Gaugin Connection by Estelle Ryan (a woman who is non-neurotypical must find her way in a world that doesn’t understand her)
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck (live up to your ideals!)

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Since we’re speculating, I’ll assume that I can pick anyone living or dead. I never got to meet my mystery-writing role model, Sue Grafton, so I’d love to sit down with her for a convo. I’d want to ask how she feels about her protagonist, Kinsey Millhone. Are they sisters under the skin? Does Kinsey take on a life of her own in Sue’s mind?

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I’m a very character-driven reader, so I love seeing the characters unfold, book by book. They are very real for me. For example, Angie’s partner in the PI business, Bobbie Russell, started fictional life as a bit player in book one, Truth Kills. Bobbie was simply going to be a source of information for Angie. But he refused to accept his small role and I’m very happy for that. Readers love Bobbie.

What is a typical day like for you?

It varies so much from one day to another. Now that I’m retired, I can spend my time as I please. I love being with my granddaughters and that’s a priority. But even on days when I’m not at the computer, I seem to have plot points and ideas percolating up to the surface from my subconscious.

On days when I am writing, I sit down with coffee at my tiny home office – a chair and a computer cart in the guest bedroom – and tune out the world. That’s pretty easy for me to do, once I’m in my writing zone. Rather than dashing off a first draft and then going back to polish it, I prefer getting each chapter to the point where I would feel good seeing it in print, before moving on to the next. I often get side-tracked by researching some apparently insignificant point as I write, but my brain can’t focus unless I pin down the details. I tried the other way with book two, Cash Kills, and regretted it when a big plot hole appeared in the first third of the book during my attempt to polish the quickie first draft. I spent more time fixing it and tracking down all the implications it led to than it would’ve taken to spend more upfront time.

What scene from Blood Kills was your favorite to write?

Near the end, Angie and her aunt are babysitting for friends who want a night out, when the villain of the piece shows up with his Bratva team and demands that she return DNA evidence that would implicate him in a crime he pinned on the murder victim. Artur threatens to burn down the house with them in it unless Angie gives him what he’s after. Knowing his ruthlessness and that he would never allow them to live even if she complied, Angie must act. Determined to keep the children safe even if it means her own life, she emerges in full warrior mode, wielding a semi-automatic pistol and stun grenades. I’ve never written a scene like that one. The power of it, her fierce determination to shield the children and her aunt, just poured out of me.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Be kind, especially when it’s difficult. (That’s been something of a challenge in these increasingly adversarial times)