My mother played piano as a teenager. Her older brother played trumpet, and many years later, when I was eight, he showed me his trumpet. When I saw that bright shiny thing in that case with a red velvet lining, it was love at first sight . I said: I want one of those! Fortunately, I took to it. My uncle gave me lessons for 3 years.
Trumpet is an unusual instrument for a woman. Did you ever catch any flack for it?
Back then maybe. Now there are many outstanding women trumpeters. Once when I was 10, a girl at school said: "Why do you play trumpet? That's a boy's instrument." When I told my mother, she said: "You tell her the trumpet is for anyone who can play it!"
Eleanor from New Jersey asks: Since you support women, why do you "kill" them in your novel?
Great question! Although it may seem like a contradiction, I write crime fiction in which women are in peril because in the real world this happens far too often. However, unlike real life where men who kill women frequently go free, in my books the bad guy ALWAYS gets punished in the end!
For jazz, Terrance Blanchard, Ingrid Jensen, Claudio Roditi, and Stacey Rowls. Three historic classical players I admire are my two teachers, Armando Ghitalla and Roger Voisin, and Maurice Andre. Among the current players, Tim Morrison and Susan Slaughter are terrific. Alison Balsom, the young British soloist, is very talented.
What inspired you to start writing?
My first inspiration was my father. He was a print journalist, and my first published writings were newspaper feature articles. I also wrote several short biographies of musicians.
When did you start writing fiction?
During the late '80s I took a scriptwriting course at Emerson College. It was my first creative writing course and I loved it. I decided to write a novel, figuring it would be easier than a script. Wrong! But I did write one. I've since thrown it away, but it helped me learn how to write a novel.
Who are your favorite writers?
For crime fiction: Elmore Leonard, John Sandford, Patricia Cornwell, Thomas Perry, Lisa Gardner, Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais, George V. Higgins. I also read Don DeLillo, E.L. Doctorow, John LeCarre, Graham Greene ... the list is endless. My bookshelves are very full!
What about non-fiction?
Mytastes are eclectic. Books I've read recently are The Restless Virgins, by Abigail Jones and Melissa Miley, about Milton Academy, a private prep school in Massachusetts; When the Chickenheads Come Home to Roost, by Joan Morgan, a prominent black writer and commentator on how current trends in our society impact black women, and The Greatest Story Ever Sold, by NY Times columnist Frank Rich.
Do you find any parallels between music and writing?
Many! A novel is like an opera or a symphony that builds to a climax. In music you introduce a theme and expand on it; in a novel, you introduce characters and have them change and grow. Then there's the element of tension and surprise. If you want surprises, listen to Mozart's 40th symphony! Every scene in a novel must have tension; the best ones lead the reader in a new and surprising direction.
Any memorable trumpet gigs you'd care to talk about?
Again ... many! Another trumpeter and I did a PR gig for a Boston hotel. Ringling's circus was in town and the PR folks wanted us to march past the hotel in front of King Tusk, the elephant with the (allegedly) biggest tusks in the world. We played the Triumphal March from Aida, of course, but I'm thinking: What if he hates trumpets? What if we scare him? Right before we were done I see this THING about five feet to my left and realize it's King Tusk's trunk! I figured it was all over: SMUSH! Flattened by King Tusk. I almost swallowed my mouthpiece! But his handler got him under control and we didn't get trampled. That's one gig I won't forget!
Left Header photo by Carol Georgia Right header photo by Pete Wolbrette
