FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CORRALES, NM – Continuing to champion a bold form of mysteries, author Kari Bovée turns from the wild west to the city that never sleeps, weaving a gripping, unique mystery from the fabric of classic show business history.
When her sister Sophia is murdered, Grace Michelle is ripped out of her dreams of becoming a costume designer and is thrown into the spotlight, taking her sister’s place as the star of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.’s famed show. Here she meets world-weary Chet Riker, a veteran with more wounds than the eye can see. Chet is hired by Ziegfeld as Grace’s bodyguard, eagerly accepting the position, albeit for mysterious reasons that stretch into the darkness of his past.
As Chet stands by Grace’s side, he quickly finds his hardened theory that love equals pain tested. Grace, meanwhile, is swept up in a life she never wanted as the Follies’ star, and as the pawn in a series of publicity stunts during a transcontinental train trip to California that puts her life at risk. Who would want her and Sophia dead? Together, she and Chet must confront publicity-hungry Florenz Ziegfeld, power-driven Joe Marciano, and their own pasts to find Sophia’s killer—and let themselves love once again.
KARI BOVÉE – Empowered women in history, horses, unconventional characters, and real-life historical events fill the pages of Kari Bovée’s writings. She was recently honored as a finalist in the 2018 Next Generation Indie Awards for Historical Fiction. In 2012 she was honored as a finalist in the Romantic Suspense category of the Rebecca contest, the 2014 NTRWA Great Expectations contest, and the RWA 2016 Daphne du Maurier contest. She was also honored as a finalist in the NHRWA Lone Star Writer’s contest in 2012. Bovée has worked as a writer for a Fortune 500 Company, magazines and newsletters, and has taught literature, reading, and drama. She and her husband, Kevin, split their time between New Mexico and Hawaii.
ABOUT THE BOOK
“Grace in the Wings: A Grace Michelle Mystery”
Kari Bovée| September 19, 2019 | Bosque Publishing
Ebook | 978-1-947905-01-6 | $4.99
Print | 978-1-947905-02-3 | $14.99
Historical Fiction/Historical Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Women’s Fiction
In an interview, Kari Bovée can discuss:
* Her dedication to fostering the growth of other writers
* The power of blending mystery with historical events
* The importance of writing powerful female characters
An Interview with KARI BOVÉE
What inspired you to write about the iconic show Ziegfeld’s Follies in this piece?
I have always loved old movies. As a kid I used to watch a lot of them and one that particularly struck me was the 1946 film, The Ziegfeld Follies with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, and Lucille Ball. The story wasn’t very inspiring, but the cast was amazing and the sets incredibly opulent–total eye candy. As an adult, I had a horse trainer who once told me her mother was a showgirl with the Ziegfeld Follies and I was fascinated. I started on a quest to find information on this particular woman (without success) but got lost in all of the wonderful stories and photographs. It was then I decided to write a mystery novel with the Follies as a backdrop.
What draws you toward writing mysteries set in specific historical contexts?
I suppose it is an escape of sorts, to travel back in time and to live in the shoes of someone who lived in a different era. To experience a simpler, or perhaps even more complicated time period than we live in today. As far as the mystery aspect is concerned, up until the last several decades, sleuths had to rely more on their instincts to solve a crime or a mystery. They didn’t have modern technology to assist them. I like bringing that human element back into solving the puzzle.
If you could meet any powerful woman from history, who would you meet, and what would you ask them?
Elizabeth I. For the better part of the first two decades of her life, she lived as the “bastard” daughter of Henry VIII. She had to reconcile with the fact that her father executed her mother, and that after Henry’s death, she was seen as a threat to the crown by her half-brother Edward, and then after his death, her half-sister, Mary, who came very close to having her beheaded. When Mary passed away, Elizabeth became Queen, and became one of the most powerful women in history. I would love to understand how she handled each of those aspects of her life.
Is there a time period that interests you that you haven’t written about?
I have an idea for a mystery that would take place on the western coast of Hawaii in the early 1930’s when it was still a U.S. Territory. Tourism was in its infancy on the island and it presented some interesting dynamics between the native peoples and those visiting from the Mainland.
You have a passion for helping other writers “unblock” their potential, and you offer resources that help writers of all sorts to develop their abilities. Why is this close to your heart?
I speak with so many people, women in particular, who have the desire to write a book, or feel that they have “a book in them” but they don’t know where to start, or they are intimidated by the process, and I get that. But I think it’s important for people to follow their dreams. It’s hard work, but it’s better than looking back and thinking, if only I …
