Claire Matturro ~ About the Author

One of this month’s featured authors is Claire Matturro

I was introduced to Claire Matturro’s books through the Familiar Legacy Series. I am sure that you have figure out by now that I love this series.

Ms. Matturro was also an attorney and college professor. Ms. Matturro was a Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2005) , nominated for a Georgia Writer of the Year Award for Wildcat Wine, and winner of Romantic Times’ Toby Bromberg Award for Most Humorous Mystery for Sweetheart Deal. But before I give too much away here is my interview with Claire Matturro.

Personal

Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?

I am a devout Christian, albeit a very liberal, progressive kind. For me, the most important lessons of Christ’s teachings are that we are to love and care for each other—and not judge.

My husband and I also did wild life rehabilitation in Georgia for years. Bill had the license and I was the helper. I’ve handfed baby squirrels and bottle fed baby possums, and for months I force-fed a gopher tortoise someone had shot. Hard not to judge a person for that!

Isn’t that the cutest little thing? I like his pink nose and ears.

 I love gardening, and have a flourishing butterfly garden out in the front yard (and one in the back…and in the side yard). Very wonderful to watch the butterflies, the caterpillars and the whole life cycle.

So, beautiful! I love butterflies.

What inspired you to start writing?

Reading. I think that’s the same for some many writers. Also, I was a very imaginative child (translated as a weird child), raised on all kind of wild stories in my family, and so those stories inspired me too.

Who is your favorite author?

Really, there are almost too many favorites to pin down to one, but if I have to pick just one single author it would be Mark Twain. His books span such a variety of styles and topics, yet each is so rich. I read and reread his books (and have since childhood), and find I discover something new in them with passing decades. Of course, if you ask me this next month, I might say Hemmingway or A. A. Milne.

What is the first book that made you cry?

 Fred Gipson’s classic Old Yellow. Not to be a plot spoiler, but when Old Yellow dies, I was beside myself.

What book are you currently reading?

I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing, and last night, I opened the pages to Laura Benedict’s first book in her Bliss House series, The Abandoned Heart.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Being able to fly would be amazing. No doubt like most people, I have dreams in which I can fly. But alas, no matter how fast I ran or high I’ve jumped, I’ve never taken flight.

Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before (real or imaginary)?

Alaska’s Inside Passage, dubbed the American fiords.

If you looked in your refrigerator right now, what would you find?

Lettuce, cabbage, sweet peppers, pickle relish, two tangerines, some fresh pineapple, a carton of almond milk and a carton of oat milk, carrots (lots and lots of carrots), tofu, vegan hotdogs, catsup, mustard, miso, egg-free mayonnaise, Braggs amino acids, toasted sesame oil, salsa, and a big bag of cat food. I’m vegetarian, all but vegan (I do eat eggs, but no dairy). I think that’s everything.

Are you a better baker or cook or take out connoisseur?

I cook, definitely. My husband also cooks. He’s vegan, I’m vegetarian, and we both eat organic, non-GMO, so it’s best to eat at home.

Which do you prefer?

Eating at home when my husband cooks!

 

Tea or coffee:  Tea

Hot or cold:      Hot the morning, cold during the afternoon.

Movie or book:  Book

Coke or Pepsi:    Coke

 

Writing/Books

What do you love most about your writing process?

The total rush that comes when I’m writing, and I know it’s good, and the way words pop into my head as if I’m channeling someone.

Do you like music or silence?

Both. But if I’m listening to music when I’m writing, it should be music I know very well, so I don’t get distracted trying to figure out lyrics. Folk music works well in this regard.

Do you have goals of certain # of words a week or when inspiration strikes?

I write something every day, even if it’s a blog, a book review, or a very long letter, but I don’t keep a word count.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

It’s a tug of war. Sometimes I have had characters demand I write a different story for them than what I started out to do.  Other times, I wrestle them into my vision.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

For me, it’s the physical—the dreaded carpel tunnel and back aches that come from too much time at a keyboard.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?

Again, it’s a blend. Some very real events in my life have found their way into my books (albeit with a highly fictionized, don’t-sue-me disguise), but with Trouble in Tallahassee, the cat and the crime were all pure imagination. Of course, my legal background helped me envision the characters and put them in a realistic environment, but what happened was all made-up.

If you could spend time a character from your books whom would it be?

I would like to spend some one-on-one with Trouble, the black cat detective. I love cats, have had many, have one now, and would like some fun time with Trouble. I’d like to try and discern just what it is Trouble would be trying to tell me.

And what would you do during that day?

Whatever Trouble wanted to do. Might have to see how he feels about tofu, or tour the neighborhood with him and see what he might find.  

What genres do you write?

Trouble in Tallahassee is a blend of cozy mystery and romantic suspense. My prior books were legal mysteries with a sense of humor. My newest book, due out this fall, is a dark legal noir. Despite these different styles, all are set in Florida, and all are inspired by the beauty and insanity of Florida.

What project are you working on now?

My brother, a career law enforcement officer, and I are working on a book inspired by the sinkhole murders, an infamous real-life crime in Florida.  I’ve read and studied the murder trial transcripts from the case, and my brother brings his detective expertise into the manuscript to add to the realism of the story. 

Do you have any other books coming out this year?

Privilege, with Moonshine Cove Publishing, is due out in the late fall of 2019. In Privilege, a jaded, beautiful lawyer and an embittered ex-con scheme to blame each other for a murder neither committed—and an honorable cop gets caught in the crossfire.

To learn more about Claire and her books:

Claire’s part of the Familiar Legacy Series

Trouble in Tallahassee by Claire Matturro

Familiar Legacy #3
Publication Date: August 14, 2017
Genre: Mystery and Romance

THE LAW CAN’T PROTECT HER– Young attorney Abby Coleridge opens her home to a troubled law student after a fire destroys the woman’s apartment. When the student disappears, leaving behind a blood-splattered note and a stash of cryptic flash-drives, Abby sets out to find her. Soon, a murderous arsonist threatens them both.  
 
Law student Victor Rutledge, a former Navy officer, knows more than he’s telling. So much so that his offers to help Abby seem suspicious. When police reveal his scandalous past, Abby doesn’t know who to trust.
 
Trouble, the black cat detective, lands in Tallahassee, Florida in the nick of time. Can he sniff out the salient clues and push Abby and Victor in the right direction and into each other’s arms? Can he save them—and himself—from a fiery end?

Lilly Cleary Series

Skinny-Dipping by Claire Matturro

Lilly Cleary #1
Publication Date: October 25, 2011
Genre:  Mystery, Legal Thriller, Women Sleuths

Lilly Cleary is an attorney for a prestigious Sarasota law firm. But her killer cross-examination technique and take-no-prisoners courtroom attitude haven’t stopped the senior partners from dumping one stink bomb after another on her desk—like the kayak-whiplash case she’s currently saddled with. And problems at home, specifically with her ex–boyfriend, aren’t making her disposition any sunnier.

But it isn’t until she’s mugged outside her office that her troubles really begin. And when someone puts a bullet hole in her favorite suit, Lilly realizes things are getting a bit too personal. Perhaps it has something to do with a malpractice lawsuit she’s inherited, and her recently and suspiciously deceased doctor client. Lilly’s not going to take the insult lying down—even if tracking a killer leads her into dangerously deep water.

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