J.C. Eaton ~ About the Author

Posted August 17, 2023 by karenbaron in About the Author, Contest - Giveaway / 0 Comments

August’s featured author is J.C. Eaton

J.C. Eaton is the pen name of the fantastic writing duel of Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp. They have created some amazing characters whose humorous lives are surrounded by corpses. They transport you to their real world settings where mischief and mayhem are lurking for a sleuth to find and catch.

We haven’t read all of their series, but Jen loves the Sophie Kimball Mysteries. Really it’s Streetman that is her favorite, and Phee’s internal eye rolls. I have read the Wine Trail Mysteries. I love that the sleuth’s pet is a goat. How wonderful would that be?

Let’s get to know Ann and Jim.

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

Ann: I am totally obsessed with cleaning. It drives Jim crazy, but I can’t leave the house unless the bed is made and the kitchen and bath are tidied up!

Jim: I have had Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years. If nothing else, it has developed my sense of humor. I’ve also learned how to write, given the changes this weird malady produces! I no longer use a laptop but have gone back to handwriting. It drives Ann nuts since she’s the one who types it up!

What made you want to become a writer?

Ann: I think I’ve always been a writer. Loved writing poems and stories even in elementary school. Loved the creative part of it but not the research end when I was in college. Guess that’s why I write fiction. LOL

Jim: I wanted to write fiction along with Ann because I thought it would be a fun thing to do. I’d always written informational flyers, etc., when I worked in the wine industry. Boy, was it a learning experience!

Which author(s) do you read the most?

Ann: Jess Lourey, William Kent Krueger, The Cozy Mystery Crew from Facebook, Amy Pittman, Linda Reilly, C.J. Box

Jim: C.J. Box, Robert B. Parker, Libby Klein

Do you play a musical instrument or sing?

Ann: I flunked violin, but I do sing.

Jim: No, but I am stuck listening to Ann sing!

What type of music do you listen to?

Ann: Latina, Grateful Dead, Modern Worship Music

Jim: Soft Rock, Jazz

What is the worst job that you have ever had?

Ann: Cleaning up bubble gum from under the counters when I worked at F. W. Woolworths

Jim: Weeding my parents’ rock garden. I still have nightmares.

Where do you go to relax?

Ann: My office

Jim: My recliner in our bedroom, in front of the TV

Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in an un-haunted cottage?

Ann: un-haunted cottage. I have enough issues. LOL

Jim: un-haunted cottage. Easier to keep clean.

What is your go-to recipe or restaurant?

Ann: It’s a toss-up – Starbucks for their egg white bites and Einstein’s for their bagels

Jim: Barro’s Pizza!

Writing Style

What do you love most about your writing process?

Ann: It’s absolutely flexible.

Jim: I get to share ideas and work with Ann

Do you have a writing schedule?

Ann: We try to write a bit each day, but it varies.

Jim: Not really. Some days lots, others not so much. It evens out!

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym, or do you?

Ann: Yes – we do – J.C. Eaton

Jim: J.C. Eaton. The J.C. is for Jim Clapp, and the Eaton was my mother’s maiden name.

What comes first for you, the plot, or the characters?

Ann: Characters

Jim: Plot

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

Ann: We keep the reigns, but sometimes they take over.

Jim: I try to hold the reigns.

Since you spend a lot of time together, do you end up plotting while driving or out to dinner?

Ann: Always! It never stops.

Jim: All the time. Even in the middle of the night when one of us wakes up!

Describe your writing space. Do you work in the same room?

Ann: NEVER!

Jim: NEVER! EVER! Ann likes absolute quiet. I don’t. We work and then compare notes.

Do you ever have differing opinions about the characters themselves and how they handle a situation?

Ann: Not the characters as much as how they deal with things.

Jim: We have differing opinions on the plot as it evolves.

How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?

Ann: Since we are well into our series, not a lot at this point.

Jim: When we start a new book/series, we spend a great deal of time flushing it out and creating our niche.

What is your favorite cover out of all your books? Why is it your favorite?

Ann: Grilled 4 Murder from the Sophie Kimball Mysteries. The vibrant colors and Streetman on the grill are really eye-catching.

Jim: Laid Out To Rest from the Charcuterie Shop Mysteries. Love the food!

Book/Series

How did you come up with your series locations?

Ann: We live in Sun City West, Arizona, so that was easy. We used to live in Penn Yan, New York, so we were really familiar with it.

Jim: We wanted to write about places we knew.

Does one of the main characters hold a special part in your heart? If so, why?

Ann: Aunt Ina in the Sophie Kimball Mysteries. She’s a combination of my aunts Sylvia, Martha, and Tessie.

Jim: Streetman from the Sophie Kimball Mysteries. He was based on our chiweenie, Streetboy.

In the Sophie Kimball series, how do you come up with Harriett and her friends’ crazy schemes?

Ann: We watch what’s going on around us in our retirement community. We literally can’t make this stuff up! We can only embellish and exaggerate and make it our own.

Jim: I watch what Ann’s relatives do!

In the Wine Trail Mysteries, how did you come up with the winery name?

Ann: We heard old ghost stories and legends from the area, and one of them included a hill named after two “spinsters.” We changed it to witches.

Jim: We can’t find the hill anymore, but at least it’s in our books!

In the Marcie Rayner Mysteries, how did you come up with the setting?

Ann: From lots of Minnesota friends.

Jim: We wanted a place that reflected a cozy atmosphere yet lent itself to a detective series.

In The Charcuterie Shop Mysteries, what made you decide on a caterer who specializes in charcuterie boards?

Ann: We wanted something really different that would pique reader interest. Little did we know at the time that charcuterie would become so popular.

Jim: We knew lots of cozy readers like food related genre (me, too!), and we thought this would be different and interesting.

What is your favorite part about working in the cozy mystery genre?

Ann: The humor and the joy. No violence. No awful imagery. Just fun and mystery. And murder…

Jim: It’s all about the mystery and the characters, not the grim stuff.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Ann: From all sorts of things we experience day to day.

Jim: From the things we observe and the situations we deal with.

Can you tell us something about the background of your sleuths (Katie, Sophie, Marcie, and Norrie) that you may not have directly pointed out in one of their books?

Ann: Hmm, we usually provide info in the books for a back story on them. Marcie and Katie both uprooted themselves but for different reasons. Norrie got stuck moving to help her sister out, and Phee got nagged to death by her mother. What we are trying to do is develop the backgrounds of our secondary characters to add more dimension to our series. In the Sophie Kimball Mysteries, each new book focuses on a different character ( i.e. Shirley in Strike Out 4 Murder).

What books do you have coming out next, or at least in the process?

Ann: Sliced, Diced and Dead (Charcuterie ) will be released on July 11, 2023. Caught in the Traminette (Wine Trail) will be released in October. Revved Up 4 Murder will be released in 2024. We just signed a contract for two more Sophie Kimballs – Pinned 4 Murder and Puzzled 4 Murder.

Jim: I think we’re going to be writing until our fingers fall off!