Please welcome Nikki Knight, aka the alternate
ego of author Kathleen Marple Kalb, to the blog today. Her new book, Wrong
Poison: A Grace “The Hit Mom” Mystery, came out from Charade
Media earlier this month. She is also the SMFS Vice President.
EVERYBODY
LOVES GRACE
By
Nikki Knight, AKA Kathleen Marple Kalb
She
scared the socks off one of my former publishers…but every time I tell someone
about Grace the Hit Mom, they want to meet her. At least in book form.
Some
also want to hire her. I think they’re kidding. I hope.
There’s
something extremely appealing about the idea of a nice suburban mom who has a
secret life as an assassin specializing in creepy men.
I
started noodling about Grace during a difficult and scary time in my life: my husband
was in cancer treatment and I was querying a novel. The idea of a suburban mom
like me with a powerful secret life entirely unlike mine was a fun escape.
Grace
pretty much grew on her own from that thread. Because I didn’t want her to be a
crazed vigilante, I made her a member of an ancient order of lady poisoners who
quietly set things right. She needed to be just like anyone else you’d see at
the PTA meeting…with one significant difference.
And
when I started running the idea past family, friends, and beta readers, the
answer was always the same: YES!
My
mother was the first person to meet Grace.
A
trained history teacher, she was especially drawn by the idea that if Grace’s
sisterhood of poisoners has been around for a few centuries, they might have
taken out any number of important figures. It was her idea – which made it into
the book – to have Henry VIII on the lady assassins’ greatest hits list.
Even
though I eventually found an agent for a different mystery, an historical
series that led to a lockdown debut (another post for another day!) my mother
would occasionally ask me about Grace. She was sure everyone would love the Hit
Mom as much as she did.
Most
of my mom friends certainly did. While I was writing an early version of Grace,
I floated the idea with pals at school pickup. To a woman, they laughed out
loud and said they’d buy it for sure.
As
appealing as Grace was to my mother, she was even more appealing to the school
parents, because we were down in the intense daily work of caring for young
children. It’s an incredibly stressful and exhausting time for most people, no
matter how important and fulfilling it is.
My
beta readers, both newsroom colleagues, loved Grace too. She hit – sorry! –
right in the journalist’s sweet spot of secret lives and dark humor.
With
all of that, I was really confident in Grace…and really riding for a fall.
After
the historical mystery was well in process, I found out that my publisher at
the time was looking to expand their cozy catalogue. Armed with all the good
reactions to Grace, I sent the proposal that would become WRONG POISON to my
agent. He loved her too, and happily sent out the pitch.
The
editor sent it straight back. I don’t know exactly what was said, but it was
very clear that the idea of a cozy mystery with a killer mom as the amateur
sleuth made their head spin – and not in a good way.
That
was my first real indication that Grace is a chemistry test.
As a
journalist, writer, and wife of a cancer survivor, I live in a world with some
sharp edges. So do most of the people around me – even plenty of nice suburban
moms. We sand those edges down with dark humor.
It
doesn’t make us bad or crazy. It makes us humans who’ve found a way to stand on
the edge of the abyss without crumpling or falling over.
I’m
not going to apologize for that.
I’m
also not going to judge anyone who doesn’t get it.
These
days, with a pandemic and everything after under our belts, I suspect a lot
more people live with sharp edges. Which may be why Grace works now.
Or
maybe most of us have always loved the idea of a killer mom…but we weren’t
ready to admit it.
My
mother, Grace’s first and biggest fan, died in December, before Charade Books
bought WRONG POISON. She didn’t get to see Grace turned loose on the world, to
good reviews and plenty of wry laughter. But I know she’s smiling.
WRONG POISON:
She's a nice suburban mom and an assassin...and Grace Adair’s secret life has
just become a problem. When a death at the Library Book Fair turns out to be
murder – by a poison used only by Grace’s ancient sisterhood, she knows she’s
in trouble. Now, she’ll need all her skills as a PTA mom and former prosecutor
to find the killer and protect her friends…and their secrets. Hopefully without
using her other skills. About those other skills: Grace and her sweet
senior pal Madge are members of a 700-year-old order of lady poisoners, sacred
to the Archangel Gabriel and sworn to remove evil men who elude human justice.
Think #MeToo with untraceable poison.
Call it a cozy with a twist. You’ve never met anyone like Grace…and
you’ll never forget her.
Kathleen Marple Kalb ©2023
3 comments:
Sounds like a winner! Congratulations and best wishes.
Thank you, Jacqueline! And many thanks to Kevin for giving me a chance to share a little of the backstory on Grace!
Big time thank you, Kathleen, for being part of things here today. Much Appreciated!
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