Ask the Author: Eleanor Kohn
Answered Questions (4)
Eleanor Kohn
I am currently writing another murder mystery, which also takes place in my hometown of Teaneck. Most of the characters from "Death by Yoga" are in it, although Heather and Amber have matured in the past few years.
I am having fun developing the new characters, especially the murder victim.
Since a few of the places I wrote about in my first novel have since shut down (the gym that Get Fit was based on, and Louie's), I'm hoping that other Teaneck stalwarts survive my second book. I miss both those places, and would hate to lose more hangouts. Andy's Corner Bar, thankfully, has survived being a part of my first book. It also survived the Covid pandemic that shut down so many local businesses this past year.
I am having fun developing the new characters, especially the murder victim.
Since a few of the places I wrote about in my first novel have since shut down (the gym that Get Fit was based on, and Louie's), I'm hoping that other Teaneck stalwarts survive my second book. I miss both those places, and would hate to lose more hangouts. Andy's Corner Bar, thankfully, has survived being a part of my first book. It also survived the Covid pandemic that shut down so many local businesses this past year.
Eleanor Kohn
I love this question. The biggest mystery is in my father-in-law's past. When I met my husband, over time, we asked each other the usual questions. When I asked if his father had siblings, I was told that there was a mysterious sister, whose whereabouts were unknown. My husband only heard about this person when his mother brought her up in arguments. Any attempts to find out more details by my husband and his sister were met by stony silence, from both parents. We don't actually know how much Sam's wife even knew.
Many years later, a professionally taken picture appeared, taken in the early 1920's, showing Sam wedged between the older sister and a younger brother. Suddenly, there were two siblings who had 'disappeared' from the family.
Since my husband has a unique last name (probably changed when they immigrated at the turn of the century), this could either make it easier or harder to trace the missing children. Pre-internet, tracing one's geneology was difficult, but I think that this would make a GREAT plot. The family surmised about what happened to the children, and one theory, tossed about, was that the sister unwillingly joined a gang.
They would all be over 100 years old now, so most certainly they have since died.
Many years later, a professionally taken picture appeared, taken in the early 1920's, showing Sam wedged between the older sister and a younger brother. Suddenly, there were two siblings who had 'disappeared' from the family.
Since my husband has a unique last name (probably changed when they immigrated at the turn of the century), this could either make it easier or harder to trace the missing children. Pre-internet, tracing one's geneology was difficult, but I think that this would make a GREAT plot. The family surmised about what happened to the children, and one theory, tossed about, was that the sister unwillingly joined a gang.
They would all be over 100 years old now, so most certainly they have since died.
Eleanor Kohn
I enjoyed the process of naming my characters. The names needed to fit their personalities. I came up with names and backstories for the major players before I started writing the book.
I wanted the names to be easy to pronounce. It’s annoying to encounter a tricky name in a book and you can’t ask the person how it’s said. When my daughter read the first Harry Potter book, she called Hermione “Hermy-one” since it’s not a common name in the U.S. It was harder for me to come up with last names, and I ended up with pretty pedestrian ones, for the most part. It was crucial to her back story that Joanna have an unusual surname. The meaning behind her name, Blaze, will be explained if I write my next book.
I met a Ramona at the gym and thought that name suited the yogini in Death by Yoga. When I got to know Ramona, she was nothing like my fictional person. Later on I decided that she was named after the character in the Beezus and Ramona books.
When it came to the minor characters, I used the names of people’s grandchildren: Octavia, Raven, and Kaylee. I’m a big music fan and I chose the names of some singers I like: Ani (Di Franco), Cliff (Eberhardt), Jackson/Jaxon (Brown) and Van (Morrison). I don’t know where I came up with the name Glory.
Because Michael is so boring I wanted him to have the most common man’s name ever. I once knew someone with the last name of Poole. Some of the characters are named after people in my family: Rachel (my oldest), Matthew (my son-in-law), Cha’relle (my sister-in-law).
Coming up with Kevin’s ‘yoga name’ was hard. Again, I didn’t want something long and hard to pronounce, like some of the asanas. When I learned the story behind the god Krishna, it seemed appropriate for Kevin. More than three years into my book, I met a yoga teacher named Krishna, and we became friends.
I wanted the names to be easy to pronounce. It’s annoying to encounter a tricky name in a book and you can’t ask the person how it’s said. When my daughter read the first Harry Potter book, she called Hermione “Hermy-one” since it’s not a common name in the U.S. It was harder for me to come up with last names, and I ended up with pretty pedestrian ones, for the most part. It was crucial to her back story that Joanna have an unusual surname. The meaning behind her name, Blaze, will be explained if I write my next book.
I met a Ramona at the gym and thought that name suited the yogini in Death by Yoga. When I got to know Ramona, she was nothing like my fictional person. Later on I decided that she was named after the character in the Beezus and Ramona books.
When it came to the minor characters, I used the names of people’s grandchildren: Octavia, Raven, and Kaylee. I’m a big music fan and I chose the names of some singers I like: Ani (Di Franco), Cliff (Eberhardt), Jackson/Jaxon (Brown) and Van (Morrison). I don’t know where I came up with the name Glory.
Because Michael is so boring I wanted him to have the most common man’s name ever. I once knew someone with the last name of Poole. Some of the characters are named after people in my family: Rachel (my oldest), Matthew (my son-in-law), Cha’relle (my sister-in-law).
Coming up with Kevin’s ‘yoga name’ was hard. Again, I didn’t want something long and hard to pronounce, like some of the asanas. When I learned the story behind the god Krishna, it seemed appropriate for Kevin. More than three years into my book, I met a yoga teacher named Krishna, and we became friends.
Eleanor Kohn
I got the idea for my debut book Death by Yoga after I read an article about a well-known yoga teacher who got involved with one of his students. I thought it would be interesting if a yoga teacher got killed because yoga is such a peaceful affair. Yoga speaks to ahimsa - the avoidance of violence.
I like the idea of contradicting forces: we have contradictory impulses within us.
I changed lots of things in my story, but that article was the spark. I had been practicing yoga for more than a dozen years when I started writing, and like Krishna, I don't think I'll ever stop practicing.
I like the idea of contradicting forces: we have contradictory impulses within us.
I changed lots of things in my story, but that article was the spark. I had been practicing yoga for more than a dozen years when I started writing, and like Krishna, I don't think I'll ever stop practicing.
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