Ask the Author: Nina Simon
Answered Questions (10)
Nina Simon
Fascinating! (And apologies to your bestie for assigning their name to a character who is no doubt less awesome than they are)
I had a wonderful Professor Nicoletti in college (Denise Nicoletti, WPI, rest in power), so on some level I wanted to honor her. And it just felt "right" for the character given some of the names of longtime white families in the Salinas Valley.
I had a wonderful Professor Nicoletti in college (Denise Nicoletti, WPI, rest in power), so on some level I wanted to honor her. And it just felt "right" for the character given some of the names of longtime white families in the Salinas Valley.
Nina Simon
Hi Linda! I'm not working on turning Mother-Daughter Murder Night into a series at this time, though anything is possible in the future. This was my first novel, and it was deeply and personally inspired by my own experience with my mom through her cancer journey. I love these characters, but they are also so close to my heart and my family, and I'm not ready right now to sign up for writing more about them while my mom's cancer is still present.
I am working on another mystery now. It is not a sequel, but it does still blend strong women, wild places, and dead bodies. I look forward to sharing it with you! If you want to be the first to hear about what's coming up, I have a free newsletter at ninaksimon.substack.com where I write updates a few times a year.
I am working on another mystery now. It is not a sequel, but it does still blend strong women, wild places, and dead bodies. I look forward to sharing it with you! If you want to be the first to hear about what's coming up, I have a free newsletter at ninaksimon.substack.com where I write updates a few times a year.
Nina Simon
Thank you Donna! I am working on another mystery now. It is not a sequel, but it does still blend strong women, wild places, and dead bodies. I look forward to sharing it with you! If you want to be the first to hear about what's coming up, I have a free newsletter at ninaksimon.substack.com where I write updates a few times a year.
Nina Simon
Ah... I see that I was using a generic message from Goodreads about questions I can answer. I am not working on a book called "Fired Away"... though that is a fun title :)
I'm still in the early stages of work on my next novel.
I'll be sure to share more once I know more about its publication!
I'm still in the early stages of work on my next novel.
I'll be sure to share more once I know more about its publication!
Nina Simon
Hi Kathryn! It was such a treat to meet you and your daughter at the Columbus Library. I am indeed working on a new novel. It is not a sequel, but it does still blend strong women, wild places, and dead bodies. I look forward to sharing it with you! If you want to be the first to hear about what's coming up, I have a free newsletter at ninaksimon.substack.com where I write updates a few times a year.
Nina Simon
I'm so glad you loved Mother-Daughter Murder Night!
To be honest, my other books are from another life - they are non-fiction books I wrote mostly for people who work in community organizations like museums, libraries, parks, theaters, and community centers. I'm proud of those books but they were definitely not written as general stories.
I am working on a new novel now and hope to be able to share more fiction featuring strong women tackling tough problems soon. You can get updates from me at ninaksimon.com (and I'll post on Goodreads too once my next book has a set release date). But first, I've got to write it... 💛
To be honest, my other books are from another life - they are non-fiction books I wrote mostly for people who work in community organizations like museums, libraries, parks, theaters, and community centers. I'm proud of those books but they were definitely not written as general stories.
I am working on a new novel now and hope to be able to share more fiction featuring strong women tackling tough problems soon. You can get updates from me at ninaksimon.com (and I'll post on Goodreads too once my next book has a set release date). But first, I've got to write it... 💛
Nina Simon
Great question! My mom actually came up with Prima after we did a lot of brainstorming together. We also considered "Mimi" and just using "Lana."
I never would have guessed one of the tricky parts of writing a book like this would be finding ways to name each character relative to each other that is distinctive and clear. If they were a group of friends, they would all use first names or nicknames. But for a family, I had to find creative ways to riff on words like "mom" and "grandma."
I never would have guessed one of the tricky parts of writing a book like this would be finding ways to name each character relative to each other that is distinctive and clear. If they were a group of friends, they would all use first names or nicknames. But for a family, I had to find creative ways to riff on words like "mom" and "grandma."
Nina Simon
Hi Liz! Thank you so much for asking. I'm thrilled that the Rubicons spoke to you :)
I'm still figuring out what comes next. Part of me would love to write more stories about the Rubicon ladies, and I do have some dreams about what the Rubicons could tackle next. But this was also my first novel, and it awakened in me a curiosity to explore lots of different characters, stories, and settings. I feel confident I'll keep writing novels in which strong women take on tough problems... but I'm not sure it will be these particular strong women.
I'm still figuring out what comes next. Part of me would love to write more stories about the Rubicon ladies, and I do have some dreams about what the Rubicons could tackle next. But this was also my first novel, and it awakened in me a curiosity to explore lots of different characters, stories, and settings. I feel confident I'll keep writing novels in which strong women take on tough problems... but I'm not sure it will be these particular strong women.
Nina Simon
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Unfortunately, that talk is just for members of the JBC Network - people who run JCCs, Jewish book clubs, and book-related programming around the US. However, hopefully it will translate to booking some in-person events with member sites. If you have a favorite book club, literary salon, or programming site, I'd be delighted if you want to bring this book up to them for consideration. When the book comes out, I'll be able to speak with many groups about it. There's a lot to explore in the story about what it means to be a strong woman across generations, independence and interdependence, and of course, how to catch a murderer :)
Unfortunately, that talk is just for members of the JBC Network - people who run JCCs, Jewish book clubs, and book-related programming around the US. However, hopefully it will translate to booking some in-person events with member sites. If you have a favorite book club, literary salon, or programming site, I'd be delighted if you want to bring this book up to them for consideration. When the book comes out, I'll be able to speak with many groups about it. There's a lot to explore in the story about what it means to be a strong woman across generations, independence and interdependence, and of course, how to catch a murderer :)
Nina Simon
A couple thoughts -
1. Use an outside reference (like The Art of Relevance, or a consultant, or a Ted talk) to spark conversation inside the building. It allows you to point to someone else and say "they said it, let's talk about it" as opposed to you having to drive the conversation.
2. Do some futurecasting together - "what do we want the organization to look like in 5 years? In 10 years?" And then discuss what it would take to get to that destination together.
3. Enforce term limits, and find graceful ways to invite people who are tired to bless and release themselves from the organization.
4. Have courage and approach all of this with love... while taking on the conversations that can/must happen.
1. Use an outside reference (like The Art of Relevance, or a consultant, or a Ted talk) to spark conversation inside the building. It allows you to point to someone else and say "they said it, let's talk about it" as opposed to you having to drive the conversation.
2. Do some futurecasting together - "what do we want the organization to look like in 5 years? In 10 years?" And then discuss what it would take to get to that destination together.
3. Enforce term limits, and find graceful ways to invite people who are tired to bless and release themselves from the organization.
4. Have courage and approach all of this with love... while taking on the conversations that can/must happen.
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