I have the pleasure of welcoming Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks today 🙂

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book please?

We have been collaborating on books for forty-six years. Our first joint effort was a student project while Anne was at Bryn Mawr College and Ken attended Haverford. Since then, we have written over twenty books together. We live and work in New York City, where many of our books are set.

Our Jane Larson series of mystery/thrillers involves a high-powered New York City attorney with a penchant for getting involved in situations that she would be better off leaving alone. These novels have been praised by reviewers for their gritty portrayals of city life, lively characters, fast action, surprise endings and highly polished prose. Jane is cynical and rebellious, but she finds herself drawn to the simple life her deceased mother lived as an attorney who served women unable to afford legal services. Weave A Murderous Web. Praise Her, Praise Diana, and Mind Me, Milady have all been published by Melange Books, LLC.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Ideas come many sources, including the newspaper and TV news stories, chatter overheard on the bus, life experiences, and even idle gossip. Imagination takes the bits and pieces and weaves them into a story.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

We have never consciously based a character on a person we know. That being said, it would be hard not to include aspects of people in characters, and we are sure that some of our creations have various traits of individuals that we know or have run across in the course of our lives.

How do you pick your characters names?

We wanted Jane to have a very simple, one syllable name. It is the kind of name that has been around for a long time, nothing fancy. Her mother, Martha, was a no-nonsense lawyer and woman who would not have given her daughter any other kind of name.

Other characters also have names that we feel fit their personalities in one way or another.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

One of us will draft a portion of a chapter, and the other will work it over. Then the pages are handed back to the person who originally wrote them and worked over again, and so the process continues until we are happy with the result. We talk a lot about what seems to be effective and what is not.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Charles Dickens, Kurt Vonnegut, William Faulkner, William Stegner, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Ken actually did meet Kurt Vonnegut and asked him when he knew he wanted to be a writer. Mr. Vonnegut’s answer was that he always knew he wanted to be a writer.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes. We both read at an early age and read many books. Anne used to go alphabetically through her age appropriate section at the local library to be sure she didn’t miss anything.

When did you start to write?

We both each wrote our first stories while we were still in elementary school. Anne also wrote rhyming poetry when she was young.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

Anne would like to finish Dickens’ last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

There are many books that we admire. But we would not say that we wish we had written them. We can only write our books, not anyone else’s.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

A harmonium from The Sirens of Titan.

What are you working on right now?

We are working on another Jane Larson novel.

Do you have a new release due?

We expect to release a second book in our tween series very soon. It is called Remembering Thomas, and is a time travel book in which four of the main characters from our original book, Things Are Not What They Seem, travel back to the beginnings of the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Manhattan.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Our children generally insist on taking us out to a nice dinner. They have done this for every book we have published. They also follow any reviews we get, especially the good ones, with avid interest.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Our facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Kenneth-Hicks-and-Anne-Rothman-Hicks-622272714477979

Our blog is: www.randh71productions.com/blog

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Buy links for Praise Her, Praise Diana:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Her-Diana-Anne-Rothman-Hicks-ebook/dp/B00NVDGCIM/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1485443323&sr=1-4

Barnes and Nobel: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/praise-her-praise-diana-anne-rothman-hicks/1120805267?ean=9781612359441

Melange: http://www.melange-books.com/authors/hicks/diana.html

Weave A Murderous Web:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Weave-Murderous-Web-Larson-Novel-ebook/dp/B01CDMB72W/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Barnes and Nobel” https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weave-a-murderous-web-anne-rothman-hicks/1123847239?ean=2940152901085

Melange Books LLC: http://www.melange-books.com/authors/hicks/web.html

Mind Me, Milady:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Me-Milady-Anne-Rothman-Hicks-ebook/dp/B06XWHY859/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496868407&sr=8-1&keywords=mind+me%2C+milady

Barnes and Nobel: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mind-me-milady-anne-rothman-hicks/1126178316?ean=9781680464382

Melange: http://www.melange-books.com/authors/hicks/milady.html

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Anne and Kenneth 🙂

Thanks also to Kelsey Butts for arranging the interview.

Publisher: Melange Books, LLC; First edition (8th March 2016)

No good deed goes unpunished. When Jane Larson—a hot-shot litigator for a large firm in New York City—helps out a friend, she is sucked into the unfamiliar world of divorce and child support.

Jane’s discovery of the deadbeat dad’s hidden assets soon unravels a web of lies, drugs, and murder that keeps getting more dangerous.

Soon, Jane is involved in a high stakes race to recover a missing suitcase of cash and catch the murderer before she becomes the next victim.

Review…..

“A sleuthing lawyer returns to the streets of New York in this mystery of drugs, murder, and financial skullduggery… the husband-wife team of Rothman-Hicks and Hicks has again produced a fast-paced, engaging story… overall, this is a satisfying read. An enjoyable romp involving a shady attorney and the mob that should make readers look forward to the next Jane Larson caper.” – Kirkus

 

“Weave a Murderous Web is an enthralling murder mystery. It gets your heart pounding with action and passion, while simultaneously entangling your mind with its ambiguity…. Engaging. Witty. Fast paced. As the plot progresses, the intensity heightens, catapulting you into a surprising twist, then plummets you into a sudden, yet satisfying end.” – 5 Stars, Cheryl E. Rodriguez, Readers’ Favorite

   

“Jane Larson is the kind of character that will be loved by many readers… The plot is well thought out and masterfully executed, laced with numerous surprises to keep readers turning the pages. This is one of those books that should occupy an enviable place in your shelf if you are into fast-paced thrillers and compelling investigative stories.” – 5 Stars, Ruffina Oserio, Readers’ Favorite