Interview with Elka Ray
Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about
yourself.
I'm Canadian, write mysteries and suspense, and
live by the beach in Vietnam.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest
book?
Divorce is Murder
is the first book in a new romantic mystery series set on Canada's Vancouver
Island. After being bullied as a teen, Toby fled her small hometown as soon as
she could. Now a successful divorce lawyer, she returns to the island to spend
time with her mom, who just beat cancer. Toby thinks she's put her past in
perspective until her teenage crush, Josh Barton, asks her to handle his
divorce. Things get worse when Josh’s estranged wife is murdered, and he's the
main suspect. As she tries to help clear him, Toby encounters all the people
who made her life hell as a teen. Worst of all, one of them is a dangerous
killer.
How long have you been writing, and how many
books have you published to date?
My first book, a romantic mystery, Hanoi Jane,
came out in 2011. A much darker thriller, Saigon Dark, was released in
2016. Divorce is Murder is somewhere in between - a fast, easy read that
touches on the legacy of old traumas.
Do you have a favourite character? If so, why?
Toby's mom, Ivy, reads tarot cards for a living
and is constantly trying to inflict alternative remedies on her highly
skeptical daughter. I love how Toby is endlessly embarrassed (yet secretly
fascinated) by her mom's rampant New Ageyness. While it'd be easy to dismiss
Ivy as flakey, she's actually very astute - and funny.
Why did you decide to write in the romantic
mystery genre?
Life is hard. We're all busy. We're tired. We
need a break. I want stories that are smart yet easy to read - books that will
entertain me without feeling like a vacuous waste of time. I read and write
mysteries because they're fun yet expand my understanding of human nature.
Why did you write this book? What was your
inspiration?
Like many little girls, around age six my
daughter announced her desire to be an actress when she grows up. She's a
natural comedian but instead of thinking 'cool, you have talent!' my first
reaction was dismay. The problem? She's half Asian and all I could think of was
the roles she'd land - or not. I pictured her relegated to playing
"Asian" characters instead of the lead or the love-interest. While I
can't change Hollywood I can write more stories starring smart, funny, and
strong people who aren't all white and blond.
What did you enjoy most about writing your
book?
While I consider myself a mystery/suspense
author, I had a lot of fun with this story's romantic dilemma.
Do you have any amusing writing stories or
anecdotes to share?
Some years back, after reading one of my books,
a friend said: "Wow. Where do you get this stuff? I mean, you don't even
watch TV!" I loved the implication that most mystery writers sit around
lifting their material off CSI."
What’s your next project? Any upcoming book
secrets you care to reveal?
I'm psyched that my publisher has given Toby
Wong and her cohorts a series. In the second book, Toby gets roped into
searching for a wealthy friend of her mom's, who's gone missing after being
romanced by a conman. In this book, Toby finally realizes where her heart
belongs.
About the Author
Elka Ray is the Canadian author of Divorce is Murder.
Born in the UK and raised in Canada, Elka has two previous novels, Saigon Dark and Hanoi Jane; a short-story collection, What You Don't Know; and a series of children's picture books about Vietnam, where she currently lives with her family.
Elka grew up in Victoria, B.C. Canada, the setting for her latest mystery. When she's not writing, drawing, or reading, Elka is in the ocean.
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DIVORCE
IS MURDER
A Toby Wong Novel
Toby Wong visits her quiet hometown
in British Columbia, where nothing ever happens--until her old high school
rival is found murdered.
Shortly after returning to her sleepy hometown on Vancouver Island, Chinese-Canadian divorce lawyer Toby Wong runs into Josh Barton, who broke her heart as a teen at summer camp. Now a wealthy entrepreneur, Josh wants to divorce Tonya, the mean girl who made Toby's life hell all those years ago. Not long after Toby takes Josh's case, Tonya is found murdered. Josh is the prime suspect.
Together with her fortune-teller mom and her pregnant best friend, Toby sets out to clear Josh, whom she still has a guilty crush on. While he seems equally smitten, can Toby trust him? The handsome cop charged with finding Tonya's killer doesn't think so.
Since Tonya stayed in touch with everyone from that lousy summer camp, Toby keeps running into ex-campers she'd rather forget. Could one of Tonya's catty friends be her killer?
Are Toby's old insecurities making her paranoid? Only too late does she realize that she really is in danger.
Shortly after returning to her sleepy hometown on Vancouver Island, Chinese-Canadian divorce lawyer Toby Wong runs into Josh Barton, who broke her heart as a teen at summer camp. Now a wealthy entrepreneur, Josh wants to divorce Tonya, the mean girl who made Toby's life hell all those years ago. Not long after Toby takes Josh's case, Tonya is found murdered. Josh is the prime suspect.
Together with her fortune-teller mom and her pregnant best friend, Toby sets out to clear Josh, whom she still has a guilty crush on. While he seems equally smitten, can Toby trust him? The handsome cop charged with finding Tonya's killer doesn't think so.
Since Tonya stayed in touch with everyone from that lousy summer camp, Toby keeps running into ex-campers she'd rather forget. Could one of Tonya's catty friends be her killer?
Are Toby's old insecurities making her paranoid? Only too late does she realize that she really is in danger.
