I am super excited to introduce to you Stefania Mattana, the author behind the wonderful books "Cutting Right to the Chase volume I", "Cutting Right to the Chase Volume 2" and "Into the Killer Sphere".
Stefania writes crime novels and detective stories because she's a
snooper, and she has been one ever since she was a kid.
She is from Sardinia Italy, and currently lives in London, a city she really loves. The only two things she misses about Italy are her little dog and the
bidet :) nothing else. She is able to prepare an outstanding pizza by herself...
so problem solved!
The crime stories she writes are in English because her main
character, Chase Williams, is British, so she can't really do otherwise!
Her main
crime fiction benchmarks are Agatha Christie and George Simenon. She knows, she knows, they're old style and died ages ago, but what is she supposed to say? She has grown up reading them and always dreamed of joining the glorious Detection Club!
Stefania was gracious enough to sit down with me for an interview. I believe this will give the readers a bit more information about her thoughts and her books. Please sit back and enjoy the interview.
Hi Stefania, please give
us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?
My main character is Chase Williams, a
former junior detective in his thirties who caused some troubles in London and
has been kicked out of Scotland Yard.
Curiously, Chase has relocated in
Tursenia, Italy (Tursenia is a fictional name, even if the city exists for
real) while I have moved in London. Basically, we swapped our living locations!
I think that this is a strong point in my writing, having a great insight of
the Italy and the UK at the same time. It’s easy to me to put myself in Chase’s
shoes as an expat.
Chase works as an import/export executive
for an international cashmere firm in Tursenia. Although he tries to stay away
from crimes and mysteries, his best friend - Inspector Angelo Alunni - drags
him in murder cases and minor offenses. He tries to live a normal life in
Italy, forgetting about his previous career in London, but it’s not as easy as
it appears!
What
are you working on at the minute?
The final draft of Pull the Trigger, the first long length
novel of the Chase Williams detective stories, is on the fly. Hopefully it will
be out for the beach season!
I’ve got two other plots ready to be
written, plus the third and fourth volumes of the Cutting Right to the Chase
saga.
What
genre are your books?
I’ve always loved crime fiction and
mysteries, from Simenon to Andrea Camilleri, including the queen Agatha
Christie’s masterminds.
Therefore my books are influenced by my
reading passion and are mainly crime and cozy mystery.
Some of my readers have labeled the
Cutting Right to the Chase books as Young Adult and I did not dislike that.
They talk about unusual e minor crimes, so I guess they’re suitable for
teenagers and young adults - especially the Vol.1 of the series.
When
did you decide to become a writer?
I’ve always loved writing, it’s something
as easy to me as running.
I was reading Louisa May Alcott’s “Little
Women” and was bewitched by Jo character, so strong and keen on writing.
Then, one Christmas - maybe I was 8 - I
declared to my whole family gathered that I would have been a writer or
possibly a journalist. One of my aunt snorted, saying that being a writer is
not a job that makes you a living. On the other hand, my parents gifted me “The
Young Creative Writer's Manual” by Bianca Pitzorno, a book that changed my
life. I will be forever grateful to my parents for having pushed me to chase my
dreams.
Do
you read much and if so who are your favourite authors.
Yes, I read a lot both in Italian and
English, although I’m more focused on English literature now. That’s the best
way to keep improving my skills - English is not my native language.
At the moment I’m reading more indie
authors than big names. I’ve got a lot of favourite authors, from Dostoevskij
to Hemingway, including Steinbeck, Zola, Orwell, Dorothy Sayers, Billingham,
Camilla Läckberg and I could go on for hours. I’m omnivorous, I basically read
anything.
What
is your favourite motivational phrase.
“I always want to give more than I gave
yesterday” by Allyson Felix and “To give anything less than your best is to
sacrifice the gift” by Steve Prefontaine.
Which
famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
I’d like to meet three persons I’ve never
met yet, just to thank them for the inspiration, the example and the indirect
support they gave to me in my time of needs. They are crime author Agatha
Christie, Dream Theater’s guitar player John Petrucci and Olympic medallist
sprinter Allyson Felix.
I gave up for the first one, but I still
have time to meet the other two ;)
How
can readers discover more about you and you work?
If they want to know more about me,
there’s my Daily Pinner blog which I literally use
as a relief valve.
Book
Links:
Here are the covers and a small synopsis of Stefania's books
Chase Williams's life seems to
be filled with crimes and mysteries to solve, even if he is not working at
Scotland Yard anymore. In Tursenia, a pretty, Medieval city in the heart of
Italy, Chase tries to live a normal life as an import/export executive for an
international cashmere firm, but it's not as easy as it appears.
Chase's investigative eye never
stops catching glimpses of crimes despite his career change. Throughout
these six detective stories of 1000 words each, Chase deals with a
sequence of mainly minor but baffling offences that anyone could stumble upon.
Strange flights, teenagers at
the mall, quirky neighbours and a special mission with Chase's childhood
friend, Inspector Angelo Alunni, will introduce you to the Tursenian world,
where other, nastier crimes can happen.
The saga of unusual crimes on
which Chase Williams stumbles every day continues. It’s all about Chase’s
snooping abilities and his exceptional perceptiveness from which nothing
escapes.
10 crime stories of 1000 words
each, where proud prostitutes alternate with young lovers, sloppy drug dealers,
elderly people tired of living, amazing chefs and, as usual, Chase’s neighbors
who are always gossipy, fanatically religious and very nosey.
10 open, shiny windows
overlooking the less dramatic crime stories of Tursenia, a Medieval town in the
heart of Italy, where a former detective like Chase Williams – now dedicated to
living his placid office lifestyle – can get a run for his money. Anyone and
everyone could be a criminal. And Chase well knows it.
What if a domestic accident
turns into a murder case?
What if a former British
detective from Scotland Yard is called to solve the crime?
A classic cozy mystery set in
the beautiful Italy.
Chase Williams is looking
forward to a solitary week off, away from the office, when he is dragged into a
strange murder case by his friend, Inspector Angelo Alunni.
Piero Galli has died as a result
of a chandelier falling on him and breaking his neck. It looks like an
accident, but Alunni is not convinced: so who killed Galli?
Despite his plans for a
vacation, Chase ends up in a detective story; he has to unravel the knots in a
high ranking family of Tursenia, a Medieval city in the heart of Italy, where
appearances always come first and foremost, especially if you are wealthy.
As well as rough-necked youths,
an interrupted wedding and a handful of noisy dogs, Chase has to cope with that
Italian classic: meddling neighbours.
This is a murder case where
attention to even the tiniest detail could make the difference between leaving
a killer on the loose or bringing him or her to justice.
Will Chase take down the
assassin before there are more deaths?
Thank you Stefania for a wonderful interview!!!
