1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
“Murder She Wrote,” but with an African American lead. Make it Louisiana instead of Cabot Cove.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Originally, I was going to set the book in New Orleans, which has such a mystique and strangeness to it. But ultimately, I set it in Lafayette because I’m familiar with it. I spent nearly every childhood summer in Lafayette, and return a few times a year. Setting it in Lafayette gave me the opportunity to show more of the “real” Louisiana, like the endless amounts of strip malls, chaotic zoning, and the countryside.
4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life?
She would probably want to be BFFs with the actress Jennifer Lewis, who I imagine to be around Glory’s age. I could see the two of them gossiping and complaining about the world around them, as well as reminiscing about how things used to be.
5–What are three words that describe your sleuth?
Determined, overlooked, and proud.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned about the importance of process. The hardest part has not been writing my first book but having to erect boundaries around my writing time.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
My process is a bit chaotic, but I really try to save the editing until the end. It’s important not to judge your first draft too harshly. That said, I do have lots of new ideas in the first draft that come as a surprise, which means that there’s a fair amount of backstitching that needs to happen. I write with Scrivener, so I keep track of what adjustments need to be made in a separate field, and deal with them later.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Oysters. East Coast, West coast, it doesn’t matter! I can easily clear a couple dozen oysters on my own with a glass (or two) of prosecco.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
My foyer became my home office during the pandemic. The space is wallpapered with a pattern I found from William & Morris. I hung my favorite painting, which is of a great dane dressed in Victorian garb. It cheers me up every time I look at it. My only complaint is that it doesn’t have any natural light, so I need several lamps.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Kate Atkinson is a genius and seems to write brilliantly in every genre.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete. I purchased this book at The Strand in New York City shortly after I got a puppy. I don’t think I would have kept my dog if it weren’t for that book, and she’s become my best friend. The jist of the book is that bringing home a puppy is a magical time, but the magic wears off. Training allows your dog to live a better life, which allows the two of you to have a better life together. After reading this book, I invested a lot of time in this animal. I get very emotional thinking that I almost gave up on this experience.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I was working in my office. I told my colleagues and a cheer erupted. It’s been wonderful to have the support of the people I work alongside every day.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries, of course!
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Saturday Night Fever. It’s about so much more than disco. It’s about the process of chasing a dream, what’s required in doing so, and what is lost.
15–What is your favorite season?
I used to love summer, but today’s summers are not yesterday’s summers. I’ve come to embrace fall.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I always appreciate a fancy restaurant.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I was late to this book, but Karen Joy Fowler’s “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” was a stunner. I think about this book often, and as Ann Patchett says on her wonderful TikTok account, “If you haven’t read a book it’s new to you.” And I just started the latest “Thursday Murder Club” installment and of course it’s as charming as expected.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Is sushi a cuisine? It should be.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I love long walks with my dog. I live close to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. I love to wander and think about, well, everything. I sometimes pretend I’m one of my characters and try to see the world through their eyes.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
A second Glory book is on the way! A major desire of mine is to share a richer experience about the lives of Black women… there are so many other projects I’d love to get off the ground with this theme.
GLORY BE by Danielle Arceneaux
The first in a vivid and charming crime series set in the Louisiana bayou, introducing the hilariously uncensored amateur sleuth Glory Broussard. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club.
It’s a hot and sticky Sunday in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Glory has settled into her usual after-church routine, meeting gamblers at the local coffee shop, where she works as a small-time bookie. Sitting at her corner table, Glory hears that her best friend—a nun beloved by the community—has been found dead in her apartment.
When police declare the mysterious death a suicide, Glory is convinced that there must be more to the story and, with her reluctant daughter, with troubles of her own, in tow, launches a shadow investigation in a town of oil tycoons, church gossips, and a rumored voodoo priestess.
As a Black woman of a certain age who grew up in a segregated Louisiana, Glory is used to being minimized and overlooked. But she’s determined to make her presence known as the case leads her deep into a web of intrigue she never realized Lafayette could harbor. Danielle Arcenaux’s riveting debut brings for an unforgettable character that will charm and delight crime fans everywhere and leave them hungry for her next adventure.
Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Woman Sleuth [Pegasus Crime, On Sale: October 3, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781639364831 / ]
Buy GLORY BE: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Love’s Sweet Arrow | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Danielle Arceneaux
Danielle Arceneaux is a mystery writer who lives in Brooklyn, NY with her border terrier, Birdie, and an ungovernable cat. When not writing, she enjoys traveling around the world to flyfish.
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