From Stage to Keyboard: by Connie DiMarco

Jenn McKinlay: True confession -- I read my horoscope every day. 

I have also been known to consult runes, tarot cards, and one time a 

psychic. She told me not to worry and that everything would work 

out. That was enough for me, I never needed to consult another 

psychic again. Right? Anyway, when I saw the Zodiac Mysteries 

hit the shelves, needles to say, they were immediately added to my 

TBR pile! They're wonderful! And their author, the fabulous 

Connie DiMarco, is here with us today to tell us how they came to 

be.

Connie DiMarco: A big thank you to Jenn 

McKinlay for  inviting me over to visit the 

Jungle Reds! I’m thrilled to be here today 

among such a fabulous group. 

Tail of the Dragon, Book 3 in the Zodiac Mysteries, has just been released.  The mad round of blog tours and events has (almost) come to a close and now, with a little breathing room, I find myself giving a lot of thought to the crazy business we are all involved in.  The ups and downs, the disappointments and frustrations.  And of course, the thrill of holding your very own book in your hands or spotting your magnum opus on a Barnes & Noble bookshelf. But the truth of it is that getting published can be a real pain in the zorch! 

JENN: Pain in the Zorch!!! I love it!

My wonderful agent several years ago tried to sell the Zodiac Mysteries, but no publisher would bite. One reason I’m sure was that I had no resume as a writer.  In fact, I had never written a thing or even thought about being a writer.  Crafting a thank you note or a little message on a Christmas card took all my ingenuity and focus.  The thought of staring at a blank computer screen, wracking my brain for clever ideas seemed an excruciating form of mental torture.  I swore I’d never step into that.  

My first love was acting, from the time I heard a soap opera on the radio at the age of six.  I was entranced.  I wanted to live in that world.  And eventually I did -- for a lot of years.  A few people who know about my foolish past have remarked, “How exciting! Wasn’t it exciting?”  I’ve replied, “Uh . . . .”  How can I explain to anyone that the work is sometimes an E-ticket ride, but the life is anything but.  If sweating blood for the next job, anxiety attacks, and waiting for the phone to ring is exciting . . . then maybe you’re meant to be an actor (?). 

It was boredom that kickstarted my venture into mystery writing.  The epiphany happened one day in a Hollywood parking lot in 105-degree heat. I was playing a receptionist in a miniseries who helps an undercover FBI agent posing as a Muslim terrorist fill out a job application for a rabbi who is in fact a terrorist himself.  If you’re confused by this description, no worries.  So was I.  Over the years under my professional name, I’ve played all sorts of moms, divorcées, nurses, secretaries and waitresses, even a hooker or two.  That particular day, I was in a state of narcoleptic ennui.  Bored stiff.  This was not art.  I was merely advancing the plot.  That’s the day I decided to head home as soon as possible and start writing my mystery.  (Did I mention I’ve always been a lover of mysteries and thrillers?)  

As an actor, not only are you a social leper at a party because everyone knows you’re just looking for the next job, but in a working situation, you have no control.  Not on a set and not on a stage.  You only have your part, one cog in a great wheel.  But (lightbulb going off here) as a writer, you can create and control everything.  You build your own world, just the way you like it.  

August 2018

So that’s how my crime-solving San Francisco astrologer was born.  The early rejections didn’t bother me.  I already had a Ph.D. in rejection – three decades of chewing fingernails, sitting in LA traffic, A/C on stun and makeup melting onto my lap for the jobs I didn’t book.  But I was undaunted.  I wrote the second book in the series and then the third.  Still nothing happened.  The Zodiac Mysteries languished.  Julia, my crime-solving astrologer wasn’t solving any crimes, nor did she have any clients to speak of.  In the meantime, I wrote several books in the Soup Lovers’ Mysteries but I hadn’t given up on the Zodiac Mysteries.  Those stories were still dear to my heart.  

Fast forward several years. Once again, my dauntless agent tried to sell the series.  But still there were difficulties.  One editor said, “A religious cult that takes over the city?  Oh no, we can’t touch anything like that!”  (The Madness of Mercury)  Another said, “Astrology? Oh, I think that’s way too complicated for our readers!”  (All Signs Point to Murder)  And so on . . .  But, at least no one said, ‘She’s a terrible writer.’  There was hope yet.  

Then finally, the clouds parted, the stars aligned.  A publisher actually wanted the series!  Not just any publisher, but Llewellyn/Midnight Ink.  How perfect, how appropriate, I thought.  The publisher of all those astrology books I had been perusing for years.  Who knew I be able to create a unique character from all that wealth of information? 

Chinese Zodiac

So that’s how the Zodiac Mysteries finally saw the light of day.  That’s how Julia Bonatti was born, with clients who bring murder to her doorstep. And I couldn’t be happier to have created my own world.  Is getting published still a pain in the zorch?  Yes, it is, but it’s a whole lot more satisfying than anything else I’ve done in life.  I wouldn’t trade being part of the mystery community for anything!  I just wish I had started sooner.  

So, Reds and Readers, the obvious question is -- what's your sign?

Are you a believer in astrology or no? 

Here's description of the latest Zodiac Mystery: Tail of the Dragon

A rare astrological event could help San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti avoid a deadly destiny:

Julia Bonatti loves the freedom of working for herself as a professional astrologer. But after receiving several unexpected bills, she considers a temp job offer from her old boss a stroke of luck too good to pass up.

On her first day, the posh law office becomes a crime scene when one of the partners is found dead. Julia discovers that a series of death threats have been sent to several employees of the firm, and she uses her astrological expertise to discover possible motives. But before she can convince the authorities of what she knows, the killer strikes again. Will Julia unmask the culprit before he, or she, takes another life?

Praise for the Zodiac Mysteries

All Signs Point to Murder

"Di Marco crafts an intricate, twisting plot and layers on the astrological details that fans of psychic mysteries so enjoy."―Booklist