Ellen Kirschman--Call Me Carmela

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's been too long (as you will see) since we've had police psychologist Ellen Kirschman visit the blog! Her expert perspective is always welcome, and even more so when it's channeled through the viewpoint of her police psychologist protagonist, Dot Meyerhoff, who's back in her fifth outing, CALL ME CARMELA. 

Here's Ellen!

Hello Again Jungle Red readers: I can hardly believe it’s been nearly nine years since my last post. I had just published my second Dot Meyerhoff mystery and now I’m about to publish my fifth! We have a lot of catching up to do.  

You may remember that, in real life, I’m a police psychologist and my protagonist Dot is a younger, thinner, more daring version of myself. She’s embedded at the Kenilworth PD, a department that isn’t sure it wants her there. She still takes orders from no one, including her chief, and solves crimes when she should be counseling cops.

            Dot was fifty when I started the series. She’s aging slowly (slower than I am). Back in book one, Burying Ben, she had no love life. The few blind dates she had since her divorce felt like therapy sessions, an endless recitation of misery and loss. In her opinion, middle-aged people have too much emotional baggage. Dumping it takes an entire evening that would be better spent shoving sticks under each other’s fingernails.

When she met Frank (I plagarized my husband’s entire life for Frank’s character), her attitude changed, but at a snail’s pace. It took her three books and several contentious therapy sessions of her own to learn to trust him. (I do love her wacky shrink, Dr. Philipp Rogoff).

            Dot is uniquely persistent. She never gives up on anybody, not even the mastermind felon she worked with when he was a child (The Answer to His Prayers). Too dedicated for her own good, her determination to do the right thing for her clients and get to the bottom of a mystery, lands her in big trouble. I’m talking life-threatening, license-losing, job-ending, relationship-destroying trouble.

Using her brains and her training as a psychologist, Dot lands on her feet despite stepping on a few toes in the process. She’s the kind of woman I would want on my side. Which is why I’ve stuck with her through five books. (And why I write about her as if she was a living, breathing person). She’s tough, empathic, ethical, funny, and big-hearted. Who cares if she hates to cook, loves drinking red wine with popcorn, and has impossibly high standards for herself as a woman and as a therapist?

            In my newest book, Call Me Carmela, Dot gets herself in a new kind of trouble. Usually, her caseload is populated with cops. But when a dear friend, and KPD’s only police widow, asks for help with her petulant teenage god daughter, Dot can’t refuse. As she reluctantly helps this troubled adopted girl find her birth parents, she’s drawn into the emotionally turbulent world of illegal adoptions. And the choices a young pregnant woman might make as a last resort. Plagued by her own conflict-filled childhood and tormented by the memory of a young client she failed to help, she pushes on, despite multiple warnings that pursuing the truth could be dangerous. The only thing she knows for sure is that unraveling the tangle of long held secrets might heal one family, but will certainly destroy another.

            Now that you’re all caught up, I want to thank the readers that have kept asking for more of Dot and extend my gratitude to the Jungle Red Writers for the opportunity to tell you about her latest adventure. Call Me Carmela launches on November 26^th and is now up for pre-order.

DEBS: Most of us would love to be a younger, thinner, more adventurous version of ourselves (why didn't I think of that?) so kudos to you, Ellen, for inventing Dot! 

Here's more about Ellen!

Ellen Kirschman is the author of three non-fiction books and the Dot Meyerhoff mystery series. Ellen finds writing fiction to be therapeutic because she gets to take potshots at nasty cops, incompetent psychologists, and two ex-husbands. She lives in Redwood City, California with her husband, the photographer, S.Hollis Johnson. She adores Zumba, dogs, cats and ice cream. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and The Public Safety Writers Association. Sign up for her occasional newsletter at www.ellenkirschman.com. and receive a mini-memoir of her life as a dance hall hostess in Times Square. 

And more about Call Me Carmela:

Police psychologist Dot Meyerhoff's caseload is usually filled with cops—which is why she's hesitant to help an adopted teenager locate her birth parents. The teen's godmother is Dot's dear friend Fran and a police widow to boot. How could Dot possibly say no?' Once Dot starts digging into the case, she's drawn into a murky world of illegal adoptions and the choices a young pregnant woman might make as a last resort. Soon, there's only one thing Dot knows for sure: the painful truth of what happened all those years ago might heal one family—but it's certain to destroy another. 

And more about the series!

Police psychologist Dot Meyerhoff is embedded in a department that isn't sure it trusts her. Determined to help her police officer clients cope with a never-ending stream of traumatic stress and tragedy, she often steps out of her role only to come face to face with criminals, putting herself, her family, and her job at risk. Inspired by real-life events, the series exposes the pain behind the badge: suicide, sexism, tragic mistakes, dysfunctional families, and the challenges faced by a dedicated psychologist with a too-big heart.

DEBS: Readers, what changes would you make if you could reinvent yourself as a fictional character?