Sarah Booth returns in Wishbones by Carolyn Haines

By Rebecca Cantrell on June 1, 2008 8:52 AM

wishbones.jpgContributing editor Rebecca Cantrell chatted with Carolyn Haines about her newest mystery Wishbones.

In her 8th book, Sarah Booth trades the Delta for a film set in Costa Rica. If you think Sarah could stay out of trouble now that she's traded crimes for closeups, well you don't know Sarah Booth, but Wishbones is the perfect place to meet her.

Does Jitty follow Sarah on her new adventure? If so, how does she react to the culture shock?

I can neither deny nor confirm the rumor that Jitty shows up in Costa Rica--hey, I'm practicing for when Sarah Booth and Jitty get me in so much trouble I end up testifying before Congress.

I honestly can't answer that question. I'm not trying to be a tease, but I think it would fall into the category of sort of a spoiler.  That makes it a dang good question.

 

  haines-carolyn.jpgIn Ham Bones Sarah Booth left her home to finally pursue her dream of being an actress. How does that work out for her in Wishbones?

Sarah Booth certainly has the talent. She gets to play opposite Graf Mileau, her former lover, in a remake of Body Heat. (I have the acting abilities of a moonstruck cow, but if I did have talent, and if I had a chance to play any role, it would be Mattie in Body Heat.)

The production for the movie is a dream cast. There are guest appearances by a number of stars, including one dead one. This ghostly presence, in the haunted mansion in Costa Rica, is one of Sarah Booth's biggest challenges. And don't think the Zinnia mafia let Sarah Booth down. Her girlfriends are not about to let her confront the dark side without their help.

What kind of research did you do to put Sarah Booth and Graf Mileau in Costa Rica?

I've spent some time in Central America, mostly Nicaragua. Love it. What a beautiful part of the world. And, I have friends in the movie business. They're always happy to talk about filming fiascoes. And since I grew up in a haunted house, I had a bit of personal research for that part. It's a good thing I have a strong heart or I would have died of heart failure as a child. We did have a ghost, and worse than that I had an older brother. He'd jump out of closets, etc.  

What adventures lie in store for Sarah Booth in the next books?

Pandemics, plagues, love triangles, murders, and the solace of friendship. Just another day in paradise.

Are you working on any other books you'd like to tell us about?

I have this idea for a psychological thriller I feel compelled to write. And the next Bones book, tentatively titled Bones of Contention. I have so many ideas--it's time that I'm short on.

A native of Mississippi, Carolyn Haines writes both dark and light novels. WISHBONES is the 8th in the Sarah Booth Delaney series. PENUMBRA, a stand-alone, was named one of the top five msyteries of 2006 by LIBRARY JOURNAL. Her story, "The Wish," was included in the NYT bestselling anthology MANY BLOODY RETURNS.


becky-cantrell-small.jpgITW contributing editor and website administrator Rebecca Cantrell bought her first typewriter with babysitting money at age thirteen. Since then, she has written novels, screenplays, and short stories about (and sometimes in spite of) the Alaskan wilderness, Berlin before and after the wall, and dot com Silicon Valley. She has also written many technical manuals. A TRACE OF SMOKE is her first published novel. She lives in Hawaii with her husband and son.

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