Interview with Kelly Oliver, author of Jackal

What can you tell us about your new release, Jackal?

When I was in grad school, I dated a guy who would dress me up in skimpy outfits, lock me in handcuffs, and put me in a box. No, not like that! He was a magician and I was his assistant.

Once, during halftime at a college football game, he made a live tiger disappear. Luckily for me, we’d broken up by then. Now, I can’t even remember his name. I often wonder if he’s a famous magician on a big stage in Vegas. When I see billboards for magic acts, I wonder if maybe that’s him.

His disappearing act inspired my latest novel JACKAL where feisty amateur sleuth Jessica James is sent on a mission by her mother to find the Mesmerizer, a washed up magician working in Vegas. Her mom claims this Mesmerizer dude is Jessica’s biological father. Searching for him, Jessica discovers that in Vegas the stakes are high and everyone’s an illusionist.

Penniless, Jessica looks up an old high school friend, Mackenzie Czarnowski whose Facebook page says she’s made it big dancing for Cirque du Soleil. Mackenzie is a dancer all right, but her belt-trick is not exactly Cirque du Soleil material. The tattoo parlor is her happy place. And her driving ambition is to get enough money for a fat transfer.

In the entire Jessica James Mystery series, Mackenzie is one of my favorite characters… maybe because she is inspired by my niece, who really does work as an exotic dancer in Las Vegas. They say write what you know

What or who inspired you to become an author?

When I “discovered” writing, it changed my life. I live to write and write to live. Writing (and cats) give meaning to my life. As a philosophy professor, I’ve written nonfiction for decades. But, recently I tried writing fiction, and now I’m hooked!

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Wow, that’s like asking what is my favorite drop of water in the ocean. There are so many! One of my recent favorites is Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko. Every time the novel left a character behind, I was in mourning. But soon I was engaged with the new character. I fell in love with each and every character.

I’m also a huge fan of Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series, especially as read on audiobook by Barbara Rosenblatt. That has become my “comfort food” of books. And, Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series is my guilty pleasure–like eating chocolates in bed.

In general, I like novels that feature strong women protagonists, like the works of Joy Castro, Denise Mina, Julia Alvarez, Rosario Ferré, and so many more.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Losing myself. The outside world drops away and I enter another world, a world where I actually have some control!

What is a typical day like for you?

I’m a university professor at a tier-one research institution, so my day job keeps me pretty busy. Usually, I try to do my writing and research in the morning, and then teach or meet with students in the afternoon. I try to keep up a regular routine of yoga and swimming to counteract sitting hunched over a computer all day. When I’m not writing or teaching, I’m usually take pictures of my cats and posting them on social media.

What scene in Jackal was your favorite to write?

That’s like asking me which of my children is my favorite. My books and my cats are my only “children,” so, truth be told, I’m just guessing on that score.

As I said, I loved writing Mackenzie. She’s such a fun character. I also liked writing the character of undercover narcotics detective Leo Spencer. He has such a troubled past that it gave me a lot to work with. And, it was exciting to set the novel in Las Vegas. The setting opened up a lot of opportunities for storytelling that probably wouldn’t work anywhere else.

My absolute favorite parts are the plot twists, but I don’t want any spoilers. The funny bits also keep my amused while writing.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. From the days when I was fighting my way through grad school, through getting tenure, and now an endowed chair in a discipline dominated by men, to facing the daunting task of trying to break into the world of fiction, I often remind myself of something that Nietzsche wrote: “Everything decisive in life comes against the greatest obstacles.”

As a girl who seems to learn everything the hard way, I say, “Ain’t that the truth!”

Kelly Oliver is the author of the new book Jackal

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