White Gloves and Waltzing, by Deb Meredith

My name is Meredith Cole and I’m delighted to be a debutante at last. I begged my mother when I was twelve to let me go to Cotillion and learn how to waltz. I thought it would be like going to a ball in a Jane Austen novel, complete with a fabulous dress and white gloves. But my mother, a college professor, had no interest in paying for me to learn to be a “lady.” So now I can never remember where the forks go when I set the table (something I’m sure they covered in the first lesson).

I live in New York City with my husband, my 4-year-old son, and my two cats. I try to swim everyday (I wrote a short story called “Exercise is Murder” set at my pool for the June 2008 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine). I also love to go on long walks, entertain friends, eat dessert, and play cards (my family has cutthroat Pounce tournaments where there is no mercy for anyone of any age).

I began my career as a filmmaker, and directed two feature films (“Floating” and “Achilles’ Love”) when I was in my twenties. I wrote a lot of screenplays that are still sitting in a drawer, but the birth of my son forced me to reevaluate my career. I wanted to spend time with my baby without completely abandoning my creativity. Since I love to read novels, it seemed natural to write one myself.

I found the inspiration for my mystery in the vibrant arts community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I made my heroine, Lydia McKenzie, a fine art photographer. In her photographs, she recreates historic murder scenes using her friends as models. And when she finally achieves her dream of having a show of her work in a New York gallery, Lydia discovers to her horror that someone is killing her models just like her photographs.

My book POSED FOR MURDER will be released in February 2009 by St. Martin’s Press, and I’m hard at work writing the next book in the series. I’m looking forward to blogging this year with such a talented group, and celebrating everyone’s exciting debut. Now–what time do we waltz again?

September 3rd, 2008 | Posted by Meredith | 2009 Debs, Meredith Cole, Posed for Murder | 19 Comments