Helen Barer is a New York City native who left alone to attend Bennington College in Vermont. She even got her graduate degree (a master’s degree in English literature) from New York University. She now divides her time between the Upper West Side and Water Mill, New York. Helen herself spent many years as a writer of nonfiction, from cookbooks to television documentaries, before penning “Fitness Kills,” the first in a proposed series of Nora Franke mysteries.
Tyler: Thank you, Helen, for joining me today. First of all, I love the title of the book. Could you tell us why the title is appropriate?
Helen: Not for the reasons you might think! Men, especially, tend to think the title says something deadly about exercise. And, curiously, they are delighted if it is true. More prosaically, the title refers to the fact that the book takes place at a fitness ranch and two guests die there. My first title, still preferred by my husband, was ‘Spa Plan Death’. But I wanted something more shocking. I’m glad you like it.
Tyler: Tell us a little bit about the main character, Nora Franke. I understand that she is looking forward to going to the health spa for a couple of reasons.
Helen: Nora is a single, mid-30s food writer from New York City. She just ended a relationship with her soulmate, and is now overweight and heartbroken, having eaten during the breakup. She and her ex-boyfriend Max were crazy about each other, but they couldn’t seem to live together. They were very different: in temperament, lifestyle (he’s the prestigious Upper East Side building doorman, the New York Philharmonic and the New York Mets; she’s the funky Upper West Side walk-in, the standards of the pop and the New York Mets), even food options (painful for a foodie!). She is devastated by losing her and wants to ‘get out of town’; As a freelance food writer and baking instructor, she can do this.
Tyler: What draws your readers to the character of Nora Franke?
Helen: I think Nora is relatable (at least I do). She is quite attractive but not beautiful; she is round instead of skinny like a model; she is underpants; She is funny; and she’s smart (sometimes know-it-all). And she doesn’t take herself too seriously.
Until then, I have relied on my own experiences and personality. But Nora is also more of a fighter than me and also more courageous. Perhaps too brave for her own good.
Tyler: Where did you get the idea for a murder to take place in a spa and what was the advantage of it? Were the spa performances intended as some kind of comic relief from the murders?
Helena: You’re welcome. I love hot tubs. In fact, I was in an exercise class at a fitness ranch when I came up with the idea for the book. I looked around and realized that since all of us (mostly women) had arrived on the same day and would be leaving on the same day, it was like being on a cruise ship. Stuck together. We all spend time in each other’s company at meals, in the lounge or pool, or waiting for body treatments, sharing stories about our lives and our aches and pains that might otherwise have taken years to reveal. We immediately became intimate. I was wondering what would happen if there was a crisis, a crime, at the spa, and how would we all handle it?
In fact, there were advantages to the stage. So many places for ‘accidents’ to happen; so many experiences that are inherently terrifying; so many people who are a little (or more than a little) eccentric.
By the way, I must clarify that when I say fitness ranch, or fitness spa, I mean a destination where exercise, nutrition and health are paramount; being pampered is not the main goal, although it is a welcome addition.
Tyler: As a former cookbook writer, how did that experience lend itself to portraying Nora as a spa chef?
Helen: Writing recipes for cookbooks is a very kinesthetic experience: you have to really focus on the texture, look and smell, as well as the taste of the food. And when describing how to cook something, you literally have to go through the process in your head: What did I tell the reader to do with that pan? Is it still on fire? Is there liquid in it or is the bottom history? Did I tell the ingredients the reader will need to deglaze the pan? It’s a lot of fun, but it’s like juggling: you can’t drop one of the balls in the air or you’ll be doing your reader a disservice.
Cooking is a very personal, sensory and sensual activity. And fine-tuning a menu, as Nora has to, is a wonderfully creative act. Menu items in this book should be low in fat and calories; fabulous flavor; and represent the ‘philosophy’ of the ranch.
Tyler: I understand that while Nora is trying to solve the mystery, an ex-lover shows up. Will you tell us if this is a resurgence of romance or if he’s also a murder suspect?
Helena: nope I won’t say. You’ll have to read the book to find out.
Tyler: What did you find the most difficult part of writing a mystery?
Helen: Integrating the plot with the characters and the plot was very difficult for me. There was so much to keep track of. I love writing characters and it was relatively easy for me to do so: I could see each person quite clearly in my mind, I knew their names, where they lived, what they were wearing and I could even hear their voices. I also knew how the story began and how it would end, but getting there… wow.
I tried to make plots, I made graphics and I talked about it to myself. The problems didn’t end when I finally figured out the sequence of events: I then had to figure out how and where to place some red herrings and red herrings.
Tyler: Although you have a master’s degree in English literature, your previous writing was nonfiction rather than fiction. Have you always wanted to write fiction?
helena: always When I was a child and I didn’t care about writing, I would write stories for my class assignments. I still have, somewhere, a story called “My life in the desert”. I found it much more interesting to invent a family and its problems and pleasures than to write a factual report on the American frontier. I think I was eight or nine. Somewhere along the way, I became very self-critical and lost my spontaneity.
When I graduated from college, I thought that writing fiction was a secret and special talent that I couldn’t aspire to. He knew that he did not want to (and certainly could not) write ‘the great American novel’. But I finally realized, many decades later, that I didn’t have to: I could write an entertaining and readable novel with no pretensions to ‘greatness’. That’s not to say I didn’t want to write the best novel I could.
Tyler: What do you find the most fun about writing fiction versus nonfiction? And what are the biggest challenges?
Helen: Actually, writing nonfiction for me was a lot of fun. It meant research, and I love research. I can dive deep into reference books, newspaper archives, old manuscripts. I really enjoy interviewing people, finding out what makes them tick: what they like, what they hate, what they fear, what they find funny. It seemed very natural to me… after all, I did it for more than 30 years.
Writing fiction is certainly a different craft. External facts and background cannot be relied upon. It has to come from your head and heart. However, it’s a lot of fun creating characters, as I’ve described above.
The real challenge for me is asking ‘what if?’ That is the center of a mystery story for me. What if someone doesn’t show up at the right time? What happens if a letter is not delivered or a phone message is not given? What if he never realizes that she loves him and she’s sure he knows it? What if the killer slips up and leaves an enigmatic clue?
Tyler: Helen, would you give us a hint as to what kind of situation Nora will be facing in your second novel?
Helen: My next book finds Nora back in New York, with a death threat hanging over her head. As she attempts to resurrect a romantic life, continue her column for MetroScene magazine, and teach baking classes, she finds herself embroiled in a family crisis, with all the passion and tension that comes with it. Who does not know such a personal drama? Hurt feelings, accusations of betrayal, fights over money. The attempted title is “Families Are Murder.” Or, if it’s not too cheesy, “Families Kill.”
What is your opinion?
Tyler: Both titles are good, but I definitely like “Families Kill.” It has the same ironic note as “Fitness Kills”. Thank you very much, Helen, for joining me today. Before we go, would you tell our readers the address of your website and what additional information about “Fitness Kills” they can find there?
Helen: Thanks Tyler, I enjoyed it. Please take a look at http://www.helenbarer.com where I have posted some book reviews and a schedule of my upcoming appearances. I’m even leaving New York!
Tyler: Well, I hope you don’t run into any mysteries on your travels, but that your mystery books continue to sell well. Thanks again, Helen.
Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to be joined by Helen Barer, who is here to talk about her new mystery “Fitness Kills,” Thomson-Gale (2007), ISBN 9781594145858.