Bearer of Secrets: An Art Heist Mystery
(Celine Skye Psychic Mystery Series)
by Nupur Tustin
It is my pleasure to welcome Nupur Tustin
to Escape With Dollycas Today!
Hi Nupur.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a former journalist with a Ph.D. in Communication, a creative individual with a passionate interest in music, art, and history. You’ll see that reflected in the three amateur sleuth series I write—one set in Haydn’s Austria with Joseph Haydn as the protagonist; one that takes on the unsolved Gardner Museum heist; and one in which a French sleuth travels the world as an undercover sleuth recovering stolen art.
Oddly enough, all my characters are Catholic—or in the case of Celine Skye, a lapsed Catholic. But I wasn’t Catholic or even Christian when I started writing these series. So I suppose that tells one something about the authority of the Church, that even as a non-believer one saw it as the true faith.
What is the first book you remember reading?
It must have been an Enid Blyton book. She’s a British writer from the early twentieth century and was hugely popular and very prolific. I loved her books. She wrote quite a few mystery series as well—all for children, of course. If you’re familiar with her works at all, it’ll be in the context of Noddy and Toyland. And if you know about Noddy—you either have young children or grandchildren in your home!
I have to confess, I still enjoy reading children’s books and picture books. Biscuit is one of my favorite series.
What are you reading now?
I read several books—fiction and non-fiction simultaneously. So here goes:
Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O’Connor
Playing Dead by Allison Brennan
The Caravaggio Conspiracy by Peter Watson
How to Pray Always by Raul Pius, S.J.
And I’m listening to a podcast of the Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila
What books have most inspired you?
As a mystery writer, I’ve been inspired by Emily Brightwell, Kate Kingsbury, Stephanie Barron, Susan Wittig Albert, Mary Higgins Clark, Jayne Ann Krentz, among others. I’m always on the lookout for mystery writers who excel at their craft in whatever genre they write in.
You might wonder why I haven’t mentioned Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s because I enjoyed their stories but never reflected on their craft. I’ve learned the art of plotting from Emily Brightwell, of using dialogue to further the story from Kate Kingsbury, and when it comes to contemporary suspense, I’ve learned from Mary Higgins Clark and Jayne Ann Krentz.
I ought to add Donald Bain—author of the first fifty or so Murder, She Wrote mysteries—to the list. I love the way Bain integrates cozy/traditional elements with a sound mystery. There’s a lot one can learn about Bain’s editing—I don’t mean editing for style. I’m referring to the type of editing you’ll find happens behind-the-scenes for a movie or TV show. There’s an art to knowing which scenes to cut out from a story—whether it’s a novel or a movie.
What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries?
Great question! I suppose I was like most people who decide to write. I wanted to write the Great American Novel! But I had to admit to myself that what I enjoyed reading wasn’t so much great literary fiction, it was mysteries. I also had to admit that the Great Novel is written not by an author who sets out to write such a novel but by one who doesn’t set out to do so.
Shakespeare didn’t set out to write great art; neither did Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy. Their works achieved greatness because they set out to write about humans and the world they lived in.
They immersed themselves in the stories and characters. Had they not done so, their works would’ve been pretentious and unimaginative and certainly wouldn’t have stood the test of time.
Do you have a special place where you like to write?
No, but I do prefer being at home—surrounded by my books and very close to my teapot and coffee maker. I used to have a desk in our open-space kitchen-dining area. I’ve had to relinquish that, but my husband’s promised to make me a new desk just beyond the kitchen.
Where do the ideas for your books come from?
Mostly they come from my reading. If it’s a Haydn Mystery, immersing myself in his world will lead to an idea for a murder mystery. That’s how every one of my Haydn stories have come about.
But true crime can give me ideas as well. That’s the source of my inspiration for the Celine Skye Psychic Mysteries. It’s based on the true story of Gardner Museum theft. The fact that 13 valuable works were stolen and that the FBI still has no clue why, how, or where is very intriguing. Since I couldn’t get resolution on the story, I decided to concoct my own theory.
Many of my Haydn short stories are adaptations of true crime stories that we’ve watched. And when I read about art heists and art recovery, I often come up with a good Sophie’s Adventure story as well.
Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?
If I had to pick one thing, I suppose it’s where the plot meets reality. What I mean is this—every plot has a geographical setting and sometimes the specific landscape of the setting doesn’t quite suit the plot. So the plot needs to be finessed, adapted, really, to geographical reality.
I’m working on a story set in Marseille, which, until I researched the place, I thought of as a delightful little town close to a delightful little village. Well, it’s a big, bustling city. And the nearest village isn’t exactly a bike ride away. So some plot details need to be changed.
I always say fiction transcends reality, but changing Marseille from a bustling city to what I’d imagined requires too much suspension of disbelief from the reader. It’s asking too much.
Of course, I could just make up a little town. But I like my title: Mystery in Marseille! This is a Sophie’s Adventure story, by the way.
What do you think makes a good story?
In addition to believable characters, the plot needs to be well-thought-out—and needs to exist! Random events strung together don’t make a story. And the events, in order to be plausible, need to stem from the characters and their motivations. Let me give you an example, from a show you may have watched, Mr. Monk.
There’s an episode in which Monk goes off to investigate on his own, tricking Natalie, his assistant, into thinking he hasn’t really solved the case and that, therefore, there’s no need to call the Captain. Why would Monk, a seasoned detective, do something quite as stupid as that?
Well, because the clue in question leads directly to the killer of his beloved wife, Trudy. It’s a case Monk hasn’t been able to solve and it eats at him. Besides, this is his wife. It’s personal.
As a result Monk is framed for a murder he didn’t commit. The writers needed to get Monk to this point where he could be plausibly framed for murder. But the events leading him to that point needed to be plausible. Monk fans needed to understand what he was doing and why. If the writers had ignored Monk’s character, the plot would’ve fallen flat.
Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?
None of them are like me. I don’t write myself into my stories. I enter wholly into the character I’m writing about. Haydn was an actual person. And although Celine and Sophie are fictitious, to me they are as real as Haydn.
What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?
There’s a unique blending of fact and fiction to the point where you can’t tell where fact ends and fiction begins. I like it that way. In fact, after I’ve written a story, I myself forget what’s fact and what’s fiction. In addition, I focus on music and art. It’s not for nothing that my tagline is: Painting Intrigue. . . Orchestrating Murder!
I like to think that my stories arouse readers’ curiosity about the facts—about art theft and recovery or Haydn’s life. I hope it sets them looking to find the truth. The best fiction has done that for me—aroused my curiosity and sent me on quest. And that’s what I want to do for you, the reader.
What’s next on the horizon for you?
I’m researching and plotting two Sophie’s Adventure stories, one set in Marseille, as I mentioned, and the other in Rome. I’m also working on the next Celine Skye mystery. At some point of time, Celine will need to go to London—some of the Gardner art has made its way there!
Then it’ll be back to Haydn, and if I have the time, to a couple of other series I want to develop.
Thank you Nupur for visiting today!
Keep reading for more information about Nupur and her new book!
About Bearer of Secrets
Bearer of Secrets: An Art Heist Mystery (Celine Skye Psychic Mystery Series)
Psychic Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Where does your book take place? Paso Robles, CA and Boston, MA
Publisher : Foiled Plots Press (June 27, 2024)
Print length : 397 pages
Digital ASIN : B0D5PCCSDR
SIZZLING SUSPENSE: Based on the True Story of Boston’s Gardner Museum Theft!
Could a stolen Degas unravel a cold-case art heist? Celine must find out before murder closes in . . .
Shattered by a journalist’s death and sensing danger to his mother, Clara, psychic art sleuth Celine Skye struggles to focus on the Gardner Museum theft. Until a stolen Degas taken eight years after the heist surfaces—along with new clues and visions of Clara in peril.Compelled to investigate, Celine has a startling revelation linking Clara to a Gardner Museum insider. Could Clara’s son have uncovered evidence implicating her friend in the theft?
With the threat to Clara escalating, Celine must find the truth before murder finds them both. . .
With smart taut writing and great characterization BEARER OF SECRETS will have you pondering the unsolved crime while waiting for the other shoe to drop.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
About Nupur Tustin
Nupur Tustin is a former journalist who misuses a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.A. in English to paint intrigue and orchestrate murder. She is the author of the Joseph Haydn Mystery series set in eighteenth-century Austria and the Celine Skye Psychic Mysteries about a psychic art sleuth who takes on the still unsolved Gardner Museum theft of 1990. She also writes the Sophie’s Adventure series about an art sleuth who recovers stolen art as an undercover tourist. For more about her and her books, please visit https://ntustin.com
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Also by Nupur Tustin
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
July 8 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 9 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 10 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews -SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 14 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 15 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 16 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 17 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 17 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
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Thanks for featuring me on your blog, Lori. I enjoyed answering your questions.
What an interesting mystery! Great interview. Thanks for sharing.