Beverle Graves Myers
mystery writer
Press Room
The Castrati Links Stories
Bev's Blog Bio Contact
Home Books
Press Room
The contents of this page are intended for use by media, librarians and event coordinators. Feel free to contact Bev if you need information not found here. Please be patient, hi-res images may take a moment to load.
Beverle Graves Myers
author of the Baroque Mystery Series		 Cover: THE IRON TONGUE OF MIDNIGHT
latest title in the series
Literary Agent: Ashley Grayson
Ashley Grayson Literary Agency
1342 18th Street
San Pedro, CA 90732
ph: 310-548-4672
fax: 310-514-1148		 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave. Suite 103
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
contact: Jessica Tribble
ph: 480-945-3375
fax: 480-949-1707
Bev Answers Some Frequently Asked Questions
What were your personal reasons for writing the Baroque Mystery Series? I've always loved getting lost in a good book, but I was in my 40's before I could push the day job aside and try my own hand at writing. My favorite writers--Steven Saylor, Caleb Carr, and David Liss--write historical mysteries and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. The baroque era seemed a perfect choice . Despite the many social and cultural changes going on at the time, few mystery authors have used it.

Why opera? First, because I'm such a fan and it's great fun to write about something you love. Second, because it makes fertile ground for storytelling. Italian opera was the popular entertainment of the period. The singers were treated like today's rock stars or American Idol winners. There was as much drama going on behind stage as out front.

Your protagonist is an unusual detective. How did you come up with the idea of using a castrato singer as the main character? I was casting around for a true man of his time, and Tito is certainly that. I'd learned about the castrati in music classes, but didn't really consider one for my protagonist until I read Anne Rice's Cry to Heaven. I like Tito being an outcast of sorts--though he's applauded at the theater, he's also shunned because he is a eunuch. That gives him an interesting perspective on his society. Because of his personal history, he also tends to identify with other outcast groups and is angered by injustice of all sorts.

Do you do a lot of research? Plenty. I want my books to be both good history and good mystery. I haunt the library and never hesitate to quiz an expert if I can't find the information I need.

Has your former career in mental health influenced your writing? My experience as a psychiatrist comes into play mostly as I create characters. I enjoy delving into their personalities and the motives underlying their behavior. Many of my novels and stories include a character who suffers from a mental illness. Best example: Tito's sister Grisella has Tourette's Syndrome.

What's next? For the fifth installment of the Baroque Mysteries, Tito and his wife Liya will team up to investigate the murder of a Venetian courtesan. I'll be using a great deal of the research I did during my recent trip to Venice.