From the Booking Desk:

Christine Gentes is a fellow book blogger who I was fortunate enough to meet at last year’s Malice Domestic Blogger Get-Together. Blogging requires a huge commitment of time and I am thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of others in that field here at BOLO Books. Christine’s blog – linked to her photo below – examines crime fiction from the perspective of setting and location. If you are headed out on vacation or have a favorite state (or country), Christine can help you find a mystery novel set there. How cool is that? And now, let’s see how she tackles our composite sketch questionnaire.

Name: Christine Gentes
Location: Illinois (in my heart New Orleans)

This person from my personal life is such an inspiration:

My mother Rena was my inspiration. When my daughter was a baby my mother would put her in her carriage and walk miles with her so she could nap. My mother was 66 years old at the time. When she was in her 70s, she and my uncle decided to start cruising. They went to Australia, New Zealand, South America, through the Panama Canal, throughout Europe – in all 23 cruises in 10 years. Amazing. I hope I have that much energy when I am in my 70s.

One of the people I admire most in the crime fiction community is:

Oh boy, this is tough. I have met so many authors and read so many terrific books, I’d be hard pressed to pick one. Maybe the best bet is to pick someone not with us any more so as not to offend anyone. I choose Agatha Christie (I know trite). Her legacy as the Queen of Crime still lives on and I think inspires many authors today to think about how she plotted then zigged and zagged with her books.

STALKER ALERT! If this fictional character were real, they would likely need to get a restraining order against me:

That would be Amelia Peabody Emerson by Elizabeth Peters. If I had lived during that time, I would have wanted to be Amelia, not her daughter-in-law; I think that job would be too tough. Amelia was a courageous, adventuresome character with a strong point of view and she liked to tell people what to do. I see myself in her because I love telling people what to do!

People are always surprised that I am a fan of this individual (singer, actor, or artist):

Alexander Hamilton (although I don’t think one is surprised about this any more, especially as I sometimes quote Hamilton lyrics). I lived in New York through my teen years so I always knew about him, but the musical and the Chernow book set me off on a path to idolatry. I read the Chernow book (all 700+ pages), moved on to seeing the musical three times, read Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics, My Dear Hamilton by Laura Kamoie & Stephanie Dray, bought the book Where is the Place Where it Happened when I went to The Grange – Hamilton homestead, read Who Tells Your Story? by Valerie Estelle Frankel and moved on to I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott. A flawed character, but a genius nevertheless.

My personal catch phrase is (or should be):

Who knew, mostly meant in a sarcastic way.