From the Booking Desk:

It’s Friday! Time for another Composite Sketch.  As I mentioned last week, this feature is going to cover a wide swath of the crime fiction community. Today, I am thrilled to welcome Erica Ruth Neubauer – celebrated reviewer, photographer, and all around wonderful person. Find out more below:

Name: Erica Ruth Neubauer
Location: Milwaukee, WI. Where we keep the cheese and beer.

This person from my personal life is such an inspiration:

My friend Renee Carlson. I haven’t known her long, but she has a positive and indomitable spirit that I admire. After brain surgery to remove a tumor she was right back up and juggling a million things—two jobs, a family with three kids, volunteer work at a dog shelter— and with such a positive attitude. She really inspires me to kick some more ass in life.

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

Sue Grafton. She’s a righteous badass. She not only started writing a woman as a PI when it wasn’t really being done, but she has consistently maintained a truly high standard of work. She hasn’t gotten sloppy or starting cranking out formulaic books as I’ve seen happen in series. Grafton was also an influential writer for me as a young woman—I started reading Kinsey Millhone in high school, and it was not only empowering to read a female PI, but it also maintained my interest in the mystery genre as a whole. The books provided a bridge from the mysteries of my childhood, to my reading tastes as an adult.

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

Well the court system would be busy, because there would be several. But I think top contenders would be Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. I want to live in that brownstone and watch what those two get up to. (And eat what Fritz is cooking.)

I would also love to stalk Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Maybe quietly live in the guest room and tag along on their cases. And Veronica Speedwell—I’d love to be in on her hijinks, although I suspect she would be fine with that.

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

Billy Joel. I’ve been to four concerts, and I have no intention of stopping. NO ONE CAN STOP ME.

My personal catch phase is (or should be):

Please excuse the foul language, but it’s honestly “Put it in the fuck-it bucket.”
(Adopted from the fabulous David Sedaris.)

Find Erica on social media here:
Facebook and Twitter