Connie Hertzberg Mayo
Author Interview - Connie Hertzberg Mayo
Author of The Sharp Edge of Mercy
New York City, 1890: Lillian Dolan is optimistic about her new job at the New York Cancer Hospital after dreaming for years of becoming a nurse. But she struggles to fit in, and her only friend at the hospital is Jupiter, a Black man who runs the crematorium. When the confident Dr. Bauer arrives as the new surgeon and takes a shine to Lillian, she is thrilled to be noticed.
Lillian has been warned not to get too close to the patients, but Mrs. Sokolova draws her in, and Lillian wins praise from the nurses for making progress with a difficult patient. But when Mrs. Sokolova’s situation becomes dire, she puts Lillian in an impossible situation – all while Lillian slowly loses control of her relationship with Dr. Bauer, which has taken a turn she did not foresee or want. Her decision to help her patient throws her life into chaos, and Jupiter may be the only person who can help her with an impossible choice: capitulate to Dr. Bauer’s demands or face possible arrest.
Author Interview - Connie Hertzberg Mayo
Author I draw inspiration from: Amor Towles. Reading A Gentleman in Moscow was like greeting an old friend every time I picked up where I left off. Towles has this talent for creating colorful characters that are immensely likable. I had heard some critical things about The Lincoln Highway and I'd agree it was not quite as good as his first (mostly because the new one is sort of sprawling), but I still got that warm feeling of wanting to stay with these wonderful characters as long as possible.
Author Interview - Connie Hertzberg Mayo | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: Though I do most of my reading in bed before I go to sleep, my favorite place to read, when I have time during the day, is by a fireplace. We have not one but two gas fireplaces in our house, and they are both in use from October through April because I'm always cold. My husband and I even bought a pair of matching armchairs specifically so we could have coffee in the morning in front of the fireplace. It feels really timeless because people were reading by fireplaces a hundred years ago.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Lily Bart, from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. To me, this is Wharton's best book, and it's all character driven. Lily is one of the most fascinating characters I've read. Her devolution down the social ladder is masterfully done, because Lily is conflicted so often in the story. She knows she is playing a ridiculous game that she will not win, but yet she feels powerless to really break away from it. I would love to try to convince her to give it all up (but then there would be no amazing book!).
Author Interview - Connie Hertzberg Mayo | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: My first book was written when I was in 5th grade, banged out on a $5 thrift shop typewriter that only had capital letters. The book was a nonfiction reference book on cat breeds. After that, my writing career was on pause as I grew up, got a job, got married and had children. At age 40 I decided to pick back up with the author thing when I discovered that between my job and raising my middle school kids, I suddenly had a few spare hours. It was either work more or write a book. The choice was easy.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I love paper books! I love the feel, the smell, knowing how far along you are. I love browsing for books in the library. I even love bookmarks. That being said, the pandemic encouraged me to get an e-reader, and there are things I do like about it - getting a new book instantaneously at 9pm on a Sunday when you finish your last book, being able to look up a word by clicking on it. But I miss my paper books.
The last book I read: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.
Author Interview - Connie Hertzberg Mayo | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Computer all the way. My handwriting is terrible! I don't know how anyone who uses pen and paper edits their work. I once heard Tess Gerritsen speak (the author of the many Rizzoli and Ives books which became a TV series) and she described how she has these special pens and pads of paper and writes her books out longhand. I couldn't believe it.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Margaret Lea from The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I read this book years ago, and yet I still remember the scene early on in the book where she is racing to get into bed to read by 8pm as if her life depends on it. Plus she works in a bookshop. How could I not like her?
Author Interview - Connie Hertzberg Mayo | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: An architect. I would specialize in how to integrate new construction with old buildings. Working in Boston for many years, there is certainly a lot of great old architecture, and there are many examples of how the integration of newer buildings is jarring. Either that, or I would specialize in designing libraries!
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1950s. I would watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel just to see the outfits.
Place I’d most like to travel: The only place on my bucket list is to go to Buenos Aires with my husband because he was born there and still has a lot of family there. One of my biggest regrets is that I did not take Spanish as a foreign language in high school, because many of my husbands relatives are not fluent in English, so I know that part will be awkward, but I still want to go. And yes, I have tried to learn Spanish as an adult and it just doesn't stick!
My signature drink: Australian Chardonnay, very cold.
Favorite artist: Joni Mitchell. As a teen I was a huge fan, and then I drifted away to other music. Recently I started listening to her again on Spotify, and I realized that I didn't appreciate what a poet she was.
Number one on my bucket list: To walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful warm day.
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Author Bio: Connie Hertzberg Mayo grew up in Westchester County, NY, but came to Massachusetts to get a Literature degree from Tufts University and never ended up leaving. Her first book, The Island of Worthy Boys, was published in 2015 and won an “IPPY” – the 2016 Gold Medal for Best Regional Fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards – and a 2015 Silver Medal for Historical Fiction in the INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards. Connie’s short story, “Little Breaks”, was published by Calyx Journal in 2017. Her latest novel, The Sharp Edge of Mercy, will be published by Heliotrope Books in May 2022. She works as a Systems Analyst and empty-nests with her husband and two feuding cats.
