| Starr Gardinier Reina |
| Published works available now - click on images to purchase: |
| Our Exclusive Interview with Award Winning Starr Gardinier Reina |
 |  |  |  |  |
I am a paralegal of fourteen years for an estate planning
and asset protection law firm in California. I am also an
executive editor for Suspense Magazine. When not
working, I enjoy weaving tales of suspense, drama and
crime.
I have a young adult, mystery novella and a novel
published, namely "Cruel Whispers" and "Cruel Past".
My most recent release is "Deadly Decisions", which is
series follow up to "In the Name of Revenge" in the
crime/mystery genre.
I am currently enrolled and actively seeking my
bachelors in Literature/Creative Writing, which
schooling should be completed soon. I am a member of
Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter and nationally.
I have won three ‘Best Speaker’ awards as well as ‘Best
Evaluator’ at the Voice Ambassadors chapter of
Toastmasters. I publish free quarterly newsletters called
WhoDunIt. I have been interviewed in the newspaper
and on the radio with relation to my professional literary
career.
I was co-chair and main coordinator for the West Coast
Author Premiere, a weekend long event which was born
to help authors from all over network, learn and share
their work with the public. I have been instrumental in
compiling authors and planning a local author event at
Barnes and Noble in Ventura, California along with the
store’s event manager.
I currently reside in Thousand Oaks, California with my
husband Phillip.
and asset protection law firm in California. I am also an
executive editor for Suspense Magazine. When not
working, I enjoy weaving tales of suspense, drama and
crime.
I have a young adult, mystery novella and a novel
published, namely "Cruel Whispers" and "Cruel Past".
My most recent release is "Deadly Decisions", which is
series follow up to "In the Name of Revenge" in the
crime/mystery genre.
I am currently enrolled and actively seeking my
bachelors in Literature/Creative Writing, which
schooling should be completed soon. I am a member of
Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter and nationally.
I have won three ‘Best Speaker’ awards as well as ‘Best
Evaluator’ at the Voice Ambassadors chapter of
Toastmasters. I publish free quarterly newsletters called
WhoDunIt. I have been interviewed in the newspaper
and on the radio with relation to my professional literary
career.
I was co-chair and main coordinator for the West Coast
Author Premiere, a weekend long event which was born
to help authors from all over network, learn and share
their work with the public. I have been instrumental in
compiling authors and planning a local author event at
Barnes and Noble in Ventura, California along with the
store’s event manager.
I currently reside in Thousand Oaks, California with my
husband Phillip.
Suspense Magazine (S. MAG.): Who would you say has been your biggest inspiration?
Starr Gardinier Reina (SGA): My biggest inspirations are my mother, God rest her soul, who
encouraged me to follow my passion for writing and my father, also deceased, who led me into the world
of the written word. There are others who have inspired me as well; including but not limited to: my
husband Phillip, who is always supportive, and other friends and family.
S. MAG.: What is your all-time favorite book?
SGA: To this I must answer in the plural as there are many. All of the Harry Potter books are just a
few. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series has always been a favorite, but I fear that series should
have stopped at Seven.
S. MAG.: How long do you normally take to research your book?
SGA: This depends on what I am writing. For instance, in my 2nd novel of the Salina series Cruel
Past, I researched different aspects and locations of the towns in New York that most events occurred
in. That research took quite some time. My third book “In the Name of Revenge” was hardly any
research at all outside of speaking to sergeants and detectives to determine accuracy on scenes. It is
centered in cities of California, which I know well.
If you are speaking of marketing research, that is different. Questions are asked, such as: Is there a
market for what I'm writing? What type of people would most read what I'm writing? etc. This is a
different type of research altogether and takes a lot of time; again, depending on the type of book that is
being written.
S. MAG.: What is on your Ipod now?
SGA: Various music genres. I have my step-son's band--Simple Citizens--on there as well as
Madonna, Credence Clearwater, etc. I also now have plenty of music from the 50s because I hosted a
party for my mother-in-law’s 75th birthday and it was a sock hop theme.
S. MAG.: Do you have any superstitions when you write, little quirks, etc? Superstitions?
SGA: Yes. I don't tell anyone (except my editor and agent) what the book is about and especially,
what the title is. The only thing I will say is the genre. I feel that if I tell them, by the end of the novel
it could all change anyway. As most writers have experienced, the ideas you begin with can completely
change when the characters begin to "talk" to you.
Quirks? Yes. Oddly enough, if someone is near my computer screen and my novel is opened, I'll shut
my monitor off. It's not like that person is actually going to read it or know anything about it, it's just
I don't want to take that chance. Silly, I know.
S. MAG.: If you could solve any mystery for yourself, what would it be?
SGA: The mystery of afterlife. I am not referring to God himself as, unless you’re an atheist or
agnostic, you believe God exists, nor do I mean reincarnation. I am speaking of the premise that once
you are gone and if it's God's will, you can come back to "see" those you left behind that are grieving
and watch over them. I've had this experience and some have tried to convince me that it probably was
just a dream, but I feel there was more to it. Besides, dreams are not just dreams.
S. MAG.: If you could talk to any person, Alive or Dead, for one hour, who would it be?
SGA: Most definitely my mother. I miss her terribly. But I fear one hour wouldn’t be enough. Greedy,
huh?
S. MAG.: I love to hear stories from authors about their first published book, how did
you get it done?
SGA: That is a long story. To keep it short, I'll reiterate what I've spoken about before: when I was
about fourteen years old, my father shared with me his passion for reading. I began to read and then
decided that I could write a mystery too. I tried and wrote about four chapters. I showed my father;
sitting there with apprehension and excitement while he read my works. He gave me a lecture on
plagiarism.
Those were my words and what he said crushed me. I didn't write again until I was an adult. By then
my father passed away and I showed it to my mother. She encouraged me to continue as she felt I had
talent. However, it still took until after she passed away for me to get enough courage to complete the
manuscript I was working on and submit it. I was accepted (I was so excited!) and I dedicated my first,
second and third novels to my mother and will more than likely continue to do so.
The actual act of publication and how it all came about is a bit different. When I received my letter of
acceptance for my first novel, I was pretty naïve about the entire industry. If only I’d known then what
I know now… The publishing company I went with is a print on demand. I didn’t have to pay them,
but trust me…they didn’t ‘pay’ me either.
S. MAG.: What future plans can you tell us about?
SGA: Professionally, I have a lot of irons in the fire, so to speak. Currently, I work full time as a
paralegal, which certainly keeps me busy. I participate in book signings when I can. I have just about
completed my bachelor's degree in literature/creative writing. I have completed my third manuscript
(First in the Ivanovich Series) and forth manuscript (Second in the Ivanovich Series). The fourth is in
the hands of the Cliffhanger's Literary Agency as we speak and my third has just been released on
amazon.com! I am co-authoring another novel with a very talented author and am very excited about
the completion and release of that work. I have also begun a paranormal novel and the Third book in
the Ivanovich Series. I have written a few short stories, which I hope to include in a book of short
stories once I write enough of them. I would also like to teach on writing and the different tools and
techniques of the craft to help new, up-and-coming authors.
As if all that isn’t enough, I contribute articles and stories to Suspense Magazine and am a co-owner
of ARR Editing.
S. MAG.: When you are not writing, what do you like to do for fun?
SGA: Not that I have a lot of time for fun! But when I do, I love to scrapbook. I've done several and
many people have commissioned me to do them professionally in the past. I am currently only
scrapbooking for myself now. I am a creative person and when I'm not "creating" a fiction novel, I like
to create and preserve memories.
Starr Gardinier Reina (SGA): My biggest inspirations are my mother, God rest her soul, who
encouraged me to follow my passion for writing and my father, also deceased, who led me into the world
of the written word. There are others who have inspired me as well; including but not limited to: my
husband Phillip, who is always supportive, and other friends and family.
S. MAG.: What is your all-time favorite book?
SGA: To this I must answer in the plural as there are many. All of the Harry Potter books are just a
few. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series has always been a favorite, but I fear that series should
have stopped at Seven.
S. MAG.: How long do you normally take to research your book?
SGA: This depends on what I am writing. For instance, in my 2nd novel of the Salina series Cruel
Past, I researched different aspects and locations of the towns in New York that most events occurred
in. That research took quite some time. My third book “In the Name of Revenge” was hardly any
research at all outside of speaking to sergeants and detectives to determine accuracy on scenes. It is
centered in cities of California, which I know well.
If you are speaking of marketing research, that is different. Questions are asked, such as: Is there a
market for what I'm writing? What type of people would most read what I'm writing? etc. This is a
different type of research altogether and takes a lot of time; again, depending on the type of book that is
being written.
S. MAG.: What is on your Ipod now?
SGA: Various music genres. I have my step-son's band--Simple Citizens--on there as well as
Madonna, Credence Clearwater, etc. I also now have plenty of music from the 50s because I hosted a
party for my mother-in-law’s 75th birthday and it was a sock hop theme.
S. MAG.: Do you have any superstitions when you write, little quirks, etc? Superstitions?
SGA: Yes. I don't tell anyone (except my editor and agent) what the book is about and especially,
what the title is. The only thing I will say is the genre. I feel that if I tell them, by the end of the novel
it could all change anyway. As most writers have experienced, the ideas you begin with can completely
change when the characters begin to "talk" to you.
Quirks? Yes. Oddly enough, if someone is near my computer screen and my novel is opened, I'll shut
my monitor off. It's not like that person is actually going to read it or know anything about it, it's just
I don't want to take that chance. Silly, I know.
S. MAG.: If you could solve any mystery for yourself, what would it be?
SGA: The mystery of afterlife. I am not referring to God himself as, unless you’re an atheist or
agnostic, you believe God exists, nor do I mean reincarnation. I am speaking of the premise that once
you are gone and if it's God's will, you can come back to "see" those you left behind that are grieving
and watch over them. I've had this experience and some have tried to convince me that it probably was
just a dream, but I feel there was more to it. Besides, dreams are not just dreams.
S. MAG.: If you could talk to any person, Alive or Dead, for one hour, who would it be?
SGA: Most definitely my mother. I miss her terribly. But I fear one hour wouldn’t be enough. Greedy,
huh?
S. MAG.: I love to hear stories from authors about their first published book, how did
you get it done?
SGA: That is a long story. To keep it short, I'll reiterate what I've spoken about before: when I was
about fourteen years old, my father shared with me his passion for reading. I began to read and then
decided that I could write a mystery too. I tried and wrote about four chapters. I showed my father;
sitting there with apprehension and excitement while he read my works. He gave me a lecture on
plagiarism.
Those were my words and what he said crushed me. I didn't write again until I was an adult. By then
my father passed away and I showed it to my mother. She encouraged me to continue as she felt I had
talent. However, it still took until after she passed away for me to get enough courage to complete the
manuscript I was working on and submit it. I was accepted (I was so excited!) and I dedicated my first,
second and third novels to my mother and will more than likely continue to do so.
The actual act of publication and how it all came about is a bit different. When I received my letter of
acceptance for my first novel, I was pretty naïve about the entire industry. If only I’d known then what
I know now… The publishing company I went with is a print on demand. I didn’t have to pay them,
but trust me…they didn’t ‘pay’ me either.
S. MAG.: What future plans can you tell us about?
SGA: Professionally, I have a lot of irons in the fire, so to speak. Currently, I work full time as a
paralegal, which certainly keeps me busy. I participate in book signings when I can. I have just about
completed my bachelor's degree in literature/creative writing. I have completed my third manuscript
(First in the Ivanovich Series) and forth manuscript (Second in the Ivanovich Series). The fourth is in
the hands of the Cliffhanger's Literary Agency as we speak and my third has just been released on
amazon.com! I am co-authoring another novel with a very talented author and am very excited about
the completion and release of that work. I have also begun a paranormal novel and the Third book in
the Ivanovich Series. I have written a few short stories, which I hope to include in a book of short
stories once I write enough of them. I would also like to teach on writing and the different tools and
techniques of the craft to help new, up-and-coming authors.
As if all that isn’t enough, I contribute articles and stories to Suspense Magazine and am a co-owner
of ARR Editing.
S. MAG.: When you are not writing, what do you like to do for fun?
SGA: Not that I have a lot of time for fun! But when I do, I love to scrapbook. I've done several and
many people have commissioned me to do them professionally in the past. I am currently only
scrapbooking for myself now. I am a creative person and when I'm not "creating" a fiction novel, I like
to create and preserve memories.
| Click to read "Cut" by Starr Gardinier Reina |
| PRAISE FOR "IN THE NAME OF REVENGE" “A new star has arrived in the writing world bringing readers a gripping tale peppered with unexpected bits of humor as the cast of characters and twisted turns unfold.” —Suspense Magazine “The cast of characters in this are wonderfully written...the twists and turns keep you wondering how this hypnotic read will end!” —Terri Ann Armstrong, Author of “Morning Menace” “The makings of a modern day hero.” —P.J. Lawton, Author of “Lethal Option” "This is not your average “organized crime drama.” There are plots within plots here, and the ending will absolutely blow you away! Surprisingly, humor plays a vital role in the adventures of the main character. This element, above all others, gave Reina’s story depth and believability. Like Puzo, I see great works ahead for this writer." —Donald Allen Kirch, Author of “Manchester House” |
