An Interview with Author Joyce St. Anthony by Annette Dashofy

“Irene, sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.”

“So I am making it worse.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. You can’t just stop writing the news because you think it might hurt someone.”

Joyce St. Anthony, Front Page Murder

In this World War II-era historical mystery series debut by Joyce St. Anthony, small-town editor Irene Ingram has a nose for news and an eye for clues.

Irene Ingram has written for her father’s newspaper, the Progress Herald, ever since she could grasp a pencil. Now she’s editor in chief, which doesn’t sit well with the men in the newsroom. But proving her journalistic bona fides is the least of Irene’s worries when crime reporter Moe Bauer, on the heels of a hot tip, turns up dead at the foot of his cellar stairs.
 
An accident? That’s what Police Chief Walt Turner thinks, and Irene is inclined to agree until she finds the note Moe discreetly left on her desk. He was on to a big story, he wrote. The robbery she’d assigned him to cover at Markowicz Hardware turned out to be something far more devious. A Jewish store owner in a small, provincial town, Sam Markowicz received a terrifying message from a stranger. Moe suspected that Sam is being threatened not only for who he is…but for what he knows.
 
Tenacious Irene senses there’s more to the Markowicz story, which she is all but certain led to Moe’s murder. When she’s not filling up column inches with the usual small-town fare—locals in uniform, victory gardens, and scrap drives—she and her best friend, scrappy secretary Peggy Reardon, search for clues. If they can find the killer, it’ll be a scoop to stop the presses. But if they can’t, Irene and Peggy may face an all-too-literal deadline.

                                                                                     Amazon.com

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 Front Page Murder is so loaded with twists and secrets, I had a hard time coming up with questions that didn’t involve spoilers! Please welcome Joyce St. Anthony (AKA Joyce Tremel) to Writers Who Kill.

 

Irene Ingram takes over her father’s newspaper while he goes off as a war correspondent. How common was it to have a woman in charge of a business in the 1940s?           

It wasn’t common, but there were more women than you’d think who defied convention. As the war went on and more and more men went overseas, it happened more often. The catch was that all of these women were expected to leave their jobs and go back to being housewives when the men came home. It didn’t sit well with a lot of them. In my opinion, that’s when the women’s movement actually began, not in the 60s and 70s. 

Is Progress a real Pennsylvania town? If not, what town is it inspired by or based on?           

It’s entirely fictional! I wanted it near Pittsburgh, since Pittsburgh was the hub of manufacturing for the war. The Jeep was invented in Butler, PA. Dravo and American Bridge in Pittsburgh were making ships and LSTs [Landing Ship, Tank.] I wanted Tabor Ironworks to be close so they could be making parts for these factories. I made up a town and plopped it down nearby. 

Irene tolerates a lot of guff from her cousin Donny, who works for the paper and shows her no respect. Why doesn’t she put her foot down and fire him?           

If Irene canned Donny, it would cause too many problems in the family. He’s not easy for her to deal with, but he’s good at his job. Deep down, I think he’s really insecure and being a jerk helps his ego. He does get a little better in the next book, which helps his relationship with Irene. 

Katherine Morningside moves in with Irene, her sister, and her mother as a boarder. Why would a family open their home to a total stranger, especially one as secretive and mysterious as Katherine?           

It was really common during the war. Families needed the money. With the main wage earner away, there wasn’t as much income because the military didn’t pay as well. There was also inflation and shortages because of rationing.

The newspaper’s investigative crime reporter, Moe Bauer, goes missing for quite a while. Why was no one showing much concern over his disappearance?           

Moe made a habit of disappearing for a day or so. Everyone figured he was out chasing a story. Irene only became worried when he was gone longer than usual and she hadn’t heard from him. 

I love all the tidbits of historical day-to-day life you’ve included. (Turning in the old toothpaste tube before you’re allowed to buy a new one! Wow!) Tell us about your research process. Where did you learn all this stuff?           

I’m constantly researching. I read a lot of old newspapers (Google news archive and the Library of Congress are my friends!). I’ve read books about day-to-day life during the war. I have timelines of what happened on what day bookmarked on my computer. The headlines I have at the beginning of each chapter are things that really happened on those days. I also keep in touch with some World War II historians when I have questions. 

Arnold Moss is quite the flirt. Irene’s engaged but that doesn’t have much effect on him. Why doesn’t she just shut him down?           

She does try! But she can’t shut him down completely because she needs information from him. 

Irene always expects people to point out she’s a bit young to be an editor, but frequently they don’t. Are her own insecurities showing?           

Absolutely. Although she knows the newspaper business because of her father and she’s been writing since she was a child, she’s only twenty-two. She’s more mature than a lot of women her age, but every once in a while, she has doubts. 

Why on earth would anyone eat a Limburger and onion sandwich?           

That’s a good question! My great aunt used to eat them sometimes, and it stunk up the entire house. So gross. 

Despite having a good relationship with the police chief, who also happens to be her future father-in-law, Irene still returns to a murder scene to snoop without telling him. Why would she do that?           

The chief didn’t think there was a murder. He thought it was an accident. He had already told Irene not to worry her pretty little head about it. She didn’t have any choice but to investigate on her own. 

Was there really a Duquesne Spy Ring?           

Oh, yes! Google it. It’s fascinating. And just wait until you learn about Operation Pastorius in the next book! 

Is Irene going to be able to give up her position of power when her dad gets home?           

She will, but it won’t be easy all the time. Her dad will understand though. I think Irene might be glad to give up some of the day-to-day stuff as long as she can continue reporting hard news and not have to go back to only writing household columns. 

What’s next for Irene?           

The next book is called Death on a Deadline, tentatively scheduled for release in November. A war bond rally comes to town during the week of the county fair. Irene finds the body of a B-movie actor in the dunk tank on the fairgrounds. Of course, she has to figure out who killed him. 

Thanks so much for hosting me on Writers Who Kill. I loved answering these great questions! 

 

Joyce St. Anthony was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. In addition to the Homefront News Mysteries, she is the author of the Brewing Trouble Mysteries, written under her own name, Joyce Tremel. She lives in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania with her husband.