People are fascinating ,
and the world is kind of a glorious freak show .”
ANGELA M . SANDERS books , cats , and fashion
AN AUTHOR ’ S PASSIONS BREATHE
BY M . J . HUDON
Before Sanders began her writing journey , romance was not something she dealt with in her job . Instead , her degrees in economics and public administration were put to use . She worked as a congressional investigator for what is now called the Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) in Washington , D . C . While working for the GAO she transferred to the West Coast , where she felt more comfortable and eventually left what she described as “ a boring job investigating things like timber harvesting practices or the pros and cons of a national bottle bill ,” to pursue other opportunities . She ended up in Oregon and eventually began freelancing for magazines such as Nez ( a French magazine focused on olfactory experiences ), Portland Monthly , Portland Magazine , and Edible Portland .
“ I wrote about food , perfume , and local personalities . I love writing profiles of people . What I learned about writing profiles and about people is there is always a story . People are fascinating , and the world is kind of a glorious freak show . I mean , you could walk out your door and tell the first person you meet that you are going to write 1,200 words about their life . With that idea in mind and with that frame , you will find their story . You ’ ll find their humor , some little nubbin of information , and something that fascinates them that makes a good story .”
Angela M . Sanders definitely found what fascinates her , and it has , in turn , inspired her to write good stories . At first , she had no intention of writing a novel , but as we all know , life brings change and new opportunities .
“ I never had the desire to try my hand at a novel until one day a friend who used to own a vintage clothing store told me about buying a box of costumes from the opera , taking them to a bar where he was meeting a friend , and unexpectedly starting a dance party . I thought that would make a great scene in a book , and my first mystery , ‘ The Lanvin Murders ,’ was born .”
As a vintage clothing aficionado , writing about a vintage-clothing-shop-owner / mysterysolver was right in her wheelhouse .
People are fascinating ,
and the world is kind of a glorious freak show .”
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