There
are very few things in this world I am certain of, and here they
are: Friends will help you move if you offer beer or chicken wings;
love can keep you warm at night while clearing a car of snow in
sub-zero temperature; and Dr. Roberta Isleib is a pretty cool lady.
For
those of you unfamiliar with whom she is, let me introduce you:
Isleib is a doctor of psychology who not only calls Connecticut
home, but she's an author to boot! She doesn't write in journals
about Jung or Freud (Well, maybe she does, I forgot to ask). However,
this doc writes murder mystery novels whose main character, Cassie
Burdette, is trying to make a career playing on the LPGA tour -
- while trying to avoid being killed or convicted of murder!
 My
new favorite doc first took up the game at the tender age of [censored]
when her husband said he was going on safari in the arctic. She
thought it sounded like a perfect place to tan and joined him. Once
out on the tundra plains, the Isleibs happened upon an executive
par-3 ice course where penguins earned money as caddies. It was
here Isleib fell in love with playing golf, and even though she
realized her passion for the game, she knew she wasn’t bound
for a second career playing on tour. From what she told me of her
handicap, she was, in my estimation, a true Stinky Golfer! But she
decided not to hold up others on the course with poor play (well
now, that’s just good golf etiquette) and began to search
for a personal golf guru. Isleib says, "You have to find
the person who understands you." Ah, truer words were
never spoken.
So
after many lessons, Isleib lowered her scores with psychology, practice
and playing from the proper tees. Oh, and it also helped that she'd
play 2-3 times a week (nothing like a little consistency to improve
game management)! All this time on the golf course, coupled with
the cash spent on lessons, led her to a realization that maybe she
could find time to play and get paid to do it…Enter Roberta
Isleib the novelist.
"Writing
mysteries kind of evolved. There was so much time, energy and money
learning to play, I wanted something that would make all the effort
worth while…[and] that's when the idea came up." Isleib
added, "I wanted something everybody could sink his or
her teeth into."
So what makes a good murder mystery on a golf course? Isleib shared
with us: "One is characters that you can be interested
in and root for. I try to have a balance…[something] for the
golfers and [something] that the non-golfers wont glaze over [reading].
I also hope that golfers who aren't mystery fans still enjoy the
story."
And so the character Cassie Burdette was created. Now, Cassie is
no star of the LPGA. She’s a struggling rookie/pro who has
a distant father, misguided mother, and always seems to stumble
upon a murder mystery à la Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury)
in "Murder She Wrote."
Initially, what Isleib pitched to book companies wasn’t Cassie
the pro, but Cassie the caddie: "One year of rejections
and six months to find a publisher," Isleib said. "And
when I did [find a publisher], they wanted me to write a whole new
book where Cassie was playing, not caddying." Ah, loopers,
they never get any respect (but should)!
So Isleib wrote a second novel entitled "Six Strokes Under"
and that was published as her first. It also was nominated for some
literary type awards (Best First Mystery and Best First Paperback).
Since then, Isleib has penned four more novels: Putt to Death,
A Buried Lie, Fairway to Heaven - - and in March
2006, Isleib’s fifth novel was released...Final Fore…a title
her minister came up with! But, rest assured, Roberta has told me
that I could name future novels (Oh BOY)!
For
more info about Roberta Isleib, you could check out her site at:
www.robertaisleib.com/golf/index.htm.
You could also buy her book. I personally thought her novels were
pretty fun and a great way to spend time away from the course (or
during the off-season).
Stinky Golfer Jeff spoke with Roberta at great length
and was also able to learn that in between writing her novels, she
does her research by going to Q-School, Pinehurst and even the LPGA’s
US Open (She’ll also schmooze with other mystery writers and
play a round or two here and there). Although she won’t play
with Stinky Golfer Jeff…something about a pants requirement
at her home course. Oh well. |
