by Cynthia Chow

This week we review the first in a brand new series, Off the Air by Christina Estes. We also have an interesting interview with Christina. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Off the Air by Christina Estes
Review by Cynthia Chow

While Phoenix’s Channel Four Eyewitness News reporter Jolene Garcia’s passion is to pursue investigative stories that not only make a difference but also could win her an Emmy, she also must spend half of her time following her general manager’s (or his wife’s) orders to pursue click-baiting assignments. But the call that has her once again missing her chance to enjoy a decent meal, is the one that could do both, as the right-wing radio show host Larry Lemmon has been found dead at his station, possibly poisoned by delivered cookies.

As her fellow reporters rush to the scene and attempt to interview the staff, Jolene attempts to network her police source, one who does not fully trust her despite his owing her a favor. Soon Jolene is led down a trail of suspects that include two ex-wives, an obsessed fan, and a contentious environmentalist. A creepy neighbor asking her out on dates is only slightly less alarming than the anonymous notes left on her desk, but Jolene is not about to let that or her fear of dogs scare her away from a story that could finally have her beating out her annoyingly camera-friendly nemesis. While J.J. is not above flirting with witnesses or perhaps paying for information, Jolene struggles to protect her sources even as she alienates cameramen and crashes a memorial. A former foster child always needing to prove herself, Jolene is relentless in her need to be the first to report the story, even if that means feigning sympathy to get on-camera statements.

This exceptional novel depicts a dying profession that is struggling to maintain its relevancy when competing against social media and fake news. Reporters compete against one another not just to break news, but to create the headlines most likely to gain clicks and followers. That explains why Jolene can be ruthless in her pursuit of stories, sometimes at the expense of coworkers and friends. It’s also why she is shocked to realize that her closest friends don’t consider her to be theirs, as Jolene has so prioritized her career that everything else becomes collateral damage. That doesn’t mean that Jolene still isn’t likable though, as readers will be drawn to her by the insecurities she covers with dry wit and cynicism.

Readers may be reminded of the works by Edna Buchanan, especially since this author also writes from her vast experience as a reporter. This is an intriguing start to a new series that explores the cutthroat nature of journalism and the ethical struggles it faces when advocating for truth while also being a profitable business. Well-written with its depiction of a fascinating profession and a complex heroine, this is a suspenseful mystery deserving another installment following Jolene’s compelling acts of journalism.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Interview with Christina Estes:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Christina: I’ve been writing as a broadcast reporter for twenty-five years. It’s harder to nail down how long I’ve been writing as a novelist because I started and stopped so many times. Probably about five years ago I became serious.

KRL: Why did you decide to write a mystery?

Christina Estes

KRL: Please tell us a bit about your career in journalism and how that has impacted your writing of fiction?

Christina: My writing style for broadcast journalism is conversational, which appears on the pages of Off the Air. One thing I struggled with was distance. As a reporter, you’re an observer, not a participant. Off the Air is written in first person so it needs to read as if it’s coming from a reporter, but not as a news report.

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Christina: You know the sayings, “Write what you know” and “Write what you love”? Both apply. When I moved to Phoenix, I never expected to stay past my three-year contract in local TV. That was more than twenty years ago. The city grows on you and it’s where I’ve made lifelong friends. Off the Air is a love letter to Phoenix and local news.

Aside from my main character, the others came organically. So many of my characters are composites of people I worked with or met covering stories.

I originally wrote Jolene, my main character, with a different name and backstory. I made the mistake of writing about the 29-year-old reporter I wish I had been rather than a flawed character I needed to root for. I created Jolene’s backstory using my personal experience as a former foster parent. I love Jolene. I know technically she’s a character and not a real person, but I don’t care. I still love her.

KRL: Will this be a series?

Christina: Yes! I’m working on the sequel now.

KRL: That’s great! Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Christina: In addition to entertainment, I hope readers have a better understanding of the people and decisions behind local news. And I hope people look forward to reading more about Jolene’s evolution as a reporter and person.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just write whenever you can?

Christina: I have a full-time reporting job and I’m still working on a writing schedule. I hope to make it a daily habit.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Christina: I need to know how the novel will start and end with a sense of what will happen in between. It makes me feel like I’m heading somewhere, but it’s also not set in stone. As I write, different ideas and characters will come and go.

KRL: If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?

Christina: My ideal writing day looks something like this: Wake up early and energized. Go for a walk, run or bike ride. Feed my dog. Write. Eat chips and red salsa. Play with my dog. Write. Pretend my dog is distracting me when really, I’m interrupting his nap. Write. Eat chips and green salsa. Read. Or revise. Play with my dog. Write. Feed the dog. Open a new bag of chips.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published as a novelist?

Christina: It took fifteen years from the time I first said, “I’m going to write a book” to being published. I went years without writing, which is not the way to get published – ha! I made the mistake of thinking that because I write as a reporter every day that I could write a novel. I needed to learn the craft of writing – and I’m still learning.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Christina: Over the years, I was rejected more than a hundred times. But two things kept me going: the rare, yet positive feedback from agents and my own stubbornness. I believed in my story and didn’t want to look back with regret, so I kept writing. Not long after I truly committed and made writing a priority, I learned that Off the Air had received the Tony Hillerman Prize and Minotaur Books would publish my mystery.

KRL: That’s great! Future writing goals?

Christina: I’ve always wanted to write a mystery series and hope to write many more books.

KRL: Writing heroes?

Christina: There are so many authors I adore that I’m afraid my answer would go on forever – or I would accidentally leave someone out, so how about this? The authors I admire most are talented, supportive and kind.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Christina: Thanks to more than twenty years reporting in Phoenix, I have many memories to call on from newsroom experience and relationships to stories. I even mention two real-life stories in Off the Air.

I love reporting about residents who come together to improve neighborhoods. I included a real situation where neighbors worked with the city to go through the legal process to have an abandoned restaurant condemned. The property owner had abandoned it and ignored requests to clean it up. It attracted blight, criminal activity and it caught fire. After a judge ruled it could be demolished, I was there the day residents brought balloons and sparkling grape juice to celebrate and witness the demolition.

The other story relates to my personal experience being nominated for an Emmy for a story about a fish going to the dentist and losing to a story about bubble wrap. In the book, it is Jolene’s loss. It’s been interesting to hear reactions to that vignette. Some readers relate to Jolene’s disappointment, while others laugh. I can now do both.

KRL: What do you read?

Christina: Mostly crime fiction and some memoirs.

KRL: Favorite TV or movies?

Christina: I don’t’ have much time for either, so I’ll share two classic movies: Stand by Me and Shawshank Redemption.

KRL: Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Christina: I’m too new in the publishing world to be giving advice but I will share what has helped me – and that is learning the craft of writing a novel. Reading books about craft is critical. Reading authors and books you admire and trying to figure out what it is about them you love can be eye opening.

Another thing that helps me is being part of the writing community. In my case, it’s crime fiction. I belong to Sisters in Crime; a national group open to anyone interested in reading and supporting crime fiction authors. The group offers tremendous educational resources.

I attend a lot of author events at local bookstores and often learn about their publishing journey and experiences. If you don’t have access to in-person author events, try online.

KRL: Anything you would like to add?

Christina: Thank you for the opportunity.

KRL: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Christina: A year ago, I would not have been as open and transparent talking about myself. Since then, I’ve read Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes twice and, during my publication week, I listened to Chapter 10 twice. She offers valuable advice about accepting compliments and being proud of your work.

KRL: Website? Twitter? Facebook?

Christina: christinaestes.com
facebook.com/ChristinaEstesAuthor
@reporterestes on X/Twitter, Instagram and Threads

To enter to win a copy of Off the Air, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “air” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 27, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode went up last week.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.