It took Carl Vonderau a long time to become a full-time author. He left his native Cleveland to study economics at Stanford, then spent more than 30 years as a banker in the United States, Latin America and North Africa — international settings that served as inspiration for his crime novels “Murderabilia” and “Saving Myles.” His work was honored with a Left Coast Crime award for Best Debut, and a San Diego Book award for Best Mystery.  We discuss:  >> Why behind every crime is a family >> The importance of setting and point of view. >> Focusing on “voice” >> The use of objects in character development and storytelling >> Writing 50,000 words in a month. >> Getting an agent through a one-sentence pitch >> Using a developmental editor >> Being raised a Christian Scientist >> Etc.  Learn more about Carl Vonderau here: https://carlvonderau.com  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.