PHOTO: Erica Miner, former Metropolitan Opera violinist turned award-winning author, brings operatic elegance and intrigue to the world of mystery fiction.
From Violinist to Novelist – The Julia Kogan Mystery Journey
Erica Miner reveals how her years at the Metropolitan Opera inspired her mystery novels, blending backstage drama, strong female leads, and high-stakes storytelling into the captivating world of operatic suspense.
Erica Miner’s journey from violinist at the Metropolitan Opera to award-winning author is as thrilling as the operatic mysteries she pens. With more than two decades of experience behind the curtain of one of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, Miner brings rare authenticity and flair to her Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series. These novels, set in grand opera houses from New York to Santa Fe and San Francisco, marry the elegance of classical music with the irresistible pull of murder and suspense.
In this interview with Reader’s House Magazine, Miner reflects on her transformation from musician to mystery writer, shares how real-life backstage tensions fuel her fictional plots, and discusses her passion for crafting strong, complex female leads. From diva meltdowns to shadowy stairwells, her stories draw readers into a world where the drama offstage rivals what’s seen under the spotlight.
A masterful storyteller, Erica Miner crafts intricate mysteries enriched by genuine insider knowledge and a deep appreciation for musical and literary artistry.
Your background as a violinist with the Metropolitan Opera gives you a unique perspective on the world of classical music. How has your experience in the opera world influenced your approach to writing fiction?
The onstage drama is fictional, yet it reflects real world people and their dilemmas. Fictionalizing that world was a natural outgrowth of my observing it for 21 years.
The Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series offers readers a blend of music, mystery, and suspense. What inspired you to create a detective series set in the world of opera?
An opera house is the perfect environment for mischief and mayhem, and what goes on away from the stage can be more dramatic that what happens on the stage. The dark hallways and back stairways of the theatre seemed the perfect setting in which to dramatize the nefarious events that took place behind the scenes and develop them into murderous scenarios.
Aria for Murder was a finalist in the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awards and has received high praise. What challenges did you face while writing this novel, and how did you ensure authenticity in its depiction of the opera world?
The mystery genre is the most difficult to write. My first challenge was to create a believable story in that genre, in a milieu that even opera aficionados know little about. I performed at the Met long enough to be intimately familiar with the backstage happenings to recreate them as fiction.
“My first challenge was to create a believable story… in a milieu that even opera aficionados know little about.” – Erica Miner
In Prelude to Murder, your protagonist Julia Kogan moves to Santa Fe Opera. How do the settings in your books shape the atmosphere and tension of the mysteries?
Each opera house has its own unique history location, and milieu. The Met (Aria for Murder) is the biggest, most prestigious, located in the world’s most exciting city, with the highest stakes. Santa Fe Opera performs at a distinctive outdoor theatre set between two mysterious mountain ranges in a culturally and historically vibrant ambiance. San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House (Overture to Murder), the oldest of the three, reflects the rich history of the city, starting with the Gold Rush. They all have mystery oozing from their pores.
You have a diverse writing career spanning journalism, screenwriting, and fiction. How does your approach differ when writing across these different formats?
Each of these disciplines requires a unique methodology. Of these, screenwriting is the most restrictive, and the most difficult to write. Action is the key element. Description must be kept to a minimum, dialogue snappy, scenes short and to the point. In a novel, the writer has license to expand on the description and can get into the minds of the characters. There’s more room for creativity. Journalism, being non-fiction, is entirely different from the first two and necessitates a good deal of impartiality. As a former musician writing a review of a musical performance, maintaining objectivity while keeping in mind both the effort and the courage required to get up on a stage and perform, is a great challenge.
Your books explore the darker side of the opera world, revealing secrets, rivalries, and high stakes. Have you drawn inspiration from real-life events, or is it purely fictional?
An opera house is a high-pressured performance milieu, with the world’s most eminently bruisable egos. In the Met, there can be as many as 4,000 people working there, largely at odds with each other. There’s no question that the constant conflicts that take place in such a milieu can create true-to-life events which, coupled with my overactive imagination, make for high tension in a fictional setting. I have witnessed diva meltdowns and other juicy events that I couldn’t resist recreating fictionally.
Many of your books feature strong, determined female leads. What do you hope readers take away from your portrayal of Julia Kogan and the other women in your stories?
Julia reflects my own ingenuousness when I first started out at the Met: a young, naïve, starry-eyed neophyte, thrilled to be making her debut in the world’s most prestigious opera orchestra on opening night, who knows nothing of the jealousies and backstabbing that take place backstage. But I also wanted to show her as a female musician determined to make her way in a world largely dominated by men. Julia’s female friends and colleagues occupy important positions in prestigious opera houses throughout the US. They include not only historically important international superstars but conductors and general directors of opera houses. The latter are relatively recent, much overdue developments in the music world. I wanted to communicate to the reader that female musicians are holding their own and, in Julia’s case, that she shows bravery when faced with non-musical challenges. The beauty of fiction is that I can create female leads who embody not only artistic talent but the kind of courage I only wish I had.
As an award-winning writer and journalist, what advice would you give to aspiring authors looking to write compelling mysteries or fiction based on their own professional experiences?
Keep a journal of your experiences. Study the genres in which you wish to write. Read the works of the greatest writers in those genres. Take in-person or online courses on the art of fiction writing. Connect with other writers and join critique groups. With these strategies, and the perseverance of a saint, the world is your oyster!
EDITOR’S CHOICE
A captivating blend of mystery and music, Erica Miner’s novel delivers suspense, rich atmosphere, and a brilliantly layered heroine.
