Today's conversation features two genres of writing about music: journalism and fiction. Arts journalist Roberta Hershenson and fiction author Roberta Mantell discuss Mantell's newly-published Angels' Blood: Murder in the Chorus. They not only share a name but are personally close, as you will see.

Roberta Hershenson: I'm so pleased to have this opportunity to introduce my fellow writer, Roberta Mantell. How are you doing today, Roberta?

Roberta Mantell: I'm doing great, Roberta. I'm so glad to be here to discuss a subject important to both of us-music, especially choral music.

RH: Yes, though we write in different genres, we have the same goals, don't we?

RM: Umm, sorry to contradict you so soon, but I would say our goals are vastly different, Roberta. You write as a journalist and I write as an author of fiction.

RH: Both of us write about music. I don't really see the difference.

RM: Think about it. You repeat what musicians say and describe what they do, hoping you can quote something that expresses your own feelings. As a journalist, your feelings don't count.

RH: Wow, I'm surprised to hear you say that, Roberta. If I didn't feel strongly about music, I wouldn't be doing the work I do. I wouldn't have interviewed conductors, composers, opera singers, pop singers, Broadway singers, choral singers. Those stories were all my own idea when I wrote for The New York Times. I had hundreds of music articles published in the Times for over 25 years. Musicians loved to talk to me because I was so enthusiastic.

RM: Now don't get defensive, Roberta. I highly respect what you do. Journalism is an extremely important field, and that's true today more than ever. But with fiction, well…(long pause).

RH: Are you still with us, Roberta? I see you smiling. You seem to be off in a world of your own.

RM: I'm sorry, Roberta. I was just thinking about the characters in my recently published book, Angels' Blood: Murder in the Chorus, released by Indies United Publishing House. They love music so much they volunteer much of their free time to the prestigious New York Luminoso Chorus, where they sing. I know how they feel, because I created their personalities.

RH: That sounds grandiose.

RM: I guess it is. The catch is that once the characters are set in motion on the page, I, as the author, must respect who they are, or they won't be believable. Therein lies the work of a fiction writer. But I love every minute of it.

RH: I'm a bit envious. Tell me, Roberta, why did you set your murder mystery in a chorus?

RM: I wanted to write about something that deeply interests me--how a chorus comprised of many different personalities becomes a musical entity that sings as one. When it all comes together after hours of practice, it is like a miracle to hear that sound on stage. I wanted to explore what would happen if a tragedy interrupted that miracle.

RH: You wrote from experience, having sung with choruses for many years.

RM: Yes, just as you did. We both sang with the Oratorio Society of New York and Cecilia Chorus of New York.

RH: We both took part in the same exciting chorus trips to Beijing, St. Petersburg and Prague, where we performed on Old World stages. We both sang at Carnegie Hall dozens of times under conductors like Lyndon Woodside, David Randoph and Mark Shapiro.

RM: Yes, and we always sang with the tenor section.

RH: We were welcome there, since there were often not enough men.

RM: I made my female protagonist a tenor. She's a reporter singing in a Messiah concert so she can write an article.

RH: Remember how the Chinese tenors in Beijing were annoyed to see us in their section? At the end they said they were glad we were there.

RM: You bring back wonderful memories. My characters wouldn't exist without those experiences.

RH: Your memories are my memories. Where can people get hold of your book?

RM: The paperback and Kindle are available at amazon.com. Other buying options are available on my website, www.robertamantell.com. Just click on the book's title on the Home Page menu.

RH: What are you working on now?

RM: I'm writing a sequel in the Piper Morgan Mystery series. Many of the same characters will be in that book.

RH: You're giving me new ideas for stories. Let's thank Steve Friedman and VAN for this opportunity to chat. Then let's go get a cup of coffee.

RM: Or a glass of wine. To celebrate harmony.