Zaida Alfaro is the youngest of six children and was born into art. Her mother is a painter, composer, and musician who taught Zaida how to play the piano at the age of twelve. She became a professional musician at eighteen and, having been burned by a bad recording contract, is now an independent recording artist and performer.
As a lover of cozy mysteries, Zaida decided to take her musical experiences and put them on paper. The result is The Last Note: A Miami Music Mystery. In this first novel she combines her background as a musician, her love of her hometown of Miami, and her Cuban culture to spin a tale of music and murder.
In this interview we discuss her early influences as a singer and songwriter, the importance of having faith and support during the writing process, and how perseverance led to her earning a publishing contract with Cozy Cat Press. For more information on Zaida, including where to buy her music and novel, please visit https://www.zaidamusic.com/.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More conversations
From Newsroom to Novelist
Former Wall Street Journal deputy editor-in-chief Neal Lipschutz on turning to fiction full-time after retirement, being edited after decades as an editor, and his new Scott Morgan suspense novel, Long Arm of the Past.
Listen →
The Answer 500 Authors Keep Giving
For the 500th episode, Mike Carlon turns the mic on himself: where writing careers begin, why there are no overnight successes, grief, and the 3 a.m. download that became The Waiting Room.
Listen →
Bouncing Back
Ellen Holtzman on her award-winning debut Bouncing Back, teaching herself to write, why you can't tell the story while you're still in the wound, and how women lose and find themselves in marriage and divorce.
Listen →