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Interview with Susan Rogers and John Roosen: Authors of The Yoga Mat Mysteries Series

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When it comes to crafting a compelling mystery, the characters often take center stage. In the Yoga Mat Mystery series, authors Susan Rogers and John Roosen prioritize their characters’ development, believing that a well-rounded character can drive the story forward in ways a plot alone cannot.

In this interview, they share insights into how they breathe life into their characters, ensuring that readers feel a deep connection to each one and how this approach has shaped the intriguing tales woven throughout their series. From the quirky personalities that feel like your next-door neighbors to the complex protagonists who must confront their own flaws, these authors reveal the magic behind creating characters that resonate long after the final page.

Q: You’ve mentioned on your website that your characters are more important than the plot. How do you ensure that the character development in your novels resonates with readers, and can you share some examples of how this approach has shaped your stories?

A: Great mystery stories are the perfect blend of interesting characters and a riveting plot that holds one’s attention until the eye-opening ending.

You can have a fabulous plot, but if the characters don’t resonate with the reader or listener, the story deflates like a punctured balloon. Readers or listeners must feel connected to one or more of the characters to keep going. After all, it is an investment of their irreplaceable time.

All our characters (40+ in the audiobooks) resemble real people (flaws and all). Capturing the quirky details makes a character stand out.

We love it when someone says: “I thought these people were real.”
We reply, “Aren’t they?”

Elaina Williams and Ric Peters appear in each of the works we write. In addition to the multiple mystery plots that we weave together, one of these two characters must overcome a specific flaw for that story. Following Aristotle’s classic tradition, this compelling structure underlies many of the timeless movies, plays, and stories.

Sub-characters within the plot help drive the story forward. Whether it’s Jack MacMasters and his laid-back wisdom, Professor Scott with his TackiNotes, Spin Bowler (an ethical hacker) who rides a skateboard, or Alfred Hastings a homeless street performer who looks like Falstaff—we delight in creating people that could live next-door.

“We love it when someone says: ‘I thought these people were real.’
We reply, ‘Aren’t they?'”

But wait for it … most of our characters ARE based on real people. Friends, enemies, neighbours and ‘rellies’ could appear in any plotline we create. The bus driver on our next bus ride, or the barista in a local café are characters waiting to be discovered.

Q: The series juxtaposes the serenity of a yoga studio with the chaos of the outside world. How did this unique setting influence the themes and tone of the books, and what challenges or opportunities did it present in crafting the mysteries?

A. Let’s be honest: We’ve had extraordinary experiences so far. We participated in sting operations and busted up illegal drug labs. Susan‘s served as a small arms trainer, and John blew up hazardous materials to render them harmless. Our working lives have been forged in chaos, so we’ve used various methods to create tranquility.

Moving from Dubai, UAE was another change-up. We came from the sands of the Middle East to the bustling sidewalks of Sydney.

Moving in, we inadvertently found a Yoga Studio close by. Imagine our surprise when we entered the calm and relaxed atmosphere, with highly polished wood floors reflecting the waning sunlight. The pulsating, 24-7 intensity of the city seemed to fade away at the door.

We began crafting our Yoga Mat Mystery series shortly thereafter. We liked the contrast that yoga brings to the story in both mind and body. And we use yoga throughout each book.

“And what if we get stuck writing? We roll out the yoga mats and work through some sessions. For many centuries, yoga has been used to tap into creativity. Why not use it in The Now?”

In Dead Man’s Pose, a man dies on his yoga mat in Chapter 1. The mystery surrounding his death becomes the bond between Ric and Elaina to find out why. In Cobra Pose, a false front yoga studio becomes a key element of the storyline. Elaina also uses a balancing move in a pivotal moment to save Ric.

In Tree Pose, Elaina and Ric, along with some friends, head to Tasmania. As a separate state below the mainland of Australia, Tasmania has a deep and dark past. Perfect for mystery writers! And the reader/listener gets to travel around ‘Tassie’ due to the yoga conference being held there.

While our stories weave in baskets full of suspenseful and perilous events, we purposely use the yoga theme to juxtapose these events. It includes the serenity inside a studio for channeling a pose or concentrated mind control to get through a specific moment.

And what if we get stuck writing? We roll out the yoga mats and work through some sessions. For many centuries, yoga has been used to tap into creativity. Why not use it in The Now?


Q: The protagonist and main characters, Elaina and Ric, have intriguing backstories as a former solicitor and a mysterious photojournalist. How do past experiences shape their roles in the series, and what makes them compelling leads for your readers?

A. Do we have to come clean here???? We are two writers working together compiling each of the stories. Our personalities are uniquely different. We have squeezed the essence of each of our personalities into the ‘juice’ that becomes Elaina and Ric.

In a like manner Ric’s life in the shadows becomes clearer as the series progresses. His life collides with the straightforward Elaina, whose sheltered existence has never experienced a life of false identities, dangerous operations, and trying to stay alive to complete a mission. It is this conflict that helps drive the storyline.

But it is their growing romance that provides the undertow of action moving each story forward.

In one instance, we wanted to ramp up the romantic inclinations of Ric and Elaina within Tree Pose, the third book in our series. Imagine us sitting together under a cabana on Tahunanui Beach, Nelson, New Zealand.

The beach is shallow with very slow-moving tidal action.

At the crucial moment in Tree Pose, there is a complex scene between Ric and Elaina that required our focused concentration. It creates a tension that will reoccur in future books. The world around us faded as we worked, and we didn’t notice the tide coming in.

When we finally looked up, we saw a group of people taking pictures of us knee-deep in the water. The Tour Guide leader pointed to us, saying loudly:

“And this is an example that time and tide waits for no one … including these writers!”

And how did we meld our characters past experiences to shape their roles in this crucial scene? Most often, we use a cocktail shaker with our joint ideas floating around.

This time, we shook the two spirited moments together and poured out the action, including all that delicious romantic fizz!

Q: Both of you have extensive backgrounds in diverse fields, from naval operations to environmental emergencies. How have your personal experiences influenced the themes and characters in your books, and can you share any specific instances where your past work informed your writing?

“If the world is a stage, our characters are always ‘at the ready’ to act on it.”

A: We’ve had a long history of working on projects together. Now finding new ways to work together is critical in our passion for writing.

As an example, when we served as designated law enforcement officers, we crafted a sting operation for life-threatening, illegal boat operations. John took on the role of a “potential partner” to gather evidence of the boat skipper’s wrongdoing.

The high-speed chase of the motorboat through San Francisco Bay was not unlike the chase we recreated in Dead Man’s Pose in the Sydney Harbour. Both waters were filled with sharks that periodically made an appearance looking for a pre-dinner snack. Swimming was not an attractive option.

Susan and the patrol boat finally came alongside the vessel forcing the skipper to heave to. Susan was particularly glad to clap a set of handcuffs on John’s wrist and get him off the motorboat.

Susan still has the handcuffs, just in case they’re needed.

In a similar manner, Ric and Elaina might play-act to solve a mystery, hide their purpose, save a life, or get more information. They aren’t above using improv activities, wearing a different uniform, or slipping between a barrier or into another role. If the world is a stage, our characters are always ‘at the ready’ to act on it.

Q: Given your experience in various international locations, how do you incorporate real-world geography and history into your novels to enhance the realism of your stories, and what role does research play in your writing process?

“… We’re all walking in and through history everywhere we go. Why not acknowledge what has been … with what could be … all within a storyline?”

A. As writers, we physically ground-truth every inch of the locations of our stories. This includes topography, transportation, services, buildings, distances, and any unique elements of the locale.

As an example in Cobra Pose, we travelled to Stradbroke Island, an island off the coast of Brisbane, Australia. We wanted to scope out an airfield there which becomes instrumental in the storyline.

Imagine us on the field with our tape measure and several cameras as we peer into hangers and check wind speeds. More than once, we have had to haul out our identification to let local authorities or curious passersby know that we are your ‘average mystery writer’ that has a keen desire for fresh realism.

And we do love history. We periodically include small historical facts that add to the atmosphere and depth of the story. Our readers tell us it helps ground the story to the locations.

After all, we’re all walking in and through history everywhere we go. Why not acknowledge what has been … with what could be … all within a storyline?

“We knew we wanted to be audiobook producers many years ago. We are delighted to a partnership with the internationally acclaimed Rupert Degas as our voice actor.”

Q: What’s next for Elaina and Ric in the Yoga Mat Mysteries series?

A: At the moment, we have three eBooks and audiobooks in the series: Dead Man’s Pose (with the locale of Sydney), Cobra Pose based out of Brisbane and surrounds, and Tree Pose, down in the deep darkness of Tasmania.

Buckle up! – We have the next four drafts on the firing line. Warrior Pose is next up, where we explore the South Island of New Zealand, and Half Moon Pose follows, where we check out France [which is] interspersed with Sydney. A dip into Melbourne and Alice Springs for book six and over to Greece for book seven.

The Yoga Mat Mysteries books and audiobooks are carefully crafted and fold in the richness of language, as well as the sound and arrangements of words. We knew we wanted to be audiobook producers many years ago. We are delighted to [have] a partnership with the internationally acclaimed Rupert Degas as our voice actor.

“We are not afraid of being different and breaking the rules … just like our characters.”

For us, anything can happen in our stories and usually does. We push boundaries – we think differently – we challenge the status quo.

We explore current themes, as well as timeless ideas. We are always seeking to entertain and delight the reader.

The reader/listener acts as a detective ununraveling the mystery. We weave our stories with the strands of adversity, evil, romance, love, adventure and braid the intricate threads into a golden fabric that we hope envelopes the reader like an amorous lover.

We are not afraid of being different and breaking the rules … just like our characters. ∎

View the book trailer for Dead Man’s Pose:

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• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

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Interview with Gary Jansen, Author of ‘MicroShifts’

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With every year that rolls around, many of us set personal goals with the hopes of bettering ourselves. Although, inevitably—as this year has shown us—curve balls both big and small will come along and nudge us off of our paths. That’s why author Gary Jansen created the simple but powerful method of “microshifting” to help people create significant, sustainable changes in their lives by making small, incremental adjustments. In his latest audiobook, MicroShifts, Jansen blends masterful storytelling and dozens of practical tips to help you change your life.

We got the chance to pick Jansen’s brain about his latest audiobook, the recording process, and how he stays motivated in tough times. Keep reading to find out what he had to say.


Audiobooks.com: “MicroShifts” is the idea that implementing small, daily changes can impact our lives in profound ways in the long run. What led you to develop this technique?

Gary Jansen: I wrote a book some years ago called The 15-Minute Prayer Solution (available as Exercising Your Soul from Recorded Books), which was in some ways a book about time management. There are 1440 minutes in a day. One percent of that time is 14 minutes and 24 seconds, roughly 15 minutes. I asked readers, what would happen if you dedicated your life to growing spiritually every day by setting aside 15 minutes a day for spiritual practice? Just 1% of your life. Before writing the book, I had experimented with that principle for a year. The results were transformative. MicroShifts grew out of that initial idea that you can make significant changes in your life by setting aside small blocks of time to do something you really want to do. All of us feel like we don’t have enough time, but we do have time. All of us can find 15 minutes a day to meditate, pray, call a friend, learn about the stock market, research healthy foods, go for a walk, paint, learn to cut an onion, clean out a closet, or take a power nap. Whether you’re a busy mom or an executive or a plumber working around the clock—everyone can find 15 minutes to do something to better their lives. I think there is something innate inside us that always wants us to strive to improve. MicroShifts aims to help others do that.


Audiobooks.com: What can readers gain from listening to the audiobook version of MicroShifts that they might not necessarily get from reading the print version?

Gary Jansen: I hope the humor comes through. I like to make people laugh, and I have a dry sense of humor, so sometimes people don’t know if I’m joking or being serious. As the author of the book, I know where the jokes are and how they should be delivered. Plus, I’ve been a musician for over 25 years, so intonation, tempo, and rhythm are essential. I’m hoping the writing’s musicality comes through, too, especially in the chapter about writing and Stephen King. That chapter felt like a song to me.


Audiobooks.com: You’ve been narrating your own audiobooks since 2010. What are some of the most interesting changes you have seen in the audiobook industry over the last decade?

Gary Jansen: I love the process of recording. I love being in the studio. I love getting to have fun with my voice. I’ve been a huge fan of audiobooks since the ’90s. Having worked in the publishing business, I know audiobooks struggled to find their audience for a long time. In retrospect, I guess I can see why. Audios weren’t that financially lucrative, as compared to a hardcover book or paperback sales. There wasn’t a lot of money to invest in the recordings, and sometimes that meant lackluster productions. Nowadays, audio is riding high. I know many people who no longer read print books. They only listen to audio. Plus, as an editor, I know that one way to get a bestseller is for an author to write a book for people who don’t usually read books. There are plenty of people who just don’t like to read, but they like to listen; they like to learn. Audio gives a whole new part of the population access to great books and great minds. And with this level of popularity, there’s more money to invest in the best engineers and voice talent. In the last ten years, audios have become an art form.


Audiobooks.com: How has your approach to narration changed over time?

Gary Jansen: I think I’m more conscious now than ever to the energy of lines. By this, I mean that sometimes a line should be read slowly, sometimes quickly, and sometimes naturally like a steady pulse of heartbeats. Over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to read in front of large audiences and be interviewed on TV. I’ve learned that if you switch up your rhythms and your tempo, you’ll keep someone’s attention better than if you stay at a steady pace. But I don’t try to force a line. The spoken line needs to be an outgrowth of the written line. I just have to try to find the energy of a word, a line, or a paragraph. That can take extra time for me when I’m practicing and preparing, but I think it makes for a better listening experience. 


Audiobooks.com: During these uncertain times, many people have had to make drastic lifestyle changes. How have you used your technique of MicroShifting to stay healthy and focused during this time?

Gary Jansen: MicroShifts is a book of practical spirituality, meaning it’s a book that helps you develop your mind, body, and soul and gives you things to do. I’ve worked with author and doctor Deepak Chopra for many years, and he’s been a big influence in my life as a friend, a writer, and a mentor. Everything is connected. Case in point: All the gyms are shut down, and I miss working out with all the folks I’ve gotten to know at our local gym. I’ve been using the idea of microshifting to help me exercise at home to keep me sane. Since I only have a few dumbbells, I make small changes to the way I perform an exercise, which keeps me on my toes, and I exercise in small chunks of time throughout the day to keep me active. I’ve also taken up running during the lockdown, and I’ve used microshifts to push myself to run just a few more feet every day. Those extra steps you take add up over time. I have more energy and feel better than I have in years. When you feel better—when you aren’t distracted by pain or fear or anxiety—something changes inside you spiritually. You feel happier and focused, and when you’re happier, you treat the people around you better too. Your relationships improve, and when that happens, the world around you transforms in surprising ways.


Audiobooks.com: Do you have any advice for people who are looking to implement these daily shifts into their lives? How do you stay motivated and committed to taking 1% out of your day to making positive changes?

Gary Jansen: Staying motivated is hard, and being consistent may even be harder. Sometimes we can be overcome by feelings that drag us down. “What’s the point?” or “Why should I even try?”. Often, we feel this way because of this nasty little pest in our heads—that inner voice—that is saying things like, you’re not good enough, you’re never going to succeed, just give up. Most meditation practices will tell you to let the voice speak, allow your thoughts to move through you like they were clouds, let them pass. I’m not that patient. I want them to shut up because a lot of times, this voice in your head is just a liar. So one microshift you can do is thought replacement. If you start to doubt yourself, repeat the word love or wealth or prosperity or happiness repeatedly to drown out the voice of self-doubt. It might sound stupid or overly simple, but the reason why negative thoughts often spring up inside us is that we’ve repeated them over and over again to ourselves. We’ve allowed the voice to speak lies. So speak truth when the voice speaks lies. It’s a small thing, but in time the practice can rock your world in remarkable ways.


Audiobooks.com: Is there anything new that you’re working on that you can share with us?

Gary Jansen: I am working on a script for my memoir Holy Ghosts, which is about growing up and living in a haunted house (and is an audiobook at Recorded Books). I’ve talked with some producers over the years in Hollywood about turning Holy Ghosts into a movie. So there’s been interest. Writing a script is difficult and requires a unique skill set, but I’m using microshifts to inch my way to completion. I want Ethan Hawke to play me in the movie. I’m not only a fan of his films, but he’s a fantastic audiobook narrator. I just finished listening to him read Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums. Loved it! ∎


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Audiobooks.com Interview with Dani Shapiro, Author of Inheritance

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Have you ever uncovered a secret about your family that changed the way you look at both your life and your family in general? This happened to Dani Shapiro, author of the bestselling memoirs Hourglass, Slow Motion, Devotion, and her latest, Inheritance.

We were lucky enough to interview Shapiro and pick her brain on the topics of audiobooks, memoirs, and her podcast Family Secrets.


Audiobooks.com: How do you prepare before narrating your own memoirs? 

Dani Shapiro: I try to put myself all the way into the book so I can be living, breathing, the book during the hours I’m narrating. It’s such an intimate experience to narrate my own memoirs, and I want to impart that same sense of immediacy and intimacy to the reader.


Audiobooks.com: What do readers gain from listening to Inheritance or your other memoirs that they might miss out on by reading the print versions?

Dani Shapiro: That intimacy I’m talking about – I think that’s very particular to great audiobooks. After all, we listen alone – often with ear buds in place, or alone in a car. We’re receiving the voice of the narrator in an unmediated way. What emotion is being conveyed through the voice? We talk a lot about “voice” when it comes to literature, but when we’re talking about an audiobook, we’re literally talking about a voice and all it can contain.


Audiobooks.com: How has uncovering the truth about your paternity shaped how you tell your own story?

Dani Shapiro: Oh, my goodness. How has it not? One of the most interesting aspects of uncovering the truth about my paternity is how, in a way, it was always hiding in plain sight in my creative process. My themes, as a novelist, always revolved around family secrets. As I write in Inheritance, I always knew there was a secret. What I didn’t know: the secret was me. And so I’ve always, always supplied narratives to my own story in an attempt to piece it together, to understand. But it wasn’t until I discovered that something as fundamental as my identity has been kept from me that I was able to hold it all, see it all, understand it all.


Audiobooks.com: Your podcast, Family Secrets, gives listeners the platform to share their personal stories about secrets they’ve kept and those that have, in turn, been kept from them. Why were you compelled to create this podcast, and how have other people’s stories influenced how you think about your own experiences with your family?

Dani Shapiro: The podcast grew organically out of having written Inheritance. After I finished the final draft of the book, I was on the phone one afternoon with a friend, an early reader – the great Buddhist mindfulness teacher Sylvia Boorstein – and reading Inheritance prompted Sylvia to tell me a riveting story of her own family secret. She’s a great storyteller, and as she was talking, I found myself wishing I was recording her. And then I had the thought: hey, what about a podcast? I had no idea what I was doing, at first. I had a lot of help. But what I quickly learned is that storytelling is storytelling. I absolutely love the form of Family Secrets. I love sitting down with my guests and guiding them through their stories – “holding” their stories is the way I think of it, by writing scripts that allow their stories to be their most coherent and powerful.


Audiobooks.com: How does recording a podcast differ from recording an audiobook? Did your experiences with narrating your own memoirs help with the process of creating your podcast?

Dani Shapiro: Recording the podcast is quite different from recording an audiobook, in that it’s a conversation. A highly-produced conversation, but nonetheless, it’s a dialogue. The one similarity is that I’m using my speaking voice – an instrument I had never really paid much attention to before. It turns out I have a good voice for this sort of thing – not something I’d ever considered.


Audiobooks.com: Since creating the podcast, have you enjoyed taking a step back from your writing or are you itching to get behind the keyboard again?

Dani Shapiro: Between touring for Inheritance and the podcast, I haven’t had much time for my own writing, and for right now, that’s okay. I’ll know when it no longer feels right. These have been huge changes in my creative life, and as I always tell my students, when you’re a writer, you are your own instrument. We have to be respectful of that instrument, and the way it changes over time.


Audiobooks.com: What can we expect from season 3 of Family Secrets?

Dani Shapiro: I’m almost finished recording season 3 which will launch in early February! We have some absolutely amazing guests this coming season. I feel like the stories keep deepening, evolving, and becoming more nuanced. Finding great guests is shockingly easy. ∎


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!