Leslie Karst
The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst waited tables and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for “real” job and ending up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as a research and appellate attorney in Santa Cruz, California, that she rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking, at which point she once again returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her days penning the Sally Solari culinary mystery series, as well as cooking, gardening, cycling, and singing alto in her local community chorus. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai’i.
Instagram: @LeslieKarst
Twitter: @LeslieKarst
Facebook: @LeslieKarstAuthor
Is your go-to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
Savory! Given the choice between salt and sugar, I’ll most always pick the salt—especially when combined with fat (think salt-and-vinegar potato chips or crispy French fries dipped in mayonnaise)—over anything sweet. But I’ve never made my own potato chips, and rarely have I attempted fries. They’re far too messy, and then what do you do with all that oil once you’re done? Being the daughter of Depression babies, I could never throw it away. But then do I really want to go to the trouble of deep frying something again with the leftover oil?
And yes, food absolutely inspires my writing, which to date consists primarily of culinary mystery novels and a memoir about cooking dinner for a very famous guest. Some might even go so far as to argue that the only reason I write is so that I can think about food.
Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
I didn’t even know this work of art existed until I stood before the piece, tears welling in my eyes. It’s the life-size marble sculpture of David by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, on display at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. This magnificent sculpture depicts the young shepherd winding up to throw the stone that will bring down Goliath, and the determination in his eyes and tension in his muscles is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in any other work of art. At the time, it reminded me of Sandy Koufax, fiercely intent as he was on his way to pitching a perfect game. Go ahead and Google photos of the sculpture; it won’t be the same as actually standing at David’s feet, but you’ll be moved nonetheless.
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
I’m a great fan of the 1930s and ’40s films by directors such as Frank Capra and Howard Hawks which feature fast-paced, witty dialogue. In particular, His Girl Friday, showcasing marvelous repartee between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, comes to mind. And more recently, the films and TV shows of Aaron Sorkin display this same quality.
So when it came time for me to create dialogue between Sally and her BFF/ex-boyfriend Eric in my Sally Solari mystery series, I decided to give them the same sort of relationship—constantly doing their best to one-up each other with witticisms. Justice is Served, of course—being a memoir rather than fiction—didn’t lend itself to the same amount of fast-paced repartee. But I did include quite a bit of dialogue in the book, which I think you’ll find amusing, notwithstanding that I’m no Rosalind Russell in real life.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
I’ve been attracted to the arts—both visual and musical—since childhood, no doubt because I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by them. My classical- and jazz-loving parents continually had the stereo or radio on, and my artist mother would spend her days out in her studio creating beautiful paintings, drawings, and ceramic and papier-mâché sculptures. Since I didn’t share my mom’s talent for the visual arts, however, I soon found myself drawn more to music, studying the clarinet from age nine, and later moving on to the piano and guitar.
After graduating from college, I formed a New Wave rock band with my brother, acting as singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist. Then, after having given up music for the three years I was attending law school, my sister and I started Electric Range, a country-rock band described at the time as a sort of “post-modern Everly Sisters.” We gigged a lot in Santa Cruz and up in the Bay Area, but when invited to actually go on tour back East, I had a choice to make: take a stab at “my big chance?” or remain working as an attorney?
The steady job as a lawyer won out. I was, after all, now in my mid-thirties, and the prospect of living on a bus for weeks on end didn’t have the same luster it would have ten years earlier. But luckily I soon discovered our fabulous local chorus, where I could sing my heart out without leaving town! (You can listen to Electric Range songs on my website: lesliekarstauthor.com)
What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story about your life?
I haven’t worn a dress or a skirt in over thirty years (unless you count–-which I don’t—the long black dresses required for choral concerts). I’ve never been comfortable in them, as can be seen from photos of me as a child, grimacing when forced to wear that special Easter- or whatever-occasion-dress my mom would sew for me. Nevertheless, for my first few years as a newbie lawyer, I played the game and wore skirts to work. After a while, however, I decided to “come out” at work as a dress-detesting woman. But I needed something else to wear that said “dressy attire.” What would that be?
Then one day on a trip to New York, while at a thrift store in lower Manhattan I spied a beautiful vest. It was of Italian make with a satin back, its front sporting a feather pattern picked out in burgundy and gold. Perfect! Classy yet comfortable, and something that would go nicely over a button-down shirt. I now have over a dozen vests of varying fabric, prints, and colors, which serve as my “fancy” clothes. But that vest from the New York thrift store remains my favorite.
