I’ve been a journalist covering the diamond industry for 30 years, and I’ve always had a creative outlet in addition to my day job. For a while, I did sketch comedy and stand-up. But when I got married and had a son, I knew I couldn’t spend my free time running around to clubs.

I always thought if I was going to write fiction, it would probably be about the diamond industry, because, as they say, you write about you know, and this is one of the few fields I feel I really know. I guess I could write about being a middle-aged writer who lives in New York City, but that’s pretty well-trod territory. 

I wanted to write a mystery because they have a specific formula that makes them enjoyable to both read and write. If I was just going to write a regular novel about the industry, I’d be a little lost. But with a murder mystery, it’s much simpler. You know there’s going to be a murder, and you know the hero will solve it. I think readers enjoy that familiarity as well. 

Before I started the series, I knew I wanted to have an amateur sleuth, and that it shouldn’t have a lot of violence (as I’m squeamish and kind of a wuss), and that it should be funny. Which, it turns out, is almost the exact definition of a cozy mystery. The only difference between my books and traditional cozies is that my books are set in New York’s Diamond District (47th Street), whereas the traditional cozy is set in a small, tight-knit town (or a bookstore, with a cat). However, 47th Street is definitely a tight-knit community. Maybe I’ve invented a new genre: the urban cozy. Also, murder mysteries tend to have punny titles, and as you can tell, I like punny titles.

After writing three books, I wasn’t sure I was going to write another one. I knew if I was going to continue this series, I’d have to write about lab-grown diamonds, because they are the big issue in the diamond industry right now, and I’ve probably had hundreds of conversations about them. 

I decided to write a fourth for two reasons. First, I was relatively happy about how the third book, Slay It With a Diamond, came out, and hoped that it would be my breakthrough. Which it wasn’t. Not sure what I was thinking.

But I also became interested in ChatGPT, and resultant freak-out from the creative community. It made me consider how the diamond industry’s recent travails mirror what’s happening in other sectors. Just like a diamond grown in a lab is just as “real” as one from the ground, a song written by ChatGPT is just as real as one written by a person. But does that matter? Should it? I thought those were all interesting questions, which I explore in the book. 

So while the book is mostly about diamonds, I also wanted to reflect on bigger questions about disruption, technology, and how we define what is  “real.”  

I read a lot of sci-fi—mostly classic sci-fi—while writing the book; it turns out authors have been thinking about these things for a long time! I wanted the book to have some sci-fi elements, just like the third book incorporates some gothic elements. Not everything I write about in the book is possible. There’s a tech company in it that I made up, with the goal of coming up with the stupidest idea for a business possible. And the funny thing is, people asked me if it was real.

As far as my writing “process”—and I use the term lightly—first I come up with an idea, then I write an outline, then I disregard most of the outline, and spend the next year or so writing and procrastinating and worrying about the deadline (not necessarily in that order).   

I also listen to music while I write—generally, songs with lyrics, which everyone tells me not to do, but at this point I’m so used to it, I can’t help it. (In fact, I have music with lyrics on while I’m writing this.)

I give myself a goal of writing an hour a day, though that’s not always possible. I try to do it early in the morning but sometimes end up doing it late at night, because of the procrastination thing.

A lot of my best ideas come when I’m reading other stuff; it will give me an idea that I’ll think is great and jot it down. Then, the next day I have to decipher my handwriting, and wonder why I thought that idea was so great. 

My process is not particularly disciplined or thought out and I don’t recommend it to anyone. 

MAKING A KILLING IN DIAMONDS

DIAMONDS SO REAL, NO ONE KNOWS THEY’RE FAKE

Journalist-turned-sleuth Mimi Rosen is back with another fun and exciting mystery set in New York City’s Diamond District.

A brilliant scientist has discovered a way to produce synthetic diamonds so close to the real thing, not even incredibly sophisticated equipment can tell them apart from natural gems. But then, the scientist disappears, just as these high-tech imitations begin to turn the diamond market upside down.

As Mimi tries to locate the scientist and his mysterious formula, she uncovers a trail of murder and intrigue, where executives double-cross each other and use people as pawns in a deadly game of money and power.

A fast-paced adventure ripped from today’s headlines, Making a Killing in Diamonds is both a clever, twist-filled mystery as well as a heartfelt look at the ways humans try to hold onto what’s true and meaningful in an increasingly fake-filled world.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Diamonds-Diamond-District-Mystery/dp/1684923220/

Rob Bates is the award-winning News Director of JCK, a leading jewelry industry publication, and the critically acclaimed author of the Diamond District Mystery series. With over 30 years of experience covering the global gem and jewelry trade, Bates is widely recognized as one of the industry’s most trusted voices. His reporting has shaped conversations on conflict diamonds, sustainability, and technological disruption, earning him more than a dozen editorial honors, including the GEM Award for Media Excellence and the American Gem Society’s Triple Zero Award. As co-host of The Jewelry District podcast, he brings together leading thinkers from across the luxury and diamond worlds. Bates’s Diamond District murder mystery novels blend insider knowledge with page-turning suspense, offering readers a rare look into the power dynamics, ethical tensions, and facades of the jewelry world. He lives in New York City.

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