Character Interview: Diane Schaffer
Interview with Noli Cooper, lawyer and investigator, protagonist in Mortal Zin
MORTAL ZIN
When corporate attorney Noli Cooper visits her godparents’ Santa Cruz Mountain winery, she’s hoping for a few quiet days to consider her future. But the future will have to wait. The body of her childhood mentor, a crusading social justice lawyer and local hero, is discovered in a rocky ocean cove. The sheriff is quick to call it suicide. Noli knows he’s wrong. Teaming up with PI Luz Alvarado, daughter of Mexican farmworkers, Noli dives into a world where nothing is as it seems.
As threats mount and the winery teeters on the brink of ruin, Noli and Luz must navigate a treacherous landscape of greed, revenge, and long-buried secrets. Their investigation weaves through the rich tapestry of California’s vineyard history, the mystery of zinfandel grapes, and the haunting legacy of the Vietnam War. With a murderer on the loose, predatory neighbors circling, and Noli’s godfather framed for murder, the clock is ticking.
Noli Cooper invited the author to join her for an afternoon aboard her sailboat, the Mortal Zin. They shared a bottle of zinfandel while the author asked Noli to reflect on her life.
Author: Noli, you had an unusual childhood. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Noli: I grew up on a commune in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the central coast of California. In the 1960’s and 70’s, communes weren’t unusual in California, but ours was unique. My father, a Quaker, founded it to help Vietnam vets and their families. He was a medic in the war, and he saw first-hand the impact of PTSD on the men returning to pick up their lives in the US. They needed time in a safe environment, and they needed to be with other men who understood what they’d been through. So he bought a hundred-acre parcel high up in the mountains, and every vet and his family built a geodesic dome there.
Author: What was the commune like for the kids?
Noli: Terrific! Lots of playmates, a forest to explore, and our own little river. We had meaningful work in the garden, the woodshop, and the nursery. On the downside, there was very little money, and none of us had new clothes or the ability to travel.
Author: Your mother died when you were quite young, and your father remarried a woman who became schizophrenic. What was it like for you, living with a stepmother who was struggling with a serious mental illness?
Noli: Gwen, my stepmother, was an exquisitely talented harpist and singer. So the first thing that comes to mind is that she brought music into our home. It became the air I breathed. However, when she lost touch with reality, it could be very frightening. I was often home alone with her, and as I was expected to take care of her, I took on an adult role before I was ready. I became a very watchful child, and I learned to cover up my anxiety by appearing super-confident. When my father was away at night, I never slept.
Author: In Mortal Zin, we learn about the nearby zinfandel winery owned by your godparents, Peter and Tina Hanak. The Hanaks adopted you when you were fourteen years old. How did that happen?
Noli: My father died in 1989 in the Loma Prieta Earthquake. When my stepmother learned that he had died, she had a complete breakdown and set fire to our home. I was able to rescue her but suffered severe burns. After this, Gwen was institutionalized, so I was essentially an orphan. The Hanaks watched over me in the hospital and brought me home when I was released. I’m so fortunate that they became my parents!
Author: When you lived with the Hanaks, did you help care for the vineyard or participate in wine making?
Noli: From the time I could walk my father brought me to the Hanaks to help with the vineyard and winery. So from an early age I was involved in all stages of the wine making process.
Author: Did you ever consider wine making as a career?
Noli: No. As much as I enjoyed working alongside Peter, I knew I didn’t have the passion for wine that’s essential for a worldclass wine maker.
Author: Why did you choose law for a career?
Noli: When I was an undergraduate, the attorney John Fitzpatrick gave me a job every summer as an intern in his law office. John—we called him “Fitz”—worked on behalf of people who were powerless: abused women, BIPOC kids harassed by the police, Native Americans trying to protect heritage sites. He gave Vets returning from Afghanistan and Iraq a platform for telling the truth about those wars. I was inspired by the impact he had on peoples’ lives.
Author: Yet you chose corporate law for your specialty.
Noli: Surprising, huh? In law school I excelled in mergers and acquisitions—I have the kind of brain that likes complex puzzles. But on a personal level, I was hungry to see the world and to have money to spend. A career in international corporate law satisfied that hunger.
Author: But you only spent ten years in corporate law. Then you resigned your position at a law firm in Dublin, Ireland, and came home to Santa Cruz. What inspired this decision?
Noli: I’d reached a point where corporate work was unfulfilling. When Fitz called say he was looking for someone to take over his practice, I knew I was ready to follow in his footsteps.
Author: You and Fitz’s PI, Luz Alvarado, had a rocky start to your partnership. What’s your relationship like now?
Noli: Mutual respect. Tune in next August when we investigate the murder of Santa Cruz’s top environmentalist. Luz takes the lead and saves my bacon!
BUY MORTAL ZIN HERE
Diane Schaffer, a Stanford PhD, is a retired professor and longtime resident of Santa Cruz County, California. Mortal Zin, her first mystery novel, is a Left Coast Crime finalist for Best Debut Mystery Novel of 2025. The second novel in her Mortal Zin series, titled All Dues Be Rendered, will launch in August of 2027.
Website: mortalzin.com
Instagram: @dianeschaffer.author
Category: Interviews, On Writing
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