Had you always wanted to be a writer? Is there anything in particular that spurred your interest in writing mysteries? 

Well, I've always liked to read. Do you recall as a kid having a favorite spot to go hole up and read stacks of books? Mine was under a shady pin oak grove during the summer break (this was before I had a job). So, I was a reader first. It didn't matter in what fiction genre, as long as it told a good story. One afternoon I'd read Mickey Spillane. I hit on Erskine Caldwell, you know, of Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre fame. I loved reading Emily Cheney Neville's It's Like This, Cat and Harold Leith's Guns for Watie. And westerns. Lord, yes. Louis L'Amour, Max Brand, Zane Grey, and whoever authored the Roy Rogers tie-ins.   

My point is that kids know when something is boring. Their attention wanders. They toss the book. When I decided a few years back to write novels, I knew I wanted to try to write stories that appeal to readers seeking a good read. You know, like the kid in us always on the lookout for the next fun book. 

I liked mysteries, too. The Hardy boys, of course. Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators were more modern and hip. And I read the Happy Hollisters, a family of sleuths. Our local library stocked a barrel of Golden Age mysteries. S.S. Van Dine, Agatha Christie, Ross Macdonald, Helen McCoy, Hugh Pentecost, and Erle Stanley Gardner. That was the basis for my exposure to the mystery writers.

Of course, I write all of my mysteries in a modern tone and a contemporary setting.

How do you research your books and find experts to talk to? How do you approach them? Do you do all the research you think you'll need up front, or do you research as needed while you're writing? 

I love this question. I don't know what research I'll need until I get into a scene and a specific question pops into my mind. Sometimes I'll Google to see if I can get the information fast. If not, I'll flag the question and seek out help later. 

E-mail makes it much easer to shoot off questions to "experts." A few years ago, experts were willing to field questions. Now I've found they're not as easy to approach. Several have told me up front they want a "free" copy of my book if I use their answers. (Laugh out loud.) Nothing is free-- the cost of any copy comes out of my pocket. Anyway, I've been writing more noirs and fewer detective manuscripts lately. Noirs don't need as much investigative background. 

Writers have said they like to eavesdrop on other people's conversations for their source material. My hearing isn't so keen. What I like to do is people-watch. Their mannerisms especially. But aren't all people nosy to some degree?         

What is it about the PI subgenre that's most appealing to you? What do you think is most appealing about it to your readers? 

I write two P.I. series. The P.I. Frank Johnson series sold and two titles have appeared. Two more are completed and under contract. But my lady P.I. Sharon Knowles didn't fare as well. I've written and sold her short stories, but her novels haven't yet landed a contract. For years, I've written for women's magazines (the Dorchester line) and I have at least an understanding of what female readers appreciate (and don't appreciate). But for now, Frank has the stage. Lady readers and reviewers have found him a congenial protagonist. Honestly, I believe readers still dig a hero, even if it's an ordinary person, to carry the day.   

Maybe Hollywood has conditioned us that to want things that way. Frank has his flaws and warts but he's a good guy to have in a tight jam. Isn't that who we all want on our side? A tough guy figure who'll help us take some of the heat and help carry some of the load? 

Do you sit down to write a short story or a novel from the outset, or do you start with an idea and write to the end without knowing which it will be?

Gosh, I haven't written a new story or novel from scratch in so long, I'll have to tap into my memory banks. My books have all started with an idea, I guess. The Appalachian noir titled Lake Charles is my current project. Its first chapter is more or less a short story I published in an e-zine called Dead Mule five years ago. The characters have hung with me all that time. My short stories spring from newspaper articles, snatches of conversation, an old story I might recall, and those sort of places.    

What's your writing schedule like? 

I work regular hours as everybody does. I prefer to get an early start before the birds start yapping outside my window. I crank all morning. Midday I take a break and a long walk. My afternoon sessions are less intense and I do my freelance assignments. Evenings are spent taking care of administrative duties.  

You've had book reviews published in the New York Times Book Review and the Washington Post. How did you break in? Do you do many book reviews? What's the most challenging part of reviewing another writer's work? 

I resisted getting back into the reviewing process for a long time. Then I struck it up again. The results have been mixed. I enjoy reading other writers and attempting to write good commentary. But since writing and publishing books, I've gained a new awareness and appreciation for the gutsy effort it takes. For me, the most challenging aspect to reviewing books is to remain fair while making an informed judgment about a book. That and writing a lucid, complete review. I know my book review editors rightfully demand nothing less.   

To address your questions, I live in Washington, D. C., so the Post is our hometown paper. I broke into the New York Times through Guy Davenport and Nona Balakian (NYT editor) in the early 1980s. My current professional review load probably averages two or three books per week.

Some of my overflow reading produces reviews for crime fiction e-zines or Amazon. That provides me with more exposure.  

You're also a widely-published poet. I found "Mrs. Lincoln's Terror of Moths" quite fascinating; and you included a poem in your newest book The Blue Cheer. Where do you get your inspiration from? Do you workshop your pieces at all or do you prefer to work solo?

Thanks for your generous remarks. Poems were my creative life blood for twenty-five years. I took some creative writing classes years ago in graduate school. No workshops or classes lately. I've developed the discipline and willingness to work solo, especially as a novelist.

Please tell us about some of the promotional work you do for your books. 

I'm constrained by economics and depend on the Internet, e-mail, blogs, MySpace, and web pages. Many of my short stories have been published online in various e-zines. Some classy paying e-zines have gone the way of the buffalo. HandHeldCrime and Blue Murder come to mind. My short stories went with them. I don't reprint many. My writing style has evolved too radically to trust my early stuff. For my latest P.I. Frank Johnson novel, The Blue Cheer, I worked hard trying to send it out for review. I stay persistent, professional, and polite in my queries. Booklist starred their review and Publishers Weekly called The Blue Cheer "first-rate writing." Some newspapers like the San Diego Union-Tribune and Arizona Daily Star gave it thumbs up reviews. 

Finally, thank you so much for having me participate in your interview. It's been fun. 

Amy Brozio-Andrews is the managing editor of Absolute Write.

Sponsored links

Ring binders

 

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer!

How to find a book publisher

Home

Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007 Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
Please contact the authors if you'd like to reprint articles on this site.  All copyrights are retained by original authors.  And plagiarizers will be rounded up, handcuffed, and stuck into a very small and humid room wherein they must listen to Barney sing the "I Love You, You Love Me" song over and over again.

writers writing software