A Conversation with Charlotte Hinger

Charlotte Hinger writes in both western historical and mystery genres. Two copies of the award winning writer's debut historical mystery, Deadly Descent, will be given away to those who leave comments at the end of this interview.

Charlotte, what did you write that prompted your fifth grade teacher to accuse you of plagiarism?

It was a simple mystery/adventure short story, with a sophisticated set-up. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense that an avid reader of Nancy Drew would be able to devise a rollicking plot with a strong female protagonist. I also absolutely worshiped Wonder Woman. Even more, I wanted to be to power behind it all—her mother, Diana, the Goddess of wisdom on Mount Olympus, whom everyone consulted for guidance. The highlight of my week was getting my hands on one of those comic books. In fact, one of the best pieces of advice I have for newbies is to write what you like to read. You can’t learn everything by osmosis, but when you love to read a specific genre, that’s a good indication of what you’ll write well. The structure just seeps into your bones.

How do you feel about writers who blog about their royalty statements?

Jeez! They do? Actually, there’s something sad about this. Don’t get me wrong. I want to make money for the same reasons other writers do—to pay bills, and help finance promotion. However, I feel sorry for the publishers and writers alike. It’s a tough business right now and hard to sell books period. A lot of persons are blogging without thinking and offering too much personal information. It’s one of the hazards of the Internet. Save all this for close friends.

You’re known primarily as an award winning western historical writer, so why did you decide to write mysteries?

I wrote two historical novels after Come Spring that didn’t sell and my agent thought the second one was vastly superior to my first published novel. It was a bewildering, difficult time for me. But the market had changed. The major New York houses wanted to make a killing, instead of a profit. And Western Kansas didn’t exactly make their hearts go pitty-pat. During this time, I had no trouble publishing mystery short stories. “The Family Rose,” first published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, was reprinted in two anthologies, one of which, Death on the Verandah, contained pieces by Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Conner and other revered Southern writers. I was thrilled to be one of the “among others.” When one of my stories was nominated for the Pushcart Award, and another was selected for inclusion in the Mystery Writers of America anthology, Blood on Their Hands, I had an epiphany. Maybe I was a mystery writer? I adore Poisoned Pen Press. It has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most supportive of all presses. Ironically, shortly after Deadly Descent was accepted, a university press became very interested in one of my ancient historical novels. Go figure!

Tell us about your latest novel, Deadly Descent. How did the story come about?

The protagonist, historian Lottie Albright, is editing family stories for the forthcoming county history books, and is shocked by the layers of deadly intrigue that bind generations of families in her small Western Kansas community. One of the submissions conceals an old murder and causes a new one.

Ignoring warnings from her twin sister, clinical psychologist Josie Albright, that she is over her head, Lottie dons a badge to have access to information. But the sisters’ probing causes new murders. As Lottie is stalked by a diabolically clever killer threatened by the twins’ ability to connect the dots, her own household is drawn into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Blindsided by her protective older husband’s disapproval of new job, and aghast at a bizarre attempt to sabotage her academic credentials, Lottie knows her obsession is destroying her marriage and her reputation. The twins join forces and endanger their own lives as they race to connect past, present, and future.

As to how this came about: I actually edited a two-volume set of county history books. Persons would turn in these great sanitized stories for publication and then beckon me aside and tell me mesmerizing, often really dark, family secrets. It was an easy step to . . .what if one of these stories is concealing a murder? (Actually, one did) In Deadly Descent I combine historical research methods with small town law-enforcement procedures.

How did your family influence your writing career?

They read good books, bought books, loved books. My father loved historical novels, poetry, history and political analysis. My mother loved romances, mysteries, and inspirational novels. However, I’ve never met anyone who has said “I do so hope my child will be a writer some day.” It would be like wishing their child would become a tightrope walker. It simply wouldn’t occur to parents. Back in the olden days, we could aspire to be teachers, nurses, or secretaries. Now parents hope their daughters will be doctors and lawyers and such. But writers? What kind of parents would wish that on a kid? However, my late husband was the most wonderfully supportive spouse anyone could wish for.

What was your biggest publishing thrill? And the accomplishment you’re most proud of?

Come Spring was published by Simon & Schuster as hardcover mainstream and this book won the Western Writers of American Medicine Pipe Bearers Award (since re-titled as Spur Award for Best First Novel) I was thrilled! All my kids came to the ceremony.

I’m the most proud of getting my college degrees when I was forty years older than God. I gave a whole new meaning to nontraditional student, because I wanted to do academic writing. There’s a ton of information lurking in local historical societies that needs to be organized and in print. I’m working on a book for Oklahoma University Press about 19th century African American politicians and their effect on the settlement of the West. My article on this subject was published in Kansas History (Spring 2008) and won first place in the Westerners International competition. I was ecstatic as I felt it validated my ability to do this kind of work.

What’s your writing schedule like? Do you aim for a certain amount of words at each session?

Since I’m writing in three separate venues—mysteries, academic non-fiction, and historical novels, I’m driven by terror. It’s all quite loony and I don’t want to let people down. I am deeply grateful to houses who agree to publish my work and well aware that persons far more talented than I have not had these opportunities.

As to schedules, when I hear writers say they write every day, I feel like saying, “liar, liar, pants on fire.” Bet you don’t work when you are running around talking about your books or signing. But some do!

I used to write five pages a day, five days a week. However, marketing our work is now a huge responsibility and the mystery genre is the most competitive of all. Like most writers I do not write at conferences, or when I’m traveling, etc. Having said that, up at 5:00, 5 pages a day, 5 days a week, still works best for me. I trained myself to be able to write anytime, anywhere. I can’t do that with academic work because I need all my research files, but I may go back to that for fiction no matter what the circumstances.

How much research do you conduct before starting a novel and do you spoon it in as you go along?

Since all my work is set in Kansas, I know my subject in my heart and bones. I look up material on an “as needed” basis. Most of my work is character driven, so I keep a separate screen open on my computer when I’m working there, and 3 x 5 cards when I’m away from it for relevant questions as they cross my mind. They might be “what was the price of corn in the 1880s? Or how do you shape a horse collar? Or my husband’s personal favorite when he found this sticky note, “shall I castrate him or just kill him?” Accuracy is very important to me. My mysteries incorporate historical information, but if material isn’t a plot complication I don’t use it.

Which novelist most influenced your own work?

A better question is who didn’t? When I was growing up and in love with gothic/suspense, Daphne Du Maurier, and the Bronté sisters, then the magnificent Kansas historical novels of Paul Wellman, the lovely psychological novels of Elizabeth Goudge, Edna Ferber, then Wallace Stegner. This is just a tiny smattering. Everyone and every genre: literary, trash, mysteries, thrillers, romance, social and political novels, it didn’t matter. As for mysteries right now, I’ve fallen in love with Tana French and Anne Marie McDonald.

Advice to fledgling mystery writers?

Master the craft. Start by re-reading your favorite authors and analyze their techniques. How do they move a plot? Why are their characters memorable? How much dialogue do they use? Would you actually shell out money for this book? Which of their methods seem right for you?

I’m self-taught and never had a creative course, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have to learn the craft. When I was first married I couldn’t afford to buy writing books, so I ordered them through inter-library loan and outlined them on an old manual typewriter.

Write the first draft straight through. It’s the surprise draft. Hard telling who will show up for the book. Don’t show the first draft or single chapters to anyone. It will mess up your thinking. As for the second draft, you will already know what needs to be done: a character expanded, the delicious insertion of little clues and tidbits than occur to you during the first draft. THEN show your work to whoever. Not during the mystical first draft creative process. Pay lots of attention to advice afterwards. You will be surprised by what other people can see at once.

Thank you, Charlotte, for taking part in the series.

Charlotte's website: www.charlottehinger.com

Leave a comment to be eligible for the drawing for two copies of Charlotte's latest novel, Deadly Descent.

A Conversation with Robert Fate

Robert Fate began his first Baby Shark novel at the age of 70, featuring a 17-year-old girl who happens to be a gun carrying pool shark. His crime novels number four to date, the first in his series optioned for film. He's giving away two of his books to visitors who leave comments here.

Bob, how did the name of your series, Baby Shark, come about?

Kristin Van Dijk, the protagonist in the Baby Shark series, is a pool shark. Her father and her father’s friend Harlan always called her Baby, and it was a natural progression to Baby Shark because she became so lethal at shooting nine ball. That’s in the books – how did I come up with that name? A lot of years ago, I was watching some women shoot pool in a contest in Las Vegas. I thought they looked very cool as they determined their strategy, and very sexy in their tailored slacks as they leaned over the table. I admired their competitive spirit and the professional way they handled their cues. Mostly, I liked the fact they were doing their work as well as any man might.

I knew at that time that I would some day write about a woman pool shark–the name came to me as those kinds of things do when I wasn’t thinking about it. Baby Shark just worked––high concept, if you will. For several years, I added articles, pictures, and notes to a manila folder labeled Baby Shark. When I decided to write a crime novel that was the name I chose for my protagonist, and for the name of the first book in the series.


What possessed you to write your first novel at the age of 70?

It sure seems like a goofy thing to do, doesn’t it? Well, I had written screenplays for film and stage plays for live theater, and scripts for television shows. I had kept journals, written magazine articles, and even penned some poetry––oh oh, my wife just fell asleep. The mere mention of my poetry robs her of consciousness. Anyway, short stories were as close to a novel as I had ever come. In fact, I was certain I could not write a novel. I’m not sure what caused me to think that, but it was true. So, when Bruce Cook, a friend with whom I had written screenplays, said that he was joining a mystery-writing group and wanted me to join with him, I declined. “Last thing I’d ever wanna do,” I told him.

Uh huh.

A number of months later, he told me how well he was doing in the group and asked me again. This time I gave it a try.

The group met once a month and discussed what had been written since the last meeting. It was rocky at first, but evened out as some members fell away and we gained a new member. Eventually it was just four of us: Sheila Lowe, Bruce Cook, Gwen Freeman, and Robert Fate. We were all serious about writing well and getting published. We displayed no ego, were dead honest with each other, and helped one another succeed. Now, going on five years later, we’ve all written several novels; we all have publishers; and we are all presently working on new books. We still meet, though more like eight or nine times a year, still love and trust each other, and still benefit from our relationship. Don’t tell Bruce, but he was right again.

Now––you asked about my age. Yes, I was 70 when I wrote Baby Shark––a challenge since the protagonist is a 17-year-old girl. But, you know, I didn’t see then and don’t see now what difference age makes. If you’re a writer you have imagination to spare or you shouldn’t be writing. Tell me how age or gender enters into that? And the writing for a woman thingy––I had clever women around me as I was growing up, my mother, my sisters, my aunts, all strong, accomplished women who did in life what they set out to do––good examples. The women in our writing group are intelligent and capable, as well. Sometimes the cards are stacked in your favor, if you take a moment to look at them. Why not write for a young girl? Who’s to say you can’t?

I have chosen to try many different things in my life, but none as gratifying as writing crime novels––this may be my last re-invention.

You’ve had a varied employment background. Briefly tell us the highlights?

I assume what you’re really asking me is why I’ve never been able to hold a job––let’s see. Where to start? I’m a Marine Corps veteran (8 yrs) who lived in Paris, studied at the Sorbonne, lived in Thessaloniki and studied at the University of Salonica, lived in Oklahoma and studied at OU, lived in L.A. and studied at three different schools there––never got a degree, but used up all of my G.I. Bill.

I worked as an oilfield rough neck on a Texaco rig in Northeastern Oklahoma and a TV cameraman in OKC. I was a fashion model in NYC for a few years to earn a living while I co-authored a stage play that never sold. I was a project manager and later a sales exec in Las Vegas after working as a chef in L.A., where Gourmet Magazine asked for my Gingerbread recipe—actually, it was my grandmother’s recipe. Along the way, I owned a company that airbrushed flowers on silk for the garment industry, wrote scripts for the soap opera Search for Tomorrow, produced an independent feature film, produced equity-waver live theatre (including a Penn & Teller show), and, as a Hollywood special effects technician, won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. I’ve always enjoyed staying busy, and paying the bills has motivated me, as well. No rich uncles in my tree.

Tell us about the Academy Award. How did that come about?

As we all know, much in life that happens for good and bad, happens because we are where we are at the right or wrong time. It was in the early 1980s and I was working at Apogee, a motion picture visual effects production company, a firm that had done the visual effects for such blockbusters as Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefox, and many other major films. I was at the right place at the right time.

I helped with the development of a screen and projection system that advanced blue screen technology. Several of us were rewarded with Academy Awards for the work we did with that system in the films Dune and 2010. I was proud to have worked with the talented men and woman at Apogee Productions and the crews of those films, and grateful for the recognition by the Academy. At the ceremony, my wife looked marvelous in a gorgeous silk dress.

Tell us about your protagonist, Kristin Van Dijk.

As you know the Baby Shark story takes place in the 1950s when all women were called girls or gals. They weren’t expected to do more than keep house and raise the kids. So, at that time Kristin is the youngest private investigator in the American southwest and the only woman in Texas to carry that license. Otis Millett hired her to be his partner at the Millett Agency after seeing her stand up to evil and win. You don’t have to be around her long to recognize that she is a good girl. But here’s the thing––she is a good girl who is capable of very bad things if you cross her.

She carries a Colt .38 Super Automatic and can use it. She also carries Army Ranger knives in her boots, and can use them, too. She learned to handle these weapons so she would never be afraid again. Read Baby Shark––book one in the series––to understand why.

Kristin was 17-to-19 years old in book one and is 23 years old by book four. She’s a natural platinum blonde, five seven, and varies according to her exercise from 125 to 130 lbs. She doesn’t think of herself as pretty, but folks say she is. Her standard dress is black Levi’s and boots with colorful shirts and a short leather jacket. In cool weather, she wears a black wool stocking cap. When she isn’t out at Henry’s homestead, she lives in an apartment above a pool hall in a blue-collar section of Fort Worth. She hustles pool when she isn’t busy fighting crime.

Her boyfriend is a Dallas homicide detective named Lee. Her dearest friend is Henry Chin, a Chinese/American who saved her life. Her dog’s name is Jim, a 120 lb German shepherd who pretty much does what he wants. Otis is her partner and mentor and, along with Henry, the only family she cares to have.

To relax, she reads the good stuff and enjoys Jazz.

Your first two books were Anthony Award nominees, and your first novel, Baby Shark, was optioned for film. How’s the film project coming along?

Ah, Hollywood. There is talk and more talk as things move slowly forward––or sometimes sideways.

In December 2007, Baby Shark had been in bookstores for just over a year when Brad Wyman, the producer of Monster, starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, told my publisher he was interested in doing the first book in the series as a movie. We talked and by the spring of 2008, my publisher was instrumental in the sale of the motion picture and television rights to Brad Wyman. The last I heard, it is on his shooting schedule for the summer of 2010. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Tell us about your work in progress. When will it be released?

This is exciting for me, Jean, because it is a departure from the Baby Shark series. This will be my first stand-alone crime novel. Is this guy a one trick pony? I decided, for a change of pace, to pen a contemporary noir in third person with a male protagonist. It’s called Kill the Gigolo and takes place in New York City and on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The book cover copy will say something like the following:

Erik Lamar, a smooth-talking lady's man, is on the run. Gangster Al Foley has a grudge to settle and only Erik's head will even the score. The Irish Mob is given an assignment: kill the gigolo.

When the mutilated corpse of Erik's friend, Freddy, is found dumped in the street, Erik gets the warning--what happened to Freddy is a Girl Scout demerit compared to what is planned for him.

But first, they have to catch him. One step ahead of Foley's thugs, he flies off to Mexico, thinking he has traded terror for a life of leisure with a rich older woman who likes bad boys like Erik.

But it's not so easy. Lies and deceit become his way of life in the tropics, and in no time losing his head to the mob becomes the least of his worries.

My publisher, Capital Crime Press, will release Kill the Gigolo in the fall of 2010.

What’s your writing schedule like?

I write when there is a moment to do so, though I particularly like early mornings. My iBook is on a desk that faces a wall. I must turn my head to see out the glass doors that lead to a balcony that overlooks the lake. The dog gets to track the water birds––I don’t. But sounds and activities don’t matter to me anyway, since for the most part I don’t notice them. Nanda the cat sleeps on a cashmere sweater next to my computer and ignores me when I talk to myself. Fair’s fair. I ignore him when he does that.

Advice to novice writers?

Don’t do any of the writing. That’s my advice. I long ago relinquished all creative duties to that other guy who does the work while I’m spaced out in alpha state. I never suffer writer’s block or angst driven anything, since I do nothing and have so little to worry about. For example, I’ll be sitting in the living room staring out the window at the distant mountains and my wife will ask me if I’m working. See how that goes? Easy does it.

The success of this strategy is the most apparent to me when I’m reading something the other guy has written and I’m surprised by it. “Did I write that?” I look forward to every minute I spend writing––it’s like a pleasant afternoon nap. And, since writing is really rewriting and a book is never finished, it’s a good thing there are deadlines. It’s difficult to stop doing something that is so enjoyable, so without stress, so satisfying.

Two more small pieces of advice––keep the other guy a secret and show up on time to take the credit.

Well, okay, if you insist on a serious answer––marry wisely, someone smart and strong who keeps you honest, and never let a day go by without writing.

What would you be doing if not writing? And do you plan to ever retire?

Traveling. No.

Thanks, Bob, for taking part in the series.

Bob's email address is: robert-fate@sbcglobal.net and he answers his email.

A Conversation with Nancy Pickard

Winner of the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Shamus, and Macavity awards, and 4-time Edgar finalist, Nancy Pickard's latest novel, Virgin of the Plains was the Kansas Reads selection for 2009.

Nancy, what happened to your first novel?

It was, thank the publishing gods, rejected by nine wise publishers. It got me an agent, though, so I love it anyway. It was my apprentice novel and no longer exists in any form. Heh.

What was the turning point in your career?

Funny, I've never thought about it like that in terms of my novels, only my short stories. I'm thinking of three turning points:
1. When I moved from original paperback at Avon to hardcover at Scribner, with the wonderful Susanne Kirk as my editor.
2. When Linda Marrow became my editor, first at Pocket and now at Ballantine. We're writing/editing soul mates. I'm very lucky.
3. And for short stories, when I heard a writer say that every short story needs an epiphany. Having not been classically trained as a fiction writer, I'd never heard that before. After that, my stories sold.

Sue Grafton said your nonfiction book, Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path, written with psychologist Lynn Lott, is “fresh, insightful, candid, funny, supportive, encouraging and wise." How did the book come about?

I had met many writers--especially new ones--who seemed lost and alone, sad and confused, bewildered and overwhelmed by the highs and lows of the writer's life. I felt for them, and I wanted to talk to them and let them know we all feel crazy sometimes, and then give them some ideas about how to cope with the emotional roller-coaster.

Why have you written such a variety of mystery subgenres, from cozies to private eye stories, humorous mysteries to psychological suspense?

Two reasons. One, I get bored if I do the same exact thing over and over. Two, in my life I have loved all kinds of books in the mystery world, so I am influenced by all of those kinds of novels and I like to play around with their tropes and charms and quirks.

Tell us about The Virgin of Small Plains, your multi-award winning novel. Why did you set it in Kansas?

I set it here because one day I was hit with the need to write about Kansas forever and always. It's as simple and was as career-altering, as that. I was born on the Missouri side of Kansas City, and moved to this side when I married a Kansas cattle rancher. (Hence, my two books set in the Flint Hills cattle country--Bum Steer and Virgin.) I'm still here and feel completely Kansan now. I love this state, political warts, and all.

Your work has won or been nominated for nearly every existing mystery award. Which means the most to you and have the awards translated into higher book sales?

The awards have helped a lot, I think. As for which awards mean the most, they're the ones that reinforce me after I've tried something new, as for The Whole Truth and for The Virgin of Small Plains. When you disappear for a while to take some chances with your writing, it's reassuring to come back and find that readers appreciate it. The same is true for awards for short stories. For instance, when the first and only fable I've ever written was picked for a Year's Best anthology of Fantasy and Horror stories I was thrilled by the confirmation--from people who really know the genres--that I'd done an okay job of it.

How important are organizations such as Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America to a writer’s career?

I think they're wonderful and I encourage participation. They make you feel part of something larger. They let you give back to the genre that supports you. They're not for everybody, I suppose, but for writers who like to hang out with other writers, they're pretty great.

How did the Jenny Cain series come about?

One day I was in the Asian section of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and I saw an antique Chinese bed with gauzy curtains and a little alcove with seats in it. I thought, "What a great place to find a dead body." Seriously. That's how it started. Not exactly profound, lol.

Tell us about your soon-to-be released novel.

My new “Kansas novel,” coming out in April, is called The Scent of Rain and Lightning. For this book, a different kind of landscape called to me. Instead of the rolling ranch land of the Flint Hills of east and central Kansas, where Virgin is set, now we have a flat land with astonishing stone monuments rising out of it like a natural Stonehenge, only much taller and bigger even than those formations.

On a violently stormy night, in this land of dramatic contrasts, the favorite son of the county’s wealthiest landowners is shot and killed and his young wife disappears. They leave behind a 3-year-old daughter to be raised by her grandparents and uncles. The obvious suspect is quickly caught, convicted, and sent to prison, leaving behind a wife and 7-year-old son. Twenty-three years later, he is released pending a new trial, and returns to the scene of the crimes he may not have committed. The secrets about that night of dramatic change for a family, a town, and a county, are revealed both to his son and to the daughter of the victims, as these two children of tragedy struggle to uncover dangerous truths about their families.

What is your writing schedule like?

I'm a binge writer. When I'm really going at it, it's all I do. I ignore everything else. At other times, I may do nothing writerly at all. Or I may catch up with all of the things I've neglected. Like interviews. :)

Advice to today’s novice writers?

Yes. One, be patient with yourself and your writing. Doctors aren't built in a day, neither are lawyers, neither are plumbers, neither are teachers or truck drivers, and neither are writers. It takes a long time to get good enough to be published. Give yourself that time and try to enjoy it! Two, please please please give yourself time before you start worrying about getting an agent, etc. Write first. Write second. Write third. Finish the manuscript. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Maybe send it out, or maybe start the next one. Time. It takes time Give yourself that time and please don't be so hard on yourself if things don't happen fast for you. Third, care first and always about the writing. The writing. The writing. ::steps off soapbox:: Oh, and read Annie Lamott's fabulous book about writing, Bird By Bird.

Thank you, Nancy, for taking part in the series.

Nancy's blog site is now closed and her website is being redone in preparation for her next Kansas novel, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, which is slated to appear in April, 2010. But if you're curious, she says to visit: http://sweetmysteryoflife.blogspot.com/ and http://nancypickard.com

A Conversation with Ann Parker

Ann Parker's fast-paced yet lyrical Silver Rush series has placed her work on the must-read list for historical mystery lovers. Ann is giving away copies of her award-winning Silver Lies novels to two lucky blog visitors who comment on her interview here.

Ann, have you always been interested in Colorado history and why did you chose the 1870s as the decade to set your mystery series?

Colorado has always been a special place to me. As a child, our family made many treks to visit relatives in the Denver area, where both my mother and father were raised. I even attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs back in 1970 for one glorious year. However, I came to appreciate its history much much later. At a family reunion in the 1990s, I learned from an uncle that my paternal grandmother had been raised in Leadville. This was a surprise to me: she’d never spoke of the place nor what her life had been like as a child. My uncle told me a bit about the big silver rush in Leadville, and urged me to research and write a book set there! Intrigued, I started to read about the time and place and, basically, was seduced by the history. The silver rush (late 1870s, early 1880s) was a time of social upheaval and extremes—overnight millionaires, wildly fluctuating real estate prices, crimes of passion, greed, and poverty—all up at 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. It just seemed the perfect time and venue for setting a mystery series.

How did your saloon owner Inez Stannert come into being and how many character traits do you share with your protagonist?

Once I had my time and setting, I turned my attention to crafting a protagonist. I gave her my grandmother’s maiden name—Inez Stannert—then considered what she would be doing in Leadville. I wanted to give her license to snoop in both the good and bad parts of town. I originally thought of making her a newspaperwoman, but decided it would be fun to have her running a saloon (more research!). I also wanted to paint her with shades of gray: not all “good,” not all “bad,” but somewhere in between, with faults and a fallible nature. I’m not sure I share many character traits with Inez … She’s braver than I am (I’m a real wimp!), faster on her feet and with her wits, quick to make decisions and to act, and a marvelous pianist. Perhaps the one thing we share is the experience of being “a woman in a man’s world.” According to the 1880 census in Leadville, three of the nearly three hundred saloons were run by women…Thus, Inez is unusual in her profession, and people sometimes look askance at her as a result. As someone who has worked several decades as a science/tech writer in the realms of high tech and science R&D, I could empathize with Inez in that respect!

How does it feel to have your first novel, Silver Lies, win the coveted Willa Literary Award as well as the Colorado Gold Award and become a finalist for both the Bruce Alexander and Spur awards?

It’s a wonderful feeling, of course! At the time, though, I was mostly stunned. You see, I’d sort of noodled the story out over several years, having a lot of fun, but knowing that, as mystery set in the Old West, it was rather quirky and unusual. Not at all like what was out and around at the time. Finding a publisher had been a long hard slog, and I’d had some of the stuffing knocked out of me along the way. I was (and still am!) so grateful to Poisoned Pen Press for taking on Silver Lies and for being such a great, supportive publisher. I was just happy that the book was being published; the awards and attention really took me by surprise…. a wonderful surprise, of course. Looking back, it all makes me smile. I’d never expected anything like this to happen to me in my life, so this “first literary child” is a very special one.

How much research goes into your novels? Do you read for months before starting a book or do you research as you write? Do you strive for historical accuracy or do you tweak history to fit your plot?

The first round of research happens before the writing, to garner the central idea for the story. I build my plots around real events—the coming of the railroad to Leadville, for instance, in Iron Ties, Ulysses S. Grant’s five-day visit to Leadville in Leaden Skies—and place my characters and fictional events in the shadow of history. It’s hard to say “how much” research I do … I read in fits and starts, carrying around reference books in my car to sneak a paragraph or two at red lights or while waiting in lines in grocery stores. I love reading on planes where there are no other distractions. Once I know the historical pivot for my story (in other words, when I have that a-ha! moment), I start writing and research other things as I go. I do strive for historical accuracy, but tweak if I must. I always include an Author’s Note at the end that tells what’s real, what isn’t, and provides some suggestions for further reading.

How long has each manuscript taken from start to finish?

Since I write in fits and starts, that’s very difficult for me to gauge. Compared to other mystery authors who spin out one, two, sometimes three books a year, I’m a s-l-o-w writer (the literary equivalent of “slow food,” I guess). It has taken me around two years (again, in fits and starts) to write each book. I’m ever optimistic, though, that the next one will be faster.

Tell us about your background.

Born and raised in San Francisco Bay Area, I loved to read from the time I was very young. I can still remember how it felt as I parsed out the word “morning” in an Early Reader book and some internal “reading comprehension synapse” switched on. What a rush! Fast forward 20 years: I received my bachelor degrees in English Literature and Physics (double major) at University of California, Berkeley… no idea what to do with it all, until a physics professor (thank you, Prof. Amer!) suggested I look into scientific editing as a career. My plan at the time was to get some experience, somehow, somewhere, and eventually move to Colorado. In my fantasies, I pictured myself working for NCAR in Boulder. Fast forward another 20 years: I’ve managed to move exactly one set of hills east from where I started. Married, two kids, two decades into my career, it was clear I was not going to settle in Colorado any time soon. Maybe that’s what gave me the impetus to write fiction set in the area I love: At least I now have an excuse to go there and do research every once in a while!

What’s your writing schedule like and do you aim for a certain amount of words at each session?

How embarrassing… This is the point where I have to admit that I don’t have a “writing schedule” per se. I’m now working as a freelance technical writer/editor; that takes a lot of my day-to-day energy and focus. So, basically, my fiction writing is propelled by panic and deadlines. The process goes like this: After I do my preliminary research, I plug along through the first third (or half) of the book, get stuck somewhere towards the middle, and thrash around for a while. I am then jolted back into motion by an approaching deadline. So, I guess that shows that there are all kinds of ways to write. After all, someone has to be at the other end of the spectrum from those who get up at sunrise and write XXX words before going to work…

Who most influenced your own work and why? Have you had a mentor?

I’ve read so much over the years that it’s hard to pick any one writer as an influence. Maybe it’s all those “Lit” classes from way back when, but I have a great fondness for Shakespeare and Milton. I love how they use language and the multilayered nature of their work. As for mentors, I’ve been graced with two, who are dear friends in addition to being mystery authors: Camille Minichino (who was also my “officemate” way back in the Dark Ages of typewriters and of computers the size of entire rooms) and Penny Warner (who taught me “how to write a mystery” back when I first decided to give this a try).

Which novelist, past or present, would you enjoy being trapped with in an elevator and what you ask him or her?

Well, if not Shakespeare or Milton (see above), I’d pick Martin Cruz Smith! I’m a big fan of his novels. No matter what venue he chooses to set his story in—England’s coal mines in 1872, Japan in 1941, Moscow in the present—I start reading, fall right into the worlds he creates, and can’t stop (a new MCS book always bodes badly for my work projects). I don’t know what I’d ask him … I’d be too much in awe. Maybe I’d just ask him for his autograph!

Advice to fledgling writers?

Be sure that you’re in it for the love of writing and telling stories…If you’re hoping to make a fortune by being an author, believe me, there are easier ways to make a living. And, if writing fiction is what you really really want to do, then don’t give up. Take classes. Learn the craft. Practice. And, if you decide you want to be published: Persist! You may have to hear a lot of “no, not for us” before you finally hear a “yes.” If you give up too soon, you’ll never get to that “yes.”

Thanks, Ann, for taking part in the series.

Ann's website: http://www.annparker.net
She blogs Mondays on The Lady Killers http://theladykillers.typepad.com
and at random on The Silver Rush Mysteries http://silverrushmysteries.blogspot.com

Read Ann's great article on historical research at: Searching in the Shadows of the Past

A Conversation with Rosemary Harris

Gardening enthusiast and former Disney employee, Rosemary Harris writes a mystery series featuring master gardener Paula Holliday.

Rosemary, how did the Dirty Business mystery series originate?

I really had no intention of writing a book, much less a series. A two line item in the New York Times is responsible. The headline read Mummified Baby Identified and thereby hangs the tale. I did some research and wound up having a telephone interview with a doctor from the Henry Lee Institute of Forensic Sciences who told me that, in fact, the body had not been 100% identified because there was no DNA reference sample. He also told me about something that had been found with the body, and I thought - what a great clue that would be in a mystery. So I wrote one. After I found an agent, she said “It’s a series, right?” To which I answered “Absolutely!” My mother raised no fool.

Carolyn Hart called your first novel, Pushing up Daisies, "Quirky, original, and captivating.” How and when did you come up with the plot and characters?

I already had my first body and then I thought about the things that drove people to commit crimes – greed, lust and revenge probably account for the lion’s share. And they exist in small towns and suburbia just as much as they do in big cities. Some of my characters are composites of people I’ve known and people I’ve encountered. They might also be the irritating guy on a cell phone or the harried woman trying to control her three kids in the supermarket or airport. Observing real people is more fun than watching television.

What, as a gardener, do you specialize in besides quirky novels?

My garden has a lot of shade and the soil is acidic so I gravitate toward flowering shrubs – azalea, rhodys, mountain laurels, leucothoe, pieris. I also have a lot of dogwoods, bamboo and Japanese maples. My current project is the elimination of my lawn. I’m growing a moss lawn which looks lovely until the dog starts tearing it up! Luckily, moss is very forgiving.

Tell us about your master gardener/sleuth Paula Holliday.

Not surprisingly, she started out being a bit like me; we do share the same work history. Paula is a little cynical, something of a wiseass, very loyal, non-judgmental and is known to disappear from people’s radar for a while. She’s also pretty courageous moving to the ‘burbs by herself and starting a small business. And she’s loosening up a bit the longer she lives in Springfield.

Did your interest in gardening develop while growing up in Brooklyn? Were you a child bookworm?

My Italian grandmother had a lovely garden and I can remember masses of fresh basil and figs. Needless to say I couldn’t have a fig tree when I got my first apartment but I had tons of houseplants. When I moved to Manhattan I took a fifth floor walkup so that I could have a private roof garden. I grew morning glories, coreopsis and tomatoes on West 69th – it worked really well until the ceiling fell down from the extra weight.

What kind of jobs did you hold while working for Disney, ABC Video and New York television stations?

I had a variety of jobs that no one had before and probably no one has had since! I was very lucky and seemed to be able to invent the jobs I wanted. Basically I was in the video business. I acquired, produced and sold non-theatrical programs on home video. So my luncheon companions included wrestlers, fitness divas, soap stars, comedians and the occasional porn star. It was a lot of fun. I also got to meet a number of great old movie stars from the 40’s and 50’s like Gene Kelly and Ann Miller. That was a blast.

Where in your travels have you found the best places to kayak and hike? And will you use your outdoor adventures as backdrops for future novels?

I loved kayaking in Alaska and in the Sea of Cortez where it’s not unusual to see incredible wildlife while you’re paddling, but I think my heart belongs to the Virgin Islands. I’ve paddled from one island to another, camping on the beaches. It’s gorgeous. I’m doing it again next February. I’m a big fan of all the National Parks, it would be hard to name just one favorite hiking spot so I’ll name three, Glacier, Yosemite and Canyonlands. They’re all so different – and even more beautiful than they look in the Ken Burns series! Omigosh, I think Nevada Barr has that covered pretty well.

To what do you attribute your success as a writer?

Success? I guess I’ve gotten off to pretty good start. I agree with something CJ Box said – publishing is still a relatively low-tech business. It’s still a handselling, word of mouth business and I try to meet lots of people. It got to the point that I joked that I would go wherever “two or more were gathered.”

Advice to fledgling mystery novelists?

Someone stop me before I write “write the best book you possibly can.” Cheesh! Of course. That’s a given. After that, I’d say when you’re looking for a agent, keep looking. Just because an agent doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life with you – on spec - doesn’t mean your book is no good. Find another agent. On the promotion…go where the people are. And not just mystery events..book festivals, women’s groups, senior centers…anything related to your book. I’m having an event at a local diner next week. A librarian suggested it because the diner was the inspiration for Babe’s Paradise Diner in my book, Pushing Up Daisies.

What’s the best and worst aspects of writing?

Best - getting the idea, seeing it come to life. Having the time to get a sentence or paragraph just the way I want it. Worst - having to hand it in! It’s inevitable that at the eleventh hour I think of something I should have done differently.

Thanks for taking part in the series, Rosemary.

Rosemary's website: www.rosemaryharris.com
Her blog sites: www.jungleredwriters.com
and http://rosemaryharrismysteries.blogspot.com/

A Conversation with Jason Pinter

Thriller novelist Jason Pinter received a three-book publishing contract at the age of 26, has been nominated for a number of awards, and claimed the number one spot on the Kindle bestseller list.

Jason, how did it feel to be ahead of Dan Brown on the Kindle bestseller list? And to what do you attribute The Mark’s success?

It was pretty shocking, considering the new Dan Brown was one of the biggest publishing stories in recent memory. Now, I will couch that by admitting that my book was available for free for a week whereas Brown's was not, but the outpouring of support from readers to help propel the book up the charts was nothing short of amazing. They're the ones who made it happen. I think that book resonates because the character is relatable, and the troubles he gets into are things that could happen to any of us. Henry Parker is not a spy, ninja, cop or soldier. He relies only on his wits and intellect. He does things to get out of jams that are available only to normal people like you and me.

Which five words inspired your novel, The Fury, and what do they represent?

It was inspired by five words from James Ellroy's brilliant novel L.A Confidential. Those five words were Bud White refused to die. I wrote a post all about this which can be found at http://www.jasonpinter.com/blog/2009/09/james-ellroy-and-5-words-that-inspired.asp.

Tell us about your latest book.

The Fury is the fourth novel in the Henry Parker series. In the first three books, we've learned bits and pieces about Henry's past, about his strained relationship with his family and how he hasn't been home in nearly a decade. Well, in The Fury Henry learns that there is a massive, thirty year-old skeleton in his closet that will force him to question everything he's ever know. And when he goes to learn more about his past, he realizes that something very dark and very sinister is bubbling under the surface of New York City, and his past just might have something to do with it.

You’ve been nominated for a number of awards: The Thriller, Strand Critics, Shamus, Barry, CrimeSpree and the RT Booklovers Reviewers Choice award. Which means the most to you and why?

All the nominations mean a great deal to me, especially because they've all come from different spectrums of the industry, and have been voted on by both readers and critics. I'm thrilled and humbled that people who read so much have liked my books enough to nominate them for so many awards.

How were you able to negotiate a three-book contract with MIRA at the age of 26? Were you agented by then or was it due to your contacts as an editor?

I was an editorial assistant, so my contacts helped as much as a mailroom guy at a movie studio getting the lead in a movie. I'd barely been working in the industry, and when you're that young agents don't know who you are. I sent the book out to a few agents who I heard were both young and hungry but also had already established good reputations. A few responded positively, and I was fortunate to land an agent who helped a tremendous amount. In the end, readers don't care if you work in book publishing and they certainly won't pay money because of it, they only care if the book is any good.

Which publishing houses did you work for as an editor and how young were you when you began your first editing job?

I worked for Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing), Crown and St. Martin's Press. I was 23 when I got my first job at Warner as an editorial assistant and was a full editor by 26.

Tell us about your weblog, “The Man in Black.”

It's gone through a lot of changes in the three and a half years I've had it. I've written about everything from publishing to marketing and publicity to sports and pop culture. I try to make it something of an extension of my personality, as way to keep in touch with readers. Nowadays I have so many ways to do that, whether through Twitter or Facebook, or at the Huffington Post where I've recently started as a columnist.

What’s the difference between mystery, suspense and thriller novels? And why do you write thrillers?

Ask ten different authors and you're likely to get ten different answers on this. The standard answers tend to be that mysteries are about solving a crime, whereas thrillers are about preventing one. I think of my books as thrillers with elements of mystery, and of course with suspense in them. Occasionally that does change - I consider The Stolen more of a mystery with thriller elements.

Advice to fledgling thriller writers.

Read everything you can get your hands on in any genre. You're likely to face some rejection in your life, the most important thing you can do is take that rejection and use it as fuel to hone your craft and become a better writer. Too many writers focus that anger and frustration outward at others. Turn it inward, use it as fuel. Prove everybody wrong.

What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?

Probably still working as an editor, or in publishing in some capacity.

Thanks, Jason, for taking part in the series.

Jason's your website: http://www.jasonpinter.com.
He's also on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jasonpinter where he says he tries to be funny and occasionally informative. And he leaves it to readers to agree or disagree with that, but they should know that everything he writes, funny or unfunny, informative or irreverent, is who he is.

A Conversation with S. J. Bolton

British thriller novelist S. J. Bolton writes about idyllic settings with dark secrets. Her novels are set in Scotland and her native England.

Sharon, your novels are medical thrillers. Do you have a medical background?

I don’t have any sort of medical background (other than a crash course in practical obstetrics courtesy of my son) but fortunately I love research. My protagonists’ occupations are driven by the demands of the plots. In Sacrifice, the villainy revolves around pregnant women, fertility and childbirth so by making Tora Hamilton an obstetrician I gave her an access to events that was denied even to the police. Likewise in Awakening, when the village is invaded by venomous reptiles, the villagers turn to the local wildlife vet for answers. I’ve stayed with the medical theme in my third book and made the main character a children’s psychiatrist whose work brings her into contact with some disturbed and frightened youngsters.

Why did you chose Scotland as the setting for your novel, Sacrifice? Tell us briefly about the book.

Sacrifice was inspired by my discovery of an old Shetland legend: that of the Kunal Trows, semi-supernatural inhabitants of the most northerly islands in Britain who prey upon their human neighbours. It simply never occurred to me to set the story anywhere other than Shetland. When I started writing, I knew next to nothing about the islands, but I soon learned I’d picked the most fantastic setting for a thriller. Shetland is heartbreakingly beautiful, full of atmosphere and totally remote. When the sun goes down, it’s easy to imagine having no where to run and no one to trust.

The story opens when a young doctor finds the corpse of a woman buried on her land. Strange runic symbols have been carved into her flesh and her heart has been ripped out. Frustrated by a lack of interest from the local police, Tora starts her own investigations and discovers a disturbing pattern of missing women of childbearing age.

Awakening is set on the Dorset Devon border of England. What about that area intrigued you enough to set your novel there?

The snakes came first with Awakening. I loved the idea of a picture-postcard village with something sinister lurking in the undergrowth and needed to set the book somewhere that snakes could thrive. Also, because I wanted to set a lot of the action underground, geology became important. I was looking for an area of chalk downland in the south of England where the land could be riddled with old forgotten chalk mines. The Dorset Devon border, just inland from Lyme Regis was perfect. Beautiful, sparsely populated and mysterious.

In Awakening, a fifty year old secret has reared its head once more, with devastating consequences for those old enough to remember the events first time around.

Tell us about your next novel, which takes place in a graveyard with "a girl with voices?" Is it also set in the UK?

The Blood Harvest is set on the Pennine moors in the north of England, on the border between Lancashire and Yorkshire. There’s something about borders I find quite intriguing. Stephen King talks about border lands having “slippage”, i.e., being places where normal rules of existence don’t always apply. I was born and brought up in the Pennines and it’s a part of the country I know really well. I’ve been described in the British press as the high priestess of English rural gothic, which is flattering, but not really a title I want to be stuck with. My fourth book, for this reason, will be set in London.

What’s the best part of writing and the worst?

Hearing from readers who’ve enjoyed the books: and hearing from readers who haven’t.

What’s your writing schedule like and do you aim for a certain amount of words at each writing session?

Every morning I send my son off to school, walk Lupe the lurcher and then sit down at my desk. I aim to write between 2000 and 3000 words a day, which usually takes about four hours. At 3000 I make myself stop because at that stage the quality plummets at the speed of a downhill ski race. In the afternoons and evenings I do publicity work and editing.

How, in your opinion, do mystery novels differ in the UK and US?

I’d honestly struggle to answer this one, because the genre is so wide and varied in both countries. I love the US forensic thrillers, by the likes of Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell, but we have our own homegrown versions coming from writers like Simon Beckett. The US has a strong tradition of noir, but we have authors like Mo Hayder and Val McDermid who don’t pull any punches. I think the two markets learn from each other and reflect back the best of each. Consequently, English language mystery novels are the best in the world.

Has the economic downturn affected book sales in the UK? Are independent bookstores closing their doors?

Some are struggling, without doubt, but a good independent bookstore will always have a very loyal clientele. My local store report a downturn in hardback fiction but have diversifed into good quality DVDs and book-related childrens’ toys. They’re doing fine.

What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?

Driving everyone around me crazy.

Advice to fledgling novelists?

Don’t give up. But never underestimate the work involved. If you’re not prepared to discard an entire year’s work and start from scratch, the job probably isn’t for you. And be the very best that you can. The market is so competitive you can’t afford to give it less than 100%. Aim for the New York Times bestseller list and you’ll probably find yourself a publisher.

Thank you, Sharon, for taking part in the series.

Sharon's website URL: www.sjbolton.com