A Visit with Marja McGraw

A southern California native, Marja McGraw has worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement. As a divorced, single parent she lived in a number of locations, including Wasilla, Alaska, and northern Nevada, where she worked for the Department of Transportation. She was also employed in Oregon as well as the Jackson County sheriff's department while owning her own antique store/tea room. She's the author of the Sandi Webster and The Bogey Man mystery series.

Marja, since this is the last week of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour, what have you learned from the experience?

Several things come to mind. It’s hard work to come up with twelve blogs so close together, but it was a lot of fun. During this process, I’ve met and enjoyed coming to know some authors and readers. I’ve learned that for the most part people like blogs that are down-to-earth so they can get to know the author a little. And I’ve learned that I have no idea if a blog tour will help book sales or not. I guess it means more to me that I was able to interact with the other authors on the blog tour.

How did your Bogie Man series come about?

I’ve always been a huge Humphrey Bogart fan, and I added a man (Chris Cross) with an uncanny resemblance to him as a character in The Bogey Man, one of the Sandi Webster mysteries. He was so popular with readers that I decided to give him his own series. It’s turned out to be a lot of fun; much more so than I anticipated. He has a wife who partners with him, a stepson who wants nothing more than to be involved in one of the mysteries, and two “interesting” yellow Labrador retrievers.

By the way, the newest Sandi Webster mystery just came out in July. It’s called Old Murders Never Die, and P.I. Sandi Webster and her partner, Pete, become stranded in a ghost town thanks to a mysterious cowboy. They also discover the story of a series of murders that took place in the town in 1880, and work to determine if the crimes were ever solved. To add to the mystery of the town, several families moved away and left all of their belongings behind. Hmm. Wonder what that’s all about.

Why did you decide to set the 1940s as the backdrop for your novels?

Let me begin by saying that the stories take place today, not back in the forties. I don’t want any confusion about that. With that said, how else could I do justice to a character looking like Bogey? He needs to use the old slang, and he demonstrates some of Bogey’s mannerisms as they were in his movies. The forties were a fun time in a lot of ways, so I’m trying to keep that alive through the Bogey Man.

In what capacity did you work in law enforcement? And have you used your experiences in your novels?

I actually worked in a clerical capacity, but in “those days” there weren’t any female deputies in my department. If one was needed, we clerks filled in. Things were so different in the seventies. One time I actually searched a women’s restroom for a bomb, with no training. Thankfully, there was no bomb. Another time my life was threatened by a woman who’d applied for a job and wasn’t hired. All I’d done was administer the typing test, and that wasn’t why she was turned down. I may have been clerical, but I have lots of stories. I was very young and shy, and single at the time, and working with all those cops was a good time.

In the 1990s, I worked for a county sheriff’s office in Oregon, and that was a whole different experience. Things had changed a lot by then.

How important are quirky characters and humor in a mystery novel?

If that’s the type of novel you want to write, or read, they’re very important. A lot of the humor comes from the quirky characters and their antics. How your average person deals with them can be quite funny, too. For me, as a reader, humor and quirky characters give the story more character, and that makes them more memorable.

What’s your writing schedule like?

I work about six hours a day, seven days a week, but that includes writing, marketing and promoting. It’s hectic, but it’s the most fun I’ve ever had while doing a job.

Why is writing important to you?

I’ve always been an avid reader, beginning with Dick and Jane. When I decided to write, it was because I wanted to entertain others as I’d been entertained. There’s no sweeter music to the ears for an author than hearing a reader say they enjoyed the author’s book, and it’s even better when they say they took something away from it. It doesn’t matter if they just got a smile out of it or if the story made them view something differently, as long as it had an effect on them.

Advice to aspiring mystery novelists?

Always begin your career by letting your skin thicken. No matter how good of a writer you are, not everyone is going to like your book.

Secondly, never apologize for your early work. I’ve done that, and I shouldn’t have. Being a writer is like anything else you do in life. It’s a learning process, and the more you do it, the better writer you become. I wouldn’t have thought about that except that recently someone told me about their first book and commented that it wasn’t all that great. Guess what? I loved it! Let the reader decide for themselves. If they see promise, chances are they’ll go back and try your next book.

Last, when all else is said and done, make sure all of your periods and commas are in the right place, and that there are as few misspellings and typos as possible. Don’t submit until the book is clean enough for the public to read. Be proud of what you submit.

Which author(s) influenced your own writing?

Harper Lee more than anyone else. I’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird a number of times, and I get something new out of it with each read. Beyond her, every mystery writer I’ve ever read has had some impact on me. I especially enjoy authors who are telling a story rather than just putting the facts of a mystery on paper. That type of author makes the story come to life (even if there are a few typos).

Thanks by dropping by, Marja.

You can visit Marja at ther website:  http://www.marjamcgraw.com/,
her blog site: http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/ and on Facebook where she welcomes new friends.