FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How did you go from writing about the Gray Whale Inn to writing Tales of an Urban Werewolf?
If you’re anything like me, you don’t just read the same type of story over and over; you have a range of books you like, and you tend to choose different types of books at different times. I think writing can be the same way; I’ve got lots of different interests, and it’s fun to be able to explore several of them.
I’ve always been fascinated by magic and the paranormal (even in Dead and Berried, there’s a ghost story), so it wasn’t as big as a leap as it might seem. Two years ago, when my agent Jessica and I were talking about book ideas, I mentioned that I was interested in writing a story with magical elements. After a moment’s pause, Jessica said, “What do you think of werewolves?”
At first, I must confess, I wasn’t sure what to think. But then, while I was walking around Town Lake, the lifestyle-challenged auditor/werewolf Sophie Garou popped into my head, along with her psychic witch mother, and there was no turning back.
What’s been fun about doing multiple series is that it helps the characters stay fresh for me. And keeping things fresh keeps me creative.
Who is your favorite author?
Goodness. That list changes almost weekly. In the mystery/romance arena, I love Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Wittig Albert, Diane Mott Davidson, and anything by any of the Cozy Chicks. But I also like Barbara Kingsolver, P.G. Wodehouse, James Herriot, Vladimir Nabokov, Diana Gabaldon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Robin Hobb (the best fantasy writer currently in the game, in my opinion). I recently discovered Claire Berlinski, so I’ll have to add her to the list, and I’m sure I’m forgetting at least a dozen favorites. I also read a lot of nonfiction; I’m a big fan of Michael Pollan and Bill Bryson.
Do you write everything from personal experience?
First, let me point out that I write about werewolves. From a first-person point of view.
So no, I don’t write everything from personal experience – although I wouldn’t mind waking up in an inn on Cranberry Island one morning, or enjoying a midnight moonlit run on all four paws.
Someone once said that instead of writing what you know, you should write what you’d like to know about. And that’s pretty much my motto.
Will you be continuing Barbara Burnett Smith’s beading series?
Unfortunately, Berkley decided not to continue the series, so I’m afraid we’ve seen the last of Barbara’s wonderful character Kitzi. But she may have a cameo in one of my other books; you never know!
What is your work schedule like?
It used to be very fixed; I’d go for a walk/run/ride every weekday morning, then repair to the local coffee shop and pound out about a thousand words. Lately, however, I’ve become more flexible about things – some days I write three-thousand words, some days none – but I still manage to write a book every six to nine months. I find I outline less as I go, as well – it makes the story come alive more for me.
How do I get published?
Gosh, that’s a tough one. First, I think, the important thing is to finish a book. But even before doing that, it’s key to read, read, read, so that you internalize what makes a good book – and a bad one – and find out what types of book interest you enough to keep your attention for as many pages as it takes to write it. I think it’s also helpful to go into a book knowing what kind of piece you’re writing, and with a general idea of its length, its feel, and where it fits in the market. Oh – and another key issue is coming up with an original twist, if you can. Something that’s a bit different from what’s already out there.
Once you’ve got your cleaned-up manuscript in hand, then you can repair to Publishers Marketplace and start figuring out who might be a good candidate for representing it. Research your agents, get help crafting a pitch (Jessica recently critiqued about a hundred pitches on the Bookends Blog, so that’s a good place to start), and then start the torturous process of querying. During which you need to continue reminding yourself that it only takes one yes – and start working on your next book. (Which should probably not be a sequel to your first; there’s nothing more depressing than working on a sequel to an unsold book.)
Will there be recipes in Tales?
Since the only ‘original recipe’ in Tales is for wolfsbane tea, which is poisonous, I regret to say that I will not be including recipes. If you need to know more about the “Get Away Ghost” spells, though, feel free to e-mail me.
When will the next Gray Whale Inn mystery be out?
I am working on the third GWI mystery, MURDER MOST MAINE, even now, and hope it will hit the market in early 2009. I’ll post the official date as soon as I know!
I love your blog, Poisoned Pen Letters, and also the Cozy Chicks, but I’ve noticed you tend to have quiet periods. Why is that?
I love my blog, too, but with two kids, two series, and another proposal in the works, sometimes it’s all I can do to get my daily word quota in. So although I’ll do my best to do regular updates, there will be times when deadlines come perilously close and the novel-writing takes precedence. So if I haven’t been on in a while, it’s not that I’ve been hit by an ice cream truck; it’s that I’m trying to get a book (or two, or three) done!
