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So far you have published eight books in your Scumble River mystery series. Why did you decide to base your series in a small Midwestern town and how did you come up with that name?
I’ve always been fascinated with small-towns, especially in the Midwest. Having grown up in a town of less than 3000, I knew that there were a lot of secrets in a town like that. I also knew that the population of a town like that is extremely closed to outsiders, which made the need for an amateur sleuth a little more realistic. I was originally going to just set my series in my hometown of Coal City, Ill., but when it looked as if I really was going to get my book published, my husband asked me if I could say the word “lawsuit” and suggested I fictionalize my setting. I agreed and started reading the dictionary trying to come up with a word I liked. Finally I found Scumble, which means “to obscure” and thought it would be perfect for a town with a lot to hide.
When did you first know you wanted to write mysteries?
I’ve wanted to write since junior high, but back in those days thought I would write a romance. By the time I decided to really sit down and try to write a whole book I was reading mostly mysteries—Carolyn Hart, Nancy Pickard, Joan Hess and wanted to write like them.
Your main character, Skye Denison, is not a size 0, but feels comfortable in her own body. Why did you think this is important?
I’m also not a size zero or even a size twelve, and there are a lot of women who are in that category with me. I feel like these women are underrepresented in the media—TV, movies, books. I wanted the world to see that you can be different from what Glamour says you should be and still have a great life, including romance.
As far as I know, your mystery series is the only one that has its own music. Did you originally plan to have it that way?
The music has been a wonderful surprise for me. My husband and I have always been creative people. We were both in musicals and plays in high school, college, and community theatre, and he has always loved music. When I got my first advance, I wanted to buy him something special for being so supportive for the years I was writing and trying to get published. He mentioned this new software that allowed one to compose on the computer so I bought that for him. This software opened the world of composing up for him in the same way the personal computer opened the door for me to write.
You come up with some really eye catching titles for your series (e.g. “Murder of a Smart Cookie,” “Murder of a Barbie and Ken,” etc). How do you come up with these titles?
My editor and I share the credit for title creation. She came up with Small-Town Honey, Sweet Old Lady (my least favorite title), and Barbie and Ken. Sleeping Beauty, Snake in the Grass, Pink Elephant, Smart Cookie, Real Bad Boy, and Botoxed Blonde are mine. Some titles come to me before the book—Sleeping Beauty, and Smart Cookie. Others I really dredge for like Snake in the Grass and Pink Elephant. And on a rare occasion, I’m talking about the book, use a phrase and it resonates, such as Real Bad Boy. For my newest book, due out April 3, I was watching a commercial and the title, Murder of a Botoxed Blonde, just plopped into my head.
I have heard you say that writing humor is hard work. Why is that?
Humor is tricky to write. Most people find the same things scary, but everyone’s funny bone seems to be a little different. Plus, there is the problem of being funny without being too slapstick, not using offensive humor, and just not feeling too funny on some days. You can always get into the mood to whack someone’s head off by driving on the Dan Ryan, but it’s often a lot more difficult to find the humor in a situation.
I have also heard you express concern about graphic violence in mysteries. Other writers say that it portrays realism. What is your take on this?
I really don’t think a serial killer beheading his victims and having sex with the headless bodies is any more realistic than a talking cat solving a murder—no disrespect to the feline, I love cat mysteries. On the other hand, when I worked as a police dispatcher, it was often ordinary citizens who gave the police the answers they needed to solve the crimes. (no murders while I was there—darn it).
Do you prefer to write during a specific time of day (e.g. early morning, night, etc.)?
I feel like I do my best writing in the morning. I usually go right from bed to my computer. I like to keep that dreamlike state as long as possible.
Do you have any superstitious steps you follow when preparing to write? Not exactly superstitions, but I do like to start my session by playing a game of Free Cell. It helps me let my mind wander and think about the scene I’m about to write.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?
I wish I would have taken more time to enjoy the moments—getting the call that my book had been purchased, seeing my first book in print, being nominated for the Agatha best first book. I tended to rush through these wonderful experiences, worried about what was next.
What is your pet peeve?
Seeing writers who write humorous and traditional mysteries, mostly women, dismissed by reviewers and award committees. Reviewers have started reviewing more women writers, but the women being reviewed are mostly the ones writing the darker books.
What can’t you live without?
I’m not sure I can’t live without it, but I do get really cranky when I don’t get my daily allotment of Caffeine Free Diet Coke.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing writers now?
Coming up with something fresh.
What makes a successful writer?
That depends on how you define success. If you mean published and selling, I would say the successful writers write at least a book a year—every nine months is better. They work to make each book in their series better than the one before. And they work just as hard getting the word out about their books as writing them.
Are there ever circumstances under which you think a writer should censor her writing?
In my current series, I do censor myself because I have aimed those books at a certain segment of the reading public, and as such “promised” that you can read one of my Scumble River mysteries with worrying about bad language, graphic violence or graphic sex. If I was writing a standalone or a new series I would not feel the need to censor myself. Personally, I have trouble reading that a “gang rape is a right of passage,” which I recently saw. Should that author be censored or censor himself? No. Will I buy that book and support that author’s career? No.
If you could take the place of another writer for the day, who would it be and why?
Sue Grafton. I hear she has a really great house.
Do you think the Internet age will lead to a decrease in book readers and buyers?
No. People talk a lot about the next generation not reading, yet I have many readers in the 13 and above age bracket and none have asked me about downloading my books.
Do you believe authors should take on more of a role in marketing themselves to the public so as to generate book sales?
It’s a fine line, but I do think authors have to be willing to promote their books. My compromise, for example, is that I will say to someone “Do you like humorous mysteries?” If they say yes, I will describe my books and hand them my bookmark. If they say no, I don’t pursue it. I go to bookstores and libraries that invite me, but I don’t force myself on these places. I speak to groups who ask, but I don’t hassle people to invite me.
If someone was making a movie about your life, what would be the title of the movie?
Amazing Journey
What would you want your epitaph to be?
She told a really good story.
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