Monday, December 15, 2014
Another Busy Mystery Writer on Cape Cod
Here's another great writer (on left) who is enjoying life and literary success on that big writers colony known as Cape Cod. I ran a few questions by her recently so that you can get to know something about her....and then go buy her books.
1) What was
your profession before you became a writer and briefly describe a day in
your life in that field.
Ans. My
life before writing was filled with danger, intrigue and adventure. Not really.
Although I enjoyed being a Senior Executive with the Treasury Department most
of the excitement was intellectual rather than physical, and my routine was
much more likely to include mind-numbing meetings than dabbling in crime.
2) Now that
you are a published writer, what is a day in your life like now?
Ans. I
do try to infuse my writing life with the habits of discipline and tenacity
that served me well in that alphabet agency. That means writing EVERY day, or
engaging in writing related activities. My goal is to produce 1000 reasonably
coherent words a day. Research, promotion and social media activities are
factored into the day as well.
3) What is
the most satisfying thing for you about writing?
Ans. Only
writers can live in imaginary worlds and create a host of characters to
populate their pages. As a mystery writer, I also enjoy devising a fiendishly
clever plot, planting clues and bringing my readers to a satisfying conclusion.
4) What do
you enjoy doing other than writing?
Ans. Auctions, particularly those involving
anything French, are a passion with me. Antiques have their own aura of mystery
and it’s fun to imagine their previous life.
5) Tell us
about the genre in which you write and why you chose that one.
Ans. I write mysteries, particularly romantic
suspense because that area has always intrigued me. As a child, I immersed
myself in Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, Dana Girls etc., finally graduating to
Agatha Christie. After that I never turned back.
6) If you
decided to write in another genre, what would it be?
Ans. At one time, I envisioned writing political
commentary. My academic specialty was Political Science and I am still addicted
to reading everything in that field. Since I hold opinions that diverge from
the mainstream of both parties, no one would ever vote for me as a candidate but
they would LOVE my stump speeches.
7) What will
you be doing ten years from now.
Ans. I never plan a decade in advance—that’s way
too formulaic for me. My dream future would entail adapting several of my
series for either movies or television shows, and
being allowed to
dictate the cast. I have very definite ideas about who should play Patrick Fong
or Deming Swann, and of course Grace Quinn or Eja Kane.
8) Tell us about
your next work.
Ans. My new series (the Beltway Bandit Series)
features an intrepid band of management consultants in Washington DC. Gosh,
that sounds dull, but believe me they encounter all sorts of murder and mayhem.
I worked with consultants during my government career and often wished they would disappear.
