Interview with Roberta Isleib/Lucy Burdette
How many books have you published?
Under what names do you publish?
The golf lovers and advice column series were written as
Roberta Isleib (my real name.) For the Key West food critic series, I used a
pen name, Lucy Burdette (my grandmother's name.)
Do you plot the entire book first, then write or plot as you go?
Ah, plotting--this is the hardest part of writing for me! I
do write a synopsis of the book at the beginning, but it always turns out to be
sketchy. I have more ideas as I write and as the characters bloom and grow. And
I brainstorm with other writers when I get stuck!
How do you keep continuity on backstory? For example I read a book
recently where the lead character said she had three brothers, several books
later, she was an only child.
Oh boy, I should do better with this but I'm not exquisitely
organized. It helps to have a manuscript I can search on the computer. And I
have at times begged readers to help me remember facts I've forgotten. And an
editor and copy editor are invaluable too, especially if they've worked on all
of the books and have the overview of the setting and characters. I did inadvertently change one character's name from the first
Key West book to the second and noticed the blooper way too late. So far, no
one has complained...
Who is your favorite author?
It's way to hard to choose one
favorite writer--there are so many wonderful books in the world. For cozy
mysteries, of course I enjoy the authors on www.mysteryloverskitchen.com and www.wickedcozyauthors.com; for traditional mysteries, I love
the other writers on www.jungleredwriters.com and also William Kent
Krueger and Stephen White; for food and memoir, Diana Abu-Jaber; for women's
fiction, Kristin Higgins, Lolly Winston, Barbara O'Neal, Maddie Dawson. And my
sister, Susan Cerulean, is a fierce and lyrical nature writer.
Do you write with pen and paper or a computer?
I write almost entirely with a
computer, but I always have a notebook with me so I don't waste time if I'm
waiting. Also, if I'm researching for a Key West book, I take the notebook with
me so I can jot important details down when I'm out in the world.
Thanks for hosting me on Map
Your Mystery! I hope your readers will enjoy the Key West series!
xo Lucy
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