Janice J. Richardson Interview

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?

The latest book - First Call, Book 4 of A Spencer Funeral Home Niagara Cozy Mystery Series was published mid-December 2017. It is the final book in that series.

My first book, The Making of a Funeral Director is a memoir. It covers two years of funeral service education and a bit beyond. That makes five.

How did you become interested in writing?
I sort of fell into it a bit later in life. The Making of a Funeral Director I wrote after I graduated, but didn't publish it. Years later, the manuscript surfaced when my husband found it during a move. With the advent of self-publishing, I researched all the 'how to' sources I could find. Rayne Hall's books were invaluable. Once the memoir was published, the idea for a fictional story about a funeral director popped into my head. I kept going after Casket Cache, it was so much fun. I enjoy the learning curve of being a self-published author.

What is a day in the life of an author like? Do you write a certain number of words, do you write in the morning or evening, etc?
A day in the life of this author means rising early, sitting at my computer and stopping only to eat, quitting when I am tired in the evening. Plot bunnies come out at night, they need to be nurtured and noted right away. Once the book goes to my editor I tend to get a bit anxious, for me the editing process is harder than writing the first few drafts. I have learned to appreciate the input from beta readers and editors. It's a collaborative process.

As for a word count, I don't set goals. I just write until the book is done. Quantity over quality doesn't work for me. It may take me hours to write and rewrite a page, or a day to write several chapters. No rhyme or reason or rhythm, just writing.

I used a quote from Brandon Sanderson in my last book - "The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon." Well said. Stories that leave me (as a reader) with unanswered questions are my favorite. If the story is good, and I get caught up in it, then to imagine the ending is delicious fun. Not all readers like that style of writing, cozy mysteries tend to be neat and tidy, with no loose ends. I have modified a couple of my books and left the reader guessing.

Do you plot the entire book first, then write or plot as you go?
Sometimes I do an outline, but seldom stick to it, as the stories tend take on a life of their own. I wrote the last chapter of First Call long before I had an idea of how the story would evolve. I spent a fair bit of time researching that book. The story had to be shaped around the ending.

Do you use real people and places as models for your books?
Yes. My characters are composites of people I have worked with, and family and friends. I chose Niagara Falls as the setting, having moved to the region from the northern part of the province a few years ago. It is a marvelous place to live and I love the roar of the falls. The Niagara peninsula is a beautiful part of the country.

Who is your favorite author?
Can't pick just one. :) Non-fiction - my favorite non-fiction writer currently would be Frank Schaeffer. As for fiction, my favorites are Louise Penny, Jennifer S. Alderson's Zelda Richardson series and I.J. Parker's Sugawara Akidata series.

How do you promote your books?
Twitter was new to me and fun to learn. Occasionally I will tweet about my books, mostly I post about the Niagara Region and my cat Vegas, aka Kittybrat. I tend to follow people who don't constantly promote their books, and who follow back. I don't blog or have a website, so Facebook is my home base.

Marketing is not my strong point, I would rather build friendships with readers, authors and bloggers. Goodreads is one of my best marketing tools, I follow authors, readers and reviewers and do my best to review every book I finish.

My goal is to introduce readers to a protagonist whose job as a funeral director would educate and reassure them. Most people are not comfortable with funeral service, so I made Casket Cache (ebook version) free. I won't put my prices above four dollars on my other books. I want my books to be affordable for all. When I made Casket Cache free, to my surprise, it moved into the top ten in one of its categories with over 1300 books downloaded in three weeks. My plan is to keep it free, and I hope Amazon will continue to price match. My goal to educate, entertain and share freely may not be a marketing tool, but it is how I choose to manage my books. It is the readers, bloggers and reviewers who promote them. I'm humbled and grateful for their friendship and support