My last published book, eighth in the series, was A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary.
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| Terry Shames |
For a review of A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary, click here
What was the most recent book you read?
I am an avid reader, reading everything from mystery to sci-fi to mainstream fiction to non-fiction. My last read was Liane Moriarity’s first book, Three Wishes. Her books have evolved to domestic suspense novels, for lack of a better label, but this one was pure character-driven “women’s” fiction about triplets. As in every good novel, though, there are mysteries that lie at the heart of the book.
How did you develop your character and choose your location?
In 2008 I took a workshop that changed my writing life. I had written a few books that, despite being picked up by a couple of great agents, never went anywhere. On the last day of the workshop one of the leaders, Sophie Littlefield, made an impassioned speech addressing those of us who had been writing without publishing success. She said to reach deep inside to find out what you knew best and write that. I had heard the advice numerous times, but for some reason this time it hit home. In college I had written some short stories set in a fictional town called Jarrett Creek based on the small Texas town where my grandparents lived when I was growing up. I always felt connected to the town on a deep level. I decided to set a novel there. For a central character wanted a law enforcement professional. My grandfather had been mayor of the town and was still trusted. I thought he would make a great protagonist. The other element I was interested in was presenting an older protagonist. I was tired of reading older characters being dismissed as little old ladies or little old men. My grandfather was still very active into his 80s. That’s the kind of protagonist I wanted. My grandfather’s name was Samuel but everyone called him Sam or Mr. Sam. I decided to give my protagonist his name, but not shorten it. He would be Samuel. Craddock was an old family name, so I took that too. The Samuel Craddock series, set in Jarrett Creek, Texas.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book.
I have to admit that I’m lazy about research. When I’m writing and I come to something that I don’t much about, then I’ll look into it. Or sometimes, I simply write it the way I think it should be and then go back and find out the reality. A couple of times that has been a problem. I had read that murders in small-town Texas are investigated by the highway patrol under the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Texas Rangers organization is also under the DPS umbrella. In my third book, when this information was relevant to the story, that’s the way I wrote it—with a Texas Highway Patrol officer taking the lead. Just as my edits were finished I went to a Sisters in Crime meeting in Austin at which the speaker was a veteran detective from a mid-size Texas town. I asked him if that was really the way it worked. He said, “On paper, yes.” But he said that in reality it was usually the Texas Rangers who investigated crime in small Texas towns because they had “unlimited resources.” Stop the presses! I phoned my editor and he said there was just time for me to change the relevant passages in my book.
What books did you read as a child?
I was always a big-time reader, and drawn to mysteries. When I was six I still remember getting three Nancy Drew books for Christmas. Heaven! When I was even younger I read Raggedy Ann and Andy books. But it wasn’t only mystery books that I liked. Like a lot of young girls, I got into horse books. I read Black Beauty about twenty times—and always cried. The Black Stallion. My Friend Flicka. Books in which things happened. Oddly, I tried reading Hardy Boys Mysteries, and found them boring. My mother belonged to a Book-of-the-Month club. She was fine with me reading the adult. I remember my aunt asking her if she really thought it was okay for me to read one of the books that I was reading. My mother replied that if there were passages I shouldn’t read I wouldn’t understand them anyway. She was right. There must have been sex in the books, but all I remember thinking was, “And then what happened?”
What drew you to writing?
It was when I was in fifth grade and read “The Asbestos Man,” a sci-fi short story, that I thought I could write stories, too. To this day, I think that if I had the imagination for it, I would like to have written sci-fi. But that requires a piece of brainpower that I seem to lack.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Please take yourself seriously! And realize that “good enough” is not good enough. I was so careless as a young writer, just thinking I could toss off a story and it would be “good enough.” Only when I became determined to write books that would find a publisher did I dig in and do the hard work of “real” writing.
Who is your favorite author?
The toss-off line would be, “The author I’m reading at the moment.” I love the feeling of starting a book and being sucked in right away (and no, the body doesn’t have to be there on the first page). If we’re talking “classic” favorites I have to say Eudora Welty. There are moments in her short stories that I can call up instantly and feel like the moment is still vivid and fresh and resonant. With a few short strokes she reveals her characters. I was lucky enough to have a professor who pointed out that her stories are full of the threat of violence just below the surface. So southern. If you’re asking about crime writers, there are several I could mention, Adrian McKinty, Deborah Crombie, Timothy Hallinan, J.K. Rowling, Jane Harper, Robert Crais, Reece Hirsch (I’m reading an ARC of his next book and for me he’s one of the best thriller writers around).
If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
Five people? Hmmm. Writers I think would have interesting lines of chatter. Let’s start with William Shakespeare. I can’t help picturing him as an unwashed, snarky guy, impatient and sharp-eyed. Next, I’d like to find out what kind of personality Jane Austen had. I read her collected letters which were witty and clear-eyed. I’d like to know how she wrote—did she outline? How did she know how a story worked? My author friend Timothy Hallinan would go great in this group. His books are deceptively entertaining—the deception is in the depth of the books. You don’t even realize he’s taking you deep into the human heart. He’d be able to draw these people out and match wits with them. Laura Lippman would be an interesting addition to the party. She’s intense, with a feminist sensibility, a great writer. I never miss a talk or a panel with her because I know she’ll say something that makes me think. She’d throw a kink into the dinner party and we’d be off. Finally, I want Catriona McPherson with us. She’s sharp and funny as hell and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. What a great party that would be! I suppose if I’m there too, it would be hard for two men to hold out against four women. So let’s add one more man. And I’d add some diversity to the mix. How about Abir Mukherjee. I’m on a blog with him and he always has something interesting to say, plus A Rising Man was a dynamite book. Intelligent.
If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
I think I would have liked being a lawyer. I like the precision of legal language and I love to dig out the most arcane meanings of things. On the other hand, I took one pre-law course in college and made a D because I never did homework. Go figure.
1 comment:
"I was tired of reading older characters being dismissed as little old ladies or little old men."
Exactly. Thank you for not dismissing them.
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