Lorena, tell us about why you became a mystery author. Your future book writing goals.
Back when I was writing romances, I thought I didn't have
the kind of twisty/turny mind it took to write mysteries. But perhaps advancing
age has made it more twisty/turny! Because, while writing a romance some time
back (FORGOTTEN, from Palisades, which was a RITA finalist), it turned into as
much mystery as romance. And it was then I realized I liked doing the mystery
part best. So my more recent books have been mostly mystery, with just a
smidgen of romance.
As for future writing goals, I'm just starting a new mystery series with a different publisher. This is the Andi McConnell Mysteries series, with the first title, YOUR CHARIOT AWAITS, due out in September. The chariot in this case is a limousine, with - what else! - a dead body in the trunk. This series is scheduled for five books.
What advice do you have for the mystery writer who wants to write a mystery series?
Mostly read - well, not just read but study - the mystery authors you like best. Study how they build their characters and construct plots and do dialogue. Then, don't try to copy, of course, but think how to incorporate these techniques into your own writing.
Tell us a bit about your protagonist and your books.
My protagonist in INVISIBLE is Ivy Malone, who is dismayed to discover that she seems to have aged into invisibility. But also discovers that this can be a handy asset when you're sleuthing. Ivy and I are quite a lot alike, although she's considerably more adventurous than I am. But it was my own rather dismaying experiences with "invisibility" that started me writing her. I get quite a few e-mails and letters from readers who have a strong familiarity with "invisibility" in their own lives, some of them considerably younger than Ivy.
What was the best writing day you ever had as far as page count or word count?
I'm rather embarrassed to admit that any day where I write more new words than I delete old words is a good day for me.
What type of writing schedule do you have?
I consider writing a job, so, like any job, I just basically go do it every day.
How do you spend your free time?
Like any other writer, I love to read. What draws me into a book is wondering, What IS going to happen next? How IS this going to end? I'll read through some pretty bad writing, if those questions draw me in. I also like to hike, especially on the Oregon beaches. We have a little house up in the Puget Sound area where we go for 2 or 3 weeks at a time and relax. I collect old pocket knives and spurs, so I always enjoy going to flea markets or antique stores to look for them.
Lorena McCourtney's web site