1 Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?
When my husband and
I moved to New Mexico following our respective retirements, he began to devote
full time to finishing his novel, something he looked forward to and planned to
do when he retired. I had dabbled in
writing short pieces, parts of a novel, I guess, so I took up writing also. Since I had always read and loved mysteries,
I began one using a psychologist as a protagonist since that was what I had
done for my career. That manuscript went
nowhere, so I shelved it and wrote other mysteries which publishers picked up.
How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing
freehand?
I write on a
laptop. I begin my writing each morning
and often continue into the afternoon. I
do not write in the evenings or before bedtime as it gets me so revved up I cannot
fall asleep. When we’re up north in our
cottage in Upstate New York, my desk and laptop are in front of a window in my
office. The window looks out into a
lilac bush. It’s so lovely to sit there
is late May, open the window and breathe in the smell of the flowers. In the winters we go south to rural Florida
where I write in our little house overlooking a canal. Birds of every kind come there to feed,
turtles sun themselves on the bank and alligators swim past. I’m treated to a little zoo while I write!
What's your
favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
Beginning a new
project, a book or short story, is the fun part for me. I love the challenge of creating a character
and beginning to plot out the story.
What I like least is the editing, editing, editing. I try to set a story aside for at least a
month after I've written it before I begin edits. I rewrite as I go, so by the time I’m
finished before editing, the manuscript is as I’d like it with respect to characters
and plot.
How do you come
up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?
I wish I could
delineate a process by which I create a character, but they seem to just spring
into my mind rather fully formed. I have
a number of short stories centered on the theme of Thanksgiving. They feature an “Aunt Nozzie” who is loosely
based upon an aunt of mine, at least they look alike and both of them love
cooking, but, if my aunt were still alive, I doubt she’d recognize herself in
the fictional character.
What types of
marketing do you do to promote your writing?
I do interviews,
both on blogs like this one and radio interviews. Like all authors today I use the internet,
e.g. twitter, Facebook, other social networking sites, and I have a website
which contains my blog. However, the
most fun is to attend events and meet my readers.
My husband and I do a joint program called
“Retirement is Murder”, very appropriate since both of us write mysteries. It’s a fun presentation which we do for
literary groups, at libraries, for retirees, anyplace wanting to hear a couple
of writers talk about living together as a writing couple.
I also speak at
libraries and to fine arts groups or to other organizations such as business
women’s groups.
How do you
schedule your writing time? When do you write?
As I've indicated,
I try to write each day, usually in the mornings and afternoon. I like to take a block of time and devote it
to writing, but I also intersperse it with other activities like cooking, gardening,
running errands, visiting friends, taking a walk, or doing some work on the
1874 cottage we’re renovating.
What are you
currently working on? Do you have a new book out?
I self-published a
book (my very first manuscript) this spring and have been promoting it for the
month of May. I’m excited at how well it
has been received. It’s really my
“little book that could” and gaining legs among readers.
One of my publishers,
Camel Press will release the second book in the Eve Appel mystery series (
Dead in the Water) July 15, and I’m
having a book launch for it on July 18 at a local restaurant. The remainder of the summer I’ll be working
on several short stories about Eve and also writing another Aunt Nozzie story
for Thanksgiving. You can find all my
books and my short stories by going to my website
www.lesleyadiehl.com. I’d enjoy visits
from readers and you can contact me through the website too.
Do you have a
project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
I have too many
projects on the back burner. I plan to
write a third book in my microbrewing series, a third book in my Big Lake
murder mystery series, some more Eve Appel books and I have two manuscripts I've been playing around with for several years that are a departure from my
humorous cozies. These are darker and,
although there is humor in them, it is more noir. Gosh I wish I had begun writing when I was
younger. Ideas seem to tumble out of my
brain, and I worry I won’t have time to do everything!
What would you
tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has
enough talent?
When I began
writing I knew I liked mysteries, and I certainly knew I could write scientific
literature, but I had to learn how to write mysteries. I’d advise reading what genre you want to
write and read many different books in that genre. I also found help and support by joining on
line groups such as Sisters in Crime and the unpublished subgroup of sisters
called Guppies. Guppies has on line
writing classes for mystery, manuscript exchange opportunities, and information
about contacting agents and small presses.
Attending writing conferences such as Sleuthfest or CrimeBake, for
example, where you can attend panels and sessions devoted to the craft of
writing and meet other writers will help the novice learn about all aspects of
writing from plotting, pacing, character development to pitching work to an
agent or editor. Rubbing elbows with others
passionate about writing makes you feel empowered, fuels your writing engine
and makes you feel like what you want to be…a writer. Sometimes a critique group or a critique
partner will work, but value your own writing voice before those of others.
