Q: Why did you write in the swampy locations? They seem so
real.
A: They are real. I was born and raised here, in the swamps of north Florida. At night, you can’t see a thing, but you can hear lots of weird animals, and the wet earth smell is always present. This has been mysterious to me
since I was a kid, and when I decided to write a mystery, I wanted to set it here.
Q: Where did the idea of a female scuba diver come from?
A: I was researching some murder cases in and around Tallahassee. There
are deep springs here, in the middle of the swamps, where one can find underwater
caves that weave through a maze to the ocean. Many of the bodies found
in the area have been stashed in these caves. Then, I spoke with a deputy sheriff
who was also a diver. At that time, he told me about adjunct divers, experts
hired by the department to go into the caves. Eventually, the department hired
its
own deputy/divers but I got the idea to use a woman who has lived in the
area
and has been diving in the caves since childhood as my protagonist.
Q: Your first novel, DIVE DEEP AND DEADLY, made a hit at the
conventions. How did you manage this?
A: I belong to Sisters In Crime and one of the male members is a book
collector. He’s also a friend of my editor. He read the book, loved it,
and began talking it up to people in the business. “Deadly Pleasures” magazine
read it, and it became a finalist in the Barry Awards.
Q: The character, Pasquin, intrigues me, and I hope you’ll
never kill him off. How did he come about?
A: I have no conscious memory of how he arrived. However, I knew the history
of Tallahassee. At the time the Acadians were thrown out of Canada and
moved to the South, they passed through here. They set up a colony before
moving on to Louisiana. Pasquin is an old time swamp rat with Cajun roots.
And I have no plans to kill him off!
Q: RIVER WHISPERS is not part of the mystery series. How did
the reading public accept that?
A: First of all, it’s mysterious. The publisher sees it as a literary
novel, and it is that. The publisher also didn’t want me to use a pseudonym.
It all worked out beautifully. A lovely magazine in Jacksonville, “Water’s
Edge”, bought the first chapter and reprinted it. Reviews have been good,
and a few colleges have been using it in English classes.
Q: Have you had any unusual events happen in your writing
career?
A: Most of my events have been positive, exciting, and profitable, but
not terribly unusual. I do get letters from fans. One was from an eighty
year old swamp rat who typed three pages on an old typewriter. He pointed
out several things he liked in the book, like buzzards, and sent me a
photo of his swamp house and himself. When he said he was a widower and
missed the sex, I decided not to answer. He seemed to be unable to separate
the author from the protagonist.
Q: Do you welcome discussions of your books?
A: Yes, of course. I welcome questions and debate. I don’t welcome those
who tell me how I should have written it, or words from a weekend diver who
says a police diver would have done this and not that. I even had one
person tell me Southerners don’t eat grits with fish. My fellow Southerners
got red in the face over that one. But, overall, I love discussing my
books and writing.
Q: What organizations do you belong to?
A: Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, Tallahassee Writers Association,
National Speleological Society, Leon County Sheriff’s Department Citizen Academy.
Q: Were there any surprises in the writing/publishing profession?
A: The fact that a publisher and fans really like my books was a nice
surprise. The other surprise is the promotion I must do. I find myself
sitting alongside famous authors at various events, but I also find myself
weary of airports and suitcases and hotels, no matter how nice they are.
It’s necessary, but I have to have a hiatus now and then.
Q: Has Hollywood ever approached you about making a movie out of these books?
A: My publisher and I just signed an options agreement with a Hollywood producer specifically for COLD WATER CORPSE. This happened because he found the book in a Hollywood bookstore, was intrigued with the title and blurb, read it, and contacted us. Now, I have no delusions about this ever getting to a movie screen. Optioned means that he is looking to find a screenplay and money to make the movie. If he buys the rights, then we’re on our way.
