FAQs

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: I take ordinary events and imagine how things can go horribly wrong. For example, when a friend told me that her oral surgery included the insertion of ground-up cadaver bone, my mind went instantly to the donation being cursed by the ghost of a murder victim. Within a week, I had completed the first draft of “Bone Deep.” Pessimism is a mystery author’s best tool!

Q: Why write short stories?

A: The ability to finish a first draft in as little as a week helps keep me motivated and makes it easier for others to enjoy the work in a single sitting. It is also easier to edit and improve 5,000 words at one time than 100,000.

Q: What is your writing process like?

A: Some authors will tell you they are plotters (plan out the story first) and others will say they are pantsers (figure it out as they go). For me, it shifts as I progress. I rarely know where a story will go when I am writing the first paragraph. I might not even know who the victim is, let alone the killer. However, it is unusual for me to get past the first page without stopping to figure out how the story is going to end and what will happen to the characters along the way.

Q: What is your editing process like?

A: Insane. After the first draft, I’ll read the story about ten times, changing things both large and small. When I think I’m done, I’ll send it to a fellow author who reads that draft and tells me what she sees as weak spots. I’ll fix those, then send the story to a critique group of other short fiction authors. Based on their feedback, I’ll make new fixes, then send the story to another group of authors, where I’ll get a different style of feedback. After making the final revisions, I’ll submit the story to a magazine or anthology, where an editor may ask for new changes before it ever gets published. (And now you know why I have yet to reach the stage of sending out a full-length novel!)

Q: Why are your protagonists so different from each other?

A: The protagonist will have the personality the story requires, and each story requires something different. For example, when I decided to write a science fiction story, I imagined a mystery from the AI’s point of view—how would it handle being a sleuth hampered by protocols? Another time, I asked myself what would a cat do if he was seeking justice for a crime? On one occasion, I wanted to try a story where the protagonist was the killer—I needed to hide that fact from the reader while making sure that every word the protagonist thought and spoke was the truth, which affected how the character was designed.

Q: How can I become a mystery writer too?

A: Read as much as you can. Seriously. And when you’re ready to work on your craft, join a society of writers. I am a member of several chapters of Sisters in Crime and also the Short Mystery Fiction Society. I would not have been nearly as successful without the generous support of fellow writers, especially those in my critique groups.