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Fall, 2003
Volume 8, No. 2 The blank page is before you, and a delightful little tale about an English country house murder revolves in your brain. But you are not English. You have no country house. And you've never met anyone from Scotland Yard in your life. What do you do—take the well-known advice dished out to writers everywhere, or start whaling away at the keyboard?
Jonnie Jacobs My two series draw on two different parts of my background. Like Kate Austen, I'm a mother. Like Kali O'Brien, I'm an attorney. But if I could write only what I know firsthand, my books would be too dull to contemplate. Better advice, I think, is to write what interests you. One of the joys of writing (and reading) is living vicariously. On another level—of course I write what I know. This doesn't mean I can't write about murder or the FBI or even skydiving. It means that good writing resonates with authenticity, and that comes from within. We write what we know emotionally. We draw on those resources when we create characters, even villains, and when we craft high-action chase scenes, plot twists, and setting (whether real or fictional). In Cold Justice, I wrote about a serial killer. In Witness for the Defense, about a private adoption. I've experienced neither. In Intent to Harm, Kali's mysterious new client is shot and killed at their initial meeting, leaving Kali with a cryptic phrase pointing to a woman's disappearance eight years earlier. The story is told from several viewpoints, including a Chinese deputy, a hit man, and a young Hispanic male in trouble. The only part I "knew" from experience was the north Tahoe setting, but I tapped what I knew in my heart in creating the world of the story. And I did a lot of research. Look for Intent to Harm in hardcover and Cold Justice in paperback everywhere. Jonnie can be reached at jonnie@jonniejacobs.com.
Lee Harris I write fiction but much of it is based on facts: history, geography, police procedure, which Manhattan streets are one-way East and which are one-way West. I have never been a nun and I have never been a cop. A cousin of mine born around 1900 told me years ago I couldn't write about something I knew nothing about. I loved her dearly, but she was wrong. An ex-Sister of Charity gave me tons of information about nuns, how they live, where they live, what they do from sun-up to sun-down. Many readers believe I came by these facts through personal experience. I didn't. A retired NYPD detective has assisted me on police matters since my first mystery and gives me even more material now that I'm writing about Det. Jane Bauer. He's a reservoir of information on how cops talk, how they learn how to shoot and keep up their skill, what forms they use in what situations, how to get a warrant, search an apartment, and process criminals. He can describe the inside of a prison, including the sounds and smells, a station house, a crack house, and yes, the bars cops go to after work. I write the story, put the characters together and take them apart. Besides his good stuff, I use maps and histories, occasionally an expert in real estate or plumbing, a chat with a lawyer. And by the way, I have no first-hand knowledge of how to kill someone. Lee Harris's current book is Murder in Hell's Kitchen, the first in a new series. Chris Bennett will return in February with The Bar Mitzvah Murder. Email Lee at MysMurder@aol.com.
Valerie Wolzien You should write about whatever you find compelling. That said, I must admit that I do find subject matter in my day to day life. Murder at the PTA Luncheon, my first mystery, was written years ago when I was involved in the local elementary school PTA. I joined hoping to contribute and become involved in my son's school community. My discovery that political maneuvering was the name of the game led me to place a murder in that setting—and to expose some of what I found there. It's fun to write about what you know. Josie Pigeon's seven-mile island is never named, but it actually exists right off the coast of New Jersey. Every time I begin a new book about her, I can relive some aspects of childhood vacations spent there. And what you don't know can be learned. In my most recent mystery, A Fashionable Murder, Josie leaves her island and spends a lot of time at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon in New York City. My hair, nails, and skin looked better than ever while I was researching that particular location. Valerie's next book, Death in a Beach Chair, will be out next spring. Find A Fashionable Murder and her other books at booksellers everywhere. Valerie's email is valerie@wolzien.com.
Lora Roberts If I only wrote what I knew, my next book would not be set 100 years ago in England, from the perspective of a young widow, Charlotte Dodson, who must work as a housekeeper. As my guests realize, I know little about that, but with the help of Mrs. Beeton, I managed. In the course of the book, Charlotte meets Sherlock Holmes, about whom I admit to knowing what all the world knows, and making up a little more. Whether through intuiting, research, or by riffing on day-to-day reality, we all create fictional worlds that differ markedly from the real one we inhabit. We may not yet know everything about them, but we do know we want to spend time there, and hope that readers agree with us. "Write what you know" is good advice for beginners whose brains are not yet on fire with ideas. If it's hard to fill the blank screen, find inspiration in daily life. But when that isn't enough to carry you away, by all means turn to the richer life outside your narrow window. Just be prepared to explain why your book is so different from your life. The Affair of the Incognito Tenant will be out next spring from Perseverence Press. Another Fine Mess features Bridget Montrose with snippets of Liz and Claudia. Lora's email is myslora@pacbell.net.
Lee Harris ~ Jonnie Jacobs ~ Lora Roberts ~ Valerie Wolzien ©2005-06 by Lee Harris, Jonnie Jacobs, Lora Roberts and Valerie Wolzien. |
