I'm very pleased to have Anna Maclean with us today as a stop along her virtual book tour. She writes historical cozy mysteries, which is right up my (and I hope your) alley.
Please be sure to leave a comment as Anna is giving away a wonderful gift basket to a randomly drawn commenter and you don't want to miss out!
Why did you decide to write?
I don’t think I ever decided. It was just
always there. I love stories and I began telling stories to myself in the
form of daydreams when I was very young, and as soon as I could hold a pencil I
began writing those stories down. Of course I loved Little Women as a
girl, and when the opportunity came to write mysteries using Louisa May Alcott
as an amateur sleuth I jumped at the chance!
How much research do you do?
Usually, quite a bit. Libraries are my
favorite place to be, and there are great libraries in my town, so I can go in
for the day and kind of camp out in the aisles and at the worktables. I
can’t think of a happier, more exciting place to be than a good library.
Wait. I forgot. A café table in Paris is pretty good, too.
What was the most interesting thing you discovered when you were
doing your research?
For Louisa and the Crystal Gazer, I researched 19th century
spiritualism and found great, great materials, including one dusty old volume
that described how to make spirit paintings (using paint that was invisible
when dry) and how to make trumpets fall out of the ceiling. Can’t wait to
have my next dinner party and really camp it up with ectoplasm!
What’s your favorite method for researching?
Reading journals and diaries. Louisa kept some great journals!
Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
My favorite message: life is wonderful, life is a mystery, and never, ever let
anyone stop you from exploring as much of the mystery as possible.
When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I like to write first thing in the morning, before I’ve had to clean up after
the cats, pay bills, plan dinner, take care of day job things (I also
teach.) There’s a wonderful moment when I first wake up, when something
jolts my imagination out of the blue, literally, and it takes me to a new place
in the work. That doesn’t happen any other time of day, for me.
What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The
worst advice?
The best advice I ever got, and I got it early, thankfully, was never to
read or think about how hard it is to get published. Just write, and hope
for the best. Writing is a dive off the really high board, and while it
requires skill and willpower, it also requires a certain recklessness.
The worst advice I ever had? I can’t remember it, so obviously I didn’t
take it!
How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I can’t stand outlines. I’m very methodical in some ways – I have to have
a tidy desk and a few rituals: coffee on one side, a little Buddha on the other
side of the keyboard – but when it comes to ideas and working on a book, a
certain chaos is very productive. Again, it’s that dive off the high
board. At some point, though, usually at the 2nd or 3rd
draft, I do make an outline of what I have and see if the plotting is making
sense, and where the holes and problems are.
Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or
influenced your work?
Oh, so many. Daphne du Maurier, Anya Seton, Mary Lee Settle,
Ann Patchett, Ian McKewan, Roman Gary…I read hundreds of books a year and this
has been going on for a while, so do the math. But what all the authors
have in common: they tell a great story, and do it with great skill, sometimes
even a touch of genius. And their work has great humanity, it makes you
fall even more in life with the world and people, not less.
What makes a great book in your opinion?
See the above!
Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Don’t let anything stop you. Write the book you want to read, write it to the
best of your ability.
Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
At my desk in the early morning, with a cup of coffee on one side of the
keyboard and a little Budda on the other side, puzzling out a character and a
plot.
Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few
years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
This is where I’m supposed to hold my head and moan, right? Admittedly,
It is frightening what is going on. Sales are down, little bookstores are
being swallowed by sharks. It’s hard to find good news. However,
that said, in a way I see us going back to more of a 19th
century style of publishing, where people write what feels important to them
and then they find a way of getting their work into book form, even if it means
paying the printer yourself…as long as you get the work into the hands of
readers, perhaps on a smaller scale than we had in the last 100 years of mass
publication. And this could be a good thing, could be a great
thing. Technology also means that essentially anyone who wants to publish,
can. There may not be a whole lot of money, but that’s always been the
case. And sometimes there is a whole lot of money. But I’ve always
told new writers that if what they really care about is getting rich they
should just play the lottery. If you care about getting your work out
there – this can be done.
As for technology replacing books, I just can’t see that
happening. Books, when you think about it, are already a perfect technology:
portable, easy to read and no problems with downloading and saving!
Brief Bio
Anna Maclean is the
mystery nom de plume for Jeanne Mackin, the author of several novels: The
Sweet By and By (St. Martin’s Press), Dreams of Empire (Kensington
Books), The Queen’s War (St. Martin’s Press), and The Frenchwoman
(St. Martin’s Press). She has published short fiction and creative
nonfiction in several journals and periodicals including American Letters
and Commentary and SNReview. She is also the author of the Cornell Book of
Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications) and
co-editor of The Norton Book of Love (W.W. Norton). She was
the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian
Society and her journalism has won awards from the Council for the Advancement
and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C.
“Louisa May Alcott makes
a wonderful narrator, whether observing the foibles of those around her or
addressing the reader with gentle humor…Fans of historical mysteries will find
much to enjoy here.” The Romance Readers Connection
“Macleans latest cozy is
entertaining and has a fascinating mystery and a healthy dose of humor.
The author’s attention to historical detail adds realism and depth to this
page-turner.” Romantic Times
5 comments:
I like your points about books (hard copies). They are indeed all you said & I have never lost one in cyber space.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you for hosting Anna today.
Hi Anna...I'm a librarian and even I would rather be at a cafe table in Paris! I'm glad to hear that you have great libraries in your community. Unfortunately, that's not the case in all communities in America and libraries are so important! And I agree with you that books are already the perfect technology. Keep preachin' it!
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Thank you all for stopping by! It's so nice to hear from you, and I agree: books are the perfect technology.
But there's always room for other technologies and I'm glad to have both paper and electronic versions available to me.
Thanks,Amy, for some great questions. I love books, but agree that other technologies are important and useful. Books don't get lost in cyber space - but they don't allow chats like this, either!
All of us -support our libraries!
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