Margaret Mizushima interview about her latest mystery novel Hanging Falls (Crooked Lane Books, 2020)

Margaret Mizushima interview about her mystery novel Hanging Falls

Mystery Novel – An interview with Margaret Mizushima about her new mystery novel Hanging Falls published by Crooked lane Books. Check out the book here https://amzn.to/2Tlwffm

The Interview

Of all the creative ideas you have, how did this one idea rise about the rest and get written?

I live in Colorado, and southwest of where I live there is a beautiful hiking destination called Hanging Lake. It’s a pristine lake fed by a waterfall and surrounded by mountain peaks and forest. I took my inspiration from the setting, moved it to outside of my fictional mountain town called Timber Creek, brainstormed what type of murder could take place in such a peaceful place, and created the story from there. Setting features strongly in my mystery series, so it’s not unusual for me to be inspired by some type of incident that could take place high up in the mountains.

What is the book about – protagonist, setting, and conflict?

There are three main protagonists in the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries—Deputy Mattie Cobb, her K-9 partner Robo, and veterinarian Cole Walker. Together they solve crimes that threaten their mountain community. And since the books are police procedurals, a homicide is always included. In Hanging Falls, Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo investigate the death of a person they found floating in a mountain lake, while Mattie seeks answers from long lost family about the secrets of her past.

Apart from the setting, how would you say the police force in your series does police work differently from other small communities or bigger cities?

Small rural communities typically don’t have K-9 units, at least not here in Colorado. The larger towns usually do, although the dog handlers are not part of the homicide investigation team like Mattie is in my series. This is an example of the fictional enhancement of reality for the sake of storytelling.

What sort of aesthetic does the book have?

Each book presents a stand-alone mystery set to the backdrop of a character arc for the protagonists that encompasses the entire series, and Hanging Falls is no exception. It presentss a murder mystery while continuing Mattie’s life story. Each episode contains police work, dog handling, and veterinary work that supports finding evidence to solve the case. I like to focus on themes that have to do with family, social issues, and personal trauma recovery; and I design subplots that eventually weave into the main plot, leading the reader to what I hope is a satisfying conclusion. The tone is serious in all the books but not terribly dark, and I limit graphic violence on the page. Though my work falls into the category of police procedural for adults, the books can cross over to teens.

Did you have to do any research for the book?

I do research for every book. Though my past experience in training dogs for search and rescue helps me a great deal with knowing how to handle the tracking scenes for Robo, I’ve never had experience as a K-9 officer nor have I worked in law enforcement. I’ve studied books on K-9 narcotics detection, training dogs for patrol work including fugitive apprehension, and laws regarding the use of K-9s. I’ve gone on ride-alongs, observed K-9 training sessions, attended regional K-9 trials and competitions, and I have acquired very valuable law enforcement consultants who answer questions and vet my work. Speaking of vetting, my husband is a veterinarian, and my years of watching him work and assisting after hours helps me know what Cole Walker, DVM, needs to do. In addition, I always need to research whatever social issues, premises, and motives I’ve chosen for each book. Authors tend to love this part of the creative process.

What is something people might be surprised by about training dogs for search and rescue?

In the training group that I was in, the first lesson for the dogs was to search for their owners. I wasn’t expecting that. The teacher kept a dog in a spot where it couldn’t watch while the owner set a scent trail and hid. The owner would mark their scent trail with short spikes and flagging tape as they went away, so if the dog didn’t follow the trail naturally, the teacher could encourage it to sniff while she led it along the marked track. After the dog smelled the scent article, most of them were excited to go find their owners and took to scenting quickly, either on the ground or through the air if the owner was upwind. Great fun and something we could practice at home with our dogs, playing hide and seek with our kids.

Have you discovered anything surprising about K-9 work?

Yes, the wide variety of dog responsiveness to obedience is amazing. Police departments will sometimes host K-9 trials, to which many officers bring their dogs to compete. In the trials I’ve watched, some of the dogs were extremely obedient and would follow every command, including halting a take down mid stride, something these aggressive K-9s don’t like to do. During the same exercise, other dogs completely ignored their handlers. It was surprising to see such a difference. And the K-9 that wins Top Dog? Impeccable obedience!

What are some of the genre works that inspire you – books, movies, tv, music, etc.

I love to watch crime documentaries and glean some of my inspiration for my stories from them.

What other things inspire your creativity?

This has been tough during these hard times and the Covid-19 pandemic. I do love getting out into the mountains, but this has been a hot, dry summer resulting in wildfires throughout Colorado. Smoke blankets our region and temperatures have topped 90 for a record setting number of days. With the pandemic also darkening our world, indoor group activities have been cancelled along with writing groups, book clubs, and writers conferences. I try to stay positive, visiting friends and interacting with book clubs and other writers via Zoom. I also enjoy my down time with family and our dogs. And I show up at the computer each day, hoping for inspiration as I work on the seventh book in my series.

Will you be writing a novel in the series that involves the pandemic as part of the story?

I don’t know yet. I started writing book seven at the very start of the pandemic, and since none of us knew how the virus would play out, I didn’t want to include it in the next book. I’ll have to see what I feel like doing when it’s time to start book eight.

What is your writing and editing process like? Anything different from other authors?

I don’t think I do anything significantly different from other authors. I like to create a first draft, do a quick polish, ask my beta readers to provide input, revise and polish again, and then off it goes to my publisher for editing. When I write the first draft, I strive for 5000 words per week; sometimes I achieve more, sometimes less.

How has your approach to writing changed over time?

When I wrote my first book, I wrote by the seat of my pants and the book needed months of revision when I was done. After I started writing under contract, I had to learn how to write faster and meet my deadlines. I outlined the next few books. But now, I’ve gone back to only planning a chapter in advance so it will be more fun. Even still, my characters sometimes take wild turns that I didn’t see coming.

Have you done any non-writing work that has influenced how you write or what you write about?

I was a speech pathologist for twenty-five years, and my experience with helping people who have communication disorders and their families has influenced my writing a great deal. I believe this type of work has helped me with character development and the psychology involved with character interactions.

Does speech pathology work make you more sensitive in any way to non-verbal communication?

I believe it absolutely does, especially when it comes to interacting with people who have communication disorders. But I think it has made me more sensitive to discovering non-verbal communication cues among animals as well.

When you were younger was there a power, technology, or fictional setting you yearned for or to be a part of?

This question makes me smile. Yes, as a child I dreamed I would live on the Ponderosa, the mountainous ranch setting in the television show Bonanza. So funny…but here I am, still writing about the west, the rural life, and a small town in the mountains.

I enjoyed Bonanza too. Which character in Bonanza did you most identify with personality-wise or feel you would get along with the best?

Oh, I did enjoy them all, but I think I was attracted to Adam the most for his quiet, intelligent nature. He seemed to be the problem solver in the family, the one who could ferret out the issues. Or at least that’s the way I seem to have stored it in my childhood memories. And of course, I loved all of their horses too, especially Little Joe’s Paint.

Did you have any difficulties finishing this book?

No, this book seemed to come together easily. Now…the one I’m writing this summer? That’s another story. But I attribute that to the many distractions going on in our lives this year.

What’s your current or next writing project?

I will finish book seven in the series (as yet untitled), and next year I’ll write Mattie, Robo, and Cole’s eighth Timber Creek K-9 adventure.

Where can people find you online?

I can be found on Facebook/AuthorMargaretMizushima, Twitter @margmizu, Instagram at margmizu, and my website at www.margaretmizushima.com.

Biography

Name: Margaret Mizushima
Bio: Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She serves as president for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, was elected the 2019-2020 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is also a member of Northern Colorado Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Women Writing the West. She lives in Colorado on a small ranch with her veterinarian husband where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals.

Project/work being discussed: Hanging Falls: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Links of interest

Check out the book here https://amzn.to/2Tlwffm

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647540/hanging-falls-by-margaret-mizushima/

https://margaretmizushima.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMargaretMizushima

https://twitter.com/margmizu

https://www.instagram.com/margmizu/

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

tags: Books, written interviews, author, Crooked Lane Books, mysteries, fiction,

Jo Kaplan discusses her Gothic horror novel “It Will Just Be Us” (Crooked Lane Books, 2020)

Jo Kaplan It Will Just Be Us

Jo Kaplan discusses her Gothic horror novel

The Interview

Horror – An interview with Jo Kaplan about her new book It Will Just Be Us published by Crooked Lane Books. It’s a new chilling gothic horror novel about vampires. Check out the book here https://amzn.to/3nxNDuU

Of all the creative ideas you have, how did this one idea rise above the rest and get written?

I’ve always loved haunted house stories. There’s something classic, timeless, and unsettling about the idea of one’s home becoming invaded by the supernatural. I think it’s my passion for the genre, and my desire to do something (hopefully) new with it, that made this idea manifest itself for me. I also wanted to write a book about sisters who have an extremely tense and conflicted relationship, and everything just sort of clicked with this one.

What is the book about – protagonist, setting, and conflict?

It Will Just Be Us follows Sam Wakefield, who is living with her mother in her childhood home: Wakefield Manor, a decaying mansion on the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp. The house is haunted, in a sense—haunted with echoes of the past, replaying its history over and over again. She has grown up in this strange environment, and is, in turn, a bit strange herself.

Her pregnant sister, Elizabeth, returns home after a falling out with her husband, and soon after, Sam begins to see a mysterious, menacing boy with no face who has violent tendencies. And he seems different than the house’s other ghosts: he is far more than just an echo…

What sort of aesthetic does the book have?

This book has a very moody, Gothic aesthetic. It is contemplative and (I hope) unsettling, with an atmosphere of dread.

So it seems you may be interested more in haunted settings that people involuntarily get trapped in rather than haunted places that people actively look for and enter. Is that an accurate assessment? How would you differentiate between the two approaches?

That’s something I hadn’t really thought of before, but I suppose you’re right. Of course, now I’m interested in writing a story about people who actively seek out a haunted house! I think both approaches are interesting and have an equal chance at being frightening. If you’re involuntarily trapped in a haunted place, there’s a lack of control over the situation that is frightening. But then, if you actively sought out a haunted place, there’s potential for the realization that you brought the horror on yourself…

If the book had a soundtrack, what might it be like?

I think it would be something with lots of eerie strings. Some haunting cello. Very moody!

Did you have to do any research for the book?

Yes, I spent quite a bit of time researching the Great Dismal Swamp, where it takes place. I was particularly interested in learning about the maroons who lived there: escaped slaves who created communities inside of the swamp, which was so treacherous that they were unlikely to be recaptured. One thing that interested me was how I had never learned anything at all about this, unlike, say, the Underground Railroad. It’s not a white savior narrative, but about slaves who freed themselves and took ownership of their lives. I wanted to explore this, so it appears in my book when we get to see glimpses of the past.

What’s your approach to witches and necromancer types in your work or your interest in the haunted?

I think witches are interesting figures to work with partially because of the way they have been reclaimed by feminists. Historically, women were labeled witches as a way to oppress them, but the movie The VVitch is an excellent example that subverts this, in the way it depicts a character actively choosing to claim power as a reaction against this very oppression. It’s an interesting dynamic, and I think I gravitate towards that.

Your work appears to be focused on ghosts. Is that true and if so what are your feelings about monsters or gore in horror?

I think there’s room for all of this in horror! I am more drawn to the psychological and the atmosphere of creeping dread, which seems like a more natural fit with ghost stories, but I think monsters and gore definitely have their place—and I’ve written those kinds of stories, too!

Do you explore insanity in your horror or is it more about “normal” fear and dread?

I think insanity is a fascinating subject, one that stems from the Gothic tradition. But I don’t think that is at odds with more “normal” fear and dread—what’s most interesting to me is the dynamic between the two, when fear and dread become so profound that we must question our own sanity.

What are some of the genre works that inspire you – books, movies, tv, music, etc.

Probably too many to name! I’m constantly in awe of, and inspired by, new books coming out in the horror genre that totally blow me away. The most obvious inspiration for It Will Just Be Us, though, is Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. But I’ve also recently read work by Stephen Graham Jones, Ramsey Campbell, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia that I’ve just loved and feel inspired by.

In terms of movies, my inspirations are thoughtful, atmospheric works of horror—like The Witch, Hereditary, The Lighthouse, Midsommar… okay, I guess I just really like Ari Aster and Robert Eggers.

As far as music, I adore creepy classical music. Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre? Played it at my Halloween wedding, along with Funeral March for a Marionette by Gounod. Give me some of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Verdi’s Dies Irae… yeah, that’s my jam.

What is your writing and editing process like? Anything different from other authors?

I think my process is probably pretty typical. One thing I can’t seem to stop myself from doing, though, is revising as I write the first draft. I’ll write, go back and revise, write more, backtrack to revise, etc. It’s almost always two steps forward and one step back. I think that’s why it takes me a while to complete a first draft… because by the time I’ve got a first draft done, the first half of the book is probably in its fifth or sixth draft! Then I always go back and revise the whole thing again, probably several times. I truly believe the revision is where the magic happens, and I love that part of the process.

How has your approach to writing changed over time?

I don’t think it’s changed much aside from the hope that I know what I’m doing more now than when I first started writing!

Have you done any non-writing work that has influenced how you write or what you write about?

My primary employment is as an English instructor at a local college, and that informed It Will Just Be Us because Sam Wakefield is an adjunct instructor. Though there’s not a lot of similarity between our experiences in teaching, it has given me insight into being on the other side of the podium, which definitely makes it easier to write academic characters.

When you were younger was there a power, technology, or fictional setting you yearned for or to be a part of?

Like most millennials, I wanted to go to Hogwarts and be part of the Harry Potter universe.

Did you have any difficulties finishing this book?

Not in particular. I’m a pretty motivated person so I can’t stand leaving a project unfinished, even if it takes me a while. When I commit to a novel, I have to really commit to it.

What’s your current or next writing project?

I just finished writing a sort of Western-themed horror novel that is now in the hands of my agent. I’m really excited about this one!

Where can people find you online?

You can find me at my website: http://jo-kaplan.com, or on Twitter and Instagram @joannapary

Biographical information

Name: Jo Kaplan
Bio: Jo Kaplan writes and teaches in the Los Angeles area with much encouragement from her husband and two cats. Her fiction (sometimes as Joanna Parypinski) has appeared in Fireside Quarterly, Black Static, Nightmare Magazine, Vastarien, Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton, Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Jonathan Maberry, and the Nightscript series. Her novel, It Will Just Be Us, comes out September 8, 2020. She teaches English and creative writing at Glendale Community College.
Project/work being discussed: It Will Just Be Us

Links of interest

Check out the book here https://amzn.to/3nxNDuU

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647537/it-will-just-be-us-by-jo-kaplan/

http://jo-kaplan.com

https://www.instagram.com/joannapary/

https://twitter.com/joannapary

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ellen Byron discusses her cozy mystery novel “Murder in the Bayou Boneyard” – (Crooked Lane Books, 2020)

Cozy Mystery – An interview with Ellen Byron about her new book Murder in the Bayou Boneyard published by Crooked lane Books. Check out the book here https://amzn.to/2ErBjLe

Of all the creative ideas you have, how did this one idea rise about the rest and get written?

I realized that I hadn’t written a Cajun Country Mystery that revolved around Halloween. Considering that Louisiana proudly bills itself as the most haunted state in the country, it seemed like a gimme – although my storyline doesn’t really revolve around a haunting. Still, it incorporates some legends and superstitions specific to Louisiana.

What is the book about – protagonist, setting, and conflict?

To fight back against a home-share app that’s stealing guests from the local B&B’s, protagonist Maggie Crozat comes up with a marketing scheme that will attract Halloween-loving visitors. The “Pelican’s Spooky Past” packages feature uniquely regional activities like Resurrection of the Spirit, a play that will be presented in a derelict Louisiana cemetery. The Crozat family also times the opening of their long-awaited spa to the kick-off of the “Spooky Past” weekends at their Crozat Plantation B&B. Maggie has hired Susannah Crozat MacDowell, a long-lost Canadian cousin as the spa’s masseuse. But relations between the opposing Crozats take a dangerous turn when Susannah claims rights to some of Crozat Plantation B&B’s land. Meanwhile, guests at all the B&Bs are being scared off by sightings of a rougarou, the legendary Cajun Country creature who is a cross between a werewolf and vampire. When the play theatrics turn deadly, Maggie Crozat begins to fear that “Pelican’s Spooky Past” is nothing compared to its scary present.

What sort of aesthetic does the book have?

It’s got humor and heart, with a touch of the spooky!

If the book had a soundtrack, what might it be like?

A combination of silly music – like “Monster Mash” – fun music – the entire soundtrack from “Rocky Horror Picture Show” – and some genuinely ominous music, such as Camille Saint-Saens’ “La Danse Macabre.”

Did you have to do any research for the book?

Yes. I really delved into the Cajun legend of the rougarou. I also did the St. Joseph Plantation Creole Mourning Tour, where I learned a ton about 19^th century funereal customs and superstitions that I wrote into the book. I actually wrote a blog post about the tour that the site liked so much, they put it on their website. https://www.stjosephplantation.com/2017/11/mourning-tour-review/

What were some of the strangest things you learned on the St. Joseph Plantation Creole Mourning Tour?

I think everything that had to do with superstitions about the spirits looking for ways to mark the next soul for death. For example, the deceased were loaded into the horse-drawn hearse feet-first so that the spirits couldn’t make eye contact with the mourners – thus dooming them – and every mirror was covered with black cloth because shiny surfaces attracted spirits. I always thought mirrors were covered in black out of respect for the dead. I had no idea it was to “protect” the living from being dragged into the next world!

Do you recall any abandoned places that you’ve seen in person or in pictures that gave you the most intense chills?

When I was in high school, I cut class – shh, don’t tell – to go explore a “haunted house” with some classmates. It was a gorgeous old estate located on the Westchester County side of the Long Island Sound, straight out of F. Scott Fitgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I was terrified wandering through its abandoned rooms, made spookier by the fact that its last incarnation had been as a religious retreat, so there were little ceramic fonts and crosses everywhere. I was both fascinated and utterly terrified. A few years later, still obsessed by the place, I went to see it again, but it had been torn down and replaced by ugly McMansions. I was so sad because my hope was that someone with deep pockets had bought the stunning home and restored it to its former glory.

What are some of the genre works that inspire you – books, movies, tv, music, etc.

I love historical mysteries. They might be my favorite general genre. I’m inspired by the Brontes and Dame Agatha, of course. When it comes to TV, great comedy or drama inspire me. Recent examples include Mad Men (my dad was a genuine Mad Man, so it’s very personal to me) and Succession, as well as Veep. All three of these shows are just spectacularly written. With movies, my favorite three are a diverse lot: The Producers, The Haunting, and Amarcord. Seriously, could there be three more different films?!

When it comes to music, what inspires me is also an odd mix. I adore disco – I think KC and the Sunshine Band is the best band on the planet, and no one will ever convince me otherwise! And I also love Zydeco, Cajun music… and Bollywood. Like I said, an odd mix. For me, music is what you dance to, so I love music that makes me want to leap to my feet.

What other things inspire your creativity?

I’m obviously fascinated with Cajun Country and can’t read enough about it. I’m also obsessed with abandoned places. I can scroll through those photos for hours. And I collect vintage cookbooks. I love the look of them, and also learning what constitutes popular food in a given decade. Sometimes an old recipe will inspire a new one for either of my series. (I also write The Catering Hall Mysteries under the pen name, Maria DiRico.)

What is your writing and editing process like? Anything different from other authors?

I outline as much as I can. I call it a fluid outline because entire new characters or chapters or even subplots may pop up as I write the actual job. I attribute my predilection to outline to my career as a TV writer. I think that’s what makes me different from other authors. Not many come to writing books from a twenty-plus year career as a TV writer-producer.

How has your approach to writing changed over time?

It’s become more articulated in that I can break my process down into steps. I actually created a workshop on how to outline that I have yet to teach, thanks to the pandemic.

Have you done any non-writing work that has influenced how you write or what you write about?

Yes! I spent ten years as a member of two improvisation troops that performed a form of improv known as Theatresports. I learned to say “yes and” to ideas. Much of what I learned through Theatresports finds it way into my writing, like asking the question “What Happens Next?” and applying it to my work moment to moment.

Do you ever act out scenes in your books as you’re writing a draft to see if they work in the story?

I sometimes read a scene aloud but even though my background is in acting – I did comedy improv for years – I’m not one of those people who reads their entire book out loud. I find my focus is too divided to do this successfully. My acting and playwriting background allow me to hear my book in my head well enough to determine whether or not something is working.

When you were younger was there a power, technology, or fictional setting you yearned for or to be a part of?

It’s a real setting applied to a fictional book – ever since I first read Wuthering Heights as a teenager, I’ve dreamt of visiting the Bronte Parsonage and walking the moors the Bronte sisters once walked.

Have you ever visited any moors especially haunted ones?

Not yet, but the number one item on my bucket list is to visit the Bronte parsonage and walk the moors where Emily, Charlotte and Anne once walked. I dream of running into the ghost of any of them!

Did you have any difficulties finishing this book?

Only the usual trouble a writer has of preventing themselves from wandering over to social media instead of writing!

What’s your current or next writing project?

LONG ISLAND ICED TINA, the next book in my Catering Hall Mystery series, releases on February 25, 2021. And I’m working on my seventh Cajun Country Mystery, which doesn’t have a definite title yet.

Where can people find you online?

Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/

Bookbub:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23234.Ellen_Byron?from_search=true&from_srp=true

Links of interest

Check out the book here https://amzn.to/2ErBjLe

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647531/murder-in-the-bayou-boneyard-by-ellen-byron/

https://www.ellenbyron.com/

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.