Getting to the Hart of Writing

Carolyn Hart's 16th Death on Demand Mystery is out, Death of the Party. In an interview with the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Hart talks about why she writes, how she writes, and the burning question for writers:  to outline or not to outline.  (Sidenote: the OWFI is a great organization that puts on a wonderful conference each year. It was my first writers conference and it hooked me on writers conferences!) 

Bonus interview!

Today I kick off a new feature of the Rosett Writes Blog:  a "mini" author interview.  In the tradition of Publishers Lunch, the "mini" will run monthly, except when it doesn't.  

Heather Webber has graciously agreed to be my first interviewee and discusses her gardening mysteries and how she writes.

Your sleuth, Nina Quinn, owns a landscape business that specializes in surprise garden makeovers. Are you a gardener and how do you research the gardening aspect of your mysteries?

I'm a gardener wannabe. I plant things but usually they die on me within a matter of weeks. I planted some spirea last week. Dead. The white geraniums on my front porch? In need of a flowerbed ICU. But I keep trying. I do a ton of research for my books. I love to look through the gardening books and magazines to find just the right flowers, shrubs and trees I'm envisioning. Field trips to local nurseries are great too because I can get a better idea of texture, smell, and size. There's a Yard-a-rama here in Cincinnati next week that I definitely have to check out.


You've written in the romance genre as well as mystery. How did you transition to mysteries? Were there elements of mystery fiction in your romance books?

I can't seem to keep the mystery out of my romances and the romance out of my mysteries. But I don't mind--I enjoy writing both. As for the transition to mystery, I didn't have a hard time with it. Nina's voice was so clear in my head, it came naturally.

What are you working on now? Will Nina have a third adventure?

Nina will be back in Digging Up Trouble  which is due out next spring. In it a homeowner dies of an apparent heart attack when he sees his backyard makeover and it's not long before Nina suspects his death wasn't accidental. I'm just finishing that up now and will start work on the next Nina, which doesn't have a title right now. Or a plot. But we don't talk about that!

Tell us a little about how you write. (Do you stick to a schedule? Are you an outliner? etc.) And how do you balance writing and marketing?

When I start a book I usually have a solid idea of the basics. Who did it, why, when, etc. I jot down a story arc for the main plot then add little arcs for the subplots. It looks like an abstract rainbow by the time it's done. I follow that until halfway through the book, then I switch to an outline form, but for days of the week rather than chapter by chapter. For example, in Digging Up Trouble, the book takes place over the course of nine days. I outline what I need to have happen on a daily basis--it's easier for me to keep it straight that way.

I wish I had a strict writing schedule, but I lack self-discipline and would never stick to one. I try to write a little every day. Some days I do a lot. Some days none at all. So far it's working for me, but I don't recommend it.

Promotion is such a strong element to any writer's life. Especially a mid-lister like me. If I don't get my name out there, no one else is going to do it for me. It's very easy to get lost in all the things I could be doing to promote myself, but I have to remember that the most important thing is the writing. That comes first. Even if it means that I do five book signings instead of ten, go to two conferences instead of five.