Which is your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is going to the beaches of the Golden Isles of Georgia with my family and making drip sandcastles. I had no idea the ocean could be any color but gray-green until years later.
Do you remember the first book you read at the age of three?
The first book—the one I remember, anyway--is Little Brown Bear, by Elizabeth Upham. I have a copy of it that I found in a used book sale.
Why did you avoid the call for writing for years?
Why did I avoid the call of writing? I was discouraged by my family. They said I couldn’t make any money from it, and in any case, I would get married. I decided to study for something to make money, and then I would write. I wanted to marry, but also have a career.
How did you come up with the humor column for your high school newspaper?
Humor column for high school paper? We were a small-town school. Our paper always had a humor column, and the boy writing it was graduating. I was known for quips and a sense of humor, so I took it over. I wasn’t the wittiest person in the class, but the wittiest one who could write.
Why did you decide to write Southern historical novels and Southern mystery novels?
How did you come up with the title of your book, The River Nymph? The art of the 1910s-20s featured Greek or Roman mythic creatures such as nymphs. My character Pete would have known mythology, and romanticizing the girl he saw in the river, called her a “river nymph.” Wikipedia defines nymphs as “personifications of nature, are typically tied to a specific place or landform, and are usually depicted as beautiful maidens.” The river is almost a character in my book.
How did you come up with the title of your book, The River Nymph?
I write Southern novels because that’s where I grew up and have roots, and I know the people and the places. So many “Southern” writers just write stereotypes that are basically what non-Southerners think about the South. I wanted to write about real people like those I know, not silly Southern belles or “good ol’ boys” with confederate flags. History and mystery are what I like to read, so that’s what I like to write. And I always include a love story.
What inspired the plot of Snakes and Lovers, an action-packed mystery-romance?
What inspired the plot of Snakes and Lovers? Once, at a friend’s house, I met a snake dancer. She talked about her work. She was a free spirit, enjoyed what she did, and was a true nonconformist, a hippie. She also talked about her son, who just wanted a Cadillac and a house with a white picket fence in the suburbs. That percolated in my mind for a while. I had also enjoyed some novels by Indian writers and knew about the game Snakes and Ladders.
What is the biggest challenge of writing poetry?
The biggest challenge of writing poetry? It's choosing the right words for what I want to convey. Not only must they be the right words, but must have the right number of syllables to have the rhythm I want. This is not always easy. It's true about my writing in general. It must have the right rhythm. I don't like choppy sentences.
If someone was going to make your life into a movie, who would play you?
Who would play me in a movie? Well—people have told me that I resemble Victoria Tennant (I love her character in L.A. Story!) If I could pick, maybe Carey Mulligan. In my younger days, of course.
In fiction writing, how do you keep your readers in suspense without frustrating them into giving up on your story?
How to keep the story moving? Here are a few tips: Begin and end your chapters with hooks. When you answer one question, leave another question unanswered. Don’t give answers too soon. Make readers wait. Don’t have huge blocks of type (exposition or internal monologue) in your book. All dialogue must have a purpose. No chit-chat. No long speeches.
How did you end up in the lightweight concrete air conditioner pad business ?
Lightweight concrete air conditioner pads—here’s the short version. Two male classmates and I, not finding the jobs we wanted, found that there was a need for this product and decided to come up with a formula and manufacture them. (We were about to graduate from Georgia Tech.) We started a company on a shoestring and it just grew! It’s still operating today as a HVAC supplier, but I sold out some time ago.
Did you fulfil your idealistic wish of becoming a doctor? Why or why not?
I did not become a doctor. It was much harder for a woman then. I decided to go for a master’s degree in Chemistry and find a lab job to support my writing. Also, Georgia Tech was more affordable, as I could get a research assistant stipend. I wound up with a Ph.D. and there we were, three friends who faced a lack of jobs for Ph.D. chemists at that time. As a woman, I met discrimination when I talked to employers.
Which is the next book you are working on? Is it a series or a stand-alone book?
My next book will be a stand-alone book like my historicals. I also have two stand-alone mysteries in the works. Maybe then, a series that continues one of those books.
What do you think of AllAuthor? Has this website been helpful to you?
Yes, I believe so. Since Twitter is my least populated medium, I may know more when I have more time to do analysis. But so far so good!
