Donalee Moulton Interview Published on: 25, Jun 2024

The one constant in my life has been writing – poetry, short stories, essays, articles, books. As I was poised to begin a PhD in sociology, I decided to explore job options that would let me do more writing and less research. That led me into public relations and eventually to start my own company, Quantum Communications. In university I wrote regularly for the school paper. That led me to freelancing. I discovered you could be paid for writing – one of my personal top-five favorite discoveries – and I have freelanced ever since. My background in communications, journalism, editing, and related endeavors led to requests for me to teach. I accepted those requests and discovered that I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with people to explore ideas and theories while building skills. I did not enjoy grading.

As a journalist (and a communications professional), you quickly learn that you are writing for the reader, and readers change from one type of publication to another. Adapting your style to meet their needs, and the requirements of the publication, is essential. That said, there are writing foundations that remain constant: conciseness, flow, readability.

A bath inspired this story. I’m a big believer in bubbles, candles, scrubs, essential oils, and music with birds chirping in the background. Friends call this bathroom time my shrine. One night immersed in a lavender cloud I realized it was time to begin writing my mystery. Get off the pot kind of thing. That led me to a litany of possible characters and crimes. Through the mist Riel emerged. Not fully formed but outlined enough that I wrote down my ideas before I even moisturized.

Like 4-12% of all CEOs, Riel is a psychopath. Not the Dexter-Hannibal Lecter-Norman Bates kind of psychopath. The kind who live and work among us, mostly unnoticed, often successful, always on full alert their differences will be uncovered. Riel is personable, even charming. He’s keen to understand how the human mind works, so he’ll blend in.

It is my hope that people will close the last page on Hung Out to Die with a smile, maybe a tear, and a little bit more acceptance of all those around us.

This book was a gift from my publisher, BWL Publishing, which has a series of historical mysteries set in each province and territory in Canada. My publisher unexpectedly lost her Quebec writer and asked if I could step in. I couldn’t wait.

Conflagration!, a historical mystery that follows the trial of an enslaved Black women accused of arson in Montreal in 1734, is founded in real-life events but wrapped in a mystery of my own making. The level of detail in court transcripts and the timelines set by the trial process meant I had a detailed blueprint for the book before I even began.

The Thong Principle is a way of communicating and a way of thinking. It’s about, as the subtitle indicates, a way to communicate that works on all levels. A way of communicating that works for the person sending the message and the person or people receiving the message. For writers and for readers.

As participants who’ve taken my courses know, I’ve been talking about the thong principle for decades. It’s a way to remember what matters most when we’re trying to convey a message or tell a story. It’s a reminder that how we convey a message is as important as what we have to say.

I’ve taken that to heart.

“Swan Song” was my first mystery short story. I didn’t know enough to have an approach. I didn’t know enough to know I needed an approach. I’ve learned a tremendous amount since then. One of the things I’ve discovered is if I don’t sit down to write the story evolves in my head. I’ve also learned if I sit down to write the story evolves on the screen

I come to fiction and non-fiction with a different mindset. This is more inadvertent than deliberate. Fiction allows me to write more freely; non-fiction requires a rigor to fact that drives content and structure. As a result, I find I write fewer pages in an hour when I am writing non-fiction and historical fiction. With fiction, it is the rewriting and revising process that takes longer.

Writing is difficult. Finding not just the right word, but the best word; developing characters that take you places you didn’t expect but is exactly where they need to be; struggling with plot and immersing yourself in timelines and red herrings. Then once the writing is ready, the publishing process begins. That is a whole new – and evolving – world. Keeping current in that world is a challenge and a necessity. I would rather curl up with a good book, but that is not an option. I have learned to hang in, to enjoy the process, and to be grateful. I am writing.

I am not a marathon writer. I am a sprinter. I can’t sit and write for hours at a time. I break up my writing by taking a yoga class, soaking up some sunshine, checking email, doing some paid work. I do try to write 1,000 fictional words a day. Some days I achieve this. We don’t need to talk about the other days.

My background as a journalist helps here. I am very used to – and very committed to – interviewing, researching, confirming. This is the foundation on which articles are built. I use that process in my fiction writing as appropriate.

For Hung Out to Die, there were key elements to the story that had to be authentic, at least in a fictional context. I have done a lot of reporting on the cannabis industry and have had the opportunity to tour a cannabis production plant before it opened. Likewise, for years as a freelance journalist I wrote on the health sector and health issues, including mental health and personality issues. As a communications specialist, many of my clients were from this sector.

As a historical novel, there is pressure – and rightfully so – to ensure accuracy to the greatest extent possible. Given the significance of the events that really did occur in Conflagration!, this pressure intensified for me.

That role is critical – and invaluable. When we read, we learn. We think and we rethink. We are also moved to action.

I understand the need to plan, to plot. I also understand the importance of letting stories unfold organically. They have a life of their own. I try to balance the two needs. If I get stuck in the plotting stage, I take a break. (There may be bubbles involved.) If I seem to be all over the place when I think about a story, I sit down to write.

On the spectrum from pantser to plotter, I lean left. When I was writing my first mystery Hung Out to Die, I had brief backsfbluetories for the main characters. I had an outline of the plot, I knew who the killer was, and why they had committed the crime. Then I dove in.

Writing my second book, Conflagration!, was a slightly different process. I may have leaned a little more to the right. The book is a historical mystery and follows the trial of Marie-Joseph Angélique almost 300 years ago. I immersed myself in the details of the trial and everything connected to it.

There is a word for this struggle: normal. As hard as it is to have your work rejected, and rejected again, what is important is the work. We need to remind ourselves of this. Then we need to shrug and get back to the keyboard.

I have two books in progress. They are part of a new mystery series with new characters. The three main characters meet in a yoga studio and come together to catch a thief. I loved Riel Brava, but he was very much a surprise. Not what I would have picked as a main character emanating from my imagination. The next books, Bind and Melt, sound and feel a little bit more like me. That said, it’s always good to be taken outside your comfort zone.

My publisher, BWL Publishing, is a big fan of All Author and encouraged me to visit the site. One visit was all it took. AllAuthor supports writers – and inspires us to keep writing. Thank you.