Interview at Poe's Deadly Daughters Blog

I was recently interviewed by Sandra Parshall for her 1/09/08 blog at Poe's Deadly Daughters. Sandra is the author of a fabulous book called, "The Heat of the Moon." With permission, I've reproduced the interview below.


Writers use pseudonyms for many reasons. Would you mind telling us why you chose not to use your real name for fiction writing?

I decided to use a pseudonym because I didn’t want my real name all over the Internet, and my reason for that would make a good plot for a suspense novel (which I will write some day.) But it’s nearly impossible to remain anonymous in this day and age, and within a month of my book’s release, a writer friend mentioned me in her blog using my real name as well as my writing name. There were some consequences as a result of that which, so far, and happily, were minor and quickly resolved. But C. C. Harrison is a registered legal trade name and I think it looks great on a book cover.

The down side of using a pseudonym is that friends and family don’t know what to call you. My daughter now introduces me as C. C. Harrison.

Romantic suspense is perennially popular, drawing readers of both mystery and romance. Did commercial prospects play a role in your choice to write in this subgenre, or are you simply writing what you love to read?

Basically, I’m writing what I love to read. When I was young, I loved the early romance novels full of mystery and intrigue by Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, Norah Lofts, Mary Stewart. By the time I began writing my first novel, that style of romance was long, long out of fashion. But I’m greatly influenced by them, and by Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” Today, the female leads in those books are seen as weepy, wimpy and naïve, but I saw them as courageous. Courage is being afraid but doing it anyway. In every story, the heroine was thrown into unfamiliar circumstances to face mysterious and unpredictable events that were out of her control, but she always found a way to survive. And isn’t that what romantic suspense is today? Despite Scarlett O’Hara’s flaws and weaknesses in some areas of her life, I thought she was a kick-butt, take-charge survivor.

You teach a workshop titled "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?" Which are you? How did The Charmstone develop?

Oh, I’m a plotter, compulsively so! I need to know where I’m going. I don’t even leave my house without a map, and if I’m going over 100 miles, I need a Triptik!

Seriously, I’ve always been interested in the process of writing a book, how novelists actually did it. I’d been widely published in nonfiction, but that was easy. I just took information someone gave me, did a little more research, and wrote an article. Fiction was something else. I truly thought there was only ONE way to write a novel, and I needed to find out what that one way was. I’m embarrassed to admit that misperception blocked me for a long time. At the time, I didn’t have any writer friends, didn’t belong to any writers groups, so had no one to ask. Joining an RWA chapter opened up a whole new world when I learned that every author had a different way of putting a book together, and that they pretty much made up their own process.

My workshop on Plotters or Pantsers is geared to beginning and early career writers who may be struggling with finding a process that works for them. I talk about the many different ways published authors actually put a book together. It’s about process, not technique.

THE CHARMSTONE developed out of my experiences living in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation as a VISTA (now called AmeriCorps) volunteer. That was truly a life changing experience for me, and the characters and plot just sort of came together. I knew a week after I arrived on the reservation that I was going to write a book set there and pretty much what the main plot points would be. I didn’t begin the actual writing until some time later, when my assignment was over. After I left the reservation, I worked on an archaeological dig at an ancient Anasazi site (which gave me more plot ideas), bought a house in the Four Corners area and lived there for a few years. During that time I drafted three novels, one of which was THE CHARMSTONE.

You've written many short stories, but was The Charmstone the first novel you attempted? How long did it take you to write it, from idea to finished book? Would you tell us about your road to publication, once you had a completed manuscript?

THE CHARMSTONE was my first novel. (Okay, I’ll admit I do have one in the closet that hasn’t seen the light of day, but I plan to resurrect it at some point.) The road to publication for THE CHARMSTONE was quite circuitous involving multiple lost or misplaced submissions, a change of acquiring editors, you know, the usual. But it all worked out for the best in the end because I used the time when nothing seemed to be happening to tweak it into a better book, and outline or draft two others. Life is what you make of it and things always happen in their own time.

Both The Charmstone and your second book have Navajo characters and provide a look at life on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley. How were you received by the residents when you visited the reservation to do research? Has anyone there read your first book and commented on your portrayal of Navajo life? What advice would you offer to other authors who want to write about cultures not their own?

Actually my second book, RUNNING FROM STRANGERS due out in September 2008 from Five Star, doesn’t have Navajo characters, but the story is set in Durango, Colorado which is in the Four Corners area just off The Rez. It’s the story of a child advocate who finds herself on a run for her life with a child in her care.

My work in progress, working title NAVAJO GIRL GONE, takes the reader back to the Navajo Reservation with heroine Keegan Thomas as she searches for people in a fifty year old photograph, one of them a child who she’s told was kidnapped by missionaries and never returned. In the book, she meets a lot of resistance from the Navajos for poking around in the past. They tell her that people who dig up the past end up digging their own grave.

However, in reality, the Navajos are at heart very hospitable people. When I first went to the reservation as a VISTA volunteer, I think they were a bit leery of me, because historically, the intent of some of the white people who came to the reservation was to exploit the Indians despite their promises of help. In the end, I made some wonderful friendships that have survived over time, and I go back to Monument Valley often. And, yes, my book has been very well received there; at least I haven’t heard any complaints so I guess I got it right. My biggest fear was not getting the culture and history correct.

I think it’s very difficult for authors to write about a culture not their own, and the only way they can do it and get it right is to live it. I could never have written about life on the Navajo Reservation if I hadn’t actually lived there and interacted with people on a daily basis. Even so, I have to spend a lot of time on research.

Your second book was inspired by your experiences as a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) in the child welfare system. To an onlooker, this kind of work looks emotionally draining, but it must have rewards for those who do it. What have you learned from working with underprivileged and abused children? Have you seen many positive results of your work?

For me, being a child advocate was extremely emotionally draining. I had to limit the kinds of cases I worked on. I wouldn’t take any case that involved child sexual abuse of any kind. What did I learn by working in the child welfare system? Nothing good. It’s shocking and unbelievable what people do to their children. Looking back, I guess I could say there were a few moments of joy and reward, but only a few. Lack of money, staff, and effective management are huge problems in most child welfare systems.

Has being a published novelist changed your life? Did you know what to expect, or have you had some surprises (good and bad) along the way?

No surprises, not really. It’s pretty much what I expected. The biggest change it’s made in my life is I can’t go to the supermarket in sweats and grubbies anymore. I have to dress halfway decent because people in my community now know who I am and recognize me from signings and seeing my picture in the paper. Basically, I’m living the kind of life I’d always hoped to live - a published author, living alone, secluded, surrounded by my books and papers, writing more novels.

Your second book has the same setting as the first, but the two aren't part of a series. Do you think you'll write a series in the future, or do you have more fun with stand-alone novels?

Every book I write I think I want to be part of a series because I fall in love with all my characters and don’t want to let them go. So far, instead of writing a true series, I try to bring a few characters from previous books into my new books. In the book I’m working on now, I brought in at least one character from RUNNING FROM STRANGERS. The next book after that will be set on the Navajo Reservation and I plan to bring in several characters from THE CHARMSTONE.

Do you plan to attend any mystery conferences in 2008 where readers can meet you?

I don’t have as much time for conferences anymore, but I will be at the Desert Rose RWA Desert Dreams Conference in Phoenix on April 4-6, 2008, and also RWA National in July. So please everyone, I’m very approachable. It’s okay to stop me to say hello. Also, check out my website at http://www.ccharrison-author.com/ and read my blog for news and updates.


New to my music collection:

All the Lost Souls - James Blunt

Amazon Reviews

There was a lively discussion on the Five Star Authors email list recently about reviews posted on Amazon.com. How helpful they are, how accurate, how fair, and whether or not Amazon reviews influence readers to buy. I think Amazon reviews influence most reader buying decisions, but they are helpful to me in another way.

Here's how I use Amazon reviews:

I never (hardly ever) buy a book based on good reviews. (Book covers don't persuade me to pick up a book either, but I know I'm in the minority on that.) I buy a book based on the summary of the story. If it sounds like something I'm interested in, I buy the book.

Then I go to Amazon for the reviews, BUT I read the one and two star reviews first. Why? Because I want to see if they are constructive reviews or merely general bashing. I ignore bashing. Then I browse the positive reviews. After that I read the book.

If I find myself losing interest in the book, or not liking it for whatever reason, I go back to the Amazon reviews and read them again. If the reason I am not liking the book is mentioned by at least one other reviewer, I usually don't finish the book. (If it's not, I give the book another chance and read more to see if it eventually engages me.) The reason for that is because I have more books in my bookcase, on my "to be read pile", and on my Amazon Wish List than I have time left on this earth to read them.

This wasn't always the case. I used to read every single word of a book out of respect for the author's hard work and effort. Then I amended that to reading at least the first 50 pages before giving up on it. Now I don't waste time plowing through any book that isn't holding my interest.

Here are some of the really good books I've read lately:

The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall

Half Broken Things by Morag Joss

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

JANUARY 2008 SIGNINGS AND EVENTS

JANUARY 2008 SCHEDULE

1/18/08 - BOOKMASTER, 2929 N. Scottsdale Rd, 10 am - 2 pm

This is a mulit-author signing, KOOL-FM will be broadcasting a remote from the location during the event.

1/23/08 - WORKSHOP - North Valley Library, Anthem - 7 pm

I'll be doing a mini-workshop called, "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?" Do you plot your book or write it by the seat-of-your-pants? Do you outline your story or just sit down and start typing? What's the best way to write a novel? I'll talk about the advantages and pitfalls of either technique, and give some hints on how to make each method work for you, including 3 Basic Outline Formats, 7 Things Pantsers Must Do, 8 Things Plotters Must do, and What Other Authors Do.

Churning

So what have I been doing these past months?

Churning.

No, not butter. A new book.

When I’m starting a new book, I find I have to let the story elements work their way around in my head for a while, and when the story is fully conceptualized in my mind, I begin the actual writing. While those plot points are swirling, I work on my characterizations, and make notes of possible story events and turning points. When the book is literally bursting out of my brain, I can finally type “Chapter One.”

While all that is going on, it’s hard for me to do anything else, including blog. Now that I’m a hundred pages into the manuscript, I’m getting a head start on my New Year’s Resolution to keep up this post. I promise.

My new as yet untitled work in progress is a follow up to my first book, THE CHARMSTONE, which was released last April. This new one is also set on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley, and involves a young woman who leaves the comfort zone of her ordinary life to find people and seek answers to questions from the past. By doing so, she becomes immersed in a culture entirely new to her. There’s an old photograph. A missing child. People with secrets, lots of them. Some worth killing for.

I think you’ll like it as much as you all liked THE CHARMSTONE. And, by the way, thanks for that.

UPCOMING SIGNINGS AND APPEARANCES: (More details later)

January 18, 2008 - Bookmaster in Phoenix

January 23, 2008 - North Valley Library in Anthem, AZ , Workshop - "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser", 7:00 pm

February 9, 2008 - Bookmaster in Anthem, AZ

New in my music collection:

HOBO by Billy Bob Thornton
E2 by Eros Ramazzotti

RUNNING FROM STRANGERS

I’m very happy to announce that my romantic suspense novel RUNNING FROM STRANGERS will be released by Five Star in September 2008. Pleased, too, that I’ll again be working with Tiffany Schofield and the other wonderful Five Star editors and support staff. Really, they treat their authors like rock stars, and diva that I am, I love it!

RUNNING FROM STRANGERS is the story of child advocate Allie Hudson who is forced to go on the run with a child in her care. In her youth, she’d frequently chosen to ignore the consequences of her free-spirited behavior leaving childhood sweetheart Beck Williams to take the blame. Because he loved her, it was an arrangement that suited them both. Until someone died and Allie disappeared. Now twelve years later, Allie, a devoted child advocate, disgraced family court lawyer, and widow of a murdered cop, seeks refuge at Beck’s secluded Southwest Colorado ranch.

The events in this book were inspired by my work as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) in the child welfare system, and highlight some of the problems inherent in child protection services throughout the country. Whether due to lack of funding, lack of qualified child welfare administrators, or lack of proper care facilities, these kids don’t have it easy. In the book, Allie becomes emotionally attached to the children she advocates for, going far out of her way to see that they are well fed, clothed and cared for. There’s a lot of action and suspense in this book, and a surprise twist at the end. I hope you enjoy it.

New in my music collection - Beautiful Door by Billy Bob Thornton

(Yes, that Billy Bob Thornton. How many of you knew Billy Bob sang in a rock band? I didn't.)

Monument Valley Revisited

I went back to the Navajo Reservation to do some research for a follow up book to THE CHARMSTONE. I’m pleased to say that book has generated a lot of interest, and quite a few readers have asked me if there will be a sequel. So I went to Monument Valley to get back into The Rez mode, to see if anything has changed, and to meet up with my old friend, Don Mose. It was Don’s cultural preservation efforts at Monument Valley High School that inspired the work of Durango Yazzie in the book.

Only a few things have changed in Monument Valley. The tiny grocery store down the road from Goulding’s has tripled (at least!) in size and is now a modern supermarket with fully stocked shelves. What we called The Mall, a row of makeshift plywood sheds featuring splendid Navajo jewelry, pots, rugs, and baskets, has moved from the road leading to the Tribal Park to the side of Highway 163. It’s now called The Indian Market, but it will always be The Mall to me. Of course, I had to add a couple of pieces to my Southwest jewelry collection.

Had a nice chat with Don Mose. We talked a little about my new book idea. It won’t be a sequel exactly, though I will try to bring in a character or two from THE CHARMSTONE. The new story was not fully formed in my mind, but I knew I wanted to include certain plot elements and Don was able to expand on those for me. For the historical plot elements – the old Indian Boarding Schools – he referred me to Robert Johnson at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock. (Robert, I’ll be calling you soon.)

Don and I sat in the shade at the Tribal Park during their fabulous Drums of Summer celebration. There were Native American exhibits, songs and dances from various tribes, recognition of Elders, Veterans and local officials, and music. A lot of music. Two of Don’s sons, Travis and young Don, are in rock bands now. I hadn’t met them before, so I stayed to hear them play.

Imagine my surprise when I saw they looked exactly like the young Navajo rock musicians in THE CHARMSTONE! It was as if Larry and Albert Rainwater had walked right out of the pages of my book! I mentioned it to Don, and he just smiled and said sagely, “Yes, you really had a vision there, didn’t you?” I guess I did, Don. I think learned it from you.

And one more thing. Cell phone service on the Rez is close to nonexistent, at least it was for my AllTel phone, especially in the remote vicinity of the Park. But as I was walking through the lobby of the Park Tourist Center, my cell phone rang. It was my agent calling to tell me Five Star had made an offer on a second book!

I’ll blog more about that later.

Ready For My Close-up, Mr. DeMille

I booked a print job recently, an ad campaign for Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona. It was a cast of about thirty people who had been picked to represent a broad range of age and lifestyles. The idea was to show people from all walks of life enjoying an evening at the casino, not just gambling, but dancing and having fun, or enjoying an intimate or family style dinner.

The photographer/director was Rick Peterson of Peterson Productions in Tucson. Check out his website to see his fabulous work. http://www.rickpeterson.com./ It was a three day shoot, and Rick was the epitome of saintly patience trying to keep track of everyone, giving direction, and calmly shooting still shots for ads and billboards, and a video TV commercial.

I was in about three scenarios. Winning at the poker table, playing the slots, and dancing with one of the other cast members. That's me in the picture gettin' my groove on.

Added to my iPod: Digeridoo Australia by Koomurri Tribal Dance

New in my music collection: Escape by Enrique Iglesias and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias.