MLC: Do you remember the first mystery you ever read? If so, what was it, and what pulled you into it?
AUTHOR: I don’t remember which exact title, but I was a huge fan of the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries by Donald J. Sobel. I think what drew me in was that these kids were smart, and their brains saved the day. For a bookish kid, that was wonderful -- it meant you could be a “nerd” and also a hero. I think Encyclopedia Brown was my first crush!
MLC: When did you first decide you wanted to write a mystery, and what led you to that decision?
AUTHOR: You’d think it would be natural, because I’ve been reading mysteries, obsessively, my entire life. But it wasn’t. I spent the first 20 years of my writing career as a journalist, writing serious nonfiction books. These weren’t the kind of books that I read for fun,but they were what I wrote. Because of my addiction, I was already friendly with Kate Mattes, who runs Kate’s Mystery Books here in Cambridge (and co-founded Sisters in Crime, too!). So when my last nonfiction book, The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats, came out, she invited me to come sign at her holiday party (an annual madhouse of authors and readers with huge discounts and just lots of fun). I said, “But it’s not a mystery!” She said, “Yes, but believe it or not, Clea, there’s a big overlap between women who love cats and women who read mysteries.”
By the end of the night, when we’d all had a few glasses of wine, she turned to me and said, “You should write a mystery.” I guess that she sort of gave me permission -- because the next day I started Mew is for Murder.
MLC: Do you write in any other genres? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: I still do a fair amount of arts journalism. For example, I just got to interview graphic novelist Ben Katchor for the Boston Phoenix. And I review books, too. But for the foreseeable future in terms of books, I’m focusing on mysteries!
MLC: Which comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
AUTHOR: Well, my first three mysteries are in a series, so I have the characters already. With them, I start with a problem - a conflict. For example, for Cries and Whiskers, I was really intrigued by the idea that animal rights people and animal welfare people are often at odds. So that became the core of a Theda Krakow mystery.
I’m now playing around with another, non-series mystery the could be the start of another series or a standalone. With that, I liked the idea of a young woman who is mourning the death of her pet--but the cat’s ghost comes back to help her. So I guess that one is character driven.
MLC: When you are all wrapped up in the story, do you feel like you could solve the crime, or maybe even solve all the world’s mysteries?
AUTHOR: Just the opposite. Sometimes, even if I know who did it, I have problems helping my characters figure it out. I worry about them!
MLC: Do you write every day, or what kind of a schedule do you have? Do you write fulltime, or do you have a “day job”?
AUTHOR: I write full-time, but my journalism is sort of my “day job.” I do try to work on my mysteries every day. Ideally, I work on my mysteries in the mornings, when my brain is sort of clear--and my self-defeating critical sense (“oh, this will never work”) is still asleep. Sometimes I have to do interviews in the morning though, and then I try to work on the creative stuff later in the day.
MLC: Other than your writing, what do you enjoy doing? What is the most important thing to you in your day-to-day life?
AUTHOR: Besides my husband and my cat? I’m a real homebody. I love cooking. I get cooking magazines and am always reading recipes and trying new dishes. Particularly in comparison with writing, which takes forever--and then you have to wait a year at least for the book to come out--cooking offers immediate gratification. You shop, you make it, the house smells nice, it tastes good, and you get praise. (At least, I do - my husband likes my cooking, which is wonderful.) Also, it’s a fairly nonintellectual process that requires focus, so it takes me away from worrying about plot, etc., at least for a while.
MLC: Who are your favorite mystery authors? Do you try to emulate them in your own writing?
AUTHOR: I think we learn by copying, so I do look for nifty ways to resolve problems, particularly in plotting, when I read. But currently--and this changes every few weeks--my favorites are Denise Mina, who writes much darker books than I ever could, and Colin Cotterill, who is much funnier than I am. Of course, I’d love to write like my other favorites: Elizabeth Peters, Ariana Franklin, Alexander McCall Smith, Donna Leon, etc. But they’re all so distinctive! Which is why I love them.
MLC: In your present book, is this part of a series, or is it a standalone book?
AUTHOR: CRIES AND WHISKERS is the third in the Theda Krakow series, so I really tried to up the drama and tension.
MLC: If you are doing a series, do you see an end to it sometime, or do you plan to go on for several years with it?
AUTHOR: I am playing around with a nonseries book. But I don’t want to give up Theda, not yet! I’d miss her too much. I could see at least two more books with her.
MLC: Do your characters ever drive you a bit crazy by going off in their own direction? If so, how do you rein them in, or do you just let them run off on their own?
AUTHOR: Yes, they do. You kind of have to let them do what they want. Otherwise, the writing sounds false. Sometimes they do extraneous stuff that ends up getting cut out, but I never force them to do something against character.
MLC: Do you pattern your sleuths after yourself or someone you know? If so, do you let that person know they were your “pattern”?
AUTHOR: Theda is partly wish-fulfillment of how I wished I was when I was younger and partly other people I know. Violet, her sidekick, started out modeled on a woman I saw everyday but didn’t know (she worked at my local coffeehouse). I imagined what her life must be like and she sort of took off on her own.
MLC: How long did it take you to get published? How many rejections did you have to suffer through first? Were you ever tempted to give up? What do you think made the difference when it was accepted?
AUTHOR: It took a long, long time! I have a file somewhere with dozens of rejections. I ended up completely re-writing my first mystery before it was accepted. Actually, one very helpful rejection I received was from Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen Press. Even though she was rejecting the book, she gave me detailed criticism. That helped enormously with plotting, characterization, even the title. When I had rewritten the book I resubmitted it to her--and she accepted it! So, if you’re reading, THANK YOU BARBARA.
MLC: Do you ever attend any conferences? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: Yes, I’ve gone to both Malice Domestic and Bouchercon several times. This winter, I’m going to Murder in the Magic City for the first time and also Sleuthfest. I’ve heard great things about these smaller conferences and look forward to trying them. I’ll definitely be back at Malice and Bouchercon, though. They’re a blast!
MLC: Do you have to promote your own work, or does your publisher do that for you?
AUTHOR: My publisher is great at sending out review copies and also making posters, but basically I do my own legwork.
MLC: If you have to do marketing, what methods have worked the best for you?
AUTHOR: Word of mouth is still best. Make friends with booksellers, and write good books so that readers recommend them!
MLC: Do you have any idea how your book is selling?
AUTHOR: The new one is just out. I know pre-orders are good, but who knows? Ask me again in six months!
MLC: What has been the best review you have gotten, and why?
AUTHOR: It’s silly, but I loved when Publishers Weekly called CATTERY ROW “the cat’s meow.” How could I not?
MLC: Have you won any awards, either as an author or for your books? Please tell us about them.
AUTHOR: Mew is for Murder won the President’s Award from the Cat Writers Association, an international professional organization. That’s about it!
MLC: Is there any one certain thing that a reader has written to you that made you just want to jump up and shout “Yes!!!!”?
AUTHOR: Yes! I love when readers (or critics) talk about the friendships in my books, and how friends sustain each other. I believe in that strongly and I love when people get it!
MLC: What is your next project, and when will it be out?
AUTHOR: I’m not sure. I’ve been playing around with the ghost cat story and will be asking my editor about it soon. It’s up to her whether I continue with this book or if I do another Theda Krakow mystery next. I feel rather ambivalent. I mean, I’m liking this other project, but I do NOT want to give up on Theda. So I’ll wait and see what she says. That said, my new Theda mystery, CRIES AND WHISKERS, is just out, so I’ll be spending the next month or so promoting it!
MLC: If you could write anything at all, ignoring what editors and publishers say they want, what would it be?
AUTHOR: Sadly, exactly what I’m writing now! Which of course makes me worry that my editor won’t like it.
MLC: Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring mystery authors?
AUTHOR: Yes. Keep at it. Keep writing. Keep sending it out. Keep re-reading it and fine-tuning it. I know so many people who have written half a book. Half a book will never get published.
MLC: Do you have any teasers for your readers and fans about the next book?
AUTHOR: Well, I’m not sure if the next book will be the stand-alone or another Theda, so... not yet!
MLC: If a genie suddenly appeared and said they would grant you just one wish for your books, what would you wish for?
AUTHOR: A review in Marilyn Stasio’s crime fiction column in the New York Times. Favorable, of course!
MMLC: Please give us your website url and your email address where people can contact you.
AUTHOR: My home page is http://www.cleasimon.com--that links to my blog, but you can go to that directly at http://cleasimon.blogspot.com. Readers can email me directly at cleas@earthlink.net.
MLC: Thank you so much for giving us a little glimpse into your books and your life. We look forward to a lot more books from you.
AUTHOR: Thank you so much for this opportunity! I’ve loved chatting with you.
Clea