MLC: Do you remember the first mystery you ever read? If so, what was it, and what pulled you into it?
AUTHOR: The first in the Cherry Ames series. I liked it because the character was appealing, the nurse training was interesting (never wanted to be one, though), and as the series progressed, Cherry went abroad as a nurse. WW II had barely finished and I enjoyed the history as well as the mystery.
MLC: When did you first decide you wanted to write a mystery, and what led you to that decision?
AUTHOR: I went on to read other mysteries, especially Mary Roberts Rinehart. I wrote my first mystery (hunt and peck on my mother's typewriter) when I was 11. It was very derivative of MRR, but (when I read it many years later) it had all the right elements that fit the genre.
MLC: Do you write in any other genres? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: I was first published in historical romance but thought I was writing an historical novel--I had no idea that publishing had changed and historical romance had taken over from the less romantic novels. My agent told me if I wanted to sell the book, I'd have to delete a lot of the history and put in more romance, especially what was known as "the bodice ripper" style. Somewhat grudgingly, I obeyed and managed to write seven of the historical romances--all of which had some element of mystery in them.
MLC: Which comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
AUTHOR: The characters, initially. Once I have established them, I go on to figure out how they would behave and then the plot seems to unfold more naturally. Having two mystery series means that I often get an idea of a plot and then decide which series it fits best.
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: No! Several times I'm not even sure whodunit until I get near the end of the book. At the start of my mystery career, I assumed a mystery writer had to know from the beginning who did it and why. On the second B&B, I got three-fourths through the book and realized I'd fingered the wrong killer. Thank God for computers--it didn't take much editing to go back and give the perp a bit more of a presence. Ironically, as I went through the narrative, I discovered I'd already given the real killer a phony alibi.
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, usually starting around 1 p.m. and quitting at 5:15 to make dinner. Later in the evening I go over whatever I've written, having taken a break and thus getting a fresh eye (I also find quite a few typos).
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: The four Fs--faith, family, friends, and fiction.
MLC: Who are your favorite mystery authors? Do you try to emulate them in your own writing?
AUTHOR: Although she may not have been a brilliant writer, Agatha Christie is such a master of plotting. I read and re-read her books trying to figure out how she did it with her whodunits. When it comes to mysteries as literature, I hold Ross MacDonald in high esteem. I've learned a great deal from reading his books.
MLC: In your present book, is this part of a series, or is it a standalone book?
AUTHOR: It's part of the Alpine series--the "U" book.
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 do wonder what happens with the Alpines when I get to "Z." But most of all I worry about the publishing business. Readership has been falling off for some time and the current economic disaster doesn't help sales. An even greater concern is that so many Americans have stopped reading anything. It's no wonder this country is in deep trouble on so many levels. We seem to have acquired a bunker mentality, burrowing into our own little holes and disengaging ourselves from the rest of humanity.
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, characters have a way of doing surprising things. I let them do it. I have as much curiosity as any reader when it comes to wondering how they'll act or react in certain situations. The element of surprise is one of the wonderful things about writing (and, of course, reading).
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: Judith in the B&B series is based on my cousin, Judy. She's a nurse in real life, but innkeepers and nurses both have a genuine affinity for dealing with people and, in a sense, both are caregivers. Much of the background in the stories is based on truth. She's had so many crises in her life (though has yet to find a dead body) and yet she prevails with humor, courage, and kindness. Not only does she know that I use her as my protagonist, but sometimes she goes to book events with me and talks about her life as both a real and fictitious heroine. Emma, however, is mostly invention, though I have to admit she often views the world through my eyes. I suppose that's partly because the Alpine books are a first person narrative.
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: I tried the un-agented route for a while back in the days when that was still possible and there were far more publishing houses. I got a bunch of rejections, though two publishers (one was Doubleday and the other was--I think it was Crown) wrote very nice letters saying I had talent but that my historical novel wasn't right for the current market. Alas, they didn't tell me why. I never really gave up--couldn't. Writers write and can't stop doing it. But Real Life took up a lot of time in those days (the 1970s), with a growing family, a major move, and my job as a P.R. consultant. The difference back in 1980 was that I went the agent route and the late Donald MacCampbell took me on. He was the one who told me to switch to the romance genre.
MLC: Do you ever attend any conferences? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: I've attended a number of conferences over the years--R W A, Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime, ABA, Pacific Northwest Writers, PMBA, etc.
MLC: Do you have to promote your own work, or does your publisher do that for you?
AUTHOR: My publishers (HarperCollins and Random House) handle much of the publicity, though it's still necessary for me to do some of my own promotional events, especially on a local level since I've made so many contacts over the years.
MLC: If you have to do marketing, what methods have worked the best for you?
AUTHOR: The telephone--personal contact is vital. Of course there's E-mail, too, but if possible, I prefer talking to people.
MLC: Do you have any idea how your book is selling?
AUTHOR: Only if a book makes the USA Today, The NY Times, or a local/regional list. The bottom line, of course, is the royalty statement.
MLC: What has been the best review you have gotten, and why?
AUTHOR: Strangely enough, it was for my first historical romance, "Love's Pirate." It appeared in a magazine that did nothing but reviews and whoever wrote it said something to the effect that the book should not be dismissed as a mere bodice ripper, but that Daheim could REALLY write, create believable characters, make the historical background fit the narrative, etc.
MLC: Have you won any awards, either as an author or for your books? Please tell us about them.
AUTHOR: I've been nominated for an Agatha. I received the Pacific Northwest Writers 2000 achievement award and will be inducted into the University of Washington's Communications Hall of Fame in October.
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: Well...sort of. But it doesn't involve jumping or shouting. Instead, it produces a nice warm glow. Over the years I've had a great many readers tell me that my books have gotten them through some very tough times (death of a spouse, serious medical problems, depression, etc.). It took me a while to realize that I wrote the first mystery, "Just Desserts," to cheer my mother, who was very ill, and to distract me from worrying about her. Alas, by the time I'd finished the first 25 pages, she was unable to read them and died a couple of months later. It made sense that other people found solace and distraction in the books as I suppose they originated as therapy.
MLC: What is your next project, and when will it be out?
AUTHOR: Don't ask--"The Alpine Uproar" is way behind schedule, due to a number of serious health problems, and not just my own. It WILL get finished but exactly when it will come out is undecided. I already have the concept for the next B&B, at this point called "Loco Motive."
MLC: If you could write anything at all, ignoring what editors and publishers say they want, what would it be?
AUTHOR: I can't think of anything outrageous, but I feel a need to do something with my great-grandfather's diaries. Unfortunately, many of them have been lost over the past 100+ years, but I still know enough to fill in the blanks. Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma (I never knew either of them, by the way) had a ton of adventures from South Africa to England to the USA. They were involved in all sorts of things, from chasing after Pancho Villa, suffering through the San Francisco earthquake and fire, being robbed in Nebraska by an offshoot of Jesse James' band, and having the British ambassador seek restitution for them via an Act of Congress.
MLC: Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring mystery authors?
AUTHOR: Think twice. It's a rugged publishing world out there. BUT, as I mentioned, writers MUST write. It seems to me that while there are fewer individual large publishers out there, independent publishers are doing a fair job of filling in the gaps.
MLC: Do you have any teasers for your readers and fans about the next book?
AUTHOR: Alpine's Emma Lord discovers that truth isn't always true. Yes, I know, that sounds dumb, but you'll have to read the book to find out why. As for The Cousins, the next B&B takes place on a passenger train and involves a daredevil martial arts celebrity named Wee Willie Weevil.
MLC: If a genie suddenly appeared and said they would grant you just one wish for your books, what would you wish for?
AUTHOR: That someone would come into this house and re-organize the basement where I keep all my books. I actually tried to do this a few years ago, but chaos has again taken over.
MMLC: Please give us your website url and your email address where people can contact you.
AUTHOR: My website is http://authormarydaheim.com and my email address is mary@authormarydaheim.com.
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.