MLC: Do you remember the first mystery you ever read? If so, what was it, and what pulled you into it?
AUTHOR: As a child I liked reading The Bobbsey Twins and devoured every Nancy Drew I could find. I liked the Judy Bolton books even better. (She wasn’t as “proper” as Nancy.) I loved being a part of the adventures these books offered. In the little town where I was raised, we either had to read about it or invent our own.
MLC: When did you first decide you wanted to write a mystery, and what led you to that decision?
AUTHOR: When I was in the sixth grade I wrote my first mystery, The Four Little Green Children, on loose leaf notebook paper and tied it together with pink ribbon. (I still have it.) I illustrated it, too, but I didn’t know how to draw anything but profiles, so everyone has their heads turned. I think I was in high school when I decided I wanted to write mysteries. I worked at the local library one summer and one of the popular mystery writers was Mignon G. Eberhardt. I used to cover everything but her first name on the cover and think about how fine mine would look there. That was the summer I became an Agatha Christie addict. If she could set her mysteries in tiny English villages, I thought, why couldn’t I write about small Southern towns?
MLC: Do you write in any other genres? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: When I was much younger, I wrote rhymed verse, and still do on occasion. A few years ago I wrote the lyrics and script for a musical based on the history of the town where we live. Many of my earlier stories and my first published novel was for children, and my one mainstream novel, The War in Sallie’s Station, has a hint of mystery, but that isn’t the main theme of the book. More recently, I wrote a brief inspirational fantasy, The Christmas Cottage, published by Bella Rosa Books.
MLC: Which comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
AUTHOR: The characters, as they create the plot, but I think my setting plays a significant role as well as it takes on a personality of its own.
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: I enjoy the puzzle of a mystery, but when I’m writing one, all those “what-ifs” seem to bombard me from all directions. Plotting is hard work and you have to cross all your t’s and mind your p’s and q’s. I think I’ll do better to concentrate on mine and leave the world’s mysteries to the experts.
MLC: Do you write every day, or what kind of a schedule do you have? Do you write full-time, or do you have a “day job”?
AUTHOR: When I’m working on a book I write every day. I walk every weekday morning for about an hour and a half, then have breakfast, read the paper and get to work. I usually quit about five in time to cook supper. (I keep waiting for somebody else to do it, but that hasn’t happened!) Writing is my “day job.”
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: My family. My husband is retired and our two daughters live several hundred miles away but I talk with them every week and see them often. We have five grandchildren and are doing our best to keep up with them. My church is an important part of my life as well and I’m active in several areas there. I love being with friends and cherish our time together. The older I get, the more I realize how much they mean to me.
MLC: Who are your favorite mystery authors? Do you try to emulate them in your own writing?
AUTHOR: I really don’t have favorites but enjoy many. I’m fickle. I’ll read one or two authors for a while, then move on to others, and I hope I don’t emulate any of them in my writing. When I’m working on a mystery, I usually avoid reading the genre.
MLC: In your present book, is this part of a series, or is it a standalone book?
AUTHOR: Miss Dimple Disappears is the first in a series.
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’ve already completed the second in the series, Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause, which will be out next year, and I’d like to continue with the series if my readers and publishers are enthusiastic about the idea.
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: All the time. That’s what makes writing fun! My characters develop as I write about them. Sometimes I give them free rein, but you do have to set boundaries. I think the longer I write it becomes easier to know in advance how far to let them go.
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: I did loosely pattern one of my protagonists on a friend, and I did tell her about it as I liked this character and considered it a compliment. My angel character, Augusta Goodnight, and my new series character, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, both possess qualities I admire or I wouldn’t write about them, but I don’t see myself in either. I have put myself in the place of many of my protagonists, though. How do you not get inside a main character’s head and heart? How else can you have them feel?
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: A l-o-n-g time, and I’ve lost count of the rejections. As children, our two daughters became almost paranoid about going to the mailbox! I first earned published credits with short stories, and my first published novel, Aunt Matilda’s Ghost, was written for the juvenile market. There is an eight year gap between that and Raven Rock, my first mystery for adult readers. After selling six stand alone mysteries, several more years went by before St. Martin’s began publishing the Augusta Goodnight series. And yes, I was tempted to give up many times, but I reminded myself of that well-known quote from Harry Truman, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” I’m still sweating it out in the kitchen.
Each and every acceptance brings great joy. I usually hang out the flag. Years ago we happened to be driving somewhere on a national holiday and one of our children said, “Look at all the people who’ve had a story accepted!”
MLC: Do you ever attend any conferences? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: I have and enjoyed them. I’ve been to Malice Domestic several times and to Bouchercon once. I’ve also attended conferences in Cape Fear, NC, and Ball State’s Magna Cum Murder. I’d like to go on a regular basis but it just became too expensive.
MLC: Do you have to promote your own work, or does your publisher do that for you?
AUTHOR: My publisher does promote some but I have to do most of it. If I go to a conference or travel somewhere for a signing or event, the expenses come out of my own pocket. My agent also has a PR representative who helps a lot.
MLC: If you have to do marketing, what methods have worked the best for you?
AUTHOR: Mainly my Web site and using the promotion offered on mystery sites such as this one. I e-mail many of my readers when a new book’s due, and I used to print and mail postcards showing the book jacket but it became too costly. This year I had bookmarks printed for Miss Dimple Disappears and put a schedule of my signings on the back.
MLC: Do you have any idea how your book is selling?
AUTHOR: It’s too soon to tell as it won’t be out until the end of Nov.
MLC: What has been the best review you have gotten, and why?
AUTHOR: Can I make one up? Okay, seriously, here are two: “Ballard’s warmth and compassion for her characters makes this series a must for readers who like their mysteries on the cozy side.” Publisher’s Weekly on The Angel and the Jabberwocky Murders.
“Ballard writes with a charming sense of innocence and humor, and the result is an easy-to-read, enjoyable, offbeat mystery.” Mystery News on An Angel to Die for.
Even though I want to frighten my readers, I also want them to feel at home in my books, and now and then I want them to laugh.
MLC: Have you won any awards, either as an author or for your books? Please tell us about them.
AUTHOR: Aunt Matilda’s Ghost won the Excellence in Writing Award for the best published book for children by a SC writer at the Winthrop College (now University) Writer’s Conference the year it was published. Raven Rock was selected as one of the top books for young adult readers by the New York City Public Library; and a short story, A Natural Conclusion, won an award from the (now defunct) Agatha Christie Society for the best short story in her style. The award was a tea canister (with tea!) awarded by her grandson at Malice Domestic.
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: All good comments make me feel that way and I delight in every one, but I received a special one from a nun in Wisconsin once who told me that she had such a grim day job she especially looked forward to reading my angel series as they not only entertained her, but made her laugh and reminded her there was hope in the world.
MLC: What is your next project, and when will it be out?
AUTHOR: Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause is due out next fall.
MLC: If you could write anything at all, ignoring what editors and publishers say they want, what would it be?
AUTHOR: I have two novels in mind. One is about friends who walk together, and the other is called Spirit Creek and is about two sisters who live in the same house but don’t speak. I hope to do some work on that one soon.
MLC: Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring mystery authors?
AUTHOR: Try to get some published credits with short stories and/or feature stories. Join a writers group that critiques your work, and develop a thick hide. I belonged to such a group for about thirty years and they became my lifeline as well as my other “family.”
MLC: Do you have any teasers for your readers and fans about the next book?
AUTHOR: Wartime romance deepens for young teachers Charlie and Annie. Sisters Lou and Jo find themselves in another troublesome dilemma, and Miss Dimple is up to her garters in mischief and murder in the second in the series due out in the fall of 2011.
MLC: If a genie suddenly appeared and said they would grant you just one wish for your books, what would you wish for?
AUTHOR: I would love to see a movie made of my novel, The War in Sallie’s Station. (George Clooney would star in it, of course!)
MMLC: Please give us your Web site url and your e-mail address where people can contact you.
AUTHOR: The Web site is
www.mignonballard.com
Readers can contact me through a link on my Web site.
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.