MLC: What did you do for a living before writing mysteries?
AUTHOR: a. I practiced law for twelve years, mostly in juvenile court.
b. I taught school prior to that for twelve years, as well.
MLC: What's your average day like?
AUTHOR: a. I usually wake up around 5:30 in the morning and I start to write. I get my best writing done before any interruptions occur.
b. Then I try to catch up on my social networks and emails which always seem to take me longer than I care to spend. This includes blogging and other internet time consumers. I enjoy most of them, but they sure eat up a lot of my time.
c. Now that I have my first novel published I’m spending a lot of time on marketing. I’m traveling a lot, signing books at bookstores, libraries and such. I’m also doing a lot of speaking events.
d. When I’m not doing events I’m usually at the computer. About midnight I crash, and somewhere in between all that I eat, try to exercise, complete my daily chores, and deal with life’s little inconveniences.
MLC: Do you have pets?
AUTHOR: a. Just a stuffed animal named Cappy and my sister’s cat, Persimmon, who has trained me well.
MLC: Are you a morning person or a night owl?
AUTHOR: a. Yes.
MLC: What groups are you a member of that you feel are important for you as a writer?
AUTHOR: a. Sister’s in Crime
b. I don’t belong to any writer’s groups but I’m considering a few.
MLC: When did you start writing?
AUTHOR: a. About six years ago. Other than school projects, I never really wrote anything until I started The Advocate.
MLC: Have you taught writing classes?
AUTHOR: a. Yes
MLC: Have you taken writing classes?
AUTHOR: a. Only at conferences.
MLC: What are your views on critique groups?
AUTHOR: a. They can be very helpful, but they can also get stale if you don’t add new people.
MLC: What is your favorite subgenre of mysteries?
AUTHOR: a. I like all of them except the real gory stuff.
MLC: What has been your biggest challenge in being published?
AUTHOR: a. Waiting to hear back from the publisher once she had my manuscript.
MLC: Why did you decide to write the mysteries you're writing?
AUTHOR: a. The subject matter had not been beat to death.
MLC: How did you choose the setting for your mysteries?
AUTHOR: a. It’s what I know. It’s always easier to write something you know a lot about.
MLC: What was the inspiration for your mysteries?
AUTHOR: a. My novels are inspired by real cases I’ve been involved in while I practiced law.
MLC: What writers have inspired you?
AUTHOR: a. John Grisham and every other writer I’ve ever read.
MLC: How do you come up with your plot ideas for your mysteries?
AUTHOR: a. I start with a basic situation, decide how I want it to end (just generally), then draw a plot diagram on how I want to get there.
b. Once I start to write the story often changes drastically as the characters take on a life.
MLC: How do you research for your mysteries? How long does it take?
AUTHOR: a. I use the internet if it is a minor detail. Most of the material I’m already familiar with having experienced much of it. But if I’m using a setting I haven’t been to, whether it is a building or another state, I go there to get familiar with it. It’s so much easier to write about something you have actually seen.
MLC: Is the setting of your mysteries imaginary or real? Why?
AUTHOR: a. Most of the settings in my novels are real. My stories take place primarily in San Diego. The courthouses and the other buildings I use are all real except for “Clara’s Kitchen” in The Advocate. That restaurant is put together from other experiences. There is no Clara’s Kitchen in San Diego.
b. As a reader I like to feel like I’m really in the cities I’m reading about, so the more authentic I can make it for my readers the better. Occasionally I take poetic license and change something so it works in the story, but I try to do that without changing any more than I have to.
MLC: Do you live where you set your mysteries?
AUTHOR: a. Yes
MLC: Tell us about your latest mystery.
AUTHOR: a. I just finished the first draft of my sequel to The Advocate. It takes place about six months after the first novel and Sabre now has a love interest. Bob is still working closely with Sabre and you will get to know JP a lot better in this second novel. The story takes place in San Diego, but you will also see a little bit of Chicago, Michigan, and Texas.
Website: http://www.teresaburrell.com
E-mail address: teresa@teresaburrell.com
Blog: http://www.teresaburrell.blogspot.com