Author Interview ~ Carolyn Haines

What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

WISHBONES, the 8th book in the Sarah Booth Delaney Mississippi Delta mystery series, will be released June 24 by St. Martin’s Minotaur. I’m really excited. The story line is a little risky, and the emotional stakes are high for Sarah Booth and her friends.

Sarah Booth follows her dream to Hollywood then on to location in Costa Rica, to star in a movie. Rumors abound that the production is cursed. Sarah Booth has to resolve the mystery before she—or her Zinnia friends—are injured or killed.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

My background is journalism, and I started working in the business when I was very young. My parents were both journalists. My first feature story was published in a major daily newspaper when I was 12.

Short fiction was my first love. I was under the spell of Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty—the great Southern storytellers. I was fortunate enough to get an agent on the short stories, but the agent suggested I write a novel. The idea of 500 pages was incredibly intimidating. How could I possibly sustain a story for that length?

It took several years of trying—and a bit of experimenting—to figure out what kind of story captivated me and fired my imagination long enough to sustain the investment required to complete a novel. As I learned at the time, good news comes over the phone. Rejection generally comes by mail.

My editor was Tahti Carter, and she helped me immensely. She was a great editor. When she called with the offer to buy the book, I was at work. I was very calm—until I hung up. Then everyone on the second floor of the building could hear me whooping and hollering.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Always—almost all the time except on those rare occasions when I’m a thousand percent certain the one scene I’m writing is exactly right. The process of creating is the most fun for me—and I trust the story. But at the end of each scene, the options of what could happen next are endless. I trust my characters, but like real people, they sometimes make mistakes, which means much re-writing for me.

The process of editing is also a minefield of potential self-doubt. Once the first chink in logic or time-line is discovered, then the doubts multiply by the minute.

The publication of my first novel, SUMMER OF THE REDEEMERS, a coming of age story set in 1963 Mississippi, nearly killed me. This book was set in a fictional town that greatly resembled my hometown. While the events of the book never happened, the character of Bekka Rich was emotionally close to me. Not like me, but very special to me. When the book came out, I felt very exposed. I wanted to hide under the bed.

That sense of nakedness passed, and I realized that good fiction requires that kind of honesty from a writer. It isn’t always comfortable, but it is necessary. Fiction deals with truth. Journalism deals with facts. There is a difference.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

When I first started, I didn’t learn about the business. I had this idea that it was still the 1950s and that good writing was all that was required of a writer. For the lucky few, this may be the case. But for most writers, having business savvy is important.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

Study the market. Read the most current books you can find. Deconstruct “old” books that you love for story elements that work for you, but read contemporary writers to see what’s happening today. Learn to define the type of book you want to write. Educate yourself by joining writing organizations. And read, read, read—with your gut as well as your brain. So many people who want to write stop reading. That amazes me. Read and learn, paying special attention to structure, character growth, conflict and how a book is plotted.

Then write what you love. No one can predict the next market “trend” so write the story that keeps you awake at night, that won’t let go, that must be told.

How do you craft a plot?

There are basic movements in a novel, just as there are in a symphony or a screenplay, and each genre has slightly different pacing and expectations. Story follows a certain pattern because this is what pleases an audience. That basic structure (and yes, while it is a formula, it is so much more) is: inciting event; first turning point; midpoint turning point; third turning point; crisis; resolution. These are the high points of action/conflict in a story.

There are structures that turn this on its ear (think of the movies “Babel” or “Pulp Fiction,” which employed narrative techniques centered around an idea). But the long established pattern of story follows the moves I noted above. This gives a pleasing rise and fall of action that meets the needs of the reader.

Do you begin writing with a synopsis in hand, or do you write as the ideas come to you?

It depends on the book. When I’m working on a mystery, I know the basic moves (see above question) because it’s my job to manipulate the reader, to plot in a way that leads the reader to draw certain conclusions. This is the fun part of mysteries for the reader and the writer.

In other books, sometimes I simply write. I love the organic process, but I know it means a lot of re-writing. While I love the process of exploration, I pay in the end with more difficult editing.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

I’m basically a self-taught writer. I came to this fiction business because I loved to read. So everything I know about writing comes from those roots. There are things that I teach now—immediate scene, narrative summary, point of view—just the basic elements of writing that I had to figure out. I wish someone had taught me those things. It would have saved me a lot of rejections.

Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

I’ve been up and down so many times that it’s hard to keep count. I sold a series at auction, then saw it nearly tank. This is a tough business. There’s no resting on your laurels. It’s tough for writers, agents and editors.

How do you think reading the work of others helps you as a writer?

I mentioned earlier—read with your gut. I’ve learned most of what I know from reading the writers I admired and sitting back and asking—why do I love that? How did he/she do that? These are the mentors who shaped me into the writer I am today.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

That’s a hard question, because I’m proud of my books for different reasons. The Bones series has allowed me to explore friendship—and humor-- through the characters residing in Zinnia. Touched explored narrow, small town mentality and the hardships on women. Penumbra and Fever Moon were very challenging because of the structure and the complexity of the issues I wanted to write about.

What is your best advice on maintaining a good editor-author relationship?

Remember that the editor is there to help you craft the best book possible. It’s a partnership, not an adversarial relationship. There isn’t a book written that can’t be improved. And if you have an editor who loves your book enough to seriously edit it and make suggestions and work you with—count yourself lucky. Editors are over-worked. While most of them love the process of editing, they have many other responsibilities.

How many drafts to you edit before submitting to your editor?

Again, it depends on the book. Some books are stop and start nightmares. The flow is great, then dead-end. Re-write. Re-write. Re-write. Others flow from the first sentence.

I’m fortunate to have writer friends who will read a draft and make suggestions. I make it a point to get fresh eyes on a manuscript before I turn it in. As I said, editors are busy people, so I want to give them my very best work. (It’s that professional pride thing.)

But I’d say each book has been read and edited no less than seven times before I actually turn it in.

We often hear how important it is to write a good query letter to whet the appetite of an editor. What tips can you offer to help other writers pen a good query?

There are differing opinions on this, but I’m of the school that the query letter is a sales device. You, the writer, are selling your book. You’re also selling yourself as the best person to write this book. Be clever, be concise, be compelling. No more than one page.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

At times I’ve been depressed by the publishing business, but I’ve never seriously considered not writing. I teach creative writing at a university, I have a small farm with 20 animals (horses, cats and dogs—most of them rescue), I’ve worked in a number of other fields, so I could change directions, I suppose. But I write because I love the process. Writing is such a big part of who I am, of my day-to-day life, that I can’t imagine not doing it.

How much marketing/publicity do you do? Any advice in this area?

More now than ever before. I’m trying to learn to be market smart. This is difficult, because I want to write. But publishing is about sales. I want an audience, so I have to do what’s necessary to make that happen.

Have you received a particularly memorable reader response?

I have the best readers in the world. They follow me into new areas, and they frequently send me letters and e-mails about my books. When a reader lets me know that one of my books has impacted his or her life, that’s phenomenal, and very humbling. When a reader gets upset about something a character does, that lets me know the reader cares about these characters the same way I do.

Parting words?

The act of reading is a unique contract between a reader and a writer. I take that seriously. To me, the story is a gift, something magical that’s given to me. I do my best to honor the story and present it to the readers, who share in the magic with me. Think about it. Reading is the most amazing thing. Words on a page create emotion and character and a sense of place. To be allowed to participate in this process is as good as it gets.