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This month,
Mysterious Corner is delighted to bring you an interview with
Deborah Donnelly, author of the Wedding Planner mystery series.
Thanks for joining us!
Deborah Hern: Tell us a bit about your background. This book
is set partly in Seattle and partly in Idaho. Have you lived in
both places?
Deborah Donnelly: Yes, I lived in Seattle for many years
(though I started on the East Coast) and now I’m in Boise,
Idaho. The Ketchum/Sun Valley area is so beautiful, and so
interesting, that it was a natural for the setting of DEATH
TAKES A HONEYMOON.
DH: What drew you to writing?
DD: I was a reader very early on, and my father is a great
storyteller, so those two things came together for me. Back when
my girlfriends were having crushes on actors and rock stars, I
would write stories for them about the famous star just happened
to meet the fresh-faced high school girl and find true love at
last.
DH: I understand that you first wrote science fiction. Can
you tell us more about those? As a scifi fan myself, I'd
love to know if these books are still floating around!
DD: I did publish some science fiction, but not books. I had
stories in Asimov’s, Fantasy & Science Fiction, the
Universe anthology, and also some smaller venues. My SF usually
came out funny rather than scientific, but I’m proud of
those stories.
DH: What made you switch to writing mysteries?
DD: I wanted to try something book-length, and since I also
enjoy reading mysteries, I thought I’d give that a try. I
took an evening class at the University of Washington shortly
after my own wedding, which is how my wedding planner sleuth was
born.
DH: DEATH TAKES A HONEYMOON is the fourth in your Wedding
Planner series. Do you find that people want to regale you with
tales of their weddings, whether good or bad? If so, do you ever
incorporate these stories into your books?
DD: I do hear stories – almost always about disasters!
And yes, I borrow a detail here and a clever idea there, and mix
them into my own tales. I encourage my readers to send me
anecdotes via my website, at http://www.deborahdonnelly.org.
DH: Did you envision this as a series from the
beginning?
DD: Yes. That’s such a popular form now, and it’s
one I enjoy as a reader. As a writer, it’s really
interesting to develop your characters over several volumes,
especially the relationships among them. It would be a shame to
cram Carnegie and Aaron’s romance into a single
book.
DH: Have you ever actually wanted to be a wedding planner?
Are you that sort of detail-oriented person?
DD: I’d be a terrible wedding planner! I’m not
great with details, but mostly I’m not enough of a
diplomat. I do love to give parties, though, where I have no one
to please but myself, and that makes it great fun to dream up
Carnegie’s menus and floral themes and so forth. But
I’m glad I don’t have to handle all the budgeting
and vendor contracts and hysterical mothers-of-the-bride that
her job would entail in the real world.
DH: How did you go about researching smoke jumpers?
DD: Oh, that was a delight. When I started, I was just looking
around for an interesting occupation for the groom. But then I
got hooked. These men and women are awesome! I read a stack of
books, then toured a couple of smokejumping bases and
interviewed several jumpers. Boise has a big fire center, so
there are quite a few current and former jumpers around. In
fact, I did an author’s talk at a grade school at one
point, and asked my young audience if they knew any
smokejumpers. One little boy waved his hand and said proudly,
“My mommy!” I was worried at first that the idea of
a murdered smokejumper would seem too ghoulish – after
all, it’s a dangerous job – but everyone I talked to
had a lot of fun with it. Like a lot of folks who do dangerous
work, they generate a lot of black humor among
themselves.
DH: The character Tracy stars in a fictitious TV show, TAILS
OF THE CITY, about a sexy dogwalker living in New York. Your
description of that show sounds like it could be quite popular.
Ever thought of pitching it to a production company?
DD: Now there’s an idea! I hadn’t thought of it,
but maybe I will. Or maybe I’ll write a chick lit book.
Hmm....
DH: What's next for you and Carnegie?
DD: I’m working on the fifth book in the series, YOU MAY
NOW KILL THE BRIDE. It takes place in the San Juan Islands,
which is a truly unique and gorgeous setting. I used to visit
when I lived in Washington, and I’ve made one research
trip since, so I love traveling there in imagination every time
I’m at my keyboard. Carnegie has an emotional roller
coaster ahead of her too, so there’s a lot going on. I
hope my readers are enjoying this as much as I am!
Speaking as one of your readers, I’m enjoying
Carnegie’s adventures immensely! Thanks so much for
joining us.
(Click here for
review of DEATH TAKES A HONEYMOON)
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