Today we have with us mystery author Sylvia Dickey Smith. In honor of her love for strong coffee we are enjoying a bold cup of Seaport coffee from southeast Texas. And next time any of you're in the Lone Star State, check out her favorite coffee shop, Cianfrani Coffee Roasting Company — on the square in Georgetown, Texas. Sylvia’s latest book, DEADLY SINS DEADLY SECRETS, was released by L & L Dreamspell in November 2007.

CAFÉ:
Tell us a little about the new book.

SYLVIA:
Sidra Smart, rookie private eye, has inherited not only The Third Eye detective business, but now a dog lost in an ice storm, but nothing matches the apparition that sits on her bed at night. This second book in the Sid Smart & The Third Eye mystery series, again transports the reader to colorful, but mysterious southeast Texas where hurricanes are wont to blow, and mosquitoes grow as big as dragon flies, where Civil War heroines lived and died in obscurity — and live again. Fifty-year-old Sid Smart takes her second case when tobacco-spitting, chair rocking Dempsey Durwood convinces her to clear his son’s name in the murder of a local couple. But when skeletal remains of a local boy, missing since the 1970’s, are found half-buried in ancient shell mounds, and the local preacher’s wife goes missing, and that all these events tie back to the murdered couple, Sid realizes the past holds the key to the present, but she’s still unsure what she’s dealing with, or whom.

CAFÉ:
How long have you been writing?

SYLVIA:
Four years

CAFÉ:
When did your first novel come out? And tell us a little about it.

SYLVIA:
May 1, 2007, DANCE ON HIS GRAVE [READ REVIEW HERE]. Sidra Smart, disillusioned ex-wife of a preacher, never imagined herself running a PI business, that is until she inherits her late brother's detective agency. Soon, a woman stumbles in with vague flashbacks of a 30-year-old murder. Intrigued by the story, Sid takes the case and soon plunges into a surreal world where the flames of Creole superstition and passion burn as hot as the memories of child abuse, arson, and murder.

CAFÉ:
Sounds fun. Have you always written mysteries?

SYLVIA:
This is my first attempt at mystery. I’ve always been in love with mystery books, and have read them through the years, but never expected to write one myself, until I started on DANCE ON HIS GRAVE.

CAFÉ:
Sounds like you’ve gotten off to a great start. What else have you written?

SYLVIA:
I also write non-fiction and historical fiction. I have a historical fiction in first draft. The novel is set in Southeast Texas during WW II where a massive ship-building operation contributed to the war effort, and saved people from starvation after the depression. I also, I have a non-fiction memoir-type short story published in an anthology called True Tales of Transformation: The Story That Must Be Told, published by Loving Healing Press. The piece is entitled DIVORCING GOD. In the story I say that I didn’t really divorce God, but at the time, it felt like it.

CAFÉ:
Sounds like you write a variety of different things. Also sounds like you like Texas. What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book? Please tell us a little about the setting and main character.

SYLVIA:
Well, the first book of the series, DANCE ON HIS GRAVE, established the setting and the main characters. I had this story inside me waiting to be told and I struggled for weeks with the setting, finding it difficult to decide where. Then, when I hit on my hometown, it just felt right. I was born and reared in Orange, Texas, but left shortly after high school and have never lived there since. My family are all still there, so I’ve been back frequently. One of the most surprising things is — as an adult, I never cared for my hometown, but after conducting the research to write this mystery series, I’ve fallen in love with the place all over again. In this latest book, a historical Civil War heroine jumped out at me and wanted to be featured in the book. Her name was Kate Dorman, a woman who lived in Sabine Pass. When your series is set in modern times, and you have a 1800s woman demanding she be featured in it, what do you do? Kate shows up as a ghost to help the protagonist solve her case. I wove Civil War tales into the book, along with Kate.

CAFÉ:
Interesting how the history of a place can make it more interesting. What is the main reason that you write?

SYLVIA:
So I can breathe! I feel like, if I don’t write, all the stale air inside me gets trapped and contaminated. Putting words on paper and moving them around until they say exactly what I want them to say frees me, makes me feel like I’m flying.

CAFÉ:
Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to take away from your work?

SYLVIA:
Oh, most definitely there is much more in my writing that I want the reader to take away with them. I want to hold their attention well enough that they stay with me through to the end.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a schedule for your writing or just write whenever you can?

SYLVIA:
I don’t have a hard, firm schedule. I grab every moment I can to write. I try getting up early, squeezing in time in the afternoon, escape to the library when necessary.

CAFÉ:
Sometimes that’s what it takes. Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

SYLVIA:
I WISH I could outline. I think my plotting would go much faster if I did. But when I try to outline, my brain freezes. I have an idea of where I want the story to go and how I want it to end, but the process to that end usually comes as a surprise to me as well as the reader. I frequently have to go back and find the chapter and the name of a character.

CAFÉ:
If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?

SYLVIA:
Early in the morning with no one else in the house up! Often, if I do arise early, others in the household end up getting up at the same time, and that shoots down the private time and creates frustration on my part. Since we’ve just moved into a condo, I’m thinking the library may be the best place for me to escape to write.

CAFÉ:
Sounds like we have yet another morning person. Day job?

SYLVIA:
No, I retired a couple of years early, so my time is basically my own now.

CAFÉ:
That’s nice. Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

SYLVIA:
Most definitely. Getting published is not for the faint of heart or for the easily discouraged. Rejection comes in-mass. Only those who dig in their heels and persevere stand a chance in the publishing world today.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

SYLVIA:
The "so close" stories or what get you. So many agents loved the story but for one reason or another, rejected the work. After much effort I landed a great agent, but right after we contracted together, she closed her business! Talk about feeling REALLY rejected. When your writing can cause a person to close down her whole business because of you — that’s bad. (At least I felt that way!)

CAFÉ:
Wow, yeah you don’t hear that too often. What kind of promotion do you find most affective?

SYLVIA:
Book signings in out of the way venues, like gift stores or furniture stores. Reviews, of course, help tremendously.

CAFÉ:
Your future writing goals?

SYLVIA:
A new mystery series of the adventures and misadventures of a mother-daughter duo named Delva & Avled. Plus, a non-fiction work on the Atakapa Indians of Southeast Texas and another non-fiction on the history of Jean Lafitte, who was active in the same area.

CAFÉ:
They both sound fun. Heroes?

SYLVIA:
Oh, wow. Let’s see — Not a name, per se, but strong women inspire me — women who find their voices and take a stand against prejudice and inequality of all kinds. Women who speak up and out, regardless of those who disagree with them. Also, I admire people, either male or female, who are not content with answers, but rather find themselves in the questions.

CAFÉ:
I like that. Person you would most like to meet dead or alive?

SYLVIA:
Mystery author, Nevada Barr. I love her Anna Pigeon series. I love Anna’s strength, her opinionated ways, the fact that she struggles with what she believes and why she believes it, and is not afraid to say so. I like that she takes a stand for herself. If Barr can write like that, then I think she must not be too far off from Anna, herself.

CAFÉ:
Hey now that you are published maybe you will. What do you read?

SYLVIA:
Everything Nevada Barr writes, Dean Koontz, and non-fiction work that helps me develop my writing.

CAFÉ:
What are your hobbies?

SYLVIA:
I’ve done oil painting in the past, candle and soap making. I love to garden. But currently, all my time is spent writing.

CAFÉ:
Favorite TV or movies?

SYLVIA:
Boston Legal is one of my favorite current TV shows. Movies — my all time favorite is Princess Bride, but runners-up are Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Chicago, and Second-hand Lion.

CAFÉ:
Some good ones there. Pets?

SYLVIA:
Not a one. My husband and I both love dogs, but have resisted adding one to our family at this time due to our travel schedule.

CAFÉ:
That’s probably smart. Family?

SYLVIA:
My mother is still living, at 88, but in poor health. I have two siblings, a sister and a brother. I have three sons and a daughter, plus a step-daughter. Together they supply us with 15 grandchildren. BIG family!

CAFÉ:
Must make for busy holidays. What part of the country/world do you live in?

SYLVIA:
I live in Georgetown, Texas. Just moved here from Round Rock, a few miles further down I-35.

CAFÉ:
Why am I not surprised? Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

SYLVIA:
Persistence, persistence, persistence!

CAFÉ:
I agree on that one. Anything you would like to add?

SYLVIA:
One little-known fact about me: I clean my face every day with coffee grounds left over from the morning pot.

CAFÉ:
Now that’s a coffee connection I wouldn’t have expected. Website?

SYLVIA:
www.sylviadickeysmith.com

CAFÉ:
I believe Sylvia has a fun coffee story on her blog everyone should check out. Where can people purchase your books?

SYLVIA:
Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, from L & L Dreamspell at www.lldreamspell.com, or, if it isn’t in your bookstore, the store can order it for you. Folks who would like an autographed copy can email me.

CAFÉ:
Thanks so much for joining us at the Café today.

©2008 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.