Interview With N.J. Lindquist
by Lorie Ham
Today at the Café we have author N.J. Lindquist. Since she is a big
tea drinker, let’s make a pot of herbal tea and sit back and enjoy the
interview. Her new book, GLITTER OF DIAMONDS: A MANZIUK AND RYAN MYSTERY,
just came out.
CAFÉ:
Exactly what genre is the new book?
N.J.:
It’s a whodunit in the British puzzle style used by Heyer,
Christie, Marsh, etc. A little humor, a little romance, and a puzzle to solve.
CAFÉ:
Tell us a little bit about it?
N.J.:
After Stasey Simon, an outspoken sports talk-show host, asks
on-air for a volunteer to knock some sense into the home team’s temperamental
new pitcher, Toronto police detective Paul Manziuk and his new partner Jacquie
Ryan hustle to catch a murderer swinging a lethal bat before the case escalates
into an international incident. Still trying to figure out how to work together,
Manziuk draws on his own love of the game, while Ryan struggles to make sense of
a sport she’s never watched. It’s a mystery first and foremost, though it does
have interest for those who like baseball stories.
CAFÉ:
That’s fun. My husband seldom reads fiction, but loves
sports. Maybe I can get him to try this one.
How long have you
been writing?
N.J.:
Off and on since I was very young; seriously since 1989.
CAFÉ:
When did your first novel come out and what was it about?
N.J.:
1991. Best of Friends. It’s an inspirational coming-of-age novel
told from the point of view of a seventeen-year-old boy who lives in a small,
mid-western town.
CAFÉ:
Obviously you haven’t always written mysteries, what else have you
written?
N.J.:
I first wrote short stories and books from the point of view of
teenage boys. Not sure why it happened that way: it just did. I had been
teaching high school, and definitely found boys more of a challenge, but also in
many ways more fun. (And I later had four sons — yeah!) I’ve also written short
stories for adults and a lot of non-fiction. I even wrote a bunch of poetry when
I was in university, but I don’t try to get that published.
CAFÉ:
What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your
latest book? Why don’t you tell us a little about the setting and main
character.
N.J.:
They say write what you know, so when I first decided to write a
series of mystery novels, I wrote down every topic I knew a little about. I’ve
been a baseball fan since I was quite young. While at a Blue Jays baseball game
years before, it had occurred to me that the bullpen would make a very good
place for a body to be found. So now, I thought about it, trying to figure out
whose body would be most likely to be found, and what other people would be
involved, and I ended up with a number of characters. But I still didn’t have a
plot. Then, one day, a sports talk show host I listen to a lot said something
that caught my attention. He was actually talking about a hockey player, I
believe, but what he said was roughly, “Someone should take him outside and
knock some sense into him.” And there was my plot. I’d have a woman who was a
very outspoken sports talk show host and she would be the catalyst leading to a
murder.
CAFÉ:
What is the main reason that you write?
N.J.:
All these ideas and characters are in my head, and I have to do
something with them or I’ll feel I’ve missed out. And they’ll keep bugging me.
I also have a number of people who’ve begged me to write the next in the series.
Every bit of encouragement helps.
CAFÉ:
I bet.
Do you write to entertain or is there something
more you want the readers to take away from your work?
N.J.:
I write mysteries mostly to entertain myself. Writing the kind of
mystery I do is a bit like playing a very intricate game. If they entertain
others, too, that’s great. I also write for many other reasons: to inspire, to
teach, to encourage, to challenge…
CAFÉ:
Do you have a schedule for your writing or just write whenever
you can?
N.J.:
I really would like to have a schedule and write every day and
have everyone else respect my schedule and tiptoe around me. But it hasn’t
happened yet. I’m still hopeful. But right now, I guess I’d have to say I’m a
binge writer – especially with fiction. I really get into the story and I prefer
if I only have to come out briefly to eat and sleep. In fact, my husband will
bring my food to the computer when I’m really going strong. When I write
fiction, it’s as if I’m surfing on a really strong wave and I want to stay on it
as long as I possibly can. When I come down, I’m a bit disoriented, and I just
want to try to catch another wave so I can keep going.
CAFÉ:
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?
N.J.:
When I was writing essays in high school and university, and we
had to turn in an outline, I tended to write the essay first and then write an
outline. It took a while, but somewhere in there I realized it wasn’t so much
about outlining as it was about learning a pattern that worked for me. Having
written, at this point, 10 novels, (2 aren’t yet in print), I’ve learned that
what works best for me is, after I have a general idea of what the book is going
to be about, to begin organizing it by creating and getting to know the
characters. Their names are very important. And I write out a lot of information
about them. In a mystery, I figure out who the murderer is. Then I put together
a very rough outline of three or four major plot points. And then I will likely
start writing for a while, to get a feel for the characters, before doing an
outline of potential scenes. But I don’t stick to an outline as if it were
mandatory. I know that as I write, the characters will grow and change, so I try
to stay sensitive to them and the direction they want to go. I do tend to write
on post-it-notes and make charts to help me keep track. My mysteries are pretty
intricate, so I have charts showing where people are during the murder and then
charts of their alibis and what they tell the police the first time, and then
the second time, and the truth…. I also use post-it-notes (with a scene on each
one) to keep track of the time as it passes.
CAFÉ:
It seems that every writer has to find what works best for
them.
If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?
N.J.:
I struggle with this! I’m not really a morning person, but I know
that’s when I’m least likely to be disturbed. So I have a love/hate problem. If
I write in the morning, if I exercise in the morning, I may get distracted with
“life” stuff, and not get around to writing. If I write in the morning, I get
caught up in that and then the urgent things, and don’t get any exercise. In a
perfect world, I’d probably write all night and sleep until noon.
CAFÉ:
Finally someone who feels like me! I would prefer that
myself.
Do you have a day job?
N.J.:
For the past six years, I’ve been the executive director for The
Word Guild, a Canadian association for Canadian writers and editors who are
Christian. That’s a volunteer job, but it’s taken a whole lot of my time and
energy. The writing has definitely played second fiddle.
CAFÉ:
Sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.
Did you find it difficult to
get published in the beginning?
N.J.:
Actually, the first book was relatively easy; it was the
second that was difficult. My first book was a teen novel. I sent in a query
with three chapters to eight publishers. After seven rejections, the eighth
publisher picked it up. But it was seven years until my second book was
published.
CAFÉ:
It can definitely be a hard business. To stick with it you
have to love the writing. I’m sure your readers are very glad you didn’t
give up. Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like
to share?
N.J.:
I can’t think of any great rejection stories. As if! I did have
any interesting appointment with an editor at a conference once. I’ve often
talked about it in workshops. The editor was talking to another lady when I came
up, and since I’d been told to wait there until it was my turn, I couldn’t help
over-hearing. He kept asking the lady what other books hers was like, and she
kept saying it wasn’t like any other books. She was holding out a manuscript,
obviously trying to get him to take it and look at it, and he was keeping his
hands at his sides. He continued to press her. She kept saying hers was
completely unique. Finally, he asked her if she had read a specific book, which
was kind of a classic. When she said she hadn’t heard of it, he got rid of her
immediately. So – now, it was my turn. I sat down and he asked me what my
book was about. I said it was a mystery. For the next few minutes, he shot names
at me. “Have you read Chandler?” Yes. Francis? Yes. Sayers? Yes. Grafton? Yes.
And so on… When he finished, I said, “And I’ve also read...” and gave him a
dozen more names. He held out his hand and asked to see my manuscript. No, his
company didn’t end up publishing my book, but he liked it and he gave me some
very useful feedback. So now, I advise people to never ever tell an editor there
is nothing out there like your book. If you want to be taken seriously, you
really must know the genre you’re writing in.
CAFÉ:
That’s an interesting story and good advice. What kind of
promotion do you find most affective?
N.J.:
Reviews from well-known places like Publishers Weekly and Library
Journal seem to sell books. Speaking (especially if the topic relates to your
book) is usually good. Being on panels at conventions. Doing book signings can
be good, even if just to get to know the people in the store. I give out a lot
of bookmarks because I like getting them. Having a website is a must nowadays.
When no one knows you, every little bit helps. It’s really a matter of one
reader at a time.
CAFÉ:
Most interesting book signing story — in a bookstore or
other venue?
N.J.:
Well, the most interesting might have been a few years ago, just
before Malice Domestic, when there were about 17 mystery authors all signing at
one time at the Creatures 'n Crooks Bookshoppe in Richmond, Virginia. Not a
whole lot of other people came, but we had fun hanging out and getting to know
each other. I recall just hanging out and eating a lot of shrimp and buying each
other’s books.
CAFÉ:
That’s the advantage of doing book signings with other
people. They can be fun no matter what happens.
Future writing goals?
N.J.:
I have about 18 books started. I’d like to finish all of them.
Currently, I have two I’m working on: one is a sort of memoir I really have to
write. It’s kind of my “If you could only write one more book, what would it
be?” book, so I figure I may as well get it out of the way. And the other is my
third Manziuk and Ryan Mystery, Opaque Rays.
CAFÉ:
Any heroes?
N.J.:
When I was growing up, Mickey Mantle, Alex Delvecchio, and Gordie
Howe. Oh, and Bob Steele, who starred in a lot of B westerns. Nowadays, any
writers who’ve made it to that place where they focus on writing fulltime!
CAFÉ:
Person you would most like to meet dead or alive?
N.J.:
I’d love to be able to lunch with Georgette Heyer, Agatha
Christie, and Dorothy Sayers. I wouldn’t say anything; just sit and listen to
them.
CAFÉ:
That would be fun.
When you have time, what do you read?
N.J.:
Mysteries of all kinds, some nonfiction (healthy eating and what
to wear and promoting books and practical stuff like that), books two of my sons
tell me I’d like (mostly fantasy), my Bible, books by friends who don’t write
mysteries.
CAFÉ:
What are your hobbies?
N.J.:
Reading mysteries, swimming, walking, watching baseball and
basketball games, watching TLC’s What Not to Wear, listening to music (mostly
country western).
CAFÉ:
I love What Not to Wear.
Favorite TV or movies?
N.J.:
Screwball comedies from the 40s. Philadelphia Story, Fred and
Ginger musicals, that kind. Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility (the
British versions). Monk. Star Trek. Corner Gas.
CAFÉ:
Sounds like we need to get together for a movie and TV
night — we like a lot of the same things.
Any pets?
N.J.:
One black miniature poodle, aged 15, who is getting quite
elderly.
CAFÉ:
Family?
N.J.:
My husband and I have four grown sons, one daughter-in-law and
four grandchildren.
CAFÉ:
What part of the country/world do you live in?
N.J.:
Ontario, Canada.
CAFÉ:
Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
N.J.:
Get connected to writers’ organizations. Learn the rules
before you try to break them. Good writing is rewriting. Being a writer is 10% a
great idea, 40% writing and editing, and 50% persistence.
CAFÉ:
Anything you would like to add?
N.J.:
Just a big thank you for including me here! It always feels
weird talking about myself, but I do believe that what you write comes from who
you are, so it’s kind of necessary and I think my head is still the right size.
(Don’t worry, the members of my family will let me know if it is starts to
swell).
CAFÉ:
You are very welcome. I know readers like to know about the
writers who write the books they enjoy.
Do you have a website?
CAFÉ:
Where can people purchase your books?
N.J.:
Any bookstore (independent or chain) can order them if they don’t
have them in stock, or you can get them from most online stores.
CAFÉ:
Thanks so much for being with us here at the
Café.
©2007 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.
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