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 Interview with L.C. Hayden, author of two stand-alone mysteries, Who's Susan (1998) and When Colette Died (1999). With a sequel planned to finish the story of When Colette Died and a new mystery series in the works, there's much talk of L.C. Hayden these days. Interview by Charlotte Austin. Author's email: lchayden@hotbot.comRead our review of When Colette Died CHARLOTTE AUSTIN - What is the lure of writing in the mystery genre? Why write mysteries at all? LC HAYDEN - I feel that life is one large mystery. No matter which genre you like or what your life is like, there will always be some type of mystery involved. Writing mysteries, I suppose, is my way of imitating life. How are your mystery novels different from other mysteries? What sets them apart from the rest? The style, I believe, is quite different. I like short chapters and fast moving novels. I believe this adds suspense. Also, I try to end each chapter with a cliffhanger. I loved Who's Susan, your debut novel, because it touched a cord in all of us. Why did you want to write this particular book? Thank you, Charlotte, for the nice compliment. When my son was a toddler I went to the daycare center to pick him up. He wasn't in the playroom where he was supposed to be. We checked the bathrooms, not there either. We went back outside - still no son. Donald had gone back to the TV room so he could watch Sesame Street. It took the daycare center 2-3 minutes to find him, but those were 2-3 hundred years to me! I always remembered this feeling and that became the premise for WHO'S SUSAN? Then, of course, I complicated it further, by having her being accused of kidnapping her own son and having the first 18 years of her life a complete blank. When and how was Who's Susan chosen as the January selection of Oprah Online Reading Cafe? How did this happen? Both SUSAN and WHEN COLETTE DIED were the January features for Oprah's Online Reading Cafe. The exact date was Jan. 26, 2000. I believe someone read the books and recommended them to the committee. One day I received an e-mail, asking if I wanted to be on Oprah Online. That was a blast! I really had a lot of fun. The people I chatted with sure are friendly folks! You are now working on Where Secrets Lie, the next stand alone mystery to feature the same detective introduced in Who's Susan. What will this mystery dwell on? When will it be released? WHERE SECRETS LIE should be released late this year or early next year. This is the story of a woman who finds out that she is adopted. She goes out to find her biological parents, not realizing that her father is a serial killer. Every step she takes to find her father takes her closer to her death. If she is to survive, she must find out WHERE SECRETS LIE. Part Two of When Colette Died is also in the works. Why was it important to finish the story? What surprises will there be? Actually, I thought I was finished with COLETTE. However, shortly after the book was released, a received a ton-and-a-half of e-mails asking me to finish the book. That was a shock to me. But it seems that readers wanted to know what happened to Dan and his little girl. This is of course irrelevant to COLETTE, but it sure will make one heck of a good premise for Part II. The first book in your new series is called Ill Conceived and the second book is entitled With Vengeance. Tell us more about this project. I am very excited about this series. I feel so close to the character. She's a reporter in Lake Tahoe who wants to make it big in the world of journalism. Her break comes when she starts to investigate a story about a runaway who later turns up dead. This series will have humor, suspense, twists and turns, and a light romance. My agent is currently negotiating with some publishing houses and soon we'll get this series on the road. My non-series will all be the who/what/when/where/why/how titles and this series will have "normal" names. When can readers expect this series to be released? If it was up to me, I'd say yesterday. But to be on the realistic side, I'd say a year or so. Many published authors find the struggle to remain published greater than the struggle to become published in the first instance. What are your thoughts on this issue? There is always the danger of going dry or just simply rehashing the same thing over and over. However, the world is filled with all sorts of characters. If we as authors look around, there's always an opportunity for a new story, a new character. Writing is just another form of living. Any closing thoughts or comments? I would like to thank all of my readers who support me. Without you I wouldn't be here. I hope that I can always please you. If any of you ever have any questions or need advice, e-mail me. I love to hear from you. And finally, Charlotte, thank you for doing this interview. I really enjoyed answering your questions. Read Elsie Hayden's full bio Author's email: lchayden@hotbot.com |
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