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| Interview with Denise Swanson By Nancy Mehl  Denise Swanson is a school psychologist. A few years ago, she discovered that the small town she was working in had certain interesting secrets. At the same time she realized she was in the unique position of having access to information that few others ever knew existed. And although she would never use confidential data, these insights led her to believe that a school psychologist would be the perfect amateur sleuth for a mystery series. Her first book Murder of a Small-Town Honey begins the Scumble River Mystery series featuring school psychologist Skye Denison. Read our review. NANCY MEHL - How did the fact that you’re a school psychologist influence Murder of a Small-Town Honey? DENISE SWANSON - Both my sleuth, Skye Denison, and I are school psychologists. Because of this, I was able to have Skye ask particularly significant questions, and give her access to records that others are not allowed to view. After 17 years as a school psychologist, I have heard so many stories and been exposed to so many bizarre situations that I will never run out of plots. What is different about your novel as opposed to other mystery novels? For starters, it is set in the rural Midwest. My sleuth, Skye Denison, is not your usual "run ten miles and beat up the bad guys" kind of woman. She has a great job for an amateur sleuth because a small-town school psychologist hears all the secrets- the kids tell her things, the teachers tell her things, and even the parents tell her things. What kind of research did you do for your novel? I really didn't have to do much research. I grew up in a town much like Scumble River (my fictional town). I worked as a police dispatcher in a similar small town while I was in graduate school so I know how the police work. The only thing I needed to look up was information on coroners and holding a small town festival. Describe a typical writing day for our readers. I usually start writing as soon as I get up and out of the shower. I continue until I've written the number of pages I've set as my goal for that day, which is usually around noon. I then do domestic chores for a couple of hours and start back writing around three. In the afternoon I usually do revisions and/or promotional activities. I do this 5 days a week and work on my day job 2 days a week. What is the biggest challenge facing writers in today's marketplace? I think it is a combination of things, starting with connecting to the right editor at the right time. Right now, my biggest challenge is getting my name out in front of potential readers. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? The three Cs really worked for me - Conferences, contests, and critiques. Before you do anything - write your first draft (know this is a first draft). Then go to some of the really good writers' conferences like Harriet Austin in Athens Georgia, Houston Writers League in Texas, and Heartland in Missouri. If they have contests enter your work, if they have critiques send in your work. Really look at the feedback you're getting without being defensive. Make changes. Start over until you start to have success in contests or have someone who critiques you tell you your work is near perfect. Start submitting and keep at it until you get "The Call." The process took me about 5 years. What are you working on now? The proposal for book number three in the Scumble River series was just accepted by my publisher so I'm about a fifth into that. I'm also working (on and off) on a mainstream women's novel. And I'm writing a short story for an anthology my publisher is putting out in the summer of 2001. What are your future goals? I'd like to write 2-3 books a year and be able to quit my day job. Any closing thoughts or comments? Someone sent me a saying when I was considering giving up writing. I keep it taped near my computer monitor. It says: It's not how good you are, it's how bad you want it Denise Swanson welcomes your comments via email: MsSleuth@aol.com |
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