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- Author interview - |
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I nterview with Joanne PenceBy PJ Nunn. Joanne Pence is the author of the Angie Amalfi mysteries. Read our reviews of A Cook in Time and To Catch a Cook. PJ NUNN - I love Angie Amalfi and A Cook in Time was great fun. Can you tell us a little about Angie's newest outing without spoiling anything? JOANNE PENCE - The current Angie Amalfi mystery is To Catch a Cook (November 2000). It is a very special story and a particular treat for fans of the series, but I believe new readers will also find it fascinating. Angie's boyfriend, San Francisco Homicide Inspector Paavo Smith, never knew anything about his parents, or even the name he was born with. His mother abandoned him when he was a child, and he was raised by an elderly Finnish man who gave him the name Paavo. Needless to say, Angie has always been curious yet careful not to pry. Circumstances force Paavo and Angie to unlock the secrets of his past. It's an emotional story, and I hope a satisfying mystery as well. What inspired you to write Angie and Paavo in the first place? I wanted to write a story that combined all the ingredients I most love - suspense and mystery, romance and humor. Movies like Stakeout and Foul Play, TV shows like Remington Steele and Moonlighting, have always been favorites. In the first book entitled Something's Cooking, Angie's cooking experience and her job as a food columnist became part of the plot and part of the humor in the story. I didn't know there was such a thing as "culinary mysteries." After the book was greeted with great reviews and award nominations, my editor asked for another book, saying: "And of course, in the next book, you'll be more serious about cooking." Of course, I replied. Are you feeling any inclinations to do something new and different? I'm now working on my ninth Angie Amalfi mystery. While I love Angie and hope her fans continue to feel the same way, I would like to try my hand at a stand-alone book in the near future. How has your writing changed since that first book? I hope it's improved. My background is in journalism, so I knew the basics of writing. But I've learned an incredible amount from my agent and editor about fiction writing - in particular about pacing, word usage, chapter structure and plotting. I've also learned the importance of finding the right voice for the Angie stories, and making sure that it continues from book to book. The Angie novel voice is brisk, contemporary, light and somewhat tongue-in-cheek. It comes naturally to me, which is an important element for being successful with the chosen voice. Has your writing won any awards? The first book Something's Cooking was nominated for a RITA (the Romance Writers of America award) in the category of romantic suspense. The second book Too Many Cooks received a Gold Certificate from RomCon and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times. The series has won the Independent Booksellers' Golden Scroll Award. Who are you when you're not writing? What are your hobbies? At the moment, I'm getting used to an entirely new way of life. My husband recently took an early retirement, and we decided to follow a lifelong dream. We've moved to the country in Idaho, leaving behind the busy and congested San Francisco Bay Area. We've got 5-1/2 acres, a well, a septic system, and an orchard. The land is beautiful, but there's a whole lot for this city girl to learn. I've also never lived in an area that gets snow, so I'm not exactly looking forward to my first Idaho winter. I expect to get a lot of writing done. Who or what has most influenced your writing? This is a difficult question, since there are so many influences. The most helpful "technical" book I've ever read is Robert McKee's Story. His explanation of how to tell an interesting and satisfying story is fascinating. As a writer, where do you see yourself in 10 years? I'll still be writing stories about Angie and Paavo, perhaps once every other year or so, and writing larger suspense-with-romance books also. I would never want to give up writing. And of course, when I'm not writing, I'll be watching The Angie and Paavo Mystery Show on television. What do you enjoy most about writing? I love revising. It sounds strange, but I like the stage when I have all the basics worked out, when I'm able to really concentrate on visualizing each scene and the characters' reactions to what is happening, then writing down what I see in a way that will help the scene come alive for the reader. What do you find most difficult? The first draft. I try outlining, but when I'm writing, I end up deviating from the outline. The blank page, not being sure where the story is going, getting to know the new characters and how they should act - wondering if it'll all work our, are all fears to get past with a lot of hard work. What is your best advice for new writers? Write the end of the book. Too many writers get bogged down in the beginning, wanting it to be perfect before they go on, or become bored in the middle and can't get past it. I believe you need to know and write the end of the book before you really know how the beginning should read. Fiction, unlike real life, needs to feel complete. The end will, in some way, be reflected by the way the book begins. Since many writers make a number of changes along the way and end up with an ending that is different from the way they imagined it would be, to spend too many days or weeks or months on the beginning and middle of the book can be very wasteful. It often turns out that what you thought was the beginning, really isn't. How can readers contact you? Readers can contact me via my website at www.joannepence.com or by email at joanne@joannepence.com. The Angie Amalfie books are, in order - Something's Cooking, 1993 Too Many Cooks, 1994 Cooking Up Trouble, 1995 Cooking Most Deadly, 1996 Cook's Night Out, 1997 Cooks Overboard, 1998 A Cook In Time, 1999 To Catch A Cook, 2000 |
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