Author’s Choice with Alice Fitzpatrick

Please welcome Alice to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie? I studied ballet for 15 years, culminating in a BA in Fine Arts for which I took 7 dance classes a week.

Truth or Lie? I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Truth or Lie? My first publication was a poem published in an anthropology edited by Canadian poet George Bowering when I was a high school senior.

Eight Quick Questions

Now for some fun insight into today’s author. Here are eight forced choice questions.

1.  First draft: longhand, keyboard, or dictation? I start off writing on my laptop, but I edit longhand.  It’s too easy to miss typos and other mistakes on a computer screen since it all looks like a printed book.  I also tend to scribble notes in the middle of the night.

2.  Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? I’m a plantser, or as you so eloquently put it, that chaotic middle ground.  I usually outline up to the murder, but then have only a vague idea about how to proceed with the actual investigation.  Before I begin to write, I must know the identities of both the first victim and their murderer, the motive and method of death, the relationship of the victim to the other characters, and their secrets.

 3.  Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? I try to keep going  with the draft and not go back and edit.  I’m a firm believer in separating the creating and editing processes.  It provides a distance which allows me to view my writing more objectively.  Ideally I would prefer to write the entire first draft before beginning to edit, but that’s not practical.

As a crime writer, I’m constantly making notes to myself to check previous scenes in case I’ve already revealed a clue.  Then I might decide to reorganize scenes, delete irrelevant information, or to change the name of a character.  When the notes become overwhelming, I’m forced to go back and tidy things up before continuing or risk chaos.

 4.  Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? I collect unusual names.  I think part of the attraction comes from my summers spent in Tenby, a Welsh town dating back to the Middle Ages.  It has curious streets like Merlins Court, Upper and Lower Frog Street, Tudor Way, Crackwell Street, and Paragon.  This fascination led me to bestow upon my islanders similarly unconventional names such as Basil and Peregrine Tully, Old Alred, Drucilla Cragwell, and Feebles, Gooley, and Smee.

 I named my protagonist after my cousin, Kate.  In an embarrassing move, I unconsciously gave protagonist Kate’s ex-husband the name of cousin Kate’s brother, James.

 5.  Writing space: coffee shop chaos, library quiet, or home sweet home? I’ve converted one of the bedrooms in my house into an office, where I work surrounded by books, my two rescue cats, and family photographs  A picture of my grandfather who ran his own business until he retired in his eighties encourages me to keep going, while my great-grandfather posing with his pet fox in the middle of London gives me permission to be eccentric.

I know that other people love to write listening to music, but not me.  If there’s a vocal line, my training as a singer means that I can’t resist singing along, and if it’s instrumental, the dancer in me choreographs.  So the only way I can keep focused on my writing is to be in absolute silence. 

 6.  Writer's block: push through, step away, or "it's not real"? My writing gets stalled when I don’t know what the characters will do next.  That’s usually because I’ve started writing before fully understanding who they are and what motivates them.  At that point, I have to take the time to flesh out their backstory.

If that doesn’t work, I brainstorm “what if?”  What if a character does such and such?  How will the other characters react?  Where will this take the plot?

 7.  Reading your own work aloud: love it, tolerate it, or would rather eat glass? I read all my books aloud as part of the editing process.  If I trip over on a word, phrase, or sentence, then I know I have to go back and rewrite.

I love public readings.  As a teacher and a performer, reading my work is a performance, and I’m quite comfortable standing in front of people and sharing my work with them.  However, I get nervous if I’m recorded reading or being interviewed.  I fear any mistakes will exist forever, whereas an in-person reading is ephemeral and quickly fades from memory.

 8.  Book launch day: celebrate big, feel quiet relief, or hide under the covers? If I have to organize the launch, it’s nerve-wracking as the perfectionist and control-freak both come out in me.  However, if someone else is doing it, and I just have to show up and smile at the punters, I’m fine.  Releasing a book out into the wild knowing that I can’t change anything else has its own set of nerves.

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. Why aren’t you writing?  Definitely a complaint.  They don’t like to be ignored for any length of time.

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. I want to bring my readers into the world of Meredith Island: the routines, celebrations, and culture of the island, and the idiosyncrasies of the islanders.  Creating these is one of my favorite things to do.  A number of readers have complimented me on the realistic small town feel of the island where everyone not only knows each other, but is involved in each other’s business.  I hope people living in a large city can experience that.

     Each of my books explores a theme beyond solving the mystery.  I’m fascinated by the stories of lovers who reunite after having spent a number of years apart, and A Killing Cold examines two couples who attempt this with varying success.  Since most people read mysteries to solve the puzzle and identify the murderer, if I can challenge my readers in that respect, I’m happy.

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. What drew you to set the series on a Welsh island?  When I was a child, my British family moved to a seaside resort in south Wales where I spent my summers.  That’s when I fell in love with the country and its people.  When I decided to write an series, I realized I’d be carrying the setting around in my head for the next twenty or thirty years, so I wanted it to be a place where I felt comfortable and welcome.  Since I’ve always lived near large bodies of water, and I particularly love the sea, a Welsh island was perfect.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Actually, I have a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do. 

I studied ballet for 15 years, culminating in a BA in Fine Arts for which I took 7 dance classes a week. My two childhood career choices were writer and ballet dancer.  I started to study ballet when I was nine.  I was in my first year of university planning to major in English and theatre, when I learnt that a friend had been accepted into the dance program, so I thought if she can do it, I can too and auditioned.

By that time I’d already faced the hard truth that I had neither the talent nor the body to be a professional, but I wanted to continue to dance.  The program required five ballet class each week (six days a week during the second year) and two modern classes.  I spent all of my time running about sweaty and red-faced from my dance classes to my academic classes.

My first publication was a poem published in an anthropology edited by Canadian poet George Bowering when I was in senior high school. I never saw myself as a poet.  I wrote my first novel when I was thirteen and wrote short stories all the way through high school.  To be honest, I don’t remember the circumstances, but either I or Mr. McBurney, my English teacher, submitted one of my poems to a student anthology.  It was accepted.

I remember Mr. McBurney asked me to sign the page where my poem was printed.  It wasn’t until I was older that I realized how big a deal it was that poet George Bowering had chosen my poem for his book.  Emboldened by my success, I spent the summer I graduated from high school submitting my poetry to every publishing company listed in the Yellow Pages, determined to become the youngest person to win the Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry.  Sadly, it wasn’t long before I realized I wasn’t a poet

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find Alice's latest:

Book Blurb

It’s Christmas on Meredith Island, and Kate Galway is looking forward to spending some mother-daughter time with her barrister daughter, Alex.  But Kate is forced to adjust her plans when Alex arrives accompanied by her father, Detective Chief Inspector James Hewitt, Kate’s ex-husband.  The island’s matriarch, Sophie Sutherland, is eager to reunite with her old beau, Teddy Bartell, who shows up with an entourage of relations, including his son, the son’s abrasive second wife, and her twin brother.

Everyone joins in the Christmas celebrations at the pub, but the party comes to an abrupt end when someone ingests a lethal dose of cyanide.  A winter storm has shut down access to the mainland, trapping the killer on the island.  With no forensics and minimal support from the mainland police, James, Kate, and Alex must rely on old-fashioned detective work to track down the murderer before they strike again.

Bookstore links were not available at the blog's publication. Check Alice's website for current sales links.

Want to know more?

For more information about Alice Fitzpatrick https://www.alicefitzpatrick.com/