Author’s Choice with Vappu Tyyskä

Please welcome Vappu 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 have been writing mystery fiction since I was in my twenties

Truth or Lie? I immigrated to Canada by myself at age 19.

Truth or Lie? I enjoy painting and I am currently enrolled in a water colour course.

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? Keyboard. I only created some longhand notes for my first book, but found that keyboard notes work better for me.

2.          Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? I am mostly a pantser. I start with some rudimentary ideas, but let the plot emerge as I write. The ending is frequently a surprise to myself.

3.          Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? I always edit as I go and then do at least two thorough final edits. And there is always something to fix at all stages of writing.

4.          Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat"? I enjoy a steady stream of coffee or decaf. Mostly, I forget to eat when I’m on a roll, then chow down when I’m done for the day’s session.

5.          Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? My characters’ names are always researched and some are borrowed from real life. I go for relatively simple and short names.

6.          Writing space: coffee shop chaos, library quiet, or home sweet home? I love writing at home where I can see nature when I lift my head up from my toils.

7.          Writer's block: push through, step away, or "it's not real"? I know writer’s block is very real for a lot of people. So far, I’m lucky not have had any. Fingers crossed that it will stay that way.

8.          Happy ending, bittersweet, or gut-punch finale? I love a happy ending, but usually opt for a dramatic ending that will leave some matters unresolved. I wouldn’t exactly call them cliffhangers, but I want to leave some questions open for the reader to ponder about.

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. It would definitely be a complaint about making her sound too neurotic and obsessive.

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

A. It is my goal to break down some myths about academic life being an “ivory tower”. It’s just like any work with its demands, challenges, and a mixture of personalities.

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

A. How did you come up with your first ideas for writing mysteries? My answer is, it came to me completely out of the blue. I just woke up one Sunday morning with my head swimming with ideas about a protagonist and the rudiments of the plot. I sat down and wrote the first three chapters of my first mystery novel that day and have not stopped writing since.

The Big Reveal

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

The lie is that I have been writing mystery fiction since my twenties. In fact, I started writing after retiring from an academic career.

I immigrated from Finland to Canada by myself after completing high school in Finland as a part of a youthful search for my place in the world. 

Before I started writing, I wanted to get back to water colour painting. I have taken a number of courses including my current small group course with my favourite instructor.

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

Book Blurb for Killer Contract

As if the demands of early university career are not enough, Lila Birch finds herself in yet another murder investigation.

This time, it has everything to do with the university environment, including the murky side of academic relationships. Once again, she is the person to find the murder victim. Worst of all, the ugly events unfold in connection with a research colloquium that Lila organized with the help of a good academic friend, aimed at both advancing the state of knowledge about their chosen field of research and to boost their academic status.

She fears that her dreams of advancement are stalled as the murder case gets unwelcome media attention and alerts the university administration to her macabre history of discovering murder victims. The complexities of the case involve nearly all aspects of university life and personnel including colleagues and students from near and far, some of them close personal friends facing unexpected risks.

Add to this combination surprising developments in Lila’s love life and the vagaries of the winter climate in central Ontario, and you have a tangled case of murder that takes Lila and her close friends far away from smooth cross-country ski trails. 

[Amazon eBook]       [Amazon paperback] 

Want to know more?

For more information about Vappu Tyyskä, find her online on Facebook and Instagram.