Marian
McMahon Stanley’s just released Boston-based mystery about the
murder of an elderly nun, is described by author Hallie Ephron as a “taut,
character-rich whodunit”. She shares with me membership in the Guppy Chapter of
Sisters in Crime and has been fortunate in careers – first at a Fortune 500
company, then at a university. She is delighted with this third incarnation.
Free print copy of THE IMMACULATE going out to a commentator chosen at random! (Who answers the question at the end,)
You
have an all-expense-paid long weekend to spend with three guests. The Starship
Enterprise has agreed to beam you to the place of your choosing, so travel time
is not a consideration. Who are your guests (and why) and where are you staying
(and why)?
Let’s see. Maybe in an old camper
van driving along the blue highways or secondary roads of The US and Canada. Or
actually two old campers to fit all of us. And, you know, we would be having so
much fun that we’d start with a long weekend and just keep going for weeks or
months.
John Steinbeck, accompanied by his standard poodle
Charley, is driving Rocinante 1. In his book TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY, Steinbeck
named his camper after Don Quixote’s horse Rocinante. Like Don Quixote, Rocinante
“is awkward, past his prime and engaged in a task beyond his capacities”.
William Least-Moon, author OF BLUE HIGHWAYS, is driving
the second camper, Rocinante 2. If we are lucky, we spend most of our time
getting lost in interesting places.
We need music, of course. I couldn't decide between two iconic folk singers who died too young – Kate Wolf and Canadian Stan Rogers, so I figured we’d all squeeze together and make room for both of them.
Riding along, we enjoy the
stunning landscapes of this great continent and poke around little towns,
taking in sights like the world’s largest ball of twine and the Dan Quayle
Library. Steinbeck makes coffee in the morning and later we eat in four-calendar
roadside cafes and diners. (Least-Moon judges that a café or diner having four
product calendars behind the counter has traveling salesmen who frequent the
establishment, thus insuring decent food.)
Our West Highland Terrier Archie
and Steinbeck’s dog Charley, of course, become fast friends. They ride along
together with their heads out the camper windows, facing into the wind and
occasionally barking at cows.
Every now and then, Stan Rogers
bursts into song, and belts out “Barrett’s Privateers” or maybe “Northwest
Passage” as we head west along Lake Superior. At night in the Rockies, Kate
Wolf sings us to sleep under the stars with “Across the Great Divide” and
“Unfinished Life”. Perfect.
(Editor note: as long-time
readers of the blog know, fiction writers often feel unconstrained to stay
within the guidelines of the question, but Marian is the first to over-invite
and over-stay! Makes me smile.)
What
is the background noise when you write and why is it there?
I grew up in a big family and
was the working mom of four active, lively children. My last career was at a
large urban university with thousands of young adults on its campus. As a
result, I always thought that I could write and study in any kind of low-level
pandemonium.
But, if it was that way then,
it’s not now for some reason. I can’t handle the noise level in a coffee shop
when I’m writing. Even with earphones on, I’m conscious of a hum of activity. I
also get too interested in everything and everybody. Or, working in my own
beloved town public library, a quiet question at the reference desk or a subdued
conversation between library patrons tends to be too distracting for me to get
any real writing or editing done. I’m embarrassed by this wimpy
ultra-sensitivity but there we are.
For real writing, I like to work
in very early morning pre-dawn or dawn silence with only quiet house or nature
sounds. When I’m in a certain kind of a roll, usually editing some mess of
scribbles I’ve made in the earlier hours, I listen to Celtic music – the tin
whistle (Sean Potts or Joanie Madden) or the fiddle (Martin Hayes or Eileen
Ivers) are favorites.
Are
you a plotter, pantser or something in between and why?
I guess in between – though
perhaps more toward a pantser. Anything tighter than a broad loose idea of
where the plot is going makes me feel a little claustrophobic. I once had an excellent teacher who said he couldn’t
start a story without knowing the end of it. I could have wept for him. Where’s
the fun in that? But, to each his own.
I don’t write scenes sequentially.
I usually write scenes out of order for various points through the course of the
book. When I’m forward writing with these out of order scenes, I kind of think
of it as throwing out markers – like those little stone cairns you might see on
hiking trails. I write scenes further and further out and then come back to
fill in the gaps. Perhaps in some odd way, this is my own version of an
outline. Again, each to her own.
When
you start reading a book do you always finish it? If not, what causes you to
permanently put a book down?
I’m too old to finish books that
I’m not enjoying, though I might give a book an extra chapter to be sure I’m
not being too quick to judge. I‘m not
sure I can always tell you what makes me stop reading. Perhaps I find the writing
flat or the book too formulaic with stereotypical characters, or maybe the pace
of breathless action is just unbelievable and getting a little silly. All of
this reflects my particular taste, of course. Another reader may enjoy the
book.
Do you
read reviews of your books? Why or why not?
Right now, I’m in that rosy
period of bringing out a first book to the sweet accolades of friends, family
and colleagues. If they don’t like THE IMMACULATE, they have been too kind to
tell me. However, this won’t last and I do plan to read reviews of my book as
it heads into a somewhat wider market. Having been through many frank, and
occasionally merciless, experiences of “workshopping” a manuscript in various
classes and forums, I think I can handle the reviews with some equanimity.
We’ll see. What I look for in critiques is a pattern – more than one person
mentioning a point. Then, I’ll examine that point or insight and see if I can
learn from it.
What
do you do that you suspect causes your copyeditor to pull her/his hair out?
I don’t know why I use the
English spelling for certain words – “acknowledgement” or “afterwards”, as
opposed to American and Canadian usage – “acknowledgment” and “afterward”.
Perhaps it’s a New England thing, perhaps it’s because of the time I spent in
the UK as a student and later for work. Anyway, usage corrections were all
through my copyedited manuscript this time. I still write that way, without
even realizing it, so I imagine that the copy editor for my next book will be
equally annoyed.
What
language error, when you hear or see it, grates on you like the screech of fingernails
on a chalkboard?
I make enough of my own language
errors (always have to look up “lay” and “lie”) that I tend not to be too
uptight about other people’s errors. I also find some old rules arbitrary and
annoying. How many awkward sentences could be written just to avoid ending with
a preposition? “With whom did you attend the party, Miss Glamorous Suspect?” (Editor’s
note: this reminds me of Winston Churchill’s retort which goes something like: “Ending
a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.”)
I break certain rules all the
time and am sometimes tempted to put in a little footnote, “I know the rule, I
know the rule. It’s a dumb rule and this reads better.”
That being said, I get a teeny
bit on edge when subjects and verbs don’t agree or when “I” is used as a direct
object instead of “me”. Then, I just take a deep breath and remember that it
is, after all, only grammar.
Name
three writers from whom you have drawn inspiration and tell us why.
I’m very fond of Louise Penny’s books for her storytelling talent and her sense
of place, of course, but also for her skill in representing the human
character. I love the way she brings out small and large personal failings even
in her most beloved characters. She is quite funny too, always a blessing.
Tana French and Benjamin Black (John Banville’s pen
name when he’s writing mysteries) are two Irish mystery writers who influence
me most. The way they use words and images as they are telling a story is like
water to a thirsty soul. I still chuckle recalling Black’s description of a
difficult old man as having a face “like a carp” and Tana French’s description
of a reluctant character’s having “silence so stubborn that you could feel it
elbowing you”.
What
is a piece of writing advice you think is worth sharing?
The best advice I’ve gotten –
especially helpful to women with our family commitments and caretaking– is to
take our writing seriously. Find a place to write and have a regular time to
write. It’s okay for us to have a passion for this creative art and to carve
out an important space in our busy lives for it. Even to think of writing as a
serious vocation.
I’d like to turn it around on this one and ask readers what mystery
writers inspire them and why.
Free print copy of THE IMMACULATE going out to a commentator chosen at
random! (Jim will contact the winner and obtain your mailing address.)
You can find out more about
Marian on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook (Marian McMahon Stanley Author) or her
website www.marianmcmahonstanley.com.
Marian -- I had to smile when I read your answer to the all-expense weekend question. I've had other authors invite too many people, but you are the first for a road trip! Best of everything with your debut.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell that I had a good time guesting on your blog, Jim. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to cruise along in Racimante with Rogers, Wolf, Steinbeck and Least -Moon! (Not to mention canine companions Charley and Archie) Outrageously overcrowded blog response - but so fun!
DeleteOf course, that's Rocinante - typo.
DeleteGreat post! Phyllis A. Whitney is my inspiration. Not only is she a great writer and I find her stories captivating, but she's written a novel called "Guide to Fiction Writing" that gives encouragement, advice, and guidance.
ReplyDeleteGood tip, Phyllis - I'll have to remember to check out Phyllis A. Whitney. Thanks!
DeleteTana French and Louise Penny are two of my favorite too. I love they way the use words. Great post today.
ReplyDeleteGlad we are both fans of these great writers, Kristina!
DeleteIn my Toastmasters speech, I advocate writing the first draft of a novel without stopping to edit or research the facts. "Editing comes later!"
ReplyDeleteBest of Success with your new publication, Marian.
I think that's an effective approach, Gail! Everyone works differently, but we can get waylaid and tied up in minutiae if we edit and research in bits and pieces as we go. So, I'm with you!
DeleteLouise Penny is an inspiration in the way she probes goodness and evil without getting preachy. Peter Lovesey takes me for a ride, and I'm enjoying myself so much I almost miss the witty subtext and plays on words. Alan Bradley delights me with his precocious Flavia deLuce. And Peter May's Lewis Trilogy is genius in its incorporation of place. Out of the box authors who know how to spin a story.
ReplyDeleteAh - three more to add to the list. Peter Lovesey, Alan Bradley and Peter May. Thank you, C.T.!
Delete