What were you in your life before you
became a writer? Did this influence your writing?
I have
an employment history that would give most employers nightmares. As a young girl I worked as a waitress,
hulled strawberries one summer, clerked in a number of uptown stories, graded
eggs and eventually becoming a legal secretary, all the time striving to be a
writer. The jobs provided a paycheck and writing in the evenings kept the dream
alive. Nothing is lost on the writer,
and every job I ever had I’ve pretty much woven into my books in one way or
another, through my characters. For
example, in my very first book Listen to the Shadows, Katie, the
main character, owns a small café. Our
life experiences and our responses to them are all grist for the writer’s mill.
2.
2 Are you genre specific or general?
Why? I don't mean genres like romance, mystery, fantasy etc. There are many
subgenres of the above.
My
psychological suspense novels often overlap with mystery, paranormal and
sometimes there’s a thread of romance woven through. I don’t choose the type of book I write, but
more it chooses me. I’m drawn to explore
the dark side of the human psyche.
3. Did
your reading choices have anything to do with your choice of a genre or
genres?
Yes,
I’ve always been a big fan of suspense novels.
Among my favorite novelists are Charlotte Bronte, Edgar Allan Poe,
Phyllis Whitney, Ruth Rendell, Mary Higgins Clark and Stephen King. There are many more.
4.
What's your latest release?
And Then he was Gone
5.
What are you working on now?
I’m
working on a screenplay adapted from my novel The Deepest Dark.
6. Where can we find you?
"… Joan Hall Hovey knows
suspense. She keeps it simmering in every scene she writes and knows just the
right moments to turn up the heat and bring it all to a boil. She also knows
character, creating richly layered people to populate her books, sometimes with
no more than a single sentence stocked with perfectly chosen descriptive words
or phrases. THE DEEPEST DARK is a terrific suspense novel.” James Hankins, Author of
BROTHERS AND BONES and SHADY CROSS
Review quotes:
oubt that
much is more frightening than being alone and away from anyone that might help
when you
“…visceral fear is at the
heart of The Deepest Dark…Mrs. Hovey is a genius at suspense…` Lelia
Taylor, Buried Under Books
"…Ms. Hovey's talent in creating characters is so real, you feel their emotions and their fears. You want to yell at them to warn of the danger . . . and you do! Your shouts fall on deaf ears . . . and you cry! The best suspense writer I've ever read!
Beth Anderson, Author of Raven Talks back
"...Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King come to mind, but JOAN HALL HOVEY is in a Class by herself!…"
J.D. Michael Phelps, Author of My Fugitive, David Janssen
"…CANADIAN MISTRESS OF SUSPENSE…The author has a remarkable ability to turn up the heat on the suspense… great characterizations and dialogue…" James Anderson, author of Deadl
“…what a great story! Couldn't put it down… An exciting
and suspenseful ending wraps up this incredible novel.” Lynn Demsky: Book
Reporter
2 comments:
I plan to purchase her recent book. I should have asked when in Saint John.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I lived overseas for twenty-four years and had so many experiences but they rarely creep into my stories, although some characters in my historical fiction do.
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