Day 1
1.
Are you a
panster or a plotter or perhaps a bit of both?
On the spectrum from panster to plotter, I lean left. When I was
writing my first mystery Hung Out to Die, I had brief backstories for the
main characters. I had an outline of the plot, I knew who the killer was, and
why they had committed the crime. Then I dove in.
Writing my second book, Conflagration!, was a slightly
different process. I may have leaned a little more to the right. The book is a
historical mystery and follows the trial of an enslaved Black women accused of
arson in Montreal in 1734. The level of detail in court transcripts and the
timelines set by the trial process meant I had a detailed blueprint for the
book before I even began.
2.
Which comes
first - characters or plot for you?
Characters arrive
first. Riel Brava, the main character in Hung Out to Die, appeared out of a lavender cloud of bubble bath one
night while I was soaking in the tub. He was not fully formed but tangible
enough that I wrote down my ideas before I even moisturized.
Marie-Joseph
Angélique, the enslaved Black woman at the heart of Conflagration!, was
portrayed in some detail in court transcripts. My fictional court reporter, Philippe Archambeau, and other characters
emerged as the writing progressed.
3. What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series
or something totally new?
I have two books in
progress. They are part of a new mystery series with new characters. The three
main characters meet in a yoga studio and come together to catch a thief. I
loved Riel Brava, but he was very much a surprise. Not what I would have picked
as a main character emanating from my imagination. The next books, Bind
and Melt, sound and feel a little bit more like me. That said, it’s
always good to be taken outside your comfort zone.
4.
Do you have
some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a
lot, hospitals and caves.
It varies from book to book, but food seems to weave its way
into my writing uninvited. Riel is a coffee aficionado. I do not know how that
happened. I am a tea drinker. Riel also had his first – and second – donair in Hung
Out to Die. I have never had one.
Food is the foundation for a friendship that springs up between
Philippe and the local jailer in Conflagration!. Lunch becomes a means
to extract information, then it becomes much more.
5. Do you write every day or just when the spirit hits?
I am not a marathon writer. I am a
sprinter. I can’t sit and write for hours at a time. I break up my writing by
taking a yoga class, soaking up some sunshine, checking email, doing some paid
work. I do try to write 1,000 fictional words a day. Some days I achieve this.
We don’t need to talk about the other days.
6. Where can we find you?
The best place to find me – and to reach out – is my website,
donaleemoulton.com.
7. Who are your favorite authors? What about a book you’ve
enjoyed?
I relish reading. I was a
judge in the Crime Writers of Canada’s Awards of Excellence last year, and I
got to dive into more than 40 fabulous – and very diverse – books that kept me
on my toes and my eyes glued to the page. When I was younger and I was discovering
the wonder and wow of the mystery genre, I devoured authors like Tony
Hillerman, Martha Grimes, Ruth Rendell. More recently I have discovered writers
like Richard Osman. And Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing was
nothing short of joyous.
Day 2:
BUY INFORMATION:
Website: donaleemoulton.com
Amazon Author URL:
amazon.com/author/donaleemoulton
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