1.
Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to
write?
I like it when good wins out over
evil, so I tend to embrace heroes and heroines. I can sympathize with the
villain, even understand their impulses, but in the end, I want the victory to
go those with purer hearts.
That said, I am not a fan of what I
call the hero at all costs. The person who disobeys the rules because they are
morally above them, the champion who charges in because they know best, the
defender who goes to the ends of the earth to solve an injustice and to the
detriment of their friends and family. Excess does not appeal to me.
2. Heroes. How do you find
them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every
reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the
story?
For me, heroes (and in the case of a few short stories
anti-heroes) do not have the same origin story. Riel Brava, the main character in Hung Out
to Die, started with a bath. I’m a big believer in bubbles, candles, scrubs,
essential oils, and music with birds chirping in the background. One night
immersed in a lavender cloud I realized it was time to begin writing my
mystery. Get off the pot kind of thing. That led me to a litany of possible
characters and crimes. Through the mist Riel emerged. Not fully formed but
outlined enough that I wrote down my ideas before I even moisturized.
My second book, Conflagration!, was a different book and a
different process. The book is a historical mystery and follows the trial of an
enslaved Black women accused of arson in Montreal in 1734. This book is part of
BWL Publishing’s Canadian Historical Mysteries series, and the idea originated
with my publisher. I discovered 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. My fictional character, court reporter Philippe
Archambeau, had to fit into this world.
3. Heroines. How do you find
them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the
reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea
for the story?
I have just finished the second of two
new books that feature three main characters, all women – my first heroines.
They meet at a yoga studio and the crime unravels mid-downward dog. Like all my
characters, these women started as ideas and blurry images. They became more
well-defined – and more real – as the stories unfolded. I am always amazed at
the unexpected direction characters take me in. I am acutely aware at times
that I am not in control of the writing.
4.
Your favorite book?
Years ago I was asked to do a reading
for National Book Week. A group of authors were asked to read from their
favorite book. I picked Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I fell in love
with Wilbur and Charlotte and all the characters, and I realized this emotion
was more than fleeting. This was the power of words: to move us and to stay
with us.
5.
Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t
always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the
hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you
make them human?
Three-dimensional characters are
important. They’re more challenging to write, but they are also more realistic.
I usually start with motive. If I can understand why someone would commit this
crime or act in this way, then I can begin to understand the person I want the
character to be.
6.
What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and
or the villain?
My newest book is a historical mystery, Conflagration!
It’s set in 1734 and follows the trial of Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved Black
woman accused of burning down the town’s entire merchants’ quarter – 45 homes
and one convent-hospital. My main character is a court clerk assigned to follow
the trial and ensure no stone is left unturned in the search for evidence.
It’s interesting you ask about heroes and
villains. I’m not sure there are any clear demarcations in this book, except
perhaps for the system of justice itself.
7.
What are you working on now?
I’ve started a new series. The first book is “Bind.” It is a mystery. It is a story about
friendship. It is an exploration of the ties that, well you get it. At its
heart, “Bind” is a puzzle. A watch goes missing from a changeroom at a gym.
It’s an expensive watch with a loud, arrogant owner. He’s suspect number one.
There are a handful of others. Clues are sprinkled throughout the book like
dirty laundry in a men’s locker room. Many of the clues are red herrings. Many
are subtle indicators that point to the thief. First question that must be
answered: is this a crime committed for money or personal reasons? The watch’s
owner is a man easy to hate.
At
its heart, “Bind” is about friendship. The main characters are three women who
take the same yoga class at a studio located in the gym. The theft brings them
together in unexpected and ultimately profound ways. We root just as much for
these women as we do for the thief to be unveiled. There is a cast of regulars,
including the police detective and the yoga instructor. Each a
three-dimensional, likeable, and flawed human being. (Madoff, a pug, makes
periodic appearances.)
8.
How can people find you?
I’d love
them to drop by donaleemoulton.com and say hello.
9.
Who are your favorite authors?
Stepping back in time, my favorite author
would be Doris Lessing, a powerful writer who moves mountains with the greatest
of ease. Her writing is captivating. Today, Delia Owens tops my list. There
were lines in Where the Crawdads Sing that stopped me cold. I read and
reread them.
