Open Meetings

1. What types of books do you write?
Currently I write mysteries with the same protagonist, ie, PR executive, amateur sleuth Jillian Hillcrest. I also plan to write historical mysteries once I finish the third book in my Jillian Hillcrest series.

2. What is the latest book you have written?
OPEN MEETINGS was published in July 2012. A reporter draws Jillian into the investigation of the suspicious death of an informant.

3. Is it part of a series, if so which one?
OPEN MEETINGS is the second novel in the Jillian Hillcrest mystery series. The first is ON MESSAGE published in December 2011. The third one FAIR DISCLOSURE is underway.

4. When did you start writing?
I started writing novels approximately two years ago. However, I consider my doctoral dissertation to be my first book published in the 1970s. And during my career in public relations I wrote hundreds of press releases, dozens of by-lined articles, and many, many fact sheets, corporate and product profiles. So I feel like I’ve always been writing.

5. Why did you start writing?
I started writing novels when I was laid off in 2008. I have always enjoyed writing, and find it therapeutic. I started writing mysteries specifically because I have always enjoyed reading mysteries. I enjoy the puzzle, ie, figuring out “whodunit” based on clues.

6. Who are your influences?
My mysteries are more about tracking down the clues and less about car-chasing action. My protagonist is an amateur sleuth who spends much of her time on her job as Public Relations officer at a small Silicon Valley biotechnology company. She gets pulled into mysteries through no fault of her own. And she has help from her friends and ex-husband solving the clues. I also like to offer interesting characters – not a “just-the-facts-m’am” one-dimensional sleuth.

For writing this type of mystery, there are many who have influenced me, beginning with Agatha Christie who was superb at providing clues and red herrings with both an amateur sleuth like Miss Marple and an expert detective like Hercule Poirot. A few of the others in a long list are: Dick Francis, Patricia Cornwell, Stieg Larsson, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark. All of these authors created memorable characters and provided challenging puzzles to solve.

7. What can we expect from you in the near future? Book signing events, other detail
I am working on my third novel FAIR DISCLOSURE, which I plan to publish the first half of 2013. I am also busy offering articles from guest experts on my blog: Strands Simply Tips