 Poem: Writing Your Way into the Story The Black Genre Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk |
Literary Spotlight: Laura Childs
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Laura Childs is the pen name of Gerry Schmitt who is the bestselling author of the “Tea Shop Mystery” series and the “Scrapbook Mystery series.”
Q: Why did you decide to write under a pen name?
A: When I started the “Tea Shop Mystery” series, I was still CEO of my marketing firm and my real name was quite familiar to the press. Using a pen name made things simpler.
Q: How do you develop secondary characters in a manner that doesn’t overshadow your main character?
A: The overall plot and story line always belong to my protagonist. But sometimes, the secondary characters do burst forth and overshadow the main character in a few scenes or chapters. I think this keeps things interesting and fluid, since one person’s perspective can sometimes get a little monotonous.
Q: You have said that you read the thriller/mystery/horror genre. How has it influenced your mystery writing?
A: It taught me how to build tensions and add small touches of humor when things get a little too scary. Also, some of our great thriller/mystery/horror writers are just awfully fine storytellers and wordsmiths.
Q: How did you come to write in the specific niche using the tea shop and scrapbook themes as settings in your mysteries?
A: I’m still a marketing person at heart, and tea shops are popping up like mushrooms and scrap-booking is the number one craft in America. So, I took a look at that existing audience and decided it was a lot easier to hook into a trend than start one!
Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.
Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.
