Steph Post will be my guest here when her amazing new (in every sense) Miraculum, comes out next month. In the meantime, though, she interviewed me over at her blog, in the last of her Book Bites. Go check out her magical, nostalgic, Southern Gothic world here – or read our chat below.
“Here we go, folks- the very last Book Bites. Of the year and of the run. I’ll be starting up a new feature in 2019 (stay tuned) and tomorrow I’ll have my Best Of list out (to replace my Spectacular Book Awards feature- always got to try something new!).
On that note, today’s interview is with Clea Simon, author of A Spell of Murder. This is so far off the beaten path for me, I couldn’t resist. Cats, witches and a cozy mystery at the center. A Spell of Murder is the first in its series- ‘Witch Cats of Cambridge’- and it’s already garnering rave reviews. Enjoy!
“[A] fun new cat mystery that effortlessly mixes in paranormal elements with murder and a little romance.” – Criminal Element
What drew you to the genre you write in?
The whimsy! While I often read (and now occasionally also write) dark, I have basically made my name writing mysteries with cats in them, some of which are quite dark (the books, not the cats, although …. Well, never mind). I believe this is because I grew up loving smart whimsical writers like Edward Lear, Edward Gorey, and their ilk. I think it is vital to take imagination seriously and keep that childlike spark alive. Plus, in these times, we all need some warmth – some happy endings. Plus, of course, I talk to cats, and most of my books come out of that, and how they respond to me.
How do you handle writer’s block?
I was a journalist for too long to believe in writer’s block. As long as you can physically hold a pen or sit at a keyboard, you can write something. I do go through spells of feeling dull and uncreative. The secret to getting through those is giving myself permission to write badly. I mean, really badly. Like, “she looked at the clock. Only ten minutes had passed. ‘Why is time going so slowly?’ she asked.” And then adding adverbs to up my word count. This works in a few ways. First, I think of writing as kind of like a tap. You have to let the rusty water run before you get the clear. And, second, odds are whatever you write isn’t that bad. You might be able to use some of it. Finally, it works because writing is a habit, a muscle that you use or lose. If you write everyday, your mind will expect it – and even if one day is awful, the next day you’ll want to get back at it.
Have you ever given up on a writing project?
Yes, for a few decades. My last dark mystery, World Enough, came out of a novel I was trying desperately to write in my twenties. I was a music critic at the time, with aspirations of being a novelist and documenting the punk-rock subculture that I called home but … I just could never get beyond 100 pages. For years, I kept at it and kept scrapping it. When I returned, something like 30 years later, I saw something salvageable there – at least in the first few chapters. But by then I’d both developed the writer chops to be able to pace and produce a long-form work, and, probably more to the point, I had the distance to recognize what I was really writing about – which was my own infatuation with and denial about that little subculture that I loved.
In your eyes, what does it mean to be a “successful” writer?
When readers respond to me wanting to engage with my characters, as if the characters were real people and I am simply their translator. That’s the best. That’s what I go for, in large part because that’s how I respond to books I love. If someone wants to know more about Clara’s background, for example, then I’ve done my job. If someone has a case for Becca, then I know I’m a success.
Who was your intended audience for the novel?
I’m hoping that anyone who loves a good yarn will give it a try. One problem with so-called ‘genre writing’ is that people who would actually enjoy the work are put off by the label. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard, “Oh, I don’t like mysteries. I only like novels.” But a mystery is a novel, and not just in the sense that it is a work of fiction. A good mystery, like any other fiction, relies on characters that you develop feelings about, characters who go on some kind of journey – whether it is a personal quest, a voyage of self-discovery, or on the trail of a murderer. And, yes, I believe my feline characters are as fully fleshed as my human ones, and will provoke their own responses. Reading any fiction requires a leap of faith – these are all made-up stories, after all. I wish that people would look beyond the label and try my mystery – or any mystery. A Spell of Murder is intended for anyone who enjoys a good read.