I first met Dana after the publication of Site Unseen, her first Emma Fielding mystery (and now a Hallmark/Mystery channel film!). At the time, Dana was using her own background in archaeology to tell the story of Emma, who finds a skeleton that is a little more recently deceased than she expected. Since Dana has now branched out into the Zoe Miller series, which features a werewolf, I have to wonder … 
How does a book start for you?
A book starts for me with some kind of visual cue – a painting, a movie, a place, a piece of clothing or jewelry – and that inspires part of a story. In the first of my Fangborn series, Seven Kinds of Hell , it was visiting the temple site at Claros, in Turkey, and being struck by the way it was set up to make an emotional and mystical impression. Often, an exhibit on fashion will start me thinking about the people who might have worn that clothing. For the Emma Fielding mysteries, it was the places I worked as an archaeologist in New England. After I’m struck by that first inspiration, I need to find out how everything else is connected to it.
Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?Zoe Miller, my protagonist. She’s been broke and hiding all of her life, and when she learns she’s a werewolf, and later, something more than a werewolf, she takes on a leadership role among the Fangborn very quickly. I was surprised by this because she’s so used to being invisible, but her previous powerlessness really schooled her about the uses and abuses of power.
When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?
I travel a lot, and between that and my interest in history, I’ve written books and stories set all over the world, and set in many different eras. I recently completed a noir novel based on my Anna Hoyt character (first seen in “Femme Sole,” in Boston Noir ), set in 18th-century Boston–which was also the focus of my academic research. I have a Fangborn story set in Ptolemaic Egypt which will be out next month in the collection Hath No Fury because I’m obsessed with Cleopatra and wanted to rewrite her history. A horror story, which will be published in November (in The War on Christmas ), was inspired by a walk through Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on two novels – a Sherlockian pastiche and a horror story. I love that writing lets me explore so many worlds and genres!
Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?
Q: Two of your Emma Fielding mysteries, Site Unseen and Past Malice, have been made into movies for the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel Will there be any more?
A: Fingers crossed!
Thanks for the chance to chat with you, Clea!
You’re most welcome! I’ve got my fingers crossed for more movies, too!
Dana Cameron writes across many genres, but mostly crime fiction and SF/F/H. Her work has won multiple Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity Awards, and has been nominated for the Edgar Award. Her six Emma Fielding archaeology mysteries were optioned by Muse Entertainment, and two, Site Unseen and Past Malice, were made into a movie for the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Dana’s a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, with the investiture of “The Giant Rat of Sumatra.” When she’s not traveling or visiting museums, she’s usually yelling at the TV about historical inaccuracies.