Spotlight Profile
March 2006
"Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos." -- From the I Ching
(Aside from Meg: This is my excuse for messing around for a long time before actually starting a novel)"Writing is a dog's life, but it's the only life worth living." -- FlaubertMeg Chittenden grew up in England, but moved to the United States after meeting her handsome husband, Jim. When she discovered that not all Americans owned orange groves or oil wells, she launched her career as an author by writing articles in the Tacoma (Washington) News Tribune. With that success under her belt, she began to write short stories for Good Housekeeping, and finally graduated to writing novels in several genres, including romance and—of course—mystery. In the past 35 years, Meg has published over 100 short stories and articles, a book on writing, three children's books, and 32 novels, some of which include a supernatural element. Her novels have been widely reprinted abroad and have appeared on many bestseller lists. She has received a number of prestigious awards, including the Pacific Northwest Writers Lifetime Achievement, an Anthony Award for one of her short stories, and the Otter for More Than You Know. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, American Crime Writers League, and the International Association of Crime Writers. Her web site, www.megchittenden.com, is a font of information for writers, readers, and lovers of adventure. Meg has been a member of SinC since 1994.
IC: What led you to Sisters in Crime?
MC: I heard about it at a convention. I'm always anxious to improve the treatment of women in all of life's aspects, so joined immediately!
IC: What has your experience with the organization been like?
MC: Terrific so far. I spent a few years on the national board as recording secretary, and discovered that what I'd suspected all along was completely true--Sisters in Crime really are sisters, and the national board works hard to advance the cause of equality for female writers!
IC: You also support The Crime Lab Project. Can you tell us a little bit about it and why you became involved with it?
MC: First of all, I absolutely worship Jan Burke, who began the Crime Lab Project. She's absolutely brilliant and I don't know how she does everything she does. So initially I joined because she invited me to! Shows such as CSI have made viewers believe all crime labs operate like that, but the reality is that Crime Labs across the country do not have enough staffing or funds or equipment to make use of all the technology that exists today. For more information and ways to help, please visit their web site at www.crimelabproject.com.
IC: Any other favorite projects or causes?
MC: Mostly health-betterment and earth friendly related--Mostly through contributions rather than actual work! Writing is a full time occupation.
IC: As your prodigious body of work attests! Do you have a new book in the works (or a new book coming out)?
MC: I'm developing a new series, with the proposed title of The Branner and Hyde Mysteries. The proposed title for the first book is Murder on the Mermaid. I don't have a contract yet. I originally submitted the idea (with a different title) to my Berkley editor, but before anything could happen to it, my editor left the company. Publishing is not a stable business--others may have noticed this! <g> I also have an idea for a slightly paranormal novel that might possible develop into a series idea. Currently, I have a short story in the February issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, The Frog that Croaked in the Night. It's being featured as I write on the EQMM website at www.themysteryplace.com.
IC: In 1995, your non-fiction How to Write a Novel became available. After a decade, is there anything in it you'd change?
MC: A lot. I recently got the rights back to it. I don't know if I can get it published again. It was published by Sylvia Burack who no longer owns The Writer. The new owners are not publishing books. When I wrote it, Sylvia didn't want me to put much in about the web or the internet or computer stuff. If I ever get time and some interest from someone, then I'd add quite a bit, especially in the research areas.
IC: You also have a wonderful section of writers' tips on your web site. Do you consider yourself a mentor for up and coming writers?
MC: Mentor sounds rather pretentious for what I do. I'm happy to answer questions, write articles, give talks at writers conferences etc.
IC: You write in a variety of genres--mystery, suspense, romance, supernatural, romance, even children's books. What drew you to each of these genres, and how does each enrich you?
MC: Well, I've always liked variety. Maybe if I'd stuck to one genre I'd be famous <g> but I like to challenge myself. Actually I usually refer to myself as an accidental writer, because mostly I haven't made decisions to do this or do that--I've just reacted to any opportunity that presented itself. In other words, I'm an opportunist. For example, in 1979, a Harlequin editor asked me to write for him and dangled all sorts of interesting numbers in front of my dazzled eyes, some numbers involving large print runs, some involving lots of dollars! What red-blooded author could resist?
The first thing I ever wrote was an article for a creative writing class. Titled The Legends of Easter. My instructor suggested I send it to the editor of the Sunday supplement of the Tacoma News Tribune. The editor paid me $15 and I saw my byline for the first time and was hooked. I then wrote articles about Christmas and April Fools Day and Hallowe'en and so on, and then I was asked to do a children's book about English holidays for a series on holidays around the world. (I was born and grew up in England.) That led to my getting an agent and doing two more children's books. Then my agent said I should write a novel. I loved Mary Stewart so I wrote a couple of romantic suspense novels, which were published, then a weird occult kind of novel because some neighbors of mine loved my little kids and kept giving them presents, which rather alarmed me. I enjoyed delving into the occult, but the people who came to my signings scared me, so I didn't do anything like that again, though I have done some paranormal novels--a ghost story, a couple of reincarnation novels--one a romance, the other a mystery. All of my books had some kind of mystery in them and eventually my romance editors began to complain that there was supposed to be a romance in there somewhere. At some point I read Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky, who were just getting started, and I decided I'd really, really like to do a mystery series. Trouble was, I didn't know what it was going to be about.
However, my daughter was living in San Francisco and there was a big earthquake and I rushed off to make sure she was okay, and I learned that some fissures had opened up in people's backyards and other places, and I suddenly had an image in my mind of a foot sticking out of one of those trenches. At about the same time my daughter took me to The Saddle Rack in San Jose and introduced me to line dancing, which I loved, and everything came together and turned into the Charlie Plato Mystery Series, which I absolutely loved doing. I got to wear a cowboy hat and learned quite a bit about line dancing and ideas came thick and fast.
Unfortunately, Kensington, who published the series, decided to drop it after five books, leaving me with a lot of ends dangling. But when I told an editor friend of mine that I'd been dropped--we were having a drink in the bar at one of the mystery conventions at the time--she said, "Well, write for me then." (You see what I mean about me being an accidental writer?) So I wrote two standalone mystery books for my friend, who was then at Berkley. They marketed them as romantic suspense, which would have been okay except that they were placed in bookstores' romance sections and my mystery readers didn't usually hang out in romance sections, and they had very dark mystery covers, so my romance readers didn't think they were romances. But I still enjoyed the experience and would have done more except that my editor friend quit. Which brings me up to date, where I'm developing a new series and hoping someone will want to publish it. <g>
IC: Does your work in other genres influence your mysteries? If so, in what way?
MC: Absolutely. Writing short shorts for Good Housekeeping taught me how to say a lot in not too many words. Writing for Children taught me to keep it simple and not to ramble on too much, writing romance taught me how to write sex without worrying about what my mother would think, so where there used to be some mystery in my romance novels, there's often some sex in my mystery novels, though not as much as in my romances. <g>
IC: Do you see a connection between mystery and romance?
MC: Well, you can have either one without the other, but it's a lot more fun if they are combined in various ways. I like to develop relationships in my books, and I like writing about men and women, and that often leads to somebody falling in love, or into bed. But I didn't put romancy writing in my romance novels and I don't write what I'd call romantic scenes in my mysteries. Sex, yes.
IC: How would you describe your mysteries?
MC: Traditional whodunnits, cozies with a bit of attitude.
IC: Do you notice common themes running through your books?
MC: Apart from justice always triumphing and a fairly happy outcome, I can't say I've noticed that. I have noticed that most of the women in my books are tall and have lots of hair, and I'm short (5'3") with baby fine hair. They are also very courageous and I'm a bit of a wimp. So I'd say I'm writing about the woman I wish I was.
IC: You do extensive research for your novels, including interviews with police officers, FBI agents, forensic anthropologists, and medical examiners. What are some of the most interesting things you've learned? Any interesting experiences?
MC: The most interesting thing I've learned is that experts are always happy to talk about their work as long as you approach them in a professional manner. In the beginning I knew nothing about anything, so I've been fascinated to learn about the decay rate of bodies, and how an autopsy is performed, and how crime scenes are processed and so on. It's all totally amazing to me. I said earlier that I'm a bit of a wimp, but that's physically. Mentally, I can watch slides of dead people with blood all over the place and terrible injuries and I can view it without any problem. And I love hanging out with cops. I've done a few ride-alongs and find that's the best way to get all kinds of information. Lots of time to talk while on patrol, me with my notebook writing like a fiend, usually having a tough time reading my writing afterward. Forensic anthropologists are great. One gave me some good ideas by offering some information (that I wouldn't have known to ask for) on a certain reaction that can happen with someone who dies as a result of violence. I was able to add a lot to my plot because of it. One thing I learned early was to listen attentively and speak only to ask questions, not to pretend to knowledge I didn't have. I've been around other writers who ask questions in a way designed to show how clever they are. That doesn't go down well with the experts. One quote I like on this sort of thing was said by Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, during a conference talk. "People who think they know it all are very annoying to those of us who do."
In the series I'm working on developing right now, I have a police chief. I already have permission from my local police chief to go hang out in the station and just be a figurative fly on the wall. That's if I get a contract for the series of course!
IC: How would you describe the protagonists of your mysteries? What characteristics do you have in common with them? What was the inspiration for the characters?
MC: This is a tough question to answer. I've written another whole novel and plotted two more, all filled with various characters. Unless I'm writing a series, I tend to just sort of discard the characters when I'm through. That sounds cold, and I'm not cold about my characters while I'm writing them, but if I held onto them there'd be a danger of repeating them. As I said above--usually, the main female character in a novel of mine will be tall and have a lot of hair, unlike me. I think I'm more likely to write female characters the way I would like to be--tougher, sexier, better-looking, smarter. <g> I never quite know where the characters come from. The stories come from something that happens to me. In the case of Maddy Sloane, I waited over an hour one December afternoon for my husband to pick me up in Seattle. (I have a depth perception problem, so I'm not able to drive.) I began to worry as time went buy because Jim is usually very punctual. I began to think he'd met with an accident. I started thinking about what I should do if he didn't show up. Should I call the police, hospitals, did I know our car's license plate number? (Yes, I did. <g>) Jim eventually showed up, he'd been blocked by another car in a parking lot, hadn't been able to get out until the other driver returned. But by the time we drove home--a three hour journey, I had a whole plot simmering in my notebook, dealing with what someone might have done if her husband disappeared right there in Seattle, and why he might have disappeared, and what might have happened to him.
When I'm planning a novel, I don't just do a series of character sketches and some plot ideas. I think of something to do with the character and that leads to something that will happen in the plot, which will affect the character, and so on. It's a symbiotic relationship. Characters grow as the plot develops and the plot grows as characters develop.
Nick Ciacia (pronounced chacha) came about because I thought I'd like to do an Italian as a good guy. My husband has Italian ancestors and my daughter had been studying family genealogy, so that was an outcome, I guess. Another author with an Italian background suggested various Italian names. I liked Ciacia because of the spelling (Nick was an FBI agent--so CIA seemed related) and also because I like humor in my books and Chacha was a humorous name.
IC: One thing I enjoyed about your site was your description of what led you to write each book. Was this in response to the ubiquitous "Where do you get your ideas" question?
MC: Yes. Some writers seem to hate being asked that question. But I think it's an interesting one, and the answers to it are often interesting. I'd much rather talk about where I get my ideas (mostly from true life situations or accidents or from newspaper stories that I don't use, but that trigger ideas of my own) than read from my books, which makes me uncomfortable. Besides if I do a reading I start editing as I go because it suddenly doesn't sound right, and then I lose my place.
IC: What experiences led you to coin the phrase, "To err is human, to forgive makes the reader divine"?
MC: Every writer, more than ever in this email age, gets letters from readers pointing out errors in their work. Most of us make errors sooner or later. I certainly do. In Snap Shot I put Mount St. Helens in Oregon. It's in Washington State. I live in Washington State. I have visited Mt. St. Helens many times, before and after the volcano erupted. My husband and I frequently drive down to California. We pass Mt. St. Helens and then we cross the border into Oregon. No excuse for this error. I've no idea why I did it, or missed seeing it. I could hardly blame my editor for missing it. She lives in New York.
Most of us crime writers do a great deal of research about everything. We read a lot, attend lectures, talk to experts etc. I now know many cops and crime experts and I talk to them and ask them questions and write down their answers. I spend a great deal of time and effort on getting everything right, but I do still make an occasional error. I've had readers write me some borderline nasty emails because my characters had lunch in a restaurant that doesn't exist in San Francisco. I made it up. I'm writing fiction. If I'm finding a body in the kitchen I'm not going to give the name of a real restaurant. The owner might sue me! <g> So I ask that readers forgive a writer who makes an error. Often it's not important anyway.
IC: You're a "self-admitted convention junkie." What do you like about them?
MC: I live in a town that until recently didn't have a bookstore. I don't have anyone I can really discuss mystery writing with, though I do know people who read mysteries. Some of them even read mine. <g> Going to conventions or conferences I'm surrounded by people who write and read the kind of books I write and read. I love talking to other authors. I'm a total ham; I enjoy giving talks, being on panels, doing workshops, even, as I've done a couple of times lately, helping British author Zoe Sharp give self-defense demos, or being a "celebrity" auctioneer along with author Twist Phelan. I atttend any forensic type panels or workshops that are given and learn from then. Recent experiences include police officers with canine assistants, a lecture from a well known medical examiner. I always attend any workshop given by the wonderful Dr. D.P.Lyle, who knows everything I will ever need to know. At Sleuthfest I've learned how to encrypt a message in a photograph (I think I got that right), and how to shoot. I'd never handled a gun before. I have no desire to own one, or to shoot anyone (not often anyway) but I wanted to know how it felt and how it sounded and so on. I also get to meet booksellers from all over the country, and they get to meet me. <g> I get to meet editors. And most importantly, I get to meet readers, without whom my tree would fall in the forest without a sound.
IC: In the "articles" section of your web site, you discuss subjects as diverse as cozy mysteries, the history of tea (and how to brew a perfect cup), and an International Tall Ships Challenge. In a life so obviously full of adventure, how do you choose which subjects to include on your site?
MC: I figure if something excites me, it just might interest someone else. I write mainly about things I'm doing or have done. Read my articles and you will know my life. <g>
IC: At a conference, you told about a very special wine box (the wine box of ideas). Can you tell us about that?
MC: Ah yes, the Carlo Rossi method of plotting. My husband and I drink Carlo Rossi wine at home. It's a California wine, which tastes good to us, and it is cheap. (I'm half Scottish, so cheap is important to me) My husband is cheap too, so he buys the wine by the case, which means four 4-litre bottles in a cardboard box. The box is a good size. When I'm in the hunting and gathering phase of a novel (which means I'm casting around for stuff I can use) I collect photographs, maps, menus, notes, theater programs, anything I've gathered about the place I'm writing about or the occupations I'm using, or whatever, and I put them all in a Carlo Rossi wine box. I usually say facetiously, but truthfully, that after a while, when I got through the box to see what I've got, I'll find it has fermented--a plot is rising. A postcard next to a photo I took, next to a newspaper clipping about blood spatters, next to a note about a character I saw somewhere suddenly seem to belong together.
My method of plotting in the beginning is to try not to think too much, to just let things simmer until they produce some kind of result.
IC: What is your writing method? (For example: Are you an outliner or a "seat-of-the-pants-er?" Do you write every day? Do you write a certain number of words per day, or work a certain number of hours, or do you write only when inspiration strikes?)
MC: Obviously I'm an outliner. I admire seat of the pants-ers, and I often am one when I'm doing the actual writing, but I have to know a great deal about the story before I begin. This doesn't mean it's etched in granite. I usually find the whole thing changing as I write, but it has to be there first. I write 10-5 when I'm writing. I might write 50 words I might write 20 pages, but I'm at my desk with only a short break for lunch. I exercise most days before writing. This gets endorphins popping in my brain. If I get stuck I might hop on my treadmill for a few minutes (it's right near my desk) or I might take a walk on the beach. I'm in splashing distance of the Pacific Ocean. When I'm up against a deadline, I might put in more hours. At any time I might attack my story at three o'clock in the morning. I do believe in inspiration, but I find most of it comes while I'm actually writing.
IC: Any advice for would-be authors?
MC: Write a lot. Make notes of any thought that seems worthy. Or even if it seems dumb. Read other authors, not to copy but to see how they do it and how different authors do it differently. Take apart stories you read to see how they are put together. Then just sit down and write. Then rewrite. A lot. Nobody gets it right the first time. Don't get too hung up on the beauty of your own writing. Just try to write a damn good story with characters who come alive in the readers' mind and memory. One of the very best reviews I ever had said "the characters are so real you can almost hear them breathing." Those are the characters we all want to create.
IC: Any messages for fellow members who are primarily readers?
MC: Buy my books! <g> Seriously, if you can, buy your favorite authors' books. Preferably soon after they come out. The whole face of publishing has changed in recent years. The government taxes publishing houses on books they have in their inventory at the end of the year. So they tend to shred a lot of the inventory before the end of the year. If an author's book doesn't sell a lot of copies, the chains won't order a lot of copies of his/her next book. If the chains don't order a lot of copies, the publisher is likely to drop the author. If you ever wonder why your favorite author's series suddenly stopped, it's probably not because the author got tired of it, it's because the publisher dropped it because it didn't sell enough copies. When the author tries to publish a book or series with another publisher, that publisher will look in the computer to see how many books the author sold before...and so it goes.
IC: You're in the spotlight. Is there anything you'd like to add?
MC: Can't think of a thing. Cheers to all!
This interview was conducted for SinC-IC
by Elizabeth Terrell.
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