Spotlight Profile
April 2003
Carolyn Haines grew up in the small Mississippi town of Lucedale and dreamed alternately of being a cowgirl, a writer and Nancy Drew. She has managed to pretty much do all three. After nearly a decade as a journalist, she switched to mystery fiction, and Sara Booth Delaney and company were born in the Mississippi Delta Mystery Series. The fourth book in the series, Crossed Bones, is due out in hardcover from Delacorte press in April. Carolyn, along with new husband Steve Greene, live in Semmes, Alabama, with four dogs, five cats and three horses.
Welcome, Carolyn, to the internet chapter's spotlight!
IC
Your love affair with mysteries goes back to Nancy Drew, what are some more of your favorite characters in mystery fiction?
Carolyn
James Lee Burke's character, Dave Robicheaux is one of the best contemporary fiction characters I've ever read. He's tough, smart, honorable, and has a troubled soul. I'm also a big fan of Dennis LeHane’s characters. Angie and Patrick are a tough duo. I really enjoy the dark, tough characters, though I write humor. I'm also a big fan of Elizabeth George's cast of British characters. The complexity of those guys is great. And Dean James's gay vampires are just too much fun. I sort of read all over the place. Deborah Crombie, Minette Walters. I have a long list of favorites. Les Standiford's John Deal, an understated character with a real moral compass, is a lot of fun.
IC
Who are your favorite authors? Have they influenced your style at all?
Carolyn
I've mentioned many of my favorite authors in the previous question. I guess if they've had an influence on me, it's in inspiring me to reach higher, to be a more ambitious writer. When I read a really good author, I want to be a better writer. I want to deliver to my readers what I get from the authors I enjoy. I don't want to write like them, as to style, but I want to deliver like they do.
IC
Do you still write short stories? Do you think short story writing helps with your novels?
Carolyn
Yes, I just recently went back to writing short stories. I did one for Christmas Stories from Mississippi, out in 2001 with University Press of Mississippi, and I did another which will be out 2003, Christmas Stories from the South with Algonquin. The form of short story is so different from a novel, but I think if a writer is conscious of this and thinks about it, it can help him/her in either form. I love short fiction. The author has no time to waste, no time to develop a character. It must be there from the beginning. That's one of the biggest mistakes I see in inexperienced authors--they spend the first 50 pages getting ready to tell the story. Writing short fiction can sometimes help a writer see how ineffective that is.
IC
What's your favorite part of the writing process, first draft, final polish, promotion, other?
Carolyn
First Draft--without question. I love the process of telling the story to myself. This will answer another of your questions, but it goes with how I write. I'm basically an organic writer. I love to just let the story flow. But as a mystery writer, I can't do this. I have to have more control of the plot, or else I end up in trouble. But that first rush of try story-telling, when I race to get it all down--that's the best. I take great pride in editing and polishing, because it's what makes the book readable. But it isn't the pure, mad joy of creation. Editing and polishing are pleasures, but I love the rush. The best thing about promotion is the book store owners. They are terrific, and it's fun to spend time with people who sincerely love books.
IC
You mention in your bio that your career as a journalist has been invaluable to you as a writer. How has it helped?
Carolyn
In journalism, I wrote everyday. I had a deadline that couldn't be broken. I had to write to that deadline and I had to write coherently and tightly. I couldn't sit around and feel blocked. (Newspaper editors don't believe in writer's block). That's the best practice in the world. And I also expected to be published. I guess after 10 years of newspaper work, I just didn't allow myself to think that the odds of publishing a book were so against me. I just wrote with the idea that it would be published.
IC
Since you say that you are more of an organic writer, do you also do outlines?
Carolyn
As I mentioned earlier, I now outline with great detail. A good mystery is in the clues, the twists and turns. The author must be able to manipulate the reader and lead the reader to draw certain conclusions (without tricking the reader). This can only be done if the author has control of his/her material. This requires careful outlining.
IC
You mentioned that the two main characters for this series, Sara Booth Delaney and Jitty, came to you fully formed and in full voice. Do they drive your story or do you let the plot dictate where the story will go?
Carolyn
The first book was driven by Sarah Booth and Jitty, but as the Mysteries become more complex, the plot shares more of the load. In a series character, the primary characters such as SB, Cece, Tinkie, Coleman, and Millie have to develop. But their development isn't the total focus of the book. The new mystery is. It's a matter of working with several arcs rather than just one character arc. It's more fun for me as an author. I like to balance and weave.
IC
How do you handle writer's block? Do you have a trick for getting the creative juices flowing?
Carolyn
I'm often working on more than one thing at a time. I'm also a full-time writer, self-supporting. I have five dogs, five cats and four horses. If I don't write, they don't eat. I think the consequences would be something out of a Grimmes' fairy tale, you know. (What sharp teeth you have, little doggy!) Seriously, I have that wonderful newspaper background, and if I get stuck on one thing, I move on to something else where I'm not stuck. Staying stuck is so emotionally abusive. A writer begins to doubt himself/herself if that happens. Self-doubt is the seed of writer's block, so I just try not to put myself in that position. I also write every day. That's another good trick. Write every day and then the material is always yours. When days go by, sometimes it gets too scary to go back to it. And I always end my writing for the day in the middle of a scene. That way, I know what to write when I go back to it the next day. So I get started without all that panic and frustration.
IC
Your latest book, Crossed Bones is coming out in April so I'm sure you have book signings coming up. Are you doing anything unusual or unique to promote your latest book?
Carolyn
Bantam has been terrific. They sent out some Mint Julep mix (it could be mixed non-alcoholic) to some bookstores, and they're doing a lot of ads and wonderful things to help the series get going. And I revamped my web site at www.carolynhaines.com. I'm also going to be doing some contests and giving away T-shirts and things like that. I'm new at this, so bear with me. But I think it's going to be great. I'm doing a lot of book-signings in the South and giving talks, etc. I'm also open to any suggestions that my readers might have to do things I haven't thought about.
IC
What advice would you give the young writer looking at the blank page for the first time?
Carolyn
Write what you love. Figure out the authors you truly love to read, then analyze why you love them. This is vital. Do you love their characters, the plots, the settings, they way they have with language? Is it the theme of their work? Really analyze it. This is the basis of your individual style. Not to imitate or write like them, but to grasp the essence of what they do that you love. Once you understand this, you can begin to think up your own stories with your own characters, but you'll have that essence in your work.
IC
Do you have any advice for those still seeking agents or editors?
Carolyn
Editors and agents require a completed manuscript. Pay attention to the market. Trust your heart. Don't send anything out until it's absolutely as good as you can make it. And don't work with an agent or an editor who doesn't love your book. They may take you on and they may publish your book, but if they won't fight for you, it's going to be a bitter and disappointing process.
IC
Is there a piece of information or knowledge that you have gained that you wish you'd known when you were first starting out?
Carolyn
This isn't about publishing or money. It's about a way of life. I write because I can't help myself. I could have made a lot more money doing something else. And prepare for the fact that you must enjoy being alone. Writing is a solitary life, and at times a selfish life. Never feel guilty and never let anyone make you question your choices. Sacrifices must be made for every important thing in our lives. Weigh the sacrifices against the outcome. Make your choice and then don't whine. Even though it seems that some writers have it all--money, success, family, etc., etc., just remember that they've paid their dues. Plenty of dues. And write because you love the process. That's truly the best reward of all.
IC
You're working on the next book in your series Hallowed Bones, is there anything else in the works?
Carolyn
I’m working on Hallowed Bones, and on a non-fiction book, My Mother's Witness: The Peggy Mogan Story, which will be published this fall by River City Press. It's a fascinating story and my first non-fiction book.
IC
Is there a question you've always wanted to answer that no one has asked? Would you like to answer it here?
Carolyn
I think you hit all of them, Kadi. Excellent interview. Just check my spelling for me and keep me from looking like a dunce.
IC
Carolyn, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
If any of you would like more information on Carolyn or Sarah Booth Delaney, sit back with your mint julep and check out her website at www.carolynhaines.com. Or, catch up with her at a book signing. She has signings scheduled so far at G& D Farm in Mobile on April 5; Bookends at Bay St. Louis, April 10; the Page and Palette April 12; Alabama Booksmith, April 14; Capitol Books, April 15; a swing through the Delta ending with Lemuria Books in Jackson April 23; the Gulf Coast Romance Writers Seminar April 26 in Gulf Shores, and who knows from there.
This interview was conducted during the month of March 2003 for SinC-IC
by Kadi Easley.
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E-mail Kadi
Read an earlier Spotlight Profile
