Chapter Member
Spotlight Profile
May 1998
Spotlight Profile
May 1998
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Karen L. Cooper,
AOL Mystery Author Q&A Moderator
This month's guest is Karen L. Cooper. Many of you may know Karen as the Moderator of AOL's Mystery Author Q&A. Others know Karen from her posts in the Internet Chapter or the SinC-IC newsletter. Speaking of which, Karen, along with others, put in many long hours to bring you the mailing list postings you receive in your e-mail. And continues to do so. Karen keeps on top of doings in the mystery world and now has a monthly column about mystery and mystery writing at NovelAdvice, an Internet site. In addition, her mystery novel, A Dangerous Constancy, is under consideration by a publisher. Karen is a lady of many talents as you will see when you read on. Louise Guardino interviewed Karen on April 17th for the Internet Chapter (IC). Now, here's a taste of her first mystery novel:
-- Karen L. Cooper, A Dangerous Constancy
IC
Nifty title. Your excerpt oozes menace. Would you say you tend more towards suspense than cozy?
Karen
The title comes from a poem by John Donne. Glad you like it. And yes, I think in my longer fiction I'm more of a suspense writer than a cozy one, although I don't write in the "classic" suspense mode in which the reader knows who the bad guy is and waits for the protagonist to figure it out.I have the quote from the Donne poem at the beginning of the manuscript. Here it is:
Alas, some two or three
Poor heretics in love there be,
Which think to 'stablish dangerous constancy.
---John Donne, "The Indifferent"
IC
What has been the most difficult aspect about writing this novel?
Karen
This was the first novel I wrote by myself -- I wrote two with my cousin (which are sitting in the drawer as they say - actually on computer diskette). Then, I had someone to exchange ideas with during the process. But then I realized I wanted to pursue writing solo, plus the idea for this book came to me. I guess I'd have to say the most difficult aspect was just telling myself "I can do this" and returning to it every day. I knew where it was going, you know, but the daily grinding out of prose to get there was the hard part.
IC
You are currently looking for a home for A Dangerous Constancy. What do you think of the publishing environment? There's been much dialog on this topic in the SinC-IC mailing list.
Karen
There certainly has! It's been a fantastic dialogue, so many folks have really good practical knowledge.I hear that the current publishing environment is tough for newcomers like myself trying to break in. Of course, I've never known it any different, so have nothing to compare it to.
I actually currently "sort of" have an agent -- landed her with this novel, A Dangerous Constancy. She chose to try to market it as a psych suspense and couldn't place it. (One editor at Kensington turned it down and said he'd look at anything else I'd done.) She isn't interested in small press and so I "took it back" essentially and started marketing it to small press myself. She and I are about done with our relationship. She doesn't really think she can place the second book I sent her, but sent part of it to the Kensington editor to see what he thinks. I'm currently waiting to hear about that but if he doesn't want it she and I will most likely end our relationship.
Right now A Dangerous Constancy is being considered by a small press. I've had some decent responses from the editor there, so I'm quite hopeful. I think the chances of breaking in via small press may actually be better at the moment - at least that's the feeling I get from what I've been reading in the newsletter and elsewhere.
IC
At least you knew where you were going with A Dangerous Constancy. Did you write an outline first, a brief synopsis, or did you just start writing with a loose idea in your head?
Karen
I spent a period of time thinking about the book. The basic premise is a woman in her mid-forties, recently widowed, who doesn't know if her son has murdered his ex-girlfriend or not. I made some notes. I also worked out a time line -- what happened when, etc. A sort of an outline. I tend to be an organized person so I needed to know things were going to fit.
IC
Quite an interesting premise. One many a parent would have trouble dealing with. And with the excerpt above there's no doubt there will be much suspense. Sounds like when you began this, you wrote what intrigued you rather than what might be the current hot area in mystery, if there is such a thing.
Karen
Yup. I have two sons of my own -- currently aged 20 and 17 -- and while neither has given us the sort of anxiety my protagonist suffers in A Dangerous Constancy, I felt like I could get pretty deep into her gut feelings when I started.
IC
Another hot mailing list topic is that of "fat vs thin". Your thoughts: can there be too much emphasis on "character" (life, friends, etc.) such that the story/plot is lost?
Karen
Well, I'm a character sort of person. I like thick characterizations. It's been suggested by more than one reader of mine that I tend to fall short in the plot category but my characters are always well drawn.Having said all that, however, one of the reasons I love mysteries is because of the plot. I like having a mystery to puzzle out as I go. But if the characters are cardboard cutouts I lose interest quickly.
We had Earlene Fowler as a guest on Mystery Author Q&A last week, and she commented that she's been faulted for having too much characterization and "life" issues in her mysteries. I think ultimately it's a subjective issue - you like what you like.
IC
Right, you are. I, too, think a reader's taste is subjective and there is room for both fat and thin. You write a nonfiction column for NovelAdvice on mystery. You had some reservations concerning the "series" trend. Want to say more?
Karen
It's interesting you should mention that. I have loved many series characters myself -- although I admit most of them are British rather than American -- so I know the intense loyalty readers can develop for series characters. But I deplore the fact that as a writer if you don't write a series, you can't write mystery, in today's publishing environment. I know series characters have always been a mainstay in mystery but I wish there were a trend toward stand alone mysteries as well.Minette Walters writes stand alone mysteries, but she's English (and her books get called thrillers and psych suspense and you name it as well as mysteries) and she's the only one I can think of right now who's doing it, although there are probably others I haven't heard of. I hope there are!
IC
In your column, you mention the prime attractions of mysteries as being the reader's desire for a puzzle, justice and closure. Recently there have been some deviations from the ordinary definition of "justice". You mention Minette Walters' The Ice House. Another example might be Colin Dexter's Daughters of Cain. What do you think constitutes "justice"?
Karen
I just watched the conclusion of Daughters of Cain last night on PBS's Mystery!. Unfortunately both my husband and I kept thinking there was going to be some final twist -- something in the way the screenplay was laid out, perhaps, led us both to thinking that -- and so we were flummoxed at the end when we realized that the crime really did happen the way Morse decided it had. We kept expecting him to be proved wrong.What do I think constitutes justice? That's a tough question, Louise. What will happen to me if I refuse to answer?
I think justice ultimately comes down to an individual decision or state of mind. We all know plenty of instances where justice as practiced in the court system doesn't yield a just result. It's an imperfect solution, but there isn't a perfect solution because we're human and therefore individual and flawed. We have to live together in society so we must have some sort of larger "system". I don't endorse taking the law into one's own hands, but I think there are situations that warrant it.
Being a parent has taught me that there is no pure justice -- we no sooner lay down one rule than the exception arises. You have to look at each situation, look to your heart, weigh things out -- and this is pretty tough to do on the scale of a large judicial system.
IC
Glad you didn't really test me by not answering the "justice" question! You also moderate AOL chat room interviews of mystery authors. What can and has gone wrong during online interview sessions?
Karen
For the most part things have gone smoothly. The authors are great, and the attendees are usually extremely well behaved and ask great questions. Once in a while someone wanders in who doesn't understand what's happening and asks a lot of unrelated questions. But my helper, Shirley Kennett, greets everyone as they enter the room by sending them a message explaining who the guest is and that we're "on protocol" which means we aren't just chatting.Sometimes we get an inordinately large number of questions that are just basic beginning writer questions -- "how do I get an agent" and "where do I market this book I wrote" sort of stuff. Of course these are all perfectly valid questions, but Mystery Author Q&A is an interview of a published author and we're trying to learn about her or him, not have a general how-to discussion.
One time I did a short story panel on Q&A. I got a bit overzealous and we had something like five or six short story writers. Just hearing what each of them had to say took up a lot of time. I tried to direct questions to different ones to spread them around, but I was really hopping. One of the writers (who shall remain nameless) was rather highly opinionated and tended to go on far longer than the others, which complicated things. All in all I think I sweated a lot that night!
IC
What is the funniest thing that has happened during the interviews?
Karen
I don't know about a funny thing. We've had some funny guests, people who are funny people. Joan Hess, Harlan Coben. But humor is so visual -- when you can't see faces and hear laughter -- it doesn't always translate.
IC
What's the best advice you've heard from an author?
Karen
It's a quote. I took it from Writer's Digest Magazine several years ago. Unfortunately I lost the name of the author -- it wasn't someone I knew at all. "You must beware of advice. You must find yourself by yourself, in the context of your times. Be a serious and good lover of your work."I typed it up and keep it in a frame on my desk.
IC
Any memorable advice from an agent?
Karen
"Don't give up."
IC
Hah! And along with that, an agent's income being based on their ability to judge marketability of a "product" makes them very selective. You mention your agent's reluctance to market to the small press. Might this be due to the smaller fee received by everyone concerned?
Karen
Yes.But my rebel spirit is attracted to small press. I like the idea of doing it on a smaller scale, of having more control and more choice. (Out there no doubt there are people cackling maniacally and pointing their fingers saying "Listen to her! She thinks she'll have CONTROL and CHOICE!")
IC
Do you think there will be an increase in the influence of the "smaller press" and if so, what will that do to the agent's role?
Karen
I have no idea what it will do to the agent's role; I'm not sure how to think about that, to theorize; I also don't think I know enough about the business to speculate. However, I think it's possible small press will begin to fill the midlist void; which may eventually make them middle press rather than small!It's the American way, after all, isn't it, to devise a new way to solve a problem? If the big publishers no longer can take on midlist writers, then small press says "Here I come."
Or self publishers. I have a cousin -- not the one I co-wrote with -- who when she was 53 hiked the entire Appalachian Trail by herself, then proceeded to write a book about the experience. She decided to self-publish and now earns a living selling her book, promoting it, and making presentations about the experience. She also leads groups of women for hikes along the trail. If that isn't an inspiring story I don't know what is!
IC
That is an inspiring story about your cousin. What's the most pleasant thing that has happened to you lately?
Karen
Writing-wise -- it's been a good time for me. I want to mention one recent success. Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine has just accepted one of my short stories. I'm very happy about that. Starting this column for NovelAdvice -- and getting a good response with my novel at the small press.Having the rain abate.
IC
You mention that a short story of yours will soon appear in Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine. Is this the first short story sale? What other fiction have you had published that our visitors might search out?
Karen
I will also have a story in the July issue of EWG Presents, (Electronic Writers Group), an online magazine. Other than that my only published fiction is a short story co-written with my cousin which was published in Dogwood Tales magazine back in 1995 under the pseudonym Maggie Cooper.
IC
You see a medium sized creepy crawly on your kitchen floor. Do you stomp, capture and escort out the door, or get up close and personal to learn its habits?
Karen
Capture and escort out the door. Unless it surprises me and scares the bejesus out of me, then I probably stomp on it.I'm a wuss, not a scientist.
IC
Given a choice of an expense paid trip to Beijing, Munich, or New Delhi, which would you choose?
Karen
New Delhi.
IC
What irks you?
Karen
Out of tune musical instruments (I'm a musician, and a piano and guitar teacher in my other life). Shrieky singing voices.The current trend in television series in which every few weeks a repeat is inexplicably shown instead of a new program. (I know it's a budgeting thing; but why don't they just make the season shorter?)
IC
Picture yourself out in a barren area of California at dusk (is there such a place?) and, suddenly, before you is a being clearly not of this world. What would you do?
Karen
Have you ever been to California, Louise? There are plenty of open areas! Particularly up here where I live -- 300 miles north of San Francisco.I'd like to say I'd behave honorably and nobly but in truth, I'd probably freeze up or scream. Like I said I'm a wuss. I don't think well on my feet. And I'm very bad at confrontation.
IC
How'd you become the AOL Mystery Author Q&A moderator?
Karen
Mystery Author Q&A was originally the Mystery Writers of America (MWA ) monthly online "chat." I fell into the position as moderator because I attended the first meeting and the organizer (Robert Cherin) nominated me (I'd taken a short story class from him). It was basically turned over into my hands after that, so I decided to use the format of interviewing a published author each month rather than having open chat. It was never an offical chapter of MWA but it had their blessing.We were never comfortable calling ourselves the MWA chat. It seemed a misnomer, since we didn't restrict ourselves to MWA members. When Shirley Kennett took over as editor of our newsletter Raven Feathers (Phyllis Podlaski was our first editor), she suggested the new name and I leaped at it.
IC
How is it that you came to join SinC?
Karen
Why did I join Sinc? Because I kept hearing writers online and at conferences say that it was of far more practical help than MWA. From what I've seen of both so far (admittedly my experience is limited) I would agree with that.
IC
I understand you spent many long hours on the mailing list that sends all those interesting postings to our e-mail. Care to talk about that experience?
Karen
I'm still a volunteer in this. I share duties with Sand Magnuson; at the beginning I assembled the mailings and she archived them; we have switched duties for a bit, she's assembling and I'm archiving.SinC-IC is working toward having an automated digest feature take care of this, but until then . . .the digest is such a lively forum for discussion it needs to continue, but if many more of our members begin posting regularly it will prove impossible to do manually. (What I mean by "manually" is cutting and pasting each individual e-mail into one large one.)
IC
It's intimidating interviewing the Interviewer. What's the question you wished I'd asked you? And the answer to that question?
Karen
Name organizations/groups/books which have inspired and/or informed me the most as a writer.I have found SinC to be of wonderful practical help; the attitude of its members is without pretense, a no-nonsense let's share our knowledge sort of thing. The Internet Chapter is great for me since I live 300 miles away from any chapter meetings; our daily mailing list is particularly helpful and active. Thanks to all the great contributors!
We have a local Writers Center where I live; I'm a member and participate in some of its functions. I also belong to a small critique group which meets semi-regularly and that is tremendously helpful as well. I think that having a couple of readers you trust to look at your stuff is very important, so long as you balance what they say with your own sense about your work.
What books have influenced me? I guess I'd have to say that my impetus to write mystery came after years of reading British police procedurals such as Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford series and P.D. James. I still enjoy the rather meaty thickly-characterized sort of mysteries the most. One caveat here is that many of the British authors seem to jump between POVs (points of view) far more than is considered acceptable in American mystery fiction. That does bother me; I prefer to stay more focused in one or two characters.
I find I have to intersperse mystery reading with non-mystery these days, so I sprinkle a little Jane Austen in here and there (and I just finished Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier last night). I don't have a favorite American mystery writer, but in recent months I've enjoyed books by John Dunning, Barbara Paul, M.D. Lake; and I adore Jane Langton.
IC
Wrapping it up, what is it you'd like our visitors to think about or know about you that we may not have covered?
Karen
That I sing doo-wop oldies with my husband and one other person every week; that I play in a rock and roll band several times a year. That I love wonderful fiction. I love to read.
Our thanks to Karen for hanging in there with the interviewer and almost missing Homicide !
To see previous Spotlight Profiles, click here.
