Sandy Hill - July 2000
Sandy Hill - July 2000
Sandy Hill is a full time journalist who lately spends her spare time editing another's nonfiction book and writing novels. Lest her muscles sag with all that sitting around, she makes sure she gets out and gives the world a kick or two. A late bloomer, fiction writing wise, like the journalist that she is she did her research first--devouring mysteries by the rackful. Then she began writing. A SinC-IC lurker like so many, quiet but watchful, she keeps up with the chapter's activities. She even reads the Spotlights! Sandy is an optimist--never giving up on that elusive pony. Come, meet Sandy Hill. ."You have a choice in life. You can be sad and die or you can be happy and die." This was said by Sandy's friend Julia, who died of ovarian cancer. She chose happy.
IC
Are you a full time journalist?
Sandy
I'm an editor at The Charlotte Observer (N.C.) who wrote my first mystery, featuring an editor (natch), in my late 50s. A publisher is looking at it, so wish me luck It's never too late.
IC
What is the last non fiction book you read that you liked?
Sandy
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott, who wrote Bird by Bird. .
IC
What's your favorite sport?
Sandy
Ice skating, followed by tae kwon do and weight lifting.
IC
What do you like the most about being an editor at The Charlotte Observer?
Sandy
I enjoy working with talented journalists to help them make their stories better. Each person needs something different from me. I'm also responsible for our Health section so I get satisfaction out of giving readers information that may make them healthier.
IC
What ignited your interest in the mystery-crime fiction genre?
Sandy
I grew up reading science fiction. In fact, I rarely read mysteries. But in thinking about my style of writing, I thought mysteries might suit it best. So I embarked on a crash course about three years ago of reading mysteries, and have since come to appreciate and enjoy them. I also still worship at the altar of science fiction and guess I always will.
IC
Is it tough to switch mind-set from the factual nonfiction world of journalism to that of fiction?
Sandy
The hardest part of switching was making my novels long enough. I struggled and struggled to get to 60,000 words on my first mystery. The second was slightly easier. Journalism teaches you to strip down to just the facts and to keep your opinion out of what you write. So I had to learn to expand what I wrote by putting in more description without, of course, padding or overdoing it. I also had to learn to describe emotion more. I still have a pretty straightforward (I like to think of it as clear) style..
IC
When you decided to market your hard work what factors influenced where you would try?
Sandy
I write first-person traditional, cozy style mysteries. So I went to the library for weeks and picked out novels that resembled my style. Then I noticed who the agent and publisher were. I only tried one publisher, and that is the one who is looking at it. I've run through at least 10 tries at agents with no luck. Lots of glowing personalized letters on my writing, setting, characters, but no contract. I'm thinking about what that means.
IC
Tae Kwon Do is a pretty tough sport. Did you begin practicing it years ago or is this a recent love?
Sandy
I took up tae kwon do about six years ago and loved it, especially running through the forms. A year or two ago, my hip started giving me trouble with high kicks, so I've had to scale back. I'm close to a black belt and may still go back to class and make the final effort. It's not quite as easy when you're past the half century mark.
IC
As a fiction reader, what type of story sticks with you the longest?
Sandy
Stories that engage me have strong characters who face and overcome some challenge. I am less interested in twists and turns of plots. Thomas Perry, who wrote the Jane White books, is someone who has succeeded in creating an interesting character who gets out of danger by using her wits.
IC
What aspect of science fiction appeals to you?
Sandy
Science fiction has been described as the world of "what if..." What if this or that happened . . ., then what? It lets the mind range over possibilities. I especially enjoy science fiction that looks at current social trends and extrapolates where they might lead. I don't care for sword and sorcery books that much.
IC
Even though this is mainly a mystery crowd, want to recommend one good science fiction book? (broadening horizons can't hurt.)
Sandy
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, for making you care about a character. Wild Seed or Mind of My Mind by Octavia Butler.
IC
The passage you chose to highlight was from your friend Julia. In what ways have your friends had an influence on your life?
Sandy
My friends have been an emotional support for me during some difficult times when I ended a 30-year marriage. We've laughed and cried together. My family was supportive but they were sometimes too close to the situation in a way friends weren't. I cherish my friends, especially now that I am single.
IC
Of all the events you covered as a journalist which was the toughest?
Sandy
The toughest was the story of a child who was struck by a car crossing the road on New Year's Eve. She went into a coma. I felt good about telling the story, because it helped raise some money to pay the heavy medical bills. It was also difficult because as the weeks turned into months, there was little hope she would recover and her mother's devotion day after day was heart wrenching.
IC
What is the best feature of Charlotte, NC and did you use Charlotte as the locale in your novels?
Sandy
I love Charlotte's trees and feeling of warmth despite its being a big city. My novels are set in Charlotte and feature a mythical Charlotte newspaper. They also feature my Bernese Mountain dog, Akela, although they are not "dog" mystery novels.I also gave my protagonist, Erin, my hometown of Towanda, Pa. My mother, a poet, died when I was 22. One of the most satisfying parts of writing the novel, which is not based on my family history, was to have Erin's mother still be alive and writing poetry at the Outer Banks. As the series progresses I am working in the various expertise I have in journalism, ice skating, tae kwon do and sign language interpreting.
IC
Name two of your all time favorite books.
Sandy
How about a book and a movie? My favorite movie is the original A Man for All Seasons, with Paul Scofield, not the Charlton Heston version. It's about being true to your beliefs in the face of extreme pressure. I'd be hard pressed to pick a book. Like most writers, I've read thousands. I think Harriet Goldhor Lerner's Dance of Intimacy was useful in nonfiction. In fiction, I still enjoy Pearl Buck.
IC
As a writer, what bugs you the most?
Sandy
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am an incurable glass-half-full person, the kind who, as the joke says, looks at a roomful of manure and says, "There must be a pony in here somewhere." So I've included what I enjoy as well as what bugs me. My limitations as a writer bug me most. The reality of what I write isn't that bad, or so I've been told, but it rarely matches my vision. Clearly, learning the craft of fiction writing is a lifelong endeavor. I enjoy most when the perfect phrase bubbles up unbidden from my subconscious onto the page.
IC
As a reader, what bugs you the most?
Sandy
I dislike illogical, overly convenient plot developments that the author doesn't set up to be believable. I love it when a writer writes in a way that shows a real feel for the infinite creative possibilities of language.
IC
What topic have we not covered that you would like to say something about?
Sandy
Just that it's important for writers to support and encourage each other. Indeed, important for everyone to do that. I've enjoyed that supportive aspect of the two writing groups I'm in and the SINC Internet chapter, even if I do lurk 99 percent of the time. Keep looking for the pony. Cheers, Sandy Hill
This interview was conducted during the month of June 2000 for SinC-IC by Louise Guardino. As this is the last such interview by me for SinC-IC, I'd like to say "thanks" for the ride to all the Spotlight Profile readers--and guests. It's been fun.
sandyh@sinc-ic.orgspot@sinc-ic.org
Read an earlier Spotlight Profile
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