Spotlight Profile
November 2001
We really should have sound effects -- the whine of a jet engine warming up, or the whistle of a train gathering speed, or maybe Willie Nelson singing "On the Road Again." That intrepid traveler, Rhys Bowen, is, indeed, on the road again. She paused just long enough for a turn in November's Spotlight.
Nobody tells the story of a life -- whether hers or a fictional character's -- better than Rhys, so here's the Story of Rhys, taken directly from her website. (More about that later.)
(RHYS:) I was born in England, although my mother's family comes from Wales. I got an early introduction to the country when I was taken by my aunt to spend summers in a little village very like Llanfair. I grew up in Bath, England and went to school and college in England, Austria and Germany.
After completing my degree I went to work with the BBC in London, finding my niche in the drama department. Working on so many fine plays inspired me to write my own. Dandelion Hours was my first published, or in this case, broadcast, work. It was followed by several other radio and TV plays before the urge for sunshine drove me to work in Australia.
Taking up an offer from Australian broadcasting, I went to work in Sydney, where I met my future husband, a fellow Englishman. He was on his way to San Francisco, where we settled in 1966 and have lived ever since. Finding nothing like the BBC existed in my part of the States ... I started writing children’s picture books.
The first book won several awards and established me in a new career. Children’s books, young adult books, adult historical romances and sagas followed until I decided it was finally time for me to write what I enjoyed reading most ... and that was mysteries. The kind of mystery that gives the reader a great sense of time and place as well as a rattling good story.
Too many books had been written about San Francisco and it was only when I was recounting tales of my childhood summers spent with relatives in North Wales that I realized I had a great setting for a mystery series. The battling ministers, the postman who read the mail, the overwhelming landlady all existed in a village very like Llanfair.
For this new venture my agent and editor suggested that I use another name, as it is so different from my other writing. I chose my Welsh grandfather’s name, Rhys Bowen. I hope he’ll look down favorably on my tales of his native land.
Now that the fifth Constable Evans mystery is out, I decided to try a new venture. I wanted to create a protagonist who was very different from mild-mannered Evan Evans. Well -- Molly Murphy couldn't be more different. She's brash, loud, and not afraid of much. Take a look at the Murphy's Law page to see more on Molly Murphy.
And I've tried my hand at a couple of short stories too. My short story, The Seal of the Confessional, which appears in the anthology Unholy Orders, was nominated for an Agatha award and currently is nominated for an Anthony Award, to be voted on at Bouchercon, World Mystery Convention.
What's next? Who can say. Stay tuned.
IC
Rhys,do you have a quote or favorite few lines of poetry that you’d like to share?
RB
The only piece of poetry that seems relevant to my life is Robert Frost's "The
Road Not Traveled," because I could have wound up with such a different life from the one I have. I took "the one less traveled by," and that has made all the difference. I left the BBC in London to work with ABC in Australia. I married a man I met in Australia who was on his way to California. I think I would always have written, but who knows what?
IC
Are you still going to Bouchercon? Are you worried about terrorism?
RB
Yes, I'm definitely going to Bouchercon. I am uneasy about everything that has happened, but I am also very angry. I refuse to let these cowardly creeps dictate my life. I think we all need to be alert and vigilant, but otherwise go about our business. And I don't think that a bunch of mystery writers/fans are high on Bin Laden's list.
IC
You’re an intrepid traveler! Tell us about the cruise that ran into hurricanes. You must have tons of material for a book after that experience!
RB
I think we set some kind of record -- three hurricanes in two weeks. We had to sail way out into the Pacific to miss the first hurricane, then we had to miss two scheduled ports because of Iris in the Carribean, and finally we had to make a hasty getaway from the replacement port because a third hurricane, Jerry, was heading for us. Through it all the seas never got too rough and the Panama Canal
was worth the trip. Also the food.
I definitely have someone I'd like to kill -- I met the fellow traveler from hell at dinner one night. Actually she was from Texas. She started off by telling us that the Queen and Princess Margaret were a couple of drunks and it got steadily worse, until John asked her why even the footaball team wanted to get out of Houston. That shut her up a little. I have no idea why she was so hostile.
A cruise ship would be a great place to plan a murder, of course. Maybe Molly Murphy can do a future Atlantic crossing!
IC
You do a lot of traveling to promote your books. How do you organize your travels around your writing, or vice versa?
RB
A little of both. Obviously the books have to get written first, or I'd have nothing to promote. My travels usually center around Left Coast Crime and Malice in the spring and Bouchercon in the fall.
Now I am doing two series a year, I have to fit two books into the remaining time frame. Not exactly easy, but I work better under pressure. In the last couple of years I have done extensive tours, but I don't plan to keep that crazy schedule up for ever.
IC
What other types of promotion do you do? How successful do you feel that you’ve been?
RB
I wish I knew how successful or not my promotional efforts have been. I do quite a lot, from regular mailings to bookstores, to handing out a newsletter at conventions. In the past I have handmade 1600 tea bags, and zillions of bookmarks. Recently I decided my time was valuable and had bookmarks printed -- ten thousand of them to go to a lot of bookstores. This time I'm giving out fridge magnets with a cute Molly Murphy saying on them.
I'm not sure if any of it helps, but writers who get little promotional help from their publishers have to try everything. Staying in touch with the mystery bookstores seems to be the best investment I have made. I also give little gifts to stores who sell a certain number of copies.
IC
Can you share a funny tale or two from the road with us?
RB
The funniest episode, after a signing where nobody came, was having our photos taken with the store pig, who drooled over our shoes and tried to eat our fingers.
I often travel with another writer which makes touring fun and softens the blows of poor attendance. Once Janet Dawson, Penny Warner and I had a blast in Southern California. It was like a big slumber party with lots of silly laughter.
IC
Tell us about your new series, and why you decided to write it. Where did Molly Murphy's character come from? How did you research the historical detail?
RB
The first book in the series is called Murphy's Law. It features Molly Murphy, who
flees from Ireland in 1901 and reaches Ellis Island, only to find herself a prime suspect in a murder there.
Much as I love writing the Constable Evans Mysteries (and they will certainly continue), there are certain stories that just don't fit into that setting. And Evan Evans is such a mild-mannered chap, always taking it on the chin when insulted. I wanted to write about someone who is a little more feisty (like me).
I don't know where Molly came from. One day she was there, in my head -- about the same time that I had decided that Ellis Island would be a perfect spot for a murder. If I had known how much research would be involved, I don't think I would ever have undertaken this new series.
It's simple enough to do the large scale research, but on every page I find something I don't know -- would this house have had electric light, gas or kerosene lamps? Would this street have been paved or cobbled? Was this EL line electrified or steam? I was surrounded by maps of New York at the time, ground plans of Ellis Island, drawings of ladies and men's attire -- and very aware that someone would be bound to point out any mistake.
Luckily the internet is a boon to writers. I could go to the archives of the New York Historical Society and look at their collection of photos, do a virtual tour of the Tenament Museum, check the Ellis Island website. It is important to me that everything is accurate, so it takes a lot of work. I hope it will become easier by the third or fourth book.
IC
What do you enjoy most about writing?
RB
Losing myself in someone else's life. While I'm writing I have no concept of where I am or what I am doing. Sometimes I think I'll take a mid-morning break and find it's 2 p.m. And writing is a great profession for someone with children. I was always home when my kids were small, which was important to me. Of course that also meant that
I would be the one who got called to bring in two dozen cupcakes "because all the other mothers work!"
IC
What was your first novel, and how do you feel it differs from your present day writing?
RB
Do you mean my very first novel that I never sold? Or my first published work? The very first piece of writing for which I earned money was a radio play, when I worked for the BBC. More radio and TV plays followed. I think they have influenced all my subsequent writing because I tend to think in terms of scenes and actors, bringing them on and off stage, and certainly my dialogue is one of my strengths.
Among my unpublished early novels was a story about anthrax and plague spreading through San Francisco as a result of a terrorist act. How farsighted was I? I don't think that my writing has changed much over the years -- maybe become a little smoother and more polished.
IC
Do you remember learning to read, and what your favorite books or stories were?
RB
I don't remember learning to read, but I was always read to and loved fairy stories full of princesses and wicked witches.
As I grew up, I loved fantasy. The Lord of the Rings was the first book that obsessed me completely. One reason I have never attempted to write a fantasy was that anything else would have been a pale copy.
IC
What do you most enjoy doing when (and if) you have time and leisure to spare?
RB
We travel a lot, which is great. I'm really outdoorsy. I love to swim and snorkel, and boogie board too. I hike once a week with my friends. I play tennis. And I love just hanging out with family, which is especially fun now that we have two grandchildren.
IC
What are some of your favorite books when you read for pleasure?
RB
I read a lot of mysteries -- Tony Hillerman, Reginald Hill, Peter Robinson, Nevada
Barr, Deborah Crombie are some of my favorites, but I enjoy a wide range from
cozies to quite hard-boiled.
I like reading first person travel experiences, especially written by people more intrepid than I. Running out of water in the Gobi Desert or being eaten by leeches is interesting when I don't have to experience it! And I read a fair amount of "good literature" too, although I think that many mysteries qualify as good literature, and it annoys me when they are put into the pigeon hole as "genre fiction."
IC
Tell us a bit about how you write.
RB
When I come up with a story for my next book, I let ideas float around inside my head until I am ready to write. When I start to write I have some idea of the story. I know who is going to be killed and why. I usually know whodunit (although I was wrong once). I have decided what I want to be the background story -- there is usually something going on in Evan's life that provides a counterpoint to the murder story.
I don't outline. I find that just doesn't work for a mystery. I have to be open to taking off in different directions, working things out as my sleuth would. So I plan about twenty pages ahead and start writing.
When I'm working on a book I work every day. I start right after reading my e-mail in the morning and work until I have done enough for that day. I can tell when I've done enough because it stops flowing. The next day I read through and tidy up what I wrote the day before, which leads me nicely into my work for the day.
I go all the way through a first draft before I go back and revise. Then I get several people to read it and give me their imput before I do a mammoth revision. I have never done a character study. With me, characters just walk in and introduce themselves. I learn more about them as I go along, as one does with any friendship.
I suppose I am lucky, having a very fertile imagination. I have more stories stored in my filing cabinet than I will ever have time to write in my life.
IC
Do you have a room or home office dedicated to writing, or do you write wherever you happen to be?
RB
I have a proper office in my house with all the stuff I need -- reference books, fax, copier, scanner -- all the tools of the modern writer. I've tried taking my laptop outside and writing there but it doesn't really work for me.
IC
What is the hardest part of writing for you? The easiest? The most fun?
RB
I don't find writing hard. The hard part is seeing another writer get a huge
advance and fantastic publicity for a book I consider to be trash. There is little justice in the field of writing. Few of us are paid what we are worth, and it is usually true that the books that sell best are those that have the most spent on them, not the best written. I find meeting fans and going to conventions a lot of fun. It's pretty nice to get good reviews and award nominations too!
IC
Do you have a theme in mind when you begin a new novel?
RB
Sometimes. When I wrote Evan Can Wait, I knew I wanted to write about resurrecting the past and used a downed World War II plane as a symbol for it. Sometimes I start off with the barest of plot and everything mushrooms as I go along.
Murphy's Law was a little different. This time my heroine was literally running for her life. I had no time for background stories or themes. It's very fast paced and all action.
IC
Besides Sisters in Crime, are you active in other writers' groups? What have you found to be the greatest benefits and/or source of enjoyment?
RB
I'm on the local board of Mystery Writers of America, and will take over as regional president at the end of the year. Those are the only two groups I've stuck with. I attend local meetings for both and love the companionship and encouragement this brings. I wish both groups would do more and become a real bargaining force, as the Writer's Guild is for screenwriters.
IC
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you about writing?
RB
I don't remember anyone giving me good advice when I started out. It was very much hit or miss in what I wrote.
People always say, "Write what you know." But often what we know is boring. I say, "Write what you love." You have to write the book you would have chosen to read. If you try to write something because it will sell or it's current, it will never have the fire and joy that you want.
The other piece of advice I give to would-be writers is WRITE. It's no good telling me you want to write some day. If you are not doing it, you'll probably never start. Writing has to be something you can't live without, and, like any other craft, you only get better as you practice.
IC
If you could go back and start over with writing, what would you do differently?
RB
I'm really glad where I've ended up. If I hadn't had to make a steady income, when my husband lost his airline job and we had four kids about to go to college, I wouldn't have written so many Young Adult novels, which took up valuable writing years. Sometimes I wonder where I'd be now if I'd stayed with BBC drama and written more plays.
IC
What advice would you offer to someone who is writing his/her first mystery novel?
RB
First read everything you can. Know what today's mystery is like -- much more character-driven than those "golden age" mysteries. Then find a niche. There is no point in writing a book just like many others. Ask yourself what makes your story and your style different. Ask yourself why people will want to read this book. Get a lot of feedback. Critique groups are a great help to many writers.
IC
Have we overlooked anything? If there's something you'd like to add, now's your chance. You're in the Spotlight!
RB
No, I'm quite exhausted! But I do urge everyone to take a look at Molly Murphy. She is very different from Constable Evans, and the book is more edgy than the other series.
IC
Rhys has a colorful, entertaining website. There's a peek at the new kid, Molly Murphy, but there's also a lovely photo Rhys took of a farm near Llanfair, plus travel tips for Wales and a Welsh lesson, just for starters. Check it out!
This interview was conducted during the month of October 2001 for SinC-IC
by Pat Browning.
Visit Rhys Bowen
E-mail Rhys
E-mail Pat
Read an earlier Spotlight Profile
