Today I have Pamela Rose here answering questions she’s received as a writer and to present her new book, Sherlock’s Home, which is a delightful mystery. Loved the characters in this one and I’m hoping to read more from this author.
Q&A with Pamela Rose
1. Are there occupational hazards to being a writer?
Hazards? Do you mean other than voluntarily delving every day into the macabre subject of murder? (Laughter Here) Well, other than that life-affirming activity the only hazard I personally struggle with is the amount of sedentary activity I engage in on a daily basis. It’s a truism that a writer’s life is a solitary endeavor. Speaking for myself, I need large blocks of quiet time in which to focus and concentrate on the creative process. Because of that, I spend a fair amount of time staring at a computer screen. Sometimes I’m so deeply involved that time melts away and I have to make a conscious effort to get up from the desk regularly and move around. (Albert Einstein got it right, “time is relative.”) I’m only halfway joking when I say that one of these days I’m going to rise from my chair only to find that both appendages have numbed out and as a result I do a half-gainer into the floor. Worst case scenario-like a scene from an old horror flick-someone will find my crumpled, desiccated husk of a body, a stack of first drafts scattered around me like discarded mummy wrappings.
2. Is there a snobbery directed at mystery cozy writers as opposed to other writers in the mystery genre?
Regarding the question of writing “snobbery,” I do believe that there is some misconception that mystery cozies are somehow less involved, less demonstrative of the writing craft. But I don’t think that kind of thinking is universal, and certainly not in the mind of the readers. I believe that the research time and writing effort necessary to create a well thought out novel, whatever genre it might be, is pretty much up to the individual writer. If you’re a careless writer it’s going to come out in your writing regardless of genre. Perhaps the misconception comes from the fact that mystery cozies inject a bit of humor into their writing, so because it’s less serious it might be perceived as having less demands put upon it. But, as any hardworking comedy writer can tell you, writing humor is an art all by itself and not every writer can successfully pull it off.
3. Is writing important? In other words, how does what you do matter?
Oh my goodness…is writing important? Oh, I don’t know. Is Oxygen important? First of all, I suspect that writing developed in the first place because humans were reaching out to other humans and lacked the proper vehicle to do so, sign language having its obvious limitations. Writing is our connection to each other. It’s a way to huddle under our umbrella of humanity and say “this is what I see, this is what I think, this is what I feel.” And in turn, have the recipient respond to that connection…or not, but in either case the attempt was made because those commonalities are important to the human experience. As both a reader and a writer I know that there’s a lot of crap out there, (yes, crap-it’s a technical term) and yet, the ability to sift through it and say “yes, that’s me,” or “no, I’m not like that” requires a medium to bring it under the spotlight and sort it out. Fiction or non-fiction, it doesn’t matter, because that’s the exchange that’s taking place. Vital? Yes…I should think so. To use the words of another writer, Caroline Gordon, “a well-composed book is a magic carpet on which we are wafted to a world that we cannot enter in any other way.” I would humbly add that any written words could fall under that directive whether it’s Tolstoy’s War and Peace or an owner’s manual for the lawnmower.
4. Do you have writing advice for a new writer?
I have no writing advice of my own today, but I will share this: Stephen King says “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” That’s what writing is-work. Glorious work at times, but no laborer ever toiled any more earnestly than a writer working hard at his or her craft. And speaking of ‘earnest,’ Ernest Hemingway put it this way: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
About the Author:
Many moons ago on an Indiana farmstead My Weekly Reader became Pamela’s first true love, miraculously discovered at the behest of her somewhat humorless third-grade teacher, notorious among her students for being a bit of a pickle-puss. About the same time Pamela realized her ability to cleverly manipulate prose when she read aloud in class her very first book report on a small, much beloved book appropriately named Twig. She was startled to learn subsequently that nearly all of her classmates signed up to read the tiny tome as a result. It was Pamela’s first brush with true power and it was intoxicating. Love affairs with The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden soon followed. Before very long, a grand obsession with all things related to Sherlock Holmes ensued. Ever fickle, Pamela moved on to a brief fling with Ellery Queen. Her short attention span regarding other equally engaging mystery writers soon became obvious to those who were paying attention. However, it should be said that Pamela wistfully returns from time to time to revisit these former loves and renew her passion.
Little did Pamela realize that a true career path had been decided upon. It would be years before this avenue would manifest after Pamela successfully dabbled in careers in advertising, television retailing and radio; eventually teaching in subjects related to all areas at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
Pamela Rose currently lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her tuxedo cat Jake who amuses himself by impersonating a multi-syllabic, tirelessly fetch-playing dog. Also being of a benevolent mind, Jake graciously allows Pamela to serve as his personal valet in exchange for long periods of quiet in which to write.
Life imitating art? That’s Finn Sherlock’s first bizarre thought when she stumbles across a dead body within the Civil War era hiding place inside Sherlock’s Home Mystery Bookstore. Thinking that it’s her gnome-like Uncle Oz costumed to play the part of a fortunetelling druid for ‘All Hallows’ Eve,’ she is relieved when she learns that the hooded figure is not her favorite uncle, but the town’s favorite outcast, Odds Bodkins.
Unfortunately, murder suspects abound due to the fact that the mystery bookstore and its adjoining 221b Bakery were the first stop on the Leapers Point’ Halloween circuit and any number of people were on the scene for the annual ‘Fright Night’ tour. More than that, Odds Bodkins was almost universally detested; far too many would agree that the assisted demise of the loathsome little witch was more treat than trick…possibly even a community service.
With a little help from Uncle Oz and her identical twin sister, Echo, Finn sets out to discover who amongst the congenial southern townsfolk had the audacity and plain bad manners to murder the contentious crone right under the Sherlock family noses. Was it the fire and brimstone preacher Willie Ping? ‘Blooming Idiots’ talented but slightly mental florist? Or what about fluffy nonagenarian Eula May Binks…can anybody really be that sugary sweet? But, when the local Sheriff, Wavy Davey, learns that it was Uncle Oz’s Halloween prop – a bona fide hangman’s noose – that was the murder weapon, there’s more heating up inside the 221b Bakery than just the ovens.
Join the heart of Dixie’s new sleuth Finn Sherlock as she resolutely follows in the footsteps of her namesake to create more than a little mayhem and detect a folksy murderer. Sherlock’s Home Mystery Bookstore…where the game is always afoot.
My Review: 4 Stars – I loved this book from the very beginning because I instantly connected to Finn Sherlock and her sister, Echo. They are the proud owners of a bakery/bookstore with their loveable uncle Oz. On Halloween night, during the festivities, they have a run-in with the local outcast, Odds Bodkins, who is known around town as being a negative, bitter old woman. The next day, they find her body hidden in a secret compartment in their fireplace and everyone becomes a suspect.
I think the best part of this book is its characters. I liked that Finn and Echo are twins, which I don’t see much of in books. They brought a lot of humor to the book and I enjoyed reading this light-hearted mystery. The mystery was very interesting and I had a hard time figuring out who was the murderer. I really enjoyed Sherlock’s Home and I can’t wait to read more about these characters in the future.
