Tell us how much of
yourself you write into your characters.
The Christine Sterling Mystery series—PAYNE & MISERY,
THE DUNN DEAL, and PARRISH THE THOUGHT—is
a cozy mystery trilogy written over about ten years of my life. At the
beginning, I needed a diversion from the insanity of my raging hormonal
dysfunction during menopause. Then, I had no idea God planned the writing to be
used in any way other than getting me through my days and nights, so I wrote
about things that were happening or what I was thinking about.
I packed the first book, PAYNE & MISERY, with every
injustice, oversight, or neglect I ever suffered or imagined to suffer. I
produced quite an odious tome of complaint. I exposed much more about our
relationship and about myself than I ever intended the public to know. Of
course, the book had to be rewritten ten times before it became publishable and
much of the whining had to be excised. But when people point out similarities
between the main characters (Jesse and Christine Sterling) and my husband Bob
and me, I merely smile and nod.
In my next book, DYING TO BE NOTICED, I created a whole new
set of characters just to prove I can.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I never broke into the neighbors’ house like Christine did.
Through Christine I’ve done really nutty things. But my husband would probably
say the quirkiest thing about me concerns my fascination with subways. When I
visit a big city with a subway, I am compelled to explore it. So I’ve managed
to get lost in London , Boston ,
Chicago , and New York .
Once in London ,
on the way to the theatre, a man approached my daughter and me as we exited the
subway. He politely inquired whether we were ladies of the evening. In Boston , Bob and I went a stop too far on our way to Cambridge and ended up
practically running at dusk through a rather questionable neighborhood.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I never dared refer to myself as a writer until quite
recently, but I have always loved to write. I love words. When I was thirteen,
I fell in love with a boy at church. He had the most amazing thick
reddish-blond hair and he smelled good. We seldom spoke, but I pined fervently,
mostly from afar, replaying his few words to me over and over in my mind and
endlessly fingering the few cards and notes he sent.
One day he called to say his parents didn’t want us to sit
together at church any more since we were too young to be getting so serious. I
was crushed and closeted myself in my bedroom to write our tragic love story.
After shedding many tears and writing four dramatic chapters, my mother coaxed
me out of my room for food. I kept the start of that novel, certain that one
day I would complete it. During high school, I would always begin writing term
papers the day they were assigned, a practice I kept secret after once being
called weird.
Later, I wrote a few children’s stories for my girls and for
my grandchildren. To this day, I keep files with ideas for stories. But I
really began to write in earnest about twelve years ago when menopause hit.
Today, I call myself a writer.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
In my home are many shelves full of books. Most are fiction,
but occasionally something like Bird by
Bird by Anne Lamott comes to my attention. Mysteries are my favorite
diversion in the reading world. Special authors include Marcia Muller,
Elizabeth George, Tony Hillerman, Sue Grafton, Sibella Giorella, Charles
Martin, and Nancy Rue. I have been known to read truly good books a second
time. I also sometimes listen to books on tape after I have read a particularly
wonderful book. I did this recently after reading Kate Morton’s The House at Riverton.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
My best hope to stay grounded is Bible Study Fellowship. I
have attended one group or another of this international Bible study for over
twenty-five years. The format includes daily homework, discussion groups, a
lecture, and notes to read. I need this kind of discipline to keep me in God’s
Word on a regular basis. I didn’t begin to grow up until I started to study the
Bible. When I get crazy or allow the stresses of life to overwhelm me, it’s always
because I have gone too long without prayer and Bible study.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
I keep a cache of names filed in my head in case I ever need
one for a character. For example, Lila Kliner (in PAYNE & MISERY) was a
little girl I played with when I visited my aunt in Oregon each summer of my childhood. Russell
Silverthorne (also a character in PAYNE & MISERY) was a distinguished man I
met at church. Baxter Dunn (THE DUNN DEAL) was a dishonored sheriff I read
about in the newspapers who happens to have a great name for a character.
I also use names of family members from time to time. Once,
a friend of my daughter asked me to name a character after her. That’s how a
nurse named Brenda Gonzales became part of DYING TO BE NOTICED. My goal is to
make the sound or connotation of the name fit the characteristics of the person
being named. I often check the national census website looking for popular
names during the period my character would have been born.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Raising two incredible human beings—my daughters. They are
both very intelligent and highly educated, one with a PhD in microbiology and
one an excellent nurse. But better than that, they are compassionate, kind,
gentle, loving people, good citizens who make a difference in the world.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
A border collie. High energy level, zest for life, fierce
loyalty, cuddly, loves people, needs to work and enjoys work, lifelong love of
learning.
What is your favorite
food?
I am a foodie. How can I name my favorite? Best I can say is
Mexican food always wakes up my taste buds. You can never go wrong with shrimp.
Anything with chocolate is high on my list, but pie is my favorite dessert.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I have never been able to conduct an interview that gets me
a job, which doesn’t mean I haven’t gotten jobs, just never once because of a
stellar interview. So when it comes to selling a book, forget it. I just don’t
sell myself well. I even freeze up when sending out queries. Consequently, at
present I still do not have an agent. Even after offering manuscripts to maybe
a dozen in person and having four books published, I haven’t even found an
agent willing to actually look at my work.
For this reason, I am extraordinarily grateful to my
publisher, Rochelle Carter of Ellechor Publishing, for looking past my
fumbling, rambling interview to see the book I had produced. It was just a
matter of not giving up, of continuing to press myself into situations and
conversations where my work might be noticed. Entering contests was helpful, as
was attending writer’s conferences without knowing a single person who could hold
my hand through the experience.
Of course, it might also be that God’s plan is unfolding in
precisely the way He intended. As I push outside my comfort zone, I must rely
on Him for power more and more. God delights in strengthening the weak.
Tell us about the
featured book.
PARRISH THE THOGUHT
Unlovable people plague Christine Sterling’s pristine
church-lady world—filthy homeless men, a possibly homosexual veterinarian, dark
Goth teenagers, to name a few. Although she desires to exhibit Christian love,
when it comes time to convert her faith into action, inner struggles weigh her
down. These people simply don’t belong in her life.
Then during a storm, surly Goth teenager, Amanda Colter,
makes a middle-of-the-night call begging for Christine’s help. Amanda has
somehow gotten mixed up in the untimely death of a prominent Nevada City
Sounds like a
wonderful book. Please give us the first page.
CHAPTER ONE
A man in the women’s restroom?
I slipped on a
take-charge attitude and shoved through the mumbling huddle of waiting
women. Past pointing fingers and impatient faces, I managed to enter the
three-stall bathroom off the church foyer. Sure enough, scuffed boots with
significant holes protruded toes-up from under the handicap stall. I bent to
inspect them and found one hiked-up pant leg revealing a calf with dark coarse
hair. Definitely male.
A neon alert blinked
“Warning!” in my brain. I
censored the unchristian exclamation that almost tumbled from my lips.
Where else but California
would you find a man sprawled on the restroom floor?
Of all the nerve! He had also managed to track red Nevada County
“Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?”
The shoes didn’t
move.
By then, a
pack of female onlookers had congregated behind me. At the sound of my voice,
they all protested at once like
a flock of hens. I faced them, waving my hands and clearing my throat. Their clucking ceased as quickly as it had begun.
“I’ll get help. Meanwhile, please use the restroom
downstairs.” I produced a smile and pointed in the general vicinity of the
stairs.
You have me hooked. How can readers find you on the
Internet?
c.leggitt@aol.comThank you, Catherine, for sharing your life and book with us.
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Parrish the Thought (Christine Sterling Mystery) (The Christine Sterling Mystery Trilogy)
- paperbackParrish the Thought (The Christine Sterling Mystery Trilogy)
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