Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a late bloomer as far as fiction writing is concerned. I’ve published 4 business books all related to my work as a communications consultant. While I was writing the business books, I took a stab at writing fiction.
During the years while my business books were being written and published, I wrote three mystery manuscripts. The first is a standalone. The other two are series books. I wrote mysteries for two reasons: 1) genre are easier to place and 2) I love reading mysteries. What I wanted to do was to write a book I’d love to read.
So, what do I love to read? I love books with strong characters. I don’t enjoy reading books that are so plot driven that the characters take a backseat (become cardboard). It’s the characters that keep me coming back to read. I want to know what happens to them. I care about them. Nonetheless, I still like a good strong plot. Things have to happen.
Because I tend to like plot and character, I could not write literary fiction where plot is usually nonexistent.
At this point I’m my life, I’m pulling back on my work as a communication consultant/trainer/coach and am focusing my time on writing.
Other tidbits about me. I’m a huge cat lover (I have 4) and I love everything about Italy (I have studied the language and speak it well enough to fool some Italians into believing I’m a native). 🙂
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Clock Strikes Midnight.
I originally wrote it in a totally different way. I wrote it from the point of view my primary protagonist when she was a teenager. The inspiration came from within. I wanted to write a book about a strong woman who overcame difficult circumstances.
That first draft enabled me to learn a lot about the characters. I knew them inside out because I knew their early motivations. I did a re-write of the book which became The Clock Strikes Midnight in which I began with adult characters. In other words, my characters grew up but they were still struggling with their past.
The story is about two sisters who as young children experienced death, trauma and separation. One desserts the family. The Clock Strikes Midnight is her return to the family in order to revenge her mother’s death and to make right some of the wrongs of the past.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write with a computer. I know some writers still use a pen and paper, bur I’ve never been able to do that. I come from a news writing background in which I was taught to think at the keyboard. That skill enables me to write fast from my computer.
I’m not sure it’s unusual, but once I’m in the throes of writing a book, I loose track of time. I’ve often missed appointments (something I never do otherwise).
Cats often invade my writing space. They walk across my computer and sit next to me at my desk. When they get particularly feisty, I know I’ve neglected them for too long.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read all the time and I read many authors. Some I’ve particularly loved are:
1) Colette and the Colette Omnibus
2) Lee Smith, particularly Fair and Tender Ladies
3) Martha Grimes (all the Richard Jury mysteries)
4) Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey’s A Woman of Independent Means
5) Collene McCullough’s First Man in Rome series and of course Thornbirds
6) Susan Howatch Everything she’s written
7) Lee Edgerton, Hooked
What are you working on now?
I”m working on an amateur mystery series which will debut Jenna Scali. She’s a thirty-something graduate student studying criminal psychology and working for a psychiatrist. Her best friend and sometimes partner in crime is a gay history professor from England who also teaches belly-dancing.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on my website and through my blog, twitter feed and Facebook author’s page. I like to write writer’s tips, conduct author interviews, do book reviews as well as market my book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
New authors need to study the craft of writing fiction. They can learn from reading but that is not enough. I suggest taking classes both in person and online.
Furthermore, it’s important to have beta readers–people who will read your work and give you honest criticism. Listen to the criticism with an open mind.
Read lots of books and learn from what you read.
Finally, don’t give up. It’s very hard out there. If you want to get published, you must persist. I would not recommend self-publishing unless you want to use the book for marketing your business. Publishers are very helpful in the editing and production process.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read your book out loud.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading three books at once:
The Sister by Max China (a writing friend)
The Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
Orphan Train by Christine Baker Kline
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to see my mystery series published. Once that happens I will begin the third book in that series and see where that takes me.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’m bring my e-reader with all my books! But, you say, “no power or wi-fi.”
Ok, I’d bring The First Man in Rome Series and Susan Howatch’s series on the Episcopal Church.
Author Websites and Profiles
Joan C. Curtis Website
Joan C. Curtis Amazon Profile
Joan C. Curtis’s Social Media Links
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