Interview With Author Joanna Baker
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I fell in love with Agatha Christie at the age of 12 and I’ve been a huge fan of the genre ever since. We lived a pretty quiet but comfortable life in Hobart Tasmania and there was a lot of reading. I have tried to write other things like short stories, but I keep finding stories don’t have any pull for me unless there is a mystery.
There are three Matt and Chess mysteries so far, and I like to think they have a lot of heart as well as great clue puzzles to keep the reader guessing. I hope you like them.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The third in the series is called Evermore. In it, Chess sets out to find out what happened to her own mother. And, of course, Matt gets drawn in.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I used to wish I was more organised.
I do remember telling my friends that I work best when I think I am doing something I am not supposed to be doing. I know. This doesn’t make any sense at all. But, for example, I write best if I think I should really be doing the laundry, and if I think I am supposed to be writing I find myself doing chores around the house.
But now that we have grandchildren I find I am scrambling to find the quiet hours, so as soon as I get a minute, I am fairly motivated.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always loved P D James. Now I read a lot of Ann Cleeves, who wrote the Shetland series and the Vera series. I also love Jane Harper, the Australian author of The Dry.
Oh and I am thrilled to see murder mysteries in movies. Knives Out. How good is that!?
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a series of murder mysteries set in my beloved Tasmania. Tasmania is rich in history and wonderful magnificent scenery. We have wild coasts and rainforests and unique mountain areas and miles and miles of wilderness. Perfect for murder.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Oh I’m just beginning to try to promote books. I’m definitely not the person to ask haha.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t try to make things perfect straight off. Write and write and write, in the knowledge that you can edit it all later. Let it flow.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Give me the courage to change what I can change and the patience to accept what I can’t. And give me the wisdom to know the difference.
What are you reading now?
Hidden Depths by Anne Cleeves and In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (one of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.)
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am hoping to finish the first in my Tasmanian series soon. It is called Another Poison.
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?
Oh that’s really hard. Well I think I know most of Agatha Christie’s books pretty well, and they are not so good to read over and over again. So, off the top of my head: The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Rumpole of the Bailey Omnibus (is an omnibus cheating?) by John Mortimer, Last Orders by Graham Swift, The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry and everything by Alexander McCall Smith. No, I’m still cheating. But I can’t make the list any shorter. ; )
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