Pamela Rose

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve used writing in my career for several years, first in radio and TV, later in advertising. Later, I taught broadcast writing in my university classes. Truthfully, I’ve enjoyed writing in whatever venue it has occurred. While others might find it to be a chore, I always thoroughly enjoyed the writing aspect of my career. Not that there’s not work involved. Let’s just say that it’s work I find personally satisfying.

To date I’ve written three books with more planned. All have been within the mystery genre, primarily because this is the genre that I love to read! The first, The Eyes of the Jaguar, was a mystery adventure; the last two, A Thyme to Harvest and Sherlock’s Home: The Adventure of the Contentious Crone, are mystery cozies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My third book, Sherlock’s Home: The Adventure of the Contentious Crone, is the first in a series I’ve planned featuring my protagonist Finn Sherlock. I married my interest in all things mystery and my love of Sherlock Holmes into a fictional environment like I would like to visit. Sherlock’s Home Mystery Bookstore is a dynamic place complete with a large fireplace, soft chairs and a rugged coffee table upon which the customers can rest their feet as they enjoy their choice of mysteries, drink a 221b Bakery latte, and be toasty warm in front of the fire Uncle Oz builds every day. The bookstore is in an old, circa late 19th century building with high tin ceilings, old wooden bookcases, and Sherlock Holmes’ memorabilia lining the exposed brick walls. Oh, yes, and books, lots of books!

The 221b Bakery, right next door and connected internally, has an array of sumptuous treats that change daily and are named for past and present mystery authors. Finn has the primary responsibility for the mystery bookstore, her twin sister, Echo, reigns in the 221b Bakery, and their Un Oz floats between the two, helping out wherever needed the most.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I first began writing, the only way I could do it was to write it all down by hand. As you might imagine, that was a long, painstaking process. However, my radio job cured me of that habit forever. Given the tight deadlines and time constraints, there just wasn’t room to pen first then manually input the information, My cure was so complete, that today I can’t really write any other way!

I was raised on and Indiana farm where early mornings were de rigueur. So my lifelong habit of early rising is one that I’ve put to good use. My creative juices seem to be flowing better in the morning, as well. What that means in practical terms, is that daily I’m at my keyboard somewhere between 4 in the morning until before lunch. The rest of my day I dedicate to the public relations end of my writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My early inspirations were mysteries like Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden and of course, Sherlock Holmes. Later, I became an Agatha Christie devotee. But, I have to say, one of the authors who gave me a peek into the concept that you could create a ‘world’ any way that you wanted, was Lewis Carroll. In fact, I dedicated my last book to him. Alice got to have all those adventures like I wanted to have! I have a quote that I like to use: “Lewis Carroll is the writer who taught me the sheer delight of falling through a ‘looking-glass’ of my own!”

What are you working on now?
The second novel in the Finn Sherlock series is tentatively titled: Sherlock’s Home: The Adventure of the Indigo Idiot. But, don’t hold me to that, because it’s only a working title and I may ultimately change it. Each of the novels in the series will correspond to a letter of the alphabet, something that fellow author, Sue Grafton, has successfully utilized in her alphabet series featuring investigator Kinsey Millhone.

Potentially, I could write 26 novels in the Finn Sherlock series. I started with ‘Contentious Crone,’ but there’s no planned sequence to the books. ‘Indigo Idiot’ will be number two, and I’ve already roughed-out the titles and plots of the other 24 books in the series. I never did know when to quit!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Writing is a fun business. There are numerous ways to promote books in an infinite variety of venues. Because I have an advertising background, I love all the ‘visual aids’ that can be used for promotion. For instance, I’m working on a short video right now to place on my website and my Finn Fan Club page on Facebook. I won’t give it away, but it’s going to be a fun way to talk about the Finn Sherlock series and have a bit of a chuckle at the same time.

Websites like Awesomegang that promote an author’s works are certainly beneficial. So, thanks for being there! I love Goodreads, both as a reader and a writer. It’s a good place to hang out and suck up the literary atmosphere. Not incidentally, it’s a good place to highlight a writer’s work. With approximately 20 million members and the new link to Amazon.com, it’s a very good place to get books noticed.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think giving writing advice is an iffy proposition. Certainly there are more out there more qualified than I to do that. However, I will say that a writer needs to keep in mind that this is a tough business…. a fun business, but a tough one. Writers have to be thick-skinned and resilient. Don’t let anyone tell you that there are limitations to your dreams of being a writer. Every voice is unique. Don’t let anybody stifle that. So, if you’re looking for advice, take it not from me but from a blue-eyed crooner named Frank Sinatra: IT TAKES HIGH HOPES TO MOVE THAT RUBBER TREE PLANT!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice for any writer is to “just keep on keeping on.” But, I think Calvin Coolidge said it best: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Of course, there’s always my personal favorite: “If you are going through hell, keep going.” ―Winston Churchill.

What are you reading now?
I have two books going right now: ‘The Barker’s Dozen – Reminiscences of an Early Police Dog’ from English author, Robert Warr. It’s a book told from the perspective of a dog named Snuffles who is a Springer spaniel belonging to a Scotland Yard inspector. The Victorian feel and the illustrations of the novel are quite similar to the original Sherlock Holmes’ novels and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

The other book deals with another love of mine, healthy cuisine. It’s called ‘True Food’ by Andrew Weil, et al. It includes many healthy recipes that are, wonder of wonders, tasty as well. As a vegetarian, I’m always trying to add to my healthy food repertoire.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, certainly writing the next 25 books in the Finn Sherlock series will keep me a little busy! There are also possibilities of adding to the stories associated with Justin Thyme from my mystery cozy, ‘A Thyme to Harvest’ as well as Gabriella Raymos and ‘The Eyes of the Jaguar’ by reader request. Also, a fellow mystery writer and I are tossing around an idea for a new series that we could possible work on together. So, I guess there are any number of things that the future may hold. Time will tell.

What is your favorite book of all time?
That’s a tough one, let me think… The first book that absolutely knocked my socks off when I was a teenager was ‘The Good Earth’ by Pearl S. Buck. The story of Wang Lung was so real, so compelling that I forgot that I was reading a book and was totally drawn into the story. Even at that young age, I knew that this book was something special. Of course, it did win that funny little thing called a Pulitzer Prize.

And not to be redundant, I think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did a stand-up job of enthralling me as well. Then Agatha Christie came along and only added fuel to the fire!

Maybe this is a good place to say that books were some of my best friends as I grew up on that Indiana farmstead–always there and definitely portable. My feeling was and will always be, if a book is going to be a regular companion, it had better be one worth my time. I’m not Pearl S. Buck, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie, but to the best of my ability I try to instill that craftsmanship into each of my books, always remembering that there’s an invisible somebody out there reading my work of fiction who really wants to be entertained.

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