I have never physically met Elaine Viets. Hopefully one day I shall. When she recorded a few of her Francesca Vierling novels to audio for Americana Publishing, I had the lucky chance to strike up a friendship with her, and through electronic mediums (Internet and phone) we have kept in touch. Before I forget, she also had an essay piece in the Americana Publishing's 9/11 tribute, Spirit of the American Voice which I co-produced . And I owe that to Ann Edenfield, who is a dear lady who worked tirelessly at Americana for many years and is now with Wing Ministries.

I have watched Elaine's career ever since I heard her first audio. She and I email often - as friends do. I should say here, I thank her for all her support. She was one of the first people I thought of when planning this audio showcase column. Her web site which I think all of you should visit is www.Elaineviets.com.

Bennet Pomerantz: If you remember, what was the first thing you ever wrote?

Elaine Viets: Sure. It was poem I wrote in third grade for the school paper. I remember it because it was so awful: "Oh, flag in the sky, waving so high, guarding the land of the free . . ."

BP: And what was the first thing you ever had published?

EV: That blasted flag poem -- which I wish I could forget.

BP: What author or authors do you admire?

EV: This is a terrific time to be a reader. There are so many good mysteries, it's hard to keep track of them all. Plus, there's a full range of writing, from hard-boiled to traditional. I like Michael Connelly, Charlaine Harris, Jerrilyn Farmer, Lawrence Block, Barbara Parker, PJ Parrish -- I could keep on going and fill up this page.

BP: How did you get started as a writer?

EV: My teachers recognized early on that I was unfit for steady employment, and encouraged me to be a writer.

Seriously, I am extremely grateful to my high school teacher, Sister Grace Edmund, for encouraging me to be a newspaper reporter. In the time and place where I lived, women were expected to be teachers, nurses or housewives, and she pushed me into unknown territory.

BP: You started as a columnist, how long did you write your newspaper columns?

EV: For more than 25 years, the last few years as a syndicated columnist for United Media in New York.

BP: Where do you get inspiration for your novels?

EV: I'm still a reporter, except now my novels report on society. My Dead-End Job novels are about life in Florida. My Francesca novels were about newspapers in the 1990s. And the Mystery Shopper series is about life in modern St. Louis.

BP: I heard you were a mystery addict, so how much of an addict are you?

EV: I can read a book in a day and a half, which means I haunt the stores and libraries for new authors and new series. I carry books with me everywhere. When I was going in for surgery a few years ago, I had my book with me right until they put me under. I have books in the bathroom, and by my bed. When my husband and I moved, our biggest expense was 2,000 pounds of books.

BP: You currently have three mystery series...The Francesca Vierling series, the Dead End Job series (the latest Just Murdered) and Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper (coming in October, Dying In Style). How did you come to create each one?

EV: The Francesca series was my first, and my character was a six-foot-tall newspaper reporter. Since that's what I was, it wasn't much of a creative stretch, but I had fun writing about the newspaper business.

The Dead-End Job series was a post-stock market crash series. A lot of my friends had lost their money, had their jobs downsized and their pensions destroyed by bad investments. Suddenly, they were working two or three minimum wage jobs to make ends meet. The minimum wage world is a harsh one. Workers have few rights and little power, except the power to quit.

The Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series had very tough research. I was forced to wander the malls. Sometimes, sales people from Escada or Ferragamo would hijack me and take my wallet.

BP: Since you wrote the Vierling series in St. Louis and the Dead End series in Florida, why the different coasts?

EV: I moved from the banks of the Mississippi in St. Louis to South Florida. Florida is a terrific place to write mysteries -- wonderfully wacky characters, dramatic weather, outrageous politics. Also, readers have an expectation of murder and chaos in this state. They expect the Midwest to have morals, which handicaps a writer.

However, I decided to rise to the challenge. My new mystery shopper series is set once again in my hometown of St. Louis. That place calls for a very different character. Helen is essentially rootless and on the run. Josie Marcus is a single mother, connected to her family and her community.

BP: Since you wrote your last Vierling book in 2000, is there another book in the offing involving her?

EV: Francesca is taking a break, enjoying the good life, living with Lyle and tormenting her boss, Charlie.

BP: Since you have three different characters in three different series, has the thought of combining one or more of the characters in one book, like Ed McBain (AKA Evan Hunter) had did in a Matthew Hope novel, The Last Best Hope?

EV: It has. I liked the way McBain did it, but it makes me a little queasy to have Helen (from the Dead End series) and Francesca meet. My characters live in parallel universes, and think it jars their worlds apart when they intersect.

BP: How do you do your research your books?

EV: For my Dead-End Job series, I work the same jobs as my character, Helen Hawthorne. I've sold bustiers to bimbos for Shop Til You Drop, worked for a year in a bookstore for Murder Between the Covers, worked as a telemarketer and telephone survey taker for Dying to Call You and did time at a high-end bridal store for Just Murdered. One reviewer calls my books "the extreme sports of the mystery world."

For my Mystery Shopper series, I came by that naturally. My mother was a mystery shopper, so you could say I grew up in the business.

BP: What is your writing schedule like?

EV: I'm a creative insomniac, and I like it that way. I rarely sleep through the night. I'll get up about 3 in the morning and write until 6 AM, then have breakfast and watch the sunrise. After that, I'll sleep until 9 or so, then go to work until three or four in the afternoon. This actually gives me two writing periods in one day.

BP: Any advice you want to give upcoming writers?

EV: Here's what I wished I'd known when I started: Writing is more than an art. It's also a business. Know the business. Go to the conventions, join the professional organizations such as Mystery Writers of America, meet the booksellers. Learn about things like sell-through rates and returns. The more you know about the business of writing, the more your art can be appreciated by readers.

BP: Any plans of future novels you are working that you can talk about?

EV: Yes. I'm very excited by this news: My Dead-End Job series is going hardcover. The first hardcover series will be Murder Unleashed, out in May 2006, from Signet. It takes place at a dog boutique -- the kind of place where people spend $200 on doggie bonbons for pet birthday parties. Helen is going to the dogs -- and I think you'll like it.

BP: Best of luck with it!

Thank you Elaine Viets

Until next time reach for the stars!

****
This article is the sole property of the author. It is produced here with the author's permission.  The unauthorized use or reprinting of an article is illegal, and will be prosecuted at the discretion of the author.

Fiction Fix Home Page

Current Issue

Masthead/
Contact us.

About the Writer:

Bennet Pomerantz is a media review columnist in 175 newspapers with his weekly column AUDIOWORLD. His fiction and reviews have appeared in the pages of Affaire De Coeur, Gateways, Mystery Scene, Power Star, The Hot Corner, Washington Entertainment Magazine, and many others. He is also known for his review appearances on the MCN Forum. View his web site at Audioworld.