SUITE:What sort of things do you do for fun?
CAROLA: Gardening, dog-walking (I live not far from the Willamette River where I walk my big black dog, Willow, every morning), reading, classical music, visit family and friends, and the occasional jigsaw puzzle.
SUITE: Do you have a favorite author/authors?
CAROLA: Too many to begin to list. The two authors I reread regularly are Tolkien and Jane Austen.
SUITE: A book or author that influenced you a lot? Personally or professionally.
CAROLA: Professionally: Georgette Heyer, doyenne of the Regency romance; various British mystery authors of the early 20th century, inc. Dorothy Sayers, Patricia Wentworth, Josephine Tey, Michael Innes, R. Austin Freeman, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham.
SUITE: Favorite mystery movie?
CAROLA: The Lavender Hill Mob.
SUITE: I don’t believe I’ve heard of that one. Favorite mystery TV show? If you don't have a favorite mystery one, then some other type of TV show that is a favorite.
CAROLA: I don't have a TV, but I remember fondly Columbo and the Mystery series on PBS.
SUITE: How do you feel about writing? And how does it feel when you are writing? Excited, frustrated, is it just business?
CAROLA: All of the above. I can't think of anything I'd rather do for a living.
SUITE: What type of book promotion do you feel has worked best for you?
CAROLA: Mystery conferences and signings at mystery bookstores, that is, getting to know people in the business.
SUITE: Can you ever see yourself not writing anymore?
CAROLA: No.
SUITE: Any pets? Types and names, please.
CAROLA: Willow, an 80 lb black lab/German shepherd mix.
SUITE: I love German Shepherds. What part of you shows through in your writing? What does your writing say about you?
CAROLA: I'm a nice person!
SUITE: Where do you get your character names?
CAROLA: I'm very careful to use names appropriate to both the period and the setting of my books. Some come from reading the literature of the period. For foreign names, such as a Finn in one of my Regencies, I go to the encyclopedia articles on the history, art and literature of the relevant country.
SUITE: What about writing is important to you?
CAROLA: I enjoy both process and results, and knowing I'm giving pleasure to others is the icing on the cake.
SUITE: Advice to an unpublished writer?
CAROLA: All writers need three qualities: Talent, Luck, Persistence. You can get by with two, but remember the only one you control is Persistence.
