Interview with well known mystery author, Joan Hess

SUITE: Favorite mystery movie?

JOAN: Sleuth, I suppose. I'm not a discerning movie fan and I avoid violence.

SUITE: A favorite of mine as well Favorite mystery TV show? If you don't have a favorite mystery one, then some other type of TV show that is a favorite.

JOAN: I watch Law & Order, Crossing Jordan, CSI. I'm a major Jeopardy fan to the point of scheduling around it.

SUITE:How do you feel about writing? And how does it feel when you are writing? Excited, frustrated, is it just business?

JOAN: When it's going well, I enjoy it. I don't sit down intending to write comedy. Most of the funny lines just pop out of characters' mouths, and I find myself giggling madly. When it's not going well, in the sense I've painted myself in a corner, I sit on the sofa and stare at the wall. Not fun.

SUITE: I know most authors starting out today have to do a lot of promotion, do you find being a well established author that you still need to do a lot of promotion? And if so, what type have you found most affective?

JOAN: Fifteen years ago, I received virtually no promotional assistance from my publisher (What? You can't get me on Tonight Show?). I did a lot of dog & pony shows with other authors in the same situation, and it was a new enough phenomenon that we were usually well received. Later, I did the Glamorous Author Tour crap. Be careful what you wish for... These days I will agree to go to trade shows, large book fairs, large library gigs, but not a straightforward tour because it brings in very few new readers. Plus, the bookstores seem to be satiated with authors on tour.

SUITE: Can you ever see yourself not writing anymore?

JOAN: I've always wanted to carve a totem pole.

SUITE: Pets? Types and names, please.

JOAN: I have a foster dog, my son's Springer spaniel Ford.

SUITE: What part of you shows through in your writing? What does your writing say about you?

JOAN: Hmm, that I'm a real smart ass?

SUITE: Where do you get your character names?

JOAN: The endless stream of Buchanon names (Belzebubba is a personal favorite) pop into my head and I make a point of scribbling them down for future use. I have no idea about Arly Hanks's name. With Claire, I wanted a name that was both evocative of Jane Austen but with a little bite.

SUITE: What about

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