Merow, my guest today is author Kelly Oliver!
- Welcome Kelly! Tell us a little
about your background
·
I grew up in the Northwest, Montana, Idaho,
and Washington states. My maternal
grandfather was a forest ranger committed to saving the trees, and my paternal
grandfather was a logger hell bent on cutting them down. On both sides, my ancestors were some of the
first settlers in Northern Idaho. I went
from eating a steady diet of wild game shot by my dad to becoming a vegetarian
while studying philosophy and pondering animal minds when getting my PhD in
philosophy at Northwestern University.
Competing with peers who’d come from private schools and posh families
“back East,” my working class backwoods grit served me well. And much to my parent’s surprise, I’ve
managed to feed and cloth herself as a professional philosopher.
·
·
When I’m not writing Jessica James
mystery novels, I’m Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt
University, and the author of thirteen nonfiction books, ten anthologies, and
over 100 articles, including work on campus rape, reproductive technologies,
women and the media. I’ve been published in The New York Times,
interviewed on ABC television news, the Canadian Broadcasting Network, and
various radio programs
·
- Tell us a bit about your Jessica
James series. What was the inspiration?
- The inspiration for my first
novel WOLF was my own experience in graduate school. I plead the fifth on
what parts of WOLF are true. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you! But, my
protagonist, Jessica James, is a lot bolder than I ever was. With
more wit than grace, the philosophy graduate student and former barrel
racing champion, stumbles into murder mysteries, human trafficking, rape
drugs, art scams, and corporate corruption
- Tell us about your latest
release
My latest novel is COYOTE. After her first
disastrous year in graduate school, Jessica James returns home from the big
city to the backwaters of Montana for a summer job at an historic railroad
lodge in spectacular Glacier Park. After
her cousin dies in a gruesome accident at the lumber mill, Jessica is pulled
into a fight against the corruption and greed ignited by the oil frenzy on the
Montana plains. Her roommate, Kimi RedFox is determined to stop powerful Knight
Industries, headed by Cheneyesque billionaire Richard Knight, from drilling oil
on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation.
“Kimi” means “secret” in Blackfoot, and the reticent Kimi keeps hers
until it’s almost too late. Kimi’s not
about to accept help from Jessica or anyone else, but she’s resolved to find
her missing sisters, even if it kills her. Corrupt Richard Knight has assigned
his younger brother David to oversee fracking operations in on the Blackfeet
reservation. Trying to overcome his
reputation as a spoiled slacker, David wants to impress his brother and earn
Jessica’s respect. But is the handsome
young businessman his brother’s henchman or his dupe? And, will Jessica and Kimi quit sparring long
enough to team up and expose sex trafficking, prostitution rings, and murder
schemes involving some of the biggest FRACKERS in the country? Or, will they become the murder’s next
victims?
- How do you “get to know” your
characters before and while you’re writing the books?
- That’s a great question. I have
a sense of them when I start, but they develop as I write and eventually
take on lives of their own. At that point, I have a pretty clear sense of
what they would and wouldn’t do.
And just in case I don’t, I have a great copy editor who
occasionally warns me that Jessica would never do that!
- How do you construct your
plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?
- I start with a couple of main
plot points, and then think of what characters I need to tell the
story. I guess I’m more of a pantser. My “outlines” are sometimes just a
couple of lines.
- Which do you consider more
important, plot or character?
- I think they have to go
together. My novels are character
driven page-turners. But in order to get the action and plot moving, you
need the right characters. And in
order to get readers to invest in the action and plot you definitely need
well developed characters!
- What is the biggest challenge
you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?
For
years, I’ve written nonfiction and learned how to navigate that publishing
world. Writing and publishing fiction is
a lot different. Writing fiction is so satisfying and enjoyable (except for the
back pain from sitting so long at the computer!). But publishing fiction is very
tricky and difficult. It’s hard not to obsess about the marketing and publicity
and your amazon rankings and just get back to the writing, which is what I
love.
- What are you working on now and
what are your future writing plans?
I’ve
just started the third Jessica James mystery. It takes Jessica back to
Northwestern and Chicago where she gets involved with some pretty creepy stuff
going on at the Medical school!
- What is a typical workday for
you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?
- I like to start writing in the
morning after breakfast. If I start first thing, I usually get a lot more
done than if I put it off. If I do
anything else first, it is hard to get back to writing. I try to write
just about every day. But I also have my “day job” as a professor and that
keeps me busy, too. Luckily, I
write pretty fast, and I’m a workaholic. My best days are when I have time
to write all day (unless, of course, I’m x-country skiing!).
What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?
Just write, and keep writing until the end. And get a really good
editor!
- What’s the craziest thing
you’ve ever done?
- Hmmmm…I’ll have to plead the
fifth on that one…but read WOLF for some clues!
- What’s one thing your readers
would be surprised to find out about you?
I
hadn’t written a word of fiction until I started WOLF. I wrote the first draft in 7 weeks and then
revised it over the next year.
- Where can we learn more about
you and your books?
- Kellyoliverbooks.com
Just for Fun:
Night or Day?
DAY
Dog or Cat? (answer carefully) CAT,
obviously!
Beach or Pool?
POOL
Steak or salad?
DON’T DARE ANSWER.
Favorite Drink?
Huckleberry Milkshake.
Favorite Book?
Too many….but my mother-in-law, Rosario Ferré wrote some whoppers; her House on the Lagoon is great. And I
loved Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. I
like a lot of Ian McEwan, especially The
Beach. For mysteries, I’m a big Elizabeth Peter’s fan. I especially love to
listen to her books on audiobooks when read by Barbara Rosenblatt.
Favorite TV Series?
Star Trek….okay, I know, I admit it.
I’m a total Trekkie!
Favorite Movie?
Depends on when you ask. Kurosawa’s Kagamusha
is pretty great. I love most of Hitchcock, especially Marnie, and Rear Window.
And film noir, of course. Fritz Lang’s The
Secret Behind the Door is pretty great.
Favorite Actor: Gregory Peck, Johnny Depp, Theo
James.
Favorite Actress: Grace Kelly, Scarlett Johanson,
Jennifer Lawrence.
Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? How about Jack and
Coke?
Hawaii or Alaska? Alaska for sure. I can’t take the
heat.
Thanks Kelly. You can find her at:
Website: http://www.Kellyoliverbooks.com
Twitter: #ProfKellyOliver
Look for Kelly's giveaways on GOODREADS.
Follow her there for more info.
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