A Conversation with Mystery Author J. A. Menzies

with J. A. Menzies

We are delighted to welcome mystery author J. A. Menzies to Omnimystery News today.

J. A. Menzies is a pen name used by Canadian author N. J. Lindquist for her "Manziuk & Ryan" mystery series, the first two books of which — Shaded Light (MurderWillOut Mysteries; April 2013 ebook) and Glitter of Diamonds (MurderWillOut Mysteries; April 2013 ebook) — she has recently reissued in a new ebook format.

We recently had a chance to talk to J. A. about the series and where it's going next.

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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to Paul Manziuk and Jacqueline Ryan.

Photo provided courtesy of
J. A. Menzies (N. J. Lindquist)

J. A. Menzies: Detective-Inspector Paul Manziuk is a career cop in his early 40s, who is tired and frustrated with various aspects of both his life and his job at the moment. Jacqueline Ryan is a 28-year old who's just been promoted to homicide because of a policy calling for more women and more minorities at higher levels. Since Jacquie is black and a woman, she's well aware that she meets both criteria, and is determined to prove she would be there regardless.

While each story stands alone, there's an ongoing growth in the recurring characters and in their relationship. Jacquie gains more confidence in each book — and more respect. Manziuk's personal situation evolves over time. Of course, other family members and homicide people are part of the supporting cast for each book. I even bring back or mention a character or two from past murders. Personally, I love reading series with sub-plots that arc over the books, so that's what I'm going for.

OMN: Into what subgenre would you place your mysteries?

JAM: My original goal was to write mysteries set in present-day Toronto that were similar to those of Georgette Heyer, one of my absolute favourite writers. I wanted police people like Heyer's Hannasyde and Hemmingway, except, of course, Canadian and contemporary.

I call them contemporary mysteries in the classic "Golden Age" style or whodunits. They've been sometimes classified as cozy because most other categories don't fit. They're not suspense or true police procedurals. They have some humour. They have some romance. And the whole thing is about the intellectual puzzle. They're much closer to Ngaio Marsh, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Georgette Heyer, and that ilk than to today's typical cozy.

OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience is included in the books?

JAM: I double-majored in both psychology and English, so I'm always analysing both people and characters. Very useful to a writer, of course, because I'm sort of constantly thinking about what makes people act the way they do, and what are the roots of their behaviour, so that gives me all kinds of fodder for my characters.

For me, the characters are always first, and the story actually comes out of the characters, as opposed to finding characters to work for a plot idea. I would never knowingly put a real person into a book. I don't need to, because I can come up with character after character from my imagination.

The primary area where I think my personal experiences come into play is in the settings.

My first mystery, Shaded Light, came about because of a Japanese garden I was walking in. I actually rounded a corner and saw a serene pot and that, "That would be a great place for a body." And I love gardens. So of course I had to have a garden in the book. Actually, two of them!

And while I've never lived in a mansion, I've visited a few. And, as someone from a small prairie town of 2000 who lives in a 3-storey house in Toronto, I can kind of imagine what it would be like to go from living in a busy downtown area to suddenly being owners of a large estate on the outskirts.

My second mystery, Glitter of Diamonds, literally came about because I sat down and made a list of things I knew that might translate into books. I've loved the game all my life. I listen to sports talk radio, read the sports pages, and have read countless baseball biographies. Plus I've done enough interviews on both radio and TV to know how it's done. So I was able to write about a mythical major league baseball team and the media around it with, I'm told, a lot of authenticity.

The third mystery, which I'm about 2/3 of the way through, was sparked by my mother's living in a seniors' residence and then a nursing home, and by my visits to a number of different types of residences for seniors. Combined, they gave me an idea for a unique residence and some very intriguing characters.

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

JAM: No matter what my first idea is, for me it's all about the setting and the characters. I have a character sheet I've put together over the years, and I fill one out for every main police person, every character who might be a suspect, and the victim. I don't always know who the victim or the murderer will be until I'm well into this process. I also get a clear picture of the setting, creating a map or whatever is needed to let me see the location and any buildings that are central. Then I let the plot flow out of the characters in that setting. I don't write a synopsis or much of an outline. I might write a sentence or two about various scenes.

I've recently switched to using Scrivenor, and I love it because it helps me see my outline and makes me aware of scenes that need to be inserted.

OMN: What kinds of research do you do for your storylines?

JAM: I would say I mostly observe. I was the kid in class who never asked questions, but headed to the library to find the answers. So, of course, I've observed a lot over the years. And I've read a lot of books. I have an entire shelf with only forensic books, mostly from Writer's Digest. And I get a lot of information from newspapers and the internet, too. But I'd have to say I mostly use it to verify my own impressions or expand on my ideas. And, of course, I sometimes talk to a live person.

My most challenging topic to research thus far was how to bring a baseball player from Cuba into the country for Glitter of Diamonds. Partly, I was concerned that the whole need to bring someone from Cuba might not be there by the time my book came out. My book didn't hinge on that, but it was a foundational part of the story, and I didn't want it to be cheesy. My central baseball player, Rico Velasquez, and his wife Alita, were spirited separately out of Cuba and into Canada. Fortunately, there was actually quite a bit on the internet about Cuban players, and I think my way of doing it works.

OMN: If you were casting for the roles of Manziuk and Ryan in an adaptation of the series, what names would be on your wish list?

JAM: My first book was actually requested from the publisher by Whitney Houston's company, but I knew it wasn't a fit, and it wasn't. While my policewoman is African-American, I didn't see Whitney Houston in the part. Jacquie is more of a Hallie Berry type. Maybe someone like Fantasia.

As for Manziuk, you'd need a blue-collar guy. Not your typical leading man. Years ago, maybe Spencer Tracy. Preferably someone like John Nettles or Neil Dudgeon from Midsomer Murders. In the US, possibly Russell Crowe.

OMN: You mentioned the books are set in Toronto. How true are you to the setting?

JAM: Setting is extremely important to me. My settings and characters together ultimately determine the plots and the themes.

My mysteries are set in Toronto, but it's kind of a mythical Toronto. I try to be true to the atmosphere, but other than main streets and landmarks, I don't try to use specific locations. And of course my baseball team in Glitter of Diamonds isn't the Blue Jays, it's the Matrix. And they have their own Dome.

OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?

JAM: We had very few books in our house or town when I was small, and I read pretty well anything I could find. I've written about an uncle of my mother's from San Francisco, who brought me A Children's Garden of Poetry when I was quite young. I memorized a good deal of it. He later sent me both Grimm's and Anderson's fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland, and a number of other books. He was a lifesaver!

My grandmother gave me Peter Pan and Little Women. And then I discovered Trixie Belden, Ginny Gordon, Cherry Ames, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy boys by accident though a couple who were friends with my parents. They had daughters who were older than me, and when we visited, I found their books lying around. I also found columnists like Erma Bombeck and others in the newspapers we got. I loved them too.

As I got older, I veered toward genre writing as opposed to more literary books. Our local librarian yelled at me more than once because I was reading mysteries, westerns, romance, science fiction, fantasy, animal stories, humour, and biographies of athletes instead of Anne of Green Gables and the other books she thought I should be reading. But, hey, I was also reading Jane Austen and Shakespeare!

I think it's pretty obvious that what I read influenced me. I write mysteries, fantasy, coming of age romances, columns, and a lot of personal experience stories.

OMN: What kinds of books do you read now for pleasure?

JAM: Mystery, fantasy, books about writing, books about baseball, memoir, health. And anything that looks interesting.

OMN: Do you have any favorite series characters?

JAM: Oh dear. Off the top of my head, Trixie Belden, Lord Peter Whimsey, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Inspectors Hannasyde and Hemmingway, Adam Dalgliesh, Albert Campion, John Putnam Thatcher, Meg Langslow, Roderick Alleyn, Lew Archer, Sharon McCone, Amanda Pepper, Kat Colorado, Hitchcock Sewell, Bubbles Yablonsky, Charlotte Adams, and any of Dick Francis's characters, who are all similar. And many more.

OMN: What are some of your outside interests or hobbies? And do any of these find their way into your books?

JAM: Well, my main hobby has always been reading. It's how I relax. I also love watching mysteries on TV (e.g. Midsummer Mysteries, Longmire) and reruns of Star Trek, especially the Next Generation. Another TV show I've loved is What Not To Wear. I love music and I either listen to music of talk show radio while I'm writing. I also watch a lot of baseball, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. And I do jigsaw puzzles, which help me think by occupying the logical editor side of my brain.

Of course, little bits from my life get into my books. Shaded Light has a minor plot involving a What Not to Wear style makeover. And, as I've mentioned, my second mystery is actually set in the world of professional baseball.

OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?

JAM: Do what you love, because that's where your talent is. (I got that from, among others, Barbara Sher, author of numerous books, including Refuse to Choose.)

I have constantly been told, mostly by editors and agents, to choose one type of writing and focus on that. I understand the reasoning. But I just can't. It's not me. I am what Barbara Sher calls a scanner and I truly can write very well in a variety of genres. However, that does make promotion trickier than it ought to be.

OMN: What have you learned, or can others learn, from this advice?

JAM: To be myself and write what matters to me, and not worry about making money or being famous, but just about doing what I love.

OMN: What kind of interaction do you have with your readers?

JAM: I love talking about my characters and plotting and organizing materials. I actually do a lot of teaching in those areas, too. I'm not great at talking about me.

OMN: Create a Top 5 list on any topic.

JAM: My top 5 singers whose songs I blare out loudly while I'm writing: Ian Tyson, Johnny Reid, Jason McCoy, George Canyon, Terri Clark.

OMN: What's next for you?

JAM: I'm currently about 2/3 of the way through the first draft of the 3rd Manziuk and Ryan mystery. I'm also working on a memoir, editing a fantasy for middle readers, trying to put up some webinars for writers, and trying to blog more.

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J. A. Menzies is the alter ego of Canadian author and speaker N. J. Lindquist.

While N. J. would hate to find a body under any circumstances in real life, she has a thing about finding locations for mythical bodies, and consequently writing mysteries. When this started, it occurred to her to use a pseudonym; however, she didn't. They say, "Better late than never." N. J.'s two existing Manziuk and Ryan mysteries are now available as e-books under her new name. All future mysteries will be from J. A. Menzies.

She is a member of a number of organizations for writers, including Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and The Writers Union of Canada.

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit her website at JAMenzies.com.

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Shaded Light
J. A. Menzies
A Manziuk & Ryan Mystery

With matchmaking on her mind, Ellen Brodie looks forward to a quiet long weekend with her husband, her son, and a visitor from Alberta — Lorry Preston, the auburn-haired daughter of Ellen's favourite cousin. But the weekend is doomed: Ellen's husband invites his two legal partners and their quarrelling wives.

One of the legal partners brings his wife's wallflower sister. Ellen's son brings his devastatingly handsome best friend. A new neighbour throws herself on Ellen's mercy because of renovations. If that isn't enough, Lorry discovers a body in the Japanese garden, and the law arrives in the form of a tired Paul Manziuk and his brand new, totally unwanted partner, Detective Constable Jacqueline Ryan.

    

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Glitter of Diamonds
J. A. Menzies
A Manziuk & Ryan Mystery

After Stasey Simon, an outspoken sports talk-show host, asks on-air for a volunteer to knock some sense into the home team's temperamental new pitcher, Manziuk and Ryan hustle to catch a murderer swinging a lethal bat before the case escalates into an international incident.

As the crime threatens to escalate into an international incident, Manziuk draws on his own knowledge of baseball while his partner, Jacquie Ryan, tries to understand a game she's never watched.