A Conversation with Mystery Author Jacqueline Seewald

with Jacqueline Seewald

We are delighted to welcome mystery author Jacqueline Seewald to Omnimystery News today.

Jacqueline's fourth mystery to feature librarian Kim Reynolds is The Bad Wife (Perfect Crime Books; March 2014 trade paperback and ebook formats), and we recently had the chance to talk with her about her books.

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Omnimystery News: The Bad Wife is the fourth in a series of mysteries. Tell us about some of your other books.

Photo provided courtesy of
Jacqueline Seewald

Jacqueline Seewald: I write both series and stand-alone mystery fiction. I wrote a YA mystery entitled Where Is Robert?, now out of print. That was my first stand-alone, co-authored with my two sons who were teenagers at the time. The first novel in my mystery series for adults, The Inferno Collection, was published in hardcover by Five Star/Gale in 2007. Sara Paretsky endorsed the novel and wrote a blurb for the cover. The book was well-received by reviewers and librarians which encouraged me to continue the series. I had worked as an academic librarian and I got the idea for The Inferno Collection during my MLS studies at Rutgers. My main character is Kim Reynolds, an academic librarian, with psychic abilities which she would prefer to ignore. In the second novel of the series, I introduced Bert St. Croix, an African-American police detective who comes to partner with Lt. Mike Gardner, Kim's romantic interest in the series. I would say all three characters are of equal importance in The Drowning Pool. That novel originally was published in 2009. The third novel in the series, The
Truth Sleuth, followed in 2011. In each novel, the characters and their personal lives are further developed. However each novel is a complete murder mystery. Therefore, each book stands on its own and can be read independently. Still, I would suggest reading them in order.

Harlequin Worldwide Mystery brought out all three of these novels in paperback editions within the last two years. So they are available. I hope to arrange for another publisher to bring out e-book editions as well. The newest book in this series, The Bad Wife, was published this month by Perfect Crime Books. I think it's the best Kim Reynolds mystery novel yet.

I'll also mention that in 2012, Five Star/Gale brought out a stand-alone mystery I wrote entitled Death Legacy. It's a romantic suspense spy thriller. Harlequin Worldwide Mystery was quick to publish the novel in paperback.

My most recent stand-alone is my last Five Star/Gale novel, The Third Eye: A Pine Barrens Mystery. I've been asked if I would turn this unique book into a series. However, my co-author, my son Andrew, is a very busy criminal defense attorney in New Brunswick, NJ, and quite literally has no time to spare. So I doubt there will be another book. But the good news is that Five Star did an e-book version of the novel.

OMN: How would you categorize your novels?

JS: Definitely cross-genre. The Bad Wife, for example, features a librarian amateur sleuth who has psychic abilities but is most reluctant to use them. Her friend, Detective Bert St. Croix, uses her abilities as a police officer to try to solve the murders that occur. Kim and Bert must quickly work together to literally save the life of Mike Gardner. At this point, the novel most resembles a suspense thriller. There is humor in this novel at various times and even a bit of romance. I would say the novel is suited to both male and female readers.

OMN: You mentioned you were a librarian as is Kim Reynolds. Probably not a coincidence!

JS: Kim's experiences as an academic librarian are based on my real experiences, although of course fictionalized. Small town politics are also loosely based on reality. I always combine fiction and reality in my writing. I believe it makes for a more vivid and meaningful book.

OMN: Tell us about your writing process.

JS: My characters live in my head for quite a while before I begin to outline a plot. I don't overly detail the plot because I know that once I start writing the book will come alive and demand its own direction. I believe writers need to be flexible as they work. I do so much editing that I don't worry about perfection in a first draft.

OMN: Where might we find you when you're writing?

JS: I know some writers claim they like to have music in the background as they write, that it helps them be more creative. In my case, I want to focus totally on what I'm writing, closing out the world, hearing only the words I write in my head. I sit at my desk facing a wall, not a window. I work each morning for at least four hours and return to write again in the evening.

OMN: As a librarian by training, researching plot points for your books must be a lot of fun.

JS: I enjoy doing research. I've written several historical novels that demanded extensive research such as The Chevalier and Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards. I loved doing it. I used more books than internet searches. In the case of The Bad Wife, I needed expert legal information which my son Andrew provided for me. I acknowledge that in the front of the book.

OMN: How true are you to the settings in your books?

JS: I've lived in New Jersey my entire life and know my own state very well and so it was quite natural that I would choose it for the setting of my contemporary mystery novels. I've used some fictional place names but kept everything else very much true.

OMN: What are some of your outside interests or hobbies?

JS: I love to read all kinds of fiction. I've always been a voracious reader. I also love many kinds of music from classical to rock and country. My favorite is blue grass. I used to play the guitar and sing, though haven't done much of that lately. I also paint landscapes. I love art and can get lost in museums.

OMN: What is the best advice, or harshest criticism, you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiring writers?

JS: I've had plenty of harsh criticism over the years. I try to discern when it's warranted and if so what I should change in my work if anything. Much of writing is subjective after all. I do pay attention to what editors have to say. I value constructive criticism and am not offended by it.

My advice to aspiring authors? First, don't quite your day job. I know it's a cliché, but it's a true statement of fact. Very few writers can make a living at writing. You write because you're a creative person who simply must write.

Write what you want to write, what you love to write. Worry about selling and earning money from what you write afterwards. Don't write for a market because markets change. Also, if you really want to be a writer, you must write — consistently. You must be self-disciplined. You must have pit bull determination. You must finish what you start. You must also be willing to rewrite and edit your work. It's all part of being successful as a writer.

OMN: Complete this sentence for us: "I am a mystery author and thus I am also …".

JS: I am a mystery author and thus I am also an observer of human nature. My older son once said to my younger son: "Watch what you say in front of Mom. She could put it into one of her books." He knows me well!

OMN: Do you use a pen name?

JS: I don't use a pen name. I know many writers that do. It's good for branding. I just feel more comfortable using my own name. However, I write short stories as well and at one time when I wrote stories from a male perspective I would use initials and write as: J. P. Seewald. At some point, I decided to dispense with that. So you might find adult fiction written by "Jacqueline Seewald" as well as Young Adult or children's books. I write in quite a few genres.

OMN: Tell us about The Bad Wife's title and cover.

JS: I always agonize over titles and The Bad Wife was the third title I came to choose. It fit the novel best. I didn't have input into the cover design but I think it fits the book perfectly.

OMN: What kinds of feedback have you received from your readers?

JS: Like every author, I love knowing that readers enjoy my work. It means a great deal to me.

OMN: When you have time to sit down with a book, what do you find yourself reading?

JS: I read bestsellers and literary fiction, but I most prefer mystery fiction and historical romance novels.

OMN: What's next for you?

JS: I just finished a new mystery novel. It has elements of both a cozy and a thriller. I hope to start offering it soon. The working title is The Inheritance, but that could change.

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Jacqueline Seewald has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. She is the author of fifteen books of fiction, including mysteries. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies.

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The Bad Wife
Jacqueline Seewald
A Kim Reynolds Mystery

Kim Reynolds, a reluctant sleuth with mild psychic powers, hopes for a normal life with her policeman lover Mike Gardner.

But when Gardner's supposedly "ex" wife returns, Kim's life is turned upside down. And when the "ex" ends up dead, it looks like Mike decided to end the marriage for good.