We are delighted to welcome novelist Maris Soule to Omnimystery News today.
Maris writes both series mysteries and stand-alone novels of suspense. Her latest two books feature one of each, the stand-alone A Killer Past (Robert Hale; June 2015 hardcover) and the third in her "Crow" series, Eat Crow and Die (Five Star; May 2015 hardcover and ebook formats).
We recently had the chance to catch up with Maris to talk more about her work.
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Omnimystery News: Tell us how you made the transition from romance author to mystery author.
Photo provided courtesy of
Maris Soule
Maris Soule: My first straight mystery — I'd written some mystery or suspense into several of my romances — was The Crows. I didn't intend to write a series, but after The Crows was published in 2007, I had several people ask when the next book featuring P.J. Benson and Wade Kingsley would be out. So I started working on a story, and in 2011, As the Crow Flies was published. I guess I wasn't ready to leave P.J. and Wade because I ended that book with P.J. wondering if she might be pregnant while Wade was out on Lake Michigan on his boat with his son, ex-wife and her new husband on board. That ending trigger a constant barrage of questions from my readers: Was she pregnant? Would Wade marry her? Would his ex-wife take his son to California? In July, those questions will be answered in Eat Crow and Die. Meanwhile, I've written two other suspense novels. One is A Killer Past, which was released in the US and Canada in June — it was published earlier this year in the UK — and Echoes of Terror, which I'm hoping will be picked up by Five Star. I "think" both will be stand alones.
OMN: Into which genre would you place your books?
MS: With the "Crow" books, I'd classify them as mysteries featuring an amateur detective. In some ways they have the features of a cozy (rural setting, dog included, main character is a CPA) but there's too much sex and violence in those books to be cozies. A Killer Past is a suspense.
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in your books?
MS: In the two books I have coming out in June and July, I've used a lot of my own personal experiences. In A Killer Past, a 74-year-old woman uses martial arts techniques she learned in her teens and twenties, and she discovers her body doesn't recover quite as quickly as it did in past. I took Judo for several years in my late teens and there are some moves I still know, but I am in my seventies now, and I've discovered my joints aren't as flexible, I bruise easily, and I don't recover as quickly. And every so often I read about an elderly woman being attacked, usually in a parking lot, and rather than becoming a victim, she fights back, driving off the attacker.
In Eat Crow and Die, a 32-foot cruiser explodes on Lake Michigan. The boat in the story is based on one we owned for many years, and on a cruiser that blew up not far from where we docked our boat. There were several news reports about the people on board that boat at the time of the explosion. Thank goodness none died, but two were thrown into the water when the boat exploded, just as two were thrown in the water in Eat Crow and Die.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
MS: Generally my stories begin with an idea, such as "What would Lara Croft be like in her 70s?" From that point, I think about the character. Who is she, what happens to her? I begin jotting down ideas. After a while I make a rough outline: What happens, when, and why? I mentally get to know my main characters and will sometimes "interview" them. I know the beginning of the story and basically how it's going to end, but everything is fluid. Sometimes I don't know who the villain is until the end.
OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points of your stories? Have you come across any particularly challenging or exciting topics?
MS: I have attended two Writers' Police Academies where I've seen and listened to experts in law enforcement and related fields. I've been to a shooting range, visited several police departments and talked to officers and deputies. I may use the Internet for some information, but I prefer to talk to or listen to local experts. In doing so, I usually learn more than the facts. I get their feelings and impressions of situations. I also belong to a yahoo group where I can ask questions and receive answers from former FBI agents, former law enforcement officers, private detectives and many other experts.
The most challenging topic for me, so far, has been figuring out how algorithms work and why they might be valuable. I still don't really understand, but I'm pretty sure what I have in Eat Crow and Die is correct.
I can't really say which topic I've researched would be the most exciting. Over the years I've researched the Iditarod sled dog race, barrel racing, search and rescue dogs, special effects experts, ninjas, Latino gangs, explosives, and … Well, the list could go on and on. I love writing because I love learning.
OMN: What advice might you offer to aspiring authors?
MS: I don't have one bit of advice to pass on to aspiring authors but several suggestions. (1) Write what you love to read, not what is popular at the moment; (2) Read what you want to write, especially recently published books; (3) Learn the craft, especially grammar and spelling; and (4) Don't give up. Talent is only about 5%. Persistence is what makes the difference between published and unpublished.
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Maris Soule has been writing for 35 years. She started her career writing romances, however at the turn of the century she began writing mysteries and suspense novels. Originally from California, where she graduated from U.C. Davis and received her secondary teaching credential, Soule and her husband moved to Michigan in the early ‘70s. (They now scoot down to Florida during the winter months.) Over the years they raised two children that they’re very proud of and a slew of animals, including Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs like the one in her “Crow” series. Although Soule taught art and math for 8 years, reading and writing have always been her passion.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at MarisSoule.com and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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A Killer Past by Maris Soule
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Robert Hale
When two gang members choose Mary Harrington as their target, the quiet widow has a secret to share of her own …
Most people in the town of Rivershore, Michigan view Mary Harrington as a quiet widow whose only oddity is that she spends a lot of time at the gym. Her son thinks it's time for her to move into a retirement home. Two gang members think she'll be an easy target.
No one in Rivershore knows what Mary did in her younger years — really did — but the two gang members discover they've underestimated their victim … and Mary fears reverting to old habits may have jeopardized her future.
— A Killer Past by Maris Soule
Eat Crow and Die by Maris Soule
A P. J. Benson Mystery
Publisher: Five Star
P.J. Benson knows Sheriff's Detective Wade Kingsley wouldn't blow up his own boat to kill his ex-wife and her new husband, Michael Brewster. Sure, Wade wasn't happy that his ex was taking their six-year-old son, Jason, to live in California, but Wade and Jason were also onboard the boat when it blew up. Wade would never have endangered his son that way. Nevertheless, the investigating detectives consider Wade their prime suspect, and Wade's ex in-laws loudly accuse him and threaten to file for custody of Jason.
Under the circumstances, P.J. is certain this isn't the right time to tell Wade she's pregnant, but bouts of morning sickness give her away. Wade is upset by the news. P.J. wonders if it's because he's afraid he'll be put in prison for a double homicide he didn't commit, or if he's afraid the new baby will cause P.J. to become schizophrenic, as was the case with her mother. Even P.J. is worried about that.
Although Wade doesn't want her playing detective, P.J. soon discovers that Michael Brewster wasn't as great a guy as everyone thought. But did anyone hate the man enough to kill him?
— Eat Crow and Die by Maris Soule
