(as seen on Sleuthsayers)
I should have known there would be a price.
Back in 2012, when Steve
Steinbock reviewed The Goddaughter
in Ellery Queen’s Jury Box, I was ecstatic.
<So was my publisher. Ellery
Queen ROCKS!>
Steve called my book hilarious. I
called Steve my hero. Little did I know, two years and three books later, that
he would be tagging me on Sleuthsayers.
Oh Steve, thy devilish one.
Many of you remember Steve from
the days of ‘Criminal Brief, the blog.’
<There are a hundred ways in which I want to play with the word
‘brief’ right now, but I will refrain.>
Steve and I met years ago at a Bloody Words Mystery conference in
Toronto. As teens, we had a mutual pash <lovely Brit expression there>
for Dark Shadows, the original series. I like and respect Steve. I also fear him slightly <EQ and all>
so hastily accept the tag.
What Am I Working
On?
The Goddaughter Caper. Or A Coffin for the Goddaughter. Or A
Body for the Goddaughter. Or The Goddaughter’s Coffin Caper.
Somebody help here! Book 4 of the Goddaughter series is nearing
completion, and I need a title. I
started with the 3rd in the list above. I’m leaning toward the first. Of course, Orca Books may throw all those out
and come up with their own, but I’d still like to hear from readers in the
comments below.
Gina Gallo and her inept mob
family are back in biz. The second book
in the series, The Goddaughter’s Revenge,
won both the 2014 Derringer and Arthur Ellis awards for best crime novella.
<author is over the moon> The
third in the series, The Artful
Goddaughter, came out last week.
For those new to the series: Gina
is a mob goddaughter in the industrial city of Hamilton (The Hammer.) Try as
she might, she can’t seem to leave the family business.
How Does My Work
Differ From Others In The Same Genre?
Library Journal said it well: “Campbell’s comic caper is just right for
Janet Evanovich fans. Wacky family
connections and snappy dialog make it impossible not to laugh.”
When people ask what I write, I say
‘comedies.’ Then I give the genres
(crime capers and time travel fantasy.)
My books are comedies first and foremost. I look for plots that will lend themselves to
laughs.
.
Why Do I Write What I Do?
A Greek Mask
Some people are born beautiful. But most of us aren’t, and we look for ways
to survive the slings and arrows of life.
Sometimes we choose to hide behind a mask. That Greek Comedy mask was the one I picked
way back.
Comedy
is Tragedy Barely Averted
My younger brother is autistic. Our home life was stressful and at times,
sorrowful. When I was a teen, as a means
of self-preservation, I looked for the ‘funny.’
More often than not, I made fun of myself. This was easy to do. I knew the target well and there was a wealth
of material. And it didn’t hurt anyone
else, so people liked it.
When I left school and had a ‘real’ job, I started
writing stand-up on the side. I rarely
delivered it – usually I wrote for others. That led to a regular newspaper
humour column, and more.
So when it came to writing novels, I fell back into
‘safe mode.’ Write it funny.
How Does My Writing Process Work?
I teach
Crafting a Novel at Sheridan College in Toronto, so I’m pretty immersed in
craft. Not surprisingly, I’m a plotter. I
don’t start writing until I know the ending.
But I’m a forgiving plotter. I
don’t plan out every scene.
Sometimes
a plot idea will trickle around in my mind for a year. When the ending clicks in, I sit down to do a
basic three-act plot diagram. I teach
this method, and I use my own books as examples.
So…once I
have my inciting moment, first, second and third crisis, and finale firmly in
my head, I sit down to write. I start
with the opening/inciting moment. Then I
usually skip to the ending, and write the climax and finale. Then I go back to the beginning and write
forward.
For me,
it’s important to know that I like the characters and plot enough to stay with
that story for the months to come.
That’s why I write the beginning before I spend much time doing
outlines. I need to know that I can live
in that world, and enjoy it.
And
that’s what I suggest students do. If
you are going to be a writer, you have to love the actual act of writing: by
this I mean, hands on keyboard, butt in chair, all by yourself, pounding out
stories that the characters in your head are demanding you tell.
Of
course, coffee and a wee dram o’ whiskey help.
Melodie
Campbell drinks coffee and single malt somewhere south of Toronto. The
Artful Goddaughter is now available in stores and online.
