January 12th, 2021 → 5:13 pm @ rldonovan
@bookologylive
elia: WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Editing, when I don’t have a clear picture of whether or not the editor is on board with my plans for the plot. For example, my books are mostly about comedy and secondarily about murder mysteries. One of my editors got very angry because he said instead of having my characters brought to the police station for questioning and released, I missed an opportunity of having them brought to trail and put in jail – thus missing the entire point of everything I was trying to do. I asked my publisher to remove that editor from my book – and they did.
Romelia: DOES YOUR FAMILY SUPPORT YOUR CAREER AS A WRITER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Absolutely, although most of them don’t really know the best way to support an author (as most people don’t, I.e. tell them you love it – but also write a review, buy copies as gifts, etc.), but the encouragement and praise are priceless.
Romelia: IF YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY AS A CHILD OR TEENAGER TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER AS AN ADULT, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I would have started writing novels much earlier. I didn’t start until I was in my 50’s.
Romelia: HOW LONG ON AVERAGE DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?
Robin Leemann Donovan: That’s a tough one. The first one took three months – which was a shock to me – it all just came tumbling out. I wrote the second one in between editing and proofing and promoting the first book. So there were a whole lot of interruptions along the way. The same is true of the third book – I was working on editing, proofing the second and marketing both the first and second. So after the first, it was about a year to a year and a half due to stopping and starting.
Romelia: DO YOU BELIEVE IN WRITER’S BLOCK?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Not really. I think if you’re blocked maybe you’re not writing what you should be. I tried writing a fictionalized version of a very painful event in my life – I was more blocked than unblocked. When the lawyers decided it was risky to publish something so incendiary I went on to write comedic murder mysteries – and I have never looked back. the writing is more fun that I could ever have imagined, it’s actually hard for me to stop myself once I get started. And I only start when I’m in the mood – which is almost always.
Romelia: AT WHAT POINT DO YOU THINK SOMEONE SHOULD CALL THEMSELVES A WRITER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: After you have written the entire piece, edited, proofed and published it (either independently or through a variety of publishing options) and have started to market it.
Romelia: WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU SEE BETWEEN A WRITER AND AN AUTHOR?
Robin Leemann Donovan: For many years I was a writer. I blogged my way through the internet on a variety of topics. Technically, I authored those pieces, but I didn’t view myself as an author until I had a novel that was selling.
Romelia: HOW DO YOU PROCESS AND DEAL WITH NEGATIVE BOOK REVIEWS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: After years of getting reviews both good and bad, it becomes easy to spot the majority of bad interviews which are clearly from people who: Hate your genre or are just plain trolls. There are a few who just don’t appreciate your particular style – and that’s fair – although I personally don’t write reviews when the style I’m reading doesn’t appeal to me.
We are told to ignore bad reviews, so I do. It does annoy me that they lower my rating on amazon – but everyone gets them. I actually had one reviewer say mine was the worst book they’d ever read – I laughed out loud at that one – clearly they haven’t read much. Another troll declared they couldn’t stomach reading past page 60 – and then they complained about a scene on page 200 – there’s definitely a shady trend here.
Romelia: WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR WRITING PROCESS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Not being able to write whenever I feel like it. When the mood strikes me I just like to sit down and start writing, sometimes for eight hours with very short breaks. But I also don’t force myself when I’m not in the mood – I did that once and found that I wrote very little and none of it was good.
Romelia: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING OR WHEN DID YOU START?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I have been writing since I could first pick up a pencil, but I didn’t start writing cozy mysteries until I was in my early 50’s. And while it’s a whole lot of work, I just wish I could have started at least a decade earlier – because it has been so very rewarding.
Romelia: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A WRITER WORKING ON THEIR FIRST BOOK?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Before you even start writing, manage your expectations. Even Malcom Gladwell said in his blog “we don’t make money on our books, we hope they help us gain recognition so we can get paid speaking gigs.” And even that only happens to a small percentage of authors. That said, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Romelia: WHAT, TO YOU, ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING?
Robin Leemann Donovan: A basic knowledge of good grammar so that when you break the rules it’s deliberate. I think you also have to be a proven talented storyteller, so that you can capture the imagination of your reader.
Romelia: WHAT COMES FIRST FOR YOU – THE PLOT OR THE CHARACTERS – AND WHY?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I create them simultaneously. As I start down a road for the plot, I determine whether or not any of my existing characters will work in the scenario – and if none do, I create a new character or occasionally change that segment of the plot for one that fits my existing characters.
Romelia: HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR PLOT AND CHARACTERS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I’ll give you an example. In my first book, I had my basic cast of characters. One thing that I felt would be critical was for my protagonist, Donna Leigh, to be humble, to be able to laugh at herself and to be human enough to have clearly visible flaws. That’s when I invented her alter ego, Clovis Cordoba Seville. Clovis is an extreme narcissist who never fails to find massive fault with Donna. And even though there might be more than a hint of truth in some of her assaults on Donna, Clovis’ level of drama makes everything she says and does laughable – at least I hope it does. And it helps to elicit the characteristics I want from Donna Leigh.
Romelia: WHEN DID YOU FIRST CALL YOURSELF A WRITER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: At a very early age my parents labeled me “the writer” and my sister “the artist.” I have always been “the Writer”. – even if only through letters to friends and family – I always got great reviews on them – I could always make them laugh – and that has never changed. 15 years ago my business partner urged me to create a blog on menopause. Menologues was a trailblazer in giving women practical information on menopause that was not dry as dust. After publishing Menologues for several months, it was republished on Vibrant Nation and on all top. It also won some awards. That made the “writer” moniker feel more real. And that’s why my series features a menopausal protagonist.
At one point, A reacquainted friend from high school wrote and told me she shared menologues with a friend who was starting on menopause and feeling terrified. she swore my blog saved her life. That alone made all of my hard work completely worthwhile and so rewarding.
Romelia: HOW DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN AUTHOR?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I use Facebook to connect with other authors and to find invaluable interview opportunities. Once these are public, I post them on Facebook(my home page, my author page and my series page, linked in, and my website (rldonovan.com). the connections through Facebook are more prolific than the sales.
Romelia: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE PART OF PUBLISHING?
Robin Leemann Donovan: My favorite part is when you first hold that final proofing copy in your hand. My least favorite part is waiting to find out if your newly assigned editor “gets you” and “gets your work.” When that doesn’t happen it’s a nightmare. I once had an editor tell me that I couldn’t reference the soft drink as coke, I had to call it coca cola.
Another one told me I couldn’t use “shit” when my character spills coffee on her blouse on her way into a meeting, “people really say, damn,” he corrected. Not in my world they don’t! My dialogue is extremely precise to the specific characters, messing with that messes with my whole brand. Hmmm, does that make me a diva?
Romelia: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO AN AUTHOR WHO WANTED TO DESIGN THEIR OWN COVER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: In my experience very few people are gifted as authors and graphic artists alike. It’s not impossible, but its so rare. And by that I mean, if you design an awesome cover for your novel, maybe it’s not as good a read as you think. All of my covers were designed by designers in my ad agency. When they would ask my opinion, I always reminded them that they were the designers – I always used their recommendations for the best possible design impact. Do what you do best – don’t try to be best at everything, it’s just not realistic.
Romelia: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN AND WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE?
Robin Leemann Donovan: The Donna Leigh mytery series has three books: is it still murder even if she was a bitch, I didn’t kill her but that may have been shortsighted and I don’t know why they killed him he wasn’t really that annoying. All three are my babies and all three have elements that I love the most. The first was the easiest to write, the next two were more of a challenge because I didn’t want to make them formulaic. In the first book it was all about advertising in Omaha. In the second book, my protagonist has to make a trip back to Connecticut where she used to live and the third book takes place in an advertising venue, but is really all about the wine industry. They all feature pairing food and wine at some point.
Romelia: WHAT PART OF THE BOOK DID YOU HAVE THE HARDEST TIME WRITING?
Robin Leemann Donovan: My third book was the hardest to write. I forced myself to write the first half while the second book was being edited. I was afraid if I didn’t have it at least half finished I would never get around to writing a third book. That first half sat for almost 2 years. When I finally got back to it I hated it. Too lazy to scrap all that work I spent some time trying to come up with a way to make it work with minor editing.
After a few weeks, I came up with an ending I loved and a mechanism to make the first half work with that ending. Once those changes were made, I absolutely fell in love with my third book. I would not have thought that possible. I’ve never written the ending before finishing the whole book before – if I planned it, it would not have worked out as well.
Romelia: WHAT PART OF THE BOOK WAS THE MOST FUN TO WRITE?
Robin Leemann Donovan: All of the funny parts – and I hope there are a lot. I laughed my way through all three books – and when I reread them now, I still laugh out loud!
Romelia: WHICH OF THE CHARACTERS DO YOU RELATE TO THE MOST AND WHY?
Robin Leemann Donovan: My protagonist, Donna Leigh. She is roughly based on my life. Like me, she is a menopausal owner of an ad agency in Omaha, Ne. They say write about what you know and there’s nothing I know about more than myself.
Romelia: IF YOU’RE PLANNING A SEQUEL. CAN YOU SHARE A TINY BIT ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR IT?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I have been thinking about a 4th book in the series. I already have a working title and I plan to have one of the staff members in donna leigh’s ad agency get murdered – which would keep it close to home and spawn even more drama. I would love to write a 4th book because the writing of this series is so much fun for me – but I do realize that I owe it to my other three books to spend some serious time in marketing them.
Romelia: TELL US SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT YOUR ADULT LIFE.
Robin Leemann Donovan: My husband and I went to a colleague’s wedding. I was wearing my favorite LBD (little black dress) but still wasn’t feeling as fabulous as I’d hoped. We left the party on the early side and I was grumbling the whole time. To make matters worse, I had broken a fingernail. When we got home, my husband went to his office om the first level and I went up to the master suite on the third level. I started to get undressed and then I grabbed a brand new bottle of nail glue to fix my break. Opening the glue was a huge pain and when I finally wrenched it open it had very little glue – great another problem. I did my best with the fingernail and then moved on to other ablutions. After a few minutes I moved to go back into the bedroom – and found I was glued tight to the bathroom floor. Apparently, the glue bottle had broken, dumping the whole bottle onto my bathroom tiles and my foot. Using my little gray cells I started to search for something sharp – to help me peel my foot off the tile – there was nothing within reach. I then tried to pull my foot free – and realized immediately that I would lose the whole bottom of the foot. Not wanting to end up on you tube, I hesitated to call my husband – but after 20 minutes I didn’t care anymore. I yelled for about 20 minutes to no avail. Finally, he decided to come upstairs to change his clothing. To his credit, he took one look at me and ran to the garage to grab the goo gone, freeing my foot before collapsing into hysterical laughter. I’d like to say that this was an unusual event in my life – but I’d be lying.
Romelia: DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN A FEW SENTENCES. TELL US SOMETHING WE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU AND SOMETHING YOU HATE ABOUT THE WORLD.
Robin Leemann Donovan: I started as an English teacher in Watertown, Ct, then I switched to advertising and worked in Connecticut agencies for 17 years. When I applied for a job in the Omaha, Nebraska office of a global ad agency it was a great fit except for one thing, they wanted me for my DRTV planning and buying experience. I kept telling them I didn’t have any – I had direct mail and TV buying but not DR TV buying experience. They hired me anyway (hearing what they wanted to hear I guess) – I scrambled to learn what I didn’t know and ended up owning that ad agency for 20 years.
I love animals. And I’m thrilled that my ad agency has and still does stellar work for the Henry Doorly Zoo – on of the top 5 zoos in the world and a huge contributor to worldwide conservation.
I hate that there is suffering in the world.https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_RIldnS1Jtphnkr&asin=B017T8X3EU&tag=kpembed-20IS IT STILL MURDER EVEN IS SHE WAS A BITCH?, ROBIN LEEMANN DONOVAN
Sunt un om asa cum vor altii sa fiu, am o viata asa cum vor altii sa o am si zâmbesc doar pentru ca asa trebuie nu pentru ca asa simt eu.Vezi toate posturile scrise de Romelia LunguReclameblob:https://www.rldonovan.com/134c016d-6d32-48da-849e-b686536ca055RAPORTEAZĂ ACEASTĂ RECLAMĂ
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May 22nd, 2019 → 6:37 pm @ rldonovan
Don’t say it, do it. If you don’t like it when you’re done, put it away and take it out again when you’re ready to rewrite it until you do like it
-Robin Donovan
Today’s Author in the Spotlight is Robin Donovan. Author of the Donna Leigh Mystery Series, stories about an owner of an ad agency. Check out her interview below!
TW: What is your writing process?
RD: I break each novel into four parts. I do not allow myself to write anything directly connected to the ending until I begin writing the fourth segment. I keep a notebook of people and occurrences in each chapter to ensure that I don’t leave any gaping holes or red herrings in the plot. I allow myself some flexibility, e.g. I got halfway through my third book and put it aside to edit my second book. When I went back to it I realized it wasn’t good. As I was contemplating what to do, the perfect ending occurred to me, so I went ahead and wrote it. Once finished, I went back and edited the first half to make it fit and it all came together beautifully. I believe having the ending, in that case, made all the difference.
TW: How difficult was it to write your story?
RD: My first novel virtually wrote itself. It was as though someone said “go” and I did. Writing a series makes writing the rest of the books a bit more difficult. There have to be enough similarities in characters and occurrences to create a common thread without making the books seem formulaic, and in the case of comedy, without using the same comedic mechanisms over and over. Although Evanovich manages to make a car either blow up or catch fire in every Stephanie Plum novel – and she makes it work.
TW: What are your hopes for this project?
RD: My hope is that I will start seeing more regular sales so that I can focus less on promotion and write another in this series and possibly even start a different series. I spend an enormous amount of time promoting my three existing books and the fourth one is sitting in my head waiting to hit the pages. Just last week I received a wonderful compliment from a TV writer and author in LA. Up until that note, I was just enjoying the writing and the speaking engagements, not to mention the written interviews, blog posts, occasional TV and radio interviews… I was surprised at how much the validation from a bona fide celebrity writer would mean to me. I guess I was hoping for that without even realizing it.
TW: Do have plans of writing more books?
RD: My fourth book is starting to hatch without much prompting from me. I’m not really sure that I have a choice in this whole thing. I want to be careful to end this series before it does start to feel formulaic. If I feel that this series has reached its natural end I have no idea what my next series would be. Maybe when that time comes I will know.
TW: What is your favorite genre of books and do you plan on venturing in those areas?
RD: Any kind of mystery is fascinating to me. Scott Turow is one of my favorites. He creates a true mystery that holds together until the end and writes it beautifully. I’m less inclined to enjoy a mystery that involves gore and/or torment. For now, I’ll stick to cozy mysteries laced with humor. The comedic element seems to come naturally from me, although I take my cozies very seriously. I make sure they are edited extensively and that the focus is as much on the mystery as the humor. I try to avoid the clichés of “light” mysteries, i.e. someone constantly yelling at the amateur sleuth for sticking her nose into police business, having a protagonist who is willing to meet any stranger alone in an alley at midnight, etc.
TW: What do you want readers to know about you?
RD: I spent years wanting to write a book and making excuses for not getting started. I worked as an English teacher and then in advertising and never had time. A series of occurrences made me realize it was ‘now or never’ so I got started. I had no idea how much absolute fun I would have doing the actual writing. And the speaking engagements..are like catnip.
TW: Do you have a favorite author or book?
RD: Aside from Scott Turow, I have always loved Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier and I can’t get enough of Jane Austin’s humor. Charles Dickens is another favorite. But I tend to pattern my writing style after a combination of James Thurber and Cornelia Otis Skinner.
TW: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
RD: The fact that I have to put my whole heart and soul into it – and my work is not for everyone – so that comes with some rejection. In the beginning, a bad review was devastating. One reviewer actually commented that mine was the worst book he/she had ever read. That’s when it starts to become comical – but there is still that initial little arrow stab at every harsh comment. I do wonder why folks who clearly don’t like my genre still choose to read and review my book – but I guess that’s the age-old question for authors
TW: What does literary success look like to you?
RD: Apparently, getting a complimentary and encouraging note from a professional TV writer and author. While I’d like to see a lot more sales, I am grateful that my sales are considerably above average based on studies I’ve read – the average is surprisingly low. I am getting invited to speak at author and library fairs and book clubs, I wouldn’t mind more invitations of that nature. I think success is writing a book, and success is publishing a book, and success is getting opportunities to promote a book. I think success is tiered and there’s always the next level.
TW: How has this book changed your life?
RD: There are extremely high highs and some seriously low lows. One moment you feel as though you ARE a celebrity and at the next event no one shows up and you’re just sitting there among all the books you lugged in along with your posters, bookmarks, etc. all by yourself. I read a book by the author of a well-known book turned movie. She commented that at one of her book events so few people showed up that the bookstore owner made all of his employees stand on line and pretend to buy a book. She didn’t find that out for several years – and it was a blow when she did – but it made me feel as though I’m in good company.
TW: What advice do you have for an aspiring writer?
RD: Don’t say it, do it. If you don’t like it when you’re done, put it away and take it out again when you’re ready to rewrite it until you do like it. Some authors take months to write a masterpiece and some take decades – just get started and see where it takes you. And don’t expect overnight stardom – or most likely ANY stardom. Do it because you love it.
TW: Do you have any future events or updates we should know about?
RD: My focus recently has been on promotion in the form of interview and guest blog posts. I have some local author fairs and as many interviews and I can fit into my schedule – but nothing particularly noteworthy at the moment – except, of course, for this interview.
TW: How can we contact you and purchase your book?
RD: Web site:
https://www.rldonovan.com/
Books (Can all be found under Donna Leigh Mysteries on Amazon):
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=donna+leigh+murders
Is It Still Murder Even If She Was A Bitch?
I Didn’t Kill Her But That May Have Been Short Sighted.
I Don’t Know Why They Killed Him He Wasn’t Really That Annoying.
Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmgkpYPi5q8
Best to message me on Facebook:
Author’s pages on Facebook:
Author’s Page:
https://www.facebook.com/rldonovanauthorpage/
Donna Leigh Mystery Series page:
https://www.facebook.com/Donna-Leigh-Mysteries-279477928760374/
April 3rd, 2019 → 6:55 pm @ rldonovan
How old are you and where are you from?
My first book came out in 2010 and the menopausal protagonist, Donna Leigh, was patterned after me. I was in the early days of menopause back then.
I was born in Jersey City, NJ, so in many ways the dye was cast. At a young age I moved to Connecticut and experienced a very different culture – it was a remarkably broadening experience. Today, I live in Omaha, NE and the merging of these three very different cultures is what enables me to build multi-dimensional characters and when I do create characters that are two-dimensional, it’s deliberate. I’ve recently added a ski home in Utah – more grist for the mill.
Tell us more about your book!
My Donna Leigh Mystery series (with three books) features the menopausal owner of an Omaha ad agency, Donna Leigh. In each book, someone from Donna Leigh’s world has been murdered – and in each case her connection to the victim propels her into the investigation. Donna Leigh has enabled me to address all of the pet peeves I have collected in years of reading cozy mysteries. I work hard to eliminate red herrings as well as other painfully stereotypical cozy mystery devices, i.e. when a disguised voice phones to invite Donna to a remote area, late at night and alone in order to obtain a lead – she let’s loose a torrant of anger as she explains that she was not born yesterday and she will never fall for that ploy. Donna Leigh is a smart and attractive woman who is not perfect. She’s not twenty-something, skinny, flawless and brilliant – she has her flaws – but they don’t keep her from being awesome, and funny.
You’re sharing an elevator with a big name publisher. Pitch your book using 20 words or less!
Do you want to give readers an Evanovich-like laugh and a legitimate mystery to solve? Let’s talk.
What does your writing space look like?
In the winter, I like to be sitting at a huge window, looking out at a majestic mountain with a glass of white wine in my hand and my laptop on my lap. In the summer, I typically start out on the couch in my family room and switch to the table on my deck as the day warms. I add the white wine at 5 pm.
If your book was turned into a movie, who would play your main characters?
I think Bette Midler would crush the role of Donna Leigh. And once you have Bette, nothing else really matters. Nevertheless, I think my first murder victim, Claire Dockens would ideally be played by Julia Child – unfortunately, she’s not available – but she would have been perfect! Paris Hilton would make an awesome Clovis Cordoba Seville, that built in narcissism would be an ideal enhancement to her performance. Pam Ferris and Felicity Kendal from the British TV murder series Rosemary and Thyme would make an excellent Peg and Babs.
You’re stranded on an island, and only one character from any book can save you. Who are you picking?
I would want to be stranded with Clovis Cordoba Seville. Despite her incredibly annoying personality, there is nothing like extreme narcissim to get your demands met, and without an adoring audience, Clovis would not stick around on any island.
Besides being a writer, what else do you enjoy?
Well, reading, naturally. I also love my bulldogs (English and French), dancing, skiing and wine dinners with friends. I do enjoy working at my ad agency, Bozell, but that’s work.
I would want to be stranded with Clovis Cordoba Seville. Despite her incredibly annoying
Follow Robin on social media!
Facebook Author page: RL Donovan
Series page: Donna Leigh Mysteries
Check out her mystery series, available no on amazon!
February 25th, 2019 → 6:53 pm @ rldonovan
My Donna Leigh Mystery series revolves around a menopausal ad agency owner in Omaha, Nebraska. Although each book encompasses the murder of someone known to the protagonist, the books are actually comedies. With three books in the series, the challenges have been in finding credible enough yet over-the-top comedic events, without an over-abundance of similarity, and in keeping the plot fresh enough overall that the books don’t start to feel formulaic.
Evanovich’s protagonist, Stephanie Plum, pretty much always sets a car on fire, it’s her signature comedic move. Perhaps I should have set a precedent like that, because creating new and outrageous scenarios is increasingly a challenge.
Each book requires approximately six comedic events to keep things moving at a fast pace. I realized this would be a daunting task as early as my second book, and the third book was that much more intimidating.
Along those same lines, it is a genuine challenge to keep my plots from becoming formulaic. The same characters want to say and do the same things. It is imperative to find ways to pull them out of their comfort zone without pulling them out of character.
Folks have suggested that I move on from Donna Leigh and start a whole new series, but my gut is telling me to stick with her for at least another book or two. And if I’ve learned one thing in this whole experience, it’s to trust my gut.
February 4th, 2019 → 9:34 pm @ rldonovan
My goals in my first book: Is It Still Murder Even If She Was A Bitch? grew in number as the writing progressed. I wanted to show that menopausal women can be cool and that female amateur sleuths don’t have to be 20-something, stunningly gorgeous and brilliant (but end up doing really stupid things like meeting the murderer with no weapon and no back up in a dark alley). Female sleuths don’t have to be either 20-something or Miss Marple with nothing in between. My sleuth, Donna Leigh, is menopausal, attractive but not perfect and smart but not flawless.
I wanted to clearly avoid my most common pet peeves,
Bookdisplay
the ones repeated throughout cozy mysteries that I read, e.g. men are always telling female sleuths “I am angry, you need to stay out of this investigation.” This rant is generally repeated ad nauseum throughout the plot. The female sleuth typically ignores this command, yet often frets that she’s making the macho guy mad with every move she makes. I’m sick to death of this and I’m guessing others are as well.
I wanted to show that the most appealing woman doesn’t have to be the thinnest – that women can be spectacular, desirable and stylish at any weight.
I also wanted to show that comedy doesn’t have to detract from the mystery in a murder mystery. If the author is careful not to leave a trail of red herrings and is diligent in answering every question in an interesting and compelling way, a comedy can be every bit as suspenseful a drama.
Have I met these goals? Feedback from readers tells me I have – maybe not every goal with every reader – but enough to know it’s all in there.
www.bozell.com
January 15th, 2019 → 10:52 pm @ rldonovan
I would have to say that I had five writing style influences, and try as I might, I cannot eliminate any of them.
Donna Leigh Mysteries
In my early years it was Cornelia Otis Skinner, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Their droll approach at humor never failed to amuse and entertain me. As dark as some of their topics were, their depictions of characters and how they behaved would often have me laughing out loud.
Bookdisplay
By the time I reached high school, I had added James Thurber to the mix. The Night the Bed Fell on Grandpa felt as though it had happened in my life, and in fact, that type of event was not uncommon as I grew up. I frequently wrote letters and then emails to family and acquaintances using these four icons to help guide my style.
Sharing ideas
Humor was what kept our family together, and humor is in my veins. I guess writing humorous novels was inevitable.
As I prepared to write my first novel, Janet Evanovich joined the ranks of influences. The grace and ease with which she is able to move from serious issues to hilarious occurrences is something I wanted to emulate. I actually studied the components of her work to form a pattern for my own. Enough humor, but not so much that it destroys the balance of the plot.
www.bozell.com
January 7th, 2019 → 3:56 pm @ rldonovan
I would like to write my fourth book in the Donna Leigh Mystery series. Instead I will focus on writing every guest blog post, guest column, author interview and any other means of getting exposure for the first three books in the series. If offers aren’t forthcoming, I will reach out in writing and offer my services.
Luckily, I enjoy interviews and blogging as well as the writing of the actual novels, but let’s face it, the novels are more fun. Right now I am honoring my pragmatic side and trying to build some steady sales for the series before putting my concentration into creation.
In order to ensure that I doggedly pursue this goal, I keep reminding myself that it doesn’t really matter when that fourth book is released if the readers will be few and far between. In the meantime, I’m capturing notes on the details of book four as they occur to me. Starting that writing process will be my reward if I see enough progress in sales. if I’m being honest – there will never be enough sales, but a noticeable uptick would be enough to get me writing again!
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December 17th, 2018 → 4:16 pm @ rldonovan
I killed a woman in each of my first two books. They were intimate and personal murders and the details revealed themselves easily.
No women were killed in my third book, only men. I won’t mention the number (you know, spoiler alert), but suffice it to say that there has been nothing personal and/or intimate about how I have murdered men.
It’s not something I’d ever thought about before answering this question, but the facts are undeniable. I kill women more elegantly than I kill men.
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I’ve read about how men tend to murder in a more gruesome and personal way and women prefer a cleaner, poison-based crime. In examining my work, I would have to say that I’ve murdered women in a more gruesome, close up manner (none of which have not been graphically depicted because they are cozy mysteries) and the men in a more distant method with less explicit details that are abruptly glossed over.
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Why that is remains unclear to me, although as I unpeel the onion the women have been murdered for bad behavior in personal relationships, that caught up with them. My men, on the other hand, have been murdered for acts far more public than personal. This leads me to believe that I am may not be comfortable addressing men’s private feelings and related actions, so I build a layer of separation between their feelings and the motives for their murders.
Perhaps, it’s merely because my third book is my first experience with murdering a friend. Could it be as simple as that? Murdering a friend was definitely more difficult than murdering those hateful, shrewish women. It was a genuine challenge to find the right balance between expressions of grief and sadness without completely killing the humor.
When I review the question about the difficulties of writing for the opposite sex I have more questions than answers. Who would have guessed that with all my focus on writing mysteries, I am the real mystery?
December 10th, 2018 → 10:33 pm @ rldonovan
I usually write all day Saturday and Sunday when I’m working on a novel. I have a portable writing desk and I make myself comfortable on our sectional sofa surrounded by my ipad for thesaurus needs, coffee or diet soda and my three bulldogs and their various antics.
My favorite part of the day is when I can wind down a writing session with a glass of white wine. In the summer I take it out onto the deck and breath in all the beauties of the outdoors. In the winter, I get the fire going and watch nature through large windows and skylights. It’s almost as though my diligence during the day has earned me the right to relax and enjoy nature – and wine.
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Much of my first novel was written on a ski trip to Utah. After a day of skiing, I would sit in front of a fourteen-foot high window in our rental house, drinking white wine, gazing at the mountains and waiting for deer to pass by. It was amazing how much work I was able to get done in an hour or two each afternoon.
Conversely, when editing, I sit rigidly at the desk in my home office and plow through chapter after chapter. Even those areas that require a fair amount of writing do not get me to budge from my dedicated station. And I don’t look out the windows located behind me,
While writing or editing, I constantly save my work. I save two copies to a flash drive and two copies to my desktop. Whenever I get up to go to the bathroom, take a phone call, grab a bite or get out of the way of a determined bulldog – I save my file four times, sometimes eight when I want to double check. Hmmm, I guess I’m quirkier than I thought.
December 5th, 2018 → 8:54 pm @ rldonovan
My Donna Leigh Mystery series revolves around a menopausal ad agency owner in Omaha, Nebraska. Although each book encompasses the murder of someone known to the protagonist, the books are actually comedies. With three books in the series, the challenges have been in finding credible enough yet over-the-top comedic events, without an over-abundance of similarity, and in keeping the plot fresh enough overall that the books don’t start to feel formulaic.
Evanovich’s protagonist, Stephanie Plum, pretty much always sets a car on fire, it’s her signature comedic move. Perhaps I should have set a precedent like that, because creating new and outrageous scenarios is increasingly a challenge.
Each book requires approximately six comedic events to keep things moving at a fast pace. I realized this would be a daunting task as early as my second book, and the third book was that much more intimidating.
Along those same lines, it is a genuine challenge to keep my plots from becoming formulaic. The same characters want to say and do the same things. It is imperative to find ways to pull them out of their comfort zone without pulling them out of character.
Folks have suggested that I move on from Donna Leigh and start a whole new series, but my gut is telling me to stick with her for at least another book or two. And if I’ve learned one thing in this whole experience, it’s to trust my gut.
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