1.) You are writing a mystery novel and decide to base the detective off of one of your writing friends: who do you choose?
Well, if you ask me, Rachel herself seems eminently suited to the role of the cheerful, witty amateur detective who goes eagerly barging into everything and driving the official police inspector to distraction. They’re one of the most fun types to write about, don’t you agree? Then again, Jenny would probably make a fascinating detective-character too—there’s a certain streak of unpredictability about her, and she has those flashes of insight into human nature that make you blink in surprise—a most useful characteristic for a detective.
2.) If you and the best of your writing-blog friends were living out a mystery, which of you would be most likely to end up as the victim?
Motive, Hastings (or Watson; whichever you prefer), is everything. What do I know about any of my blogging friends that would make somebody want to pitch into them with a candlestick in the billiard-room? I’m not just saying that to be nice, either.
3.) If you decided to write a mystery (or if, on the other hand, you do write mysteries) would your style fall under thriller, terror, literary, historical or cozy?
Historical to be sure. They’d probably rate the ‘cozy’ tag too, since I incline to an old-fashioned style, and there’s a tendency to label most old-fashioned mysteries as cozy these days.
4.) Who is your favorite mystery-author?
Agatha Christie.
5.) What is the best mystery you’ve ever read?
Ooo, dear. Single best mystery? I don’t know—it’s got to be a Christie, but I’m not sure which single novel of hers is my favorite. I’m going to be doing that promised run-down of my ten favorite Christies soon, so for now I’ll mention a couple favorite non-Christies: That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green, and The Bellamy Trial by Frances Noyes Hart.
6.) If you were going to be in charge of solving a mystery, where would you want it to be set and what would the circumstances be?
If ’twere possible, I’d choose the classic country estate—something with French windows, and lodge-gates, and a summer-house in the grounds, and a study, and a butler. Let the victim be rich and disagreeable, and the suspects many and varied. Am I old-fashioned? Indubitably.
7.) You walk into a library and find a body on the floor. Your first reaction:
If I were the second housemaid, I’d probably drop the tea-tray with a shriek, stumble out and faint in the butler’s arms. If I were the lady of the house, I’d probably remark to said butler, “Dear me, James, there seems to be a body in the library.”
8.) Your second reaction:
Summon the police, with the interesting thought occurring to me that we are about to have a mystery.
9.) What do you say when the policeman tells you that you are the prime suspect in the murder?
Probably something terribly brilliant like “Me?”
10.) How does your answer effect the powers that be?
That would depend on their sense of humor (or lack thereof).
11.) Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle walk into one of those Solve the Murder Dinner Theatres and sit down and start to spoil the fun by solving all the mysteries before anyone else and shouting the answers to the crowd: do you retaliate and if so, how?
That’s easy. I’d sit down at their table and begin asking them all sorts of questions about their books and their writing processes—everyone knows writers hate that, so they’d beat a quick retreat.
12.) Post a quote from a favorite mystery//mystery author:
Rachel (Cynthia) Heffington says
Aw, haha! I loved this post. ^.^ I don't know that I'd make an brilliant deductions *on purpose* but accidentally, I might happen upon something. Logic-wise I've always been like Bess in the Nancy Drew series. 😉
Hannah Scheele says
I've always been sure I wouldn't figure out anything in a mystery. haha