Judith White
If you
could have dinner, coffee, or drinks with a fictional character, who would you
choose and where would you go?
Truly, I
would sit down with Miss Jane Marple, the famed spinster amateur detective of
Agatha Christie. As older people are, she’s so wise in matters of life. I love
listening to the aged as they relate their lives. We’d either sit in her
English garden, or sit inside of her cottage. I’m something of an Anglophile,
too.
Do you
usually begin a book with a character or a plot?
With the
two books I’ve written, and the third I am now writing, I’ve started out by
knowing there is a murder, who is murdered, by whom and why. Also, I know the
method. I then sort of build the story backward. I’m not sure if there is a
proven method to all of this. I suppose you just have to go with what works
best for you.
Do you
have any hobbies or special interests you’d care to share?
I suppose
this sounds a bit mundane, but I love to read! I also love history, and
therefore, find viewing documentaries fascinating. My mind is more active than
my body…I love word and trivia games. Sometimes I wish I could say I love to
ski or hike in the woods or am a great gardener. To me, it just seems it would
sound more interesting to others if I could claim to be more physical.
What was
the inspiration for your book?
I
honestly don’t know how I came up with the plots for my first two novels. Now
the third I am working on was inspired by a little excursion my husband and I
and his siblings took some years back. A local park service sponsored a short
trip across the Detroit River to the Canadian shore and back one summer, and we
took the tour. It centered on the bootlegging days and how Detroit was run by
the Purple Gang…much like Chicago was run by Al Capone. The stories told on
that short boat trip were fascinating. Here I was, a student of history, and I
had never even heard of The Purple Gang! I decided to incorporate them into a
mystery, making them a dark part of my detective’s life in his early years.
How
difficult is if for you to come up with a title for your books?
So far,
it hasn’t presented too much of a problem. I have an idea floating around in my
head for a fourth book. Everything isn’t real clear, but I know what the case
will be about and I keep wracking my brain over a title. Nothing seems to fit.
I’m not too worried, though. I have time to create the perfect title.
Do you
have any advice for aspiring writers?
Yes, and
that would be for them to stop telling themselves that getting published only
happens to ‘other’ people. I guess I told myself that for years and years, and
therefore, never was serious about writing. It was something I only dreamt of,
but didn’t act on. It can happen to anyone. Just get the story down and then
send it out and keep sending it out.
Did you
have any interesting experiences when you were researching your book, or
getting it published?
Actually,
I did. Just last night my husband and I and two friends went to a bar in
downtown Detroit called ‘Tommy’s Detroit Bar and Grill’. There is a tunnel in
the basement of the establishment that was used to move bootlegged liquor to
the church next door when the Purple Gang feared a raid. I met the owner and he
took us on a tour of the lower level, showing us the tunnel. He has stories of
unexplained occurrences in the basement. There’s a constructed brick enclosure
in an odd place and one wonders what (or who) is contained behind the brick.
The Preservation Detroit Society is actually doing historical excavations in
the bar’s basement. It was truly intriguing and I got an invitation to do a
book signing when my current book comes out. What fun we had!
Do you
prefer print books or eBooks?
I believe
I will always be a physical book gal. I do own a kindle, but it’s just not the
same for me. I like to actually hold it, turn the pages and look at the cover.
What's in
the works for you?
As I’ve
said, my third mystery novel is currently being written, although this one
seems to be going a bit slow. But aside from that, I’ve just had my first story,
A Method to Madness: The Case Files of Sam Flanagan recorded for an audio book.
My second will follow. That one is titled Sins of the Father: The Case Files of
Sam Flanagan. And I find that rather exciting!
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