Author Rosemary Harris: Kill Your Darlings

I’m delighted to welcome author Rosemary Harris back to Thoughts in Progress. SLUGFEST, the latest installment in her Dirty Business Mystery series, is now available in paperback.

Rosemary joins us to talk about having to cut away parts of one’s story in ‘Kill Your Darlings.’

We've all heard that expression a thousand times. Don't fall in love with your own words to the point where you have a hard time cutting, if cut you must. It isn't ordinarily an issue for me since I tend to write light (short) and add layers with each successive draft.

But the term took on a new meaning for me as I started writing SLUGFEST, the fourth title in my Dirty Business mystery series. Set at the Philadelphia Flower Show I had unknowingly been doing research for the previous ten years, long before I had any notion of writing a book. I'd been a volunteer there for years and had lived in Philly for a while. 

The book was supposed to have been the second title in the series but a chance meeting at Malice Domestic with legendary editor Ruth Cavin changed my mind. She was not my editor but it would have been foolish of me to ignore the free advice of one of the most esteemed editors in the business. She told me not to take my heroine on the road in the second book. I considered it for about thirty seconds and decided she was right. I pushed the book to the back burner.

After the third book I decided it was safe for Paula Holliday to leave the confines of the fictional town I'd created for her. And I was hoping to have her rub shoulders with a better class of bad guy.

I unearthed my research, started to work on my outline and very soon I hit another snag. Every mystery I'd written had victims. And killers. And jerks and the occasional dopey crook. If I set the book at the Philadelphia Flower Show, wouldn't I run the risk of offending some people I liked? What if I killed off someone who was - unbeknownst to me - beloved at the show? (I did come up with two characters who were remarkably like two of the real life participants at the show.) But I loved the story. I didn't want to shelve it. 

So I shelved the research. Gone were all the wonderful Philly details. No cheese steaks, no Theatre of Living Arts, no South Street. No chocolate factory at the Rittenhouse hotel, no chase scene around the Liberty Bell. And worst of all, no coattail marketing to coincide with the show. I killed my darlings. A lot of them. (Dare I say I weeded them out?) And in their place sprouted The Big Apple Flower Show set in hard-to-offend-anyone New York where Paula could find any number of lowlifes and perpetrators.

Rosemary, thanks for returning to Thoughts and sharing your take on killing your darlings. I’m sure all your research won’t be a waste. You’ll find a perfect story for it that will work well without offending anyone while delighting readers.

Now a bit of background on Rosemary. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and now lives in Fairfield County, CT. Her first book PUSHING UP DAISIES was nominated for both the Anthony and the Agatha for Best First Novel. Her latest book SLUGFEST (now in paperback on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/6mdovca ) is set at a legendary flower show where more than just the plants are dying.

She is past president of MWA's NY Chapter and SINC's New England Chapter. In her spare time she volunteers at Habitat for Humanity and with her husband and the help of many generous friends she has helped to build a library in central Tanzania. 

Rosemary blogs at www.jungleredwriters.com with Hallie Ephron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rhys Bowen, Jan Brogan, Lucy Burdette, Deborah Crombie and Julia Spencer Fleming. Visit her at www.rosemaryharris.com and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RosemaryHarriswriter

Here the book trailer for the first book in Rosemary’s series, PUSHING UP DAISIES, for your enjoyment.

If you’re a writer, is it hard for you to cut words from your story? What about just writing letters or in a journal, is it hard to trim down what you’ve written? Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful Monday.

Guest Blogger, Rosemary Harris

Please join me in welcoming mystery author Rosemary Harris as the special guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress.

Rosemary’s latest release in the Dirty Business Mystery Series is “Dead Head.” Here’s a brief blurb about the book: “Fugitive mom...that's the tabloid headline that rocks a small New England town when it's discovered that one of their favorite ladies is a fugitive from the law. Amateur sleuth and professional landscaper Paula Holliday is called on by the woman's family to find out who dropped the dime and why this long-kept secret is enough to kill for.”

Rosemary stopped by today to answer a few questions about her writing.

Rosemary, what inspired you to make your protagonist a landscaper instead of say a cop?

There are so many writers better qualified than I to write police procedurals! I love reading amateur sleuths so it was natural for me to create one. She happens to be a gardener because 1) yes, I love gardening and 2) she's independent, it's seasonal and gets to meet a wide range of people, from the day laborers she hires to the wealthy homeowners whose properties she looks after. That gives me a lot of story ideas.

What's next for Paula Holliday?

I'm so excited about Dead Head. It's a slight departure in that there's a little less gardening in the book and I've played around with POVs because I wanted to tell parts of the story from the fugitive's point of view. From the early feedback I've gotten I think it worked. I am just finishing book four in the series. It's called Slugfest and it takes place at a fictional flower show.

With your many adventures have you ever considered writing a book or series about an explorer?

Well Nevada Barr has the national parks covered and Alexander McCall Smith has Botswana..maybe something in Tanzania?

I understand you and your husband built a library in central Tanzania. Please tell us about that.

Thank you for asking! In 2006, we were in Tanzania for a Habitat for Humanity trip and fell in love with a village and the people we met there. Mvumi has a primary school with over 1100 students, only 18 teachers and we were shocked to learn, no library. We decided to do something about it. We had a fundraiser in 2007 and received donations from all of the major publishers - some individually and some on a corporate level. We broke ground in June of 2007 and dedicated the building in November 2007, so we've just celebrated our second anniversary. We do always need books, supplies, and of course checks.

We also like the children to receive pen pal letters from American kids. If anyone is interested they should check out the Chalula Library page on my website www.rosemaryharris.com or email me at rosemary@rosemaryharris.com
 
Anything about your series you'd like to share with the readers?

First off, I'd like to thank everyone in the mystery community who's been so supportive..booksellers, librarians and readers! I do read every email and love to hear from people. Paula's at a crossroads now and may be thinking about a career change - she's also got a few new friends who may change things for her. But that's all I'm saying!

Rosemary, thank you so much for stopping by today and answering these questions for me. The book sounds interesting and intriguing. I also applaud you and your husband for what you’re doing in Tanzania.

Now for something really neat and fun, check out the book trailer for Rosemary’s new book. In addition, Rosemary will be dropping back by later to answer any questions and respond to your comments.