One cup of coffee playing Spider Solitaire to warm up. Long sigh, then get at it. The first draft is agony. I love rewriting and making the story better.
I hear you’re quite inventive when marketing your books. Can you tell us about your latest marketing event?
Sell, pawn, mortgage all your possessions and hire a publicist. Few writers are good self-promoters. I comment on interesting blogs, praise and review other writers, search for opportunities to guest blog, publish short stories, support Sisters-in-Crime, arrange house readings, and spend a limited time on Facebook and Twitter. I wish I had a clone.
What are the three main ingredients of a good mystery?
An absorbing plot that keeps you turning pages, engaging characters, and a twist on the usual rules of crime fiction.
What is the most difficult part of writing crime fiction?
The reason why it’s so hard to get a cop to read a mystery is clichéd plots and characters. Authors really need to work to make a story realistic and founded in fact. Cops consider CSI a comedy show.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being an author?
Holding a book that you’re proud of in your hand. Then it’s like childbirth. You forget all the agony that went into making that book and you foolishly start another.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Write in whatever genre people are willing to read while you get the craft of writing polished to a high lustre.
What’s on the horizon for Mar Preston?
A New Adventure. I’m moving home to Canada after a 30-year vacation in California.
Connect with Mar Preston
On her website, Facebook or Twitter
RIP-OFF is available on Kindle and in print.
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