Interview with Clea Simon

I am thrilled to have interviewed Clea Simon!! So come on and get some coffee or tea. You are in for a huge treat today!! Clea is the author of  the Theda Krakow Series, Pru Marlowe Pet Nior series,  and a Dulcie Schwartz Series!!

Welcome Clea, I am so glad that you can be here with us today!!

Shelley: Tell us about yourself?

Clea Simon: I’m a writer. :)

I have always been a writer, since my earliest days. I loved books and made my own books. Because a journalist because that seemed like a job a writer could have and there were stories to be told. Along the way, I realized I wanted to write my own stories, like I did as a child. Other than that, I’m married with one cat, no kids, and I live in the Boston area. I love to cook and hear live music of all sorts!

Shelley: What inspired you to become a writer?

Clea Simon: I have always been a reader. At times, books were my best friends, so writing came naturally.

Shelley: How did you come up with these great books?

Clea Simon: I don’t plot in advance. I come up with a situation or a character and ask myself, “And then?” The rest follows.(And thank you for the compliment!)

Shelley: Can you tell us a little of what you are working on now?

Clea Simon: I am finishing up Dulcie Schwartz # 10. It has taken me up to about 250 pages to realize what the book is really about - the core of it, if you will - so now I am re-reading and revising, starting at the beginning so that the first part lines up with the second part.

Shelley: What research did you have to do for your books?

Clea Simon: I talk to a lot of animal experts for the Pru Marlowe pet noir mysteries - that’s always fun! And I am currently reading a lot about book conservation for this Dulcie. The techniques conservators use to bring back 200 and 300 (and older) books to life are amazing.

Shelley: When you are not writing what do you love doing?

Clea Simon: I love cooking - making big dinners for family and friends - and going out to hear music. Rock and jazz and Cajun and zydeco and opera. I love opera!

Shelley: What are three things you want your readers to know?

Clea Simon: I try very hard to make my characters consistent and believable - they may not always be smart or self-aware but I try to make them true to themselves.

I will never hurt an animal in any of my books. People yes, animals no.

I don’t plot my books in advance - this means I have to revise a lot, but I hope it also means I avoid cookie-cutter mysteries.

Shelley: If you could have a dinner party with three authors, living or dead, who would you pick and what would you serve as a meal?

Clea Simon: Maurice Sendak, JRR Tolkein, and Madeleine L'Engle because they were all great influences and they all depicted such complete - and completely different - worlds. I would serve a big bowl of chicken and mushrooms, over pasta - cooked in a good red wine - with a lot of wine to drink, to make sure the conversation flowed!

What a fantastic interview and getting to know you more has been a treat!

you can find Clea here:

http://www.amazon.com/Clea-Simon/e/B000APUNRK/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

https://www.facebook.com/clea.simon?fref=ts

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49559.Clea_Simon?from_search=true

And you can visit her fabulous website at:

http://www.cleasimon.com