Rebecca's Interview with Barbara Seranella

Author of
Unwanted Company
and
No Offense Intended

Hi Rebecca,
I just clicked on to check the sales rank of my second book and saw that I had a new review. At first I was upset to see that someone had given it a one-star, then I read your review and found it all positive. Was this a mistake that it was only shown as one star? And if so, can it be fixed? Thank you.
Barbara

Rebecca :
My dear Barbara,

I am SO sorry about that 1 star rating - not at all what I intended. I have emailed amazon.com to have it changed to a 5 star which is what I have on my review. Would you be willing to engage in an Interview?

I visited your website - bravos to your Webmaster! Your scrap book is great!
 
You wrote: "...some extra galleys of Unwanted Company..." yes! I'd love to read a galley of your third book & we can get the cover art from amazon.com.
 
Barbara :
Thanks for fixing the star rating on Amazon.com. I've been writing catalog copy for my next book, Unfinished Business. I just heard that the mass media editions of both books will both be published next May. Thanks for liking my book, I'd be happy to do an interview.
 
Rebecca :
One of the facets of your books & Unwanted Company in particular is that I learn about some of what goes on under the hood of a car, I like that. When did you realize that you had stories inside your head that wanted to be written?
Barbara :
I wrote stories when I was little, as soon as I could write.
 
Rebecca :
How difficult was it to translate your professional skills as a car mechanic into your new chosen profession of word mechanic aka author?
 
Barbara :
I realized I was entering a whole new profession. I quit wrenching in '93 to write full time. I realized as soon as I sat down to write that I didn't know what I was doing or how to begin. I went to the library and checked out books about writing. I took classes, subscribed to magazines, and went to writing conferences. I wrote several books before I created Munch Mancini. What I did wrong in the beginning was to write about things I learned about only from books. My first novel was set in World War II. Then I wrote another two books. A revamp of the WWII book and a story about a lady mechanic, but I still hadn't gone thru enough layers of my own experiences to get to what I could write about so well.
 
Rebecca :
How did Munch Mancini & Mace St. John develope in your life as a writer? Are they composites or did they develope fully-realized & knock on the backs of your eyelids.
 
Barbara :
They took on their own life. I would write a scene, trying to keep in mind that something interesting needed to be happening. As they said and did interesting things, their personalities developed. Each character draws qualities from people I've known or thought I've known.
 
Rebecca :
When you're writing a book, do you find you are “living” with all the people you create? Do you have any sleepless nights?
 
Barbara :
Definitely. Part of my consciousness is living in an alternate world. The book that will be published next May by Scribner deals with rape. I lost a few nights' sleep with that one which is always a sign that I'm writing close to the bone. The other sign is that I don't want my mother to read it.
 
Rebecca :
What kind of books do you like to read?
 
Barbara :
I love books about Egypt, especially ancient Egypt. My tastes vary. I like humorous books like Lawrence Shames, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiasson write. I also like Elizabeth George and Elizabeth Peters. Michael Connelly and T. Jefferson Parker also write thoughtful, police procedurals.
 
Rebecca :
Was Unwanted Company computer written & do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?
 
Barbara :
I do a lot of my writing free hand in a weekly writing group, then I transfer the stuff I like to the computer. I constantly rewrite and revamp, but the first draft of a scene is usually created in longhand. I don't like any distractions when I write. This includes music and TV. I do like to listen to vintage rock when I'm cogitating. Dylan was an inspiration in the last book. Especially the line: "She never stumbles, she's got no place to fall."
 
Rebecca :
What time of day/night to you write & why?
 
Barbara :
I'm best in the morning. My mind is the sharpest and freshest. I leave my computer on all the time and when I think of something to add or change I sit down and do it no matter what time it is.
 
 
Rebecca :
Unwanted Company is set just before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, when the Cold War still had a chilly sting, when spies & recruits teetered on the edge of corruption & Munch has successfully stayed clean & sober & enthralled with mothering Asia. I enjoy immensely Munch's philosophies about life, love & liberty, will she ever get the chance at romance?
 
Barbara :
The new book deals with exactly that. She has a boyfriend who wants to cohabitate and she's feeling an inappropriate attraction to Mace St. John which she figures is some corruption of the Stockholm Syndrome: "Spend enough time with a guy with a gun who doesn't kill you and you start to wonder if he's the one." As I say, this book also involves a search for a rapist and Munch has to deal with some unresolved issues around her own past sexual experiences before she can move on.
 
Rebecca :
One aspect to mystery books is the life & times of the hero/ine as each book is written. One of my favorite authors, J. A. Jance, wrote a fine body of books around her Seattle Detective Beaumont. Will you always stay with Munch Mancini or are there other characters yelping for attention?
 
Barbara :
I'm working on a non-Munch book right now. It's very refreshing to start new with new characters. I'm not abandoning Munch. For both our sakes I'm taking a break.
 
Rebecca :
When Ellen turned up I was about as nervous as Munch - do you know what's going to happen or does the action develop by itself?
 
Barbara :
I just kept asking myself: "What's the worst thing that can happen next?" And with Ellen, anything was possible.
 
Rebecca :
Knowing when to leave the reader hanging by her finger tips is a distinct skill which you have shown in each of your books, No Human Involved & No Offense Intended & now in Unwanted Company. How did you know you could write a gripper?
 
Barbara :
It's a learned skill. Writing is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. Corny, I know, but true.
 
Rebecca :
What are your next projects?
 
Barbara :
I have a novel I wrote two years ago that is set in the desert. Palm Springs Life magazine might serialize it. I have a new Munch book called Unfinished Business set for publication in May, 2001. I also have another Munch/Ellen book written.

 
Rebecca :
Could you describe your weekly writing group? Do you all set a specific topic to write about? Do each of you bring in something to read & get feedback? How does it work & how does a person find a writing group? Also is it a mixed gender group?
 
Did you ever read Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones? I know, that's another question!
 
Barbara :
I look forward to reading your review. Yes, Amazon has the cover. It's a great cover, too.

We got the idea for our weekly group from Writing Down the Bones. We meet at a local community center one morning a week. It's important to meet at a neutral location where no one will be distracted by phone, pets, spouses, doorbells or kids. We fill out little slips of paper with one and two-word prompts. The prompts can be anything: old shoe; freedom; busy day; etc. Then we put the prompts in a basket and take a few minutes of silent meditation.

I then pull the first prompt from the basket, read it aloud, and assign a number of minutes. I usually start with 7 to warm us up. We all then write. No thoughts of grammar, spelling, punctuation. You can use the prompt or not. You don't lift your pen, you don't cross out, you give yourself the freedom to write the worse shit in America. The only rule is to not hold back and be specific with details.
 
So don't just write "the tree" write "the twenty-year-old towering oak" or whatever. When the allotted time is up, we put down our pens and read aloud what we've written. The other writers listen and then repeat back at random any lines or words they remember. There is no criticism, good or bad, we just repeat back the words that stuck. (This has the interesting side effect of making you a good listener.)
 
When all the readers have read, the person to my left picks a new prompt and we begin again. The person who reads the prompt, reads first. We do this for two hours. You must have at least 3 participants for it to work. We have settled into a core group of 4. We have one man and three women. I hope that helps. Will you post your review on Amazon?
 
Rebecca :
Yes, a shortened version & then my full one on our site. Do you have any publicity dates for the rest of this year we could post in our Authors Sightings?
 
Barbara :
I will be at UCLA on July 29th for the Mystery Writers Association writing conference. I'm also going to Bouchercon in September and will be on some panels there.
 
Rebecca :
I really REALLY liked your criteria for effective writing! Thank you, Barbara, for participating & I look forward to your next book! Do send us any more publicity appearances you develope & we'll post to our Authors Sightings.
 
Barbara :
I really enjoyed answering your questions. They were thoughtful and focused on the craft of writing. Look forward to seeing your review.
 
Rebecca :
My dear Barbara - it's been a pleasure.

Check out the site link Author Sightings to see where Barbara will be.

Do visit Barbara Seranella's website: http://www.barbaraseranella.com/

And do give No Offense Intended this week's Spotlite another look.

Rebecca
(Published July 09, 2000)