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Interview with Beth Groundwater
Q. How long have you been writing?
A.
I've been writing since I learned how to write--all types of writing,
nonfiction and fiction. As for fiction, I wrote my first stories in fifth and
sixth grade about a boy named Freddie who had wild adventures such as visiting
an underground mole city after burrowing down in a giant screw-mobile. During my
high school senior year, I took an independent study in English and wrote
fiction and poetry, which was critiqued by a college professor. Then I buckled
down and focused on the technical writing I needed for my college work and
career until the late nineties when I began experimenting with fiction again.
Q.
What inspired you to begin writing?
A.
What inspired me to begin writing fiction again is that I was no longer
enchanted with being a software engineer after more than twenty years in that
field. I was ready for a career change, so I started dabbling in short stories,
then wrote my first novel-length manuscript in 1999 after I retired.
Q.
What types of books do you most like to read?
A.
I'm a very eclectic reader--all types of genres, except I don't like to be
scared, so I stay away from horror and thrillers. I'm in a Book Club that meets
monthly to discuss literary and women's fiction. My favorites to date are The
Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult, The Namesake by
Jhumpa Lahiri, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Nighttime by Mark Haddon, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Time
Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I read lots of mysteries, of course. Some
of my favorite mystery authors are Western writers who I've gotten to know at
conferences: C.J Box, Kathy Brandt, Christine Goff, Maggie Sefton, and Margaret
Coel. I also enjoy light-hearted series by Alexander McCall Smith, Donna
Andrews, and Tim Cockey. My favorite mystery writer is Sharyn McCrumb, and I'm
collecting all her books. I read romance and science fiction occasionally and
enjoy Diana Gabaldon, J.D. Robb, Anne McCaffrey, and Douglas Adams.
Q.
Who published your first short story?
A.
My first short story to be published, "New Zealand," was selected via a
contest to appear in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers's first anthology, entitled
Dry Spell: Tales of Thirst and Longing, in September, 2004. I'm now an editor
for the second anthology.
Q.
How did that first acceptance impact your writing career?
A.
It validated that I indeed could write something worth reading, even though
I wasn't paid for it, and it motivated me to write more stories and submit them
to paying publications. What pleased me the most was when one of the editors
told me that my story made her cry. What more could a writer ask for?
Q.
For those of us interested in reading your very first published story,
where can we find it?
A.
The anthology is still for sale on Amazon.com. Just type the full title
into the Search window to find it. The ISBNs are 0976022508 (10) and
978-0976022503 (13).
Q.
How many hours per day do you devote to writing? A. Right now, I'm focused on promotion for A Real Basket Case, and I'm editing a novel-length manuscript that I finished the rough draft of a couple of weeks ago. I'm lucky if I can devote two 2-3-hour sessions per week to the editing. When I was actively drafting the novel, I tried to write for four to five 2-3-hour sessions per week and produce 15-20 pages a week.
Q. When my eyes start to cross and I need a break from writing, I'll often reach over and pick up my guitar. What do you do when you need a break?
A.
I have to look out into the distance to relax my eyes and have to stretch
my legs to ease that sore "butt in the chair" syndrome. That might mean going
outside for awhile, even if it's just to get the mail out of the mailbox, or
walking around and looking out the windows--at more snow falling! Then I'll pick
one chore off my never-ending list to accomplish. Got to go fold laundry now…
Q.
Do you have any marketing tips you’d like to share with aspiring writers?
A.
You have to educate yourself about the market, and the best way I've found
to do that is to network with other writers. I recommend that everyone join a
local writing organization that has meetings you can attend and join the
national organization for your genre. Get into a good critique group, where
other caring writers can help you improve your craft. Join online groups, such
as the Short Mystery Fiction Society, to trade information on markets for your
stories. Then there are websites that list markets, like Duotrope, Story Pilot,
and Ralan.com.
Q.
Do you have a writing schedule?
A.
I wish! I do set weekly goals to keep myself on track, and I report on
those goals every weekend to an online goal-setting group. Often that means
sitting down to write on Friday night and Saturday morning, so I can show some
progress on my goals. Life happens, so I just try to wedge those writing or
editing sessions in wherever I can fit them.
Q.
Can you describe a typical day in the life of Beth Groundwater? A. There's no such thing as a typical day in my life. I don't have a day-job, so every day I tackle a few tasks on my enormous To Do list, anything from errands and chores to writing and promotion. When school is in session, I wake up on weekdays with my high schooler at 6 am, get him fed and watered, then go through email for about an hour. Then I exercise religiously five mornings a week, because heart disease runs in my family. Exercise is good for the brain and your mood, too. After that, anything can happen. Q. This is a two-part question; what type of exercises do you do, and do you ever find yourself writing in your head while you're working out?
A.
I do a variety of exercises. I go to the YMCA twice a week to ride the
elliptical machine and lift weights or to swim laps. At home, I walk my dog
around my hilly neighborhood for about 40 minutes, ride the exercise bike while
reading (or during warm weather, ride my bike outside), or lately, shovel snow
off the driveway! When I'm drafting a story or novel, it's on my mind MOST of
the time, so yes, I think about it when I'm working out, when I'm about to fall
asleep, when I'm supposed to be having a conversation with a family member, etc.
I keep paper and pens scattered around the house so I can scribble down ideas
wherever and whenever they come to me.
Q.
Do you work on one story at a time, or multiple?
A.
I never draft two stories at the same time. Often, however, I will edit one
while drafting another. Editing I can do in short spurts, but it takes me awhile
to get back into a story each time I sit down for a writing session, so I focus
on one at a time. When my children were younger and kept me busy when they
weren't in school, I would write a longer piece, like a novel or novella, during
the school year, and short stories during the summer. Now that they're
self-sufficient, I can write whatever I want whenever I want.
Q.
What’s your personal favorite Beth Groundwater story?
A.
I have a favorite short story, "New Zealand," and a favorite flash fiction
story, "Lucky Bear."
Q.
What is it about those stories that make them your favorite?
A.
Both of these stories are based somewhat on family members, so there's a
lot of personal emotion in them. My father has always longed to travel to New
Zealand, but like the man in the story, his wife, my mother, can't stand to fly,
so he has yet to go. And Lucky Bear is about a mother sending her daughter off
to college, which I was about to do when I wrote it. Both of those stories have
made people cry when they read them. Not that I always like to write sad or
poignant stories. I also really enjoy making people laugh.
Q.
Can you tell us about your book? A. A Real Basket Case is about Claire Hanover, a middle-aged Colorado Springs housewife with a part-time business (designing gift baskets), sort of like me (writing). When police accuse her husband of killing her massage therapist, she becomes a bumbling amateur sleuth to prove his innocence to the police and to prove to him that she wasn't having an affair. In the process, Claire must confront the victim's fiery ex-girlfriend, his drug-dealing cohorts, and the gym ladies he supplied with cocaine or seduced for money. A critique group buddy of mine calls Claire "Lucy" after the "I Love Lucy Show" because her big heart and bravery get her into--and out of--a lot of sticky situations. Q. Your novel sounds very intriguing. In fact, Kevin R. Tipple wrote a very positive review and mentioned that it's the start of a good series. Do you have plans to write a sequel? A. Not only do I have plans, but it's already written! Tentatively titled TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET, it takes place in Breckenridge, CO when Claire Hanover and her family take a ski vacation and the sister of her daughter's fiancé is killed on the slope. Instead of the marriage problems Claire had in A REAL BASKET CASE, she has daughter relationship problems. I wrote the sequel while I was shopping around the manuscript for A REAL BASKET CASE, and it took so long to sell it that I finished the sequel first. Five Star Publishing looks at sales figures for the first novel before requesting the manuscript for the sequel and contracting for it, but I'm ready when (notice I didn't say "if") they do. Q. I have a great interest in where writers form the ideas for their stories. What was the inspiration behind "A Real Basket Case"? A. I start plotting most of my mystery novels and stories with an idea about the victim and some interesting or unique way in which s/he was killed. Thus it was in A REAL BASKET CASE. I had a "What If?" inspiration: What if a man is killed in a married woman's bedroom and her husband is found holding the gun that shot him, but he didn't do it and the woman wasn't having an affair with the victim? That led to all kinds of questions that had to be answered, like how the man got in her bedroom and how the husband got hold of the murder weapon. Then, I made it even harder for myself by clothing her in her underwear and spraying gunshot residue on the husband's hand. It took me quite some time to ponder that out!
Q.
How does one go about ordering a signed copy of your book? A. A Real Basket Case is available for preorder on the Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Five Star Publishing websites. I'm offering a preorder promotion right now. If you order the book before the publication date, and can't make it to one of my signings, you can send me your mailing address via email, and I'll send you a personalized signed bookplate. This only applies to preorders. You can contact me via my website, www.bethgroundwater.com, which also has a page to sign up for my email newsletter and to read my latest newsletter, where I describe this preorder promotion. Also on the website is a list of planned appearances. I sure hope I can meet some Mouth Full of Bullets readers at my signings! I love talking to other writers.
Q. Thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. It's been an immense pleasure. Best of luck to you! A. And best of luck to you with MFOB and all your writing endeavors! This interview has been a pleasure for me, too. Hey, who DOESN'T like talking about him/herself? :) BJ Bourg / Beth Groundwater © 2007 |
