This week I have the pleasure of visiting with a writer of many talents and many noms de plume. S.M. Goodwin is one of the pen names used by S.M. LaViolette, a Canadian transplant who lives in the mountains of New Mexico. She began writing in 2013 after closing her 8-room bed and breakfast (a subject she will never write about …). Among many other things, she’s been a criminal prosecutor, college history professor, and bartender. She currently writes full-time and operates a small poultry rescue on her four-acre hobby farm, where she lives with her wonderful, tolerant husband and many animals. When she isn’t writing or editing, she’s playing with birds and dogs or doing a little DIY. I loved the first book in her Lightner and Law Mystery series, Absence of Mercy, and can’t wait to read the second. The series features a British detective invited to pre-Civil War America to teach cops how to handle evidence.
SS: Welcome, S.M. Let’s start with learning which writer you would you be most thrilled to hear wants to meet you?
SM: If I could pick anyone, alive or dead, it would be Kurt Vonnegut.
SS: Great choice. I’ve read all his works and love them. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
SM: I’m so glad you asked! Yes, I do this all the time. Nobody ever notices—at least nobody has commented to me about noticing—these little “Easter eggs.” They are usually tiny homages to writers whose work I love.
SS: I do a bit of homage to my ancestors by naming characters after them. Do you write with an imaginary reader in mind? If so, tell as a little about that person.
SM: I usually write with my beta reader, George in mind—so not an imaginary person at all! He reads everything I write, from mystery to romance to science fiction. He is the reason I’m a published author.
SS: Do you believe you write the kind of book you’d want to read?
SM: Yes, absolutely. In fact, that’s why I started writing: to read a story that I hadn’t been able to find.
SS: Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) feels he discovers a story rather than creates it. Are you a plotter? Or do let the novel develop organically?
SM: I definitely discover a story. I’ve tried to plot before, but it doesn’t work. I have to just start writing and see what happens.
SS: I find that by the time I’ve plotted out a story, it feels written (even though it isn’t) and all the magic is gone. Speaking of magic, what was the first book you fell in love with, that you felt the magic of reading?
SM: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I remember it was the first time I stayed up all night to finish a book. I was in fifth grade.
SS: Name a classic you feel guilty about never having read.
SM: Gone With the Wind. I haven’t seen the film, either. It seems to be a favorite with a lot of romance readers (and I also write romance) so I feel like I should eventually give it a shot.
SS: I’ve read the book and seen the movie, but really wasn’t wild about either (though my dad, when young, looked much like Rhett Butler). What was your first recognition/success as an author?
SM: Seeing my books in Walmart, Costco, and Target alongside people I’ve read.
SS: Julian Barnes (The Sense of an Ending) says that one of the things he has learned as he grew older is how to manage time in a novel. Have you found an effective technique for this?
SM: I cannot consistently manage time. I’ve had books where it just magically happens—where I can seamlessly move forward months and even years in the story—and then, in other books, I seem compelled to describe every single scene/moment in my struggle to move the story along. I’ve learned that I just have to keep writing and resign myself to cutting tens of thousands of words later.
SS: Is there a phrase or quote about writing you particularly like or that inspires you?
SM: I like a quote that is usually attributed to Nora Roberts, but is probably a lot older: if you don’t write, you won’t have anything to edit. This simple thought will often motivate me to keep writing through a slump.
LIGHTNING ROUND:
SS: When writing, are you a night owl or morning person? I’m a morning person.
SS: What is your favorite thriller or mystery movie? The Usual Suspects
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Crooked in His Ways is available through:
Books2Read | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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You can follow S.M. Goodwin on social media here:
Website | Facebook | Instagram
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