Today, I chat with the inimitable Harriet Rogers, author of the Honey Walker Adventure Series.
SS: Tell us how you came to be a writer.
HR: It was part of my retirement plan. I drove a taxi for five years, and the stories were amazing.
SS: Have you always been driven to write? Or did you begin writing in response to a particular stimulus?
HR: Retirement. Suddenly I had time to do something creative.
SS: If you have children, does being a parent influence your writing? To what extent?
HR: I have a son, and he also drove taxi, so his stories work their way in. Having a child is an amazing experience that influences every part of one’s life.
SS: How has Covid-19 affected your writing? Your future writing? Your life? Your family?
HR: Covid was a great excuse not to write. I shamelessly used it whenever I was feeling lazy.
SS: What in your childhood do you believe contributed to your becoming a writer?
HR: Nancy Drew.
SS: Did anything in your past push you to write about your book and the conflict(s) in it?
HR: Everything. Writing is cumulative. All life’s experiences condense into each sentence.
SS: Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall) says that a Catholic upbringing is the only qualification a writer requires. Doris Lessing (The Grass Is Singing) says her many homes (a country house in Persia [now Iran], a farm in Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe)], a boarding house in South Africa, cold water flats in London) made her a writer. Can you relate to either of these ideas? Do you have any writing qualifications?
HR: I went to college off and on for three years and learned a lot but didn’t get any letters after my name. Every place that one lives has a huge influence on the writing. Write what you know is true but be sure you use all of what you know.
SS: Could you say something about your relationship to your fictional characters? How autobiographical do you think your fiction is?
HR: I did drive and dispatch for the taxi company and the location of my taxi books is real. So there is a lot of me in the stories.
SS: Why do you think people are so curious about a writer’s life? About how a writer’s work reflection of their lives? Is it a preference for gossip over literature?
HR: A lot of people think anyone who writes is the next John Grisham. So they are curious about what drives a person to do something as intense as writing a book.
SS: What part do your own fears play in your fiction?
HR: I write humor adventure so the ability to laugh at myself may be more important than my fears.
SS: What was your first recognition/success as an author?
HR: I had a very enthusiastic agent. He didn’t succeed in selling the books but he made me feel good. Jacqueline Sheehan, best selling author, encouraged me and actually bought my first book. Sally Bernaethy helped me laugh. So other writers were influential.
SS: Isabel Allende starts all of her books on January 8 because she started The House of Spirits on that date. Do you have any superstitions or creative rituals about your writing?
HR: No, just hard work. I do like the number 13 and black cats.
SS: What is your most recent book? In twenty-five words or less, tell me why your book should be a reader should start your book next.
HR: Cardboard Castles. It’s fun, fast moving, socially relevant, a great beach read and helps people laugh. Everyone needs to stretch those smile muscles.
SS: Do you generally write in one genre? If so, what is it? And what can readers expect from one of your books?
HR: Humor, action, romance. Happy endings with a funny twist.
SS: Regardless of genre, what are the elements that you think make a great novel? Do you consciously ensure all of these are in place?
HR: I consider my books entertainment. They are airport novels. If you can’t finish one between Boston and Chicago, take a speed reading course. I am not the next Steinbeck. I just like to make people laugh and be a good guilty pleasure.
SS: Which scene did you find the most challenging to write and why?
HR: Always in the middle. I have no problem with beginnings and endings. The murder is in the middle.
SS: What do your fans mean to you?
HR: That I can buy my next cup of coffee? I love people who love my writing. But I’m realistic that selling my books is also important to me.
SS: Is there a phrase or quote about writing you particularly like or that inspires you?
HR: Smile when you write that.
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The Honey Walker Adventure Series (the latest of which is Cardboard Castles) is available through:
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