Award-winning mystery and children’s book author, Saralyn Richard strives to make the world a better place, one book at a time. Her books, Naughty Nana, Murder in the One Percent, and A Palette for Love and Murder, have delighted children and adults alike. A member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and continues to write mysteries. Reviews, media, and tour schedule may be found at http://saralynrichard.com.
SS: Saralyn joins me today in a Covid-safe distance interview. Writing is undoubtedly a lonely occupation. John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) says writing is a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it. P. D. James (Cover Her Face) says it’s essential for writers to enjoy their own company. Do you see yourself along those lines? Are you a natural loner?
SR: Many of the writers I know personally and know of are introverts (though I am not one). There are some who go to great lengths to avoid book talks and in-person interviews. I agree that writers need to enjoy their own company, but I have a slightly different perspective on that. The writer who is creating believable, relatable characters, is never alone. My characters are my own friends and relatives, even enemies. They inhabit my mind, my writing space, and my world—even my dreams.
I am blessed to have a rich life, full of social interactions with a diverse group of people. The experiences we have shared have given me a vast pool of ideas for stories, as well as a deep and abiding gratitude for friendships.
SS: What writer would you be most thrilled to hear wants to meet you?
SR: As an avid lifelong reader, I hold many authors in high esteem. This question causes me to stop in the tracks of my imagination. Which of these admired and respected authors would set my literary heart aflutter? Probably John Irving. Irving’s distinctive voice, quirky characters, and complicated, often absurd, plots have given me years of illuminating entertainment. The idea that I might have reciprocated in some way would be a thrilling and meaningful compliment.
SS: Do the parts of your story that move your readers most move you as well? Or does your special position as Creator give you a different ear for the highs and lows of the tale?
SR: teach creative writing, and one of my basic philosophies I share with my students is to have fun with your writing. Having fun doesn’t necessarily mean happy endings or humorous tones. I mean, instead, to pour yourself into your characters and scenes, to see what they see, feel what they feel, struggle along with them, and share their victories. When you’ve done that with as much honesty and passion as possible, you will take your readers along with you on the inside track of the story.
SS: It is often believed that almost all writers have had their hearts broken at some point in time, does that hold true for you?
SR: Yes, of course. Broken hearts are a universal experience. Just ask any Country Western singer.
SS: How do you give back to the writing community?
SR:I think giving back to the writing community is one of the most important legacies of an author. I’ve had wonderful teachers and friends, including other authors, who have helped me find my place in the literary world, and I try to pay it forward. I’m a creative writing teacher, so I am always working to inspire and encourage new authors. I’m always happy to answer questions, provide feedback, write reviews and blurbs, and share tips with other authors. We are all in this together.
SS: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
SR: I absolutely do! Sometimes there will be a literary allusion, a double entendre, a play on words, a certain character’s name, a nod to another literary work, or a conversation similar to one that I’ve had with a real-live person. I don’t do this in an elitist or exclusionary way. It’s more of an invitation to readers to dig deeply in order to find the full significance of a scene.
SS: How do you make your readers regret they’re coming to the end?
SR: If I write the ending in such a way that I regret coming to the end, chances are the readers will, too.
SS: Are you looking to entertain or illuminate?
SR: Any good writer seeks to do both.
SS: Do you write with an imaginary reader in mind? If so, tell as a little about that person.
SR: My imaginary reader is someone who is game for tagging along with me on the intellectual and emotional journey of the book. He or she (it doesn’t matter which) has an open mind, and also an open heart for people of all sizes, shapes, genders, and ethnicities. This reader is not afraid to laugh out loud at some passages or to weep at others.
SS: Over time, what would you say has improved significantly in your writing?
SR: Practice makes perfect in any endeavor, and writing is no exception. Some of the finer points of writing, such as point of view, voice, and economy of words are improvements I continue to strive for.
SS: What are you most challenged by these days?
SR: After having lived through the loss of my home in a hurricane, the isolation of a world-wide pandemic, and the grief of losing several of the people I love most, I struggle to stay in touch with the many blessings in my life—my deep gratitude for faith, family, and friends—and the ability to read and write stories. Time is a perpetual nemesis of mine. I strive not to waste it. I still have a lot of stories to tell.
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.
SR: A Palette for Love and Murder, second in the Detective Parrott mystery series, is newly released, and can be read as a standalone, before, or after Murder in the One Percent. Here are less than twenty-five words that describe its appeal:
- Compelling characters
- Gripping storyline
- Unputdownable
- Art mystery
- Two crimes in one
- Treasure hunt
- Savvy detective
- Exotic setting
- Universal theme
SS: Who is the protagonist in your most recent work? Describe him/her in ten words or less.
SR: Detective Oliver Parrott is the protagonist. He’s intelligent, super-organized, intuitive, sometimes-tough, ambitious, professional, hard-working, clever, persistent, and charming.
SS: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
SR: Take a deep breath and dive in. No one can tell your stories better than you. Just immerse yourself into the writing life and make it a great adventure.
SS: What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
SR: Erik Larson once told me to stop in the middle. What he meant was to end each writing session in the middle of a chapter, a scene, even a sentence. It makes getting started on the next writing session a breeze.
SS: I enjoyed reading B. A. Shapiro’s The Art Forger and Belle Ami’s The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio. What prompted you to combine art and murder?
SR: All authors are artists, and I believe we all have an appreciation for other arts, as well as literature. My focus on the visual arts in A Palette for Love in Murder, however, derives from the setting, Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania. The Brandywine River Museum of Art is a phenomenal place to visit, and the artists of Brandywine, including generations of the Wyeth family, are an integral part of the culture and community there. It didn’t require much of an intellectual leap in logic to consider writing about the people and the paintings of the area.
SS: I lived in Philadelphia for fifteen years, and love the Brandywine River area.Must you lay empathy and pity to one side to write crime fiction effectively?
SR: On the contrary, empathy and pity, for good guys and bad guys, are at the heart of crime fiction.
SS: How has the discovery of DNA changed crime fiction?
SR: DNA has changed how crimes are investigated, how evidence is collected and analyzed, and how people are brought to justice. In a way, it has made the writing of crime fiction more challenging, because the writer needs to keep abreast of the science and research of DNA, which is constantly becoming more sophisticated. Sometimes DNA speeds up the solving of a crime in real life, removing the drama of old-time step-by-step investigations. As an FBI agent explained to me in an interview, DNA testing is expensive, time-consuming, and very cut-and-dried. Done in a remote lab, it doesn’t lend itself easily to the glamour of a challenging case or a savvy detective. It takes a creative writer to put a fascinating spin on a case with DNA evidence.
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A Palette for Love and Murder is available through:
Murder in the One Percent is available through:
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An excerpt from A Palette for Love and Murder:
Marriage had turned out to be more. More than taking vows and sipping champagne. More than a romantic cruise to exotic islands. More than sleeping in the warmth of your lover’s embrace. Tonight Detective Oliver Parrott had another two a.m. wake-up call, but not the kind from the West Brandywine Police Station. His first thought had been of the stolen paintings he was investigating, but the punch in the kidney had come from Parrott’s own true love.
“No-o-oh, oh, no,” Tonya yelled, as she thrashed about in the bed next to him.
Parrott jumped out of bed and twisted around, grabbing Tonya by both wrists. “Wake up, Baby. It’s just a dream. You’re right here with me. Nothing’s wrong.”
Tonya’s eyes fluttered open and closed, as she struggled against her husband’s strong, tall frame. She was breathing hard.
Still holding her wrists, he murmured, “C’mon now. C’mon, Tonya.”
After what seemed like an hour to Parrott, Tonya woke up and stopped resisting his efforts to calm her down. When she realized what she had done, she threw her hands over her face and doubled over at the waist. “Sorry, sorry. I don’t want to have these dreams, Ollie. They just won’t go away.” Tears streamed down her face and neck.
Parrott thought to turn on the lamp, but decided the reflected beam from the streetlight, piercing through the curtain, was enough. He scooted to sit up against the headboard. “Come sit up here with me,” he said, patting the sheet between them. “Let’s see if we can make them go away.”
Tonya shoved down the covers that were wound around her legs. Her white nightgown was spotted with patches of sweat. She climbed into her husband’s embrace and dropped her head on his shoulder.
“Now,” Parrott said, snuggling into his wife’s hair and smelling jasmine. “Maybe it will help if you tell me exactly what it is that has you yelling in your sleep.” Every time he’d asked before, Tonya had dissembled. She hated to talk about her experiences in Afghanistan, period.
“You know I can’t talk about it, Ollie. Even thinking about it scares me. Putting it into words seems excruciating.” More tears overflowed the banks of her eyelids, and she wiped them away with quick brushes of the back of her hand.
“Yes, I know,” Parrott said, “but maybe if you could say the words, finally, these night terrors would go away. That’s what I remember from that psych class I took junior year.” He remembered times as a cop when he’d used a similar strategy to help witnesses articulate horrible memories. “It lets the boogeyman out from under the bed.”
The corners of Tonya’s mouth twitched, but failed to make it to smile. She was shivering, though the room was warm. “I—I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try.” She pulled the sheet and blanket up around them both, and Parrott pressed her to him, knowing whatever he did would be inadequate.
A few minutes passed in silence, and finally Tonya glanced at the alarm clock, which said two-seventeen. She took a deep breath, and then the words began tumbling out. “Some very bad things happened when I was in Afghanistan, Ollie.” Her fingers drew a pattern onto his bare chest. “Some things I could never tell you about.”
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