Tell us about yourself.

I'm married to my college sweetheart, and I'm the mother of two wonderful daughters. We also share our home in the suburbs of Washington, D. C. with Hunter, our Norwich Terrier.

I love writing mysteries, and I'm grateful to finally have the opportunity to share my stories with readers. My family has always been extremely supportive of my dream to publish. I spent several years juggling part-time work and caring for my kids while typing away at my computer before I made my first fiction sale. Fortunately, my family was always behind me, never doubting for one minute that Mom could do it. I think, in many ways, getting that first contract was as sweet for them as it was for me.

Some people seem to think, after reading DYING TO GET PUBLISHED which features an unpublished mystery writer as the heroine, that she and I must be very much alike. Let me go on record to say I'm not Jennifer Marsh, the main character of my series. She's younger, child-less, husband-less, shorter than I am by one inch, and, unfortunately, thinner. She's also much more obsessed with writing than I could ever be. Still, I love her like a dear friend. We share an overwhelming conscience (mine has mellowed somewhat over the years while hers is still in full bloom), and we share a need to make things right. I'm a good bit more cynical than Jennifer, but I admire her naive, all-things-are-possible attitude. What's more, she's a Southern gal while technically I'm not, although I did spend a number of years living in North Carolina.

As a matter of fact, I grew up an Air Force brat until I was twelve, so I don't have a hometown in the traditional sense. I was born in New York state and lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Hawaii, and Maine before my father retired from the service, and we moved to Kentucky where I attended high school and college. I majored in English and went on to get a masters degree in counseling.

My mom is from Macon, Georgia (the setting for DYING TO GET PUBLISHED), so wherever we lived, it was like always having a little piece of the South with us. My folks moved back there while I was still in college, and I spent summers there and a short time after I graduated from college.

What led you to try your hand at writing mysteries?

I've always loved to read about mysteries, both fictional and real-life. With fiction, I like the puzzle, the game that develops between author and reader, one trying to solve the enigma, the other trying to muddy the waters. It's fun, whichever side you happen to be on.

I don't outline when I write, so watching the mystery develop is an intriguing process full of all kinds of surprises. I'm amazed at how the subconscious works. After I'm a good ways into a book, I'll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning with plot revelations. This is common with writers so most of us keep note pads on the night stand. If I don't write it down immediately, it's gone forever.

This may sound odd, but the structure of the mystery, as simple as it is (someone dies, someone solves the crime) helps me to put together a story. Just as a romance writer knows that she or he is writing toward a happy ending, I know the villain will be discovered and exposed in the end. That's my outline.

When I read, I like the comfort of series characters. It's like visiting with old friends. I know who I'm with from the first page and have a good idea where the writer's going. Yet the authors continue to surprise me. But it's also great fun to find a new author and visit the world he or she has created.

My fascination with writing began in college, but it took me until I was in my early thirties before I thought I might possibly be able to write a book. It took several more years before I actually finished one. At that time, I didn't know anyone who was writing professionally and I was very busy. I was raising my children and working part-time as a newspaper feature writer and columnist for a weekly paper. I think I was as surprised as anyone when I actually completed that manuscript. I was terribly naive about publishing and how hard it would be to get someone to read my work.

Are you a full-time author now?

Yes. Writing is the one professional thing I've always wanted to do, so I'm doing it. I was lucky enough to get a shot in this business, so I feel like I have to go for it. I'm also fortunate to have a supportive husband with a full-time job and medical insurance.

Tell us about getting that first book published.

DYING TO GET PUBLISHED was the third book I wrote. The first one received varying degrees of interest from agents and editors and was even a finalist in a major publishing contest, but it was not unique enough to sell as a first book. I still think it's a good whodunit and hope someday to see it in print. But the best thing I ever did was to put that book aside and start another one.

I spent a lot of postage on book two looking for an agent. I got a lot of "I like this, but I don't love it" rejections. Both books had humor but nothing like what's in DYING TO GET PUBLISHED. In frustration, I started writing about an unpublished mystery writer who plans to get published by doing away with a literary agent, and Jennifer Marsh was born. I laughed through the whole manuscript, and so did my critique group.

Ironically, DYING TO GET PUBLISHED sold to the first publisher I sent it to, Ballantine Books. I sent it cold--a query letter plus the first fifty pages--WITHOUT an agent. Jennifer would be proud.

Your heroine, Jennifer Marsh, is an aspiring mystery writer and a member of an eclectic critique group. Art imitating life?

Jennifer's writing group includes Teri, a writer of romantic suspense, Leigh Ann who lives and breathes romance, perpetually pregnant April who authors children's books, and their leader, Monique, the older, only published member of the group who has one science fiction book to her credit.

I've been with my own critique group for more than three years now. Five of the six of us are original members which is pretty amazing. Like Jennifer, I'm currently the only one writing mystery although one of the others has published two Victorian mysteries. Everyone, except for me, writes romance. Half of us are published, the other half on the verge.

All are incredibly talented and professional writers. We are very honest and extremely tactful with one another. Better to hear the truth from someone who cares about you than through a rejection letter.

As to similarities between Jennifer's group and my own, my critique partners steadfastly deny any resemblance to Jennifer's. But recently I heard one lament, "Why don't we ever get into fun situations like they do!"

Is it difficult to critique writing from another genre?

Everyone in my critique group is writing popular fiction, so our writing shares most of the basics. We all need great hooks, well paced plots, believable dialog, and charismatic characters. None of us is writing the great American novel, and we don't pretend to be. We're writing to entertain. The first test of any work is does it engage the reader, does it make sense, and would I want to read this book.

Over the years we've learned to keep a few things in mind: 1. If only one person has a problem with something we've passed out for critique, we take it into consideration but don't necessarily change it. 2. We always consider who is saying what. We each have different strengths. If I miss a problem in a romantic scene, no one's surprised. But if I make a suggestion about an action sequence, the others tend to listen because I write more scenes like that. 3. If two or three agree something's amiss, we'd better take a closer look because something's not working, even if we don't like the specific suggestions being made. 4. We try never to defend our own work . If people in the group misunderstand what the writer means, most likely so will the reader. Bottom line: we trust and respect each other, but ultimately the work is our own.

What's next for Jennifer Marsh?

In her next adventure, DYING TO GET EVEN, scheduled to be released in February, Jennifer finds herself the key witness in a murder case against Emma Walker (Jennifer's little old lady friend from DYING TO GET PUBLISHED). Unfortunately, Jennifer has found Emma standing over her ex-husband's body, the bloody knife used to kill him clutched in her hand. Of course Jennifer knows Emma could never kill anyone, but it looks as if her testimony will nevertheless convict Emma. So Jennifer has no choice but to find out who the real murderer is. The writing group, Sam and Muffy are all back and so is that pesky pooch, Tiger.

The third book, as yet untitled, is currently being written and subject to my endless re-writes, so I won't say any more about it at this point.

I love writing about Jennifer. I find her energy and never die spirit uplifting. She's like a beacon of hope for anyone who has a dream. I'll write about her and her adventures as long as anyone wants to read about her. I always have fun with her and her crazy friends.

I don't know what the future holds for Jennifer and Sam. I think they're a good match, but Jennifer has a lot to work out before she can commit to a relationship.

And will she ever get published? Maybe. We'll just have to see.

How can readers get in touch with you?

I don't have a web-site yet although I've been told it's a must-do. So at the moment, anyone who wants to get in touch can write to me in c/o Publicity Department, The Ballantine Publishing Group, 201 East 50th St., New York, NY 10022.

Thanks, Judy, and good luck! Readers, check out our review of Dying to Get Published.

September 20, 1998