Marilyn Leach Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?

A: Thanks for having me here, Susan. I wrote my first mystery when I was nine-years-old. Vocation or avocation, I’ve been writing ever since. I graduated in Art Education and taught in underserved populations for years until I left to become a full time writer, although I sub teach now and again. I’ve also worked as a domestic missionary, waitress, child care worker, graphic artist, and sold boot jacks at the Western National Stock Show and Rodeo one year. What a hoot.

Q: Do you write in only one genre and if so which one and why? If not, which ones and why?

A: I love writing and reading mysteries, that genre is my first love. In particular, British mysteries are my cup of tea. My Berdie Elliott mystery series is England inspired. It takes place in a small English village where Berdie is the local vicar’s wife and sleuth extraordinaire. I’ve also had a contemporary romance published, but I discovered myself simply hanging a romance on the bones of a mystery. That says it all.

Q: How does your faith play into your writing?

A: My faith is the cornerstone of my writing. Whether a subtle nudge in the divine direction of a world view, or bone-rattling scripture, my faith has to color my writing because it colors my entire life and makes me who I am.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A: England has so many wonderful places, and I’ve had opportunities to visit some of them. They’re inspiring. For my Berdie Elliott series, Berdie has gone to seek clues in Trafalgar Square, London, in the wilds of Northumberland near the Scottish border, and the Portuguese Island of Madeira via her best friend, Lillie. But it seems many of her crime solving revelations come in the village tea shop, the Copper Kettle, right there in the midst of village life. I have a fondness for village tea shops and pubs.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?

A: I start with imaginary characters, and I enjoy that very much. Sometimes, as I’m working on them, I find I’ve created a physical description of someone I know or have known in the past. The more I developed Berdie’s physical profile, I came to visualize a close cousin of mine, although Berdie has an entirely different personality.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Into the Clouds?

A: It is a Berdie Elliott Ascension Sunday mystery. In the small English village of Aidan Kirkwood, Saint Aidan of the Wood Parish Church is celebrating Ascension Sunday with a Procession, the first one in fifty years. It goes from the church, down the High Street, to the village green with community bands and a massive combined choir. But in the process, someone who starts with the crowd ends up missing. A family member asks Berdie to get stuck in on an investigation to find their relative and in the process she discovers all kinds of dark deeds that introduce her to eccentric cat lovers, a sculpted “tree” house, Portugal, and a web of family disputes. But Berdie, in her intrepid style, shines the light of day upon them as she rises to the occasion and solves the whole affair. It’s the kind of mystery you don’t want to take your eyes off.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

A: In the very first, I decided to have a vicar’s wife for a sleuth and it just fit to create mysteries around the liturgical calendar. So, Candle for a Corpse is an Advent mystery, Up from the Grave is a Lenten/Easter mystery. And following Into the Clouds, I’ve created a Pentecost mystery, Enigma of Fire, that my editor is waiting for as we speak. And so it goes all through the church year.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: So many of my readers have said when they finish the story, they just feel good. And with our world being what it is today, feeling good is something we can cherish. I’ve had some tell me that they wished they could live in Aidan Kirkwood. Good triumphs over evil, every time. Community thrives. Even when things get dark, Berdie puts her trust in the great God of mercy who cares about every aspect of our lives, and relentlessly pursues the truth at all costs until she finds it. Lovely!

Q: Tell us what you like about the main characters of this book.

A: From Berdie’s determination, to Hugh’s stability, from Lillie’s humor, to Loren’s dedication, they are multidimensional people of faith who interact with life in a full framework. I relish developing well rounded characters. We are social, mental, physical, and spiritual beings. So often in storytelling, the spiritual dimension is completely absent. I love to develop my character arcs in all dimensions; it makes them so much more fun and interesting

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A: My current work is a Berdie Elliott Pentecost mystery. The area churches around Aidan Kirkwood are sponsoring a Whitsun, (the word used in England for Pentecost), Sunday Regatta. Hugh, the vicar and Berdie’s husband, is former British Navy, and he invites his previous rowing teammates to participate in the competition. But one of them ends up in the hospital, and it’s no accident. The Yard and specialists get involved, suspicion rattles the village, a heroic dog rises, and who could imagine that a remote hedgerow would hold a monumental clue? That’s when Berdie uses her amazing gift of inductive and deductive reasoning to determine who is behind the destructive deed. As usual, the whole village gets involved and the truth is found out.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?

A: Of course, I’d love to spend six months in the UK: England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. There’s so much to see and do. It’s so inspiring. I would also like to take a Northern European boat cruise, not the gigantic liner kind of thing, but a small long boat, with 50 other people or so. I can imagine the stories that could be developed from that.

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?

A: I need to narrow it down to one? Not long ago, when I substituted in an art class, we read a book that emphasized the rhythm of nonsense words. To put more internalization to it, we added body movements. So twenty of us were walking about the carpet lifting legs, flailing arms, bending at the waste, all sorts of movements, to fit nonsense words into rhythmic patterns. I suppose it’s my good fortune that the principal didn’t come in at that moment or I’d have had some explaining to do

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

A: I think it’s a lesson we all learn and continue learning throughout our lives. The grass is always greener on the other side. It’s so easy to let yearning for another meadow bring disrepair on the one you possess. It’s taken hard work for me, but I’ve become pretty comfortable with mowing, trimming, watering, and enjoying the grass that is my turf. Work, improve, change what you can, and leave the rest to God.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: I have a website. marilynleachteaandbooks.com is a “rainy afternoon in an English pub” kind of website with author interviews, a column by my friend who lives in England, and photos of England, primarily rural. Leave a comment if you drop in and, please, enjoy your tea while browsing.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A: I just want to say thanks so much for having me on the Suspense Zone, and I thank all your followers for taking the time to check out the interview. Let me know if you have any comments or want to ask a question. Cheers.