Julianna Deering Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?
A. I’ve been writing since I was in college and even a little before that, just for fun. I didn’t ever plan to be published, but I enjoyed making up stories to amuse myself when I was bored. One of those stories grew into In Honor Bound, my first novel, published in 1997.

Q: Do you write in only one genre and if so which one and why? If not, which ones and why?
A: I have written medieval romance, contemporary mystery and historical mystery. I think I enjoy historical romance most, and I’d like to write a lot of types within that genre: Regency, western, Civil War, more medieval, gothic, WWI, WWII, just about anything between the 1400s and the 1940s. I love the clothes and the social customs and the particular conflicts tied to each era. Contemporary life is all around me, so it doesn’t interest me nearly as much as historical stories. I enjoy writing mysteries because they’re interesting puzzles in logic and human behavior. Reading the classics, Christie, Sayers, Allingham and so on, has always been a delight and a challenge for me.

Q: How does your faith play into your writing?
A. It colors everything I write. I may not always have a conversion scene or scripture references, but my main characters will always operate from a Christian worldview. They will always turn to God for wisdom and comfort. They will always offer Him as a place of refuge, healing and strength to the suffering.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A. In my historical novels, the settings are usually tied to some historical event. For example, the book I just turned in (Book Six of The Drew Farthering Mysteries, Death at Thorburn Hall) is set during the 1935 British Open. Of course, that means the story is set in and around Gullane, Scotland, where the Open was held that year. The contemporaries are parts of various series, so the settings have already been established by the time I’m ready to plan my particular story.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?
A: In general, they are totally made up, though I did have a friend asked to be killed in one of my books, and I was happy to oblige in Dressed for Death. Of course the character evolved into an independent creation as I worked on the story and didn’t end up all that much like my friend, but that request was the start of that character. Usually I just write whoever works for my story.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Murder on the Moor?
A: Murder on the Moor is probably my favorite of the series so far. One of Drew’s old school friends asks him to come up to Yorkshire to figure out what’s going on in his village and out on the moor. There has been all kinds of mischief going on, mostly just annoyances, but now the vicar has been murdered on the steps of the church and no one knows who could have done it or why. In Yorkshire, Drew finds a number of suspects, but he can’t help wondering about his friend’s very stylish wife and what her interest in the estate’s rakish gamekeeper might be. And what does any of this have to do with the appearance of a huge, black hound out on the moor on moonless nights?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?
A: Each of the Drew Farthering books has a literary inspiration, and this one was Bronte. There’s something about the lonely, forbidding moor that seems perfect for a mystery. And I couldn’t resist just a tip of the hat to Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: I hope they would remember that only God knows someone’s heart. Inside, someone may be nothing like he seems

Q: Tell us what you like about the main characters of this book.
A: I have been a huge fan of the Thin Man movies since I was in high school, and I was always delighted with the way Nick and Nora Charles had so much fun during their investigations, how they were playful and teasing and very much in love. I wanted that for my sleuthing couple. I’ve also always been very interested in the differences between American English and British English, and I thought it would be fun to have my hero be English and my heroine be American. So what I like about Drew and Madeline is their playful sense of humor, their love of books and language and that their romance did not end just because they got married.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I just turned in a contemporary cozy called An Autographed Mystery and am about to start work on titled Pride and Publishing. They are both for the Annie’s Fiction series The Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?
A. I’d love to go to New Zealand, because no place could possibly be that beautiful in real life. I’d love to go to Canada, because it’s beautiful, too, and I’d love to go to some hockey games up there. I’d love to go back to England, Scotland and Wales and this time take in Ireland, too. I would also like to go to Disneyland. I’ve been to Disney World a couple of times, but never to Disneyland. I would love to see behind the scenes, especially places like the Hall of Presidents or The Pirates of the Caribbean. It would be really interesting to see a little bit of how that all works.

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
A. Wow. So much to choose from. I did dress as an apple for a Halloween party once.

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
A. I don’t know if there’s anything harder than having a sick pet put to sleep. Even though it’s the kindest thing to do when it comes to that point, it’s always heartbreaking.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?
A. On the web:

www.juliannadeering.com

www.deannajuliedodson.com

On Facebook:

https://business.facebook.com/AuthorJuliannaDeering/

https://www.facebook.com/julie.dodson.9659

On Twitter:

@DeAnnaJulDodson

On Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6565151.Julianna_Deering

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?
A. I love to hear from my readers. If you’ve read one of my books, I’d love to know what you thought about it and what you’d like to see in the future.