One day -- well, one day I got an email from a person I did not know, offering to send me some of her books. Yep, it was Laura Child. And she sent me three books, including the not-yet-released at that time, Eggs in Purgatory. I reviewed all three books here. And now, I have an interview with her for you. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed her books.
Bibliochef: So, you write three different mystery series – the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Scrapbooking Mysteries, and your newest series, the Cackleberry Club Mysteries. How did you come to write mysteries? And why did you choose to do “cozy” mysteries?
Laura: I started writing mysteries about a year before I sold my marketing firm. I knew I wanted to make a transition to something new, and novel writing seemed like the ticket. The “cozy” thing came about because I did a little market research and found that many women were tired of thriller-killer-slasher-type books. They weren’t interested in having that type of book on their bedside reading table and were looking for a respite. Cozies by nature are mysteries that feature a sort of “bloodless murder” where the bad guy (or girl) is brought to justice in the end.
Bibliochef: You had three books released in 2008. That’s incredibly prolific. Can you tell us something about your writing process and how you’ve come to write so successfully?
Laura: I spent twenty-five years in advertising, the last fifteen as CEO and Creative Director of my own firm. So I was used to juggling a couple dozen projects at once. I just carried over my hurry-up attitude into novel writing. In fact, my writing philosophy is a lot like Nike. Just do it. Sit down, sip a little tea, develop a story outline/time line, then keep chipping away at the writing. You don’t need personal assistants, incense, feng shui, or anything remotely tricky. If you log quality time you’ll start to produce quality work!
Bibliochef: You feature three locations, New Orleans, Kindred (Minnesota), and Charleston. Why those places and, also, give some insight into how those places connect to your interest in foodie matters?
Laura: New Orleans and Charleston are cities I love to visit - they both have amazing restaurant scenes as well as rich food heritages. You can dine high end on oysters and champagne or seek out little hole-in-the-wall places (think gumbo and po-boys in New Orleans and spicy sausage with tasso gravy and grits in Charleston). The Minnesota setting gives me the great ingredients of the heartland to play with.
Bibliochef: Why do you include recipes in your mysteries?
Laura: I think recipes add authenticity. When you read about Eggs in Purgatory, Drunken Pecan Chicken, or Bodacious Bacon Quiche, you're just naturally curious about these things and want to know more. Plus, readers tell me there’s something very satisfying about reading the story, then whipping up the recipe. There’s a kind of “interactivity” at work.
Bibliochef: You have nine Tea Shop Mysteries out. How did you come to write about tea and tea shops? Also, why did you name the shop the Indigo Tea Shop? And, of course, what’s your favorite tea?
Laura: Tea was something I noodled around with my editor. Then, when I did a little research, I found that Charleston has the last remaining tea plantation in the United States. [Bibliochef's editorial note: for that last tea plantation, click here.] It dates back to before the Revolutionary War and has root stock brought over from France. The Indigo Tea Shop is a name that’s fun and suggestive (my company used to name products) and is a tribute to the indigo plantations that used to populate South Carolina. [Bibliochef's editorial note: for insight into indigo in the US, click here.] Oh, and my favorite tea is Japanese green tea.
Bibliochef: Your book released December 2, Eggs in Purgatory, has some lovely moments and great recipes. What’s your favorite breakfast?
Laura: Eggs Pacifica (Eggs Benedict with crab cakes instead of Canadian Bacon) sitting on the deck at Highlands Inn in Carmel, California, looking out over the ocean.
Bibliochef: One of the themes of Cooking with Ideas has to do with women’s lives and/or feminism. And each of your murder mysteries features one or more women who are entrepreneurs or business owners. How does being a woman affect your choices as an author?
Laura: I tried to create characters who were smart, savvy, caring, and multi-dimensional. Women who are very real – just like the women who are the mainstay of our communities (the teachers, moms, grandmas, CEO’s, doctors, nurses, volunteers, PTA ladies, business leaders, and political activists that keep our society humming!). I also believe that women are the keepers of family lore and memories, and serve as our moral compass. On a personal note, it used to infuriate me when I’d see the president (any president) give his State of the Union Address and there were only grey-haired men in dark suits clapping and glad-handing him. Thank goodness that’s changed!
Bibliochef: So, I ask some quetsions of everyone I "inteview." For example, what’s the absolutely best meal you’ve ever had? And what made it the best meal?
Laura: Fried clams from Kelly’s Oyster Shack in Revere Beach (Massachusetts), because my husband had them package up a clam roll, then carried it half way across the country to me.
Bibliochef: What do you eat for comfort food?
Laura: Bagels and cream cheese, chocolate, banana bread, foie gras and champagne, and crispy honey shrimp from the local Chinese restaurant.
Bibliochef: I usually ask folks if they have been to the Finger Lakes and if so, what their restaurtant recommendation is for our area. But, since I think you have not been here -- what’s your favorite restaurant?
Laura: French Laundry (Napa Valley) for it’s tasting menu,Wolfgang Puck's Spago (Beverly Hills) for pasta, Gary Danko (San Francisco) for seafood, Todd English's Olives (Las Vegas) for carpaccio, and the Carnegie Deli (New York) for cheesecake and deli treats.
Bibliochef: Well, thanks for all this -- and for the many ideas of where to travel for good meals! Here's to more mystery writing -- and reading. Not to mention, changes in careers -- your shift from marketing to mysteries is an inspiration for those of us feeling like our jobs are, well, just not mysterious enough!
For more on Laura Childs, click here for her official site, or another interview (with a focus more on her scrap booking mysteries) try here or for an interview focused on her first tea shop mystery, try here.
