Please welcome New York Times Best Selling Author DEBORAH CROMBIE!
Deborah's website is here: http://www.deborahcrombie.com/
She's on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/deborah.crombie
She's on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/deborahcrombie
She blogs here: http://www.deborahcrombie.com/debs-blog
And here: http://www.jungleredwriters.com/
About Deborah Crombie
Deborah Crombie was born in Dallas and grew up in Richardson, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, second child of Charlie and Mary Darden. A rather solitary childhood (brother Steve is ten years older) was blessed by her maternal grandmother, Lillian Dozier, a retired teacher who taught her to read very early. After a rather checkered educational career, which included dropping out of high school at sixteen, she graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, with a degree in biology.
She then worked in advertising and newspapers, and attended the Rice University Publishing Program. A post-university trip to England, however, cemented a life-long passion for Britain, and she later immigrated to the UK with her first husband, Peter Crombie, a Scot, living first in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then in Chester, England.
After returning to Dallas and working for several years in her family business (manufacturer’s reps for theatre concessions) while raising her daughter Kayti, she wrote her first Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid/Sergeant Gemma James novel. A Share in Death [Scribner, 1993], was subsequently given Agatha and Macavity nominations for Best First Novel of 1993. The fifth novel, Dreaming of the Bones(Scribner 1997), a New York Times Notable Book for 1997, was short-listed by Mystery Writers of America for the 1997 Edgar Award for Best Novel, won the Macavity award for Best Novel, and was voted by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association as one of the hundred best mysteries of the century. Her subsequent novels have been received with critical acclaim and are widely read internationally, particularly in Germany.
In 2009, Where Memories Lie won the Macacity Award for Best Novel. In 2010, Necessary as Blood received a Macavity nomination for Best Novel.
Crombie's novels are published in North America, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Romania, Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and numerous other countries.. The latest novel in the series, No Mark Upon Her, will be published in August, 2011 by Pan Macmillan in the UK, and in February, 2012 by William Morrow in the US.
Although she travels to England several times a year, Crombie now lives in McKinney, Texas, an historic town north of Dallas, sharing a 1905 house with her husband, Rick Wilson, two German shepherds (Hallie and Neela), and three cats. She is currently working on her fifteenth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novel, as yet untitled.
Awards, Honors, Achievements and Recognition
Necessary as Blood
New York Times Extended Best Seller
April, 2010, #3 Bestseller in Germany
Macavity nomination for Best Novel
Where Memories Lie
April, 2009, German Best Seller List
Won 2009 Macavity Award for Best Novel
Water Like a Stone
April, 2007, hits #3 on the German Best Seller List
In a Dark House
July-August, 2005, the newly published Goldman edition of In a Dark House hits the German Best Seller List
Dreaming of the Bones
Edgar award nomination by Mystery Writers of America for Best Novel in 1997
Macavity award, Best Novel
New York Times Book of the Year, 1997
One of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century according to the Independent Mystery Booksellers of America
A Share in Death
Agatha nomination for Best First Novel of 1993
Macavity nomination for Best First Novel of 1993
Other Recognition
Deborah has been a frequent, featured speaker at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, and Austin College, where she serves on the President’s Advisory Council.
In 2004, Deborah was nominated by the Romantic Times for a 2004 Career Achievement Award, Mystery & Suspense series.
In 2003, Deborah was acknowledged as a Distinguished Alumna by Austin College President Oscar C. Page.
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy funds the development of innovative family literacy projects in which parents and their children can learn and read together, and which provide parents with the skills they need to be their children’s “first teachers”. Mrs. Bush personally asked Deborah to participate in a Dallas literary fundraising event, requesting that she read an excerpt from one of her books. Deborah read from her most acclaimed book, Dreaming Of The Bones.
A Share in Death (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #1)
All Shall Be Well (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #2)
Leave the Grave Green (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #3)
Mourn Not Your Dead (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #4)
Dreaming of the Bones (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #5)
Kissed a Sad Goodbye (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #6)
A Finer End (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #7)
And Justice There Is None (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #8)
Now May You Weep (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #9)
In a Dark House (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #10)
Water like a Stone (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #11)
Where Memories Lie (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #12)
Necessary as Blood (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #13)
No Mark upon Her (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #14)
February 3rd, 2012
We're gearing up for the US launch of NO MARK UPON HER, the 14th Kincaid/James novel, on February 7th! The book is getting fabulous reviews and early reader response, and there's lots of buzz on Facebook and Twitter and blogs. My fellow Jungle Red bloggers have been my very own booster team--our motto is "One for all and all for one!"--and I can't thank them enough.
All the team at William Morrow have been wonderful--a writer couldn't ask for better.
Now the very best part--starting next Tuesday, I get to go out and talk to my favorite people, READERS! Please come see me if I'll be appearing near you in the next few months.
And most of all, enjoy the book!
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Laura Hartman Maestro, Deborah Crombie and Laura Hartman Maestro began collaborating on illustrated maps for the series novels in 1999. Laura’s illustrations have graced seven inside covers of Deborah’s books: Necessary as Blood, Where Memories Lie, Water Like a Stone, In A Dark House, Now May You Weep, A Finer End , andKissed A Sad Goodbye.
The map for the upcoming No Mark Upon Her will undoubtedly be the best yet!
Before the first drop of ink touches the paper, Deborah sends Laura an advance copy of the manuscript tagged with suggestions for emphasis, maps of the area, and photographs of recognizable landmarks that are featured prominently in the book.
After conferring with Deborah, Laura submits a preliminary pencil drawing. Because Laura draws the maps by hand, rather than digitally, she takes great care in the preparation of the illustration. Once Deborah reviews the penciled illustration and they discuss the final details, Laura begins the ink version. The creation of these charming maps takes about three weeks.
With the help of Laura’s maps, readers have retraced Duncan and Gemma’s footsteps throughout the environs of east, south, and west London, Glastonbury, the Scottish Highlands, Cheshire, and now Henley-on-Thames, visiting the scenes of the crimes and the landmarks that figure prominently in the books . |
Why did you choose to write murder mysteries instead of thrillers, romances, historical fiction or some other genre?
If I were tempted by any other genre it would probably be historical fiction, as I am fascinated by the period detail and manner in which characters are influenced by events and circumstances. I love to read fantasy, but don’t think I possess the talent for world-building that top-notch fantasy requires. And while I enjoy reading a well written romance, I think I would find the restrictions of the genre too limited – you know the hero and heroine will get together in the end, no matter what else happens. Although one expects a resolution of the crime in a mystery, that resolution can come in surprisingly different ways.
Is writing a craft or a passion for you?
Both. The research and plotting is very much left-brained, a very logical process, and one that I think can be learned. The actual writing, the flow of words, description, dialogue—all of these are right-brained. That’s where the passion comes in. When writing is going well, it’s like being plugged into a cosmic socket. There’s no other experience that compares with it.
What motivates you to write?
Many things. I have an insatiable curiosity about people. I wonder what makes them tick, what their lives are like. Although I was certainly no child prodigy in the manner of JK Rowling, I can remember looking in lighted windows at night as a child and making up stories about the unknown inhabitants. Then there’s Britain itself, an endless source of inspiration for me. There are always places I want to inhabit in my imagination.
And then there are the words themselves, the addictive process of putting words on paper (or screen, as the case may be) of language unfolding.
Oh, and it does pay the bills!
Who has fostered your career and encouraged you?
My late uncle, the Texas writer and historian A.C. Greene, always encouraged my writing efforts, even my adolescent attempts at poetry, and he was extremely proud of my success as a writer.
And the late Warren Norwood, my friend and first real writing teacher, who taught me the business, honed my craft, and even more importantly, helped me believe that my writing had potential.
How much time do you spend researching each novel before you begin writing it? And how much time do you spend in Britain doing background research for each book?
I usually go to Britain two to three times during the course of a book. I’ve chosen the setting when I make the first trip, so I use that time to survey the area, take photos and notes, acquire research materials (I usually buy so many books I have to ship them home) and generally get the feel for the book. Once home, I spend several months researching, plotting and outlining. Then, when I’ve actually made a good start on writing, I need to make at least one more visit to check details I know I will need in the now-outlined plot and absorbing a bit more atmosphere. And these days I try to block out writing time in the UK as well.
When you begin writing each book, do you know what the characters, or at least the two main characters, are going to do in the plot? Does the finished book differ from the original plot?
As far as the continuing characters are concerned, I have a story arc in mind that spans a couple of books, so I usually know a book or two in advance what will happen in their lives, but there are always surprises. When I started the series, for instance, I didn’t know that Gemma and Duncan would become romantically involved, although I think the possibility had begun to dawn on me by the end of the first book, and certainly by the end of the second book. I also didn’t know that Kincaid had a son by his first wife, and that has been one of the most interesting developments of the series.
With the characters in each specific book, I usually know what I intend them to do from the very beginning. That said, some have developed in unexpected ways, so that by the end of the book I've found it necessary to change the plot to accommodate those changes. And some of my minor characters have been known to run away with things, which is always great fun.
Where do you get the names for your characters?
I often watch the credits on British television shows and movies. I never borrow a name in its entirety, however, but mix and match different first and last names. Sometimes I really struggle to name a character, changing the name several times in the course of book until it feels right; sometimes they seem to name themselves without any effort on my part.
Are the characters in your books patterned after people you know, people you have met or are they constructed entirely in your imagination?
A little of all of the above. Some from my imagination, others from people I have met or read about, or jobs and settings that friends and acquaintances have talked about. Sometimes it's like sitting in the airport and creating a short biographical sketch of the people who are walking by.
Many of your books are available as audio recordings. How do you choose the reader?
I don’t personally choose the reader, but in the US, Michael Deehy’s narration on the BBC Audio Books America recordings is wonderful, as is Jenny Sterlin's for Recorded Books. In the UK the books have been narrated by Christopher Kay, Jenny Sterlin, and Gordon Griffin forHowes Audio. All the narrators do a terrific job of creating all the different and distinct characters.
Your books are well known for their accurate descriptions of British police procedure. How did you learn so much about that subject?
I have several British police friends who are kind enough to answer my questions. Also, my husband is a former police officer, and a friend in my writer’s group is a police officer, so they are always happy to correct me! Actual crime scene and investigative procedure doesn’t vary all that much from one country to another.
How many languages have your books been translated into?
The Kincaid/James series has been published in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Romania, Norway, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Spain, and the United Kingdom, in addition to the United States. .
What is the order in which the books have been published?
Necessary as Blood, 2009 (October)
Where Memories Lie, 2008
Water Like a Stone, 2007
In a Dark House, 2004
Now May You Weep, 2003
And Justice There is None, 2002
A Finer End, 2001
Kissed a Sad Goodbye, 1999
Dreaming of the Bones, 1997
Mourn Not Your Dead, 1996
Leave the Grave Green, 1995
All Shall Be Well, 1994
Share in Death, 1993
Do you have a favorite book among those you have written? If so, what makes it your favorite?
That’s a very tough question. That's a bit like asking a parent to choose between children. Every book represents at least a year of my life, and an exploration into new and interesting territory. There are all special in different ways.
With a series of 14 books, how do you keep all the facts, events and characters straight?
I have to admit it's getting more difficult. When I start to name a character in a new book, I have to think back to see if I've already used the name. In the upcoming No Mark Upon Her, I find I'm revisiting Henley and environs, the setting of parts of the third book, Leave the Grave Green.
How long does it take to you write a book?
Longer than anyone would like. I try to finish a book in a year, but I think over the life of the series I've averaged between twelve to fifteen months. I would love the luxury of taking two or three years on a book because it's hard to squeeze in the research time, trips to England, publicizing the current book, and the writing process. Unfortunately – or fortunately – my books are now almost twice the length they were in the beginning, but still must be written in the same amount of time, or less.
Do you write whenever you feel like it or do you adhere to a schedule?
For me, writing a book is like training for a marathon. In the early stages I spend more time reading, plotting and researching, so that an hour or two a day of actual writing is a good day. As the book gains momentum, I write longer and longer hours, until near the end I might write as much as twelve or fourteen hours a day. That's grueling, but also exhilarating, because at that point I'm so immersed in the story that I eat, sleep, and breathe it.
Where do you write?
I have an office at home--in fact I have two offices--but often find myself writing in the kitchen or the sunporch. Very bad habits, and hard on my back. But I carry my laptop around the house, and it's easy to just start in on something in the kitchen while finishing a post-breakfast cup of tea, and before I know it half the day is gone. I also like writing in cafes and coffee shops. I find the white noise and activity stimulating. It's a way to block out distractions--or at least other obligations--because with free wi-fi and smart phones the internet is never far away.
Do you use a computer or write by hand or both?
I carry a notebook with me, especially in London, but much prefer the keyboard. I can type faster than I think (I suspect this means I don't think very fast) while my handwriting is dreadful. Still, in a pinch, anything that gets the words down will work. And I have lately become addicted to fountain pens and Paperblanks notebooks, so that makes writing by hand a bit more appealing. Now, if I could just get a little notebook-size laptop for carrying around London . . .
No Mark upon Her (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #14)
Overview
New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie makes her mark with this absorbing, finely hued tale of suspense—a deeply atmospheric and twisting mystery full of deadly secrets, salacious lies, and unexpected betrayals involving the mysterious drowning of a Met detective—an accomplished rower—on the Thames.
When a K9 search-and-rescue team discovers a woman's body tangled up with debris in the river, Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid finds himself heading an investigation fraught with complications. The victim, Rebecca Meredith, was a talented but difficult woman with many admirers—and just as many enemies. An Olympic contender on the verge of a controversial comeback, she was also a high-ranking detective with the Met—a fact that raises a host of political and ethical issues in an already sensitive case.
To further complicate the situation, a separate investigation, led by Detective Inspector Gemma James, Kincaid's wife, soon reveals a disturbing—and possibly related—series of crimes, widening the field of suspects. But when someone tries to kill the search-and-rescue team member who found Rebecca's body, the case becomes even more complex and dangerous, involving powerful interests with tentacles that reach deep into the heart of the Met itself.
Surrounded by enemies with friendly faces, pressured to find answers quickly while protecting the Yard at all costs, his career and reputation on the line, Kincaid must race to catch the killer before more innocent lives are lost—including his own.
