Susan Calder on Deadly Fall
Author Interviews Friday, September 16th, 2011
About Deadly Fall
Book Club Buddy: What do you think readers will find most notable about this book?
Susan Calder: Readers might find themselves as interested in the personal story as they are in the mystery. This could be why several people have told me they don’t generally read mysteries or like them, but they really liked Deadly Fall. Many readers have said they like Paula, my protagonist; they find her a strong character and want to continue to share her adventures in future books.
BCB: Have you acquired any good anecdotes surrounding this book? If so, could you share one?
Susan Calder: I was in Australia when I got the call about publishing Deadly Fall. Word first arrived in an e-mail from my sister, who was looking after my Calgary house. She found a phone message from TouchWood, asking me to phone them. It was Easter weekend and between the holiday, the time difference and my upcoming trip to the outback, it was hard to find a time to contact TouchWood during their business hours. I reached them via e-mail from my motel in remote Alice Springs. We agreed I would phone the next morning before setting out my camping tour. I asked the motel clerk how to make an international call. “I don’t know,” she said. “”No one’s ever asked before.”
In the morning, I followed the phone book instructions. The call didn’t work. I went out to a pay phone. Still didn’t work. Back in my room, I discovered I’d read the instructions incorrectly and got the call through. TouchWood made an offer to publish; I accepted and caught my bus for the trip. I had three weeks left in Australia. Being so far away, the notion my book would finally be published felt unreal. When I got home, I played the original phone message. TouchWood had called late Friday afternoon. Would I have been home and spent Easter weekend celebrating? Or would have I have been out and had a weekend of delicious anticipation? I feel I missed the thrill of the moment. This happened a year and half ago and I still haven’t erased that phone message.
BCB: Did researching and writing this book teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?
Susan Calder: I learned a lot about the police. For years, I stayed away from writing mysteries partly because I have no police background, no one close to me has worked for the police and I didn’t feel a connection to police officers or their work. Even though I planned to write an amateur sleuth mystery, I wanted the police involvement to be as realistic as possible. When a mystery writing group started up in Calgary, I took the plunge into writing a mystery. Mystery Writers INK featured monthly speakers that included homicide detectives, a crime scene investigator, a former undercover cop and RCMP officers. Through INK, I learned about the Calgary Citizens’ Police Academy and signed up for this 14 week program. We had power point demonstrations from members of different police departments and visited the canine unit, the tactical team and the dispatch centre. I gained new respect for the police and now feel policing would be an interesting, varied and meaningful career for someone suited to the work (this is not me).
BCB: What would you most like readers to tell others about this book?
Susan Calder: I would like readers to say they enjoyed Deadly Fall, it held their interest to the end and they engaged with the characters, especially Paula. It’s a bonus if they add other positives, such as good writing, dry humour or terrific sex scene.
BCB: Can you suggest one question readers might find interesting to discuss, concerning you, your writing in general, or in Deadly Fall?
Susan Calder: How can you trust anyone, when you can never fully know another person’s inner life?
BCB: How can readers help you promote this book?
Susan Calder: Readers who liked Deadly Fall could recommend it to others, loan them their copy or give the book as a gift to a relative or friend. They could buy it from their local independent bookstore, which might prompt the store to order extra copies, ask their local library to order it or select it for their book club.
About You
BCB: Why do you write?
Susan Calder: I enjoy imagining people and making up stories about them, featuring all my fantasies, both positive and negative. It’s a grownup version of my favourite childhood activities: playing with dolls and paper dolls and acting out stories. I also write to make sense of my experience. In real life, horrible, painful and random things happen and I can’t do anything about them. By shaping the material into a story, I can set the world right or, at least, create meaning for my experience and share it with others.
BCB: What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Susan Calder: The most frequent compliment I get for Deadly Fall is “It’s a page turner; I couldn’t put it down.” This leads me to think my strength is engaging readers in the story and characters. I believe much of this comes from dialogue that reveals character and moves the action forward.
BCB: What quality do you most value in yourself?
Susan Calder: Most of the time I’m open minded and tend to see many sides of the picture, but now and then, when someone attacks me or someone or something I believe in to the core, I dig in my heels and fight. I’m always startled when this happens because it feels so out of character. I draw on this corner of myself for my protagonist, Paula, who’s quick to think she’s the only one who’s right.
BCB: In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?
Susan Calder: I love travel and would do more if it didn’t conflict with my passion for writing. I haven’t managed to mesh the two. My first published pieces were travel features, but I soon shifted to my greater interest: fiction. So far, I’ve preferred to set my fiction in places I’ve lived in and know intimately, rather than the ones I visit. While travelling, I don’t write, except in travel journals, because I want to get out and experience the place.
BCB: What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
Susan Calder: In my writing life, I’m most proud of my perseverance. I started writing twenty years ago, expecting to have a book published in a couple of years. That didn’t happen. Instead, I struggled with stories, took courses and joined writing groups. Along the way, I received some encouragement – a short story or poem published; praise from a senior writer – but far more criticism and rejection. Even after Deadly Fall was finished, it took three years, over 40 query letters to publishers and agents and many contest flops before a publisher accepted the book. If I’d had any sense, I would have given up years ago – I’m glad I didn’t.
Read more about Deadly Fall
Visit Susan at www.susancalder.com
Meet Susan on Facebook, Follow her on Twitter @Calbugs
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