Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Margie Gosa Shivers who is an author, publisher, fulltime administrator, parent and grandparent. Margie is the author of Anonymity: A Tale of Suspense, Seduction and Revenge and Once Is Never Enough.

Good day Margie and thanks for participating in our interview.

Margie can you tell us something about yourself and what motivated you to become an author?

Margie:

First, I want to thank you so much Norm for your time and interest to interview me.   In addition to being a writer and publisher, I’m the general manager for Trinity Senior Housing Corporations which operates two HUD funded low-income senior housing projects.   I’m 59, straight and happily-single.  My biggest achievement in life has been to witness my adult son grow, learn and prosper in life.  He and my daughter-in-law gifted me with four beautiful grandchildren ages 15, 13, 10 and 7.

My motivation to pen fiction stemmed from my need to express myself using a creative imagination which I’ve possessed since the age of 5 growing up in Greenwood, MS.   The idea struck me at the age of 27 soon after coming to Chicago.  To begin the process, I actually wrote a story – 7 chapters about the struggles of a family from Mound Bayou, the all-black city in Mississippi.  The story had a great beginning but I soon realized that without a premise, I could on and on without an ending.  Newly divorced, and a single mother of a six-year old son, neither did I have the resources (time and money) to enroll in creative writing courses, I put the passion aside until I turned 48 years old in order to pursue more education and establish a viable career to support us.  But I vowed to someday write and achieve my dream.

Norm:

What is the difference, if any, between a “mystery” and a “thriller?”

Margie:

Generally speaking, in a mystery, the reader is presented with a puzzle to be solved.  You see the crime, but don’t know who committed it.  Suspects and clues are gradually revealed and the reader is hopefully engaged in a race to see if he or she can figure out the evil one.    In a thriller, everything is laid out at the beginning and the reader hangs on to see who will win in the end.  They’re both exciting genres to write and read.

Norm:

As a follow up, is it necessary to distinguish the mystery novel from other genres?  Also, are there mystery sub-genres and if so please briefly describe them.

Margie:

As a reader, I think it’s very important to do so.  Simply because mysteries have proliferated into many types or genres over the years; not everyone who loves a mystery likes one genre.  Some readers are highly selective in their purchasing decisions.  Early on as a child reading under the covers with a flashlight, I soon gravitated from nursery rhymes and mother goose stories to Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie books and television movies based on their books.  I loved reading mysteries so much that I became hooked enough to write one.  As time passed, my favorites became books from the likes of James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark, Nora Roberts, Walter Mosley and others.  If you know what you like to read, having the resources to distinguish between tons of mystery books is extremely important.  And, so there it is, I buy what I like to read.

There are several genres and among them include:  P.I. (sleuth type with a private investigator as the protagonist); Hard Boiled (noir detective, i.e., Sherlock Holmes); Cozies (local sleuth who is someone from the local setting or locale and not necessarily a professional trained investigator);

Amateur Sleuth (not a law enforcement person but someone who has an established, interesting and engaging profession); Police Procedural (law enforcement professionals, i.e., detectives,).

Norm:

Why when writing a mystery novel is research and fast-checking important?

Margie:

If the plot setting is based on a real place, we risk losing readers if information is inaccurate or if characters based on real life models are portrayed incorrectly.  I advise talking with local police officials and other people who can provide factual information.  Call and introduce yourself as a writer.  If you’re lucky, much information can be obtained through pre-arranged visits.  A great deal of my research relative to the setting of my books (Chicago) was found on the Internet.  It’s a quick and easy resource to find what you need.

Norm

In your estimate what would you consider the most important elements in crafting and creating a successful mystery novel?

Margie:

Character and plot development, Goals and motivation of the characters, Setting, Tone, Dialogue and Pacing the scenes to keep the suspense raging

When I start a novel, I begin with Plot development because it’s essential for me (given the way I write) to build a blueprint-of-an idea to work with.  Soon after, it’s on determining who or how many people are needed to do the work of the plot.  The first characters that I create and develop full blown personalities for are the hero and the villain.  From there, all others deemed necessary to help portray the storyline are dealt with.  Admittedly, it does me a little longer to work with the remaining characters.  Often times I change something about them to the fit the bill or I will eliminate a character if he or she does not contribute to the plot in any manner. 

Norm:

Why is character so important and how did you go about creating the character of Lester Miller in Once Is Never Enough?

Margie:

Lester Miller, a Chicago homicide detective is the main character.  Though his character wasn’t fully developed, he played a supporting role to Cara Fleming, the heroine in my debut novel Anonymity: A Tale of Suspense, Seduction and Revenge.  Further development of his character was easy in that I visualized composites of good and bad traits of a typical male and I gave him a compelling backstory – one that readers of the first book wasn’t aware of.  In the process, it became rather easy to further imagine this man as far as who he was, his goals, motivations and ultimate plight. 

Norm:

How did you go about creating the secondary characters in Once Is Never Enough?

Margie:

Several characters from Anonymity: A Tale of Suspense, Seduction and Revenge, returned in Once Is Never Enough.  They were already developed only now, readers get to know more about them.  A few new characters were introduced.  I started the creation process for them by completing an interview chart which helped to reveal basic information such as name, age, physical makeup, employment or profession, good and bad traits, etc.   They all play an integral role in driving home the plot and with a satisfying ending. 

Norm:

Which do you prefer, writing in the first or third person?

Margie:

Both.  In the future, determining voice will depend on the type of book I will write. 

Norm:

How much reading do you do of other mystery writers and how do you use their writing to improve upon your own?

Margie:

Not much, due to time constraints of being employed fulltime, writing and handling all tasks associated with operating my publishing company, marketing and promoting my work.  Yet, I manage to read one good mystery in various sub-genres once a month.  I have at least seven newly purchased books placed on the shelf above my computer that I can only stare at until I break down and decide it’s time to read someone’s work.  <lol>

Besides enjoying a great book, reading other mystery writers helped me to learn how to plot and pace a story, and the significance of dialogue – the role that it plays in moving a storyline forward in direct relation to the plot and to keep the suspense flowing.

Norm:

How does one develop his or her skills to become a published mystery writer?

Margie:

A good question.  I brought to the table, skills from my professional career and training in Education and Management:  creativity, planning, people and organizational management, knowledge of budget and finance, bookkeeping, and the love to write.  Before embarking upon a career to write fiction, I wrote operational and personnel manuals and I developed operational forms for child care and senior housing programs.  Writing in some form has always been my passion.  My love for mysteries spurred my desire to write in this genre.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Margie Gosa Shivers?

Margie:

To anyone struggling with knowing what they are on this earth do, I’d like to share a bit of advice.   It’s essential to find out who we are and what our mission in life is, if we are to have a purposeful and fulfilled life.  As a child growing up in the South, I knew that I wanted to be somebody, except I didn’t have a clear picture of the “what”, “how” and the “when”.  Nevertheless, I had the motivational drive to work hard and achieve.  When I finally discovered my purpose in life; the vision and a sense of direction for how to travel the roads less traveled to get there, was realized.  Yes, writing is a profound passion of mine; but a larger passion is to positively affect the lives of people around me and to always lend a helping hand to someone, anyone who needs it.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

To read Norm's Review of Once Is Never Enough CLICK HERE