Ramona Richards Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?  

A. I’m a cliché. I’ve been writing since I was a kid. I sold my first article at 18. I’ve mostly worked in publishing since 1981, primarily as an editor and writer, although I’ve also worked in a bookstore and in a press room. My non-publishing jobs include two summers at Opryland (the theme park), some temp office work, and several months in the sales and catering office of a Hyatt Regency.

Q: Do you write in only one genre and if so which one and why? If not, which ones and why?

A: I’ve had six romantic suspense novels published, but I’ve also written devotionals and non-fiction. I’m working on a women’s fiction novel at the moment. But I always seem to come up with new ways to dispose of a body.

Q: How does your faith play into your writing? 

A. I’m a Christian. It’s how I see the world. I’m not sure I could write from a non-believer’s point of view. So it finds a way in, even if I didn’t want it to.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?

A.  Depends on the idea. My last three books are about three sisters in Tennessee, and the first one, FIELD OF DANGER started with a murder in a corn field. Made sense for me to choose a farming community that I knew something about.

Q:  Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?

A: A little of both. I assemble characters carefully and thoroughly before I start a book, and they tend to be a conglomeration of traits gathered from people I know as well as characteristics I need to make the story work.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release MEMORY OF MURDER? 

A: A botched kidnapping leave both Lindsey Presley and Deputy Jeff Gage injured—and with the lingering question: “Why does someone want Lindsey dead?” When evidence from the kidnapping leads nowhere, they dig deeper . . . into memories from her childhood Lindsey would prefer never to remember. Memories of an unsolved murder—a cold case they must solve if they want to keep Lindsey alive.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for MEMORY OF MURDER?

A: It was loosely inspired by a local case here in Tennessee, but layered on top of it is the idea of how unreliable memory can be. I started telling stories as a kid, and some of them have become embedded in my memory as events. My mother and I have been going through some of them recently, to see which ones really happened and which ones I made up!

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A:  That your past may influence who you are now, but it doesn’t have to dictate your future. We have choices, and as believers, we have grace and forgiveness.

Q: Tell us what you like about the main characters of this book.

A: I love them both! I like Lindsey’s sense of perseverance and her desire to work hard for her dreams. I really like Jeff’s sense of family and self-sacrifice. He has a great heart and is a good man. He’s also really cute.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?  

A. The current book is about a woman, Molly, who’s spent twenty years avoiding owning many possessions because she feels love of “stuff” destroyed her family and killed her mother. Then, out of the blue, she inherits her aunt’s estate. The aunt who was a hoarder. Taking on the task of getting rid of all the stuff in the house turns Molly’s world upside down.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?  

A. I would take an extended trip to Dominica for a diving and hiking vacation. It’s one of the best diving locations in the Caribbean.

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?  

A. Well…so far today, I’ve… I do silly things every day. Sometimes they even show up on Facebook.

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done? 

A. Move my daughter in with Phyllis, who is co-conservator with me for Rachel’s care. Rachel is disabled, so letting her go took a lot out of me. But it was a great move for her and Phyllis both. They’re best friends.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? 

A. www.ramonarichards.com as well as @RamonaRichards on Twitter, and https://www.facebook.com/ramona.richards

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?  

A. Love life. Love God. The writing flows from that.