Julianna Deering Interview

Q: How did you get your start writing fiction and what genre do you predominantly write in?

A:  I actually started writing because I wasn’t finding the kind of story I wanted to read. I began by writing little scenes that interested me and finally put them all together in a book. By then, I really had the writing bug and couldn’t stop. I started with romance, but now I mostly write cozy mystery: historicals as Julianna Deering and contemporaries as DeAnna Julie Dodson. I’d like to do romance again though. I don’t get to put enough in my mysteries.

Q: What does your writing space look like?

A:  Mostly it has bookshelves that are stuffed with books, with more books stacked on every available surface. Besides that, I have files for projects I’m working on for stories, for my day job, and for my personal business (bills, etc.). I need to pull everything out of here and throw out what I no longer need. Someday.

Q: What part of a writing career do you find most difficult?

A:  Right now it’s scheduling. Besides my historical books (the Drew Farthering Mysteries), I write contemporary cozies for two different publishers. I have to be very careful with scheduling and deadlines so I don’t get myself into a bind.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Death at Thorburn Hall?

A: Certainly! Drew and Madeline go up to Scotland to see the British Open and, of course, find a mystery to solve. Their host’s accidental death ends up being not so accidental. The man’s widow might be hiding an affair. His business partner might be an embezzler. One of the other guests could be a conman. It’s possible there are even Nazi spies on the loose. In the middle of all this, Drew has to find the truth with only Madeline and love-besotted Nick to help him.

Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least?

A: I love spending time with Drew and Madeline, and that’s probably the most fun in writing every book in this series. This book, though, has the return of Nick’s love, Carrie. Nick and Carrie have had their share of crosses to bear in their relationship, and I was glad to give them one last chance to finally work things out. What was the worst part? As always, it’s very difficult to make a mystery timeline work properly. You’re really dealing with two timelines simultaneously: what seems to be happening and what is actually happening behind the scenes. Of course, there’s nothing so satisfying as finally getting the two parts to work seamlessly together. It’s like solving a puzzle.

Q: What is the main theme or spiritual message of this book?

A: After what has happened to Carrie in previous books, especially in Dressed for Death, she is having trouble with the idea of Nick helping Drew with criminal investigations, specifically the danger that puts them both in. She finally has to learn that she can’t let fear paralyze her. She has to trust God to protect her and those she loves and to guide her the way she should go, as we all should.

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

A:  I’m writing a contemporary mystery called Water Flows Uphill. It’s set on Martha’s Vineyard. The series main character is an older woman who solves mysteries. In this book, she believes a newcomer to the island is pretending to have a romantic interest in her cousin in order to cover up his smuggling activities, but how he’s doing the smuggling and what he’s actually bringing in are not easy to discover.

Q: If you could have dinner with 2 people, who would they be?

A:  Hmmm, I suppose you mean famous people, actual human people alive right now? I’m not much of a celebrity chaser, but I suppose I could be persuaded to spend the dinner hour with Richard Armitage and Aidan Turner. I probably would say a word and I know I couldn’t eat a thing, but the view would be delicious. Actually, though, I’d love to talk to them about acting and movie making. That has always fascinated me. In fact, I started writing because I really wanted to direct, but pencil and paper were much cheaper than actors, costumes and sets.

Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?

A:  I love to quilt, especially if the quilt has hand applique. A very close second is embroidery and cross stitch. I just wish I had more time to sew.

Q: What is the most rewarding thing you have ever done?

A:  Becoming a Christian is first by a mile. But if you mean an accomplishment of my own, I think it was getting that first book completed after 11 1/2 years and then, to my astonishment, getting it sold to a real publisher.