I decided it was more important to write what I’d like to read, rather than what I thought would impress people I thought mattered (they don’t). I write to have fun, and so my readers can have some fun, too.
Ellen Behrens – 14 November 2020
The Back Flap
A rustic campground in the shadows of Arizona’s Superstition Mountains is anything but peaceful for Walt and Betty Rollin, full-time RVers hoping for tranquil hiking and a good deal on a new RV. What they find instead are secrets buried deeper than the Lost Dutchman’s legendary treasure… secrets so valuable someone is willing to kill to keep them. Local law enforcement seems unable to help, leaving Walt and Betty to do all they can–no matter what it takes.
This is the third installment in the Rollin RV Mystery series which RVers and non-RVers alike have called “page-turning,” “engrossing,” and their favorite way to stay up past bedtime.
About the book
What is the book about?
In Superstition Victim, Walt and Betty Rollin, retirees who travel and live in their RV, are staying outside Phoenix where they’re shopping for a new rig. But in this third installment of the Rollin RV Mystery series, dealing with obnoxious salespeople is the least of their troubles. When a body is found in a trailer camped near their fifth wheel and another neighbor goes missing, Walt and Betty are compelled to do what they can to help, despite the danger. They’ll break a few laws, make a few enemies, and wonder if they’ll ever get another chance to peacefully hike the nearby Superstition Mountains.
When did you start writing the book?
Several years ago my husband and I were shopping for a new recreational vehicle only to run into a salesman much like the one depicted in the first chapter. When he told us to get off his dealership lot, I raged for a day or so, then decided to do what novelists do: put him in a book! I was working on an earlier Rollin RV Mystery at the time, so I had to wait until it was time for Walt and Betty to get a new RV to write this one.
How long did it take you to write it?
I’m a slow writer because, like Walt and Betty, my husband and I are full-time RVers, traveling the country all the time. It’s hard to say no to hiking in the mountains among the elk and deer (and bears!) in Montana, watching the harbor seals on the Oregon coast, or doing things other than writing. Revision and proofing take awhile, too. Overall, I worked on this book for about eighteen months.
Where did you get the idea from?
The opening came from the nasty salesman we met, as I mentioned earlier. The rest of the plot came from several stories I’d heard about what RVers were experiencing in buying, selling, and renting their RVs.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Who was it who said if an author says it was easy to write the book they’re lying? Anyway, that’s true for me. I’ve read so many books that I want to make sure my readers get something unexpected—to experience a bit of a different lifestyle, and to get a mystery that isn’t the usual drill. All of that takes time to invent, then more time to make the pieces fit!
What came easily?
The easiest parts for me to write are always the descriptions involving the RV lifestyle. Plus, I love Walt and Betty’s relationship, which comes across (I hope!) pretty true to other happy couples who’ve been together many years—contented but with a bit of tension here and there.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Characters in my books are always a mash-up of real and imaginary characteristics. Walt is very close to my husband, which is probably why I have such a hard time putting Walt into danger in any of these books…. I’d hate for anything bad to happen to him!
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
How much space can you spare for this answer? 😉 I have pretty broad tastes: from Toni Morrison to Janet Evanovich to Carl Hiaasen to Julia Keller to nonfiction (history and natural history to biography). I get something from everything. Morrison and Keller teach me the importance of beautiful sentences, of selecting the best words. Evanovich and Hiassen remind me of the importance of keeping it light. These are just a few—I’m sure I’m missing someone!
Do you have a target reader?
Many of my readers are fellow RVers, but I’ve found that others have gotten into Walt and Betty’s adventures as well. Anyone who loves a good mystery would fit my ideal target reader.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I follow the process I’ve been recommending to beginning writers and students (now former students) of mine:
Write the draft: get it all out. Then revise it: shape it, hone it. Revise it again and maybe again. Then edit it. Proofread it. Read it out loud. Proofread it again. Polish it. Make it shine.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I used to outline, but by the time I wrote the outline I felt I’d written the fun out of the project. Now I do mind mapping. I’m no artist (despite both of my parents being artists), but I can make little caricatures and basic things, so I draw my ideas. Using pictures keeps me from using the words before I’m ready and helps me visualize things.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Both! It’s hard not to keep tweaking the story as I go along; sometimes I make a change that’s so significant I go back and revise so I can remember my train of thought. Writing mysteries, for me, has been a much more recursive process than writing other fiction. I do more edits and proofreading after I think I’ve finished as well, so I end up going completely through the book several times before I consider it ready for publication.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I should say yes, but the truth is I edit myself. I’m a long-published author, have an MFA in Creative Writing, and quite honestly would rather risk what I might miss than hand my manuscript over to some of the editors whose work I’ve seen in other books…. Call me an editing snob, that’s okay 🙂
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Sometimes, but usually I don’t. When I do listen, I opt for instrumental music or something that fits the mood of what I’m writing at the moment.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No. I thought about it but since my husband and I are on the road I don’t want to be tied to any schedule except the one we make. Agents tend to have deadlines and I didn’t want to be obligated to meet them.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
My first novel, None But the Dead and Dying, was traditionally published back in the 1990s. I learned a lot from that experience and though I thought about going that route for my Rollin RV Mystery series, I decided pretty quickly to self-publish, for the same reasons I decided not to get an agent: deadlines. I can write and publish on my own schedule this way.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I did it myself. There’s a lot of value in getting one professionally done, but I wanted to own everything about the book: the images (I use photos I’ve taken in the places the books are set; my husband takes the author photos for the back covers of the printed versions) and design are mine alone; no one can someday come out of the woodwork saying I used their property without permission or that I owe them something. (Just a touch of paranoia goes a long way, doesn’t it?)
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I have a marketing plan – and so far it’s working 🙂 I used to wing it but the last few years I decided to be a little more organized about getting the word out about my books. And I’m writing a nonfiction guidebook filled with some hidden markets I’ve discovered in the process.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Learn everything you can about how self-publishing works. There are some wonderful books to read and blogs to follow on the subject. People who venture into self-publishing without knowing what they’re doing can end up paying for it in unexpected ways (Internet forums are filled with sad stories).
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small Ohio town in a neighborhood filled with kids my age, where we walked to and from school (yes, in snow and rain!), rode our bikes all over town and generally had a terrific time.
Where do you live now?
Everywhere! We live and travel in a Class C motorhome (the kind with the truck front end and the RV built on the chassis) and pull a Jeep behind us. We follow good weather, avoiding snow and wildfire smoke whenever possible. We’ve been doing this for nearly twelve years and every day is an adventure!
What would you like readers to know about you?
I kept writing, even when some people said I should give it up, and I eventually got good reviews from places like the New York Times Book Review. But in the long run, I decided it was more important to write what I’d like to read, rather than what I thought would impress people I thought mattered (they don’t). I write to have fun, and so my readers can have some fun, too.
What are you working on now?
While the next Rollin RV Mystery marinates in my head, I’m finishing the draft of a couple of nonfiction books. One will be on how to read to help your writing. There are a few books on that topic out there, but they’re sort of highbrow. This will be a practical how-to guide. The other book is the one I mentioned – about uncovering some hidden resources for marketing books. That one will probably be available for free, with one version for marketing nonfiction books and the other for novelists.
Thank you for this opportunity!
End of Interview:
Get your copy of Superstition Victim from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
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