An Interview with Joyce Krieg,
Pacific Grove, CA resident and author of Murder Off Mike
Winner of the St. Martins First Novel Contest
Joyce Krieg's enthusiasm for writing and writers was evident early in our conversation. Her message to the unpublished: Don't give up, no matter what. Don't scare yourself. Join a writer's group. Joyce recalled her first productive writing group was a spin off from one that met at the Thunderbird Book Store in Carmel. She advises finding one that works for you and sticking with it because it'll keep you writing on schedule as well as reading and critiquing. Identifying structure, plot, characterization, and all the rest, in other people's efforts will help you with yours. Attend conferences. She recommends the Crime Writer's Association sponsored by Bookworks in Corte Madera the best for mystery writers. Read. You never know what you'll use. In addition, the internet is an incredible boon to research. Have fun being on an adventure and living vicariously with your character. Most of all, she advises, write what interests you! Use what you know, but go beyond it! Stretch your imagination!
Joyce drew from her experience as a newspaper reporter working with cops and in radio when radio was 'strictly a boy's club' for her recent success. The women's movement of the sixties and seventies opened up opportunities for this San Jose State Journalism major who found herself transplanted to Sacramento in 1974.
Finally, and most importantly, put your work 'out there'. Submit, enter contests. Joyce found the St. Martins contest by accident. About eight years prior, she felt like burning the winning manuscript. Instead, she put it on a disc and put the hard copy under her bed where it resided for eight years. Literally. Moreover, the day before the contest deadline, with 20 pages to rewrite plus 350 pages to print, she "almost went to the beach!" Nevertheless, she forced herself to finish and got it in the mail postmarked on time. Barely. Sticking to it paid off.
When did she start to feel like a pro? "You first feel like a pro when the contract arrives in the mail with money because pros get paid to write. Then, when you're holding that first hardbound copy of your mystery and your contract calls for two more books, you know you're a pro! Writing that second book becomes a priority, everything else is secondary." How is the winning book selling? 'Murder Off Mike' is "doing as well as or better for an out of the box unknown author." She quickly added, "Promoting the book and marketing oneself is a major part of selling." At this point, eyes twinkling mischievously, she leaned forward and whispered, "Publishing is about ten per cent talent and 90 percent hard work."
If a movie or TV series were in the books future, Joyce would choose Bette Midler 20 years ago to play Shauna J. Bogart. She admits she wouldn't know whom to choose from today's actors. Book two tentatively titled 'Slip Cue' (one record to the next…) is finished and book three is in the works. She stays on track by using outlines and a calendar.
Read a review of Murder Off Mike
For more information about Joyce, her books, and advice to writers, please visit: http://www.joycek.com/. She is the featured speaker at the Tuesday, September 16 Central Coast Writers Branch meeting. Go to http://www.centralcoastwriters.com/CCWcalendar.htm for additional information.
Revision Date: 01 Oct 2003