Author of the Charlie Parker Mystery Series
Meet Connie Shelton
In this online interview, Connie talks about her writing, her series, and a little about herself.
What made you decide to write mysteries?
I always read mysteries, from the Bobbsey Twins to Nancy Drew, onward to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Perry Mason. Then I discovered Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller and some of the other strong women authors of more recent times. Although I've written a couple of other novels (family saga-type stories that were never published), mystery is really my first love.
This is really a cliché question, but where do you get your ideas?
Ideas are everywhere. I think writers are just more attuned to taking an idea to the next step. The idea for my fourth book, Small Towns Can Be Murder, came from chance comments from two friends who’d both experienced miscarriages. My mind just kicked into gear and I thought, yeah, but what if . . .. Competition Can Be Murder came to me during a trip to the Scottish Highlands. My tenth book, Obsessions Can Be Murder, got its origins when I heard about a large house that exploded the day after its owner left town. Although I believe the original case was solved without a whole lot of intrigue, again, I took the basics from a true story and began to think, what if . . .
How did you develop the character of Charlie?
Charlie sort of evolved. In the beginning drafts of the first book, she was a lot tougher, more smart-aleky than she is now. The longer we worked together, the more she became what she is today—a regular gal. (some people say she’s a lot like me) I’d done a lot of accounting work over the years, so I gave her that profession. I’m married to a helicopter pilot, so Charlie got one, too. Her experiences flying helicopters are mainly fictional. I’ve ridden along on a lot of flights, but never learned to pilot a rotorcraft. Of course, taking the liberty of writing fiction, Charlie is prettier, braver, and younger than I am.
What about your other characters? Are they based on real people?
Not really. I think all writers use human characteristics based on that which they’ve observed or experienced. But my characters are really not based on anyone I’ve known. With one exception—the character of Elsa Higgins, Charlie’s surrogate grandmother, is very much based on my own grandmother.
Your stories are set in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. How did you choose that location, and are all the locales within Albuquerque accurate in the books?
I chose Albuquerque because it’s where I grew up and lived much of my life, although I don’t live there anymore. That presents its own set of problems, writing a series in a place that I don’t spend much time and trying to keep it accurate. Every time I visit, they’ve changed the name of a street, or businesses have come and gone. Although I do use actual street names and the geography is basically all true, there are some locales that are completely fictitious. One notable example, that I am constantly asked about is Pedro’s restaurant. Sorry folks, it doesn’t exist—I made it up.
We hear that you’re also a hot air balloon pilot and hold a world record. Do you plan to use ballooning as a background for any future books?
I used to say “maybe.” Now I’ve done it! Balloons Can Be Murder combines a completely fictional murder plot with many of my own experiences during the early years of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The character of Rachael in this book is a compilation of many female pilots I’ve known over the years, adventurous women who love to fly and to strive for new goals. The details of her altitude record flight closely mirror my own. It was fun to develop the plot for this one.
Your husband is quite a talented guy, isn't he?
Absolutely! In addition to having a long career as a helicopter pilot (he proofreads all of Drake's sections in my books), he's also been a musician all his life. He has such an innate understanding of music--the guitar in particular--that I'm just blown away by his talent. He plays a variety of styles, from flamenco and Latin rhythms, to soft jazz and Big Band era pieces. He loves complexity and will work on learning a new piece for months. On his albums he actually plays not only the guitar but all the other instruments that accompany him. All this is recorded in his home studio. If you'd like to hear a sample, his website is www.dansheltonmusic.com.
And you've taught writing, as well?
Yes. I taught for 6 years with Long Ridge Writers Group, a great organization. My students lived all over North America and ranged in age from 16 to 86. I loved the chance to work with new writers of all skill levels. Many of them went on to be published, which is a great feeling for me. I still hear from several of them.
I had to leave Long Ridge in 2008 when my husband and I decided to live abroad for awhile. That was sad for me, but I've been able to continue to connect with new writers through a novel-writing course that I developed. It's called Novel In A Weekend because it's based on a plan where you can spend two days developing a complete plot outline, the main characters, and a strong first chapter. Most writers find that getting started is the hardest part, so this course is designed to get them quickly past that stumbling block. With a solid plan and regular writing schedule, a lot of writers find they can have a finished first draft in just a month or so. The techniques I teach are the same that I use in writing the Charlie books.
I'll take a second to give some contact information, in case there aspiring writers out there. I have a set of free writing tips that I send out by email, and anyone can get them--just click the link. And, for information on taking the course, here is a link to the page for it.
So, what exciting things are on the horizon?
Well, I have to admit that I find e-books to be a very exciting innovation in the book business. Although e-books began to evolve in the mid-90s, Amazon really kicked off the newest wave with their Kindle e-reader a couple of years ago. I got a Kindle of my own and was hooked. I immediately wanted all of my Charlie books made available in this format.
Long story short, I was able to get the rights back on all my titles and found a new publisher with the same enthusiasm, so we made the whole series available for Kindle and for all other e-reader formats, as well. AND . . . several of the titles in the middle of the series had gone out of print, so Secret Staircase Books is republishing the whole series in a fresh, new trade paperback format.
The best ways to keep up with what's new will be to subscribe to my newsletter and to follow my blog. I'm going to do my best to post somewhat regularly so that I can always answer that perpetual question--when is the next book coming out?
I always read mysteries, from the Bobbsey Twins to Nancy Drew, onward to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Perry Mason. Then I discovered Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller and some of the other strong women authors of more recent times. Although I've written a couple of other novels (family saga-type stories that were never published), mystery is really my first love.
This is really a cliché question, but where do you get your ideas?
Ideas are everywhere. I think writers are just more attuned to taking an idea to the next step. The idea for my fourth book, Small Towns Can Be Murder, came from chance comments from two friends who’d both experienced miscarriages. My mind just kicked into gear and I thought, yeah, but what if . . .. Competition Can Be Murder came to me during a trip to the Scottish Highlands. My tenth book, Obsessions Can Be Murder, got its origins when I heard about a large house that exploded the day after its owner left town. Although I believe the original case was solved without a whole lot of intrigue, again, I took the basics from a true story and began to think, what if . . .
How did you develop the character of Charlie?
Charlie sort of evolved. In the beginning drafts of the first book, she was a lot tougher, more smart-aleky than she is now. The longer we worked together, the more she became what she is today—a regular gal. (some people say she’s a lot like me) I’d done a lot of accounting work over the years, so I gave her that profession. I’m married to a helicopter pilot, so Charlie got one, too. Her experiences flying helicopters are mainly fictional. I’ve ridden along on a lot of flights, but never learned to pilot a rotorcraft. Of course, taking the liberty of writing fiction, Charlie is prettier, braver, and younger than I am.
What about your other characters? Are they based on real people?
Not really. I think all writers use human characteristics based on that which they’ve observed or experienced. But my characters are really not based on anyone I’ve known. With one exception—the character of Elsa Higgins, Charlie’s surrogate grandmother, is very much based on my own grandmother.
Your stories are set in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. How did you choose that location, and are all the locales within Albuquerque accurate in the books?
I chose Albuquerque because it’s where I grew up and lived much of my life, although I don’t live there anymore. That presents its own set of problems, writing a series in a place that I don’t spend much time and trying to keep it accurate. Every time I visit, they’ve changed the name of a street, or businesses have come and gone. Although I do use actual street names and the geography is basically all true, there are some locales that are completely fictitious. One notable example, that I am constantly asked about is Pedro’s restaurant. Sorry folks, it doesn’t exist—I made it up.
We hear that you’re also a hot air balloon pilot and hold a world record. Do you plan to use ballooning as a background for any future books?
I used to say “maybe.” Now I’ve done it! Balloons Can Be Murder combines a completely fictional murder plot with many of my own experiences during the early years of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The character of Rachael in this book is a compilation of many female pilots I’ve known over the years, adventurous women who love to fly and to strive for new goals. The details of her altitude record flight closely mirror my own. It was fun to develop the plot for this one.
Your husband is quite a talented guy, isn't he?
Absolutely! In addition to having a long career as a helicopter pilot (he proofreads all of Drake's sections in my books), he's also been a musician all his life. He has such an innate understanding of music--the guitar in particular--that I'm just blown away by his talent. He plays a variety of styles, from flamenco and Latin rhythms, to soft jazz and Big Band era pieces. He loves complexity and will work on learning a new piece for months. On his albums he actually plays not only the guitar but all the other instruments that accompany him. All this is recorded in his home studio. If you'd like to hear a sample, his website is www.dansheltonmusic.com.
And you've taught writing, as well?
Yes. I taught for 6 years with Long Ridge Writers Group, a great organization. My students lived all over North America and ranged in age from 16 to 86. I loved the chance to work with new writers of all skill levels. Many of them went on to be published, which is a great feeling for me. I still hear from several of them.
I had to leave Long Ridge in 2008 when my husband and I decided to live abroad for awhile. That was sad for me, but I've been able to continue to connect with new writers through a novel-writing course that I developed. It's called Novel In A Weekend because it's based on a plan where you can spend two days developing a complete plot outline, the main characters, and a strong first chapter. Most writers find that getting started is the hardest part, so this course is designed to get them quickly past that stumbling block. With a solid plan and regular writing schedule, a lot of writers find they can have a finished first draft in just a month or so. The techniques I teach are the same that I use in writing the Charlie books.
I'll take a second to give some contact information, in case there aspiring writers out there. I have a set of free writing tips that I send out by email, and anyone can get them--just click the link. And, for information on taking the course, here is a link to the page for it.
So, what exciting things are on the horizon?
Well, I have to admit that I find e-books to be a very exciting innovation in the book business. Although e-books began to evolve in the mid-90s, Amazon really kicked off the newest wave with their Kindle e-reader a couple of years ago. I got a Kindle of my own and was hooked. I immediately wanted all of my Charlie books made available in this format.
Long story short, I was able to get the rights back on all my titles and found a new publisher with the same enthusiasm, so we made the whole series available for Kindle and for all other e-reader formats, as well. AND . . . several of the titles in the middle of the series had gone out of print, so Secret Staircase Books is republishing the whole series in a fresh, new trade paperback format.
The best ways to keep up with what's new will be to subscribe to my newsletter and to follow my blog. I'm going to do my best to post somewhat regularly so that I can always answer that perpetual question--when is the next book coming out?