PDB: Can you pitch your latest publication/ project in 25 words or less?
Jill: Yes I can! "The Lies Have It" (released in November 2011):
Jill: Yes I can! "The Lies Have It" (released in November 2011):
- From bondage to ballots to bullets. (6)
- There's a new party whip in town. (7)
- Politics makes for strange bedfellows indeed! (6)
Hmmm... six words to spare... Toronto politics meets kinky sex!
PDB: Which books, films or television shows have floated your boat recently?
Jill: Books, books, books! I recently read a great true crime/history book called “The Killer of Little Shepherds” by Douglas Starr. It’s about a a serial killer in France and the early days of forensic sciences/the developing days of criminology as a discipline. The book is full of all kinds of fascinating facts and interesting bits of trivia. Just think about solving crime before DNA, ballistics, or even fingerprints! In earlier days, they used ear identification charts and did autopsies without gloves!
Between 1876 and 1893, an Italian University Professor named Lombroso, who was considered a leader in the nascent world of criminology, published a few books expounding on his theory that there were physical markers of “born criminals,” such as a low forehead, jug ears, thick eyebrows (unibrows), and long arms. And of course, ALL epileptics were born criminals, or so Lombroso claimed. It’s incredible to think about how much has changed in <150 years.
PDB: Is it possible for a writer to be an objective reader?
Jill: I don’t know about other writers, but ever since I began writing mysteries, I can hardly read them. I am plodding my way through a whodunit right now, first time I’ve picked up a mystery in ages, and it’s by an old familiar fave author... As I read it, I can’t help but think to myself “why did the author say this or that, use this word instead of that one...?” I’m not sure I’ll finish reading it. Kind of sad, actually.
PDB: Do you have any interest in writing for films, theatre or television?
PDB: Do you have any interest in writing for films, theatre or television?
Jill: Well, the Sasha Jackson Mysteries have been optioned for development as a TV series, so YES, I do have an interest. I have never even tried scriptwriting, so who knows if I can learn it and learn it well. I’d sure like to try though.
PDB: How much research goes into each book?
PDB: How much research goes into each book?
Jill: As it happens, either a little or a lot. Book 1, Bloodand Groom, required virtually no research; Book 2, Dead Light District, required a ton; Book 3, The Lies Have It, required very, very little; and Book 4, Frisky Business, will require a helluva lot of research.
Dead Light District is about a missing prostitute (and so much more, but I don’t want to spoil it!) The idea for the book was spawned by a paper I did when I was working on my Master’s. The essay was for a course in Equality & Social Justice, and my paper was on Human Rights and the Sex Trade. I came up with so much jaw-dropping research, but for various reasons had to cut it from the essay... The leftover essay research became fodder for a novel.
Frisky Business will have a similar gestation. The plot, about a murdered porn star, was inspired by Chapter 2 in “Empire of Illusion” by Chris Hedges. I’ll dig through Hedges’s references and sources and come up with a whodunit based on what I find.
PDB: How useful or important are social media for you as a writer?
Jill: Very! It’s interesting how different media lead to different relationships or offer different benefits.
I have had a number of book reviews that came about via Twitter; I have connected with a number of other authors via my blog; and Facebook seems too be where and how readers connect with me (or me with them). It’s interesting to see who’s drawn to what.
PDB: What’s on the cards in 2012?
Jill: I really want to get the next Sasha Jackson books done! And I am curious/anxious to see what happens with the TV option... Maybe this time next year, we can do an interview live from my Caribbean villa ;-)
On Twitter @JillEdmondson
Facebook: SashaJacksonMysteries
6 comments:
Great interview with a top lady and anagram buster.
I haven't read it, but The Killer of Little Shepherds has great buzz in the indie I work at. I haven't read it, but it takes a lot for me to read even the most literary true crime. Still, it seems I should give it a go.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for the series, Jill. It does help. I have been able to sell quite a bit more of Tess Gerritsen just by putting the words "Rizzoli and Iles" on a shelftalker lately.
Interesting interview, Paul. I'd certainly like to see the series materialise – and I'll definitely check out Little Shepherds.
Great interview! I think Jill's a winner ... but then I would say that because she interviewed me on tinyurl.com/7j7s9m8
Ah, Lombroso. A University favourite :-)
Great interview, thank you :-)
Hi Folks,
Thanks so much for the comments! I had fun doing the interview.
Cheers, Jill
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