Book-A-Week Challenge Interview with Susan Whitfield author of "Hell Swamp"

This week the Book-A-Week Challenge read "Hell Swamp" by Susan Whitfield.
Today, we post the interview with Susan that discusses her books, her writing, and anything else she is willing to share. Stop by and leave a comment or ask a question.

Find out more about Susan and her other books. Visit her website at Susan Whitfield.

Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: L & L Dreamspell
ISBN-13: 978-1603180948

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On with the interview:

Are the experiences in the novel based on someone you know or events in your life?

The overall plot in Hell Swamp is fiction—a horrendous crime scene. However, the idea for the novel came from a true story my son told me about a 13-year-old in his neighborhood who killed his first big buck with a nice rack. His picture was published in the local newspaper with the trophy deer. A woman somehow got his mailing address and sent the picture to him with “Murderer! Killer! You should be shot!” scrawled on it. That’s all it took to get my juices flowing.

What are your current projects?

The fourth Logan Hunter Mystery, Gator Creek, is about 75% complete. I also have a stand-alone in the works. I generally work on two novels at the same time. Not sure why.

How do you come up with story ideas and your characters?

With Hell Swamp, it was a true story I was told. Often I find ideas on billboards, in phone books, conversations, the news. Once I decide on a setting for the book (usually what starts the process) and begin writing, the characters create themselves. They tell me what to write, a surreal experience that gets me strange looks from non-writers. I like to have fun with names, such as Nita Quicki, Pepper, whose a chef, Acme Beavers, who chews on toothpicks. Even Logan’s last name is Hunter since she’s in the hunt for justice. When she meets a hunky detective in the mountains, his first name is Chase, since he’s always chasing criminals. Sounds cheesy, but that’s the way it flops. They are instruments of my imagination.

Who came up with the book cover for your book? Why?

I gave Linda my concept and she designed the fantastic cover for Hell Swamp. It seems she has a 12-point buck on her ranch, so he’s on the cover. Can you find him? Cool, huh?

How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

I’ve lived in North Carolina all my life so writing about this state seems natural and familiar. I’ve lived in the eastern part most of the time, but I lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a year too. This state has plenty of fodder for a writer, even many dialects within our borders. Setting is always a major character in my books. Hell Swamp is set along Black River about five miles from where I grew up. There really is a Hell Swamp, just not where it is in the book. I couldn’t resist using the name for a title and Lisa and Linda agreed.
My upbringing comes out in some scenes, my favorite when Logan reminisces about cutting fields of flowers with her mother to fill the church pulpit on the same Sunday her daddy, head deacon, prepares tiny glasses of wine and bread for the communion service, a sweet memory of mine.

What genre are you most comfortable writing?

I have only written mystery so far. That’s what I generally read although I sometimes vary genres. I’m pulling together noodlings for a less intense, more humorous novel, and possibly an historical mystery about an ancestor of mine who was a Knight of the Bath.

How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

Genesis Beach is set along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, so I named it Genesis since it was my first book. There isn’t really a Genesis Beach, NC. The other three, Just North of Luck, Hell Swamp, and Gator Creek, came off a state map. Just North of Luck is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains where a serial killer is on the loose in the remote community of Trust, NC. ( BTW-L&L Dreamspell has picked up this book and it will be printed under their logo in August.) Hell Swamp is really a swamp in eastern NC, and I took liberties with Gator Creek, actually Alligator Creek near Wilmington. The state map has served me well.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Having been a high school principal for much of my first career, I constantly had to deal with unsupervised children before and after school hours. Most of those who got into trouble stayed out all night or all weekend, parents too busy with their own lives to even notice or care. The main plot: Know where your kid is, who he’s with, and what they’re doing.
Also, don’t judge a person by their appearance. In Hell Swamp, Cyrano Blood was practically castrated by his own community because of his looks. Even though he’s gruff-looking, Logan discovers that he does needlework and gives generously to charity. He’s really a wonderful but misunderstood human being.

How much of the novel is realistic?

I think it’s very realistic. The characters are fictional but I tried to make them all believable. Reviews are good, so hopefully I pulled it off. The setting is present day deer-hunting country.

What are you reading now?

John Hart’s Last Child. Awesome! I’m so proud to know him and that he’s a Carolina boy. Look for him to rise to great heights with his literary mysteries.

How do you get inspired to write your romantic scenes?

After 42 years of marriage, my scenes are homicidal, not romantic. Okay, just kidding, but what few romantic scenes I write are suggestive, not graphic. I prefer shock-you intensity.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

I’ve loved Logan Hunter since the day she popped out of my head. We’re in our fourth novel together. She’s quirky but focused. She bends the rules as far as possible and she likes to work alone, highly respected by her male colleagues in the SBI. I also like Magnolia in Hell Swamp. She’s a cute little black woman who sneaks Logan homemade goodies while she’s investigating. I like Rose Paul Hill, too, with her ill-fitting false teeth and her willingness to drink Strychnine in church.

If your book was made into a movie, who do you picture playing the part of the heroine?

Katherine Heigl would be a perfect Logan Hunter.


That's all folks! Stop by and leave your own questions for Susan.

Thank you Susan for a great read, engaging characters, and a terrific interview. Sounds to me like we all need to visit NC for some story ideas.