Please tell us a little about yourself?

I was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, situated on the Bay of Fundy, which flows into the chill Atlantic. Sense of place has influenced my writing in ways I'm sure I'm not even aware of, as sense of place must influence any writer, as well as the time and circumstance in which he or she grew up. But mainly I think I lived a good deal inside my own head, and in the pages of wonderful books. I was a good student, especially in English and composition, but did spend a fair amount of time staring out the classroom window, to the dismay of my teachers. I enjoyed, and do today, walking on the beach and listening to the waves wash up on the shore. The water brings peace to my soul and quiets my mind.

What new things are happening for you in 2004? What new projects are in the works?

It's been a good year in a number of ways. It was lovely to have Chill Waters nominated for the Bloody Dagger Award, and have it come in third place. I'm doing a narrating project right now that's dear to my heart - a series of short stories for an excellent writer. I'm working on the new novel with the working title Midsummer's Night Scream, and I'm Regional Vice President of Crime Writers of Canada. So I expect a very busy year as well as a rewarding one.

Can you give us a brief description of your latest book, Chill Waters?

I'll cheat and give you the blurb on the back cover of the book:

After her failed marriage, Rachael Warren retreats to the old beachhouse in Jenny's Cove, where as a young girl she lived with her grandmother. It is the one place where she had always felt safe and loved. But now, all these years later, there is no comfort to be had in Jenny's Cove. Instead of the haven she so desperately seeks, Rachael becomes a target for a vicious predator whose own dark and twisted past forms a deadly bond between them. And sets her on a collision course with a crazed killer.

And of course Fallen Angels have a wonderful review of Chill Waters posted on their site. And I've also posted an excerpt of the book on my site.

What or who has been the most significant contribution to your writing?

My grandmother is the person who most influenced my life. She was a wonderful artist. I learned discipline from her. She worked every day at her craft with great joy and dedication, and sold her paintings door to door to make ends meet in hard times. I often accompanied her, and it was a challenge to keep up with her brisk pace. My father helped me to believe in myself. He expected me to do well in whatever I chose, and I think children respond to that kind of support. I found friends along the way who cheered me on, and believed in me. I'm deeply indebted to all of them. Among those writers who first planted in me the seed to write are: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Phyllis Whitney, Ruth Rendell, Stephen King and so many more fine writers, too many to list here.

It's known that being published is an awesome experience for an author, but what's it like winning an award for your book? Is it like having your cake and getting to eat it too? Lol

Winning an award for your work gives you that boost a writer needs to keep going. This is a business where rejection goes with the territory. Winning an award tells you you're on the right track, and weren't such an idiot after all to choose writing as your career. It feels very nice. We writers are so often fraught with insecurities, an award means an awful lot.

Living in Canada, do you feel you had to overcome any additional obstacles to get your books to the American public?

It is more difficult to get your work out to a larger audience when you live in Canada. The first novel I wrote was set in the U.S., on the advice of my editor at Zebra. But this new one will be set in New Brunswick, in a fictional town called River's End. I'm really enjoying the process of writing this new novel, although it doesn't get any easier.

You mention that acting is another passion in your life; do you have a particularly favorite role? Is there a role you hope to one day play?

I'm pretty well beyond acting on stage these days, but I would have loved to play Betty Davis' role in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' My friend and I talked about it a good deal over the years, but it was one of those lost opportunities. We let it get away. But I do enjoy doing voice overs and narration, and that lets me feed the acting bug, that once you get it, never quite leaves you.

Do you have any intention of every expanding your writing beyond suspense novels? For example, into plays?

I actually did adapt Nowhere To Hide into a film script, and am presently sending it out to producers, but it's a long shot. Still, it was a great exercise in writing for a different art form. It's a real challenge to cut a 300 page novel into a 110 page screenplay and still keep the story intact.

Now that you have three successful books, what is your next goal as a writer?

Just complete this book, Midsummer's Night Scream I don't let myself think any farther than that. I hope God will let me hang around awhile longer doing what I love to do. I consider myself very blessed.

Suspense is your genre, where does the inspiration for these stories come from?

I began to write almost as soon as I could read, coming up with stories that no doubt were derived from the fairy tales I read about Princesses and frogs, and such. Some were pretty gruesome as I remember. I seemed drawn to the dark side even then. I also liked to draw, and in first grade I remember showing my teacher, Miss Vanwart, one of my renderings -- a snake crawling out of a bathtub and a man with a gun about to shoot it. My teacher's exact words were: 'I don't know what's going to become of you'. I've always considered myself a storyteller. I loved making up stories to entertain classmates. If I could scare them, all the better. In some ways I was shy and insecure, so maybe this was my way of gaining approval. I also liked being the center of attention.

How does a story evolve for you? Do you write start to finish or skip from scene to scene until the story is complete?

I generally start from page one and move straight through one chapter, one page at a time until the first draft is complete, with lots of deletings and addings as I go. But I also make a lot of notes even before I begin, but during the process as well, and those notes might be in the form of bits of dialogue, description, a scene... it's always a struggle, a challenge. And so great when the writing is going well, when the flow is there. And you're in a receiving mode.

If you were to select a favorite character from any book, who would you select and why?

Jane Eyre, without question. It is romantic book I ever read, and the most passionate, and of course, tragic. I have no doubt that Charlotte Bronte wrote it out of the pain and longing of her own heart. I have a particular fondness for victorian novels, generally. The atmosphere, the gentility, even amidst the sometimes brutality of the times.

I saw from your website that you met Stephen King. That must have been quiet an experience, tell me about it. From one author to another, did he have any 'words of wisdom' for you at the time?

It was a wonderful experience meeting Stephen King. He had many words of wisdom that he shared with us. Some of the best of them he included in one of the best books on writing I've ever read, titled strangely enough, 'On Writing'. In it, he calls the subconscious 'The boys in the basement.' I like that. They're always working on your story, even when you're asleep. Providing you don't stifle their creativity. 'On Writing' is a book I highly recommend for every writer, both established and aspiring.

What do you feel is the most difficult aspect of writing?

The most difficult aspect of writing is staying out of my own way, and doing what I know how to do when all cylinders are firing…Ay, there's the rub…'

What has been the most rewarding aspect of writing for you?

Hearing a reader say 'You're darned book kept me up all night.' It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for listening.

Joan Hall Hovey

Novels:
Chill Waters
Nowhere To Hide
Listen To The Shadows

Interviewed by: Jaymi and Amanda