Earlene Fowler: My husband and I don't have children, a painful and emotional choice we made 28 years ago before we got married, so it makes sense that such a huge and complex decision would figure into almost anything I write. There is a theory that all writers only have one or two themes they write about over and over. I believe there is a great deal of truth in that. It wasn't an easy decision for us and had much to do with our family backgrounds.

I think this question addresses the idea of an author's vulnerability, her willingness to lay it all, even the painful things, on the line in her writing. Many new writers think they're being vulnerable when they write, but I believe if you don't feel a little panicky about the things you write, a little nervous about people reading your stories, you're just not reaching deep enough inside you. You take a chance when you write about personal things, a chance of being ridiculed, laughed at, scorned, scolded -- all of which have happened to me. But if I want to be honest in my writing, I have to write about the things that hurt or scare me. Good writing demands it.

Crescent Blues: Do you see the series as a forum for the discussion of social issues, or do such issues just seem to find themselves into the stories?

Earlene Fowler: Usually they just find their way into my writing subconsciously -- though I am appalled at the rise in child abuse of all kinds and how apathetic and unknowledgeable so many people are. I suppose I do express that horror in my choice of themes.

Only once have I started out with a book that wanted to consciously explore a social issue, and that was Seven Sisters. It was based on a real case that a friend of mine, a deputy district attorney, prosecuted and won. Though I changed all of the details, the form of child abuse simply blew me away because I had never heard of it. When I started writing the book, it hadn't been in the news much. Since it takes about two years for a book to be written and published, by the time Seven Sisters came out there had been a couple of television news shows about it. Most of the time, though, social issues seem to come out of the story, out of what the characters would naturally do.

Crescent Blues: How has your life changed since becoming a published, award-winning author? How does your family fit into your writing career?

Earlene Fowler: In some ways my life has changed incredibly, in some ways not at all. People do treat me differently, which sometimes troubles me. I have a tendency now to not tell people what I do for a living unless they press me or someone else mentions it. I want people to react to me as a person, not as an "author," though I do understand that people are fascinated with writers, as I was before I was published.

Writing is a mysterious process that still amazes me -- this ability to create people and places that didn't exist before. I often look at my own books and wonder where all those words came from. The creative spark in all of us is truly one of God's greatest miracles and how we're the most like Him.

People do treat me with more respect and they listen to what I have to say -- an unusual experience for someone who has worked all her life at jobs like office worker, housecleaner and library clerk where no one knew you existed, much less cared about what was going on in your mind. The fact that I'm sitting here writing about myself, my feelings and personal life decisions in a public forum is a huge change from my formerly anonymous life.

On the other hand, my "real" life, that with my husband, my long time friends and extended family is much the same. My husband has known me since I was 15 years old, so there's not much wool I can pull over that man's eyes! He has been my great supporter and friend since our teenage years and has continued to be with this phase of my life. That is not to say it's been easy for him or me. He worries a lot about my safety, both physically and emotionally. I worry that he gets shoved aside too much, that so much attention is focused on me. On the whole, I'd say that publishing hasn't made me a different person, but has just opened up that person to a bigger audience.

Crescent Blues: Can you tell our readers something about book number nine, Steps to the Altar?

Earlene Fowler: Like Mariner's Compass, it is a book that pushes the envelope for series mystery fiction. It is another story where the reader isn't certain there's been an actual crime committed until the end of the book. Part of the book is written from Gabe's point-of-view, so the reader gets to know him better than in any other book.

Crescent Blues: Who are some of your favorite authors, and what books have most influenced you?

Earlene Fowler: Because of my mother's Arkansas background and how much it influenced me as a child, I have a special love for Southern fiction. My favorite authors are Lee Smith, Harper Lee, Bobbie Ann Mason, Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, Tim Gautreaux, Reynolds Price, James Lee Burke, Anne Rivers Siddons. Bobbie Ann Mason's and Lee Smith's short stories have always been special to me because they were the first time I read stories that sounded like my family.

The South influenced me much more than the West because my mother came from a large family and my dad was an only child, so I had more southern relatives than western. Two books that have influenced me are During the Reign of the Queen of Persia by Joan Chase which is about a midwestern farm family run by a very strong matriarch and Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner which is an incredible book on so many levels. A book that has recently affected me is The Healing Power of Stories by Daniel Taylor. It's one of the best books on creativity I've ever read. I also love the fiction of Jessamyn West, John Steinbeck, Jo-Ann Mapson, Chaim Potok, Anne Tyler, Fannie Flagg, Lorna Landvick, Lee K. Abbott, Larry McMurtry, Tony Hillerman, C.S. Lewis.

Crescent Blues: Do you see the Benni Harper series continuing indefinitely, or are there other projects you want to devote your time to?

Earlene Fowler: Like many of my readers, I would have a difficult time letting Benni and Gabe go, but I would like to write something other than a series mystery. The biggest problem with a series is a writer is put creatively into a box, though I'm always trying to break out of that box. I would eventually like to write some mainstream books where a crime doesn't necessarily have to be a central part of the plot. My ideal would be to write both mainstream books and my series. I am only able to write a book a year so that would mean some time might have to lapse between a Benni Harper novel. So much depends on the state of the publishing world, the number of books a writer sells and other factors so we'll just have to see what transpires in the next few years.

Crescent Blues: What advice do you give to aspiring writers?

Earlene Fowler: The most important advice I have to offer is to try not to worry about what the publishing world wants, but write the book you truly want to read. And one you'd honestly spend your hard-earned money on. Too many beginning writers try to write to the marketplace, and the only thing that will accomplish is, at best, they'll be a hack writer and at worst, they won't ever be published. Use your heart and your vulnerabilities when you write. Read every day and don't be afraid to read outside of your genre. I'm constantly amazed at how little reading most aspiring writers do. It is the best way to learn your craft. Trying to become a good writer without reading would be like trying to build a saddle without out ever riding on one. And buy books. Financially support the industry you are trying to enter. If aspiring writers won't buy books, who will?

Crescent Blues: Do you have writing rituals you adhere to? What is a typical day for you?

Earlene Fowler: The only ritual I have is writing as soon as I wake up and needing my coffee. A typical day is one where I get out of bed, fix a cup of coffee and sit down at my computer. I write for about five to six hours, more if I'm close to a deadline or on a creative roll. Then I stop, get dressed, have lunch and run errands. I often reread what I've written that day over lunch, making corrections and changes.

In the evenings I read research material for the book I'm working on or for future books. I also do other paperwork (and there's at least a couple of hours of that everyday) in the evenings or sometimes take a whole Friday to work on it. I watch some TV, take in the eleven o'clock news and sometimes Jay Leno's monologue, then check and answer email. I read fiction before I go to sleep every night. When I wasn't writing full time, I'd read about five books a week. Now I read between one or two novels a week.

Crescent Blues: What do you do when not writing?

Earlene Fowler: I don't have much time any more where I'm not doing something involved with my writing. This turned out to be much more time-consuming than I anticipated. I write a lot of letters and postcards to friends and fans. I like to watch some television -- my favorite programs are Any Day Now, That's Life, West Wing, the news magazine shows. I love the POV series on PBS. I love peeking into other people's lives. Oral history books are some of my favorite reading. I like to ride horses when I can. I enjoy going up to San Luis Obispo and poking around, looking for new story ideas.

Crescent Blues: How has your formal education helped or hindered you? How important is education to a writer?

Earlene Fowler: I guess that depends what you mean by formal education. I graduated from high school and have about ten community college classes in writing from six different colleges. Yet I consider myself an educated person. Unfortunately in our current society people often mistake a college degree for education and intelligence. I've known a lot of people who have college degrees who haven't read a book in twenty years and are proud of it. I know some people who are voracious readers and extremely intelligent who have never been to college.

There is no doubt it is better in our society to have a college degree because of what it sometimes falsely represents to employers, but it rarely say anything about a person's intelligence, perseverance, integrity, abilities, work ethic or wisdom. To be honest, it's often easy to get a college degree, much harder to become an educated person. It has hindered me in that some people would have more respect for my opinions and work if I had a degree from a prestigious university, but it hasn't at all hurt my ability to write, learn, or produce books I am proud of.

Crescent Blues: From what aspects of your own background do you pull when creating a Benni Harper mystery?

Earlene Fowler: As I pointed out before, my mother's Southern influence, my father's Western background and the Hispanic neighborhood where I grew up in southern California have all influenced everything I write. And being married 27 years has certainly given me some insights into the male-female relationship and marriage that I use in my books.

The books change as I do, but their basic premise of celebrating the heroic natures of everyday people and their problems and triumphs come from my working class and first generation rural background. I feel the working class of America has been vastly ignored in fiction simply because writers tend to write from their personal viewpoints and not many non-college educated working class people become published writers. I hope if I leave anything behind it's that I showed how a woman who is a secretary, waitress or subsistence rancher or a man who is a truckdriver, salesman or farrier is just as special as an attorney, doctor, writer, politician or celebrity.

Dawn Goldsmith

Click here to learn more about Earlene Fowler.

Readers Respond

I just read your interview with Earlene Fowler. It was informative, and I enjoyed reading it. I was amazed to learn she is a city girl. Her books leave a feeling that she is very familiar with the life and feelings of people who live their lives connected to animals and the land. I am a quilter who owns horses and who comes from a family with the West in their roots. I live in eastern Oklahoma close to the Arkansas border. Yet she strikes a familiar chord with me, and she is one of my favorites. I only hope that in the future she does not abandon the humorous and lovely and scary relationship between Benni and Dove. Thank you.

Johanna Presley

Please, add to the top of the feedback for the interview. Just finished reading the Earlene Fowler interview. It was an informative and thoughtful piece both on your side and hers. My wife (a quilter) is a big fan of Ms. Fowler. I have read bits and pieces of her Benni Harper novels and have generally liked what I read. Ms. Fowler has an excellent Web site that can be enjoyed by rabid fans (my wife) and casual fans (myself). My taste runs more toward hard-boiled mysteries, especially short stories, but Ms. Fowler certainly has talent and is a provocative writer. I have asked her to consider writing a Benni Harper short story but she seems disinclined to do so at this time Please keep up the good work. Maybe in the future you will interview some of the other top female mystery authors: Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton.

Bob Schneider

Thanks for your thoughts, Bob. You'll be pleased to learn that Lynn I. Miller interviewed Sara Paretsky in October 1999. (Click here for a look.) And we hope to get the opportunity to interview Marcia Muller and Sue Grafton in the near future.

Editor

I just finished the interview with Agatha Award-winning author Earlene Fowler. Great! Interesting! Informative! This is my first visit to your site and I will be back

Kathy Vieira, Paso Robles, California