First of all, I just loved this book. There were many unique aspects to it. I loved the way we had a current mystery and the mystery of the past and what really happened in Grace Gulch through letters at the beginning of each chapter. How did you come up with this idea?

The heroine, Cici, loves the history that goes along with the vintage clothing she sells. She is eager to read Bob Grace’s letters to his fiancée Mary. As an author, I wanted to capture the land run experience for my readers, and what better way than with a first-hand account?

Secondly, the “mystery of the past” provides a motive for murder. Were Dick Gaynor’s accusations against Bob Grace true? Should the town have been named Gaynor Gulch, and not Grace Gulch? The answer still matters a great deal to their descendants more than a century later. The murder victim, newspaper editor Penn Hardy, wrote about the land run. Did he discover or cover up new information that would provoke someone to murder?

Cici runs a period clothing shop. I loved reading about the different pieces she carried. Is period clothing a hobby of yours or did you have to do some research for this?

No, period clothing was not a hobby of mine when I started. (It’s becoming one!) I read an article about a vintage clothing store and thought that it like an intriguing occupation with lots of possibilities for foul play.

Clothes and hair styles say a great deal about a time period or setting. I watch the television drama Cold Case, where detectives solve murders as much as seventy years old. Music helps set the time, but so does the clothing the characters wear.

Why did you decide to write a cozy mystery?

I’ve loved reading mysteries ever since I started with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys as a girl. But I never expected to write one myself, until Barbour started a book club just for cozy mysteries: Heartsong Presents: Mysteries! (HPM) at heartsongmysteries.com.

I was already a Heartsong author (Romanian Rhapsody, Barbour, 2005) so I had a tiny advantage. If I ever wanted to write a cozy mystery, here was my opportunity to try. Three proposals later, I sold Gunfight at Grace Gulch as the first book in the Dressed for Death series.

What is the most rewarding part of writing for you?

Having written! The writing process is hard work; but I gain intense satisfaction from putting my thoughts and feelings and stories into words. My daughter died a little more than a month ago. Rarely has writing helped me, personally, so much, as working through my grief. I am blogging about it at darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com.

What is the most challenging?

I find writing synopses the most difficult to plan. Coming up with story ideas is easy. Writing a book, while not easy, is predictable. I plan to write about 2,000 words a day; it’s a specific, measurable goal. Writing a synopsis is different; I can’t say “I’ll plot 3 chapters today.” I can’t plot the first three chapters until I know how the book will end.

Can you tell I’m not a SOTP (seat of the pants) writer? Barbour requires chapter-by-chapter synopses, so that helped me develop the discipline of writing one; and they’re a huge help once I start writing.

Who are some authors you enjoy reading?

I’ll plug my great critique partners: Susan Page Davis, Rhonda Gibson, Lisa Harris, and Lynette Sowell. They are all multi-published authors and three of them are fellow HPM authors.

For a detailed list of my favorite mystery authors, check out my interview with Chris Wells at http://chriswellnovelist.blogspot.com/2008/03/q-darlene-franklin-gunfight-at-grace.html.

What are you currently working on and when can we expect another book from you?

2008 is turning out to be a banner year for me! I am currently working on the second book in the Dressed for Death series, A String of Murders, which is scheduled for release in late December. I expect to write the third and final book, Paint Me a Puzzle, for publication in 2009.

This fall, my first novella will appear in Snowbound Colorado Christmas. Four couples fall in love during Colorado’s worst-ever snowstorm, the blizzard of 1913. I wrote a perpetual calendar, 365 Fun Family Activities, for Barbour, and contributed several devotions to two volumes for single mothers and today’s woman.

Recently I learned that I have sold another romance. Check out my website (darlenehfranklihn.com) for details once I have the contract.

What is something you want your readers to know?

God’s love and grace meet us at the crossroads of our life. Rarely have I experienced that so strongly as in these recent days since my daughter’s death.

And finally, coffee or tea?

Caramel truffle decaf coffee, of course! Just like my heroine, Cici Wilde.

Thanks so much for the interview Darlene! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 10:44 am

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