Let's Do Lunch! Interview with Rhys Bowen

Special Note: Before we get to today's interview, I'd like to ask a special favor. As you all know, my best writer friend J.T. Ellison blogs over at Murderati. Her post today is about a cold case that is near and dear to her heart. Please take a minute to read this, and if there's anything you can do, please help. Thank you!

Today I'm delighted to have as my guest the incomparable Rhys Bowen. In addition to an extensive writing career outside the mystery genre, Rhys is the author of the Constable Evans mysteries and the Molly Murphy mysteries, has been nominated for every major mystery award (Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Macavity) and has won seven of them. Oh Danny Boy, the latest Molly, is available now, and Evanly Bodies, the next Constable Evans, will be released in August.

JB: Why two different series?

RB: I was enjoying writing the Constable Evans mysteries, but writing about such a small corner of Wales is definitely limiting. There are some situations and some crimes that would never happen there. Also Evan was SOO polite and I was dying to write about someone who didn't always know when to shut up, who constantly got herself into trouble – more like me, in fact.

Strong female protagonist was one driving force for Molly Murphy. A second was wanting to write about Ellis Island, which really blew me away when I visited it. And so Molly became an Irish immigrant who had fled from Ireland after having killed a man.

JB: You've had an amazing writing career in addition to your award-winning series and short stories. Do you envision yourself writing for a good long while yet, or do you have future plans that don't include writing?

RB: I can't envision myself not writing. When I go on vacation and I'm supposed to be resting, after a couple of days I start scribbling notes to myself on pieces of paper and planning out ideas for future books and short stories. Luckily writing is a career from which you never have to retire.

JB: Currently you're cranking out two books a year. Evan and Molly are two completely different characters in very different settings. Is it easy for you to switch gears, going from one to the other? What's your production schedule like?

RB: My production schedule is crazy!!!! It takes me about three months to actually write a book. The research for each Molly book begins long before that. I'm on the road promoting each book so it seems that I deliver one manuscript and get started on the next. I'm trying to slow down but it's hard. My publisher has production schedules all planned out years in advance.

JB: In your biography you tell us that your Welsh grandfather was the inspiration for the pen-name you chose for your mystery series. Was he still living when you were born? If so, what are some of your fondest memories of him?

RB: My grandfather lived until I was 12. He was an orchestra conductor, a fiery little man with a terrible temper, but he adored me. He was very Welsh – extremely gifted musically, Celtic temperament and he looked very Welsh. All of his children were gifted in the arts. My fondest memories of him are that he was a good carpenter and he made me a doll's bed, a little daybed with storage trunk under it and a big red train to ride on. I wish I'd kept them to hand on to my kids.

JB: Are you able to spend a lot of time with your own grandchildren? What do they think of your writing? You are also a children's book author – have you ever written a book specifically for your children or grandchildren?

RB: I spend one day a week with one set of grandchildren. The oldest are only 6 so I don't think they have any concept of my being a writer, although I have read them my children's books and they have enjoyed them. Mostly they like playing pretend games with me – princesses and unicorns and witches, etc. I wrote a book called Benjamin's Balloon for my son, after he let go of his helium balloon and it went up into the sky.

JB: Tell us a little bit about your new group blog, The Lady Killers. How did the five of you get together?

RB: Ah yes, the wonderful world of blogging that I am just learning about! The five of us are Lyn Hamilton, Mary Anna Evans, Meg Chittenden, and Cara Black [and of course, myself]. Mary Anna and I were on book tour together and decided that blogs were a good idea, so I invited other close friends and touring partners, Lyn, Meg and Cara. We have a lot in common – we all write about long ago and far away and we all have interesting research stories.

JB: It's off to a great start. Now we'll switch gears a little bit, to what I like to call the "just for fun" questions:

When you were very young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

RB: A lion tamer (seriously) or an opera singer. My parents put me off the latter because I was so skinny and opera ladies were so large. Now that just isn't true. I have a daughter who studied voice and has this huge opera voice. I'm so jealous.

JB: What's your favorite thing to eat that you can't get in California? Where can you get it?

RB: I crave several food items from UK and eat them as much as possible when I go to visit. One is smoked haddock. Kippers. Cockles. Plaice. You can tell I'm a seafood lover. Also the desserts. Sticky toffee pudding, trifle ... I guess it's all the comfort foods of childhood that one craves.

JB: Who's your favorite James Bond?

RB: No contest. Pierce Brosnan. I thought he was destined to be Bond the first time I saw him. But I'm not a huge Bond fan. I like my mysteries to be subtle and without things being blown up all over the place.

JB: I agree about Pierce Brosnan. Although I did enjoy him as Remington Steele, too. The whole movie citation thing he did, I just loved that. ;)

Thanks so much, Rhys, for spending some time in the Lunch Room today. We've enjoyed having you.

Rhys Bowen is the author of 15 books (to date) between her two mystery series, the Constable Evan Evans and the Molly Murphy mysteries. Visit Rhys' website at RhysBowen.com and check out her group blog, The Lady Killers.