SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Liese Sherwood-Fabre!

Joining me today in The Loft is award-winning author Liese Sherwood-Fabre. Liese writes romance, thrillers, and short stories. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, she spent much of her adult life in fascinating places. While completing her PhD in Sociology at Indiana University, she learned two valuable lessons: You can't edit what you don't have down on paper and the power of keeping things simple. Her characters and stories are inspired from places she has lived and visited, including Washington, D.C., Honduras, Mexico, and Moscow. Liese and her family now live in Dallas.

Author Liese Sherwood-Fabre

S: Good morning, Liese! Thanks for joining me in The Loft today.

Why did you become a writer?

L: I’ve always been an avid reader. I remember being introduced to Nancy Drew mysteries in the fourth grade and saving up my babysitting money to buy one whenever possible. In the eighth grade, we had the choice of going to the library or staying in study hall. I would go each day to the library, check out a book, finish it in the evening, and return it the next day. Along the way, I thought, “I could do this,” and entered more than one Scholastic writing contest through my public school years. I never won anything, but I never gave up trying. After my children were born, I decided to try my hand again, penning a story promptly rejected by a Science Fiction magazine. Rather than be discouraged, I choose to continue making an effort to get published.

S: Did you undergo any sort of educational or other training to become a writer?

L: I had been living abroad and finished my first novel overseas. After getting rejected everywhere I submitted it, we moved back to the States, and I decided it was time to get some professional guidance. The local community college offered creative writing classes that I could take either for credit or non-credit. Short story and novel writing were alternatively offered during the academic year. I took these for several years. I found the critiques I received from the professors and the other students insightful. I also got over most of my fear about others reading my work. After several cycles of these courses, during which I developed a portfolio of short stories as well as a first draft of at least two novels, I decided I needed a new perspective. Incredibly, I learned the Romance Writers of America was holding their annual conference in Dallas and attended. I knew no one but met many kind and interested people who encouraged me to join the local chapter. The monthly meetings and workshops provided through this group—not to mention the friendships and support from a critique group of other writers—pushed me to the publication level.

S: Obviously, you had the desire and the drive necessary to succeed. That's so important in this industry.

Did you have a mentor?

L: There were two professors at the community college that I truly appreciate for both their encouragement and guidance. Even after I no longer took classes at the college, one—Nancy Castillo Jones—continued to read and critique my work, as well as offered friendship and encouragement as I submitted and published. She passed away after a short battle with cancer and I dedicated my first published novel to her.

S: Complete this sentence--"As a writer, my dream is to…"

L: Make it on a bestseller list. While this may sound pretentious, I don’t mean to be. When I first started writing, I had a casual conversation one day with a motivational speaker who asked about my goals. She told me that when the “Chicken Soup” writers started out, they had a sign over their desk that read something like “One million books sold.” Without such an objective, it is easy to lose track of your destination. To make a bestseller list, I have to write good books others want to read, and that certainly sounds like an appropriate goal.

S: (Smiles.) Every author wishes for that. Hard to accomplish, but that wish keeps us writing.

What is your writing process?

L: Most writers will tell you they are either a “plotter” or a “pantser.” That is, some writers will develop extensive outlines before they begin writing. They know exactly where the story is going and how the characters will move through the plot from beginning to end. I’ve even read of some who, given this approach, will be able to identify specific areas that need to be researched and complete that as well before writing the first draft. I admire and envy such writers because I’m a complete pantser—someone who writes by the seat of her pants. I have no idea where I’m going until I get there, letting the characters lead me through the journey. I do know the end in a vague way. A mystery will have a solution. With a romance, it's happy ending. The world is saved in a thriller. I tend to write linearly. I start at the beginning and keep going. When I get stuck, I consider possible plot complications—the more perilous, the better. This requires me to stop at times to research something I never knew I needed to know about until then. At this point, I have to be disciplined because it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole chasing after fun and interesting facts that might or might not be related to what I’m writing. In the end, I have a hot mess--plot holes, too much/too little description, a plot thread that goes nowhere--that I have to organize into a coherent story. That’s where outlining and other techniques come in handy. But for me, the unexpected directions are just part of the joy of writing.

S: (Nods.) I've always been a "pantser." I couldn't do outlines in school and thankfully, I didn't need them as a journalist. There was no time.

Why did you write "The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy? What was your inspiration?

K: One day, while on the treadmill--I get my best ideas slogging along--I wondered about how Sherlock Holmes became Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle provided little in the way of this character’s history or family prior to meeting Watson—perfect if one was interested in writing an origin story. Both Sherlock and Mycroft had exceptional intellectual abilities, but someone had to nurture these traits. I chose their mother to be both teacher and mentor in such areas. During the Victorian period, the mother was in charge of the household, including the children’s education. At the same time, they led very restricted lives. I developed a woman with a mind as keen as her sons’, but without the outlet the boys were offered. In addition, because country squires--Sherlock mentioned his ancestors were country squires--served as local magistrates, I crafted their father to provide an introduction into the law and criminal activity. Given such an environment, the rest was "fictional" history.

S: Is there anything about this book that makes it special to you? To readers?

L: The family dynamics are fascinating to explore. Of course, the two sons experience sibling rivalry, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shared some of this in his works. Giving each different personalities and playing them off one another has been interesting. Also, giving their parents different perspectives that at times conflict with one another increases the undercurrents within the home. Squire Holmes is very concerned with the law and not skirting it. Mrs. Holmes sees no problem in sidestepping it when needed. Regardless, the family pulls together and works toward a common goal because of the love they have each other.

Here's the blurb--

What’s Christmas without surprises?

It’s winter 1867 at Underbyrne, the Holmes family estate. The house is filled with family, relatives, and three unexpected arrivals—all ready to celebrate the holidays. That is, until another uninvited guest appears: dead in the stables.

The discovery marks the beginning of a series of bizarre occurrences: Sherlock’s young cousin reports hearing footsteps outside the nursery, Mycroft suddenly falls head-over-heels in love, and the family learns more than one person under their roof harbors secrets.

Is someone in the household a murderer? Sherlock must discover the dead man's identity before another unwelcomed body materializes.