Interview - Blair McDowell

1.Tell us a little about yourself.
I live on the west coast of Canada where I run a B&B when I’m not writing. When the rainy winter season comes, I head south to the Caribbean where I’ve had a little house on a hillside on a small Dutch Island for many years. In both places I write.

2. What genre do you write?
There isn’t any one genre in which I write. My first novel, The Memory of Roses, is womens’ fiction, a novel with romantic elements. My second, Delighting In Your Company is a paranormal romance with time travel, and the one I’m working on now, Sonata, is a mystery/romance.

3. Please tell us about your latest release The Memory of Roses and how you came up with the idea/
I was on the Greek island of Corfu, staying in a hilltop inn surrounded by olive trees and with incredible views to the sea, and I thought, “What if…”

And so my heroine, a troubled young American woman, inherits a Villa on Corfu and a deep family mystery to solve. She is aided in her quest by a sizzling young Greek Archaeologist.


4. Is it part of a series?
No it’s a stand-alone.

5. A must have snack while you write.
Nothing. Not even coffee. It would be a distraction.
6. Advice to writers who have yet to be published.
Finish the book. Then start sending it to agents and publishers. Five at a time. When a rejection comes back, send it to the next on the list. Yes there should be a list. Keep five circulating. And while you should pay attention to comments from agents and publishers if you get them, don’t let them discourage you. Keep trying. Don’t take rejection personally.

7. Is there a genre you haven’t written yet that you want to?
Sure. I’d like to write the next great American novel. But wouldn’t we all? Or barring that I’d like to write a book someone wants to make into a movie. But I don’t want to be locked into any specific genre.

8. Any quirky habits?
All my habits are quirky. But the one that drives my friends all crazy is when I won’t allow any one to walk around one side of a post when I’m walking around the other. It’s bad luck.

9. Have you written a character that most resembles you?
The character whose mind and values are closest to my own is Ian McQuaid in The Memory of Roses, but bits and pieces of me are in all my characters.

10. What type of hero do you enjoy writing about?
Brainy. Super intellegent. Quietly caring. And of course all the goodies—looks, personality, humor.

11. What are you currently reading? A book by Andrea Camilleri, The Shape of Water. A detective story translated from the Italian and set in Sicily.

12. What are you currently working on?
A mystery-romance called Sonata, involving a world class concert artist and her unlikely lover, a Vancouver cop.  Story involves robbery and attempted murder.To learn more about Blair, visit her website HERE

---