Interview with Mystery Author Allan Emerson by Jacqueline Seewald

Allan Emerson is a Canadian writer who was born in Saskatchewan and brought up in small towns there and in British Columbia. He lived in Australia and New Zealand before settling on the west coast of Canada in Vancouver. As his mother could tell you, he's been making up stories since he was a little kid.

Question: What is the title and genre of your novel?  Why did you select them?

Answer: Death of a Bride and Groom is a small-town mystery with humor and characters with tangled personal relationships bent on keeping their secrets. I like mysteries with intriguing characters who are full of contradictions.

Question:   What inspired this novel? How did it come about?

Answer: A few years ago, I joined the tourists swarming Niagara Falls and got to wondering what life was like for the locals. That provided the germ for the Honeymoon Falls series, which is set in a small resort town that bills itself as “The Romance Capital of the World.” I started with a single scene: the bodies of a man and woman are discovered dressed in full wedding regalia atop a giant wedding cake parade float. From there, the story grew until I had a town full of characters who had good reasons to want one or both of the victims dead.

Question:  Could you tell us a little bit about the heroine and/or hero of your novel?

Answer: Will Halsey was in line for a promotion on a big-city police force. Then his wife left him for an affair with a famous actor. Disillusioned, he abandons the city and returns to his small hometown to become the chief of its three-person police force. The quiet life he sought is disrupted by internal feuding between his subordinates, and shattered when the murders occur. He’s a strong man who’s been avoiding personal relationships until he meets Lucy Mitchum, who becomes a charming distraction while he struggles to find the murderer.

Question:   Can you tell us about some of your other published novels or work?

Answer:  This is my first published novel. I’ve written numerous short stories, one of which, Judgment Day, was recently published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. 

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  I’m currently writing the next in the Honeymoon Falls series. It’s called Death of an Action Hero, and without giving too much away, I can tell you that both Halsey’s wife and her lover re-appear in Halsey’s life.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer: I’ve been addicted to reading since I was a little kid. I read everything from comics to books I had to sneak out of the library because the librarian thought they were too mature for me. The world I found in those stories inspired me to make up my own.

Question:   What advice would you offer to those who are currently writing novels?

Answer: Understand that being a writer is like any other profession—there’s an apprenticeship to be served. Getting published isn’t a realistic goal when you begin. First you have to develop the skills a writer needs to tell a story that people will want to read. And the only way you can do that is by writing. Finish your book. Then write the next one, and the next. Don’t give up! I know you’ve heard this before, but that’s because it’s true.

Question:  Where and when will readers be able to obtain your novel?

Answer: Death of a Bride and Groom  was released May 20 in the U.S. (mid-June in Canada) in hardcopy and digital editions. You can order it through your favorite bookstore, library, or online. Death of a Bride and Groom is the first book in the Honeymoon Falls series. A large print edition will be released November, 2015.

Note: Allan is offering a print book giveaway/drawing, which includes the U.S. and Canada. If you are interested in receiving a copy of his novel, please leave a comment for Allan with an

e-mail address where you can be reached. Winner will be chosen in a random drawing.

You can visit Allan and check out his blog at: http://www.allanjemerson.com/