Greetings, Noters!
Summer is in full swing, and I am celebrating! Not only am I making great progress on the books due to my publishers in August, but I am riding high on some fabulous news: You Can’t Candle the Truth was named a FINALIST for the Silver Falchion Award for 2022 Best Supernatural Mystery. I am beyond honored, humbled, and thrilled that my little indie book has been recognized by such a prestigious committee. To be surrounded by such amazing company, too, is all so surreal. You can check out all the nominees on the Killer Nashville announcement page. Congratulations to all the finalists!
The Bookish Hour is wrapping up its first season on July 28th — what an adventure this has turned out to be. J.C Kenney (my delightful co-host) and I are having a blast chatting with so many amazing authors. So much so, we’ve already released our Season THREE dates! Yes, we’re scheduling shows into 2024. We cannot thank our viewers enough for their support—you’re the reason why we’re able to do this. So, thank you, thank you!
Now, to turn things over to this week’s featured author. Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Jane Tesh, a retired media specialist, lives in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith’s hometown, the real Mayberry. She is the author of the Madeline Maclin Mysteries, featuring former beauty queen, Madeline “Mac” Maclin and her reformed con man husband, Jerry Fairweather, and the Grace Street Mystery Series, featuring struggling PI David Randall, his psychic friend, Camden, and an array of tenants who move in and out of Cam’s boarding house at 302 Grace Street. Ghost Light is her first standalone mystery and the first to feature an asexual heroine. She has also published five fantasy novels. When she isn’t writing, Jane plays the piano and conducts the orchestra for productions at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.
Jane, it’s lovely to have you here on Noteworthy, celebrating your book, Ghost Light. I always say that writers are readers, first and foremost (although, I’m pretty sure a lot of writers say that LOL). What novel made you first fall in love with reading?
I learned to read at a very early age and was allowed to check out books from my elementary school library when I was in the first grade. (This was a big deal because for reasons I don’t understand, first graders weren’t allowed to check out books) The first book I ever checked out was The Funny Thing. It was about a dragon who loved cheese. I was thrilled.
Also, when I was 13, A Wrinkle in Time made a huge impact on me.
Oh, goodness. I remember discovering Madeline L'Engle. I absolutely loved her books. So, how did you begin writing books of your own?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing, so I have to say I’m a born writer. Writing was so much a part of me that when adults asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I didn’t know how to answer because I was already what I wanted to be. When you’re six, it’s hard to articulate this!
“I was already what I wanted to be.” What a beautiful sentiment. I need to remember this more on the days when I get frustrated by my writing or by a setback. When you begin a project, how do your characters introduce themselves to you? What’s the character creation process like?
My characters just show up, and I write down what they say. Usually the name comes first. As soon as I wrote down “Theodosia Ballard, nicknamed Teddy,” there she was. Then she began to tell me her story.
I love it when characters are eager to share themselves with you. It makes the writing process all the more fun. Who of your characters is the most fun or easiest to write? Who is the toughest? Why?
I really enjoy writing David Randall, hero of my Grace Street series, because he’s snarky and gets to say things I would never say. He started out as a minor character, a balding, paunchy washed-up salesman. I was having trouble finding a point of view character for the series when he came to my office doorway and said, “It’s my story. Let me tell it.” I agreed, but he had one condition. “You’re going to have to make me a lot better looking.”
So I made him tall, dark, and handsome. He started talking, the story took off, and he’s been talking for eight books now.
The toughest characters to write are the villains because you have to make sure they aren’t one dimensional. Their motives have to be believable, at least to them.
That’s a very astute point and a great tip for aspiring authors: believable characters are a must! What was the biggest challenge or struggle that you encountered while writing Ghost Light? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was writing a story with new characters. I’d been writing the Madeline Maclin and Grace Street books since 1995, so I knew and loved all those people.
Starting over with a new cast was tough because I really didn’t love them yet. But as they talked and told me their backstories and their dreams, I learned to love them and care about what happened to them. Also, Teddy was channeling my experiences as she discovered she was on the asexual spectrum. This was the first time I’d ever written about that because I just figured it out a few years ago. (It didn’t take Teddy quite as long).
Discovering our characters can be both a taxing and joyous experience, for sure. It really echoes the evolution of a real-life friendship: building trust and growing to understand one another over time.
Now, here’s the part where we have some silly writing fun! What snack or beverage helps you through a tricky writing session?
Sweet iced tea. Very sweet.
Yumm, sounds delicious! Share with us three things that are always on your writing desk.
A dragon-shaped pencil holder, a plush toy bat, and a picture of British actor, Trevor Eve.
I’d love to know the story behind the photo of Mr. Eve! What is your favorite, can’t-live-without writing tool?
This is going to sound nutty, but I can’t live without the computer. I was writing books and sending them out (mailing them in boxes) way back in B.C. -- Before Computers. When computers came along and I realized I could send queries or an entire manuscript to wherever I wanted with one click of the mouse, it was MAGIC. No more boxes, no more carbon paper or Xeroxed copies, no more stamps and return postage, no more trips to the post office. Just click! And don’t get me started on cut and paste – best invention ever! If I had to go back to the old way, you’d be able to hear me scream for days.
That doesn’t sound nutty at all. You’re talking to someone who can’t go a day without logging on and using her computer LOL Long live technology! All right, Jane, you’ve shared some much delightful info with us today — I just have one more question for you. You stumble across a dead body. Which literary are you alerting first? Why?
I’m a big fan of Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey, and I would love to solve a mystery with him because he would be delightfully witty throughout the whole process.
With Lord Peter Wimsey at your side, the mystery is sure to be wrapped up in no time! Jane, thank you so much for being on Noteworthy today. It’s been great getting to know you. Noters, make sure to check out Jane’s latest release, Ghost Light! You’re in for a treat.
Ghost Light: Theodosia "Teddy" Ballard knows nothing about community theater, but when the stage manager for “Little Shop of Horrors” takes a tragic header down the costume-loft stairs, she agrees to fill in for the sake of her actor friend, Will. Teddy takes the superstitions and swelled heads of The Stage in stride—till she meets George Clancy Everhart, the theater ghost, who informs her that the previous stage manager was murdered and demands that she find the killer. Both investigation and rehearsals are complicated when she makes a surprising discovery about her relationship with Will—and learns that George has his own dramatic agenda.