The original post can be found here on Ellwyn Autumn's Blog
When did the writing bug ensnare you?
It’s tough to say. I wanted to be an author since I was ten, but I didn’t really start writing until 2013, which I discuss later in this interview. My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. S, opened my eyes to the power of words and how they can be used to elicit a range of emotions from people reading your words. I still find it amazing during rewrites how with a few tweaks here and some word changes there, I can completely change a scene. It’s so cool.
Is writing your full-time profession?
Yes. It’s my second career, having retired early in 2013.
How long have you been writing?
I started in 2013, with my debut novel, Against My Better Judgment, being published in 2020.
Have you won any literary awards?
Yes. Hopefully Lucky Secrets does just as well.
Against My Better Judgment
- 2021 Eric Hoffer Awards—Honorable Mention, Mystery/Crime; Grand Prize Finalist (2500 entries); First Horizon Award Finalist
- 2022 Readers’ Favorite Awards—Silver Medalist
- 2022 American Fiction Awards—Finalist, Cozy Mystery
- 2022 Best Book Awards—Finalist, Humor/Comedy/Satire
- 2023 Mystery and Mayhem Awards—Finalist, Amateur Sleuth
Fire and Ice
- 2023 Eric Hoffer Awards—Finalist, Mystery/Crime
- 2022 American Fiction Awards—Double Finalist, Cozy Mystery, and Humor/Comedy
How many published books have you written?
Three. I also have two unpublished manuscripts.
Which genre(s) do you write?
Young Adult Mystery, Cozy Mystery, and Mystery
What do you find most challenging writing for these genre(s)?
The plotting process. Before I start writing, I have 80% of the chapters sketched out, meaning most of the book is laid out, including characters, scenes, and the ending. I do this because in a mystery, all the pieces must fit together – clues, red herrings, misdirection, innocent suspects appearing guilty, etc. – and the pacing must be spot on. The only way I can make it all work is by spending a lot of time up front envisioning everything and writing it down. It’s challenging, but it’s worth it once I start writing.
What are you working on now?
I have several projects in various stages of development. One is a YA mystery for boys after an agent expressed an interest in me giving it a shot. I also have the next Sara book fully plotted and ready to write – I just need to decide how I want to go about it (yes, I understand, this is intentionally vague – sly wink). I am also in the early stages of fleshing out a spinoff with Mrs. Majelski – she is a huge favorite of my readers, my editors, and myself. The enigmatic old lady is such a blast to write into my stories, so why not write a story with her as the main character??
Can you share a random interesting fact about yourself?
Until a 2022 knee injury forced me to retire from bowling, I was a high-level bowler with ten perfect 300 games, a high set of 826 (278-248-300), a season-high average of 226, and 20 appearances in the National Open Championships with a high finish in 2019 of 99th in Singles and 141st in All Events. This was also my final Nationals. I was also the anchor bowler on a 5-man team that broke a 25-year-old Tennessee state record for high game scratch. In this game, we made 52 of a possible 60 strikes. When I stepped up on the lane in the 10th frame, the place was going berserk with people yelling for me to “take it to the house.” It was only later that we found out about breaking the state record. Everybody originally was only focused on the city record.
How’s that for random?
What spark started one of your stories?
In 2013, my wife and daughter were talking about a possible fun story to write when we were all in Washington, D.C. for my son’s medical school graduation. After we returned home, their conversations continued, with notes being captured in a collaborative app called Catch Notes. It was then I knew I was going to write a story for them, which years later turned out to be my award-winning debut novel, Against My Better Judgment. I wrote a blog post about this on my website, which can be found here.
What is one of your favorite scenes that you’ve written? Why?
The final chapter of Lucky Secrets. I loved it when I initially wrote it for my first book, Against My Better Judgment, but it later got cut when my editor and I decided to make the protagonist, Sara Donovan, an eighteen-year-old rather than twenty-one. I saved it because it was so good and I knew eventually I would be using it in a future book. I had to rewrite parts of the chapter for Lucky Secrets, but it worked great as the final chapter. The reason it’s my favorite scene is because it shows Sara in all her glory—determined, klutzy, snarky, funny, observant, vulnerable, and ultimately—successful. It’s a great chapter.
Who is your favorite character that you’ve created? Why?
By far my most favorite character is Mrs. Majelski, who has been in all three books in the series. And it’s not just me—many of my readers love Mrs. M. She is an octogenarian mystery woman with a very colorful past and a knack for showing up at just the right times in each story. I thoroughly enjoy writing her into scenes because there is so much I can do with her character. Consider that the little old lady effortlessly pumps iron in the gym; runs on the treadmill and through parking lots and garages; maniacally works the elliptical without breaking a sweat or loss of breath; nimbly clambers up walls in a rock-climbing room; deftly wields a blowtorch; is a part-time bouncer at Sunny Time’s Stein Room; drives a tricked-out monster truck with a full gun rack; knows how to hack security systems ranging from residential to high-end commercial ones; has shadowy links to international syndicates and intelligence agencies; and more. Even my developmental editor said, “I still wanna be Mrs. Majelski when I grow up.” How can I not love the old lady!!
What has been your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?
Hearing from readers in comments, reviews, and face-to-face conversations on how my stories entertained them and made them laugh, sometimes out loud. Plus, it’s awesome to hold a book in my hand with my name on the cover. It never gets old.
What advice would you give to authors just starting out?
Write every day, if even for thirty minutes. And just get the first draft written – don’t worry about making it perfect. That is what editing is for. Too many people starting out wring their hands over everything when writing their first draft and they end up getting frustrated or overwhelmed and quit. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Get that first draft written, then use the editing process to turn good into great.
Is there anything else you'd like your readers to know about you?
I’m still learning about writing and getting better every day because I keep on writing.
What message are you sharing in your books?
Never give up and believe in yourself. No matter how bad things can seem, no matter how dark the skies get, never ever give up.
What are your favorite books?
Too many to put here but all of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books; Frederick Forsyth’s Fist of God and Day of the Jackal; Don Winslow’s City on Fire trilogy; and Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.
If you could create an author’s group with writers from any time period, who would you invite?
Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Raymond Chandler, Michael Crichton, Frederick Forsyth, Elmore Leonard, Dean Koontz, D.P. Lyle, Gillian Flynn, Dashiell Hammett, Robert Ludlum, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly.
When you're not writing, where can we find you?
Walking in the park, cooking, or in my chair reading.
Do you have a website/Facebook page, etc?
Yes.
@btpolcari for X and Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/btpolcari
Where can we find your books?
Online at my website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, etc., and at The Book and Cover in Chattanooga, TN.