Critical Mick

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Where the Bodies are Buried

Detective nut Critical Mick uncovers the true identities of Murder Off the Books author Evelyn David. Email interview with Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett, May. '07, regarding long-distance collaboration, promoting a first novel, Irish wolfhounds, and that Santa Claus suit beside the coffin display.

Critical Mick: Who is Evelyn David? Or should that be: who are Evelyn David?

Evelyn David: Evelyn David is the pen name of Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett. During a conference call right before circulating the manuscript, our agent told us that he believed that a single name on the book cover would be an easier sell. We had about 30 seconds to come up with a pen name. Marian announced that her mother was named Evelyn; Rhonda added that her father was named David – hence the birth of Evelyn David.

ED: And yes, our relatives still bemoan the fact that our real names are not on the book. To quote Rhonda's disappointed mother, "How will any one in the family know you wrote the book?"

CM: The main characters of Murder Off the Books are MacKenzie Sullivan, Rachel Brenner, Jeff and Kathleen O'Herlihy, and of course an Irish wolfhound called Whiskey. What's the Irish connection?

ED: Our devotion to all things Irish is from the heart, not really by blood. Marian's grandparents were from Russia; Rhonda's grandparents were a mix of Choctaw, English, and a sprinkling of Irish. But the joy, wisdom, and humor that spring from Ireland are inspiring. Look for Jeff and Kathleen to consider a second honeymoon in County Cork!

CM: OK, fess up! Which one of you has worked in a funeral home? That was an innovative job for Rachel's character. (Yes, I'm quite fond of Critical Bill from Things to do in Denver When You're Dead)

ED: Neither of us has worked in funeral homes, but we both took behind-the-scenes tours while writing Murder Off the Books. Marian couldn't help but wonder why there was a Santa Claus suit in the room with the coffin display. We each had in-depth discussions with local funeral home directors about "where the bodies were buried" in the business. [Mac Sullivan's best friend] "Jeff O'Herlihy " is a compilation of various people we've each known. One mortician told me that Jeff's "bartering for funeral services" antics sounded a whole lot like the way her now deceased father-in-law ran his two funeral homes.

CM: One of you lives in New York, the other in Oklahoma. Why did you choose Washington D.C. as the setting for Murder Off the Books?

ED: Marian used to live in Washington. In fact, Rachel's house is an improved version of Marian's first home. Marian only wishes that she'd had Rachel's kitchen and bathroom.

ED: We also thought the D.C. location would give us opportunities for some unique storylines in future books; nothing better than murder with a little politics thrown in.

CM: Why Whiskey?

ED: Whiskey is an adorable – and adored – Irish Wolfhound. She is smart, loyal, loving, and playful. Wolfhounds are a wonderful breed. They are indeed the size of small ponies, but are incredibly graceful and protective of their families. Mac works in a world of danger and deception, but he can always count on Whiskey. We believe giving Mac a dog like Whiskey softened the character of Mac who could have been a little too detached and cold were it not for his dog and his good friends, the O'Herlihys.

Editorial Note: I always.count on Irish stout, myself! Clicking a mystery link somewhere on this page will display the pint I enjoyed while formatting this interview for pub-lication.

CM: Is this the first novel for you both?

ED: Yes, it's our first mystery, but Marian is a nonfiction writer, with 8 books to her credit. She writes nonfiction as Marian Edelman Borden and focuses on parenting, education, and business topics. Rhonda is the coal administrator for the state of Oklahoma and a life long, voracious reader of all fiction.

CM: The most famous collaboration in the mystery world is Ellery Queen. (Frederic Dannay/Daniel Nathan and Manfred B. Lee/Manfred Lepofsky.) When asked about their working relationship, Dannay said: "One of us does the plotting, the other does the writing, it doesn't matter which. We kind of try to top each other. It's a collaboration, but also a competition." Any comments?

ED: The basic rule of thumb for collaboration is: Don't. There are many potential landmines in any collaboration. That being said, for us, it was surprisingly easy. We've tried to figure out why our working relationship succeeds and we think there are three main factors that make the difference.

ED: First, neither of us has a very big ego. There are no diva moments in working; neither of us tries to hog the praise; and we're both willing to share the blame and disappointments.

ED: Second, and this is probably the most important factor, we both have a good sense of humor. Honestly, the writing business is chock full of disappointment and rejection. If you can't laugh through the ordeal, then you'd better find another line of work.

CM: Do each of you have distinct roles? Does one lay out the plot and the other fill in the details? Or did you swap chapters, like Emma Lathen (Mary J. Latsis and Martha Henissart)?

ED: We both write all characters – including Whiskey. We know some writing teams divide the work by character. Some have one partner write the entire first draft and the other is the polisher. But for us, we divide up each chapter by scenes, we each write first drafts, and then swap. The scenes go back and forth for refinement so much that we literally can't tell you who wrote what in Murder Off the Books.

ED: Rhonda says, "But if someone doesn't like a particular scene or character, we can always claim the other wrote it. I blame any bad language on Marian. So far my mother believes me."

CM: As Darryl Sloan related, writers polishing final drafts have to make tough decisions, picking up the editing knife and "killing your babies." Is that even tougher for collaborators? Having someone you thought was your buddy kill your babies?

ED: Rhonda says, "Sometimes it's hard when your partner isn't particularly crazy about a character you've just spent hours giving birth to. But in writing, your partner has to point out the flaws with your "baby." And you have to listen – eventually. It's important to remember that your writing partner is also a sampling of the reading public. If she hates your newest addition, probably the public is not ready for his toothless grin either."

CM: I understand that Murder Off the Books was rattled out of different keyboards a thousand miles apart. Were there any virtual fistfights over the novel's aforementioned editing?

ED: Surprisingly, and we know we keep saying that, but there really were no fistfights, virtual or otherwise, over the draft. Did that mean that every word was golden and that there weren't significant cuts to the manuscript? Nope. In fact, Marian is still grieving over her favorite scene being deleted, but takes comfort that its removal made the manuscript tighter…and that the scene will definitely resurface in the sequel, Murder Takes the Cake.

CM: Do you write under you own names as well or is Evelyn David a full-time gig? If so, what projects do you have underway?

ED: We both have full-time day jobs that provide us with shelter and food. We're hoping that the success of Murder Off the Books will eventually lead us to a place where we can write fiction to our hearts' content. The Sullivan Investigations mystery series is written under the pen name of Evelyn David. Evelyn also has a short e-story, "I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries," at Fictionwise.com. "Brianna Sullivan," a psychic, who travels the U.S. in a motor home, is the main character and we plan to develop that story into a series.

CM: Who does it right? (Other than Janet Evanovich - I'm guessing-?) Whose writing do you admire?

ED: Marian loves Anne George, Carolyn Hart, Katherine Wall, Katherine Page, and always, Agatha Christie. Rhonda's favorite authors include Nevada Barr, Beverly Connor, Margaret Maron, and the late Virginia Lanier, who wrote the Bloodhound mystery series.

CM: Have you read any P. J. Tracy? That's actually a mother-daughter team.

ED: No. But we probably should. So many books, so little time!

CM: Your website, http://www.evelyndavid.com/, announces the next two titles in the series. Are those planned? Under development? Complete? Now available in all good bookstores?

ED: Murder Off the Books is available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, as well as in all good bookstores. We're in the midst of writing Murder Takes the Cake, and have outlined, An Outlet for Murder. Stay tuned!

CM: The Writing Show holds an annual Best First Chapter of a Novel contest. Judging from Murder Off the Books's opener, you're in position to offer some pointers.

ED: Thanks for the compliment. We spent a lot of time on that first chapter. The only pointers we can offer is that the first chapter, actually the first line, is your best and sometimes only opportunity to get a reader hooked.

CM: What’s on your nightstand(s) at the moment?

ED: Rhonda – Death Roll, a first mystery, by the writing team of Marilyn Victor and Michael Allan Mallory. And of course, a copy of Murder Off the Books. Since it's my first novel, I still like to actually hold it several times a day to reassure myself that it's not a dream.

ED: Marian – White Elephant Death by Carolyn Hart, and of course, Murder Off the Books!

CM: Getting the word out! Websites, podcasts, fiction. How much effort goes into it? Is it worth it? Does traffic translate to sales? Even if it doesn’t would you do it anyway?

ED: Getting the word out takes lots and lots of everything. Lots of effort, money, and time go into promoting a novel – especially a first novel. In our particular case we've found that traffic to our website does translate into sales. It seems that visitors to our site fall in love with "Whiskey" and more often than not, purchase the book. We're very grateful to you for this opportunity to let people know about Murder Off the Books.

Editorial Note: I once loved whiskey, too, but man o man! My head hurt the next day. Another pint of da black shtuff for the road, thanks.

CM: Anything I have not mentioned that you would like to bring up?

ED: Nope, but we wouldn't mind mentioning our website address again - www.evelyndavid.com We'd love for your readers to drop by for a visit. We have a monthly newsletter that features tips on writing mysteries, as well as monthly drawings.

You heard the lady! Er... ladies. Visit Evelyn David (and Whiskey!) at http://www.evelyndavid.com

Yo! This interview transcript and all content on the DFA Guide site are copyright 2007 Mick Halpin. All links to other sites and documents are copyright to whatever source wrote something cool enough for Mick to give it a referral. Try to claim them as your own work and bad karma will catch up with you, baby. Believe it.

Irate, huh? Managed to piss off another one? Direct your hatemail to mick @ mickhalpin dot com.

This Page Was Last Updated On 8 June, 2007.