An Interview with Lea Wait
By Pamela James
Lea, I loved reading TWISTED THREADS. Tell us how the
idea formed, and when you decided to write the series?
In
December of 2012 I heard an editor was looking for a series based on
needlepoint. My agent asked me to design a series: write synopses of the first three
books and 50 pages of the first book, do a competitive analysis of similar
books, write a marketing plan, and explain why I’d be the best person to write
the series. Somehow I managed to do all of that by New Years. I told him the
series would be a bit edgier than many traditional, or cozy, mysteries, and
that it would incorporate information about antique needlework. (I also write
the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series, so I knew many of my readers liked an
antiques angle.)
I got
a “go!” and agreed to write one book in the series every six months after my
current obligations were fulfilled. The result? Twisted Threads, the first in the Mainely Needlepoint series, was
published in January of 2015. The next in the series, Threads of Evidence, will be out August 25 and may be pre-ordered
now. Threads of Evidence
Let’s talk about your setting and character names. Was
there any difficulty with the setting or naming your characters?
My Shadows series is set in a town on a tidal river in
Maine, and I wanted my new series to be different, so I set it in a village (Haven
Harbor) with a working waterfront, but also with a tourist industry. Many
coastal towns in Maine fit that description. As for character names – all my
characters have typical names for Mainers. Many families living here (yes, I
live in Maine!) have been here for generations, and so throughout the state you
hear the same names, unless someone is “from away.” French surnames are common
because many Quebecois immigrated here to work in mills and factories.
Do you needlepoint or cross stitch?
My grandmother did all sorts of stitching, from
embroidery to knitting and tatting and smocking, and even dressmaking. She
taught my sisters and I cross stitching and other basic embroidery techniques,
but truthfully I only mastered knitting. (My sisters were more talented with
their fingers.) Because of the Mainely Needlepoint series I’m beginning to
learn needlepoint. And I’m a fourth generation antique dealer, so I do know
about antique needlepoint and embroidery, and they will be increasingly
important as the series continues.
I like the character background because it made the
protagonist real to me. Without giving anything away, was it hard to write
about her mother?
Angie Curtis’ mother disappeared when she was ten, and
she was brought up by her grandmother, Charlotte, who is also a major character
in the series. My mother lived to be almost 90, so I never had to experience
Angie’s pain. But all four of my daughters (who I adopted when they were ages
8-10) had lost their mothers. In many ways they shared Angie’s pain … they
still don’t know what happened to their biological mothers.
Let’s change course for a moment. Tell us how many
books you’ve written and published.
I’ve had thirteen books published so far, with the
next two Mainely Needlepoint Books (Threads
of Evidence, to be published in August, and Thread and Done, set for January of 2016) written, so that will
make the total fifteen. So far I’ve written seven books in the Shadows Antique
Print Mystery series (about an antique print dealer who solves crimes ... and
wants to adopt an older child.) I’m working on the eighth right now. The first
in that series is Shadows at the Fair, and the most recent is Shadows on a Maine Christmas. I’ve also
written five historical novels for ages 8 and up also, for the most part, set
in Maine. Many of the people in those books are real people. The most recent of
those books is Uncertain Glory, about
two boys who published the town newspaper in a small Maine town during the
first two weeks of the Civil War.
Do you have advice for mystery writers that helped
you?
I read and studied about 200 contemporary mysteries
before I wrote one – so I definitely suggest reading to know the field and
figure where your book will fit in it. Find a critique group to give you
feedback. (Sisters in Crime is a wonderful international organization that
helped me a lot – and, yes, you can join if you’re a man!) I met my first
editor at a writers’ conference … so I also recommend attending as many of
those as you can, especially if they offer critique sessions with editors or
agents.
How much research did it take to write the needlework
series?
A lot of research. I now have a collection of about
fifty books on contemporary and antique needlepoint. I also spent a day with
the head of the textile division at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, visited the
American Textile Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, and talked to a lot of serious
needlepointers. I’m now a member of several needlepoint organizations and subscribe
to their magazines. The research continues!
Direct us to your website or blog.
My website is www.leawait.com,
where you’ll find more information about all my books, and a link to a prequel
of Twisted Threads. And I blog with other Maine mystery writers at www.mainecrimewriters.com I
also invite people to friend me on Facebook and Goodreads.
Leave us with some sage words of wisdom from your
protagonist.
Angie Curtis: “My roots were deep in this coast of
Maine, wound in the mermaid’s hair and rockweed that covers the rocks at low
tide. So deep my toes were permanently scarred by gashes from clam and barnacle
shells. I’d always refused to wear the old sneakers Gram set aside each year
for shore and rock walking, preferring the feel of the rough sands and cold
waters on my feet. Mama used to say I was born at high tide; and when the doctor
lifted me up to show me the ocean, I stopped crying.”
