Interview with J.L. Doucette, author of Unknown Assailant (Book 3 of the Dr Pepper Hunt Mysteries)
Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase Great Pleasure to interview J.L. Doucette, whose latest novel, Unknown Assailant, we feature on November 23rd.
Unknown Assailant is the third book in the series of Dr Pepper Hunt mysteries. For readers who are new to your work, who is Dr Pepper Hunt and what moves her?She is a
forensic psychologist, which means she is trained to do clinical work
within the criminal justice system. Her understanding of criminal minds
makes her a valued asset to the Sheriff’s Department especially for
solving homicides. She also has personal experience of crime and its
traumatic effects. Her husband, also a psychologist, was murdered by one
of his patients. She uses her clinical skills in her mission to help solve
violent crimes.
Pepper works closely with a local detective, Beau Antelope. Who is he and how has their relationship progressed over the course of three books?
He is Native American, a member of the
Arapaho Tribe on the Wind River Reservation, and a first-generation
college graduate. In Last Seen,
Pepper and Antelope meet for the first time when one of her patients, who
happens to be his cousin, disappears. The relationship began as a professional
collaboration but their easy camaraderie and chemistry was obvious. When
Antelope tried to get closer, Pepper retreated. In the second novel, On A
Quiet Street, they worked together again and Pepper gained more trust in
his character and instincts. But
each of them had to make peace with people from the past before beginning
a more intimate relationship with each other, which happens at the end of
Unknown Assailant.
In your author bio, it says that you “lived in rural Wyoming where she encountered the stoic nature of people living in small towns and on the Wind River Reservation.” How has that experience informed the series?
There is a sense of
isolation living in that part of the world, which requires
self-reliance. The main characters, Pepper and Antelope, are both
reflective introverts, who have survived by depending on their own
resources. Their main connection to other people is through the passion
they bring to their work. The series deals with crimes of passion, the
opposite of stoicism. Without self-control, destructive emotions create
chaos.
What is the special attraction of rural, small town America and how do you approach it as a crime novelist?
Without giving too much away, Unknown Assailant centres on family history and trauma.
How do Beau and Pepper
set about unravelling the mystery?
They work together interviewing
all the close associates with Pepper’s psychological training helping to
focus them on long-standing issues and connections.
What led to your interest in psychological crime drama?
Shortly after I finished my
graduate work and got licensed as a psychologist, Jonathan Kellerman, also
a psychologist, published his first psychological mystery. I thought then that psychologists have a
unique contribution to make to the understanding of crime.
How important is the detail and complexity of characters in your work?
For me it’s very important, and one of the most
enjoyable parts of writing, to develop characters who the reader can
recognize and know. Every character in a novel contributes to the story
and should have their own distinct experience and voice.
How do you set about researching a new book and how important is the level of detail?
After I have
the main idea for the book, the victim and the murderer, I
research the pathology that I’ve assigned to the murderer. I also read
about similar true crimes that have occurred. While the characters are
fictional, I develop their story around credible and rational scenarios
that can exist in reality.
Wyoming is a beautiful and wild state in many places. What part does the sense of place and landscape play in your writing?
I think of Wyoming, particularly
the high desert of southwest Wyoming as my muse. When I first encountered
the expanse of sky and land, I felt overwhelmed and intimidated. I started
writing stories about people living there to bring it down to human scale.
For me the vastness amplifies the contrast between humans and everything
else humans contend with in life.
Do people who live in rural America live according to different codes and norms to urban America?
This
is a big question with many layers. In my experience, in Wyoming, I
observed a greater sense of personal responsibility and willingness to take action in situations
where values or boundaries were crossed. People were more courageous in
their actions and words.
When you have finished a book, what do you do next?
I read a lot
and wait for the next story idea to come.
Are there any crime writers who you loved growing up, or other important influences?
Mildred Wirt
Benson, who created and wrote most of the Nancy Drew Mysteries
as Carolyn Keene, of course. Later, P.D. James and Agatha Christie.
What writers do you enjoy now?
So many--Tana French, Jane Harper,
Tim Johnstone, Taylor Adams are at the top of the list,
because they all write the kind of prose that will stop me reading and
make me turn back and read a sentence again, for the pleasure of seeing
the words.
What are you planning to write next?
The fourth book in the Dr Pepper Hunt Mysteries.
About J.L. Doucette:
Comments
Post a Comment