Interview with Carla Dietz Fortier

MysteryAuthors.com is proud to have bestselling mystery author CARLA DIETZ FORTIER with us for an interview today. Thank you for joining us.

M.A.: Tell us a little about your featured mystery, SECRETS.

CDF: Everyone has secrets. When Clea Reilly finds a photo among her mother's belongings which hints of a family secret, curiosity gets the better of her. Because her mother's dementia prevents Clea from simply asking for an explanation, she takes it upon herself to delve into the past, where she uncovers secrets both life-changing and dangerous.

M.A.: Can you share with us (without giving anything away, of course!) a personal favorite moment or line in your book?

CDF: I would have to say I can't point to a particular moment or scene in the novel that's a favorite, but the setting in general was one I especially enjoyed calling to mind and writing about. Secrets takes place on the west coast of Oregon where I spent two pleasant summers during my college years. Grounding the story in a setting that had personal meaning to me not only gave the story life but evoked a lot of good memories.

M.A.: Why mysteries? What makes them so compelling for you to write?

CDF: I've always loved reading mysteries and suspense, so writing in that genre was a natural for me. What could be better than the challenge of trying to figure out "whodunit" before the author actually reveals the culprit? In Secrets, I hope I've kept my readers guessing until the last possible moment.

M.A.: What about other work? Do you write in any genres other than mystery?

CDF: Secrets is my first published novel. Before tackling a novel-length project, I wrote a number of short stories. They've run the gamut from literary to western to romance, mystery and even other-worldly.

M.A.: What was your funniest writing-related moment?

CDF: I was writing a story not long ago and needed a rather vulgar word to fit a character, but couldn't come up with just the right term, so I called my daughter to brainstorm. I didn't realize she would put out word of my dilemma to the guys at the Army base where her husband was stationed. I was embarrassed. My daughter found it hilarious. And, by the way, I got my word.

M.A.: So, what's your current writing project? Is it a mystery, too?

CDF: Right now I'm working on Sister Peaks, a contemporary mystery/suspense that has its genesis in a 19th century stagecoach heist during the height of the Colorado Gold Rush. An unsuspecting history professor, trying to fulfill a requirement to secure tenure at her university, finds herself in the mountains of Colorado with a 150-year-old mystery on her hands and modern-day outlaws in pursuit.

M.A.: Other than MysteryAuthors.com, do you have any websites where readers can find out more about you and your work?

CDF: Presently I have no personal website, but am listed with my publisher at www.authorhouse.com.


Thanks again for agreeing to take a Minute for Mystery by joining us here today.

Always a pleasure.