An Interview with Gayle Carline

 I became interested in Gayle Carline’s writing through the Crime Fiction Collective blog where she is a contributor. After reading Hit or Missus, Gayle’s second and current novel in the series, I read her earlier book, Freezer Burn, and short story, “Clean Sweep,” reading the series backward, which I rarely do. But given her intricate plots and my interest in her main character, I did.   

Please welcome Gayle to WWK.       E. B. Davis

Your writing career started in journalistic pursuits—writing articles for a horse-riding magazine and a humor column for your local paper. Why did you switch to fiction, specifically mystery fiction?

I always wanted to write fiction. I love mysteries, but I thought they'd be too hard – all those intricate plot lines that manage to dovetail together at the end! So I thought I'd try something easier: literary fiction. Yes, go ahead, laugh. Herman Melville wanted to write westerns, but he ended up with that fish story instead. Joking, just joking. I tried to write literary fiction. Ended up with a romance. A really crappy one. It lies, dormant, on my external hard drive, where I use it for parts. After that, writing a mystery was easy.

Main character, Peri Minneopa, catapults from self-employed house cleaner to private investigator while going through menopause. Is it natural for most women to change their lives during the “change of life?”

I don't know about most women, but I believe in experiencing reincarnation while I'm still alive to remember it. Honestly, I've moved through so many changes. I'm in my third or fourth life now. I started out as a very shy person, frightened of much of life, and now I'm outgoing and outspoken and I work with horses. Menopause didn't make much difference, it just made me sweat more. Peri's career switch is not strictly related to menopause. It's more about her awareness that she's not getting any younger and maybe she doesn't want to be scrubbing other people's toilets when she's sixty. Investigations are easier, if you don't count being threatened and beaten up and shot.

The short story, “Clean Sweep,” bridges Peri’s change from house cleaner to PI. Why did you choose a short story to show this change?

This story was part of an anthology requested by my original "Freezer Burn" publisher. She called and asked if I could write a 5,000 word story in a month so she could include it in a book called "Missing." Oh – and the subject had to be about a missing person. I'm just a girl who can't say no. I decided to write about Peri as a housecleaner and one of her clients goes missing. Somehow that sounded like the easiest plot. When I got the rights back to it, I re-edited, made it a little longer, and stuck it up online as an e-short. I'd like to write a few more Peri short stories, once I get the time. I'm even considering a short story from Benny's point of view.

How did Peri come to live in California (or will this come out in later books)?

I try to let Peri's past come out little by little, but she was born in California, in Salinas. Her parents moved there from Minnesota. They were old-fashioned hippies, more like beatniks. Peri understood them, but didn't want to embrace their lifestyle. They wanted her to go to Berkeley. She saved her own money and put herself through UC Irvine instead, as an English Literature major, and stayed in southern California from that point.

What is it that spurs your intricate plots?

My husband. No, that's not true, I can't blame him completely. I tried to keep Freezer Burn straightforward. I was afraid of getting too many plot points I couldn't resolve. I was so afraid, I had an Excel spreadsheet with the plot, list of clues, characters, etc. Hubby read the book and said, "I like it but it was pretty simple. You didn't give Peri enough to do." So in Hit or Missus, I kind of threw everything at it. I had one reviewer say there was enough for two books, which is kind of true. It was also harder to write. But truly, I like to read intricate plots. I like to watch them on TV. I love Sherlock Holmes – I'm a puzzle solver.

I’ve wondered while reading your books if Skip takes credit for Peri’s contributions to his cases to cover her involvement. It’s never overtly stated, although Peri sometimes goes too far. How do they get around police procedure of evidence collection?

I'm not responsible for what Skip writes on his reports. That's between him, his conscience, and Chief Fletcher, who I hope has enough scenes in the books to let people know he knows what's what. I do try really hard to let the police collect the evidence. And I'm aware, I am not writing police procedurals, so I don't always get it right. I just try to tell a good story, and if I need you to suspend your belief in how things are really done, I try to give you a good reason why. I'm also not too hung up on reality. Some of my favorite shows are Monk, and Psych.

How did the character of Dean Martin-obsessed Benny Needles, a fun secondary character, materialize?

Freezer Burn began as a piece of flash fiction I wrote for a contest (I won). In it, he was a sleazy man who hires a P.I. to find his missing ice cube tray, autographed by Dean Martin. When I decided to write a mystery, I dusted off that piece and thought, what else could you find in a freezer? My plan was that Benny would continue to be sleazy, amoral, unlikeable, and possibly the killer. Then I wrote my first scene with him and Peri, and had to understand why he would have an autographed ice cube tray. Slowly, it dawned on me that he was a collector, verging on hoarding, obsessed with Dino. His personality filled itself in from that point. I actually wasn't going to bring him back in Hit or Missus, but readers kept asking if he was in the second book, so I found a way for him to return in a most annoying way.

Peri’s best friend, Blanche, works as an assistant coroner. She shares her findings with Peri. Is this unrealistic or do BFs share everything?

No, but BFFs do. Don't you share things with your bestie? I suppose if there was information Blanche needed to keep private, she would, but these two are close. As a matter of fact, in the book I'm working on now, she's not as open with Peri as normal, which is a problem for both of them.

What’s the title of your next Peri Minneopa novel?

God, I wish I knew. The working title is "Burning Mad" but I don't like it. I'm about three chapters from the finish line (of the first draft), and I keep hoping a better title will come to me. I'm open to suggestions.

I assume that Dancing Corgi Press is your S corporation. How did you make the decision to self-publish? (Did you try to obtain an agent?)

I am a reluctant self-publisher. My first book was published by an independent press on the East Coast. It was by no means a nightmare, but wasn't the experience I was hoping to have. When Hit or Missus was ready to roll, I sent out queries. Several agents asked for full manuscripts. What I heard back from them was that they liked the pacing, the characters, and the dialog, but it "wasn't right for them." I try to stay on top of the publishing industry news, so what I knew was that: 1) the Big Six isn't that interested in midlist authors, and 2) I am a midlist author. I'm not an idiot. My books are fun little romps, not literary tomes. I was a little skittish about another indie press, and my readers were asking me about the new book, so I took a chance. I'm never going to say never to traditional publishing. But I'm currently happy with the extreme amount of freedom to pick my own covers, set my own prices, offer my own discounts to readers, etc.

One of your blogs is the Crime Fiction Collective. How did the blog start?

I don't really know. I was asked to join the group once they were already established, and I think they might have lost their every-other-Thursday writer. I had met LJ Sellers online, then in person at Bouchercon, so she thought of me when they needed a new recruit. Since then, I've also met CJ West and Marlyn Beebe. They're all delightful folks.

Bonus question: Do you prefer the beach or mountains?

It's more about the weather for me. Beach when it's overcast. Mountains when there's snow. I burn easily, and I look better in sweaters.

Gayle’s books can be bought at Amazon. Thanks for the interview Gayle and for the fun reads.