Susan Boyer's Lowcountry Boil

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If you haven’t read Lowcountry Boil by Susan Boyer, expect a fun rollercoaster read. In addition to winning and placing in respected RWA contests, Lowcountry Boil’s nomination for the prestigious Agatha mystery award was no surprise. Please welcome Susan Boyer to WWK.

1. There is a delicious soup mixed into Lowcountry Boil, an apt title. Did you plan the ingredients of your novel, or throw all the ingredients in at once, pantser-style?

First, thank you so much, Elaine! I really appreciate you having me on Writers Who Kill today. I’m a hybrid model writer. I start out with a rough outline. But as I write, my characters often take me in directions I hadn’t planned. 

2. How long did it take to complete the manuscript? Could you describe your process?

This is a straightforward question, but the answer is complicated. I started writing Lowcountry Boil in 2004. I finished the first version in 2005 and started researching publishing. I went to conferences and queried agents. To make a long story short, I went through several “revise and resubmits,” all with disappointing results. Everyone had different visions for my manuscript. It was very confusing. I hadn’t yet internalized how subjective publishing is, and all the differing advice I received made my head spin. I revised, edited, rinsed, and repeated. I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of writers: the ones who write five manuscripts before they have one published, and the ones who write the same manuscript five times. I’m stubborn enough to be in the second category. Lowcountry Boil was the first book in a planned series—I felt as though I had to get it right before I could move on.    

3. Lowcountry Boil won the 2012 Daphne du Maurier award and finalized in the Golden Heart contest. I was surprised to find that you won in the Mainstream/Suspense Category. How did you determine which category to enter in each contest?

Mainstream Mystery/Suspense is the category for entries that don’t have a romance as the central plot of the story. Lowcountry Boil is romantic fiction, but the main story is the mystery. This category seemed the best fit to me.

4. Are you active in RWA as well as SinC?

Yes, I love both! I’ve learned so much from both organizations. And honestly, I think what I write fits both genres. Like me, my work is a hybrid.

5. Do you have an agent, and if so, did winning the award help find an agent or secure a publishing contract?

Yes, Stephany Evans at FinePrint Literary Management is my agent, and she is fantastic. I did every single thing backwards! I signed the contract for Lowcountry Boil with Henery Press the Thursday before I found out Lowcountry Boil was a 2012 Golden Heart finalist. Later, I learned it was a Daphne finalist as well. Several agents contacted me before, during, and after RWA Nationals last year, when the winners were announced, but because I’d already sold Lowcountry Boil, most asked to see my next project when it was ready. I met Stephany in Anaheim at the national conference and instantly liked her. We were in contact several times after that, and in December of last year I signed with her. I honestly don’t know if the award helped me get an agent, but I don’t think it hurt.

6. Although this is your first published novel, it is obvious that you are an accomplished writer. How long have you written? How did you decide to enter the contests? Had you entered previously with other manuscripts?

Thank you so much! Oh my goodness—I think I came out of my mother’s womb telling stories. As soon as I could hold a crayon, I started writing them down. For many years, life got in the way of me pursuing writing as a career—marriage, kids, day job to pay for the kids, all the activities the kids were in—you get the idea. In early 2004, the company I worked for went out of business. The kids were mostly grown, and my husband and I decided that instead of relocating for a similar job, I’d chase my dream. I had a few short stories published. A couple of those placed in contests. After I edited and revised Lowcountry Boil until I was happy with it, I thought, “Why not?” If nothing else, I could get feedback from the Daphne, and see how my manuscript compared to others. Lowcountry Boil was my first novel and my first entry in the Golden Heart and Daphne contests.

7. Is Stella Maris your fictionalized setting based on Sullivan’s Island? If so, why did you decide to fictionalize the setting?

No, it isn’t based on Sullivan’s Island, although I love Sullivan’s Island. But I needed a town a good bit larger both in population and area. I had this town in my head that was the quintessential small Southern town. It was on an island with limited access and limited development. I couldn’t find a town that was exactly what I had in mind, so I made one up.

8. Adding a spicy supernatural element complicates the plot and makes life difficult for main character, Liz Talbot. Did that element complicate the writing of Lowcountry Boil?

In some ways it did complicate things. I had to determine what the limits of Colleen’s powers were and abide by them. But once that character popped into my head, I couldn’t get her out. She was well worth the trouble she caused.

9. Two mothers become unhinged in the book. Do you think how people are treated changes their character or do people determine who they become by self-determination (how they react and what they choose)?

Oh, wow—that’s a hard one. I think some people—not all people—are changed by the way others treat them and by things that happen in their lives. Other folks are much more self-determined. And, I think some people grow into self-determined individuals because of the trials in their lives. It’s also possible, I think, for circumstances to cause people to act out of character, though not essentially change their characters.

10. I finished reading the book with a lot of unanswered questions, such as how Liz became an investigator and how Liz came to team with her ex’s brother. Are you planning to make this book the start of a series?

Yes—thank you so much for asking! This is the first book in a series. The next book, LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL will be released September 17, 2013. Two books are planned for 2014.

Bonus Question: I’m forgoing my usual bonus question. Since the setting of your book was the beach, you’re obviously a beach person (like me) so instead I’d like to know which beaches you consider second homes to you?

I love the South Carolina coast and spend time there every opportunity. I grew up going to North Myrtle Beach for vacations. I love the Garden City/Murrell’s Inlet area. In fact, my husband and I were married in Garden City. We lived in Mt. Pleasant, SC, for a while, and I could ride my bike to Sullivan’s Island, which I truly love. I’m very much at home on Isle of Palms. I’m a big fan of the Pawley’s Island/Litchfield area. Oh, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina—lovely. I may have missed a few, but I guess it’s obvious: I love all the Carolina beaches.

I’m also a huge fan of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.  

Susan proves that waiting to publish until you’ve perfected your script and honing your craft make for award-winning novels. I applaud Susan’s fortitude and perseverance. After reading Lowcountry Boil’s blurb, below, continue on to your favorite bookseller and treat yourself.

Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.