An Interview With Joan Long

by Grace Topping

It’s always a pleasure to see dedicated writers have their books published, especially when you know it took years for them to finally hold a copy of it in their hands. So a big congratulations to Joan Long, whose first book, The Finalist, comes out on March 15 and is available for preorder. 

 

The Finalist

Five authors, each with their own secrets, are chosen to complete a deceased novelist’s unfinished manuscript. For single mom Risa Marr, the competition is the opportunity of a lifetime. At stake is a million dollars and a contract to continue the famous novelist’s bestselling thriller series.

Transported to the tropical paradise of Key Island, the finalists are cut off from the world and given seven days to draft their best ending for the book. But when one of them turns up dead, theories and accusations abound. Accident? Suicide? Or Murder? To what lengths will competitors go to win? And who, if anyone, will leave the island alive?

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Welcome, Joan, to Writers Who Kill.

 

Thank you for having me. It’s an honor to be here.

 

Congratulations on the publication of The Finalist, your first published novel. What inspired you to write The Finalist? And why a suspenseful mystery?

 

At a writing conference several years ago, two well-known authors were introduced. Both were writing legacy series for the same famous thriller writer. I was suddenly curious. How had they been chosen? Were they competitors? My questions eventually became the premise of The Finalist. And because I love reading mysteries and suspense, I crafted the novel to be both. 

 

Your main character, Risa Marr, is in a competition to take over the series of an internationally famous writer. What was it that drove Risa to enter the competition and become one of the finalists?

 

As a recently-single mom, Risa is struggling financially to raise her three-year-old child. Her day job as a grant writer is about to end, and she’s desperate to find work. The competition’s million-dollar prize entices her to enter. 

 

It’s not often you read a book of suspense centered around a group of writers. The competition among them is keen. What is it about this competition that might drive someone to murder?

 

Money is an obvious reason, but there’s more—including pride, a sense of moral outrage, and the overwhelming desire to become famous.

 

To win the competition, the writers must complete Wyatt DeMay’s unfinished manuscript. With some of his books being gruesome thrillers, can Risa write in that vein?

 

She hopes she won’t have to. Her plan is to impress the judges by writing in Wyatt DeMay’s winning style but without his recent, unnecessary violence.

 

When Risa is accused of murder, she rises to the occasion and takes control of her fate. What drives her to survive?

 

Above all else, Risa is a loving mother. Her primary goal is to return home to her young child, Emmy. If she doesn’t, she knows that Emmy will go into foster care, and she can’t bear that thought. She will do anything it takes to make it back to her daughter.

 

It’s often said that setting can be another character in a story. What made you select a remote island for your story?

 

I enjoy locked-room and closed-circle stories. What better setting than a private tropical island in the middle of nowhere? Warm breezes, sandy beaches, and perhaps a romance? It all sounds wonderful until you’re trapped there with a killer.

 

Risa finds herself in a competition with the first man she ever loved. How was that for her? 

 

Risa’s first love has been absent from her thoughts for many years. But when they’re suddenly thrown together, she finds she still resents being dumped by him. He insists that he’s changed, and he’s more attractive than ever. But can she trust him? And should she?

 

Throughout the story you provide hints or foreshadowing of things to come. For example, one of the cabins on the island is called the Graveyard, painted black, and filled with various tools for killing people. Was it a challenge to maintain suspense throughout the book?

 

It’s always a challenge. However, I’ve learned that building suspense is easier when clues play into readers’ internal fears. For instance, a dark building housing weapons is inherently eerie. When readers are introduced to the Graveyard cottage, they may wonder why such a thing is on a tropical island, if the weapons will be used, and by whom. They build suspense in their own minds.  

 

Please tell us about your path to publication. Was it a smooth path or one filled with potholes?

 

Potholes, definitely! I have several “practice” manuscripts hidden in a drawer. It took me a while to learn how to write a salable novel, and it was almost exactly five years from when I came up with the idea for The Finalist until I signed a publishing contract. 

 

It is said that only three percent of people who set out to write a book ever complete one. What kept you going to not only complete your book but to see it published?

 

Holding my own book in my hands has been a life-long goal. Many times, I asked myself: If I give up, will I regret it? The answer was always yes, so I kept trying. 

 

What was the most valuable thing you learned during your long journey?

 

I learned to write the best story I could, then to cross my fingers and let it go. I can’t control whether or not a publisher or agent will want it. I also can’t control if readers will buy it. I can only put out a story that I hope people will enjoy.

 

Besides The Finalist, you’ve also published some short stories. Please tell us about them. 

 

Two of my short stories have been published, and both are set in my home state of Florida. The most recent, “The Extra Ingredient,” is included in the Anthony Award-winning anthology Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible. In it, a teenage hostess and a fair-minded cook match wits in a rural diner.

 

What’s next? Is The Finalist a standalone or the first in a series?

 

The Finalist is a standalone mystery novel. My next book (untitled) will be a psychological thriller set in Florida, near the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Think palm trees, swimming pools, and murder….

 

Thank you, Joan.

 

For more information about Joan and The Finalist, visit https://joanlongbooks.com