Spread the Word - Writers and Writing

Maureen Stevenson got the bug for writing when young. Once bitten, she kept at it, and she has recently published her first book, the murder mystery Ebony Eyes. The story follows the efforts of two of Seattle’s top detectives, a forensic specialist, and the central character, a female, former Navy SEAL, who is now a Private Investigator (when she isn’t busy restoring a 1965 Ford Mustang), as they attempt to solve a series of gruesome murders that leave the bodies with a disheartening signature.

Ms Stevenson initially thought about writing a book about a terrorist attack, but as she began her research and plotting out the novel’s structure, she felt it was too complex for a first effort. Therefore she decided for her first book, she would keep it simpler. She kept the lead character, Hailey Velck, and began her research into forensics, purchasing the volumes she needed to paint a realistic portrayal of the killer’s procedures. On a visit to her doctor, she asked about the effects of placing a hot pick into someone’s eye, while reassuring the stunned physician that it was research for a book!

I recently caught up with Maureen down at Egan’s Pub where she works as a manager and where she had her book launch at the end of March.

Tell us something about yourself:

I am thirty years old. I love all pasta and I am addicted to potato chips. People watching is a favorite passtime as well as daydreaming.

Do you sometimes see a person and think “Wow! S/he would make for an interesting character”?

I sure do!! If a person’s features interest me, then I will mold them into the characters that suit me and the work.

When did you get the bug for writing?

I have always had a great love for books once I was able to read and I began writing poetry in elementary school. I began writing stories in junior high school.

Do you write daily?

Yes and No. I am always writing but not always on paper or my computer. Sometimes, most times, its all in my head.

What are your biggest influences, both writers and life?

My parents and both sets of grandparents have helped me believe in my abilities and have always pushed me to go father than I would think is possible.

The writers that I find have influenced me would be: Patricia Cornwell, Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts, Harper Lee, and Robert Louie Stevenson. (Robert is a distant relation)

What is it about these authors that influenced you?

Patricia Cornwell is the one author who has influenced me the most out of all. I love how she brings a reader right into the story and makes you feel like you are a character in the book. Nora Roberts books always make me feel great. With most of her books, I always wish that they would never end. I go through all emotions when I read her stuff.

How did writing your first book compare with your preconceptions of writing a novel?

I had no preconceptions before I started. I just told myself I could and would do it.

How long did it take you to write?

Ebony Eyes took two years to write and a couple more to edit.

Can you describe a bit the process of coming up with the story and the characters? Does it come out full blown or did you start with a kernel and let it develop? Did the plot or the characters come first? To what extent did the characters determine the story, pushing it in directions you hadn’t considered?

Hailey came to me first and from there, the story developed on its own. Everytime I sat down to write, I never knew what would happen.

What intrigues you about the murder mystery as a genre of writing?

I like the process used in determining the method of murder, the why and the who. I like to consider what the killer is thinking when they commit the act and then let the good guys come in and save the day (or night)

What kind of research did you need to do to make the book realistic?

I purchased a lot of crime scene and autopsy books and talked to those in the medical field to make sure that I wrote eveything right. I wanted to make sure that the autopsy in my book, were correct and when it came to diagnosing my killer, I went through a few medical theasaurus’s and dictionary’s.

Why did you set the Ebony Eyes in Seattle as opposed to putting it in a Canadian city?

Basing the book in Seattle was just where the story belonged. Seattle is a dark and rainy city and it felt right to base Ebony Eyes there.

Can we look forward to other books featuring Hailey?

I plan on having a series featuring Hailey Velck Investigations.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on two more novels. One is a romance based in Canton, Mississippi and the other is another murder mystery which is loosely connected to Ebony Eyes.

Ebony Eyes is available at Retro Relics/The Rabbit Hole. And don’t miss our next Spread the Word Open Mike for local poets and writers on June 15 at 7 pm. If you write and would like to share your work with an appreciative audience, or if you just want to come down to listen to our local talent, your presence is welcome!

Ebony Eyes (Excerpt)

Maureen Stevenson

He gathered her up in his arms and walked towards a large metal door. He threw the hatch and kicked open the door then, he entered a room furnished with a large metal sink on one side and a large metal cabinet on the other. In the middle of the room stood a large metal table with a sink on the end. He strode over to it and set Joyce down gently on the top. Gathering a black satchel from the cabinet, he spread it open on a small side table sat up beside her. Scalpels of various sizes lay side by side, glinting from the over-head light. A thin ice pick was cradled in a padded stand on the table. Beside stood a burner, which he lit. Then gently, as if it was a small child, he picked up the ice pick and set the tip in the flame, letting it heat up to a glowing white. She lay silently in a deep sleep on the top the the table. Her breathing was deep and even, telling him he had time enough. Before he began, he played Chopin lightly from the stereo. Slowly, with feather-light touches, he cut her clothes off and tossed them into a bin against the wall behind him. He ran his hands down her body and stroked her curves like a lover. Suddenly a voice screamed in his head and he stumbled back, gripping his head and moaning. He crumbled on the floor in a fetal position, and the voices subsided to a low thud. He breathed deeply to steady his heart, then slowly stretched out and stood. He picked up his gloves and the ice pick and loved up to Joyce’s head. With the cloth still covering her eyes, he slowly lowered the tip and burned away the cloth covering her left eye and quickly punctured it The pick melted the eye into a gooey mess, and she instantly woke up and started convulsing.

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