Mass Market
Paperback, 192pp.
Bantam Books, Incorporated
Pub. June 2000
On-line
interview held Monday August 28 2000 8 PM EST
aalbc> Hello Nora
aalbc> You appear to be early
[Nora] Hello. How are you?
[Nora] Wanted to make sure I did it right
aalbc> I'm fine Thumper should be here monetarily
[Nora] Great
aalbc> On the upper right hand side of your screen there should be a button which says float. do you see it?
[Nora] Yes
aalbc> Click that button it will open up a new window
aalbc> let me know when you do it
[Nora] It's done
aalbc> Now on the upper right hand corner of the new window clci the box
- with the square in it
aalbc> that should give you some more breathing room
[Nora] it's done - it has
aalbc> Good!
aalbc> I'm glad you could make it.
[Nora] Its a pleasure. I'm excited to chat with your audience
>> Melisha has joined channel #XC.1141852
aalbc> Is this the first time you've done something like this
aalbc> Hi Melisha
[Nora] No. But I'm always afraid that I'll do something wrong.
aalbc> we are waiting for Thumper who will conduct the interview at 8PM est
[Melisha] okay
[Melisha] hi nora
[Nora] Hello Melisha. It's a pleasure to have you here tonight.
>> thumper6488 has joined channel #XC.1141852
[thumper6488] Hello everyone
aalbc> Nora, don't worry about doing anything wrong -- half the battle is showing up on time with a
- functioning computer
[Melisha] hi
aalbc> Hey Thump
[Nora] HI
[thumper6488] Hello Melisha
[thumper6488] Hello Troy
[thumper6488] Hello Miss Nora, it's a pleasure
[Nora] It's my pleasure. You can see how excited I am; I got here ten minutes early.
aalbc> Yes Nora was the first in the room
[thumper6488] Miss Nora, I've been a big fan of yours for years!
[Nora] I appreciate that. It's always good to hear from somebody who likes Mama as much as I do.
[thumper6488] Is it getting easier publishing the Mama books now?
aalbc> FYI - for more on the Mama series - http://aalbc.com/themama.htm
[Nora] Oh yes. The audience is growing . Mama is the first cozy African American
mystery series so it wasn't
- easy to get people to take her seriously.
[Nora] When people think of African American mysteries they expect hardboiled detectives or ex-cops.
[thumper6488] Is it getting harder to come up with new twists and murders?
[thumper6488] The population of Otis is taking a beating.
[Nora] Not really. I usually take my cue from things going on in the newspaper.
[Nora] As for the population, I've expanded it by putting a federal prison outside of town
[Nora] This should bring in a little more shady characters for me to play with
[thumper6488] I agree. *smile*
[thumper6488] How did the creation of Mama and Simone come to you?
[Nora] I've always been a reader of "cozy" mysteries like Agatha Christie. When I decided to write, it was
- natural that I'd write a cozy
[Nora] But the characters are a combination of Dr. Watson and Archie of the Nero Wolfe series (Simone) and
- Mama is my Miss Marple.
[thumper6488] I can tell! They do possess that certain feeling.
[thumper6488] How come Simone don't cook?
[thumper6488] Mama is always doing the cooking, and Simone is making coffee.
[Nora] ItShe's too busy taking care of Cliff, working for Sidney Jacoby and shopping until she drops
[Nora] By the way, "Mama" will have a cookbook coming out next Spring
[thumper6488] I was about to ask!!
TO Melisha> No, this is an interview in which we get to listen
[Nora] All the dishes mentioned in the books will be there as well as a few other of my favorites
[thumper6488] I'm pleased!! You have to let us know when its out!
[Nora] I'm excited but it's a challenge. Will do,
[thumper6488] The latest installment in the Mama series is Mama Chases Murderous Shadows. This is
[thumper6488] the first time that I saw an interaction between Simone and her brothers.
[thumper6488] brothers
[thumper6488] Will the brothers ever make an appearance in a mystery or two?
[Nora] The first four books were published by Holloway House Publishing book. The brothers are mentioned in
- those. But yes, the brothers will also make other appearances.
[Nora] As a matter of fact, I wrote a short story featuring "Simone" only. It will appear in an anthology
[Nora] to be published by Berkeley in March.
[Nora] The book is entitled, "Women on the Bench"
[Nora] Anyway, Simone is in Orlando with her brother Will when she
[Nora] solves a murder all by her self.
[Nora] You'd be proud of her.
[thumper6488] No kidding!!
[thumper6488] I like Simone.
[Nora] She does her think like a real woman. I'll probably let her do other things but I'm not sure what
- they'll be
[Nora] I just know I'll develop her on her own in some way
[thumper6488] Will the brothers ever play sidekick to Mama
[Nora] I don't think so. I really want the mother-daughter thing to stand out.
[Nora] I have the belief that mothers and daughters can be friends and still respect each other
[Nora] space
[Nora] this is different from most mother and daughter relationship that are usually aversaries
[Nora] II want Simone to be her own woman, but I want to portray the relationship between her and her mother
[thumper6488] Will Cliff and Simone EVER get married?
[Nora] Of course but that will be a rocky road
[Nora] As a matter of fact in a book that I've just finished I have
[Nora] something come out of Cliff past that will put their relationship to the test
[thumper6488] You have my mouth watering. An ex-wife is murdered and Cliff is the prime suspect.
[Nora] The books are commercial fiction but I really want to explore relationships in a subtle way
[Nora] I think the problem will put Cliff's ego and test his feelings for Simone. The test will have to
[Nora] push the relationship forward or end it.
[thumper6488] In the first Mama book that I read, Mama helped Simone's employer prove his client innocence.
[Nora] Yes. That's the first "mama" book.
[thumper6488] Will she become involve in anymore court cases?
[Nora] In the short story I mentioned, Simone's employer sends her to Orlando to work on a case because
[Nora] he can't handle it. She becomes involved in the legal part of the problem and she solves it. It
- worked
[Nora] fine so I'll probably let her do a little more things with the legal aspects.
[thumper6488] There are several qualities that I love about your series and Barbara Neeley's Blanche series.
- One of theme
[thumper6488] is that the central characters are "normal", everyday AA women.
[thumper6488] Another was that Mama and Blanche get their information from other people
[thumper6488] and not computers and technical stuff like that.
[thumper6488] Did you have this in mind when you started or did it evolve that way?
[Nora] I I think both Barbara and my characters better depict the contemporary AA woman and her networking
- abilities
[Nora] I had it in mind. I wanted the contemporary AA woman, family, friends, networking, etc., depicted in a
- positive and energetic manner.
[Nora] I hope I've done that.
[thumper6488] I say you have.
[thumper6488] It reminds me of how AA use to get most of their information, by word of mouth.
aalbc> FYI Nora Deloach Homepage - http://members.aol.com/ndelo66635/
[Nora] AA woman communicate honestly and openly. It has made us stronger, it has held our families and
- communities together and it has provided our young women with excellent role models.
[thumper6488] Earlier you've stated your future plans for Simone. Are you developing any other characters to
- star in their own mystery?
[Nora] Not at the present. I really like Mama and Simone and I'm amazed at how much I want them to tell their
- stories.
[Nora] My agent asked if I wanted to write something else
[Nora] but I don't have that desire at the present
[Nora] This cookbooks is taxing me
[Nora] You know I cook with a little of this and a pinch of that
[Nora] No such thing as a measuring cup
[Nora] Well you can't write a cookbook without measurements
[Nora] So I'm calling family and friends asking, how much of this or that
[Nora] It's fun but it's different
[thumper6488] My grandmother was the same way. I would ask Mama how do you do this?
[thumper6488] And she got to the point where she would say, well you just got to be here when I cook it.
[Nora] Sounds like a good answer to me
[thumper6488] LOL
[thumper6488] How many recipes will the cookbook have?
[Nora] I'm thinking of 150. There are 80 in the books so I'll have to get a few more others
[thumper6488] I always wanted to know if you cooked like Mama. Now I know.
[Nora] Many people think I'm Simone because I write from her point of view
[Nora] But in fact, I'm Mama.
[Nora] I've been married for thirty-six years
[Nora] Have reared three children
[Nora] And in the throngs of menopause, I started to write
[Nora] So I've got a lots of cooking years behind me
[Nora] But without measurements.
[thumper6488] So is there are "real" Simone?
[Nora] Yes, my daughter
[Nora] I have two sons, like "mama"
[Nora] My daughter is the middle child
[Nora] She is married and has two children
[Nora] And she lives in Orlando
[Nora] She tells me if I'm on target when I depict Simone
[thumper6488] With the growing field of AA mystery/suspense novels, are you finding that the more, the merrier
- thing is true?
[Nora] Yes I do. There is a great chasm between AA mystery writers and other mystery writers. Our culture
- should be
[Nora] depicted in all areas of literature
[Nora] We are a multi-talented people
[Nora] and we should be depicted as such in literature that our children and other young people reae
[Nora] The reason I wrote the "Mama" series was
[Nora] because I couldn't find a cozy AA book to read
[Nora] Barbara Neely comes closer than any
[Nora] And she hadn't written in a few years
[Nora] So I decided to write my own
[thumper6488] Miss Nora, I notice on your email that you have your own Internet thing happening with your
- Saturday meetings. Would you like to tell us about it?
[Nora] Yes I would. I've started my own chat room on Saturdays at 3-4. I might change that time since
[Nora] I've been getting more invitations to do promoting on the week-ends
>> topaz has joined channel #XC.1141852
[Nora] But I've also started a writer's diary
aalbc> Also tell us about your web site's newsletter
TO Melisha> oopps sorry about that
[Nora] Every morning I write a little paragraph about what's happening in my life
[Nora] Sometimes it's about writing but
[Nora] sometimes it's personal
[Nora] So, if I'm not in the chat room, I still trying to connect with my readers
[Nora] The writers diary had replaced the newsletter.
[Nora] I would really like to invite your readers to stop by the chat room or read my diary
[Nora] And if anybody has a recipe that they would like to donate to my cookbook,
[Nora] they should feel free to e-mail it to me
[thumper6488] OK, now for the standard question, what would you tell up and coming authors about getting their
- book published, inspiration and all of that there when it comes the business of writing?
[Nora] First up coming writers must understand that publishing is a very slow business
[Nora] Nothing moves fast, absolutely nothing
[Nora] Te best thing to do after you've finished your book
aalbc> I'll also read you piece on "How to Write and Sell Genre Fiction"
[Nora] and began to market it to agents, editors, etc.,
[Nora] is to get on to your next project
[Nora] It will keep your focus on the reason you began to write in the first place
[Nora] It will keep your creative juices running as you wait, and wait, and wait to hear from
[Nora] agents, editors, etc.
[Nora] Also, writing is rewriting
[Nora] Fall in love with your vision for your work, not your words
[Nora] So many new writers don't want to change a word
[Nora] But a word is like a penny, the one that gets the job done is the right one
[Nora] But your vision for your work shouldn't be changed.
[Nora] And, keep opened to small publishers, it's easier to get them to take a chance on a new author
[Nora] The first four "Mama" books were published by a small publisher
[Nora] I didn't make much money but the fact that I'd had four books on the market
[Nora] made Bantam take a hard look at my work.
[thumper6488] We're in the last few minutes of our hour. Do you have any parting words for us?
[Nora] I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. It has been a pleasure and I want to thank you
[Nora] for the invitation. And, I hope "Mama" will find lasting friends among your readers.
[thumper6488] I want to thank you for visiting us. I've been a Mama followers for years now and I look
- forward to more adventures and the cookbook.
[thumper6488] Mama is one of the most satisfying mystery series published today.
aalbc> Don't forget to visit Nora's web site at http://members.aol.com/ndelo66635/
[Nora] Great. Good night all. I'm sure that time and life will allow our paths to cross again.
>> Nora has left channel #XC.1141852
[thumper6488] OK, everyone. Good night. See you next time.
[thumper6488] Thanks for coming.
On-line
interview held Monday August 28 2000 8 PM EST