My first published book was PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, the first Cherry Tucker Mystery. I wrote it while living in Japan, soon after I lost my dad. I’m from a small farming town and had been to a lot of funerals. That’s part of small town life. My dad’s funeral made a huge impression on me. The line of people waiting to pay their respect took hours. Some people drove hours to come — people my mother hadn’t seen in years. My dad was a retired teacher but didn’t teach in my hometown. He taught in the “city.” He hadn’t been mayor (although he did a stint on the town board once. And hated it.) or anyone “important” in terms of social standing. But he was a good man. Dependable, honest, and everyone liked him. That was a funeral to be proud of.
At the time, Miranda Lambert’s “Famous in a Small Town” was a popular song on my playlist. Thinking about my dad’s funeral and that song had me reflecting on another kind of small town funeral. So while I stayed with my mom for a few weeks, I let that idea play in my head. I hadn’t entirely known I was going to write a mystery at the time. Before his funeral, I’d been thinking about a somewhat dysfunctional but happy family living in rural Georgia. In Nagoya, I had a lot of thinking time while driving my youngsters to school every day, particularly on the way home. The 4 miles took 45 minutes.
You mention the Sisters in Crime critique group on your website for writer’s help. For those who aren’t active with a writer’s group, what would you tell them about joining one?
I joined Guppies when I first looked for a publisher back in 2011-12. The Guppies were a tremendous help. It’s an online chapter of Sisters in Crime, meant for beginning mystery writers. I highly recommend Guppies (Guppy Online Chapter - Sisters in Crime).
Besides SinC, over the years I’ve been involved with various local writer’s group and national organizations. At any stage in your writing career, I feel it’s important to connect with other writers. You need to network for business reasons, to better your craft, and to connect with people who understand the joys and difficulties of writing. Only other writers will understand what you’re going through!
I joined Guppies when I first looked for a publisher back in 2011-12. The Guppies were a tremendous help. It’s an online chapter of Sisters in Crime, meant for beginning mystery writers. I highly recommend Guppies (Guppy Online Chapter - Sisters in Crime).
Besides SinC, over the years I’ve been involved with various local writer’s group and national organizations. At any stage in your writing career, I feel it’s important to connect with other writers. You need to network for business reasons, to better your craft, and to connect with people who understand the joys and difficulties of writing. Only other writers will understand what you’re going through!
I’m more of a “pantser” or discovery writer. An idea for an inciting incident kicks things off for me, but plotting everything out hasn’t worked for me. I like to make it a puzzle for myself, I suppose, so I come up with the original crime and take it from there!
What do you think makes for a perfect murder mystery?
A perfect murder mystery has a good twist, some clever red herrings, and an interesting subplot that’s connected to the main mystery. Even if I figure out the whodunnit before the end, I will enjoy the story tremendously if it’s engaging and written well.
A perfect murder mystery has a good twist, some clever red herrings, and an interesting subplot that’s connected to the main mystery. Even if I figure out the whodunnit before the end, I will enjoy the story tremendously if it’s engaging and written well.
What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
I’m always encouraged when my readers write to me. I like emailing with my readers. It’s a good way to get to know them individually. Many times, they are dealing with a difficult situation — whether their health or the health of another family member, or something else — and reading is an escape for them. Nothing gives me greater pleasure to know I helped someone smile.
I’m always encouraged when my readers write to me. I like emailing with my readers. It’s a good way to get to know them individually. Many times, they are dealing with a difficult situation — whether their health or the health of another family member, or something else — and reading is an escape for them. Nothing gives me greater pleasure to know I helped someone smile.
I feel like I’m not a good marketer (read my chapter in PROMOPHOBIA, the SinC mystery writers marketing book edited by Diane Vallere and you’ll get that!). I’ve got wonderful readers who’ve stuck with me over the years and that’s been a slow build.
I think having preorders for upcoming books and letting my readers know the book is coming up has garnered most of my sales. I have a monthly email for my VIP Readers I send out with my book news, a few personal things, a link to my monthly blog with my friends’ new releases and book deals, and a fun giveaway. I’ve kept that up because I like doing it. I’m not so great at being consistent on social media because I don’t really like it.
What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
I actually wish I’d go back to writing like I did 10 years ago. I wrote faster and with more freedom. Now I’m too careful. I slow myself down with fact-checking or getting stumped on using the right word and similar things. It’s harder to read and write now because I over-analyze everything. I think some of my friends feel that way, too. Maybe it’s our age. Or maybe it’s the fear of our editors. LOL
I actually wish I’d go back to writing like I did 10 years ago. I wrote faster and with more freedom. Now I’m too careful. I slow myself down with fact-checking or getting stumped on using the right word and similar things. It’s harder to read and write now because I over-analyze everything. I think some of my friends feel that way, too. Maybe it’s our age. Or maybe it’s the fear of our editors. LOL
Find your voice and use it consistently in whatever genre you write. This way your readers identify with you as an author — not just your series or a certain character — whether they realize it or not. How many times have you fallen in love with a book or series and immediately looked to see what else the author has written? I do it all the time, and I think I’m a pretty typical binge reader.
To be honest, I find this idea of “voice” a little difficult to explain. I’ve got three protagonists in my three series. Their personalities, physical traits, and backstories are very different. The way they talk is different. Even the tempo, beats, phrasing, and structure of my writing is different for each series. But readers know they are my books because of some quality in the way I write. I couldn’t tell you exactly what the quality is.
For example, when I read Meg Cabot, who writes series in very different genres, I always know it’s Meg Cabot. Same for Elmore Leonard, Joshilyn Jackson, Agatha Christie, or whoever.
To stand out, you need to find your own voice. Reading will spark ideas for your writing. It should anyway. Everything you read is getting filtered into your subconscious, stirred together, and mixed with your personality. That will somehow appear in your writing in a way that readers will know it’s uniquely you.
What else would you like to tell my readers about your writing?
Joining my VIP Reader’s newsletter is the best way to stay in contact with me. I’ve always been a letter writer, so email me and I’ll write you back! (I don’t use any messenger or DMs on social media, although I do post on Instagram and Facebook).
Joining my VIP Reader’s newsletter is the best way to stay in contact with me. I’ve always been a letter writer, so email me and I’ll write you back! (I don’t use any messenger or DMs on social media, although I do post on Instagram and Facebook).
I’m working on 21 GUNS, the next Maizie Albright Star Detective (#10) now. It’s in the early stages, so I don’t have a release date or synopsis yet. I’ve also got some other projects in my pockets — a few Cherry Tucker Mysteries and the next Finley Goodhart Crime Caper — that I work on when I can. I am reviewing the audiobook for 19 CRIMINALS now, too, so that will release soon.
Here’s a brief synopsis for 19 CRIMINALS, Maizie Albright Star Detective, which released a few months ago.
Turner & Hooch meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith for the ex-celebrity-turned-private detective’s latest investigation. Maizie’s new partner is canine. Her ex-partner Nash is on the wrong side of her infidelity case. But it’s more than her career and their relationship at stake. Maizie’s life is on the line when she looks into old secrets connected to Nash’s investigation into her father’s company.
Sounds like there are a few twists and turns in that plot. If you'd like to learn more about Larissa's writing here are some links to get you started.
Website: http://larissareinhart.com/
Website: http://larissareinhart.com/
Newsletter: https://www.larissareinhart.com/larissasreaders
Instagram: http://instagram.com/larissareinhart
Instagram: http://instagram.com/larissareinhart
And here's a bonus for my readers...Larissa is offering a free eBook of the first book in the Maizie Albright Star Detective series, 15 MINUTES. is free on most e-readers. Here is a link to all stores: http://books2read.com/15
Thank you so much for the interview! Larissa
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