Author R&R with Eugenia Lovett West

Today, my Author R&R features a very special guest, Eugenia Lovett West, who at age 96 is the author of the newly published Firewall: An Emma Streat Mystery. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Reverend Sidney Lovett, the widely known and loved former chaplain at Yale. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and worked for Harper's Bazaar and the American Red Cross. Then came marriage, four children, volunteer work, and freelancing for local papers. Her first novel, The Ancestors Cry Out, was published by Doubleday; it was followed by two mysteries, Without Warning (2007) and Overkill (2009), published by St. Martin's Press. 

 

Firewall is the third installment in a series centering on former opera singer Emma Streat, who has survived the murder of her husband and the destruction of her beautiful old house. Now a full-time single mother, she struggles to move forward and make a home for her two sons. Because of her detection skills, she has become a go-to person for help―so, when her rich, feisty, socialite godmother is blackmailed, she turns immediately to Emma. Soon, Emma finds herself thrust into the dark world of cybercrime. Mounting challenges take her to exclusive European settings where she mixes with the elite of the financial and art collecting worlds. When she is targeted by a cybercrime network using cutting-edge technology, it takes all of Emma's resilience and wits to survive and bring the wily, ruthless criminal she's hunting to justice.

 

Author R&R by Eugenia Lovett West

It’s never too late to create and publish. At age 96, I wake up every morning and look forward to sitting down at the computer and producing. Writing could be a compulsion that’s hard-wired in the brain. It’s certainly a life-changing commitment as to how one wants to spend time and energy.

To create a book, my sense is that it’s 10% talent and 90% applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. In a way, it’s like making a big stew. You put in the ingredients, stir, hope for a good result, but for most people it takes time and hard work to find one’s voice and one’s style. Through trial and error, I’ve learned to show rather than tell and to use dialogue that covers ground and moves the plot without an excess of description. I try to make the setting liven and illuminate the story,  while secondary characters add color, and the end is emotionally satisfying. I aim for drama and conflict in every chapter without stretching the reader’s credibility—and for me, suspense is key. I really want readers to be compelled to turn the page.

For historical novels, it can be a challenge to balance facts with imagination. For my thriller set in Jamaica, it was enough to read a few journals mostly written by English governor’s wives. On the other hand, American history demands extensive research. Any mistakes will quickly be found and noted. On the other hand, the mystery genre has different requirements. There should be sly red herrings, judiciously scattered clues, a surprise ending, and justice must always triumph. And—the reader should get a few hints as to who will emerge as the villain, not let him jump out on the last page. I actually got to the end of my first mystery with several candidates and had to do a lot of revising. No domestic violence. My mystery subplots must have a global theme like advanced weapons, lethal viruses, cybercrime. My detective character Emma Streat goes to many different countries, ones I visited on business trips with my husband, and it’s great fun to travel back in time.

As for process, I try never to sit at the computer staring into space. When problems arise, I take a sheet of paper and write “What If” at the top, then think up several possibilities. This usually works—and the time-honored long walk can clear the mind. I start with a general idea and let pictures run through my mind like watching a movie. Like painting a picture, there are layers and layers of process.  I don’t block out the plot chapter by chapter, it’s not set in concrete, but the overall structure should be there. It is said that there are only two master plots in existence: “A Stranger Comes to Town” and the “Hero’s Journey.” Readers and writers are setting out on a journey together, and the reader must care about the outcome.

One might say that being a writer is like living in two worlds—one is where you eat, sleep, and talk. The other is where you exist with a different set of people. I get to know them better than my own children, and my job is to guide them to their destinations. I believe, deeply, that a writer should try to provide the reader with something of value—entertainment, information, or just the chance to escape to a different world.

 

For more information about Eugenia Lovett West and her books, you can visit her website or follow her on Facebook. Firewall is now available via all major online and brick-and-mortar booksellers.