Interview with Laura Childs

Added July 2002

Sharyn: With her first novel, Death by Darjeeling, author Laura Childs introduced the world to the beautiful and mystery of tea and its followers, not to mention a wonderful heroine and secondary characters. Woven magnificently throughout her mysteries are tidbits of tea lore, proving that you can always learn something new from reading. I recently managed to steal her away for an interview.

I love the use of different teas in your titles. Did you come up withthe titles or were they chosen by the publisher?

Laura: The titles are all mine, but fairly easy to dream up with since there are so many marvelous varieties of tea.

Sharyn: Where did the you get the idea for the Tea Shop series and your upcoming Scrapbook mysteries?

Laura: My editor at Berkley suggested the Tea Shop Mystery series. She wanted "a mystery featuring a snoopy woman who owns a tea shop!" That was it, the rest of the concept sprang from my imagination. As far as the Scrapbook Mystery series goes, that was completely my idea. Scrapbooking is now the #1 craft in the U.S. so there's already a built-in audience. And I figured that old photos and new clippings - the stuff that goes into scrapbooks - would yield a bounty of clues!

Sharyn: You've done a fantastic job bringing the mystery and charm of Charleston to life. Was there a particular reason you choose Charleston as the setting for the Tea Shop Mysteries?

Laura: Charleston is one of those cities that's steeped in history and mystery - fantastic old homes, treasure troves of art and antiques, old families with skeletons in the closets. Also, Charleston is home to the country's only remaining tea plantation. The tea plants themselves date back to before the Revolutionary War

Sharyn: The descriptions of Church Street and other places are superb. Have you spent a lot of time there?

Laura: Quite a bit, actually. And I'll be spending lots more time there since I've committed to six Tea Shop Mysteries.

Sharyn: When I first picked up Death by Darjeeling I wasn't a big tea lover. My aunt had given me several tins but I rarely drank them. Afterreading it, I was in love. You've made tea and tea lore so fascinating and easy to understand. Now, I have to ask, are you a tea lover? If so, when did your fascination begin and what fueled it?

Laura: I'm definitely a confirmed tea drinker - and traveling through China and Japan I came to love the tea ritual. Now that I'm writing the Tea Shop Mystery series, I'm a woman on a mission. I visit tea shops all across the U.S., collect antique Yi-shing teapots, and am endlessly exploring the fascinating world of tea.

Sharyn: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Laura: I've always been a writer. I spent 25 years as an advertising writer/producer and the last 15 of those years heading up my own agency.

Sharyn: When did you first start writing?

Laura: When I was six I wrote and illustrated "George the Ghost." I guess I just kept going from there.

Sharyn: Who are some of your favorite authors? Do you read in genres you don't write?

Laura: Thomas Harris, Stephen King, John Sandford, Michael Conneley, and Mary Higgins Clark. I pretty much stick to the thriller/mystery/horror genre.

Sharyn: What piece of advice did someone give you that changed your life? Any advice you'd like to give aspiring writers?

Laura: I can't say I've received earth-shattering advice, but I have been on the receiving end of some pretty amazing kindnesses from other mystery writers. Mary Higgins Clark was the one who urged me to come to New York and attend the Mystery Writers of American Symposium where my networking landed me my first publishing contract. And R. D. Zimmerman (author of the soon-to-be released The Kitchen Boy) has shared endless insights about the publishing business.

Sharyn: With all of the new books you have coming out, how do you keep track of everything?

Laura: No problem - in fact it's much easier than balancing 15 or 20 advertising projects. I sometimes noodle around 2 or 3 book concepts at the same time, but once I choose a path and start writing, I work only on one book at a time. And I keep at it until it's finished.

Sharyn: How does your family handle your writing? I know that sometimes family are not very understanding.

Laura: My two Chinese Shar-Pei are fairly understanding. My husband is a college professor who's busy writing his own books about Chinese art.

Sharyn: Can you tell us a bit about the next Tea Shop Mystery, Shades of Earl Grey? And about the first novel in your Scrapbook Mysteries?

Laura: In Shades of Earl Grey, a priceless antique wedding ring disappears from the hand of a dead bridegroom, then a necklace is plucked from its display at the Heritage Society. It becomes pretty obvious to Theodosia that a cat burglar is prowling the cobblestone pathways of Charleston's historic district. In The Scrapbook Murder, one of New Orleans's good old boys dies of Ketamine poisoning right in the middle of a raucous Mardi Gras parade. And Carmela Bertrand, our main character and proprietor of a scrapbook store, gets pulled in when her soon-to-be ex husband is accused of this bizarre murder.

Sharyn: In Death by Darjeeling, Theo and Drayton mix special blends for the holidays. Have you made any of your own blends?

Laura: Only by accident. I dumped some Earl Grey into a tea tin that held a dab of Gunpowder Green and ended up with Earl Green!

Sharyn: What is the hardest part of being in the writing business for you?

Laura: Working by myself. I was so used to a team effort in advertising - working with a designer, account exec, and media planner.

Sharyn: What do you feel makes your books unique or stand out from others in your genre?

Laura: My main character, Theodosia, is imbued with a real entrepreneurial spirit. That's what drove her to give up her 401k and her fairly high-profile job to become a small business owner. When I was in marketing I met dozens of women who longed to do this very same thing. These were smart women - ad managers, product managers, etc. - who wanted to dump the corporate life and open their own book store, needle craft store, tea shop or antique shop. I think most women are natural born entrepreneurs. They don't always want to build a Fortune 500 company, but they do want to create an environment that is nourishing and rewarding.

Sharyn: Do you have a superstitious thing you do when you write? You know, do you have a favorite mug, or shirt you have to have when you writecertain parts of the book?

Laura: For some reason, I need to have all my character names nailed down before I write my first sentence. If I don't have the perfect names, I can't seem to picture the characters in my head.

Sharyn: What are some of your favorite teas? Any particular tea shops you'd like to recommend?

Laura: Darjeeling is spectacular - there's a reason they call it the "champagne of teas." Japanese green teas are real favorites, too. As far as tea shops go, I've been incredibly impressed with almost all that I've visited. There are so many hard-working tea shop hostesses out there who are helping people learn about and enjoy the gentle art of tea.

Sharyn: Do you have something special planned for Theodosia and Detective Tidwell? Their relationship was intriguing.

Laura: Detective Tidwell will continue to be a recurring character. Although their relationship isn't adversarial, it will probably continue to be a bit cat-and-mouse.

Sharyn: One of the most important things I look for in a good mystery series are the secondary characters. Will we be learning more about Drayton and Haley, not to mention Theo's dog, Earl Grey? (I absolutely love his name and breed.)

Laura: Absolutely. Drayton and Haley aren't just employees, they're family to Theodosia. Earl Grey, her mixed-breed Dalbrador, will even do some crime solving of his own!

Sharyn: *grinning* Any chance you'll ever open a tea shop of your own? Or will you leave that to Theo?

Laura: I've already been asked to open a tea shop! And folks have suggested I go on QVC and sell tins of Indigo Tea Shop tea along with the books and Theodosia's cleverly designed Tea-shirts. While these entrepreneurial endeavors are tempting, I think it's best I stick to writing.

Sharyn: Laura, thank you for taking time from your busy day to talk with me. Be sure to visit her site www.laurachilds.com, for more information about her available and upcoming novels.

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