“Brenda Chapman is a Canadian crime fiction author with
over twenty published novels. In addition to short stories and standalones, she
has written the lauded Stonechild
and Rouleau for police procedural series, the Anna Sweet mystery novellas,
and the Jennifer
Bannon mysteries middle grade. Her work has been shortlisted for several
awards including four Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence.”
Once
again, we find ourselves in the Great White North, specifically Canada’s
capital of Ottawa. And this month, we profile one of Canada’s highest-profile
mystery novelists in Brenda Chapman.
15) Brenda, like
so many of my subjects, you’ve worn so many hats in your vocational life. Which
one would you say has best informed your fiction?
I’ve
been a teacher, which certainly helped me with grammar, but I’d say my work as
a senior communications advisor at the Department of Justice with so many
issues to delve into best informed my crime fiction writing.
14) For those
out there who have not read the series firsthand, tell us about Stonechild and
Rouleau. What makes them such compelling
detectives?
Officer
Kala Stonechild is Indigenous and grew up in foster care. She’s in her late twenties
when the series begins. Her childhood turned her into a loner who has trouble
staying in one place and forming lasting relationships. She’s also intelligent
and dogged with a strong moral code and not averse to pushing limits. Staff
Sergeant Jacques Rouleau is in his fifties, divorced but still in love with his
ex-wife. He’s something of a workaholic, compassionate and lonely. He becomes a
father figure to Stonechild as their relationship grows over the series.
13)
Stonechild and Rouleau are the duo that anchors a police procedural series. How
do you go about doing the requisite research? Is it strictly academic or do you pick the brains of real life Canadian cops?
The base of my research comes
down to all the crime fiction books I’ve read and the stories I’ve watched on
tv over the years. I’ve also been fortunate to belong to Capital Crime Writers,
our local organization, which has brought in many police, detectives and other
experts to speak about cases, crimes and job descriptions. A retired officer
who was one of the guest speakers read Cold
Mourning, first in the Stonechild series, and he gave great feedback about
the crimes. More recently, an Ottawa officer moved in down the street and I
pick his brain on occasion, and my ex-RCMP brother answers my questions, too.
Of course, the Internet is another terrific research tool.
12)
Describe your happy place, the one spot where you feel the most comfortable
writing.
I’m happiest writing at home and usually
in my office. I began my writing career working at a desk in our living room
with the tv often on and my kids in the same room. I learned to concentrate and
to tune out noise as a result! Some twenty years ago, my husband put an
addition on our house and made an office for me, and I’m still grateful for
this lovely gift.
11) Anna Sweet
is another one of your series characters. What are her strengths and weaknesses
as a detective?
Anna
Sweet is an ex-cop P.I. living in Ottawa, created for a series of adult
literacy novellas published by Grassroots Press. She’s funny, smart and
independent, although very attached to her father and family. When the series
begins, she’s bartending in Texas as she tries to deal with a few issues,
including the fact her ex-fiancé broke off their engagement to marry her
younger sister. She has difficulty
letting go of the past and is reluctant to trust again when it comes to a
romantic relationship.
10) What made
you decide to write a series of mysteries for middle schoolers?
The
first book I attempted to write is Running
Scared, the first in a series of four books for middle grade readers. I
wrote the book for my daughters who were twelve and nine at the time, mainly to
see if I could do it. The protagonist Jennifer Bannon is going into grade nine,
she’s having difficulty in school, her parents are separated, and she likes a
boy who has a girlfriend. The books deal with real issues kids are facing, some
of this coming out of my teaching experience. My nine-year-old daughter said
after reading the manuscript, “Mommy, you write like a real author.” This
spurred me on to seek out a publisher J
9) When you were growing up in Canada, who
were some of the authors you’d read and had any of them gone on to influence
your work?
I’ve
been a huge mystery reader since picking up Enid Blyton’s The Secret Seven and The
Famous Five books. The list of authors I’ve read and enjoyed lately
include: Denise Mina, Anne Cleeves, Michael Connolly, Adrian McKinty, Jane
Harper, Deon Meyer, and Liza Marklund. I also read a lot of Canadian crime
fiction over the years and hesitate to name only a few since we have so many
terrific writers. (You can check them out on the Crime Writers of Canada
website.) I’d say that
all of these authors have influenced my writing to some degree over the years.
They make me want to strive to improve and to tell stories that readers can’t
put down.
8) Plotter,
pantser or plantser?
I
consider myself squarely in the pantser category. I tend to know the crime,
motivation and whodunit before I begin the first draft, but not always.
Sometimes, I simply sit down and write a sentence and off I go.
7) What do you
think it is about the capital city that provides such a fertile ground for
crime fiction?
Yes,
Ottawa has been a hub of crime fiction writing for a few decades now. Could it
be all those politicians making people want to fictionally kill somebody?! Hard
to know for certain, but the city is about a million people so a large pool of
suspects and victims for murders – three waterways, two universities, a
college, many distinct, vibrant neighbourhoods, parkland, bike trails, four
seasons, numerous small towns within driving distance … this region makes for a
varied and rich setting.
6) Are there any
subjects or types of crimes you won’t write about in your mysteries?
Like
most crime fiction writers, I wouldn’t kill a dog or beloved pet, but this is
my only absolute writing taboo. I’m not into graphic violence, however,
believing less is more. My interest is in the characters and their interactions
and motivations, and in solving the crime puzzle. My books often raise current
issues, such as teenage prostitution or the wrongly convicted, but these topics
are woven into the stories.
5)
Please describe your typical writing day, if there’s any such thing. Do you
write in journals, a laptop, both, do you set word goals and, if so, what are
they?
My writing days vary, but I
usually get started around ten a.m. and can still be writing after supper. This
tends to happen deeper into the manuscript as I’m nearing the end and picking
up speed. Some days, I accomplish very little writing if my focus is on editing,
publicity or an event. My goal is always to enjoy the process and not to put
pressure on myself to achieve a certain word count. I manage to write a book a
year, so this continues to be my target.
4) Your newest
series is the Hunter and Tate series that takes place in your native Ottawa.
For those who have not seen your interview on Ottawa
TV, what’s the throughline for Blind Date?
The
Hunter and Tate series has two main protagonists: Detective Liam Hunter and
Ella Tate, a laid off reporter who begins a true crime podcast. Hunter meets
Ella when she appears to be the target of a number of vicious crimes. The two
begin unofficially to help each other out on cases and develop a tentative
friendship. A third character named Tony appeared in Blind Date and has become a presence in the books. He’s a gay
hairdresser who lives in the apartment below Ella, breaking many of the stereotypes
and becoming a well-rounded character. Readers tell me they wish he were real
and could move in next door to him.
3) Is there any
temptation to do a cross-over entry between two of your series?
No,
I will keep the two series separate, although there have been moments when I’ve
greatly missed Stonechild and Rouleau. I like to think of them happily living
their lives somewhere off the page.
2)
All your mysteries transpire in modern-day Canada. Have you ever given any
thought to writing a historical mystery in 19th century Ottawa?
One lure for writing a 19th
century mystery would be the lack of technology. It is difficult these days to
stay on top of all the new tech for solving cases, and there’s a need to work
around these modern tools to write a plausible story. In any event, I wouldn’t
say no to writing a historical mystery although I’d likely start with a short
story first. The only ‘historical’ book I’ve penned is Second Chances, an older teen
standalone novel set in the seventies. It’s a coming of age book and involved
quite a bit of research to get the time period right.
1)
So, what’s next for Brenda Chapman?
When
Last Seen,
second in the Hunter and Tate series will be released April 1st and
I’m currently writing book three. I’ll be seeking out publicity/marketing
opportunities over the summer, beginning with an Ottawa book launch in April. I
might also add that if any of your followers belong to a book club, I love
dropping in to talk mysteries, and Zoom means I can visit anywhere in the
world. They can reach me through the contact page on my website.
Thanks so much, Robert, for
inviting me to chat and answer such fun, insightful questions.
If you're interested in learning more about Ms. Chapman and her work, please follow the links below:
