It is so nice to have our good friend Jacqueline Seewald visit us once again. You may recall that last year Jacquie stopped by and we had a chat about The Truth Sleuth, the third novel in her Kim Reynolds series. I am delighted that book number four, The Bad Wife has recently been released so I had a few questions, and gracious as always, Jacquie answered.
T.The Bad Wife is your fourth novel in the Kim Reynolds series. Can you tell us how you developed Kim as a character? What drew you to her? And did you always know she was going to be a series character or at the end of the first of the series (The Inferno Collection) did you decide that you just had to work with Kim again?
J. The Inferno Collection drew a lot of attention and good reviews. This encouraged me to think there might be a readership interested in following Kim into another novel. The Drowning Pool is the second novel to feature Kim as a main character. In it, her relationship with police detective Mike Gardner further develops and deepens. Also, Mike’s new partner, Bert St. Croix, joins the series. They solve another murder case. The mystery takes place in a fictional New Jersey township. Like myself, Kim is an academic librarian who also has a background in teaching English. She has devoted her life to helping other people. But unlike me, Kim is haunted by a dark family past. She has reinvented herself. In the third novel in the series, The Truth Sleuth, the three main characters work together to solve another series of murders that are connected to the local high school. I believe The Bad Wife will be especially satisfying to readers who have followed the previous novels. However, it isn’t required to have read them, because, as is the case with each book, they stand alone as complete mystery novels, entities unto themselves.
T. Kim Reynolds has psychic abilities. Has that always been an interest of yours? How did you research to write an authentically psychic character?
J. A New Jersey woman regularly helped the police with murder investigations. My husband worked with a woman at one time whose daughter had disappeared after an evening visit to a lounge. In fact, a series of women disappeared after visiting the establishment. Apparently, there was a serial killer on the loose.
The woman who worked with my husband described how heartbroken she was. If nothing else, she needed closure. The psychic was able to locate her daughter’s body.
This true story had an impact on me. I personally have no psychic ability but I believe that there are people who do and that the ability can be used to help others.
T. As someone who writes both short and long fiction, could you tell us something about how you see the differences?
J. In a novel, the writer has the opportunity to develop multiple characters in depth. Plots are also more involved and intricate. It usually takes me several years and a good deal of rewriting to create a novel. Short fiction is more of a tour de force. But it is still quite challenging. As an English major both in college and graduate school and then as a teacher, I studied and taught the novel and short story. I have great respect for each genre.
T. Finally, is there anything else you would like us to know about your writing?
J. First, Terrie, I would very much like to thank you for this opportunity to discuss my work and hopefully reach more readers. My new novel, THE BAD WIFE: A KIM REYNOLDS MYSTERY, continues the story of Kim and Mike’s relationship. Kim and Bert work together, each in her own way, to prove that Mike did not murder his wife. I suppose there is a subtle underlying feminist message. However, this novel is first and foremost meant as entertainment for readers, male and female alike. The book has mystery, a bit of romance and is also a suspense thriller. It is available from Amazon in both print and e-book editions.
It can also be ordered directly from the publisher, Perfect Crime Books.
T. Jacquie, thank you for visiting the Women of Mystery and we wish you every success with The Bad Wife and all your writing endeavors.
Terrie
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