The Writer's Room
Interview by Pamela James, 2003
Kit, why write mysteries?
For as long as I can remember, I've been a mystery fan. Sometime in my early teens, I remember staying up one weekend night, reading Sherlock Holmes,
and I was startled when I looked up and saw the sky lightening as dawn approached. So, when I decided to write, I suppose it was only natural that I turned to mysteries. More than any other genre, they capture my imagination and pull me into the story.
What type of writing schedule do you have?
I don't have a writing schedule, per se, and admire those who do and stick with it. I've noticed in the last year that my writing schedule seems to follow a seasonal pattern. In the summer, I'm often up around four in the morning. I'll write until seven, then pick it up again in the evening after the kids are in bed. But by the time winter rolls around, I'm usually sleeping in until seven, then staying up later to write, often until midnight or one. The weekend is a prime writing time for me, too. Plus, I rarely watch television, so that frees up a lot of time.
Tell us a little about your book?
When my protagonist's highly-successful but overbearing father disowns him after he drops out of college, 21-year-old Stephen Cline takes a job as barn manager at one of Maryland's prestigious show barns. When Steve goes to the stable in the middle of the night to medicate a sick horse, he interrupts a horse theft. He's hijacked along with some of the stable's horses but escapes. His escape turns him into a killer's target in an otherwise pastoral setting, where greed, lust, and jealousy simmer just below the surface. When the police investigation stalls, Steve uses his connections in the horse industry and launches his own fact-finding campaign. As he moves closer to uncovering a conspiracy masked by the thefts, Steve must draw upon every ounce of skill and courage, because the murderer will risk everything to put him in the ground.
What was the best part of writing your first book?
The best part of writing AT RISK was the night I got an e-mail from my soon-to-be editor, telling me she was interested in publishing the book. It was around eleven o'clock, and as we corresponded back and forth, I realized she was halfway across the country, reading the manuscript at that very moment, and she was excited about it!
Tell us about Kit, the person, the author, the friend.
I'm more outgoing than I ever used to be, but I'm still basically shy and have to work at being comfortable with the public side of being published. But, I'm very friendly. Otherwise, there's not much to tell. I've lived a fairly unexciting life, boring almost. So you've got to know, everything I write truly is fiction. But I guess all that "boringness" was good for something because when I think about it, I've always made up stories in my head, even when writing was the farthest thing from my mind. So the storytelling aspect of my personality has been useful after all.
How long did it take you to write your book?
I wrote the first draft of AT RISK in a little under three months. I distinctly remember the day I decided that I was going to try and write a book. I couldn't sleep that night. I was so caught up in exploring different characters and thinking of the plot, there was no way I could sleep. I got on the computer the next morning and started writing. I wrote all day long and still had to make myself go to bed that night. During those first three months, the story was all I could think about. Afterward, I took another two years reworking it and refining it because, basically, I was learning to write. The first draft of the sequel is much more polished since I'm applying all that I've learned from writing AT RISK, and I'm taking more time with the first draft.
What advice can you give aspiring mystery writers?
My advice for aspiring authors is - never give up. Go in knowing that it takes a long time and a lot of work to break into this industry. Most writers market too early, but they won't realize that until they've learned more about writing. When you do start sending your work to agents or editors, always have two or three outstanding queries out there at any given time so you won't become too discouraged when you receive rejections. Also, you don't need to spend lots of money to improve your writing. There are many good books out there that you can study. When you do have money to spend, use it for one-on-one courses with a published author who writes in the same genre.
Is there someplace you would like to travel to that you haven't already been?
I'm a big Dick Francis fan, so I'd love to visit the English countryside, check out Ascot racecourse, that sort of thing. And while I'm over there, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and Austria would be nice, too.
Setting and research are obviously an important part of your book. How did you achieve authenticity?
As a reader, setting is very important to me, so I hope I've done a good job with it in my own writing. More than anything, I've applied that well-worn adage "Write what you know" to my setting. I spent many years working at show barns in Maryland, on breeding farms in Pennsylvania, and briefly at the track. I've worked as a veterinary technician and have owned horses for twenty-five years. So all those "horsey" details came easily. Researching the police procedural part of the story was the most difficult, because I feel that, unless you've done the job, you always run the risk of getting something wrong. There are so many nuances you'll never know unless you've done the job. Researching procedural books and internet sites helped, but I also interviewed a police officer who works where the story takes place.
What's next in your author journey?
I'm anxious to get back to finishing the second in the series, DEAD MAN'S TOUCH, but I'm taking time out right now to promote AT RISK full time.
Is there someone you would like to thank for helping you along the way?
Absolutely. On the personal front, my family has been wonderfully supportive. I try to write in the "off" hours, but writing still takes a lot of time away from them. They've been great. My sons are more excited about my being published than I ever expected.
Professionally, I am ever grateful for and amazed by the hardworking crew at Poisoned Pen Press. They are super people to work for, professional, talented, funny. The entire experience has been a pleasure.
Where might fans and readers contact you?
The easiest way to contact me is through the E-mail link on my website. Also, if you would like to receive notices of new releases and upcoming contests, sign up for my mailing list.
Leave us with some mysterious words of wisdom.
Whatever dream it is that you hold close to your heart, don't wait to pursue it. Tomorrow might be too late. Well, that's hardly mysterious. Definitely not original. But what the hay?
K i t E h r m a n . . .
AT RISK FUN LINKS . . .
Columbia Horse Center is the "real-life" Foxdale Farm, Steve's base of operation.
The folks at the Laurel Police Department were a big help to me regarding police procedural questions.
Do You Speak Czech?
If you know someone in the Czech Republic who likes mysteries, AT RISK is available there from Olympia for 179 Kc.
V NEBEZPECI
by Kit Ehrmanova
Site content copyrighted 2006/2007 by Kit Ehrman. top of page
Louisville Skyline photo by Fleur-Design.net
Horse photo by Mike Corrado
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Hardcover
October, 2002
ISBN: 1-59058-036-2
$24.95
Trade Paperback
August, 2006
ISBN: 1-59058-265-9
$14.95
REVIEWS . . .
"It's amazing what horses can do for a mystery. Kit Ehrman's debut novel, AT RISK, reeks of authen-ticity, and the hunters and jumpers that are boarded at this no-frills garage have personality to burn. When seven of these horses are stolen in the dead of night, Stephen Cline, the 21-year-old barn manager . . . in the honored tradition of a Dick Francis hero, vows to track down the thieves..."
~ The New York Times
"The smart money could make the unusually likable protagonist a favorite in the Francis Stakes."
~ Kirkus
"Both horse lovers and crime fans who've never stepped into a stirrup will relish Ehrman's riveting debut . . . Ehrman treads Dick Francis territory with a sure foot [and] has created a mem-orable cast. With his youthful zeal and perseverance, Steve Cline makes a captivating hero and sleuth, one readers will be eager to see again."
~Publishers Weekly
"At best, only a small fraction of first novels turn out to be first in a series (why assume that success for AT RISK?) The over-arching reason is that its author is thoughtful and clever, as well as skilled. Ehrman's writing is unob-trusively crisp . . . The plot is intricate, intriguing, and solid in the best tra-ditional style . . ." (see the complete review-->)
~ The Drood Review
"AT RISK by Kit Ehrman is suspense on steroids and one of the best debut novels to hit the crime literature racetrack since Dennis Lehane's A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR. Clear ample shelf space for a Steve Cline series because Ehrman, a real-life horse farmer, has hit for the literary trifecta."
~ Andrew McAleer of Austin Layman's Crimestalker Casebook
