Brenda
Chapman is author of the Jennifer Bannon mystery series for young adults. Hiding in Hawk's Creek, the second in
the series was shortlisted by the Canadian Library Association for children's
book of the year in 2006. Brenda has published several short stories in
magazines, including Canadian Living,
and in 2010 released In Winter's Grip,
an adult murder mystery that the Globe
and Mail calls "A fine debut for a talented writer". In 2011,
Orca published The Second Wife in its
popular Rapid Reads series for adults (Orca 2011); it was shortlisted for a
Golden Oak award by the Ontario Library Association in 2012. Second Chances is a standalone young
adult novel was published in September 2012 and Cold Mourning, the first in an adult mystery series will be
published fall 2013, both from Dundurn.
Brenda recently signed a two-book contract with Grass Roots Press for a
mystery series for adult learners. The first will be released fall 2013.
How/why did you start to write?
Like so many authors, my favourite subject in school was always
writing class. I went on to study English literature at university and took a
third-year creative writing course that focused on poetry and short
story-writing. I absolutely loved it, but didn’t think I could make a living in
creative writing. I went on to teachers’ college and worked in the special
education field for about fifteen years before I found my way back to writing.
How did you become an author?
I had a difficult time reconciling in my psyche that I
actually was an author. It’s not like there is one defining moment when someone
gives you a degree or a plaque with your new job description. I thought I’d automatically feel like an author when I
became published, but even after seven books, I’m still sometimes surprised
when someone introduces me as one. Writing was always such a personal endeavour
for me, and I’ve been doing it all of my life, whether it was school
assignments, a diary, poems or letters home. I also read voraciously throughout
my life and in retrospect, believe that this was all part of my apprenticeship.
What was your first published piece?
I wrote a series of humorous short stories about being home
with my two young daughters for a local publication called Homebase. There was no money involved, just a lot of personal
satisfaction. My first paid piece was in the magazine Canadian Living in 2001. I was paid $300 and signed a contract.
What did you do before embarking on your writing career?
Was it an asset to your writing? How?
My English lit studies, including research and essay-writing
were a great training ground. Teaching taught me to prepare lesson plans and to
organize a project, all helpful in laying out a manuscript. Around the same
time I began writing novels, I started as a writer/editor in the federal
government. This involved relearning all the high school grammar and learning
to write in a tight, precise style. I currently work as a senior communications
advisor, a job I would not have gotten if I hadn’t been able to write and
communicate effectively.
What inspires you?
Good writing and novels that keep me reading long into the
night are my best inspiration. I also become reenergized talking to other
authors and people who love books. Another source of inspiration is music.
Music can move me and listening to some of the music from my youth brings back
memories and feelings that I can bring into my writing.
You’ve written for both young adult and adult markets. Recently,
you published The Second Wife, a
mystery for adult learners. Is it hard to write for different markets?
I enjoy the challenge of writing in different formats for
adults and youth. It’s a way of stretching my writing chops and growing as a
writer. Sometimes, a story idea will better suit one age group over another,
and I’ve been lucky to be able to successfully switch back and forth. The
difficulty comes in marketing and it would be easier to establish myself in one
area. Luckily, I have a base of readers
who welcome everything I produce!
What are you working on now?
I’ll be sticking with adult mysteries for the foreseeable
future. I currently have contracts for three novels – Cold Mourning is a full-length mystery set in Ottawa and will be
released by Dundurn in fall 2013; My Sister's Keeper is a shorter mystery for adult learners or those wanting a quick, fun
read and it will be published by Grass Roots Press, also in fall 2013. I’m
currently working on sequels for each series.
Please share one of your successful author platform
building techniques.
Social media is key to building a platform and getting
people to notice your work. My efforts go into Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and
a blog. I’ve also hired my colleague at work who works in the creative services
to make videos of some of the events I’ve been involved in. He’s currently
putting together a video of my launch for my latest release Second Chances.
Parting words
on Amazon.ca
Second Chances is a coming of age story set against the historical backdrop of “peace, love, rock and roll” and the Vietnam War. It is a tale of family loyalties, lost innocence and the teenage search for meaning in a world increasingly difficult to understand.
Follow this link to learn more about this book
Author links:
Website www.brendachapman.ca
Twitter: brendaAchapman https://twitter.com/brendaAchapman
