Dorothy Cannell is the author of 13 mystery novels, including The Thin Woman, How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams, Bridesmaids Revisited, and The Importance of Being Ernestine. She was nominated for the Anthony and Agatha awards for her novel, The Widow's Club.
Cannell is also the author of many short stories, which have been published in anthologies and magazines. Her short story, The Family Jewels, won the Agatha Award in 1994, and several others have been nominated for the award. Her books have been sold in the U.K., Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Ukraine.
Cannell is a board member of Mystery Writers of America, secretary of American Crime Writers, and a member of Sisters in Crime and Novelists Inc.
She and her husband have four children and reside in Peoria, awaiting their move to Maine this fall.
Tell about your background: family, schools attended, etc.
I grew up in England and was educated at Ursuline High School in Brentwood, Essex, and upon graduation, attended the East Dagenham Technical College. I was the second of four children.
How did your interest in writing develop? When did you know writing was a passion for you?
I wanted to be a writer from the time I took out my first book from the library at age six. My father was an avid reader, and going to the library with him was our special time together. My mother was a great storyteller. She would spin wonderful tales around the most ordinary events. During the summer holidays, I would tell my two sisters and brother an ongoing serial. But I didn't seriously get down to the business of writing until I was in my 30s. The longer I kept at it, the more it became something I had to do.
How long have you lived in Peoria? Why and when did you make the move from England?
I've lived in Peoria since 1965. I left England in 1963 with the idea of working in America for a year. But I met my husband, Julian, in Chicago and returned with him to his hometown.
Tell about the journey from your first writing class at Illinois Central College to getting your first short story published. Why did you take the class to begin with?
The writing class I took at ICC was taught by Ivan Sparling. He was a great teacher and encouraged me to write for publication. I had taken the class with the idea of working towards a degree in education. Shortly afterwards I joined a writers' group he had organized. It was called the Shagbark Scribers, meeting every third Thursday. I loved being a member because of the other writers in the group-and because the meetings provided me with a deadline for producing a piece of work. It took seven years for me to sell my first short story.
How did you get the idea for your first novel, The Thin Woman? Was it more difficult to get a novel published than a short story?
I was watching Phil Donahue, and Tony Randall was on talking about a film he was starring in where the story line revolved around a treasure hunt at a family reunion. That day, I began weaving my own story along similar lines. The next show focused on escort services, which gave me the idea to have my heroine rent a young man to escort her to the reunion weekend. A few days later, the show was about women who were treated badly because they were viewed as overweight. That was when the book came together for me, and my main character, Ellie Simons, came to life as a woman who wasn't the traditional Cinderella, but would get to have her fairy tale come true.
Give us an inside peak at the publishing industry: How difficult is it to get published? What steps should an aspiring writer take if she wants to get published? What would we be surprised to know about that world?
It's always been tough to get published because there's so much competition, but when I got started in the mid-1980s, publishers were very interested in mysteries written by women. In recent years, a lot of houses have cut their lists dramatically, and quite a number of people who started when I did are no longer being published. So it's more difficult to get a foot in the door these days, but it does happen. At mystery conferences, I meet first-time sellers who kept plugging away until it happened for them.
Tell us about a typical day for you when you're writing. What are your goals?
I don't have a typical day because I don't write every day. I spend several months working out the plot and characters in my head before I sit down to put them on paper. Writing the first chapter always takes me a while because I can't go on unless I have the beginning right. Sometimes I write the first page 50-maybe even 100-times. I also take my time writing the first 100 pages. Then, as my deadline looms, I write day and night until I'm finished.
Your novels feature main character Ellie Haskel. Do your fans encourage you to keep bringing back their favorite character?
Two of my books aren't about Ellie, but publishers do like the series mystery, and it can be difficult to break out of that structure.
With 13 novels published, is it becoming more difficult to craft new plots? Have you ever hit writer's block? If so, how did you overcome it?
Coming up with new plots isn't a problem. But I did reach a point of wanting to write a different type of mystery. For this reason, I've taken a couple of years off to regroup and regain my early enthusiasm.
You've been nominated and have won an Agatha Award. What do the awards mean to you?
It's wonderful to be recognized by awards, but what touches me most is hearing from readers that my books mean something special to them.
Your books are set in England, even though you've lived in the U.S. for decades. Why is that? Do your U.S. fans enjoy reading about your home country?
I set the books in England because by doing so, I got to go home again and hear the voices that remind me of my childhood. English mysteries remain popular, so I think the setting works well for me.
"Cozies" are a popular and growing trend within the mystery genre. Why did you choose to write cozies?
I've always loved the traditional cozy mystery. I like humor, and that doesn't go well with lots of blood and guts.
Tell about the books you enjoy. Are you a fan of other types of books besides mysteries? Which authors are your favorite?
My father read all sorts of books and encouraged me to do the same. I like poetry and biographies, Dickens and Jane Austen. I also like romance novels about doctors and nurses because these were stories serialized in women's magazines in England, and my sister and I would race to get to the door the day they were delivered.
What's the best part about your career as a novelist? The most difficult?
The best part of being a writer is being able to live in my imagination. The hardest part is transferring the story from my head to the printed page. I'm always afraid I won't get it right.
What can fans expect from you in coming years?
Fans can expect some more Ellie books interspersed with single title mysteries.
Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know?
Peoria has been a wonderful place in which to live and work. My husband and I will miss it-and a lot of people-when we move to Maine in October. TPW