Interview with Scottish Author Lacey Dearie

Lacey Dearie

Welcome to Vision and Verse, Lacey.  Is that your real name? 
Lacey Dear is a pseudonym, I use it because I originally wanted to keep my life as a writer secret and separate from my personal life.

And where might we find the lovely Lacey Dearie? 
Ayrshire in Scotland

Welcome to States, Lacey.  I think you are our first Scottish author.  We are happy to have you here.  What have you written? 
I wrote an alternative mystery novel entitled The Tangled Web about spies who use social networking to honeytrap cheaters.  It reached number 1 in the Amazon UK free download chart in January 2012 and number 51 in the paid chart in February 2012.  
I have also written a bizarre love story about a donut and a chocolate éclair entitled Baked! which reached number 1 in the German and French short story charts in August 2012 and in Germany again in July 2013.  
My most recent releases are Leger – Cat Sleuth and Leger’s Curiosity about a Glaswegian feline detective.  Leger – Cat Sleuth has performed moderately well in the US, reached the top 20 in the UK Cats, Dogs and Animals chart in June 2013 and went top 5 in its genre in Canada in July of this year.

What is your favorite genre to write?
Cozy mysteries, cat sleuths in particular.  There’s something really special about a cat and feline characteristics that mean they are both cute and believable as detectives.

What is your favorite food?
Moroccan.  All those spices and herbs and the flavors really do it for me!

Where would you like to visit?
I’ve had a dream to go to Hawaii since I was a teenager.  I have a “Hawaii fund” sitting on my dressing table which I add to whenever I can.  Of course, my dream began after reading a novel about the islands.  Maybe one day I’ll get there. 

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write?  What?
Suburban Legends are my favorite band.  I can’t go for even a day without listening to one of their songs.  They’re just to fun and inspiring.  I don’t listen to music much when I write but I do switch the radio or my iPod on as soon as I take a break, usually to listen to Travis or Franz Ferdinand, as they won’t break my train of thought and they keep me in the right frame of mind to write.

What makes you laugh?
I love Adam Sandler movies.  He’s so funny.  But mostly, on a day to day basis, it’s my two year old son who makes me laugh.

How old were you when you started writing?
I started writing fiction almost as soon as I could write, so I was around six or seven years old.  I continued throughout my life but never believed that it could be a career until I was in my twenties and decided that, as impossible as it seemed, I was more likely to get a novel published than be taken seriously in my day job.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere!  From life itself.  If I’m at home in front of a computer I don’t get inspired.  I have to be out there, living and seeing and learning.  Even the silliest things can spark off a flame of inspiration in my mind – like a donut!

What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I do something else for a while.  I talk to friends or indulge in some retail therapy or go and see a movie.  However, my favorite unblocker is to go somewhere with lots of people like a train station, shopping mall or airport and just people watch.  I like to re-write their life stories in my head for fun and as soon as it becomes easy to imagine who they are and what their story is, I know I’ve overcome my writer’s block.

Who is your favorite author?
Irvine Welsh.  His characterization is excellent and of course he writes in my native dialect so it’s very enjoyable for me to read.

Best book you ever read.
Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne.  A true classic.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
That’s a tricky question because a lot of people influence my life but it’s hard to pinpoint one.  I’d like to say my husband because he has always encouraged me to follow my dreams while at the same time helping me through the realities.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Charles Dickens.  His stories have been so influential in everyone’s lives whether they realize it or not.  Who among us hasn’t referred to someone stingy as a Scrooge?  I am in awe of Charles Dickens.  I would ask him how it feels to have created a character so well known and if he knew when he was writing A Christmas Carol that he was onto a winner.
  
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Take your time, don’t be in a rush, and make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.  There’s no glamour or excitement in being a writer and you need to be resilient to deal with the rejection and criticism.