getyourgoodnews/barbaraallan

By Sean Leary
www.getyourgoodnews.com

Like a modern-day Agatha Christie, Barbara Allan has taken a seemingly placid
environment and injected a thrilling, murderous twist into it.

With a generous dose of humor and romance, Allan's award-winning mysteries
will make you look at malls and antique shops in a whole new way. She'll be
signing her latest, ``Antiques Bizarre,'' at 2 p.m. Saturday at Borders,4000 E.
53rd St., Davenport.

Recently, she chatted about her mysteries and muses:

Q: You recently won The Romantic Times 2008 Toby Bromberg Award for Most
Humorous Mystery. What was it like to be recognized for `Antiques Flee Market,'
and how do you react to such honors?

A: Winning the Romantic Times 2008 award for Most Humorous Mystery was a
nice honor. Sometimes it's easier to win an award for the first book in a series
because everything is new and fresh; to win for the third book means to me that
we've only improved.

Q: Tell me about your current project. How did you get the idea, how did it evolve,
and how does it fit into your artistic career?

A: ) We are just finishing the fifth book in the series, called Antiques Knock-Off;
it's the last of our current contract, tying up a lot of plot threads, in case we don't
get to do more.

Q: I'm sure you, like many creative people, have a ton of ideas and never enough
time to see all of them through. How do you decide which one is going to come
to the forefront and become the one you dedicate your energy to at any given
time?

A: So far, we have been able to follow a story arc in the personal lives of our
characters; the mystery is determined by the pun in the title we come up with.

Q: Let's talk about how you got started, for those readers who are unfamiliar with
your work. When did you begin your career as a writer, why did you choose it as
a profession, and give us a quick -- or as quick as it can be -- recap of your
creative life up to this point.

A: I began by writing short stories, which I continued doing until Max and I
decided a novel would be more lucrative. But since I am a short story writer at
heart, the longer process seemed daunting. By collaborating, however, we made
it work, and created a sum greater than its parts.

Q: You're a woman working in a genre that's been stereotypically seen as one
dominated by male writers. Do you feel that's an accurate stereotype, and how
do you feel a woman has an advantage or disadvantage within the genre?

A: Actually, the mystery field is dominated by women, hence the use of a female
combination of our names - Barbara Allan - seemed to be an advantage,
especially in the cozy genre.

Q: Where do you get your ideas? What have been a few of your most exciting
`a-ha!' moments where you captured something exciting and imaginative?

A: I get my ideas from my past...my sisters' pasts...my mother's past, never from
fiction itself. Nothing is weirder than real life. And since I'm not a "natural" writer, I
must have a real connection to something to make it work for me, and the reader.

Q: Describe your working process. Is it non-stop, daily, with a lot of writing and
rewriting, is it frenzy interspersed with contemplation, or something distinct from
either style?

A: I hate to admit this...but I'd rather clean the toilet than sit down to write.
However, once I do park my butt, I can get into a scene and have an okay time.
The process is hard for me. I write a paragraph, then refine it, and keep refining it.
Sometimes it's frustrating knowing that something is not very good, but not know
why. That's what Max is for. Here's my process: write a sentence, get some
coffee, write another sentence, get a cookie, write a sentence, go to the
bathroom, etc.

Q: Who has been your favorite character to write and why?

A: My favorite character in our antiques series is flawed Prozac-popping Brandy,
because she's the most like me. But I have the most fun writing bi-polar Mother;
it's therapeutic because I grew up with a mother who had mental illness. I just
take our Mother up a notch or two. Or three. Or four....
Q: Are there any characters or stories that have been particularly difficult to write,
and why?

A: I don't do too good with tough male parts, or fight scenes. In my draft I'll write
(fight scene here...take it away Max!) Why struggle with something that's just
going to be thrown out? Admit to your own limitations!

Q: Which writers do you admire, which have been the biggest influence on you,
and why?

A: In the 1950s as a child I was influenced by the old Alfred Hitchcock half-hour
TV show - with wonderful, ironic stories written by people like Roald Dahl. When I
read for pleasure it is only biographies.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone desiring a career in writing, or the arts?

A: Marry someone rich.

Q: What projects are you working on now, and what do you have planned for the
future?

A: I'll be taking the summer off. I hope we can do more of the antiques series, but
if not, Max and I will come up with something new.