Mystery Novel Writer Lyn Miller LaCoursiere: My Interview; Her Character Studies

Mystery novel writer Lyn Miller LaCoursiere has been an acquaintance of mine for about a year. I was pleased when she agreed to an interview and to learn that she would share some details with me about the style of character development that she uses while writing in order to make "her people" intriguing for her readers. Lyn has two main characters in her series of mystery novels that she places into a variety of settings and often in rather bizarre situations; as we talked she shared with me how real the characters of Lindy Lewis and Reed Conners have become to her personally.

Lyn is an interesting person in and of herself. She's a slender gal of medium height with red hair and attractive features who is always "well put together" when you see her. She seems to have a way of looking intently at someone during a conversation in a quiet, self-assured manner as though she is perhaps being subconsciously alert to gleaning ideas for one of her novels.

I'm not a fiction reader and had not read her books, so I obtained copies of her first three published mystery novels (she is working on her sixth book) to learn more about what she has published; I planned on speed reading to pick out plots and characters.

After reading the first couple of pages of Lyn Miller LaCoursiere's first book, Nightmares and Dreams, I abandoned my plan to speed read! It took me awhile to tune into what was happening in the story as the action bounces back and forth a bit, but the characters, plots and sub-plots drew me in - eventually I read all three books and in so doing gained a new respect and deep-seated interest in my casual friend, Lyn. Now I REALLY wanted to get to know her better and learn more about her main characters.

RCJ: You're an author. I've heard that some people have problems coming to grips with calling themselves that. When did that word "author" become real to you, and what does that mean to you?

Lyn: My first book-signing, way back in 2007 was an eye-opener for me. Although I was so exhilarated at having my work finally out in a book, I wavered in self-doubt. I was self-conscious about the fact that I was just beginning to learn the art of writing, and that I had actually had the nerve to put my work out there.

I realized then that I had opened my heart and soul to the reader and now I had given them permission to judge me. And, it was okay. As I have grown more confident in the art, I feel that they (my readers) approve of my progress. And now each time I bring out a new edition of my series, I am so proud I am still learning the craft and able to create another journey with my character friends, for my readers to enjoy.

Being an author, I'm very routine conscious in my life and I've found devoting my early morning to creative thinking is what works best for me. I love the time spent with my characters, and yes, as I place Lindy in one of her thrilling episodes, I usually sit back and think how I would act and react in the same circumstances. I love being able to live and love with "my people" and as I write, they seem to lead my thoughts and transfer them through my fingers and into my computer. That's strange, I know, but they lead me on. I am the parent but they guide me. I've often said that you have to make your own music in life - writing about Lindy and the antics of my characters is a morning exercise in creativity that makes me smile and keeps me motivated and focused.

RCJ: You have created two main characters and an interesting array of sub-characters that you weave in and out of your plots, the lead character being Lindy Lewis. What has been your thought process as you have developed this character?

Lyn: Lindy Lewis has become very real to me, and while writing I can visualize her clearly. I see her as being about 5'4" and slender, looking a bit like Meg Ryan, with a personality that somewhat mirrors Goldie Hawn. Her hair color seems to change as the plot changes. She's brunette by "birth," but she loves to change her hair color to a dazzling blonde or a shimmering redhead at times, depending on if she is at a beach, an exciting city, or in a small town. Her eyes are blue, navy blue she will offer, but at times she will wear brown contacts just to go with an outfit or to match her tan. She has been known to change her looks when she is starting over in some way in her life - a change in appearance is like a good cry, she feels.

I've endowed Lindy with intelligence. She thinks of herself as worldly which is why acting and dressing with class is very important to her. And she is very style conscious, buying only name brand clothes, and believing she must have the 'niceties' in life. Lindy is daring, even conniving at times; she's sometimes naïve, but loving. Some of Lindy's dilemmas are similar to events in my life. Although I didn't burn my house down, my husband and I did remodel. Some of her actions could be mine, too, but then, as a writer I do embellish!

I have had some psychic powers in real life. I gave Lindy that ability - in my sixth book she will excel in that endeavor and create some rather "strange" situations. No further hints!

Both Lindy and her off-and-on companion Reed have some love (or perhaps lust?) "situations" with each other and other characters. When it comes to love scenes, I tend to keep them pretty vague in description and let my readers imagine the scene. My daughter said early on, '"Now Mom, don't write sex scenes that will embarrass us!"'

As to choosing the words a character might speak - well, they must be fitting for the character and the situation which means some rather frank language is in play at times in order to keep the characters real. These are adult mystery novels, you know.

RCJ: Do you have that much clarity in your mind when you write about the secondary character, Reed Conners?

Lyn: Of course! Reed is equally real to me. I see him as being a handsome, intelligent, well-dressed attorney who has one fault which is that he never got over his first love. A young college love. He knows this and admits he's a fool to let Lindy come back time and again to mess up his life. He wonders, is he still in love with her after several decades?

Reed dresses in pressed jeans, Italian knit sweaters and Western boots. He has a habit of brushing his hair off his forehead when highly troubled. He is fit, but struggles to keep mid-life fat from accumulating around his middle, and only drinks top shelf whiskey.

Reed has never been married - he came close once and honestly was relieved when the woman canceled the wedding plans. He has retired his lawyer business after twenty some years, left Willeston, moved and renovated his cabin on Birch Lake in northern Minnesota, and now enjoys life by fishing on his boat and spending time with his buddies. Reed sometimes works part-time as a special investigator for attempted fraudulent claims for an insurance company in Minneapolis, which is when Lindy's case came across his desk. You'll be able to learn a great deal more about this character as I've featured him in all of the books in my series.

RCJ: You have four published novels. What's forthcoming in this series?

Lyn: Book five "The Early Years" is just that. It encompasses the time when my protagonist Lindy Lewis meets antagonist Reed Conners in their college days and of their love. It relates to the reader how much their childhoods differed, and how sweet their love was during those early years. This book is being edited now and will be out this fall.

"Silence" is the name of book number six, and pertains to the fact that all this time, Reed has been neglectful about the fact that although Lindy has been cleared of any and all fraudulent charges brought about her in the past, he still hasn't found the time to inform her of that. He finally does confess he has known for some time, which is the motivation Lindy needs to leave his bed again and go back to her beloved Hilton Head Island. "Silence" is almost finished and will be ready in 2012.

RCJ: Thanks so much, Lyn, for affording us all a glimpse into your character development process and the creative and imaginative details that go into the writing of mystery novels!

Note: Lyn Miller LaCoursiere has upcoming book signings. You can learn more about these shortly as I will be writing about them on R.C.'s Twin Cities Beat. You can subscribe to the "Beat" by clicking here.

You can find Lyn Miller LaCoursiere's books at: Lyn's website; Amazon.com; the Novel Place in Osseo; Buffalo Books in Buffalo; the Hennepin County Library, and The Wayzata Bookcase.

Sources: Personal interview
Lyn's website: http://www.mystery-novels-lynmillerlacoursiere.com/
Lyn's blog: http://www.thelindylewisdiaries.blogspot.com/