Suspense Writer Virginia Smith

Today we’re hearing from Virginia Smith, author of Murder by Mushroom. Though this is her second novel, it’s her first mystery and her first romance with Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line:

I never aspired to be a romance writer. In fact, I still don’t claim the title of "romance writer," even though this book (and several more coming soon) contains a major romantic component. Maybe that’s because romance novels are not my first choice as a reader. It’s not that I don’t like them; I do! I enjoy novels in a variety of genres. But given the choice between a science fiction novel and a romance novel, I’ll head for outer space every time. (Okay, yeah, I’m a geek.)

So when my agent called and said, “Guess what? Steeple Hill is interested in Murder by Mushroom, but you’ll need to add a romantic element,” my first reaction was, “But I can’t write romance. I don’t know how.” My agent is a wonderfully encouraging person. She said, “You can do it! Your heroine is already working with a young police officer, so just develop a romance between them.”

When I thought about it, I realized it might work. In fact, I hadn’t told anybody, but my quirky heroine, Jackie Hoffner, was already sort of attracted to the guy. I was only a few chapters into the story, but as the plot unfolded I’d been holding her back, telling her, “No, you can’t fall for that guy. He’s a cop and you’re a murder suspect.” (You probably think it’s crazy to have conversations with fictional characters, but that’s only because you haven’t met Jackie yet. She is a very determined young lady.)

I agreed to give it a shot. I returned to my computer, and I turned Jackie loose. Imagine my surprise when she started teaching me how to write romance into my mystery. I discovered that the little sneak had been planning that romantic theme all along, and she had already worked out the details. That poor police officer didn’t stand a chance. At the end of the book, when he… well, you’ll have to read that part for yourself.

Since finishing Murder by Mushroom, I’ve thought about the most memorable books I have enjoyed over the years. A good number of them, though not classified as “romance,” do have a romantic element. I think that’s because love is a basic human need. A person who does not love is a sad and lonely person. And who wants to read books about sad, lonely people?

So I’ve embraced romance in my books. I still don’t call myself a romance writer, but I don’t mind being known as a writer who loves romance. And mushrooms.

If you’d like to win a copy of Murder by Mushroom, leave a comment. We’ll draw a winner on Saturday. To read about Virginia’s other books, and to learn how you can win a 30GB video iPod, visit her website at www.VirginiaSmith.org.

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