Two local fiction authors dish about their latest books, inspirations and why they love what they do
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
It’s no mystery why local author Micqui Miller experienced separation anxiety when she finished writing Morning Star, the book she calls the “book of her heart.”
Miller, a retired Reicher Catholic High School grant writer, becomes absorbed in her characters, getting to know them and allowing them to tell a story of lies, deceit and danger.
“The characters have such a life of their own,” said Miller. “Parts of me are in that book. I lived that (Vietnam) era and I remember it well.”
Miller’s “novels of suspense with a touch of spice” are a darker contrast to the light romantic comedies of Waco resident Ann Whitaker whose Dog Nanny was released last month.
The novel set in Waco tells the story of two ill-behaved poodles that are wreaking havoc on the lives of their owners.
“I like using the Texas setting because it’s what I know, and even though I’m writing fiction I’m still capturing a time and place that will never exist again,” said Whitaker.
Her stories almost always have a dog.
“The part with dogs was really fun to write, but the romance part was hard,” Whitaker jokes.
Both women have been honored by their literary peers. Miller recently received the Third Annual Sage Award from the Barbara Burnett Smith Mentoring Authors Foundation in recognition of her service in leading others in the mystery-writing community.
Miller is the author of several award-winning books and received the Romance Writers of America’s coveted Golden Heart for her novel The Killing Hour.
Miller said mentoring young writers is a gift that keeps on giving.
“It’s a gift to me to see this new talent and know they are going to be somebody some day and I get to help them. It’s exciting,” said Miller. “We are so close to losing our love of reading, and that’s when we use our imagination — when we’re reading.”
Whitaker was a 2008 finalist for the Linda Howard Award of Excellence and describes her humorous slice-of-life outtakes as “chicken-fried Nora Ephron.”
“My mother was a strong-willed Okie who survived the Dust Bowl,” said Whitaker, who lived a nomadic childhood, moving about four times a year. “My alcoholic baker father from Arkansas survived World War II and my mother for 38 years.”
Whitaker pulled through it all, earning two degrees and teaching English for 30 years. Now she incorporates her rich and varied experiences and love for dogs into her mostly fiction, mostly first-person writing, sprinkled with headier topics such as prejudice and bigotry and spaying, neutering and training one’s pets. In fact, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Waco’s Animal Birth Control Clinic, 1531 Wooded Acres Dr., where Whitaker will sign copies of Dog Nanny from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 9.
She also likes to work in nuances from people she meets and funny moments that occur in everyday life.
“I like quirky characters. Those things work their way in when I’m on the second or third draft,” said Whitaker. “I’ve always taken notes. When I was a teacher, I would write down funny things the kids would say.” That resulted in her book Teacher in Space.
Whitaker said she always starts with the main character and usually a title. She also believes in happy endings.
She amuses herself by taking on the persona of her characters.
“I can do all kinds of things in my book that I would never do in real life, like talk back to a policeman.”
Her other adventures with the keyboard have produced poignant poetry about her hardscrabble youth and numerous stories for Waco Today. She even wrote a song about her husband, Bill, a longtime journalist who supports her writing quests.
“He’s very supportive and not all writers have supportive husbands,” said Whitaker. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known, and I’ve kissed a lot of frogs.”
Miller, also an animal lover and Texas transplant with a husband named Bill, is a lifelong writer who enjoys romantic suspense. She even wrote a cookbook to accompany her Sweet Caroline, the introductory book for what she describes as “a cozy series.” She offers free downloads of the cookbook from her Web site MicquiMiller.com.
She works closely with the Romance Writers of America, a network of authors, agents and editors, to learn the business.
“To be successful, you need those relationships,” said Miller. “You have to spend as much time marketing as you spend writing.”
Her first book to be published was Holly in the Morning. She recalls receiving the news from the William Morris Agency.
“Suddenly when you are published, it’s the validation you need to go on. It’s no more about ‘some day.’ Now it’s ‘I’m going ahead with this,’” said Miller. “I’m not an overnight success by any means. It took me 50 years to get published.”
She devotes the better part of each day to writing with classical music playing in the background. That’s when her characters come to her, she says.
“When I start a book, a character will speak to me. They say the only difference between writers and psychotics is writers know the difference,” Miller quipped. “The story is always on your mind. It’s your first thought, your last thought and even in your dreams.”
When that book finally goes to press, the satisfaction of completing the project is more important than any commercial measurement, said Miller.
“If one person reads my stuff and likes it, that’s all that matters,” she said.
For more information on Ann Whitaker, visit AnnWhitaker.com. For more information on Micqui Miller, visit MicquiMiller.com
