Image Credits:- Many thanks to Lynsey Adams from Reading Between The Lines Vlog and to Miriam Drori for supplying author/poster photos, book cover pictures, and to Miriam specifically for images relating to the world of her stories with additional information given in the captions. One image taken as a screenshot from Miriam’s website. Other images were created in Book Brush using either Pixabay images or photos provided by Miriam/Lynsey. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.
It is with great pleasure I welcome Miriam Drori to Chandler’s Ford Today. Miriam and I met at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in August and it was lovely to chat in person. We took part in the Open Prose Mic Night there.
Miriam has launched her new book, Loyalty and the Learner, which came out on 9th September. It is the second book in her Jerusalem Murder Mystery series, the first being her Style and The Solitary. This interview is part of a book blog tour set up by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines Vlog.
Firstly, a little bit about Miriam.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Miriam Drori, author, editor and social anxiety warrior, worked as a computer programmer and a technical writer before turning her attention to full-time writing. Her novels and short stories cover several genres, including crime, romance and uplit. She has also written a non-fiction book about social anxiety. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies.
Born and raised in London, Miriam now lives in Tel Aviv having moved from Jerusalem, where the cosy crime mysteries are set. She has travelled widely, putting her discoveries to good use as settings in her writing. Her characters are not based on real people, but rather are formed from an amalgam of the many and varied individuals who have embellished her life.
When not writing, Miriam enjoys reading, hiking, dancing and touring.
Please check out the blurb for Miriam’s novel below. Please find her website and social media links at the end of the interview.
BLURB
Once again, Asaf is suspected of murder, but he’s soon released when the victim’s wife, Lihi, is arrested. Nathalie, now engaged to Asaf, is certain of Lihi’s innocence, and is determined to find the real murderer.
As Nathalie, Asaf and friends stumble along the path to achieving their goal, with a little inspiration from Molière, Hillel and Adenauer, they discover new places in Jerusalem and also venture west and north. Despite experiencing fear, sadness and other painful emotions, they never lose their sense of humour – and find that sharing their worries helps them pull through.
While some questions are answered on the way, new ones take their place. But what about the original question: Who killed Ofir? And how much is Nathalie willing to put at risk in order to solve this mystery? Her relationship? Her life?
Welcome, Miriam, to Chandler’s Ford Today and many congratulations on the publication of Loyalty and the Learner (Ocelot Press).
Miriam: Thank you, Allison, and thank you so much for featuring me on Chandler’s Ford Today.
1. What led you into writing crime? Who are your own favourite authors in the genre? Did you envisage the Jerusalem Murder Mystery series from the start or was it a case of writing Style and the Solitary and discovering there were further ideas to be followed up on so a series was the natural way to go?
Years ago, I was looking for a plot for my character with social anxiety. One scenario I came up with was he would be sent to Japan to represent the company he worked for. The other was he’d be falsely accused of murder. The first became my novel, Cultivating a Fuji.
The second continued to niggle me until I decided to write a murder mystery, thus venturing into the world of crime. The character in the Jerusalem Murder Mystery series is new but also has social anxiety.
My favourite crime writer has to be Agatha Christie. I also enjoy the Sherlock Holmes books. I’ve read several other crime novels, but apart from those two, I haven’t explored the work of any one particular author.
I think I was part of the way through writing Style and the Solitary when its title came to me, and I realised any more titles in a series could follow the same rules. I also understood at the end of that novel, Asaf would still have a long way to go in his personal development, and Nathalie and her two friends would still be undergoing significant changes in their lives. A new murder mystery or two would help to facilitate those changes.
2. I like the use of alliteration in your titles for the Jerusalem Murder Mystery series. Do you find it easy to come up with titles? I find I have to have a working title for my stories and accept it may change later. Do you find this to be the case for you or have you the title in mind to begin with and then the story comes from that?
The answer is: it depends. I knew the title of my non-fiction book, Social Anxiety Revealed, from the beginning, but usually titles come to me while I’m writing. When I decided my first crime novel would be loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, I came up with the idea of creating a similar title.
Naturally, the format would fit all the books in the series. The working title for Style and the Solitary was Murder in the Office. For Loyalty and the Learner, it was Love and the Learner. I knew that sounded too much like a romance and struggled to find a suitable replacement, which was eventually suggested by friend and author, Sue Barnard.
3. What is your favourite aspect of storytelling? Mine is creating the characters. Do you have any favourite characters (either your own or from other authors or both) and what makes them stand out for you?
Usually, when I start writing a story, I doubt I’ll be able to bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Yet somehow it nearly always works out in the end, and I’m thrilled when it does.
The best characters have their own special and unique qualities, quirks and flaws and as such are easily recognised. If I described a character as short and rounded with an upward-curled moustache, always dressed smartly and with a French-sounding accent, you’d probably guess it was Hercule Poirot. (I hope no native French speakers are reading this, as they’d probably be horrified at the notion that a Belgian could sound French.)
Of my own characters, I don’t think I have favourites. I was once asked which of my characters I’d like to be for a day and I said Nathalie. As a new immigrant, she struggles with the culture and the language, but she’s determined to make a success of her new life. She’s also strong-willed and refuses to be swayed from the path she believes is right. And she makes friends easily. “I know what it’s like to be Asaf,” I said. “I want to be Nathalie.”
4. What led you into creative writing at all after your career in computer programming and technical writing? Was it a case of wanting to do something different or had you always wanted to write stories but never had the time/opportunity to do so prior to 2004? Do you have a preference for the shorter or longer forms of fiction? What do you think are the advantages to both forms?
It certainly wasn’t the case that I always wanted to write stories. I didn’t believe I was creative at all. And yet, after writing the non-fiction book, I wondered if fiction would let me explore scenes and emotions that can remain hidden from non-fiction. I began to read books about writing fiction and that led to trying it for myself.
I don’t have a preference for shorter or longer forms. Some stories are more suited to one or the other. Some start small and get bigger. Others shrink. Short stories are quicker to write and to read. But for me, it would feel difficult to have to come up with a new plot and cast of characters for every new piece of writing. And readers don’t always want to meet new characters.
Novels allow writers and readers to delve deeper into a plot and to really know the characters. Short stories are good at highlighting single moments or short but impactful scenes.
5. You’ve also written about social anxiety. I think most writers do have at least one underlying theme which means a great deal to them and this can show in their articles but also in their fiction. What do you think the role of fiction is in tackling themes like this one? How do you think fiction can help? I think sometimes a story can show something “better” through characters than a direct essay etc. Have you found this to be the case? What would you like your fiction work to achieve here?
Real individuals with social anxiety are notoriously reluctant to be exposed. In my non-fiction book, I included quotes from a lot of people who agreed to be quoted only with complete anonymity.
It was only in a fictional story that I was able to look inside the head of the character, as well as showing how the character was viewed from the outside.
I want readers to enjoy my stories – that’s the most important thing. If I can also further understanding, that’s an added bonus.
6. What do you find most useful about book launches and marketing? Could you share three top tips for both of these? Do share any other launch plans you have for Loyalty and the Learner? What do you find works for you when it comes to balancing marketing time with creative writing time?
These questions are hard to answer because I’m not good at marketing. One reason for that is impostor syndrome. I have to persuade myself I have something unique to offer and am good at creating it, even though there are many excellent writers out there.
So one of my tips must be: Believe in yourself.
Another is: Interact with readers. Numerous “buy my book” posts are not helpful. Readers like to get to know the authors they read.
My third tip is: Create videos and post links to them. I have created several videos for previous books, which take the form of readings, trailers and more. I’ve been very remiss about creating videos for Loyalty and the Learner. That will be my next project. By the time this interview comes out, the videos will hopefully be on my YouTube channel.
What doesn’t work for me is scheduling time every day for marketing. When I’m writing, I want to keep writing and not have to break off to promote my book. I prefer to allocate whole days for marketing, cleaning the house and other such chores.
7. I believe this was your first year at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. What did you find most helpful from it? What do you find useful about other writing events you have been to? I love getting to mix with other writers in person and not having to explain why I want to write – people just get it.
All the writers I spoke to at Swanwick were simply lovely. I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t sometimes overwhelming for me and I didn’t occasionally escape to my room or for a solitary wander around the lakes, but that wasn’t because of any negativity – far from it. I learned a lot from the lectures and workshops, and was sorry I had to choose one for each slot and miss the others.
Another lesson I took away was this: After being aware of events and attitudes that have made the news in recent months, I began the week afraid to say where I live. The choice of whether to say was taken out of my hands (or voice) but, as the week wore on, I learned news items don’t speak for the majority of writers. The topic I’d begun to think was a conversation stopper became a conversation starter as people remembered holidays or asked questions.
In past years, I have attended two Arvon events – one a course and the other more of a retreat. Both of those had a small number of friendly participants. I enjoyed the one-to-one meetings with the tutors, who all made suggestions that have influenced my writing.
8. Every writer knows there are ups and downs to the writing life. Miriam, how do you handle these, especially the down side, and what have you found has helped you most?
I think the most common downs are rejections and one-star reviews. My strategy is to read these, shrug and move on. There’s nothing to do about them, so I might as well concentrate on the ups. Occasionally, they will be accompanied by an astute comment, which I will take on board for future writing.
Ups are many, including the joy of feeling satisfied over a piece of new writing or receiving praise for writing, and also meeting up with lovely writers. I think the act of writing opens us up to alternative views, and helps us appreciate people who are not us. Perhaps that’s why writers are generally so pleasant.
Allison: We’re also appreciating, I think, getting to do something we love.
9. How easy or otherwise was it to write the blurb for Loyalty and the Learner and, indeed, your other books? Is this something you find easy or difficult to do? What have you found has helped you with this process?
I don’t find writing blurbs particularly difficult. I suppose the trick is to mention the salient points without getting bogged down with names and other details, and of course without revealing too much. After writing a blurb, I always run it through other writers who usually make great suggestions for improvement.
10. Miriam, do you have a writing routine? I do. It helps me get things done. What do you find works for you? And when it comes to writing your books, would you say you were a planner or a pantser?
As I said above, I prefer to allocate whole days either to writing or to other matters, so that I don’t have to break off from writing to attend to the rest.
I’m a plantser. I plan a lot before I begin, but that can change as I write, and I generally don’t know the ending when I begin writing something.
11. Do you find writing guides helpful at all and, if so, which ones? I always recommend Stephen King’s On Writing which is a memoir as well as a book sharing invaluable advice about the craft of writing. What have you found have been the biggest challenges to novel writing? How did you overcome/manage these?
Like you, I found Stephen King’s On Writing very helpful. Another invaluable (and humorous) writing guide is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.
12. Last but not least, Miriam, do share other writing news, what you’re working on next etc.
Ah, there is so much I want to do and so little time to do it. The next thing I want to do, after making a video or two, is to bring out a book of short stories that I’ve written over the years. Then I need to finish my third Jerusalem Murder Mystery. Following that, I have several ideas.
Conclusion
Many congratulations, Miriam, on the launch of Loyalty and the Learner. I’ve found the buzz of being published never goes away and it is a wonderful validation of the hard work authors put into their stories. Many thanks for joining me here on Chandler’s Ford Today and I hope I get to meet you again at Swanwick next year.
Meantime, if you want to find out more about Miriam and her writing, do check out the links below.
MIRIAM DRORI – BUY LINKS AND WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
LINKS TO BUY
https://mybook.to/LoyaltyandtheLearner
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00L11J6D4/about
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Website
Facebook
X/Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
BookBub
Instagram
Wattpad
YouTube
Publications by Miriam Drori
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
Never miss out on another blog post. Subscribe here:
Thank you so much for this fabulous post, Allison.
You are very welcome, Miriam. Good luck with the book!