Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen who is a Danish teacher and writer of crime fiction, has stopped by today to answer some questions and give us a glimpse into her blogging world.
She lives in the beautiful region of Thy. In her spare time she reads and writes crime fiction. She prefers traditional mysteries and police procedurals, but also reads cosy mysteries (often) and thrillers (occasionally).
Welcome Dorte
First I want to thank Ann for her invitation to tell you all a little bit about myself. I have been looking forward to this, Ann!
Tell us a little about your book, The Cosy Knave.
"The Cosy Knave" is not the first novel I have written, but the first I have published. I sent two Danish crime manuscripts around to several publishers for a couple of years, but when I did not land a contract, I did not give up. Instead I tried something new, writing a humorous and cosy mystery in English. The writing process was sheer pleasure; everything went smoothly from the first idea to the final version which I published in August, and the readers seem to like my sleuths. Rhapsody Gershwin is a plucky librarian who is more than willing to help her fiancé, Village Constable Archibald Penrose. The setting is ‘more British than Queen Elizabeth’ to quote one of my Danish reviewers, a small, fictional village in Yorkshire with idyllic vicarages, tea rooms and knitting clubs on the surface, but nasty secrets, jealousy and murders right beneath it.
Which authors inspire you?
I have been inspired by several crime writers over the years, but for my cosy mysteries I am especially indebted to two female writers. First Caroline Graham, writer of the terrific British Barnaby series, featuring Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and his family. Second, I owe a lot to Elizabeth Spann Craig, American mystery writer and blogger. I enjoy her fine mysteries, but I have also benefited from following her excellent blog, Mystery Writing is Murder, one of the best sources for aspiring writers.
What are you working on next?
I am working on three writing projects, actually, but lately I have been busy translating my Danish debut "Anna Märklin´s Family Chronicles" into English. This crime novel is more serious than "The Cosy Knave", and I hope that readers will see it as more than sheer entertainment as it has a message about how we treat the weak members of society. But even though it is not a cosy mystery, it is neither graphic nor hardboiled.
Tell us a little about you
I live in a small Danish village, and I am married to the local vicar which is why it was natural for me to come up with my female protagonist, Rhapsody Gershwin, who is a vicar´s daughter. I am the mother of three grown children, and I spend most of my spare time reading and writing crime fiction of various subgenres.
What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
Well, this is probably obvious, but I think the main thing is never to give up. No matter how long it takes for you to finish those books, get them out there - and sell them - you must never stop writing if you really want to be a writer. In one word: determination. '
What's your favorite season?
Summer, definitely, though each season has its own charms. But sitting outside our cottage on a sunny day, writing page after page on my Mac, is difficult to beat.
Who do you imagine is your reader?
According to my Facebook writer´s page 70 % of my followers are women, and most of them are from 30 to 55 years. That makes sense as I don´t write action-packed thrillers but prefer quiet, traditional mysteries. If I include a car chase, it is probably with my tongue in my cheek.
Where is The Cosy Knave available?
So far I have only published ebooks, and as a Danish writer who has most of my readers scattered in North America, Britain and Australia, I think it is much simpler to keep it that way. All my English books are available from Smashwords.com and Amazon.
How can readers find out more about you?
Besides I have a writer´s page on facebook: Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen crime writer.
Her books can be found on Amazon
Dorte is also offering Heather Farm, which is a ghost story, free on Smashwords.Com. Heather Farm hit the number one spot on the ghost and horror category for several days on Amazon last year.
For a free upload, go to Smashwords
Thanks for visiting Dorte. Writing can be difficult at the best of times, but translating it into another language too, takes a lot of dedication.
