R.M. Greenaway
I first met R.M. Greenaway when she sent me an
e-mail asking me about noir. I don’t know if my reply was helpful, but noir is
a favorite subject of mine, and I immediately liked R.M. for asking.
Born in Battersea,
England, R.M. spent her childhood in the Toronto area, and later Vancouver, B.
C. She has worked a variety of jobs, including as a court reporter. We sat
down, a continent apart—R.M. lives in Nelson, British Columbia—for this
interview.
From the Spitbucket:
What writers influenced you to become a
crime writer?
R.M. Greenaway: Ed McBain taught me
to love the police procedural, and that writerly rules may be broken. Ruth
Rendell taught me that the mundane can be just as fascinating as the flashy,
and that humour lurks in dark places. Donald Westlake taught me, well, too much
to describe here!
Spitbucket: What moves you most in a book you read?
R.M.: When the real world
recedes and I forget that I'm reading. That probably first happened with the
Narnia chronicles when I was a whole lot younger, and happens less and less
with time, so when I do get sucked into a book these days, I consider it a gem.
S: You're organizing a dinner party. What three writers, living or dead, do you
invite?
R.M.: Harley Mazuk, because I have a
feeling we'd have lots to talk about. Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle, as I'm so interested in the world he lived in, and he'd
be so interested in where things have gone since his death. And Ruth Rendell, because she was such a
great writer and so prolific, and I'd like to find out how she did it, and
maybe kiss the ground she walks on.
S: Do you have an agent?
R.M.: Yes, thank goodness. She takes care
of all the stuff I wouldn't have a clue about.
S: Do you outline meticulously before beginning
to write a novel? Or do you write by the seat of the pants? Or something in
between?
R.M.: In between. I try hard
to know where I'm going, and usually fail. But the failures always end up more
pleasing than the meticulously worked out bits. Seems the men and women I'm
writing about often like to go their own way -- and I'm more than happy to let
them do so.
S: Are you a
disciplined writer? Describe a typical writing day? Do you go for a particular
daily word count?
R.M.: My first answer to this question is
“LOL,” followed up by “Oh, how I wish.” Honestly, I haven't written a useful
word in over a month, and that's because of Left
Coast Crime, a birthday party, Noir-at-the-Bar,
travel, day-job deadlines, a fence that needs building to keep out the bears,
and more. My ongoing resolution to go for a walk in the morning followed by a
couple hours of writing keeps getting pushed further along. But I MUST get
serious soon, or I won't have my draft ready by publisher's deadline. And
really, getting back to Book 6 is
what I look forward to most.
S: Bears can climb
fences, can’t they?
R.M.: Yes, well, halfway through building
that fence (at my son's house, actually) the neighbour strolled over to tell us
the bears will just jump over. But I think bears, like the rest of us, prefer
the path of least resistance. At least we're hoping.
S: What themes do you like to explore in your
writing?
R.M.: Relationships is a big one with me,
both in reading and writing. A book that doesn't delve into relationships
doesn't really grab me. I love relationships that collide, e.g. oddball matches, misunderstandings, mistrust. Building and
breaking up friendships is one of my megalomaniacal passions, along with
creating and solving wicked crimes.
S: Tell us about your B.C. Blues series. (Do the B.C. Blues wear blue? What happened to
the red dress jackets of the RCMP?) Is your series character-driven or plot-
driven?
R.M.: It's true, RCMP still wear the smashing
scarlet tunics, but only for special occasions. The workaday clothing for uniformed
members is mostly navy blue. The "Blues" in the series title is an
allusion to atmosphere more than anything, though. Plus I love the blues
(music)!
The
series is set in the Pacific Northwest -- more specifically North Vancouver. Maybe
you know the area... if you don't, it's kind of a fast-sprouting city, though
not so much of a throbbing metropolis as Vancouver which sits just across the
strait waters. North Van is hard to describe. It's traffic-snarled but serene.
It's surrounded by mountains, rain forest, and ocean. It's veined with rivers
and creeks and countless hiking trails. I like North Van as my main setting as
it can vary widely within a few minutes' drive, from dock yards to high rises
to woodsy canyons.
The
books are character-driven but paced to move in a fast yet thorough way through
twisted criminal investigations. They also come fully equipped with an evolving
backstory -- which you might want to follow along from Book 1—Cold
Girl.
RM’s first novel, Cold Girl, won the 2014 Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished novel
Cold Girl is set further north, amidst snow flurries and desolate highways, but
in Book 2, Undertow, RCMP Constable
Cal Dion is transferred back to North Van where he belongs, but also back to
the complications he left behind after a seriously bad decision and car crash ...
but that's the backstory for you to discover!
Next
in the series after Undertow comes Creep,
and in March this year came Book 4, Flights and Falls, and I'm now in
the editing stages of Book 5, River of Lies along with writing
Book 6.
The
most recent release, Book 4 in the B.C. Blues series.
As
for backstory, though, I try hard not to fall into the trap of letting it take
over. I like to deliver what I like to read, which is a strong stand-alone plot
with continuing character development. I want my readers to pick up any book in
the set and be swiftly oriented to what's going on behind the scenes. I think backstory
is important, but should stay where it belongs, in the background.
S: Where can readers find your books? Where can
we learn more about your work? How should readers or fans contact you?
R.M.: All my books are widely available,
in bookstores, libraries, and online through the major e-book sites. If you'd like to get a copy but for any reason
can't, please do contact me through my website (rmgreenaway.com). Also if you like the books or
have a suggestion, drop me a line and let me know, because feedback from
readers is the best nitro-boost to the spirit there is!
Thank
you for reading, and thank you, Harley, for inviting me to take part! Oh, and
yes your perspective when I was writing "A Study in Noir" for the Strand Magazine a couple years back was
a great addition, so thank you for that as well!
Noir
at the Bar, below, Shebeen Whiskey House in Gastown, Vancouver, B.C. R.M. is
second from right:
Links for R.M.
Greenaway:
