Jon:  Your last three books, Blood Country, Dark Coulee, and Glare Ice are all in a series featuring Claire Watkins. How Would you describe Claire and the series?

Mary:  Claire is a bright, focused, determined, handsome middle-aged woman who sometimes can't see the forest for the trees. She decided to go into law enforcement because she thought she would be doing good for society, she's stayed in law enforcement because it engrosses her. She loves her daughter, she loves her sister, she's falling in love with a new man, she's making her way in this new community she has moved to--a small county in western Wisconsin on the Mississippi River. The series is a police procedural with a cozy setting and depth of characters, but it definitely has an edge. I don't believe that bad things don't happen in the country.

Jon:  What is it about the northern Midwest that draws you to it for the books?

Mary:  I grew up here, I know the land, I know the landscape, I know the people. I lived in New York City for four years (which I loved) and it was during this time that I realized that the upper Midwest might be of interest to other people.

Jon:  What’s coming next? Do you plan to continue the series, maybe another with Laura Mallory?

Mary:  I'm working on the fourth book in the Claire Watkins series, tentatively titled BONE HARVEST. I have an idea for a stand-alone (doesn't everyone). Laura might re-appear or I might go even further back than that.

Jon:  You’ve also written a Young Adult book, Dancing With An Alien. It’s kind of a departure from your other writing. What about this appealed to you as a writer?

Mary:  I just had an idea. I thought it was a blast writing for teenagers. It's a time I remember well. I've taught in high schools for many years and I truly like kids of all ages. While my crime novels are quite serious, I thought Dancing had some very funny moments.

Jon:  Your first published works, Discriminating Evidence, was a book of poems. Do you still write poetry?

Mary:  Yes. I published a second book of poetry, SETTLING, in 1997 with Mid-List Press. Both my books of poetry are still in print. I'm working on my third, which I would hope would be out in the next year or so. It takes me about five to ten years to write a book of poetry, but poetry is a constant in my life--both reading and writing it. At the moment, I'm reading a ton of Rumi, the whirling dervish Sufi poet.

Jon:  If you were not writing , what would you be doing instead?

Mary:  Probably teaching, maybe editing. I've done both for many years. I taught at Hamline University for eight years in the under grad and graduate programs. I've done editorial work for Simon and Schuster, Graywolf Press, and the Creative Company. I also continue to do manuscript consulting on children's books and crime fiction.

Jon:  What authors do you like to read?

Mary:  I seem to love the hard-boiled American men--Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, Ross Thomas are three of my favorites--and the British women--Frances Fyfield, Minette Walters, and Elizabeth George even though I know she's not British by birth.

Jon:  Do you think women authors have become more accepted in the mystery genre? And why?

Mary:  Completely. In some sub-genres they dominate the market. We even have more men trying to write cozies just to get in on some of that popularity. I suppose because a slight majority of crime readers are women.

Jon:  Do you like doing personal appearances? Signings and conventions?

Mary:  Sometimes, some parts.

Jon:  What kind of writing habits do you have? Do you write at certain times of day? Listen to certain types of music? Do you outline?

Mary:  Don't listen to music. Don't write particularly at any time of day. Do try to write every day. When I'm really cranking, I try to write from three to five pages a day. Do give myself lots of credit for the other work of being a writer. Publicity, reading, research, thinking.

Jon:  Do you find being in a household with two writers helpful?

Mary:  It works for me.

Jon:  When you write, do you think about marketability ?

Mary:  Probably not enough. It's hard to say how that shapes what I decide to write about. It's certainly not very conscious.

Jon:  What kind of movies do you enjoy?

Mary:  I love all the Jane Austen moves, I love the Coen brothers movies, I loved the Prime Suspect series on PBS.

Jon:  Do social issues or current events influence your writing?

Mary:  Not immediately.

Jon:  The women in your books are very strong characters. But they are not invincible. This adds a great sense of realism to the books. Do you think it is important them to have that realism?

Mary:  I don't think I would like them otherwise.

Jon:  What is your favorite way to spend your free time?

Mary:  Believe it or not, I'm a hooker. I do rug-hooking in my spare time. It's a hobby I started about five or six years ago and I've hooked many a rug and pillow since. It relaxes me and allows for a different kind of creativity since I design all my own patterns. Also, I walk every day with my dogs and eat good food with Pete.

Jon:  The little bio on your books mentions Pete of course, but also two toy poodles. I also noticed some of Pete’s earlier books mention pets. Have you always been an animal lover?

Mary:  Yes, but haven't before had the lifestyle to accommodate having them in my life.

Jon:  Do you do much research for your writing?

Mary:  Yes. But not just the police parts. I also research field crops, weather, driving tractors, raising pheasants.

Jon:  Was there anyone along the way that really influenced you? Some one that made you say, “ I want to be a writer”?

Mary:  A couple people, most of them teachers.

Jon:  What kind of music do you like to listen to?

Mary:  Spectrum. Classical, country, Irish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana.

Jon:  Any plans to do a web site?

Mary:  Pete Hautman, the wonderful writer I live with, has a hole in his for me to fit in, but I haven't done much with it yet. I keep thinking when my life calms down I'll have time.

Jon:  What’s the one thing that is always in your refrigerator?

Mary:  I guess I'd have to say mustard. I think I eat hamburgers and hot dogs just so I can have mustard on them.