Interview with Rhys Bowen
by Jon Jordan
Rhys' Web Site

Sept. 23, 2002

JON:  To start with, how would you describe the Constable Evans series?

RHYS:  I think it is more traditional mystery in the Agatha Christie sense than cozy. There is gentle humor but the books are deeper and more serious than most cozies.


JON:  Is Llanfair a real place, or based on a real place?

RHYS:  It is based on several villages around Mount Snowdon in North Wales, rather than one specific village. I didn't want the local people to recognize themselves. However, I had to put it in a real valley, as the paths up Mt. Snowdon are important. Now all the locals know where it is!

JON:  The Molly Murphy series is set in the early 1900’s. What is it about that time period that drew you to it?

RHYS:  I was more drawn to the place. New York has always fascinated me and at that time it was a series of microcosms. Also I have always wanted to write a book set on Ellis Island.

JON:  Before finally settling in San Francisco, you had been quite a few other places. What made you want to stay in San Francisco?

RHYS:  My husband's job is the easy answer. But we both decided that San Francisco had the ideal combination of climate, enough outdoors, sea, Bay, mountains and easy access to a big, civilized city.

JON:  Was it exciting to win the Agatha Award?

RHYS:  Oh boy! Even now, five months after I won it, I have to look across to that teapot on the shelf to remind myself that it's real. It was one of the most amazing events in my life.

JON:  How much research do you have to do for your books? And do you enjoy the research part of the writing?

RHYS:  I do really good research. S.J. Rozan, who lives in Greenwhich Village, was kind enough to blurb my second Molly book. She thought I had a couple of details wrong, checked them out and found that I was right. It's very important to get every detail right, to the point where I get obsessive. I do a lot of reading, I check out the sites myself, which one can do in Wales and in New York, I ask a lot of questions and I surf the web a lot. Once I took a whole day trying to find where Molly bought her hair ribbon. It is a small fact but I wanted to get it right.

JON:  How do you approach your writing? Do you have set hours for writing, or do you write when ideas are hot?

RHYS:  I have been a professional writer for a long time. I work as a professional. I do my primary research, a lot of reading, then I start writing the book. I start work every day about 8a.m. And I keep writing until I have said all I can say for that day. Sometimes that's four hours, sometimes six or seven. I always begin the next day by editing what I have written the day before. I work every day until I have completed the first draft of the book.

JON:  You’ve worked in broadcasting, what made you decide to jump over to writing novels?

RHYS:  Coming to San Francisco. For the first time in my life there was nothing comparable to the BBC, so I was forced to move into another medium. I still love broadcasting and would love to write more radio and TV plays.

JON:  Besides the two series you write, do you have any other novels you would like to write?

RHYS:  I come up with ideas all the time. It's very frustrating that I'm bound to two series and don't have time to work on every idea. One day I'll take some time away from Evan and Molly and write a stand-alone or two.

JON:  I would imagine that the Internet makes contact with the readers a lot easier. Do you get a lot of feedback form readers?

RHYS:  I do. Almost every day I find several fan letters waiting for me. It's also a great way for me to stay in touch with my readers. I try to send out an update newsletter every time something is happening or I'm about to go on tour.

JON:  What kind of things do you like to do in your free time?

RHYS:  Free time? What is that? With two books a year and a lot of time on the road promoting them, free time has become a luxury. I love to travel, play tennis, hike with my friends, sing in a choir and my newest love, and play my Celtic harp!

JON:  What is your favorite time of day, and why?

RHYS:  Very early morning. I love to go out when it's still and peaceful and the whole world is just waking up.

JON:  Do you ever get writers block? And if so, what do you do about it?

RHYS:  I don't believe in writers block. Naturally there are some days when words come more easily, but I give myself a set number of pages to finish every day and I can't leave the computer until they are done. People in other professions can't walk away from their work because it doesn't come easily one day!

JON:  If you could live in any period, in any place, where and when would that be?

RHYS:  I'm attracted by Roman times. They were so civilized in many ways and women were not inferiors. I also fantasize about living half the year in a quiet, peaceful backwater, maybe an English village, or on Maui, or the Queensland coast of Australia.

JON:  Is there anything that people would be surprised to know about you?

RHYS:  I used to be a folk singer who sang with Al Stewart and knew Simon and Garfunkel before they became famous!

JON:  Who are some of your favorite authors?

RHYS:  I have so many. I love Tony Hillerman, Reginald Hill, S.J.Rozan, Peter Robinson, Deborah Crombie, Lindsay Davies, and about a zillion other mystery authors, plus non-mystery writers like Connie Willis.

JON:  Do you have any pets?

RHYS:  We travel too much to have any pets these days. But I have three Grandchildren who make up for lack of animals!

JON:  What are some of your favorite movies?

RHYS:  All the grand romantic ones: Out of Africa, Casablanca, Amadeus, Life is Beautiful, Dead Poet's Society, all the Merchant-Ivory films, Sense and Sensibility and all the Jane Austens. I could go on and on.

JON:  What do we have to look forward from you next?

RHYS:  The next Molly Murphy book comes out in late November. It’s called Death of Riley. Molly tries to establish herself as a private investigator in New York City and stumbles upon a cell of anarchists, with disastrous results.

The next Evan book is due out next March and is called Evan Only Knows.

JON:  What’s the one thing always in your refrigerator?

RHYS:  Good cheeses. (Oh, and wine)