INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DONNA FLETCHER CROW

Author Donna Fletcher Crow on the Riviera. 

So far, I've had several interviews on this blog (especially in '21 and '22, nowhere near as many last year), but I've only had one repeat interviewee. Well, the only twice-interviewed is now my first thrice-interviewed.

I've invited Donna Fletcher Crow, who I interviewed in '20 and '21 (links highlighted if you want to see them) to discuss her latest book "Going There: Tales From The Riviera and Beyond" (click here for book review).

Donna has just reached into the rarified air of authors I've read at least 20 books by (a state that she shares with only Agatha Christy, though Nancy Mehl is knocking at the door with me about to start on my 19th novel by her). The 22 books I've read by Donna include her 6 Monastery Mysteries featuring Father Antony and Felicia, the five part Lord Danvers Investigates, and the five Elizabeth and Richard Literary Suspense.

JR: Welcome back to the blog! Though you've been a guest here a couple of times, it's the first since COVID is more of a nuisance hanging around than the dreaded monster it was in '20 and '21. What is new with you, your family, your church, etc. since then?

DFC: Hello, Jeff! What an honor to be here with you again. Oh, goodness, what a question—I could write a novel. If only I had time. With 4 married children and 15 grandchildren, life is always intense, but it does seem to be more so now than ever. My husband once told our children it was their job to keep us from getting bored. Bad mistake—boredom would be a welcome break. Thankfully, it’s mostly good things. Job changes, some desired and some not, including my husband’s desire to retire, but not yet finding a good exit strategy from his business, and several grandchildren getting to the age that boyfriend/girlfriend relationships are serious prayer topics. Also, the grandson who returned from Afghanistan with PTSD and is now in rehab.

And thank you for asking about our church. The building project we were ready to launch before the Covid lockdowns struck is finally underway. Phase 1, the new parish hall and library are in progress. That’s a huge “Thanks be to God!” but also a major involvement in planning for future ministry to our neighborhood now that we will actually have the space for new programs.

And, yes, along with all of that I am plodding along with my writing. 

JR: Of course, one thing I want to talk about here is your latest book, I believe. (It wouldn't surprise me if you released a book or two or twelve since then.) Tell us all about "Going There: Tales From The Riviera and Beyond." What's the inspiration of the book? What was it like combining non-fiction with fiction in this story collection? 

DFC: Oh, Jeff—in my prime I did, indeed release 3 books a year. Now I struggle to keep up with one. Going There, though, was a fun project that just surprised me by turning up. In the summer of 2021 my daughter-in-law Kelly and I managed to slip through a narrow window of sanity between Covid lockdowns to chaperone my granddaughter Jane in a break between her ballet schools in Monaco and Basel. I was relaxing and reveling in the beauty of the Riviera when I realized characters from several of my series had tagged along. I kept seeing places Felicity was likely to find a body or visiting a church Father Antony would love. Then the home of a writer that Elizabeth and Richard would be certain to want to visit… Another factor grew as and Kelly and I became overwhelmed with the realization of what an extraordinary adventure we were having in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. My love of sharing my experiences with my readers took over as I wrote in my journal.

Combining fiction with non-fiction is really what I do all the time. I always try to use as much actual history and real experiences in my novels as I can. I’m not really very good at making stuff up—that’s one of the reasons I love using historical characters so much. And that’s why Father Antony is such a good character for me to work with—He loves recounting the stories of the saints as factually as he can. Of course, writing actual short stories between my travel memoir events was a new experience for me—which I enjoyed very much.

JR: Another project that was finished relatively recently was the completion of the Celtic Cross series. Was concluding that series a celebration, a relief, an appetizer for another similar endeavor, or some of each?

DFC: I would say it was a great satisfaction, Jeff. The Celtic Cross series was a project I had kept in mind for years. Covid was the perfect opportunity. I had written The Fields of Bannockburn and The Banks of the Boyne, epic histories of Scotland and Ireland in the 1990s. They had been out of print for many years and, of course, eBooks hadn’t even been thought of when they were published. I wanted to make these stories—which I still felt were wonderful, not because of my telling, but because of what the historic people did—deserved a modern audience. I felt rewriting them into a series, rather than 2 massive volumes made them more accessible to readers, and possible for eBook format, since they are limited as to length. Of course, it turned out to be one of those projects I would never have had the courage to launch if I’d had any idea how much work it would be, but I felt the end product, with the help of my wonderful editor and cover artist, was worth the journey.

JR: Okay, I'll ask you to take off your author hat and take your seat at the news desk. Has your time on the Riviera affected how you see things here in the USA? Are you optimistic, pessimistic, or some of both about the coming election and the world situation?

DFC: The thing that amazing trip to the Riviera and beyond most underscored for me was the necessity of grabbing the moment when the door is open. It was an incredible three-generation family time and an opportunity I had never dreamed of and is very unlikely to come again. There were many inconveniences and nerve-wracking moments caused by the world situation—but aren’t there always? I’m so thankful I seized the opportunity. 

Oh, my—the plight of the world… Well, at the end of the day, A Christian has to be optimistic, don’t we? We’ve read the Book—we know how it will end. In the meantime, however, we must face the fact that we live in a fallen world. Without getting into politics, I will have to say, though, that it does seem to be falling faster and further than I have experienced in my very long lifetime. (If you’re curious, I was born 3 weeks before Pearl Harbor.) Which is all to say my advice is to get on your knees, but keep looking up.

JR: Back to writing. What's your WIP ("Work in Progress " in case any reader's not used to writer lingo)? When shall we look for it?

DFC: At this moment I am writing a 4-part series on “The Landscape of Pride and Prejudice” for the “Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine.” When that is done, I will get back to a project I did the onsite research for in 2001 when I went to the Outer Hebrides right after 9/11. It’s the story of the Hebrides Awakening—an account I’ve wanted to relate ever since I first heard about it. This will be Book 7 in the Monastery Murders—quite a departure for Felicity and Antony because it doesn’t involve old Celtic saints. Well, not very much, anyway. I hope to have it out by the end of the year, but we’ll have to see about that.

JR: Thank you for your time. Would you like to remind us how to keep in touch with you?

DFC: Thank you so much for this fun visit, Jeff! Readers can follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my newsletter (and get a free book), write to me through my website, follow my blog, see my YouTube videos, or find all my books on Amazon. Oh, and some might want to check out my brand new offerings on Audible.