Teddy Rose Tours: An Interview With Authors Rosemary and Larry Mild

TR: Please tell us something about On the Rails that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

Larry: I am getting on in years, closing in on ninety-one now, so in writing the first draft of On the Rails, I am looking back on places, things, and atmospheres that I lived through. Reminiscing is what us old folks like to do. I created Bertie Pachet as a vehicle to dig up my own past.

TR: I always enjoy looking at the names that authors choose to give their characters. Where do you derive the names of your characters? Are they based on real people you knew or now know in real life? How do you create names for your characters?

Larry: In general, I refer to the obituary columns for a first name here and a last name there. Then I try it out on the character to see if it fits, and if the two names go well together-does it sound right? Sometimes it takes a little tuning to get there. Often times I'll write the whole first and second draft, and when Rosemary gets her hands on them, she changes some of the names for one reason or another. Inevitably, I would have to say, "Who's dat."

TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?

Larry: The story leaks trains and tracks all over the place. All I had to do was find the right picture to stretch across the two covers. In my internet search it actually jumped out at me. I bought the rights, and the train picture was downloaded to us.

TR: Which actor would you like to see play Bertie, if the book were to become a movie, play, or mini series. (you are welcome to choose actors for other characters as well)

Larry: Perhaps Jenifer Lawrence could fill the role, although I would prefer a plainer looking actress, one that could pass as a boy as Bertie does.

TR: What kind of messages do you try to instill in your writing?

Larry: We no longer write with any particular message in mind. Instead, we now write character-driven novels and, if our character wants to deliver a message, so be it. Otherwise, our writing is for our readers pure pleasure rather than for their instruction. Messages are everywhere, some meaningful, but most are annoying. I find message-driven novels are generally boring.

TR: What draws you to this genre?

Larry: Authentic historic fiction has always been a favorite read for me. I look upon it as bits of real life reassembled, compressed, and extended to fit the covers of a novel. One can learn a lot from historical fiction. I know that I have gained many facts from reading that helped me write On the Rails.

TR: Will Bertie have more to tell readers in the future?

Larry: There are currently no plans for another Bertie. The rest of her life is pretty well summed up in the epilogue to On the Rails. However, Bertie does cry out to the women of her time that they have a place in a man's world.

TR: Do you have any writing projects that you are currently working on?

Larry: My second draft of Kent and Katcha, a spy novel full of espionage, spycraft, and romance is now in Rosemary's hands. Currently, I'm working on the second draft of The Moaning Lisa, the fourth Paco & Molly murder mystery in the traditional cozy manner. We are also working on a few short stories for upcoming anthologies.

TR: Are there any questions that you wish myself or another interviewer would have asked? If so, pleas ask and answer.

Larry: If you had asked whether On the Rails had received favorable reviews, we would have to tell you: several, including five-star reviews. This is also true of our recent short story collection, Charley and the Magic Jug and Other and Other Stories. If you had asked what else have we written, we would have to admit to publishing nineteen books so far and have two more in the oven. They include two mystery series, an adventure series, and several short story collections.

TR: Thanks so much for the interview, Rosemary and Larry!