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You are an historian. How did you decide to go from non-fiction to fiction?
It just happened. I really can’t explain it. It is a true serendipity. But it was great fun!
What was the process of writing the novel like for you compared to history?
History requires a lot of research. I knew my topic and this life well. It was easier to write this book. I enjoyed it.
You lived in the world you describe. How does creating a character from the ground up differ from adapting a real person into a fictional persona? Which is most difficult?
I think what you mean, is did I describe real people sometimes. Yes, I did. Of course, if they were nice that wasn’t hard or something I had to be careful about. But my “bad” characters are fictional combinations of people I have seen in life. You have to be sure everyone knows they are fictional. You don’t want people thinking you are writing about them. Over and over, I remind folks that this is a novel. It is fiction. I made it up. It is fun to write about the naughty characters. Sometimes I would laugh.
You have several sub-plots. How did these come to you?
They are issues that I have worked with and care about. Women’s issues are important to me, and these problems should be discussed more. Sometimes we are reluctant to talk about unpleasant things. Discussion is important.
Kendall struggles with her relationship with the South. If you are from the South, do you?
I like to discuss this question. I love so much about the South – the weather, the vegetation, good folks. It is home to me. But I have studied our history and some of it bothers me. Just like other issues, we should discuss racism and white supremacy. Those things I do not like and have had problems with them.
You are writing about someone getting shot. In this era of gun violence, did that bother you?
When I first started writing, I was simply writing a whodunit. I was Agatha Christie. It was fun. But with the problems we now have with gun violence, I have given it more thought. I have decided that we should examine it. Could it possibly happen? I hope not, but we should discuss the danger associated with threats of violence. It is just like racism and other issues. We should talk about the dangers and what we can do. In the end, that was my attitude.
Spouse abuse is not often discussed in literature. Why did you include Margie’s story?
When we were in Kentucky, the newspaper was doing an in-depth study of spouse abuse and I was asked to speak about it. I did a public service announcement that I included in the novel. I knew some real-life stories of what women had suffered, so I worked those in. It made sense in this story.
The gingko tree is an important symbol. How did that happen?
I do love gingko trees. There is a gorgeous tree near our home that is huge. It must be very old. I got interested in how old they are and how resistant they are to disease. It just popped into the story, but it made good sense. It is the suggestion of life going on and renewing every year.
Tell us about the title Sudden Death. How did you come up with it?
That was easy. I never thought about it. If you know how ties are broken in football, you know it is called sudden death. Then when someone is shot and dies immediately, that is sudden death, too. It said everything I was talking about in this book. Life can end in the blink of an eye.
