CARA MEL JONES

Why do people do the things they do? I like to understand characters’ motivations, and to dig deep into their backgrounds and look at events that have shaped them.  I like to recreate scenes from the recent past. I wonder how generational changes impact us. How what we take for granted now, especially human rights or technological advances, may have been totally unavailable or inaccessible just a few short years ago. 

I am fascinated by the way people’s lives interact. How do people meet? What role does chance play? When does the past impact the present? How do choices made, actions taken or not taken, reverberate far into the future?  Is it true that nobody knows nobody?

 As a writer, and an ex-cop, I draw on experiences I’ve had, including personal experiences. There is a bunch of my life and personal experience in the character of Cara Mel Jones. Most of that experience has been fictionalised, embellished, or stripped bare, so Cara is a stand-out, stand-alone, character.

Yes, real life is often stranger than fiction and is a great basis for stories. But real life is a launchpad only in the books. The story always takes over, and artistic licence comes into play, with a view to creating what is best for the pacing, plot and entertainment value. I try to universalise the story so the incidents could happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. No-one is alone. 

Candy Bowl is currently being written. Candy took three months to write and Candy Bowl is coming along more quickly. The Cara Mel Jones series will be available on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing in eBooks and paperback.

 Yes! There are sixteen novels planned at this stage. The list keeps being added to as I dream up story skeletons. I am writing as fast as I can. 

I write at a desk surrounded by rocks I have fossicked from the local South Auckland coastline. My workspace is in an industrial area so I am battered by heavy machinery noise and stereo bass thumping all day. I often write wearing earmuffs. My most productive time is the afternoon through evening. 

The freedom. And the control over characters. 

Finding the right words!

I love commercial fiction, especially crime, mystery and suspense genres. I like Lee Child, Harlan Coben, David Baldacci, Dan Brown, John Grisham and John Le Carre.

November, a while ago, in Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand – the City of Sails – named for the beautiful coastal gulf waters bedecked by many yachts. Auckland is New Zealand’s most populous city and is where Cara Mel Jones was first based as a detective… though she does move around New Zealand. More author info is available in the bio section on this website. 

Glenfield Primary School (5-10 years old), then Glenfield Intermediate School (11-12 years old), then Westlake Girls High School (13-17 years old).

The books will be available in paperback and as eBooks on Amazon Kindle. I hope to eventually publish in other formats.

Apart from Cara Mel Jones, who I put a bit of myself into, not really, no. All characters are either totally fictional, or a fictionalised conglomerate of parts of people I’ve crossed paths with, people I've never met, and people who don't exist. 

I try to weave real life events, real places, and recent time periods into a rich fictional tapestry, smooshing the strands of people’s lives into an intertwined timeline that turns into a cohesive story. Ideas can come from anywhere but I am an avid reader of the daily news. 

 New Zealand is a long way from everywhere so most physical appearances are restricted to New Zealand. But Zoom and Microsoft Teams are good friends and timezone-friendly talks can be arranged. If you would like to make a talk request, please send it to: carameljones.books@gmail.com

 I am very proud of my first book. The book was written under extreme financial pressure, with no formal writing background, but my family’s support never wavered. I will be forever grateful for the experience. But it was a hard book to write, and to read.  

 I know the broad story I want to tell and I set out the main plot points to get me from beginning to end. I expand those main plot points into additional chapters as I realise I’ll have to explain the hows and whys at the ending. Then I make sure all the dots join up cohesively. I work on the ending a lot as I write, changing speech patterns and personal foibles, as characters grow and change earlier in the book, but the ending remains pretty much the same throughout writing. 

 Yes, all messages and emails with appropriate content will be read and I will do my best to get back to you. But often, I do not have the time to respond due to writing and family commitments. Please do not be disheartened if you don’t hear back.  

 I haven't managed to crack traditional publishing yet but I have it on good authority it is best to access a good online tutorial about publishing, specific to your country of origin, dependent on how you want to publish your novel. Convince a good literary agent and publisher to represent you if you would like to print paperback or hardback copies of your book. Most agents and publishers require the entire work to be completed before approaching them. For eBooks, you will need to format your manuscript for ease of upload to an eBook platform, then self-publish. Create a social media profile, if you don’t have one, especially a website to connect with readers – like this GoDaddy one!