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Jeffrey Marks is a long-time mystery fan and freelancer.  After numerous mystery author profiles, he chose to chronicle the short but full life of mystery writer Craig Rice.
 
That biography (Who Was That Lady?) encouraged him to write mystery fiction. The Ambush of My Name was the first mystery novel by Marks to be published although he has several mystery short story anthologies on the market. His works include a second Grant novel (A Good Soldier), Atomic Renaissance: Women Mystery Writers of the 1940s/1950s, and Criminal Appetites, an anthology of cooking related mysteries. His latest work is a biography of mystery author and critic Anthony Boucher entitled Anthony Boucher. It has been nominated for an Agatha and fittingly, an Anthony.
 
His work has won a number of awards including the Barnes and Noble Prize and he was nominated for a Maxwell award (DWAA), an Edgar (MWA), three Agathas (Malice Domestic), two Macavity awards, and three Anthony awards (Bouchercon). Today, he writes from his home in Cincinnati, which he shares with his dog.

Visit Jeffrey's blog at jeffreymarks.com

Thank you Jeffrey for answering a few questions for us!  To start, please tell us about your latest project.
 
My latest project, which was published in 2008, was a biography of mystery critic and writer Anthony Boucher. The book was entitled Anthony Boucher, which makes it easy to remember. The world mystery conference was named after this man, but so many authors and fans didn’t know much about him. I’ll be going to Bouchercon this fall, where ironically enough, I’m nominated for an Anthony.
 
Have you received any awards for your work?
 
I’ve been nominated for 12 different awards for my works, including the Edgar, the Agatha, the Macavity, the Anthony, and the Maxwell. I’ve won once. I’m currently nominated for an Anthony for Anthony Boucher. I’m glad to say that I’ve won something now. My friends were beginning to call me the Susan Lucci of mystery.
 
Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?
 
I do a number of seminars and speaking engagements. I’ve done quite a few across the US and others in Mexico and Canada. I like being able to meet readers and other writers Writing can be a very lonely profession at times with hours in front of the computer, communing with people who are in your imagination or died many years ago. So actually talking to people about books and writing can be a lot of fun.
 
Most of the ones I’ve done lately have to do with my book, Intent to Sell: Marketing the Genre Novel. I do marketing workshops to help authors find new ways to promote their work without spending thousands of dollars to do so. I have two coming up this fall, one in Columbus Ohio, and the other in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published?
 
I started in short stories. I won an award for my short story work, which led me to edit three mystery short stories anthologies (Canine Crimes, Canine Christmas, and Magnolias and Mayhem). As a result of the third anthology, I took the main character from the story and wrote a novel with him as the protagonist. I had two books published in that series. So I’ve done several other forms in addition to the biographies I’ve written.
 
What will your next project be?
 
My next project will be a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner, the man who wrote the Perry Mason series. This is a much bigger project as he wrote over 500 short stories and 100 novels. Trying to track down all of his works is taking more time than reading all of Boucher’s writings combined.
 
I’m about 100 pages into the book at the moment and I expect it to be over 500 pages in total. I would like to try to finish that up next year.
 
What type of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?
 
I love research. Digging into the past is fascinating for me and it can be addicting. Sometimes I’ll want to keep researching and not bother to write the book, even if I go astray from what I’m supposed to be looking up.
 
Sometimes to handle this, I’ll hire a research assistant to help with that task. This can keep me on the path of writing, while someone else is accumulating the raw material that will go into the book. It can be a huge time-saver, as I’ll lose days in the stacks.
 
What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?
 
I would definitely suggest sitting down and writing first. So many people who attend my conferences on marketing and promotion will want to ask about agents and contracts and booksignings , when they haven’t put a word to paper. We have to remember the correct order in which to do things. Writing a good book comes first, and then selling it and going on tour come later.
 
How did you get started as a writer?
 
I’ve always written as long as I can remember. Before I could write, I drew little picture books in tablets of paper. So storytelling is in my blood. I have several great storytellers in my family, so being able to tell events in a way that keeps people interested is something I’ve always known.
 
Like I said, I’ve never been able to pinpoint how I got started. I won a prize for a poem in 3rd grade, so maybe then I knew I had a talent?
 
What does a typical work day look like for you?
 
I teach full-time, so that takes up a great deal of time. My writing schedule is either very early in the morning, late at night, the weekends and breaks. Because of the schedule I have, writing every day can be a luxury. So I take those 15 minute intervals to get as much done as I can.
 
Have you ever had a mentor, or someone who sparked your passion for writing?
 
Definitely my grandmother was sparked my passion for writing; she worked at a newspaper for about 15 years. She let me know that writing could be a career if you wanted it to be. Also I had a few teachers along the way who took the time to encourage me.
 
Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out loud when you were by yourself?  :)
 
Embarrassingly, Absolutely Fabulous by the Pet Shop Boys

Thank you Jeffrey! We wish you ongoing success with your biographies!