Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .

Why do you write the genre that you write?
I have been a fan of mystery novels all my life, starting with the Famous Five and moving on to the ladies of the Golden Age. And I found myself drawn to the early Twentieth Century where life was so similar to our own but so different. Skyscrapers in New York but women couldn’t vote. Fast cars in 1930 but people still died of pneumonia. And I wanted to write about WWII so that it’s not forgotten, especially the role of women in WWII.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
It would have to be Queen, Lady Georgie hapless maid. She does everything wrong, she’s clumsy, she loses things, but she’s proved to be really brave so Georgie keeps her.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
When I started the Constable Evans books I had been writing YA and was quite well known for it. My editor said I needed a new name or I would be prejudged as a writer of kid’s books. So I chose my Welsh grandfather’s name, Rhys Bowen.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve been writing all my life, also living in pretend worlds. It started with a lonely childhood in a big house outside a village. Originally I intended to be a journalist but decided I didn’t want to deal with the brutal side of life. So after college I went into the BBC and became a studio manager in drama. While working on plays I got an idea for my own. I wrote it, took it to the head of drama. They liked it and it was produced. I’ve been a professional writer ever since.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
Studio manager in the BBC. Then lured to Australia to work for ABC. Met and married my husband and since then I’ve been a writer, apart from teaching for 10 years at Dominican University.

Where do you write?
We have two homes, one in California and one in Arizona. I have an office in both. In AZ it’s upstairs and away from the rest of the house so perfectly quiet. In California it’s downstairs, but too close to John’s office!!

What is your favorite deadline snack?
If I’m working I don’t stop to munch. I’m really focused. John brings me a coffee but that’s about it.

Who is an author you admire?
I really admired Tony Hillerman and Reginald Hill. Still living? Charles Todd, Jacqueline Winspear, Deborah Crombie, Louise Penny… all good friends.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
What I write. I especially like books set in two time periods, like Kate Morton’s.

What are you reading now?
The Echo of Old Books.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
A glass of wine before dinner usually. A herbal tea or hot cocoa at bedtime.

What is next for you?
Writing 3 books a year I always have projects lining up. I have a new Molly Murphy book written with daughter Clare coming out in March, called In Sunshine Or In Shadow. And a new stand alone, set in 1960s, called The Rose Arbor. And I’m writing the next Royal Spyness.

Where can we find you?
Website at rhysbowen.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/rhysbowenauthor, and on Instagram @authorrhysbowen.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
That’s too hard to decide. Love them both.

Cake or ice cream
Ice cream

Fruits or vegetables
Fruits

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Again too hard. Full English breakfast as a treat, lunch with a friend, dinner with family.

Dining in or dining out
Anything I don’t have to cook. It’s hard to find good restaurants these days, but I do love to dine out.

City life or country living
Definitely country living.

Beach or mountain
Beach

Summer or winter
SUMMER!!! Hate the cold.

Short story or full-length novel
Novel.

Extrovert or introvert
Extrovert.

Early bird or night owl
Early bird

And even more fun . . .

What’s your favorite movie?
Out of Africa

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Kindle with solar charger. Sunscreen. Snorkel so I could catch fish.

My bio:
Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including The Venice Sketchbook, The Victory Garden, The Tuscan Child, and the World War II-based In Farleigh Field, the winner of the Left Coast Crime Award for Best Historical Mystery Novel and the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel. Bowen’s work has won over twenty honors to date, including multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. A transplanted Brit, Bowen divides her time between California and Arizona.