Note: Regencies are generally set in England in the early 1800s, a period of uncertainty – wars, domestic riots, and a mentally ill monarch – and aristocratic excess. Cozies are detective or mystery stories in which sex and violence are downplayed and often take place 'off screen.' They are intelligent, often have a serious side and are fun to read.
Some scenes along the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon where Carola and her dog, Trillian, walk every morning on the lookout for inspiration.
To date, Carola has written over 50 books and continues to write her popular tales at an astonishingly prolific pace. So how does she do it? Give a listen . . .
We knew Carola Dunn as the author of the popular Daisy Dalrymple cozy mysteries set in England after WWI, but soon learned that the Daisy series was just a fraction of what she has written. We asked for an interview on a lovely fall morning, and although she was on deadline for Gone West and had a few other irons in her creative fires, she graciously consented to let us be her break from writing that evening.
Her rescue dog, Trillian (think Hitchhikers Guide, not software), who, like his namesake has long, wavy black hair (or fur) and 'ridiculously brown eyes,' checked us out and then retired. We toured Carola's writing office and then settled into her comfy living room for a cup of tea and a chat about writing.
Carola started writing in California in the late 70s at the urging of her former husband. The result was the Regency romance, Toblethorpe Manor, which launched her successful career as a writer. Nearly 15 years later she decided to try her hand at mystery, and Daisy Dalrymple was born. In 2009 she published the first of her Cornish mysteries set in more modern times, featuring retired traveler Eleanor Trewynn and her niece, Detective Sergeant Megan Pencarrow.
Carola started by writing longhand at the kitchen table and typing manuscripts on a Sears typewriter. Over her 30-year career, she has progressed to writing on a computer and publishing e-books as well print books.
Interview Movie
(Embedded version below)
MP3 Audio File
(Note: To download the podcast,
right click on the link if you are on a PC,
or control click if you are on a Mac. )
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Location: |
Eugene, Oregon |
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Run Time: |
29:29 |
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Genre: |
'Cozy' mystery, Regency romance |
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Website: |
caroladunn.weebly.com |
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Raised: |
England |
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Youthful Influence: |
Reading voraciously, 'a real bookworm' |
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Influential Authors: |
The books and writers she returns to are Jane Austen, Lord of the Rings, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe series. |
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Literary Habit: |
Six days a week at her computer, 9 to 5, with lunch and occasional errand breaks. |
Carola's books – and there are more . . .
Books
Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series:
Death At Wentwater Court (1994)
The Winter Garden Mystery (1995)
Requiem For A Mezzo (1996)
Murder On The Flying Scotsman (1997)
Damsel In Distress (1997)
Dead In The Water (1999)
Styx And Stones (1999)
Rattle His Bones (2000)
To Davy Jones Below (2001)
The Case Of The Murdered Muckraker (2002)
Mistletoe And Murder (2002)
Die Laughing (2003)
A Mourning Wedding (2004)
Fall Of A Philanderer (2005)
Gunpowder Plot (2006)
The Bloody Tower (2007)
Black Ship (2008)
Sheer Folly (2009)
Anthem For Doomed Youth (2011)
Gone West (2012)
Cornish Mystery Series:
Manna From Hades (2009)
A Colourful Death (2010)
Regency (Historical) Romance (partial - there are well over 30 novels and novellas, some in her four Regency series):
Toblethorpe Manor (1981)
The Frog Earl (1992)
The Tudor Secret (1995)
Scandal's Daughter (1996)
A Christmas Courtship (1996)
Mayhem and Miranda (1997)
The Babe and the Baron (1997)
The Improper Governess (1998)
Crossed Quills (1998, 2010)
Note: Some of Carola's Regencies had gone out of print, but have been re-published as e-books.
