“Missing in...” with Rita Lee Chapman
Interview by Maria Teresa De Donato
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Today I have the
pleasure of having a special guest. Her name is Rita Lee Chapman, and she is an
English-born Author living in Australia.
Over the years, she has
published several books of different genres.
So without further ado,
let’s meet her and learn a bit about herself.
MTDD: Hi
Rita, and welcome to my Blog & Virtual and Cultural Salon.
RLC: Hi
Maria, thank you for inviting me to your blog.
I really appreciate this opportunity to connect with your readers.
MTDD: Rita,
Why don’t you start by introducing yourself to our readers and telling us about
your education, professional life, relocation to Australia, and whatever else
you may wish to share with us?
RLC: Firstly,
I should mention that I added the middle name to my pen name because there was
already a Rita Chapman who wrote vampire stories! I came to Australia in my very early twenties
and loved the sunshine and the relaxed way of life. I spent my working life in
Sydney and moved to Queensland when I retired.
I think Sydney is the most beautiful city in the world, but Queensland
is more relaxing once you retire and the winters are warmer. I worked as a PA and would sometimes write a
few chapters (on a typewriter), but I never managed to complete a story until I
retired. I did use some of that earlier
writing in Winston – A Horse’s Tale, so it wasn’t a complete waste.
MTDD: After
relocating from the UK to Australia, did you notice any significant differences
between the two cultures? And if yes, did they become a source of inspiration
for your publications?
RLC: I
was only twenty-one when I came to Australia, so I was very adaptable! Australia was less formal than London, and
most weekends were spent on the beach.
MTDD: In
your biography, we read, “My working life was spent in Sydney, and it was
not until we retired to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland that I wrote my first
book.”
What motivated you to become a writer and why?
RLC: I
always enjoyed writing – I wrote short stories for my youngest brother as a
teenager. During my working years,
writing was mainly confined to letters, press releases, reports, etc. It was during a wet week in Queensland that I
found myself looking for something to do, and I thought, why not try and write
that book they say everyone has inside themselves?
MTDD: Many
of your books are mystery books, with the expression “Missing in…” in their
title.
Would you like to elaborate and discuss each, starting
with Missing in Egypt, your first publication?
RLC: I
have a five-book series, the Anna Davies Mystery Series, which comprises
Missing in Egypt, Missing at Sea, Missing in London, Missing in France, and
Missing in Australia. The protagonist is
Anna Davies, an amateur sleuth.
Mysteries seem to find her wherever she is in the world, and her curious
mind won’t rest until she works out what really happened. Each book is a stand-alone, and there are
vivid descriptions of the sights and scenery. It is also available as a 5-book eBook
and on Kindle Unlimited.
In Missing in Egypt, Anna travels to Egypt with her boyfriend to
help him look for his brother, who traveled to Egypt on holiday and
disappeared. When Anna goes on a cruise
from Sydney to London in Missing at Sea, a young woman falls overboard. Did she suicide, was she pushed, or did she
fall? Whilst Anna is working as an
editor in London, one of her authors goes missing, along with his latest
manuscript. Anna next finds herself in
Paris and Marseille in Missing in France, investigating the disappearance of a
little girl. On holiday back in
Australia, Anna’s best friend’s husband goes on a camping trip in the outback
with a friend and disappears. Her
friend, Sandra, begs her to go and look for him whilst she stays with their
children, but where should she start looking?
I have also written two crime mysteries, Dangerous
Associations, and The Poinciana Tree, as well as a book for
horse lovers, Winston – A Horse’s Tale.
MTDD: Would
you like to tell us about your books My Very Naughty Pony and The
Unicorn Angel?
RLC: These
are my two children’s books. My Very
Naughty Pony is for children who love ponies, and The Unicorn Angel
tells the story of Monty, the Unicorn who visits sick children in hospitals and
flies them on an adventure.
MTDD: Would
you like to give us a short excerpt from one of your books?
RLC: From my latest book, Missing in Australia:
“We
stopped to speak to people in Mungallala,
again without any success, before moving on to the tiny town of Morvan. By now, red dust was permeating everything
inside the vehicle and the camper. I could taste it at the back of my throat
and feel it in my hair. The wind blew it
across the bed, the sink and every other surface. At first, I had tried to wipe it off, but it
came back before I had even finished cleaning.
In the end I took Emma’s advice and tried to ignore it, but it was in my
clothes when I shook them out and even on my toothbrush!”
MTDD: How
would you define your style?
RLC: That’s
a hard question, Maria Teresa. I would
like to say classic, but maybe readers could answer that one better.
MTDD: What
is your purpose for writing a book? Is there any specific message you wish to
convey to the public each time, depending on the publication, or is your only goal
to entertain?
RLC: I
write to entertain, I don’t have any messages to convey, except perhaps in Winston
– A Horse’s Tale, where I try to help people understand life from the
horse’s perspective. He really only
wants to work with you, but sometimes it is very difficult to know what you
want from him.
MTDD: Do
you prefer a particular time and have specific habits for writing?
RLC: I’m
a morning person, so I’m more likely to be found writing in the morning – or on
a rainy day.
MTDD: What
are your writing plans for the future? Will you mainly stick to the mystery
genre or embark on a new adventure trying different ones?
RLC: I’m
toying with the idea of a three-book series about a detective. There will, of
course, be murders involved. After that…
anything is possible.
MTDD: What
advice would you give to someone considering starting writing as a hobby or as a
career?
RLC: Just
go for it! Now, with self-publishing,
anyone can publish their work; you don’t have to leave it sitting in a drawer.
Once it is written, edit, edit, edit because it’s amazing what you can
overlook.
MTDD: Thank
you, Rita, for taking part in this interview. It has been a pleasure having you
as my guest today.
Do you wish to remind our readers how they might contact you
and, if interested, order your publications?
RLC: I
have a website – www.ritaleechapman.com.
Apart from featuring my books, I also feature a guest author each week
and display photos from my latest holiday.
It also has a contact form and the option for readers in Australia to
buy a personally-signed copy direct from me.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rita-Lee-Chapman/e/B00B5OS2Q4/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RChapman1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5834608.Rita_Lee_Chapman
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/ritaleechapman/
Blogger: http://www.ritaleechapman.blogspot.com
