Interview with Mystery-Writing-Team Rosemary & Larry Mild

ROSEMARY AND LARRY MILD, cheerful partners in crime, coauthor mystery, suspense, and fantasy fiction. Their popular Hawaii novels, Cry Ohana and its sequel Honolulu Heat, vibrate with island color, local customs, and exquisite scenery. Also by the Milds: The Paco and Molly Murder Mysteries: Locks and Cream Cheese, Hot Grudge Sunday, and Boston Scream Pie. And the Dan and Rivka Sherman Mysteries: Death Goes Postal, Death Takes A Mistress, and Death Steals A Holy Book. Plus Unto the Third Generation, A Novella of the Future, and three collections of wickedly entertaining mystery stories—Murder, Fantasy, and Weird Tales; The Misadventures of Slim O. Wittz, Soft-Boiled Detective; and Copper and Goldie, 13 Tails of Mystery and Suspense in Hawai‘i.

ROSEMARY, a graduate of Smith College and former assistant editor of Harper’s, also delves into her own nonfiction life. She published two memoirs: Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother and the acclaimed Miriam’s World—and Mine, for the beloved daughter they lost in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. On her lighter side, Rosemary also writes award-winning humorous essays, such as failing the test to get on Jeopardy; and working for a giant free-spending corporation on a sudden budget: “No new pencil unless you turn in the old stub.”  

LARRY, who was only called Lawrence when he’d done something wrong, graduated from American University in Information Systems Management. In 2019 he published his autobiography, No Place To Be But Here: My Life and Times, which traces his thirty-eight-year professional engineering career from its beginning as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy, to a field engineer riding Navy ships, to a digital systems/instrument designer for major Government contractors in the signal analysis field, to where he rose to the most senior level of principal engineer when he retired in 1993.

Making use of his past creativity and problem-solving abilities, Larry naturally drifted into the realm of mystery writing, where he also claims to be more devious than his partner in crime and best love, Rosemary. So he conjures up their plots and writes the first drafts, leaving Rosemary to breathe life into their characters and sizzle into their scenes. A perfect marriage of their talents.

THE MILDS are active members of Sisters in Crime where Larry is a Mister in Crime; Mystery Writers of America; and Hawaii Fiction Writers. In 2013 they waved goodbye to Severna Park, Maryland and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where they cherish quality time with their daughters and grandchildren. When Honolulu hosted Left Coast Crime in 2017, Rosemary and Larry were the program co-chairs for “Honolulu Havoc.”

Over a dozen worldwide trips to Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Great Britain, France, Italy, Israel, Egypt, and more have wormed their way into their amazing stories. In their limited spare time, they are active members of the Honolulu Jewish Film Festival committee, where Larry is the statistician and recordkeeper for their film ratings.   

What’s inside the mind of a (mystery) author?

ROSEMARY: In our conniving minds? We keep an eagle eye out and ears tuned to crime reports, or any kind of dishonesty, in the news and everywhere we turn. How can we shape a nasty, tantalizing situation into a good story? We study the psychology of behavior; “Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men?” as the narrator on the old radio show The Shadow would ask.

Tell us why readers should buy: COPPER AND GOLDIE: 13 Tails of Mystery and Suspense in Hawai‘i.

ROSEMARY: Each story is a complete, fun-filled mystery with a satisfying solution—an entertaining escape in small doses. It works for everyone on a schedule, or not: The twenty-something waiting for her date; the mom of a two-year-old finally taking his nap; the traveler on a short flight; the cook waiting for the pot to boil; the teenage athlete needing a book report; the retiree on a park bench.

    

What makes a good (mystery/suspense story)?

ROSEMARY: Three essential elements: One, A fresh plot putting innocent people in danger—beset by culprits who commit mayhem (or are about to): murder, theft, kidnapping, arson, bilking the innocent, etc. Two, Three-dimensional, realistically flawed characters that readers love or love to hate. Three, Clever, insightful sleuths who succeed in bringing criminals to justice and a modicum of comfort to the victims. (Putting the sleuths in danger at some point adds realism and suspense.)

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

ROSEMARY: By visiting our website: www.magicile.com. Or just Googling “Rosemary and Larry Mild” (our website will come up). Or Googling Amazon Books. Or happening to be nearby when we’re doling out bookmarks. Nobody escapes our bookmarks.

 

What has writing taught you?

ROSEMARY: Writing comes naturally (but not easily) to me. My mother was a well-known journalist and author, my father was a psychoanalyst. I was a career editor and also won a few awards writing personal essays, both funny and serious. Writing fiction with Larry, and seeing our books in print, is exhilarating. There’s nothing like it. It’s our legacy.

LARRY:  I’ve learned to take notice of everyone and everything around me more astutely. It’s an intentional thing as I am always looking for fresh characters, plots, and scenes. I eavesdrop, read, and observe as much as I feel comfortable with. Gaining insights into people and why they do the things they do comes from writing. Also, writing has taught me how to structure my day so there is time for both work and play.