Cappy Hall Rearick is an award-winning short story writer, author (of 16 books), and well-known syndicated columnist. I had the good fortune to work with her in 2019 as copy editor on her latest Glad Girls cozy mystery book, Bone Apetito, Y’all. It was one of the most fun editing projects of the year for me. After finishing up the book, Cappy was kind enough to sit down and answer ten questions about her writing, self-publishing, and what comes next in her career.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I was in the fifth grade and won $5 in an essay contest. It was a campaign sponsored by a local garden club to raise awareness for the beautification of our town. My entry was called Don’t Be a Litterbug. And when I won five whole dollars and got my picture in the local newspaper, I crossed the Rubicon and the dye was cast.
How did you get started?
I was an interior designer when I began to write articles for trade magazines. I wrote about the psychological aspects of decorating and the effects color has on people as well as institutions. Interiors of hospitals, for instance are almost always shades of blue or green.
After I moved to California, I wrote my first column for my hometown newspaper, the same paper that put the writing hex on me when I was in fifth grade. I named the column Alive and Well in Hollywood because I was homesick. When I moved back to the South, I wrote another column for another newspaper, Simply Southern. My first book was a collection of columns written over that year.
How many books have you written so far?
I’ve written 16 published books.
What is your writing process?
I so want to say that I am a very disciplined writer and that I don’t stop working each day until I’ve written three thousand words. I wish. I do try to write each day, and most of the time I succeed. I try to put in at least three hours at the computer each day, but life has a nasty habit of interfering from time to time.
How do I get started? Well, that depends. Sometimes I just get an idea out of the blue and go with it. I’m not big on outlining, but I’m going to try outlining with the new book. I prefer to write during the day. At five o’clock, I prefer a martini!
I am a character-driven writer, and my characters tend to take over the plot whenever they like. I let them because I like them, and they are better at plotting than I am!
Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your stories?
I live in the South, which should be enough said about all the interesting people I meet. I rarely leave my house when I don’t run into someone who I think has a name that I want to give to a character, or maybe they are just crazy enough for me to want to build a story around them.
Recently I talked with a woman who works in a local discount store and who has a pet rooster named Lester that sleeps in her bathroom. Lester has a wonky right leg and only two toes. I asked her if he had trouble walking and she said, “Honey, he don’t walk. He struts!” Now I ask you … how can I not do something with that?
What’s the best thing about writing/being an author? What’s the most difficult?
For me, the best thing about writing is that I am able to create something from nothing. Copy paper becomes my artist’s canvas. Because I write humor, I find myself laughing a lot and that makes me happy. The hardest thing (for me), I think, is sticking to the discipline needed to get it done. I also hate to edit a final manuscript.
If you weren’t writing books, what would you be doing?
I would be doing something creative. Painting, maybe. I would definitely be reading.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
I think self-publishing is wonderful. It has given us some really good authors and also some really bad authors. But it is what it is. The playing field is much more level for writers now than it was, so I believe self-publishing is the wave of the future.
Do you have a favorite book or author?
My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. My favorite author is Pat Conroy.
What’s coming up next for you?
I am currently writing The 15th Step, a sequel to the novel 14 Steps, published in 2017. It was a popular book with my readers who tell me they want more. I don’t plan to write any more novels after this one, but I will continue to write my syndicated newspaper column, Simply Southern.