Interview with Harper Kincaid – S. 11, Ep. 3

My guest for this episode of the Crime Cafe podcast is clinical psychotherapist and crime writer Harper Kincaid. Learn more about the challenges and joys of the writing life, along with the inspiration for her books and advice for anyone who wants to write. Download a copy of the transcript here. Debbi (00:54): Hi everyone. My guest today is the USA Today bestselling author of the books in the Bookbinder Mystery series, Bookbinding Mystery series. Her work has been published in a variety of publications including Writer's Digest Magazine and CrimeReads, and many, many others. It's my pleasure to have with me today, Harper Kincaid. Hi Harper. Harper (01:19): Hey, Deb. To everybody here. Such a fabulous treat to be able to meet with you today and talk. Debbi (01:26): Awesome. Yeah, it's great to meet you too. And I love your name, Harper. You weren't named for Harper Lee, were you? Harper (01:32): No, and honestly, it's a pen name because I'm also a licensed clinical psychotherapist, and so I try to keep, I don't really keep the streams very separate anymore, but when I first started writing, I was doing child and adolescent social work and I was writing dirty romance and people getting killed. So maybe you want to not have that come up in the same Google search for that kind of thing. Debbi (02:03): Understandable. Yes, very much so. Let's see. You were born in California and raised in Florida. Then—I love this quote—"moved like a nomad with a bounty" on your head. Harper (02:15): I did. Debbi (02:17): Where are you living now? Harper (02:19): So I have lived right outside of Washington DC in a town, Vienna, Virginia, Northern Virginia. Actually, the Bookbinding series is based there and in the series we're not going to talk too much about it, but it's a combination of places and people and businesses that are really there and some that I've made up. And a girlfriend of mine said it's Vienna zhuzhed up in the books. So I've been there for almost 20 years at this point. But it's true. I lived in New Orleans, I lived all over South Florida. I lived in Northern California, but we're East Coasters and we are there in the DC area, which is an interesting time to be there, to say the least. Debbi (03:04): Well, cool. I'm glad you're relatively close to where I am. Harper (03:10): And where are you based? Remind me. Debbi (03:10): I'm in Columbia, Maryland. Harper (03:13): Oh, I'm going to wave. *waving* Debbi (03:16): Hey! *waving* Right across the river. Hey, there, across the river, Vienna and all that. Wow. Harper (03:24): It's nice. It's funny, when I first came to the area, I did not understand this demarcation between Maryland and Virginia that people, like Virginia people did not really go over to Maryland, vice versa. And I was like, it's not that far. What's the big deal? And I don't know if that's ever been your experience, but that was something I found really strange. Debbi (03:47): I have found a little peculiar myself when I first came here because I'm originally from New York and I've lived in all these different places too, like California, Pennsylvania, and then back DC for one summer. I mean, it's just here, there and everywhere. Indeed. So when you encounter something like that, you're kind like, what? Harper (04:11): Yeah, every region, I guess. Debbi (04:13): And then there's the traffic. Harper (04:13): Oh, the traffic is never going to get better. Debbi (04:18): Oh, it is outrageous around here. It really is, and it always makes its way into my books somehow. I mean, I write about around here and one of the things I always write about is traffic. The traffic is terrible. Harper (04:30): It's true. Everyone can relate to that for sure. Debbi (04:32): For sure. Yeah, and anytime I've been in Los Angeles, everybody there is so polite by comparison to here, yet people complain about the traffic there and I just don't understand it. Harper (04:44): Every region has its little pecca...