Kris Neri is the author of the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Award-nominated Tracy Eaton mysteries, REVENGE OF THE GYPSY QUEEN and DEM BONES' REVENGE, and the standalone suspense novel, NEVER SAY DIE. She has also published sixty short stories, two of which won the Derringer Award, and will release a collection of her stories in Spring '08 called THE ROSE IN THE SNOW. Kris teaches writing for the prestigious Writers' Program of the UCLA Extension School, and with her husband, Joe, owns The Well Red Coyote bookstore in Sedona, Arizona. Although Ms. Neri is primarily a mystery writer, we thought we would see what she could tell us about her lighter side:

You are an acclaimed writer, teacher, and bookstore owner. How did that happen?

I'm flattered by that description, but I consider myself a journeyman writer, a craftsman working in the trenches. I eased into writing slowly, first as a nonfiction feature writer. While I achieved some success at that as a writer for national magazines, nonfiction didn't feed my soul the way I knew fiction would. Because I was so comfortable with that shorter length, for my first stab at fiction, I wrote short stories. Only after I enjoyed some success in that area, did I try a novel. I've been very blessed with award interest, having won two Derringer Awards for my short fiction, and have received Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Award nominations on my novels. Awards definitely provide the validation all writers crave. But ultimately, it's not about the praise, it's about the writing.

I actually fell into teaching. A woman I knew, who wanted to write, was having trouble understanding some concepts, so I spent a little time with her and helped her to grasp them. She thought I made things quite clear, and she happened to be friends with the head of a local adult-ed school and recommended me to her friend. I worked there for a while, having discovered to my surprise that I liked teaching. Then the director of the Writers' Program at the UCLA Extension School told me she heard good things about my teaching and asked me to come to work for her, which I did. My students seem to like my classes, since they give me high evaluations. In the last few years, I've mostly taught online, which I think works so well for writing. I love that I can teach students all over the world in the same class.

Opening a bookstore was my husband's idea. We wanted to make a geographical move from California to Arizona, and my husband wanted to make a career change. Since we've both been lifelong book people, opening a bookstore seemed like a natural, especially since Sedona lacked a good, general-interest bookstore. With all we read, we're good at recommending the kinds of books we know people will like.

What do you attribute your success to the most?

I'm relentless. The title of my latest book is NEVER SAY DIE, and that's my personal motto as well. I never give up. If what I'm trying doesn't work, I try something else. I'm definitely not an overnight sensation. I'm someone who embodies the idea that the only one who fails is the one who leaves the arena. Publishing sure isn't for the fainthearted today; it has never been more challenging. But I'm someone who doesn't leave the arena.

Although you are primarily a mystery writer, there is a definite element of humor in your work. Why is humor important within a genre such as mystery novels?

Humor doesn't function much differently in a mystery novel than in other forms of fiction, except perhaps in the sense that, since mysteries almost always contain murders, in a realistically-depicted book, we can't be seen as laughing at the victim's murder. Injecting a bit of humor can provide benefits to all forms of fiction, and even creative nonfiction. Humor can provide a break from tension. While we might want the tone of our books to be taut, we can take that too far — readers find it uncomfortable if they aren't allowed to rest occasionally. Humor can also be a great tool when it comes to fleshing out characters. What a character finds funny, and how he expresses it, shows us a new aspect of his makeup. And nothing beats irreverent asides when it comes to showcasing a character as a maverick. Also, when a character deals with pain through humor, some readers find that more appealing than seeing him bleed emotionally on the page.

There are other benefits to using humor as well. In a very earnest-seeming book, an occasional humorous remark shows the narrator doesn't take himself so seriously as to put-off readers. Humor can also soften tough ideas, and make them go down easier. And nothing showcases a great voice quite as well. There are actually few writing tools than can accomplish so much.

Does being clever (humor wise) within your books come naturally to you or did you have to learn it?

While I do believe people can learn to write humor, and I've certainly sharpened my humor writing skills, those to whom it comes more naturally tend to be best at it. I came by my ability honestly — my late mother was one of the naturally funniest people I ever met. She gave me a real appreciation of the absurd that's a big part of my makeup to this day. I suppose it's my all-purpose defense mechanism.

But humor is a natural coping device that everyone uses, to varying degrees. While it can be a way of expressing joy and fun, it can also express anger and conflict, and it channel pain and fear. Humor can actually provide a great way to express anger in novels, or tough, controversial ideas. It's like the candy coating on a bitter pill. Rather than assault readers with bitterness and vitriol, a humorous presentation can make the tough stuff go down easier. It also shows readers why they should also feel outraged about something, rather than telling them.

What guidelines would you advise for aspiring writers who wish to be facetious?

The most important thing they should do is to abandon both their dignity and any strict sense of logic they might possess. Humor is illogical — it thrives in chaos. And an exaggerated sense of dignity is absolutely contrary to writing humor. If you're afraid of slipping on a verbal banana, you won't be loose enough for humor writing. To write humor effectively, as with any other form of writing, you have to be willing to take risks. Overanalyzing is also no-no when it comes to writing humor — trying too hard to figure out why something causes us to laugh just destroys the magic.

Simple is almost always better than complex when it comes to humor, and short is almost always better than long. Not always, though; there are exceptions. But if you have trouble making a humorous passage work, try streamlining the language.

Yet don't sacrifice truth for funny effect -- humor relies on truth. We laugh because we recognize the truth, even when it hurts.

Lastly, Don't let your characters laugh at their own jokes. To the reader, that feels like a jab in the side from the author's elbow. It's like an outrageously loud laugh track on a TV sitcom that's not really funny.

Does comedy have its place within all writing genres, or are there areas where it is inappropriate?

How appropriate or inappropriate it proves to be in a given work depends a lot on how far from reality the book is set, not the genre. If a novel is set pretty far from reality, there are few taboos; we can laugh at almost anything within that context. When people perceive a surreal sense about a work, they decide it isn't meant to be taken seriously, and they allow a writer lots more latitude. The closer we set the story to real life, the more careful we have to be in what we laugh at. We can laugh at the absurdity of a situation, but we can't laugh at the troubles characters suffer, especially if lots of people are likely to relate to those characters and their problems. With a realistically set novel, we apply the same standards of taste as we bring to our personal lives. It's all a matter of balance and what we want to achieve. Sometimes we want to scream that the emperor is naked; other times we want to whisper it.

Lastly, can you share with us one of your favorite excerpts from a book of yours, a joke or a humorous situation you used for one of your characters?

I'm not sure that my humor would work well outside the context of my novels and stories. Anyone interested can check out my Tracy Eaton mysteries, REVENGE OF THE GYPSY QUEEN and DEM BONES' REVENGE. I'll also be having a collection of my short stories published next Spring by Hilliard & Harris, called THE ROSE IN THE SNOW. While there will be quite a range of stories in the collection, some of them are funny, and they show a range of humor. That would be the best choice for anyone interested in seeing how I handle humor.

We would like to thank Ms. Neri again for taking the time to speak with us. Readers can reach her through her website: http://www.krisneri.com.

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