Julie Smith is the award-winning author of 20 novels and as many short stories. She’s a former reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as a veteran of her own online writing school, plus an editorial service she founded with two other writers.
During her long career as a novelist, she has created four mystery series, including two set in New Orleans where she lives, featuring homicide detective Skip Langdon and poet/P.I. Talba Wallis. In 1991, she won the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel.
I asked Julie about her writing influences:
“I feel like all American mystery writers are inspired by Raymond Chandler because we all read him,” said Julie. “You cannot forget some of his phrases, his metaphors, his cadences, just his rhythm.”
She continued, “Those kinds of things I think are etched in our heads, at least to me, and that they’re always there when I’m writing. It doesn’t even matter if I’m writing a fun book that’s not a Skip Langdon about a murder at the beach or something like that. Chandler is in my head.”
Smith also mentioned Agatha Christie “because I love a good puzzle.”
Listen to the entire podcast:
Listen to podcast on Apple Podcasts. To learn about Julie Smith, visit her website.