Katie Tietjen

Katie Tietjen is an award-winning writer, teacher, and school librarian. A Frances Glessner Lee enthusiast, she’s traveled thousands of miles to visit her homes, see her nutshells, and even attend her birthday party. Tietjen lives in New England with her husband and two sons.

Her first novel is Death in the Details.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

“Death” and “Details” are both very central concepts in my book! My protagonist, Maple, begins selling her intricately crafted dollhouses and finds her first customer dead.

Because she thinks the sheriff is overlooking suspicious details at the scene, she turns her crafting skills towards a new purpose: re-creating the death scene in miniature so she can walk him through all the ways his investigation went wrong…which he is, ahem, less than thrilled about.

Ultimately, Maple’s impressive attention to detail is what enables her to crack the case.

What's in a name?

I wanted to set the story in New England, and the name “Maple Bishop” just strolled right into my head. I like the way it sounds, it evokes the setting, and it allowed me to play with the idea that this character is definitely not syrupy-sweet like her name! I had fun naming her sort-of nemesis Ginger, too, continuing the culinary theme.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Teenage Katie would be delighted that she became a published author! It was her goal. She’d probably be a little surprised that it’s a cozy mystery, but not that it’s historical; she read a lot of historical fiction back in the late nineties.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I definitely think endings are more intimidating to write, although I changed both the beginning and ending of this book multiple times (and the middle, too, really). I must’ve re-written the first chapter seventeen times and cut a bunch of scenes that happened before Maple discovers the body; I wanted that moment to happen closer to the beginning than it did in the earlier drafts.

In the beginning, it’s all fresh and exciting. By the end, I was flailing around trying to make sure I’d tied up all the loose ends. Then, I had to go back to the beginning and middle to add in other details to make sure the ending made sense. Somewhat ironically, in order to make the plot linear, the whole revision process was quite a non-linear.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I like to think that Maple and I share a determination to do the right thing, a deep sense of loyalty, and a dedication to truth and justice. However, while Maple can be prickly and impatient, I think I’m more friendly and approachable.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Maple was inspired by the real-life “mother of forensic science,” Frances Glessner Lee. She made incredibly detailed miniature re-creations of death scenes in order to help train investigators; they’re actually still used to this day.

Visit Katie Tietjen's website.

The Page 69 Test: Death in the Details.

--Marshal Zeringue