
BLOG INTERVIEW WITH JUDITH ROLFS, AUTHOR OF BULLET IN THE NIGHT
What’s the theme of Bullet in the Night?
Relationships are sacred, undervalued essentials in life but they can be hard. Husbands and wives must work so that the needs of both are met and they find joy in living together. Also friends are hugely important. My heroine almost loses a dear colleague. It’s a wake-up call to treasure those closest to you.
The equally important other theme is that people can become new creations with God’s intervention and a little social and spiritual support. Even hardened criminals can change.
What is the setting for your mystery Bullet in the Night?
The story takes place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I’m especially fond of this little town next to ours and consider it a pure, undeserved privilege to live in the lakes area. My characters walk the lake path, get coffee at Starbucks and visit City Hall. They run along the side roads and my heroine works in a quaint downtown Lake Geneva remodeled Victorian office building. I hope the energy of this marvelous getaway destination creeps into my writing.
How do you develop your characters?
My fascinating characters find me. They’re composites of no one I know who seem to arrive full-blown in my brain. The miracle of writing is you never know who will show up at what point of the manuscript if you work from a fluid outline as I do.
Some of these interesting people have complex problems that require professional counseling. This is how I incorporate my experience as a marriage and family counselor much like John Grisham writes about situation involving the law.
Is this your first novel?
Bullet in the Night is my first pure mystery novel. The suspense novel Directive 99 is my first. It’s an issue novel about the plight of the elderly in government funded health care centers. Directive 99 is an encouragement to be vigilant in protecting the lives of the elderly. They’re the new holocaust target in the war being waged against the life of the vulnerable – the aged and the unborn.
What other published books have you authored?
I have a new non-fiction book out called How To Be A Super Grandparent. My children’s storybook recently released is Unforgettable Stories For Kids.
In my humble opinion no child should grow up without their imagination experiencing my Adventures of Tommy Smurlee mystery series for kids eight and up.
Love Always, Mom is the inspiring true story of my eighteen-year-old son’s surviving cancer and being hit by a drunk driver in the same year.
I’ve also written books for teens, kids with cancer, women and men’s marriage and life enrichment non-fiction. View Judith Rolfs amazon author page for a full list of books.
What advice do you have for other authors?
I’m humbled to be asked as I’m always learning about this amazing process of turning words into ideas. First I’d say experiment, don’t be afraid to try different genre. Take your time, don’t rush a book to publication. Put writing projects away for a while to let them germinate. But always, always finish what you start. I have some projects that were many, many years from starting point to print.
Also, let your values shine through your characters. My personal preference is to write happy endings that weave together details in realistic ways. Life is hard, but it can be so much fun, let’s convey that in writing. And give readers some good entertainment in the process.