By Caroline Fortin
Good Times got a warm welcome when we visited the famous mystery writer at her elegant home in the village of Knowlton, in the town of Brome Lake, Que. Here’s our conversation with an author who has been translated into more than 30 languages and whose kindness is matched only by her success.
In your 19th novel, The Grey Wolf, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache faces a complex situation and some terrifying stakes. What was the inspiration for the plot?
When you’ve gotten so far in a series that takes place largely in the same setting and with mostly the same characters, it’s a challenge not to become formulaic. I try to push the boundaries so that each book has a different tone, a different crime, but also a different scope. The Grey Wolf begins with a min-or misdeed: someone breaks into Gamache’s home and steals his coat. But this turns out to be the catalyst for something that becomes huge. The backdrop is not just [the Quebec village of] Three Pines but the entire world. I wanted to see if I could write a book that was a political thriller, a psychological thriller, and a crime novel all at the same time.
Armand is partly inspired by your late husband, Dr. Michael Whitehead, but also by a Granby tailor?
Yes, because I wanted a character I would have liked in real life. It was not long after September 11, 2001, which played an important role in my impulse to write and what is at the heart of my books. That event showed us that nowhere is safe anymore. The only way to be safe on an emotional level is to be surrounded, to feel like you belong to a community. Michael and I were invited to a wedding, and he needed a new suit. Someone recommended a tailor, Mr. Gamache, in Granby. When I walked into his shop, I saw a man with deep- brown eyes, smiling, welcoming, warm, so bright and switched on. And I thought to myself, “There’s my main character.” At that moment, all I knew was that Armand was an investigator, but I hadn’t put any flesh on the bones.
You said that because Gamache is inspired by Michael, it makes him immortal and that this even helped you write after his death. A character that helps you live with the loss of a real person….
Interesting, isn’t it? At the end of his life, Michael had dementia. The man I knew was disappearing. Writing soothed me. When I sat down to write, I found in Three Pines this feeling of belonging, comfort, community. And after his death, I thought initially that I wouldn’t be able to write. Then I realized that I could and that I could still spend time with Michael every day. I get the most amazing emails from people who are very ill or who have just lost their partner, and I reply, in all sincerity, that I think of Michael as sitting in the bistro waiting for me. And I say that their husband may be there, too. And they’re sitting together by the fire. For me, these aren’t just words.
At the beginning, no one wanted to publish you, and now the covers of your books say “#1 New York Times Bestselling Author.” Sweet revenge!
How amazing is that? Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful and sense that I’m definitely punching above my weight. I overshot even my own expectations! And I savour it all the more be- cause writing came late in my life. I was 45 when my first book was published. So no part of me is thinking “Oh, well, this is easy” or “This is natural” or “This is the way life should be.” I know it’s not— especially after suffering from writer’s block for five years, thinking that I would never make it. Fear is such a thief. The fear of failure held me back.
And in therapy, a phrase unblocked you…
It happened after the first book was published. It took me 45 years to write a novel, and then I had only a year to write the second. I stayed on solid ground, playing it safe. I was three-quarters done, and I wasn’t proud of what I’d written; I thought my publishers would turn it down and I’d lose everything I’d ever dreamed of. So I saw a therapist, who said to me: “The wrong person is writing—your inner critic is writing the book.” She was absolutely right.
And how did you silence the critic?
In telling me that, the therapist gave me permission to make mistakes. I had this preconceived idea that the first draft had to be perfect, that every word had to be the right one. She told me simply to write with joy, freedom, and creativity and to invite my inner critic at the second or third draft, when I really needed it. I have a sign on my front door that says noli timere: “don’t be afraid; dive in.” Write with amazement that you are so lucky you get to do this. That’s what I do now: I write with joy and gratitude.
Does the former journalist in you influence the novelist you are now? Do you revel in the freedom to explore human nature other than through facts?
I think that part of my writer’s block came from the fact that I had never written a story, really. I was a radio journalist; the stories you write are half a page long. So it was a challenge to not just stick to the facts but at the same time remain faithful to them when it mattered. In the acknowledgements section of my books, I explain what’s true and what’s not. People are sometimes surprised to find out what’s true! Like the character Gerald Bull, in The Nature of the Beast, a Canadian engineer and ballistics expert who was designing huge missile launchers for Saddam Hussein when Bull was assassinated. I love cherry-picking these types of stories in my books.
Stephen King said that the scariest moment in writing for him is just before he starts. What scares you as an author?
For me, I’ve already been thinking about the book for a few months: I can see it, I can hear the characters, I’ve been away from them for a little while, and I’m eager to get started. That excitement lasts for about 50 pages. Then it’s like a quagmire of “Where am I? What am I doing? I’m no good!” The scariest moment is after the fourth draft. That’s when I have to hit “send.” As soon as the email to my agent and my editor is gone, I say to myself: “Nooooo, come back! My book is bad!” It’s as if I no longer know whether what I wrote is good, after spending a year on it and pouring everything I had into it.
Louise, you’re a recovering alcoholic. In your 30s, you thought about suicide before deciding to ask for help. Is that the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
I wish I could say yes, and it’s not like I think there are other, more courageous things I’ve done except hitting “send.” The fact is, it didn’t really take courage. It was really desperation. I didn’t feel weak or strong, or brave; I was on my knees. I just felt like all the bones had left my body. We don’t tell a drowning person that they were brave for grabbing the rope. That’s what I did: I grabbed the rope.
Armand teaches recruits four phrases that lead to wisdom: I’m sorry. I don’t know. I need help. I was wrong. Where do those come from?
From Michael. Now that he’s dead, I can say that he was also a recovering alcoholic. I met him when he was chairing an AA meeting, and he strayed from the usual format. He started by saying “I’d like to share with you four affirmations that were passed on to me and that lead to wisdom.” He said them, without adding anything, and then started the meeting. I think I fell in love with him in that moment.
You turned 66 this year. What is your recipe for aging gracefully?
Thanks for saying that. I obviously don’t dye my hair. I’m not planning to have any work done. I almost never wear makeup. What matters is what happens within, in our heart, and what we do for others. It’s being gentle with ourselves, forgiving ourselves, and forgiving others.
You set up the Three Pines Foundation, which helps caregivers of people with dementia. You’re a spokesperson for the Alzheimer Society in your area. Is it important for you to give back to the community?
When Michael and I arrived in the Eastern Townships, we fell in love with a house there. It never occurred to us that the most important thing was not our home but the community. Would we be able to make friends? People here supported us when Michael was healthy and afterwards, in ways that were life- changing and meaningful. I’ll never forget that. And so my debt of gratitude will never be paid.
After all you’ve been through, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?
Be kind. We see what’s happening in the world. There’s a pretty good chance that you have more in common with someone whom you think you hate than not. Just try to have the courage to be kind. Because that takes more effort than being cruel or clever. That cutting remark that is about to come out of your mouth… pause for a moment and think: “Is it true? Is it kind? Does it need to be said?”
Contest
Good Times is offering you the chance to win one of three signed copies of Louise Penny’s latest murder mystery, The Grey Wolf. To participate, simply go to our Contests page and fill out the entry form before February 17, 2025. We’ll choose three entry forms at random.
Good luck!
