Author Interview: Karen Odden

Q: Your main characters in An Artful Dodge are women thieves. This is very different from your usual book. What made you decide to write this? What's its backstory?

As usual, this book began with a profound surprise, a discovery that fell in my lap. My daughter Julia studied abroad at Oxford for a semester, and I met her in London afterward. It was December, and one rainy, windy night, our umbrellas in disarray, we popped into the Great Scotland Yard hotel, in Whitehall. It’s a Victorian-themed hotel (run by Marriott), and the lobby had glass cases full of 19^th-century crime memorabilia—mug shots, police whistles, truncheons!! (Be still, my nerdy little heart.) The formal restaurant was full, so we went to the bar, called The Forty Elephants. Curious name, right? I figured it had something to do with the British Empire’s activities in Africa and India, where real, gray elephants live. But no, according to the QR code on the table (labelled “Want more information about the 40 Elephants?”) it was an all-women thieving gang out of Elephant and Castle neighborhood, south of the Thames, begun in 1870s and active (despite the Yard’s best efforts) until the 1930s. Who knew? And when I have that kind of surprise, that jolt, I’ve learned to heed it. 

Q: How long did it take you to write this book and get it published?

That trip was in 2021. I was in the middle of writing Under a Veiled Moon (2022), so I scribbled down the idea and set it aside. In 2023, I pitched the idea of a book about an all-women thieving ring to my publisher, and he wasn’t interested; in fact, he canceled the Corravan series. It’s always a demoralizing moment for a writer, when you get dumped by your publisher—but my agent shrugged and said, “Hey, it happens. Just write something new.” I had a few ideas I was playing with, thieves being one of them. I started researching and found the book Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants, by Brian McDonald, which covers their later years but was great fodder. In spring 2024, at Left Coast Crime conference, I pitched the idea to Juliet Grames (Soho Press), and her eyes LIT UP. She said, “Write me a synopsis. I’ll buy that book.” (Some of the biggest steps forward in my career have happened at mystery conferences; this was one of them.) I started writing, sent her the first three chapters to be sure that our visions matched, and then wrote the book in about 9 months; it was finished in December 2025, for a June 2026 pub date. Soho Press usually counts on about 16-18 months from handing in the first draft of the manuscript to pub date, which is on the long end for pub houses, but they’re meticulous about editing and covers.

Q: What particular challenges do you face in your writing? What is difficult for you? Do you have any tips for writers who face similar challenges?

This is a great question. I’d say my biggest challenge is plotting through the murky middle. I know where I begin (inciting event: a shipwreck, a dead body, a stranger comes to town), and I have a good idea where I end (the satisfying resolution, the solve). But the middle requires a slow curve of escalating suspense/plot points, paired with the intensifying character arc, so that the two meet in a satisfying way at the climax. I used to use index cards on my floor, with different colors for plot, character arc, subplots. Now I use the software Plottr, which works great for me. Other people like Scrivener or even spreadsheets to organize their chapters and outlines.

I’d say the character arc is the most important piece, and the most delicate, nuanced element—because I have to learn what beliefs the main character has at the beginning—beliefs he’s come by honestly and that he holds onto, but which cause him trouble and must change by the end so he can get what he wants. For me, that’s the core of the story. The plot elements must help him change, with two or three pivotal moments. That’s the important work of the middle.

[If you want an example, here’s one. Inspector Corravan grew up an orphan in Whitechapel until one day he sees a boy getting beat up by three others who are calling him “dirty Irish.” Mickey Corravan, being Irish, jumps into the fray and rescues the boy, Pat Doyle, who brings home to get patched up, and Mickey is taken in by the Doyle family. Lesson learned: rescuing people brings me love and acceptance. Fast forward to him being an inspector: he rescues people, and his skills serve him well. But then he hits this case with murdered women in boats—vulnerable young women. He’s trying all his usual methods, but the case isn’t breaking … until his love interest Belinda points out, “You get something out of always being the rescuer; you never have to be vulnerable or weak, which scares you. Perhaps you need to be a little vulnerable sometimes.” A few scenes later, Corravan meets a vulnerable young woman who was abused. He forces himself to listen to her story, to sit with her vulnerability. It’s hard for him, but he does it, and she ends up giving him the clue he needs to break open the case.]

Q: Can you talk a little about your editing experience for new writers? 

In my experience, each editor and publishing house does it slightly differently. But generally, these are my steps. (1) Once the contract is signed, I take 6-9 months to write the first pass of my manuscript and send it to two trusted beta readers (my friend Mariah and my daughter Julia) and to my agent Josh; once they send feedback, I revise and send it to my editor. (2) She sends back an edit letter suggesting developmental edits – big picture items, such as character arcs and pacing, plot holes she sees. I revise, send out to two other beta-readers (I address the importance of having a writing community below!) and return it to my editor in 6-8 weeks. (3) My editor sends back line edits. These tend to be marginal notes on the manuscript, rather than an overall edit letter. I revise again and return. (4) A copy editor suggests changes. This is where we’re getting down to nitty-gritty—making sure no characters are changing eye-color, my characters aren’t walking south in London but ending up north. At this stage, I read the entire manuscript out loud. I need at least 4 weeks for this. My ear catches awkward phrases, missing words, and glaring repetitions. With each manuscript I have what my editor calls “weasel words”—where everyone seems to be sighing, or grimacing, or shrugging. I notice things like too many characters have last names beginning with B. I make changes and return the manuscript. (5) A proof-reader offers a few final questions and changes, and I reply to those.

Q: You've always been a traditionally published author. Why did you decide that was the path you wanted to take, instead of going indie published?

Some of this has to do with the changing landscape in publishing. When I was querying editors, beginning around 2010, indie publishing wasn’t what it is now. (Querying was still done by snail mail!) I didn’t even know it was an option, to be honest. I just started querying editors I found on Publishers Marketplace because a friend told me that’s what she did. I received so many rejections. There’s a funny story about Amy Stewart (bestselling author of the fabulous series beginning with Girl Waits with Gun) decoupaging a dresser with her rejection letters. I could’ve decoupaged a room with mine. I was about to give up when a friend introduced me to a developmental freelance editor. I figured, Ok, I’ll give it one more shot. She helped me reshape the book, and I sent out ten more queries, had five people reply, and two offers of representation.

Q: Can you describe your publishing experience for writers who hope to publish one day?

I’ve been with my agent since 2014, and he’s seen me through four different publishers and six editors. And that’s nothing … I was at a dinner with authors a few months ago, and some of them had been with 10 publishers over their careers! (These are bestselling authors who are Guests of Honor at conferences and have numerous awards.) My agent had a hard time selling my first, A Lady in the Smoke (2016), but it eventually went to Alibi, which was the E-book division of Random House. The division is defunct now, but it was actually an interesting business model; that book has sold over 35,000 copies and has never been in print (it did go to audiobook). My editor left Alibi and took me with her to Harper Collins, where I had a two-book deal. She left just before the first book published (in the industry this is called “being orphaned” by an editor) and I was let go after the second book, A Trace of Deceit (2019). At this point, I thought my writing career was over. To my surprise, my agent called one day and asked what I was working on. “Um, I don’t have a publisher,” I replied (possibly sniffling). He chuckled. “Just write something else. What was that story you were telling me about a Scotland Yard Inspector who finds dead women in boats? Write that.” I did, and he got me a two-book deal at Crooked Lane, a small publisher distributed by Penguin Random House. My CL editor signed me and then left within 6 weeks. Orphaned again! Although my books had earned out my advance, Crooked Lane opted not to continue with the Corravan series. Then I pitched the women thieves to Soho Crime, and I have An Artful Dodge out this month and am in revisions on the sequel, tentatively “A Thieving Season,” for publication August 2027. I’m hoping the series runs a long time.

Q: What is one piece of advice that someone gave you that you'd like to pass on to other authors?

Build your writing community early. Writing is solitary, but it need not be lonely and unsupported. I’d suggest finding a community of writers that fits you. I belong to Sisters in Crime (an active, generous-spirited group, with frequent workshops on the craft of writing and the business end of publishing) and always say that membership is the best $60 I spend all year. I also belong to Mystery Writers of America, which has a good newsletter. Other organizations around include the Historical Novel Society (which has local divisions) and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (for YA, middle-grade, and picture books). There are local writing organizations all over the US. Also, find some people who will exchange manuscripts with you. This can be tricky, but often I ask for what I call their “reading experience.” That is, I don’t need (or want) beta-readers to tell me how to fix an issue; but comments like, “This feels slow, I feel bored” or “This pulled me up short. Would this character really do this?” are the most helpful to me. Meet librarians and bookstore owners and employees. Take writing classes. Attend conferences. Read books, and when you like them, write to the authors (they never mind, trust me), review on Goodreads (or wherever you review), and post on your social media, if that’s your thing. Ask questions of other authors, ask them to share their writing journey. Be willing to share what you know with others. It’s all about participation in ways that feel genuine to you. It’s been my experience in the writing world that the good energy I put out there comes back to me.

Want to know more about USA Today bestselling author Karen Odden? Check out her website!