Branching out from Switzerland to Kentucky….
RJ: I’m happy to welcome Tracee de Hahn back to MurderBooks, today, where she shares her thoughts on the often-stated, often-debated advice to writers: “Write what you know.”
TD: I tune in to Murder Books to hear from ‘those in the know.’ The men of Murder Books have been there, in the thick of crime and investigation, from a variety of perspectives. When they say that’s how an officer of the law, or an attorney, or a PI would react, I trust them.
This fits with the trope write what you know. That said, it is commonly acknowledged that there are limits to this advice. After all, we hope no author tests the waters of murder in order to create a compelling villain. Write what you know is often modified to write what interests you. Genuine interest brings the author into the space and place of the story.
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BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke: Let’s start with your process. What fuels your creativity? 
I recently spoke to a middle school class in Athens, Tennessee and was impressed by their thoughts on writing, what they were writing and how excited they were about the entire process from inspiration to words on paper to editing (which they informed me was the hardest and most important part!).
Every writer is on their own schedule. For me, it’s that time of year. The heaping stack of printed paper that is my manuscript will make its way to a box and then to the attic.
In the 18th century Switzerland was one of the only republican political systems. In the American Colonies, when drafting the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Founding Fathers, especially John Adams, James Madison and George Mason, were inspired by this social and political organization. Ironically, it was only fifty years later when, in 1848, the Swiss adopted a new Constitution. In creating it they adopted many of the American features including the two-chamber system and representative democracy.
Tracee de Hahn 