Rita Lee Chapman talks about The Poinciana Tree

Escape with a Writer Sunday welcomes Rita Lee Chapman!

Rita Lee Chapman was born in London and moved to Australia in her early twenties. It was only when she retired that she wrote her first novel, Missing in Egypt, the first in the Anna Davies Mystery series. Missing at Sea is Book#2 in the series and Missing in London is Book #3. All can be enjoyed as stand-alone books.
Winston – A Horse’s Tale was written for horse lovers like herself. “It was the book I had to write.”
Dangerous Associations and The Poinciana Tree are crime mysteries.
When she’s not writing or reading, Rita enjoys playing tennis, walking and entertaining.

Website: www.ritaleechapman.com

1. Tell us about your life outside of writing.

I am retired and I live on the coast of Queensland, Australia with my husband. We play tennis three days a week and walk our beautiful beaches, the river and the lake.  We are fortunate to have a great group of friends through tennis and we entertain regularly, hence the need to walk!

2. Do you have a work in progress?

No.  I’m still busy promoting my last book, The Poinciana Tree but I do have a couple of ideas brewing.

3. What was the most difficult section/piece you ever wrote? What made it difficult?

My first book was the hardest.  The problem was I could write about anything I wanted but what was it going to be?  In the end I fell back on the old saying “write what you know” and I combined some of my working life with a holiday I had recently taken in Egypt.  As I am self-published it was also a huge learning curve.

4. What sort of research do you do for your work?

A lot of my information comes from having lived to retirement age and from my travels, but Dr Google is an amazing source for research.

5. Which books and authors do you read for pleasure? Is there an author that inspires you?

I read quite a wide variety of books, from memoirs and biographies to mysteries, murders and horse books. 

6. Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

I had a teacher in junior school, Mrs Jolly, who encouraged my essays and my mother has been a great support since I started writing.