How Writers Relax - Mike Bove

Welcome Mike Bove, mystery writer and golfer!Amber: What keeps you a relaxed creative writer? Orbrings you back when stress takes over? 

Mike: In order to really get into a writing session I needto have my head clear.  To keep my mind from wandering, impending choresor responsibilities must be taken care of first.  I am most relaxed in the morning.  I am ready to write after a shower, coffee, and thenewspaper.  Later in the day I am most likely to have a good session afterfifteen minutes in the hot-tub, especially if a round of golf or yard workpreceded it.  That fifteen minutes usually includes breathing exercisesand thoughts of what's next in the manuscript.  I don't think I get overlystressed about most situations.  Take it as it comes, do what you areable, move on.      

Amber: How does golf relax you? Using the categories in"Relaxing the Writer" would you call golf meditative, active, or sensual/artisticfor you?

Mike: If you ask me questions like this about golf, youmight get a new book from me.  Golf can be relaxing and it can be verystressful.  The whole point to playing golf is twofold.  One, relaxand have fun.  Two, the stressful part, it's a competition (againstyourself or someone else) so you are trying to achieve the best score. Without one, two is impossible.  I have learned overmany years in the game that relaxing, physically and mentally is vital toscoring well.  How?  Be positive, never entertain negative thoughts. 
Sometimes (many times) a shot doesn't happen as I pictured it.  Itry to go right on to planning the next shot after a bad one.  A Frenchword may be uttered, but that's it, it's over.   
I'm in a beautiful place out inthe fresh air, feeling the sun and breeze, playing a game with friends.  Isee and smell acres of manicured green grass, there are lots of trees, a pond,birds and rabbits.  So I relax, it's easy. Thoughts seldom wander tohealth, finances, writing, or the broken water pipe at home.  Maybe I playgolf because it is relaxing.  
For me, I think golf would fit into allof the categories in Relaxing The Writer. I will do briefbreathing exercises at certain times to help focus on a shot.  It iscertainly both a physical activity requiring some skill, and and an exercisefor the mind in choosing the correct club and action for each shot.  
Amber: How has golf influenced yourwriting?

Mike: style, came naturally, I think, from being immersedfor so long in the golf culture.   Conversations, settings,activity, and people on and around the course all provide ideas in developingcharacters and a story.  I am really comfortable when in the whole golfatmosphere.  I am much more outgoing there than in most other socialsituations.  I guess I am very relaxed there. And, as you surely know,being relaxed can help a great deal when writing.
Amber: Since fiction (even cozymysteries) is filled with conflict, what do your characters do to releasestress? 
Mike: Some do the normal things like yelling, joking,smoking weed.  Inthe next book Bruce uses the hot-tub a lot.  He will bake somebread or walk his dog, or go out to eat. 
An excerpt from Willowtree:
Keely sat at my feet with her hedge hog "baby" in the livingroom while I tried to line up the facts that I learned from Holton, Ben, andMrs.R. during the past day and a half.  Actually they didn't mean a lot,just facts, things we knew.  But strung together, these facts all botheredme. Calvin dead, Martin dead, both near the ranch. Bob, or Squeek supposedlyweird, Vernon, Doc's buddy, long gone.  Miggy-Mike.  Maybe allunrelated, maybe not.To stop the race of Persistent Automatic Thoughts fromtaking over, I decided to bake the bread. That was one, golf was another,activity that kept PATS away.  I formed the round loaves and placed themon cornmeal sprinkled on pie plates. My invention, at least I never heard ofanyone baking bread in pie plates. I reasoned that the heat from the sloping,round walls of the pie plate made the finished loaf perfectly round. They sat,rising, under a clean towel for over an hour while I checked my email. I signedin on the Golf Association website and got my handicap info up to date.The three dough balls were becoming bread in the hot ovenwhen Genny came into the aroma filled kitchen. She said that it reminded her ofthe wonderful smell outside the bakery she passed while walking to school. Genny had a good day at the nursing home. She said she enjoyed workingthere. It was nice to have her home for a quiet evening.  Genny wasanother thing that kept PATS away. With her, all of my attention was hers.I loved her so much.  Away from her, many PATS were about her.We enjoyed a gigantic salad she made with fresh veggies shepicked up at a Sedona farmers market on the way home.  Also a whole loafof warm bread.
 "Willowtree A Bruce DelReno Mystery" is Mike Bove's mystery celebrating his love of golf and the retired life in Arizona.  Mike grew up in Vermont. He wrote articles and drew cartoons for his college newspaper. Mike was involved as an actor and director in high school, college and community theater. He adapted a Russian folk tale, The Nosebag, for the stage, produced and directed it. He was a public school teacher, track, and soccer coach before moving to Cape Cod. There he became an avid fisherman and golfer. He joined the Postal Service, transferred to Sedona, retiring in 2010.
"Willowtree" Is Mike's first novel in the Bruce DelReno Mystery Series. He lives in Cottonwood, AZ with wife, Jane, and Golden Retriever, Ceile.

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