A Halloween Mystery

It was the week before Halloween, shortly after I'd moved into a new apartment. I went for a walk in the neighborhood and spotted an old Victorian. I've always loved old houses so I stopped, gazing up at it. And I wondered what those walls would say if they could talk.

Intrigued, I wanted to find out more about the house and the area so I went to the Cincinnati Historical Society and immersed myself in research. The more I learned, the more certain I was that I wanted to write a mystery novel that took place there. 

I continued to take walks in the neighborhood, always with my camera. Little by little, I began to come up with plot ideas and the characters who would live in my fictional version of the house.

So, that's how I came to write Mixed Messages, my first Malone mystery. Proof that you never know where an idea for a book (or a series) will come from.

Picture this

It's a beautiful day in October. The sun is shining and the air is cool and crisp, a welcome relief after summer's heat and humidity. You're walking down the tree-lined street where you live, admiring the changing colors of the leaves. Calm. Peaceful. Serene.

You smile as you walk past the Halloween displays in your neighbors' yards.

What you don't know is that there's a serial killer lurking in the shadows.

"Mixed Messages"

https://tinyurl.com/y73ueljt 

A Halloween Mystery

A serial killer on the west side of Cincinnati is attacking women in their homes, terrifying the residents of the normally peaceful, family-oriented neighborhood where Ann Malone Kern and her family live.

But Ann pushes those fears to the back of her mind as she struggles to deal with several personal issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her neighborhood, is in jeopardy.

When a series of bizarre and frightening events take place and Ann receives both threatening notes and love poems, she feels like she's living in a world of mixed messages.

On Halloween night, a man forces his way into her apartment. Will Ann be the Westwood Strangler's next victim?

 Excerpt:

  Ann went directly to her grandmother’s grave and stooped down to clear away the debris that covered the inscription on the tombstone. She heard a noise behind her that sounded like light footsteps making their way through the dried leaves and twigs. She glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see one of the neighborhood kids. She knew that they often cut through the woods, taking a shortcut from the street that ran behind them. But there was no one there.

It’s probably just your imagination,” she said out loud but, when the sun went behind a cloud, she shivered. Then, she heard the noise again. She stood up quickly, nervously surveying the surrounding area. All of a sudden, a black cat sprang from the woods, startling her, and darted past her. She was so relieved that she laughed out loud.

As she turned back toward her grandmother’s grave, she noticed a mound of freshly dug earth a few feet away. Curious, she went over and looked down. Her eyes opened wide and her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a scream. There, printed in bold black paint on a large rock were the words, “FUTURE HOME OF ANN KERN.”

https://tinyurl.com/y73ueljt

Happy Halloween!

November topic: How do writers choose the titles for their novels?

When I think of some of my favorite authors, Mary Higgins Clark comes immediately to mind. She often uses the titles of old songs. For example, You Belong to Me, Let Me Call You Sweetheart and All Around the Town. James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club Series starts with 1^st to Die and is up to 16^th Seduction. And, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone mystery series utilizes the alphabet: A is for Alibi through the latest, Y is for Yesterday. 

So, how do I choose my titles?

Since I write mystery/suspense, I want my titles to reflect the genre, at least to some degree, because I don’t want to mislead readers; I want to entice them. And, I like my titles to have a double meaning whenever possible. Here’s how I came up with the title for my first Malone mystery.

In Mixed Messages, a serial killer is attacking women in their Westwood homes, where the main character, Ann, her husband, David, and their two small children live in the downstairs apartment of an old Victorian. David is an alcoholic and his behavior toward Ann is becoming more and more erratic; one minute, he’s the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he’s cold and cruel.

Lawrence Berger, the son of Olivia, Ann’s landlady, is infatuated with Ann. However, when instead of the usual love poems from Lawrence, Ann receives several ominous biblical quotes, she is confused and frightened.

Desperate for someone to confide in, Ann tells their priest, Father Andrew, about her husband’s drinking and the problems in her marriage, but instead of consoling her as she expected, he points a finger at her and shouts, “Divorce is not an option!” He refers her to Dr. Susan Thatcher for counseling and, at her first session, Ann tells the psychologist, “I feel like I’m living in a world of mixed messages.” Which she most definitely is. 

In Unfinished Business, the sequel which takes place at Christmastime, the title also has a double meaning. 

Readers/Writers: I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Happy Reading!

A Halloween Mystery

It was the week before Halloween, shortly after I'd moved into a new apartment. I went for a walk in the neighborhood and spotted an old Victorian. I've always loved old houses so I stopped, gazing up at it. And I wondered what those walls would say if they could talk.

Intrigued, I wanted to find out more about the house and the area so I went to the Cincinnati Historical Society and immersed myself in research. The more I learned, the more certain I was that I wanted to write a mystery novel that took place there. 

 

I continued to take walks in the neighborhood, always with my camera. Little by little, I began to come up with plot ideas and the characters who would live in my fictional version of the house.

So, that's how I came to write Mixed Messages, my first Malone mystery. Proof that you never know where an idea for a book (or a series) will come from.

Happy Halloween!

Book trailer: http://youtu.be/ib9QTJItPA4

Amazon author's page:

http://tinyurl.com/8sd2cz4