Escape from Reality

Today’s world is a constantly changing, complicated, confusing place. Every day, we’re bombarded with old and new things to worry about and fear. And then, of course, there are the everyday personal problems we all struggle with: aging parents, concerns about our children or grandchildren, issues on our jobs, health concerns, money worries . . . .

Sometimes, when we close our eyes at night, our minds refuse to let go of our problems. We're tired, we're sleepy, but sleep refuses to come because our minds are busy obsessing about one thing or another. So, how do we stop that from happening?

I can't speak for anyone else but I can tell you what works for me most of the time. I read in bed every single night. As a matter-of-fact, I can't go to sleep without reading at least a chapter or two  - usually a lot more. Why does this work? Because no matter what problems I have, when I get into a good story with a main character I've come to care about, I become more concerned about what's happening with (and to) them and my problems move to the back of my mind.

Here's an example: As I write this post, I'm reading After the Storm, a Kate Burkholder novel, by Linda Castillo. I've read several books in the series and highly recommend them all. In this book, Kate is faced with some very serious personal and professional issues and, as I turn the pages, Kate's problems overshadow mine. 

When I close the book for the night - usually when I can't keep my eyes open another second, any thoughts I have are about Kate's situation - not mine. And, before I know it, I'm asleep, secure in the knowledge that I can pick up where I left off tomorrow night and that, by the end of the book, the author will have resolved all of Kate's problems and tied up all loose ends.

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By coincidence, my new release, Secrets in Storyville, also has a main character named Kate, who has a big decision to make. Should she reveal the secrets she's uncovered even though doing that could destroy her family? As you turn the pages, I hope you will come to care about Kate and her problems and that you will forget about your own - at least for a little while. Happy Reading!

Creating Characters

The writing process fascinates me. I’ve just finished writing my sixth mystery novel and I’m still in awe of how bits and pieces from my life and lots of other sources come together to form a book. Sometimes, it’s easy to figure out where ideas come from; other times it’s not. When an idea comes to me seemingly from “out of the blue,” I look up and say, “Thank You,” because I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

My favorite part of writing is creating characters. People and psychology have always fascinated me. My Malone mysteries have been described as “character driven” and my new cozy mystery, Secrets in Storyville, which is separate from my series, is also character driven. A house may have been the inspiration for the book but the characters quickly became the most important element to me.

So, how did I come up with the characters for my new book? Like all of writing, it was a process. 

Kate, my main character, is based on someone I once knew who was the single mother of a young daughter. But that’s where the similarity ends. The two women are nothing alike in appearance or personality and they “live” totally different lives. 

The other characters in the book were each created to fulfill a need in the plot. Kate’s parents and grandmother who are hiding a secret, her daughter, Mandy, the people Kate works with, several of the town’s residents and the man Kate meets and falls in love with all play a part in the mystery.

I hope you enjoy getting to know the characters in Secrets in Storyville as much as I enjoyed creating and writing about them.

Real versus Fictional settings

Writers are advised to “write about what you know.” I was born on the west side of Cincinnati where I’ve lived for most of my life. I love my city, especially the west side, which is why I decided years ago to make it the setting for my Malone mysteries. The first three books take place in upper Westwood and Cheviot, not far from where I grew up. As I wrote, I could picture the places so vividly in my mind and I wanted my readers to be able to do that too.

In the last two books, I chose to change the setting to South Carolina. I had vacationed there numerous times and fell in love with Charleston, Beaufort, Mt. Pleasant and Fripp Island. Those were other places I felt comfortable writing about because I was familiar with them. Not to mention all the printed material I’d gathered on my trips and all the photos I’d taken, never dreaming those places would later be used in my books.

There are many positives to writing about “real” places. For me, one of them has been the wonderful response I’ve gotten from local readers who have told me they love reading about places close to where they live. But there are also negatives to setting a book in a real place. When I wrote my Malone mysteries, I wanted to be geographically and historically accurate but I occasionally needed to exercise poetic license for the sake of the story. I had to explain that to a few readers who were as familiar with the area as I was.

When I finished my five-book series, I honestly didn’t know what I would write next. Nor did I know where the story would take place. I’ve traveled to many fantastic places and I briefly considered using one of those. And then it hit me! Why not create a town? A place where the geography and the history could be whatever I wanted them to be?

As it happened, one Sunday, my mother, my friend, Mary, and I took a day trip to visit The Story Inn, a restaurant/historic site in a remote part of Indiana. The name of my fictional town jumped out at me and, little by little, the plot and the characters came to life. I hope, as you read the book, they’ll come to life for you too.