A mystery writer's mind is like a __________ (fill in the blank)

 

Please allow me to back up for a moment and explain the genesis of the blog's title. I was walking through the kitchen and saw a partially covered newspaper headline: "Woman eats Roommate". While most normal people would be horrified and quickly uncover, or cover, the article, my mind wandered. "Hmm, how would I handle that in a mystery? Would it work best in the Pine County or the Doug Fletcher series?"

My second child, Heather, who hasn't read any of my books, says the inside of my head is a scary place she doesn't want to explore.

What can I say? My mind runs to mystery plots when I see something intriguing. To address the "Woman eats Roommate" headline, the entire title was "Woman eats Roommate's Groceries." It was a Dear Abby headline, and totally uninteresting when compared to the plots that were raging through my head.

To be frank, yes, mundane events and stories send me off on mystery tangents. A retired Lutheran minister asked how many books I had in print. When I replied 25, he asked how many full-time writers I employ to do the writing for me, and what part I played in crafting the books. Laughing, I explained that my staff was tiny and part-time, paid only in signed copies of the latest book. The writing, outlines, plots, characters, and the typos, were all my own. He was amazed that I was consistently writing four books a year.

Writing is a solitary endeavor. I spend a few hours a day behind my laptop, with the characters speaking to me, and little other interaction with the outside world...unless a curious headline, conversation, email, or newspaper story captures my attention.

The latest Pine County mystery, Fatal Business, is an example of my wandering mind. My cop and horse consultant may have suggested the premise of a deer hunter failing to return to his camp at sunset. After that idea "pinballed" around my brain for a few days. I studied maps, researched gunshot wounds, tapped into my biology and medical education and experience, then crafted an outline involving a small-town businessman who disappears, later to be found, dead. Was he a murder victim? Or did he die in a tragic hunting accident?

Read Fatal Business to find out.

Hovey, Dean - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

www.amazon.com/Fatal-Business-Pine-County-Book-ebook/dp/B0B365MLXQ

Fatal Business | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)