My writing process by Joan Havelange.

 

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I’ve written five cozy mysteries, ‘Wayward Shot,’ ‘Death and Denial,’ ‘The Trouble with Funerals,’ ‘The Suspects,’ ‘Murder Exit Stage Right.’ And one thriller, ‘Moving is Murder.’ My newest novel is a historical mystery. BWL Inc. is publishing a historical mystery for each province and territory. My historical mystery, ‘The Séance Murders,’ is set in Saskatchewan in the 1900’s.

I find each genre requires a different approach. Cozy Mysteries is a whodunit without the blood, guts, gore or sex. I love this genre. It’s the puzzle that always intrigues me in a mystery. My protagonist must sort through clues to find the killer in my whodunit mysteries. Oddball characters and humour play a part. Some of my stories take place in the fictional town of Glenhaven. I have a notebook. (I could use a file on my laptop. But I find my notebook works just fine.) In my notebook, I have a list of the citizens of Glenhaven and their characteristics. And, of course, what the town looks like. If you are writing a series, you must be consistent with the descriptions. And, of course, descriptions of my protagonists, Mabel and Violet.

Not all of my cozy mysteries take place in the fictional town of Glenhaven. I take Mabel and Violet on travel adventures to places I’ve been. ‘Death and Denial,’ and ‘The Suspects.’ This also requires a different approach. New characters and descriptions of the country they are visiting. I need to give the reader a taste of what my protagonist sees without making it a travel log. But the mystery needs to be front and centre.

Writing a thriller is a unique challenge. I enjoyed writing it, and I might write another. In a cozy, you don’t know who the villain is. In my thriller, ‘Moving is Murder,’ the challenge is to put the protagonist, Linda, in danger. The villain had to be smart, and she had to outwit the killer. The pace has to build, and will she or won’t she survive?

My newest novel,’ The Séance Murders,’ a historical mystery, has been my greatest challenge. The murder plot at a séance was the easy part. The hard part was the research. I needed to know what Regina, a pioneer city on the prairies, in 1908 was like? What were the customs and the dress of the people in that era? The Regina and Saskatchewan historical clubs helped me. And the newspaper archives were an immense help. But just like travel mysteries, a historical mystery is meant to give the reader a feel for the era. But it is not a history book. The murder mystery is front and centre.

The Séance Murders:

1908: Regina, Saskatchewan, the railroad hub of the prairies, is booming. The foxtrot is the latest craze hitting the dance halls, and silent movies are all the rage. But it’s the newest fad, séances, that intrigues Myrtle Vanhoff.

Myrtle is tired of the constraints put on her by her father, Reginald Vanhoff, a lumber baron, and her mother, Amelia. Her mother is determined to make her and her daughter’s mark on Regina’s burgeoning social scene. But Myrtle has other ideas. On a lark, the rebellious young woman convinces her twin brother, Leopold, to attend Madame Scarlatta’s notorious séances. They find more than restless spirits. Someone murders a bereaved patron while everyone at the table is holding hands. Myrtle and Leopold are determined to find out who and how. A Regina police sergeant is appalled at Myrtle’s unladylike interest in the murders. But Jonathan Chapman of the Royal North-West Mounted Police is intrigued. Jonathan joins Myrtle and Leopold in their search for the murderer. When Myrtle gets too close to the truth, the murderer targets her as the next victim.