How to Make a Killing Writing Murder Mystery by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

    So if you've been keeping track of the Books We Love Website (which... if you haven't, why not?) then you know that the upcoming Canadian Historical Mystery Series is on its way! My book, entitled Twice Hung, is the tenth book in this exciting new venture, and I am excited to tell you a little bit about it. 

It's a murder mystery. 

    No, but seriously, it will be one of the first serious mystery novels that I've wrote, and while I've been doing a ton of research on how to create some good mystery, I have come across a few tips I thought I'd share with ya'll because... well, I luv ya all a bit! 

I was going to pick meme that highlighted how much I loved my blog readers but... 
this meme was way more me...

So NUMBER ONE!

The Victim: Yeah, they may not be around much, but they are still very important to the story. Whether or not your mystery started with their untimely demise, it's important to know about the events that led up to it. Who was your victim and why did someone want them dead? Why were they in the wrong place at the wrong time, and/or what was their relationship to the killer? What is also important was their character. Did they have it coming, or should we sympathize with the newly dead? 

TWO!

The Murderer: This may be the most interesting character in your story, after the main protagonist. Knowing who they are is essential in creating not only a great story, but one that keep readers turning pages. I love gray area people, and by that I mean creating characters (not just antagonists) with a bunch of flaws. I believe its a key to being human and gives writers a way to allow their protagonists to overcome personal obstacles. How is the murderer similar to the protagonist? How are they different? Do we sympathize with them at all? Keep your reader guessing. 

THREE! 

Red Herrings: Mysteries are the most fun when there are plenty of twists involved. However, that sometimes means keeping one step ahead of your readers. Subtle hints are key, but give too many and they may guess the end before it comes. Think George R. R. Martin and Jon Snow... (Maybe that's the REAL reason he hasn't finished the books, because everyone had already guessed the ending.)

FOUR!

Foreshadowing: As mentioned above, suble keys are great, especially when you finally get to the "Ah ha!" moment. If the ending doesn't make sense, or seems out of left field, it's probably because it is, and because you didn't leave enough puzzle pieces for the reader to collect. This can really make or break a mystery for me, because if the ending doesn't seem justified, it just makes me think that the author was too dumb to outsmart me and if that's the case then... wow... really?

... it's possible...

 FIVE!

Beta Readers: Get someone else to read your book when you are done. This applies to anything you write, but is especially important for mystery novels. It's hard to know if the clues you left behind were sufficient or way too obvious, but for a beta reader, they can tell you if they saw the ending from a mile away, or if it didn't pack enough punch. 

So that's it. My sure fire way to create a mystery novel. I'm sure there are way more tips, but these were my integral five. Twice Hung will be out next year, and I am so excited! In the meantime, check out the cover image, and head on over to Books We Love to discover more about the series and read some super exciting blurbs! 

Cheers! 

  

Hold the Advice or Live by it? By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

 

Visit B.C. Deeks' BWL Author Page for Book and Purchase Information

http://bookswelove.net/deeks-bc/

It’s taken me 64 years to learn not to teach others what it took me 64 years to learn myself. People must discover things themselves or it just doesn’t stick. That’s not to say I haven’t heard some really good advice that I wish I had known, or even listened to, over the years. For example. I wish I had known, Skip all the heartbreak and drama of teenage dating and just read a book until you’re 25 – Wish I'd had that nugget of wisdom at 15.

Ironically, now I collect advice sayings like tree ornaments and I even try to follow the sage wisdom to lead a more mindful life. Another one that I wish I had known way back is, Find your passion-Then figure out how to make money at it. I’ve known since I was twelve that I wanted to be an author, but my career took a very different direction.

I was a young woman in the ‘yuppy’ generation. We energetically threw ourselves at that glass ceiling determined to be the first to shatter it. I’ll admit I experienced some exciting adventures. In the early 1980s, I sat at a table with the CIA on one side and the KGB on the other! They didn’t speak to each other, but I spoke to both of them separately. Fascinating times. I also got lost in the warehouse district of Paris at midnight on another occasion and was rescued by a mysterious French businessman. He drove me back to my hotel and wished me fond memories of the city before disappearing again into the night. I’m not making this stuff up, but it sure does find its way into my writing.

It wasn’t easy being a single woman working in male dominated industries and traveling internationally. Computer security was an emerging field, and I was dealing with hackers, terrorists, and an emerging Dark Web. I was also rising into management, and sometimes encountered men who didn’t like a woman directing their work. Fortunately, there were also men along my journey who gave me a solid hand up. I’ll share another piece of advice I live by: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

And I did eventually get back to my dream of writing and pour all those experiences into my writing.

Maybe I should have listened to some of the advice I was given when I was younger. I wish I had believed then that I would survive the tough times and grow from my experiences. My mother’s favorite advice to me was, And this too shall pass. She was a wise woman.

Do you have advice you live by? Or wish you had listened to when you were younger?

If there’s MAGIC, is it still a MYSTERY? By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

 

From the time I read my first Nancy Drew Mystery, I was hooked on the puzzles that are at the root of every mystery book. From Nancy, I moved on to my brothers’ stack of The Hardy Boys, dived into my best friend’s collection of Agatha Christies, and the rest is history. Now I’m a career author, and my stories always have a mystery at their core, but I don’t stop there. 

Mysteries form the PLOT, but what about CHARACTER and SETTING. There’s nothing that says I can’t add more layers to my story through the other elements while staying true to the bones of a good mystery. Why can’t I let my imagination run wild and weave in magical spells, alternate universes, and portal magic? …As long as I still follow the rules of a good mystery!

Mysteries are stories that have, as their base, a crime (most likely a murder) and someone who strives to solve the crime or catch the killer.  I’m not the only author running amok with the genre fiction. Today's mystery and suspense writer can go literally in any direction, genre, and sub-genre.  Romance, Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Mainstream novels routinely tap into the elements of mystery fiction. This has opened the doors to some new and exciting direction like the cozy paranormal mystery series from authors like Mary Stanton or Heather Blackwell. That doesn’t mean that you can throw out the traditional bones of a mystery. The tried-and-true formula still applies along with many of the other fundamentals we’ve relied on for decades.

Mysteries must meet the expectations of its audience, but are its components really so different from other genres?

· Strong Mystery PLOT

· Depth of CHARACTERS

· Multiple sources of CONFLICT

· Strategic Placement of CLUES

·Creative use of RED HERRINGS

With the exception of the last two, not so much.

The mystery form is not as rigid as in the past, although you need to observe some accepted boundaries or readers tend to get upset with you. The crime must be serious enough for the reader to want it solved, and there must be a penalty for NOT solving the murder. There must be detection--a crime cannot solve itself. You must play fair with the reader. Every clue discovered by the detective/sleuth must be available to the reader somewhere in the book and clues and red herrings must eventually lead to solving the crime. If it is a whodunnit there must be several suspects and the murderer must be among them. If is a whydunnit, you will know the murderer and the question becomes which of the motives is the reason the crime was committed.

In my paranormal mystery, WITCH UNBOUND, two murders bring Marcus Egan, a magically powerful Guardian Warlock to the mortal realm. The daughter of the murder victims, Avalon Gwynn, is an untrained hereditary witch who is a danger to herself, and both the mortal and supernatural realms, without his help. Together they battle dark forces while trying to find her parents’ murderer. It’s a traditional whodunnit wrapped in magic and romance that I hope readers will enjoy.

I write heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. WITCH UNBOUND is the first book in my paranormal mystery series Beyond the Magic and is available OCTOBER 1. To learn more about my Beyond the Magic series or my author life, please find me on my website at www.bcdeeks.com or on Facebook.

Animal Friends in Life and Literature By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

 

Growing up my favorite fluffy toy was a purple bunny, but we only had stray cats as pets. I was well into adulthood before I realized how much I love animals of all sizes.

It wasn't until I transitioned to a writing career that our lifestyle could provide a stable home for a pet. We went to visit a breeder, and instantly fell in love with a 12-week-old Bichon Shih Tzu named Kipper (aka my little dead fish). We later adopted a 3 1/2-year-old Bichon rescue named Benny, who quickly became known as The Knickernapper. Benny and Kipper have since passed away two years apart, both having reached the ripe old age of 14.

When I began writing books, my love of animals seeped into that aspect of my life as well. Buddy, a stray dog, showed up during a raging blizzard to be rescued by the heroine, Police Officer Joey Frost, in Chapter 1 of The Holly & The Ivy in the Frost Family & Friends series. This loveable canine brings moments of tears and joy to the holiday tale that can only come from the relationship between people and their pets.

I can't imagine my upcoming series Beyond the Magic without Busby—the mysterious, but loyal and loveable canine Familiar. In my fictional world, an animal Familiar spontaneously appears to a witch who needs help or protection and is believed to be sent by a more powerful witch or spirit. Busby is the Familiar for my heroine, Avalon [Avy] Gwynn, a young woman whose parents have been murdered and who doesn't know she's an extraordinary hereditary witch. Busby is one of the main story characters and shows up even before my hero, a powerful warlock (Marcus Egan). I modeled Busby's behavior on Kipper and Benny, but he developed his own personality. He and Marcus have a funny dynamic to their relationship that I had nothing to do with; they just acted that way whenever they were together in Witch Unbound. I can't say more without spoiling it for readers, though. Keep an eye out for Beyond the Magic books beginning in October 2022.

When my hubby and I moved to Canada's cowboy country, Alberta, in 1997 we spent many weekends learning to ride and exploring the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains on horseback. These mountain-bred horses allowed me to see area that I never could have accessed on my own. There was one instance when we needed to descend a steep shale slope. Our guide told us we had two options; slide down on our behinds or stay on our mounts but let them have their head (meaning let go of the reins, lean back on their rump, and trust them to take you down safely). Most of the group opted for the bum option. Not me! I decided the horse was much more sure-footed than I, so I lay back across Ginger's rump and closed my eyes. It was like floating on a cloud. The guide told me later that Ginger was nicknamed 'The Babysitter' because she was so conscious of her charges that she never let one fall off her back. Who knows, maybe my next Familiar will be a horse!

I've also worked for my local municipal department that oversees the city zoo, and that allowed me special access to the exotic animals on occasion. I've hand fed elephants, petted camels, snuggled jaguar cubs and had a sleepover with the hippos - no cuddling with those guys let me tell you. We don’t have a pet at home right now, but I am registered as a foster parent for dogs with the #CalgaryHumaneSociety.

I believe that illustrating the special relationship between humans and animals in my stories adds a significant dimension that is just as important as the interactions between the rest of the characters.

I write heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. To learn more about my upcoming Beyond the Magic series or my author life, please find me on my website at www.bcdeeks.com or on Facebook.

Keeping Magical Secrets by BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

 

When I’m immersed in a new story as an author, the characters become quite real to me. In WITCH UNBOUND, Book 1 of my Beyond the Magic series, my main characters, and even the dog, are not what they seem. Hiding your identity can be tricky, even for a supernatural being. Marcus Egan is a powerful Guardian Warlock sent undercover as a visiting veterinarian to the mortal realm. His mission is to investigate the murder of two escaped witches from the supernatural realm of The Otherland.

I thought it might be fun to see what would happen if the local newspaper reporter suddenly confronted Marcus with prying questions. How would he respond? He’s not supposed to use magic on humans, but—

Main Street, Robbers Canyon (Montana)

Reporter: (racing up to Marcus) I’m Suzie from the Robbers Canyon Gazette. We’re doing a column on ‘Meet the People of Robbers Canyon’. Can you spare me five minutes to answer a few questions, Dr. Egan?

Marcus: (glancing from side to side looking for an escape route but finding none) Well, okay, I guess. But I’m just a visitor. I’m filling in for the regular vet. You should probably wait to do your interview with him, shouldn’t you?

Reporter: (Smiling coyly and batting her eyes) Oh no. Everyone in town is wondering about you right now, Dr. Egan. Where did you come from?

Marcus: (Gritting his teeth) It’s not somewhere you would know.

Reporter: (Still smiling) How long are you staying in our fair town?

Marcus: Ah, just until I complete this assignment, then I move on again.

Reporter: (feeling a little frustrated) Sounds like you travel a lot with your job. That can’t be easy. Do you have family waiting for you back home? Are you close-knit?

Marcus: I have a brother and sister. We are very close, but they understand my work. We’re a long-time family business.

Reporter: Oh, so they’re also vets?

Marcus: (Fidgeting) Ahhhh, not exactly. But they support the family in a manner of speaking—Listen, it’s getting late, and you have a deadline to meet.

Reporter: Right, I’d better run.

LATER, Office of the Gazette

Gazette Editor: Who did you interview for the column today?

Reporter: The visiting vet, Dr. Egan. He’s a strange one.

Editor: What do you mean?

Reporter: I thought he’d be a brilliant choice because all the women in town are salivating over him, but it was like pulling teeth.

Editor: Lots of people freeze up in front of a reporter. It’s your job to draw him out.

Reporter: (Feeling vaguely uneasy) I tried, but it was like my mind didn’t work.

Editor: (Chuckling) So when you said ‘all the women’ you were including yourself?

Reporter: Maybe…. but it was more like I kept losing my train of thought. You know I can ask the tough questions when I need to. I meant to ask him what he thought about the Gwynn murders, but every time I opened my mouth some inane question came out. It was like I wasn’t in control of my own tongue…. (Shakes her head) ….it was weird.

Two more primary characters in WITCH UNBOUND are Avalon Gwynn, who doesn’t know she’s an extraordinary, hereditary witch living in the mortal world, and a canine familiar who appears out of the unknown to protect her. These hidden identities, as well as more of the many mysteries of the magical realm, will be revealed in WITCH UNBOUND.

You’ll meet Marcus’s brother, Theo Egan, in MORTAL MAGIC (Book 2) and sister, Elowyn Egan, in REBEL SPELL (Book 3) as the Beyond the Magic series continues.

I write heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. To learn more about this series or my author life, please find me on my website at www.bcdeeks.com or on Facebook.