Dear Friend,
Writing any book is like developing and assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle. The many pieces may seem to have little in common with the other pieces, but when properly connected, they form a coherent and, sometimes inspiring, design.
In my many years of writing, only once did I find a person who everyone found boring! As a company newsletter editor, I held a contest for favorite employee. In one department, several people nominated this particular person. After interviewing the nominee and those who nominated her, I struggled to make the story engaging. No one seemed able to explain just why they found her worthy to win the contest.
Her only hobby was knitting. She didn’t belong to any groups, had not accomplished anything extraordinary, and had no children. Not one of her co-workers could explain why they thought she was so wonderful.
When I wrote the story, which I shared with my department head, she tossed the story aside and said, “This is boring. Rewrite it.”
I said, “She is boring and I’ve already rewritten it. Any suggestions?”
She had none. I tried again, but the feature was only marginally more interesting. Since she was one of only a few people nominated and had more nominations than anyone else, I felt honor bound to write about her. A stalwart employee who was almost completely without any excitement in her voice or color in her life when I interviewed her, her story was not inspiring. Even her hobby was boring. She knitted, without expressing any enthusiasm for what she was accomplishing.
She worried me. I felt like she deserved counseling to make sure she wasn’t verging on suicidal. I haven’t thought about this person for many years, but I hope her life wound up fulfilling in whatever way was possible for her.
In writing romantic fiction, I create my own characters. Each character has their own passions, backstory, hopes, dreams, and torments. They must have a motivation for their lives or readers would find them boring, and they wouldn’t stay in my books for long.
I’ve devised a scenario to challenge my characters that you may love or absolutely despise! I’m not ready to burn down the tree – yet – that my characters will be chased up, but it will certainly challenge my characters! (This refers to the Romance Writers’ joke about how to challenge a character – Chase them up a tree, throw rocks at them, and burn the tree down!)
Stay tuned to learn more in later blogs!
Now it’s time for me to share Nancy J. Cohen’s story about her Star Tangled Murder in my “Books I Love,” segment.
This month, Nancy J. Cohen is my guest author who has written over 18 cozy mysteries with a most unusual protagonist—a hairdresser! Thus, her “Bad Hair Day” series. Her recent book, Star Tangled Murder, is reviewed below. She certainly has many “puzzle pieces” in her mystery!
What made you decide to write “cozy” murder mysteries?
I started out writing sci-fi/fantasy romances for Dorchester Publishing. In my fourth book for them, Keeper of the Rings, I had plotted a mystery. A holy relic was stolen, and the suspects included the 12-member ruling Synod on the planet, Xan. Leena, an archaeologist, is assigned the task of recovering the artifact along with her mysterious protector, Taurin Rey Niris. This story is essentially a cozy mystery, defined by an amateur sleuth, a limited number of suspects, a confined setting, and no graphic violence. Well, there are graphic love scenes, but otherwise, this is a perfect example of a cozy mystery.
I’d become a fan of this genre myself. I loved Jill Churchill’s punny titles and reading her lighthearted mysteries with happy endings. Justice was served, and nobody was terribly hurt. A mixture of humor and romance in the story was also welcome. I found other authors to read and soon started thinking along these lines for my own writing. At that point, Dorchester decided not to pick up my next book, Silver Serenade.
Mysteries were having a resurgence, and the cozy field was emerging. My agent asked, “Why don’t you write a straight mystery?” And, so I did. I thought about a sleuth for a series in a setting that had not been done and got inspired one day while getting a perm at the salon. I was waiting for the timer to go off and thinking that I needed something gripping to read to pass the time. Why not create a hairstylist sleuth and then kill off one of her clients? Permed to Death was born. This became book one in the Bad Hair Day mystery series and it sold to Kensington as part of a three-book contract.
And just a note – Silver Serenade later sold to Wild Rose Press, and I went on to write three more books for them in the paranormal romance genre. But my fans wanted more mysteries and that is where I put my efforts thereafter.
I also noted a scarcity of books on writing the cozy mystery at a time when cozy authors weren’t as well respected in the mystery community as serious crime writers. My book, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was meant to address this gap and hopefully bring more attention to the genre.
As Star Tangled Murder is your 18th book in the series, how do you continue to find inspiration for the same main characters? And invent new locales for your settings?
The key to keeping your series fresh is in the character relationships. These are evolving all the time as they do in real life. Marla meets Detective Dalton Vail in book one when she’s the prime suspect in a murder case. He suspects her of poisoning her crotchety client’s coffee creamer. But Dalton, a widower with a daughter, is also attracted to Marla, who is a divorcee with a tragic experience in her past. They both have their own hangups to overcome before their relationship can progress. Even when they decide to stay together, the personal challenges continue.
Marla’s friends and family members also play a large role in the series. One or more of them may be a minor player in one book but take the forefront in another. So my heroine’s personal life is constantly in flux.
As for the locale, each book features a different setting with a setting, as I call it. For example, Star Tangled Murder starts out as Marla and Dalton attend a battle reenactment at a living history museum. The town marshal ends up dead, and all the cast members are suspects. It’s easier when you have a limited setting this way. My current work in progress features a local history museum, so everyone who works there is a suspect, including the guests who’d attended a recent gala.
Your plot is complex with many potential murder suspects. How do you keep everything straight? Do you know when you start writing who will be the murderer or does that evolve as you write?
I’ll often create a loose synopsis or chapter outline before I begin writing the story. I need to know who the suspects are and what they may be hiding. Usually, I have the murderer tagged, but that can change as the story evolves. In my current WIP, for example, I’m thinking of changing the killer to someone I wouldn’t have suspected at the start. Keeping detailed notes also helps. For each book, I’ll carry forward my list of Continuing Characters. These are Marla’s family, friends and associates who become the reader’s friends throughout the series. I’ll update any changes with each title. Then there’s the Cast of Suspects, with physical descriptions and their roles in the story. This is new for each title and the challenge there is not to repeat character names.
Who is your favorite character in this book and why?
This is a tough question. There are so many great characters in Star Tangled Murder —the village schoolteacher, blacksmith, shopkeeper, tour guide, sewing circle lady, preacher, farmer, tribal shaman, and even Marla’s cousin who helps care for the livestock. But maybe I favor Lizzy Krogan, who gives tours at the haunted historic mansion on site. She relates the ghost story associated with the house. As a descendant of the original owner, she’d know the history better than anyone. But is there more to her than meets the eye? It was really fun writing about all of these unique characters.
About the Author
Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day mystery series and the Keri Armstrong cozy mysteries. Her books have won numerous awards including her nonfiction title, Writing the Cozy Mystery, an Agatha Award Finalist.
Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter. Currently, she’s serving as Vice President of Citrus Crime Writers. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World. Find her at NancyJCohen.com Link to all her books: https://books2read.com/
Shelley’s Review of Star Tangled Murder
Nancy J Cohen’s recent cozy mystery, Star Tangled Murder, includes a murder with a wide array of characters/suspects who could all be the murderer, because they all had motives. The protagonist, Marla, owns a hairdressing salon, but falls into these situations just by being in the right – or wrong – place at the time. This time she’s experiencing a historical reenactment “village” with her detective husband.
She gets involved with the investigation because her approach, approved by her husband, draws people out. The suspects willingly share their situations and motivations. Except, of course, for the murderer, who is not as forthcoming. I can understand how Marla has carried this series as she’s strong, but human, and empathetic.
I enjoyed learning about the murder “suspects.” Cohen is definitely adept at developing characters. The puzzle is not complete until the end, because there were several prime suspects, and a major clue that was not revealed until near the end.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mysteries, but with a softer approach than the hard-boiled detective sub-genre. It’s a major puzzle that’s great fun to figure out!
PS I didn’t guess the right “bad guy,” but there are so many to choose from!
PROGRESS ON BOOK 4
Nearing the three-quarter point, I’ve had some fun with what would have seemed ordinary situations.
In Book 4, coming out later this year, I’m enjoying a secondary character, David, the college professor who is Will’s mentor. He’s developed into an important character who’s helped facilitate other characters’ lives. He’s a widower, and lonely, but he jokes around with Will, offers him good advice, and becomes an important part of the four main characters’ lives. I’d call him a “realistic altruist.”
And, I’m gleeful, because this piece of my jigsaw puzzle now has a great place to connect with someone else in my story. I’m happy, because this gave me a recent, really joyful, “Aha!” moment.
I’m also trying out several potential book titles. If you’d like to give me your opinion on my best choice, contact me: Shelley@ShelleySommers.com
Can’t wait to share it!
