NOW THAT’S AN IDEA!

I have a sweater with these words emblazoned across the front, “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel.”  I’m not kidding.  Every person I meet is fodder for my stories.  I might use the cute way you tilt your head when you talk, or the way your nose turns red when you lose your temper.  Maybe your love of gardening, or your distaste for sushi or how you are completely useless at changing a tire.

People often ask me where I get my ideas.  The answer is simple.  Everywhere.  They are easy enough to find.  The hard part is turning them into books. 

Ideas come to me when I least expect it – in the shower, watching TV, walking the dog, or sitting in a restaurant.  I once startled a line of customers at the supermarket when I blurted out to my husband, “I’m going to poison the gardener!”  The cashier never looked at me the same way after that.

Ideas for settings are mostly places I’ve lived, or visited and loved.  A setting sets the mood for the whole story, so it’s as important as the characters.  I chose the Edwardian era for the Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries because my parents were born during that time, and their stories fascinated me.  I set the village of Badgers End on England’s southeast coast, where I lived for a few years.

   

The hotel itself is based on the summer guest house we owned.  As for the name, that comes from the stuffed mice I made during my craft days.  They were dressed in Edwardian clothes and had spindly legs.  In order to make them stand up I sewed a penny into each foot.  Hence, the Pennyfoot Hotel.

For the past few years I’ve set my stories at Christmastime.  A dazzling Christmas tree, the spicy aroma of baking mince pies, and the sound of Christmas carols wafting from the ballroom – the perfect contrast for murder.

As for the characters, they are composites of people I’ve met.   Cecily Baxter, the intrepid sleuth is partly my mother, partly my favorite aunt and yes, I admit, partly me.  She treats her downstairs staff as well as she treats the aristocrats, entertainers and socialites who visit her hotel.

Gertie, the saucy chief housemaid, is based somewhat on an old schoolfriend, the bumbling police constable is mostly a long-ago neighbor, and Colonel Fortescue, who fought in the Boer War and doesn’t have all his batteries charged is…well, I’d rather not say.

The idea for each book starts with the murder.  I have hung, stabbed, poisoned and choked many people over the past thirty years.  I once hypnotized a victim and ordered him to jump from a third-story window. 

I see dead bodies everywhere.  I was putting clothes into my washing machine one morning when I had a vision of the laundry room in the Pennyfoot Hotel.  I saw a man lying on the floor with a woman’s brightly colored scarf around his neck.  I knew right then that I had the victim for my next book.

Once I know who the victim is, how he was murdered and why, then I can start deciding who killed him, and who else had the motive, means and opportunity to do so. 

Writing a mystery is like playing a game with the reader.  I want to keep you guessing until I reveal the culprit at the end of the book, while you are trying to figure it out for yourself.  I have to play fair and give you clues, while I attempt to fool you with suspects and red herrings.  Meanwhile, you’ll be following the ups and downs of the characters’ lives, watching them love, laugh and cry, while dealing with the consequences of a murder.

It’s a complicated process, but so much fun.  Oh, and the dead body with the woman’s scarf around his neck?  Well, you’ll have to read A MERRY MURDER to find out who killed him, and why.  I hope I keep you guessing until the end.  Happy Reading!