September is halfway through, so I ask myself, where did August go? We were so busy camping, traveling to visit our children and grandchildren, and working on various projects around our house, that I didn’t get a chance to write an August newsletter. However, September found me back at work editing my current novel. It seems I find ways to improve a sentence or scene whenever I re-read my manuscript. I want to ensure both stories are just right before I hit the publish button, so I have been in no hurry to finish this project. I hope to have The Truth About Lara and Secret of Briarwood ready for publication sometime in October, or maybe early November.
When we camp, it is usually rustic camping, so my computer stays at home, so no editing gets done. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t write. Instead, I have been working on developing a new cozy mystery series titled “A Touch of Home” Mysteries, featuring the main character, Hannah McKenzie. The first book is titled Murder at Delaney House and takes place in the fictional mid-western town of Murdock. You will hear more about Murdock in my October newsletter.
Writing a series that takes place in a fictional town is something new for me. Justice for Lindsey, and the sequel, We Meet Again, are set primarily in Chicago, Illinois. Mostly, the Sophie and Evin Foster mysteries take place in Nashville, Tennessee, and the surrounding area, the area of the Smoky Mountains, or other cities I have visited many times. That being said, I am having fun creating a small town and all the residents that reside there. Many of these residents will pop up from time to time in the other “A Touch of Home” mysteries. I currently have seven books planned for this series, and we will see what happens. Look for book number one, Murder at Delaney House, to be released sometime next March or April. In the meantime, be sure to check back and read my monthly newsletters, as I will give you a small preview of the primary residents of Murdock each month.
This month, I focus on our main character, Hannah McKenzie. Hannah is a twenty-nine-year-old widow who moved to Murdock five years ago with her husband, Andrew. Hannah is five feet four inches tall, with a fair complexion, long red hair, and brown eyes. Hannah owns and operates a shop on Main Street in Murdock named “A Touch of Home” and lives with her Pug, Bailey, in a small brick home on Maple Street. You will learn more about Hannah and her past in Murder at Delaney House. Below are the two photos I used from Pinterest as my inspiration for Hannah and her home.
Readers have asked me if I use real people to inspire my characters, and the answer is, not usually. When I begin the character development process, I have an idea of what I want my character to look like and how I want them to act. Then, I use Pinterest to find a photo that matches how I picture the character in my mind. I create the backstory for the character as I go along and hope their words and actions generate the character’s personality. However, in The Truth About Lara, I did base the character Lara on a person I knew. I found this person to be full of herself and condescending, so not only did Lara share this person’s personality, but I also ensured her physical description matched the person.
I always dreamed of being an author and publishing books, but I knew my stories were probably not of the caliber that a traditional publisher was interested in. It took the pandemic for me to have the time to sit down and work on my first manuscript, which had been in the making for many years. Then, my younger sister, who writes and self-publishes Christian Romances, told me about Kindle Direct Publishing and that if I was serious about publishing a book, this was the way to go. I published Justice for Lindsey in June 2020 and have never looked back or been sorry.
I realize I will never become rich or famous with my writing, but it gives me pleasure to author and share my books with others. At this point in my life, I consider it a hobby, and it has given me a lot of enjoyment. When I sell my books at local vendor fairs, I enjoy meeting the people who purchase my books and sharing my writing and publishing process with them. It warms my heart when someone who wins one of my free books in a give-away, shares a photo of the book on their Facebook page. You can’t imagine how exciting it was to see my books placed on a shelf in our local library a year ago.
I still consider myself a fledgling author, know my writing is not perfect and that my books and stories have room for improvement. However, I will continue to write and improve my craft as long as others enjoy reading the books I write. By the way, I enjoy writing them as well.
Do you have something you enjoy doing, simply for the pleasure of doing it?
Until next time, “Pick up a book and read.”
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