A Poke on the Arm

I post about the Sandi Webster series fairly often, but there is a second series. It’s The Bogey Man Mysteries. After five books I let the characters retire, but something is telling me I need to add at least one more book to the series. I’ve had a number of people ask me how I came up with the idea for these stories, and here’s the answer.

 

In 2006 a made-for-television movie titled, “Love Can Be Murder,” with Jaclyn Smith and Corbin Bernsen was released. In a nutshell, a female attorney wanted changes in her life and gave up her law career to become a P.I. She rented an office in an old building and discovered that back in the 1940s another P.I. had used the office. He’d been murdered while working on a high profile case. His ghost came back and wanted the woman to discover who killed him and to solve the other, more famous case, in the process.

The movie stuck with me. It was a fun story and, of course, a mystery. Smith and Bernsen were perfect in the roles they played. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the idea of the story out of my mind. I read some mysteries I enjoyed, and along the same lines, the ghost of a P.I. returned and worked on solving mysteries. The whole idea wouldn’t let go. It was like having a sibling who won’t stop poking you in the arm until he or she gets your attention, or more to his or her liking, they get you in trouble for shouting at them.

The thing was, I didn’t want to use a ghost in a story. I wanted the 1940s P.I., but no ghost. An idea began to take shape. It wouldn’t let me go any more than memories of the movie and the books. Poke, poke, poke.

Sandi, from the Sandi Webster Mysteries, has always loved the idea of the old gumshoes and their use of the 1940s slang. She grew up on old movies, thanks to her mother, and it finally struck me. She needed to meet someone who could fill a role in her life – someone who would remind her of old movies and old detectives.

The Bogey Man - A Sandi Webster Mystery was born. Someone was following Sandi and he bore a striking resemblance to Humphrey Bogart. As it turns out, he was taken with the same 1940s themes because of his resemblance to a  famous actor and he wanted to become a private eye.

Sandi made it her business to show him what the realities were, like going on a stakeout and drinking too much coffee or soda, and like being too visible because you dress like a 1940s P.I. In the process there’s a murder to be solved. Whether she liked it or not, the Bogey Man became involved.

People who read The Bogey Man liked this character so much that I knew he had to have his own series. However, I still wanted to do things differently, so in The Bogey Man I let the private eye fall for a widow with a young son.

Aha! A family mystery. What a great idea, and what fun it could be. The Bogey Man Mysteries ended up similar to The Thin Man with a Bogart-like character, a wife who has just as much fun as he does, and a son he calls Ace who manages to become involved whether his parents want him to or not.

Of course, a lot of younger people wouldn’t have any idea about private eyes from the forties and the slang they used, but it can be fun figuring it out.

Believe it or not, that’s the short answer about where the Bogey Man came from, and you can find a lot of forties themes in a current setting in these books.

That’s all I have to say. Short question, short answer. Readers like to know where ideas come from and I hope this answer is satisfying.

Believe it or not, I bought a couple of things to go with the Bogey theme – an old Derringer cigarette lighter, a gray fedora and a yellow trench coat. Let’s just call those purchases an eccentricity. Somehow these things just called to me.

Until next time, ask some of your favorite authors what got them started on a  particular theme. You might be surprised at their answers.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Try the Bogey Man Mysteries. You might find something you like in this family mystery series, and I just might come up with a new Bogey story in the future.