Is a Sign Just a Sign? Or is it an Idea?

A friend once sent me an email that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was a sign, sort of, and it said, “Awkward Moment: When you’re digging a hole to bury a body – and you find another body already buried there.” As a mystery writer, how could I let that pass? A germ of an idea took hold and Awkward Moments – A Bogey Man Mystery came to be.

The same friend send me another email that said, “Next time a stranger talks to me when I’m alone I will look at them shocked, and just whisper, ‘You can see me?’” Good grief! I have to admit there are times I feel like following that example, but I don’t.  When I’m sitting alone and I’m quiet, I’m usually thinking about a storyline.

I can’t use every email for a story idea, but after my smile disappears, my brain kicks into gear and ideas start forming. Sometimes ideas for stories come from the most unusual places. If you’re a mystery writer, even a greeting card can start the ideas flowing. A comment made in passing by a friend, or overheard at a coffee house can inspire an entire book. It doesn’t take much more than a fertile imagination. Well, that and a lot of research and grinding hours at the computer.

One of the things I used to enjoy about the television show, Castle, was that something would happen and he’d start spinning stories to fit the event, guessing about what might have happened. Once in a while he was right, but often he was way off base. This is something many writers do. Given a set of circumstances and without having the entire story, they’ll find a scenario to fit the the information they do have.

I have a character in one of my two series who’s addicted to chocolate. At some point she’ll want to be involved in a chocolate mystery. When she was trapped in a ghost town she ran out of chocolate and almost had a meltdown. I can relate to that. Hmm. This might involve a trip to a chocolate factory. I wouldn’t want to get my facts wrong, would I? I mean, research is research. This, happily, could be very interesting research involving some taste-testing.

At the moment I’m mulling over Sandi Webster receiving a text message she didn’t want. A text message that I didn’t want set off alarms – story-wise that is. I’ve begun to write notes to myself so I won’t forget where I’m heading with the idea.

Someone worried that by writing this post another writer might steal my idea. Let them. There are so many possible scenarios that there’s room for all of us. Someone might write a dramatic and suspenseful story, and someone like me might write something with both drama and a little humor. Another author could even turn it into a horror story.

The life of a writer is so much more than I ever thought it would be. It can be a very solitary existence, but there are moments when we come together and share ideas, and… Well, maybe we don’t share ideas, but we do share experiences and stories. Mystery writers are, in general, very generous with their time and support of each other, and I do believe we frequently march to a different drummer. Yes, we even occasionally use clichés like marching to a different drummer. If you prefer, you might say that occasionally we sing a little off key? I do, anyway.

Authors have a lot of fun, aside from the hard work. Aren’t you glad they share their fun through their books? We do our very best to entertain readers and each other.

Until next time, think before you start digging a hole in the ground. You never know what you might dig up. Although, I have heard of people digging up unexpected treasures. Hmmm.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

    Just a reminder: On The Books Page, toward the bottom, are some entertaining book      trailers.

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It’s finally here! People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Bogey Man Mystery

Think extreme heat and homeless people disappearing, and you’ll have the basis for the story.

I Never Met a Chocolate I Didn't Like

Most people, both real and fictional, have something they’re addicted to, or maybe they consider it a habit. In the case of one of my characters, Sandi Webster, it’s a chocolate addiction. Sandi finds herself in a situation where she’s stranded in a ghost town and, horror of horrors, she’s out of chocolate. When her partner asks her what the deal is with chocolate, she says:

** “I can’t explain it,” I replied. “If I’m in a bad mood, chocolate will perk me up. One time when I was frightened, I ate a whole box of Bordeauxs, a specialty candy. They kept me going. There’s a type of chocolate called ganache. It’s chocolate mixed with heavy cream, and it’s… It’s a taste that can’t be described. Chocolate is sweet, but not like other sugary candy. As it melts in your mouth, it leaves its own unique flavor bouncing off the tongue and back again. I’ve read that dark chocolate has some healthy attributes, but unfortunately I prefer the light chocolate. It’s kind of like a nerve tonic for me.” I put my hand to my mouth, checking to be sure there wasn’t a trail of drool on my chin.

Does this, by any chance, sound like I understand Sandi’s addiction? Well, yes, I do. I wrote from experience and actually downplayed it.

 My Hero

Writers can give their characters all kinds of addictions or habits. As you can tell, candy can be one of them. However, a fictional character might also be fighting against an addiction to cigarettes or alcohol, or any number of other things. Some characters may be addicted to using certain words in their dialogue. It happens.

In all honesty, I believe having things they have to battle makes them more real to the reader, and maybe more relatable.

Before describing what she feels chocolate does for her, Sandi runs into a wall, figuratively speaking.

**I reached for my chocolate. There was no more chocolate. I searched through my backpack, but it was all gone. My heart thumped a couple of extra beats and I wondered if this was the way a smoker might feel if they ran out of cigarettes and there were no more. Anywhere. Well, I’m a bigger person that that. I could live without chocolate. Piece of cake.

When her partner, Pete, realizes she’s out of chocolate, he reacts.

** He took a step back. He knew. If he had any chocolate, he’d probably run out the front door and toss it to me as he ran by, and I doubted he’d be back until I’d eaten every last bite.

When we give our characters idiosyncrasies or addictions, the other characters have room to react and emphasize the problem. Many times the characters play off of each other. Chocolate may be a small thing to many, but it can help keep the story moving, as can other habits or addictions.

Unfortunately, when I write about Sandi and her chocolate, I find myself developing a craving. Consequently? I keep a candy dish on my desk with goodies in it.

Now that I think about it, I don’t recall giving Pete an addiction, other than he likes to keep busy. The same can be said about many men and women. I think some women react differently to things that keep them motivated. Curiosity will keep women motivated and, whether they’ll admit it or not, many men are the same way.

The point is, think about keeping your characters real. Maybe a specific color will play a part in their lives. It doesn’t always have to be an addiction to a specific thing. Can you become addicted to a color? (I’m shrugging my shoulders.) I love yellow. It’s cheerful. There’s a lot of yellow in my life. I even have a yellow trench coat.

Watch the people around you and pay attention to your own habits. You’ll begin to see things that fit a character in your book, even if it’s a character who only plays a part in one book.

Think about it. What addiction or habit might make your characters memorable? Peanut butter? Ice cream? Jelly beans? A particular car? A song? Maybe a cranky attitude. What might endear your character to readers?

Until next time, try to give something up and see how well you do. Of course, in my case chocolate will be the exception.

** Excerpts from Old Murders Never Die – A Sandi Webster Mystery

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website (Sorely in need of updating)

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Is Gin Mill Grill – A Sandi Webster Mystery about an addiction? Probably not, but you might give the book a try.

 Yes, that is a mummy sitting in the chair

Inspiration Can Come from the Oddest Places

Once upon a time I was at a hardware store and saw a Scorpion UV Flashlight on a display by the counter. Curious, I picked it up to see what it was. Turns out it’s a black light, such as you’d see someone using on a crime show. Turn out the lights, turn on the black light, and you can see stains, among other things. To be honest, I didn’t want to see any stains – human, animal or otherwise. However, since it wasn’t expensive, I brought it home with me. My curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to take it into a dark room and see what would show up. Interestingly, the only thing I found was that the carpet in the walk-in closet needed to be vacuumed. Little pieces of white fuzz showed up under the light. Who knew? I thought I was a good housekeeper.

As a writer, I’m always looking at things that might be used as props. I also look at things I can use for research. There’s more to research than the Internet and the library. If I were to include an antique ceramic elephant in a story, I’d want to hold one in my hands and study it. Does it have cracks? Is the finish crackling? What color is it? Is it chipped? I’d want to look at the bottom of it and see if there’s a manufacturer’s mark.

When I started writing about a young, female private investigator, I drove right over to the hat store at the mall and bought a fedora. You don’t know what a fedora is? Let me tell you. It’s the kind of hat that Humphrey Bogart wore in movies where he played the role of a P.I. I love my hat. I also love the yellow trench coat I found when I visited Colorado. Do I wear these things? Nope, but I should. I guess I just never go anywhere that would require a fedora and a trench coat.

 An Old House in Nevada

 I have pictures of things surrounding me when I write – photos of things that would pertain to the story I’m working on. When I wrote Old Murders Never Die (A Sandi Webster Mystery) I had a picture of an abandoned house from the Old West that still hangs on my wall. Because of my Bogey Man series, I have a picture of Humphrey Bogart hanging on another wall.

 Purple Cows - Top Step

I have a purple cow and calf sitting on my shelf which are old, and they amuse me. I ended up including them in How Now Purple Cow. You never know where inspiration will come from.

My current work in progress involves a Red Admiral; a black butterfly with color on the tips of its wings. There was one in my backyard this summer and he seemed to like it there. He hung around all afternoon.

Why am I telling you about these things? Because inspiration has to come from somewhere, and these things cause my brain to wake up and say, “Hey! There’s a story idea in that object or photo.” And sometimes the inspiration comes from someone I see on the street or in the store.

When you read a book, and something or someone catches your attention, remember that it just could be from the author’s surroundings. Things in stories aren’t always directly from the writer’s imagination. Sometimes taking a look around you can set the wheels in motion. Once those wheels get moving, it can be difficult to stop them until a book is done.

Until next time, take a look around you. See what peaks your interest. And if you don’t see anything that wakes you up, have some chocolate. Chocolate is my answer to every problem.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Having a Great Crime –Wish You Were Here (A Sandi Webster Mystery) was inspired by a green field. Yes, just a field. However, in the book there’s a vintage house in that field.

There are Herbs and Then There are Herb's

On Sunday my daughter and I went to the local Farmers’ Market. My first stop was a bakery counter where I bought the last five pieces of chocolate rugulah. Big surprise, huh? After that I had to stop and purchase some Royal Jelly because it’s supposed to be excellent for your skin. (Royal Jelly comes for queen bees, in case you didn’t know that little fact.)

After that it was on to check out the veggie displays. My favorite? Apricots, and I bought a few. They’ve become quite expensive.

I saw a young man making a delivery. He had a dolly with about six containers stacked on it. I laughed to myself because initially he couldn’t untangle his clipboard from the top of the stack. He then lifted about four of the containers and tripped on the dolly. He stacked the containers and turned for more, at which time he tripped on his own shoelace. The containers were emptied and he replaced them on the dolly. Lastly, when he was ready to leave he couldn’t get the clipboard to stay put on the stack. Okay, first of all he acted like this was his standard for deliveries. Maybe, like me, he’s a klutz. I could relate to his actions. Secondly, he reminded me of Stanley, from the Sandi Webster mysteries. It happens, and honestly, it lightened my mood.

 

 There were two more booths that grabbed my attention. My favorite color is yellow, and sunflowers seem so cheerful. Well, one booth had a very large (enlarged) photo of sunflowers. It cost over four hundred dollars. Not in my budget. The other booth had an eight by ten picture of part of a sunflower for forty dollars. Also not in my budget. I don’t mean to sound cheap, but I’ll grab my camera and take my own picture of a sunflower the next time I see one. Maybe I’ll grow some.

     

             Did someone call my name?

We were driving home when we passed a business I’d never seen before. The sign said, “Herb’s Acupuncture”, which struck me as an odd name for a business, but if Herb could do acupuncture, that was fine by me. I happen to believe acupuncture is great. It’s worked for me before with a shoulder problem I had for a long time. No more shoulder pain. It helped my dog, Sugar, with arthritis in her hip. Who knew it could be used on pets? However, here’s the rub. I mentioned “Herb’s Acupuncture” to my daughter, who’d also seen the sign. Uh, it was actually “Herbs and Acupuncture” – you know, like herbal plants. Herbs that are used for all kinds of purposes.

And, of course, that made me remember an episode on a long ago sitcom where (as I recall) a janitor saw a jar with herbs in it and thought it was Herb’s remains. Funny how one thought leads you to another.

We stopped at a large store where they offer mostly organic products. They carry some delicious frozen waffles that are gluten and wheat free. Now I’ve never had a problem with gluten or wheat, but these are better than any frozen waffle I’ve ever had before.

I stopped in the bakery. They had some fantastic looking unsliced cinnamon bread. Does anyone remember how in the “old days” when you bought a loaf of cinnamon bread it had a light frosting on it? It’s been years since I found a frosted loaf. I talked to the young woman in the bakery and requested she slice the bread. While she was doing that, I asked if they ever put frosting on their cinnamon bread. Nope. So, bless her heart, she gave me a container of the frosting they use on cinnamon rolls.

Yes, it was a good day and had nothing to do with writing, unless you count this post.

I love good days!

Until next time, visit a Farmers’ Market if there’s one near you. If not, try a store that’s new to you. Have an apricot, but make sure it was picked when it was ripe so it has all the wonderful flavor it should.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

I must have done something right because I’m receiving glowing reports about my new book, Choosing One Moment – A Time Travel Mystery. Try it. You might like it.