Heeding the Call

Have you ever strolled down the street, past a group of stores, and you hear a small voice say, “Stop here. Don’t keep walking. Come in and enjoy yourself, Marja.” You look up and, lo and behold, a bookstore is calling your name. Well, why not stop in and wander through the aisles? You’re not looking for anything in particular. What could it hurt? Uh huh.

If you’re like me, you end up walking out with an armload of books that don’t quite fit into your budget.

My passion is mysteries, especially if they contain a little humor. However, if I’m actually strolling through the store, a lot of mysteries without humor, and other genres, will catch my eye – biographies, history, books on how things work and what they’re called – you name it. A friend, Chris, recommended For the President’s Eyes Only – Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush by Christopher Andrew. While I couldn’t use most of what I read in my new book, this was still engrossing research material. The books on the shelves surrounding it looked interesting, too. I had to make myself walk away.

The unfortunate part of this is that now I have a To Be Read stack that boggles the mind, or at least my mind. I’ve got so many books that I want to read, and doesn’t it just figure, I’m at a time in my life when I don’t have nearly as much reading time as I used to.

I have trouble giving books away or selling them. There are many I’d like to reread one day. My bookcases are jam-packed. So is my Kindle.

I just released a new book, How Now Purple Cow – A Bogey Man Mystery. Time to take a brief vacation before starting another book. Maybe I could sit on the couch and eat bonbons and read. Not gonna happen. In addition to the store calling my name, so is my house. Yes, that would be the house that I let go while I wrote. Horrifying, I know, but sometimes when we’re writing we let things go.

In addition to the bookstore and the house, my thoughts keep turning to the next book. Marketing and promotion are calling my name, too. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Many years ago my grandmother gave me some ceramic purple cows. They sit on top of the bookcase in my office. One day they started calling my name. They wanted to be in a mystery. Say what? Yeah, that was my question, too, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them. How on earth could I include purple cows in a book?

The unexpected happened. I had a funny dream about two dear friends being spies. Seriously, why would I have a dream like that? I mentioned it to a friend, Evelyn Cullet, and she thought they’d make great characters in a book. She was right. Believe it or not, purple cows and elderly spies make a great combination. Who knew?

I mentioned the basic storyline to my husband, and without a second thought, he said, “How Now Purple Cow.” I started to laugh and knew what a great title that would make. Sometimes he thinks up the best titles. He was responsible for Old Murders Never Die, too.

In the meantime, that To Be Read stack keeps calling out to me. Right now I can’t  talk myself into buying more books. I’ve got to start whittling down the piles of books that threaten to knock me down.

Do any of you have this same time problem? Believe it or not, when I take a peek at my stack of books, I go through guilt for not getting to them. One way or another, I’ll get caught up on my reading.

 (And then I glanced back at the stack and realized one of the books is over 750 pages long. When will I have time for that one?) You can probably hear me sighing all over the country about now. Sorry to disturb your reading time.

Until next time, take blinders with you when you visit your favorite bookstore. You may be able to stay within your budget if you do.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Don’t forget that A Well-Kept Family Secret is now available in audio format.

Secrets and Treasures

When I was a child there was a game we made up and played once in a while. We called it Treasure Hunt.  I’m sure many others played this game, too. One of us would hide a “treasure” which usually consisted of a cookie wrapped in waxed paper or something like that. I think once we were brave enough to hide a quarter. The person hiding the treasure would write out clues and the other kids followed them to find their reward. (Maybe that’s one of the reasons I enjoy mysteries so much.)

Recently my husband commented that it seemed like most of my books contained hidden passages or compartments. Was he right? Had I gotten into a theme I didn’t particularly want? I sat down and thought about it. No, there was one book with hidden passages, and one with hidden compartments. However, that old Treasure Hunt came to mind. There are two books that include hidden treasures. Make that three books. Treasure can be something valuable that’s not made of gold or silver.

In the back of my mind I guess I figure if I like the idea of hidden places or things, other people might, too. Will I include more hidden things in future books? Probably. It’s fun to put together the puzzles.

I’ve read books by other authors that entranced me while I followed their clues to hidden anythings. It’s all a part of the mystery, and it’s generally a fun part.

 

I asked myself if I’ve ever found a hidden treasure – for real. Yes, but not in the same sense as in the books. I’ve discovered that when people pass away they often leave something tucked in a drawer or high on a shelf that was special to them, whether it was a treasure to anyone else or not.

My grandmother told me about a hidey hole where she’d put a few things away and when we lost her I found a vintage woman’s watch. She married in 1918, and when I looked at her wedding picture I realized she was wearing that very same watch the day she was wed. The watch might not be a treasure to anyone else, but it is to me. It was interesting, too, because as far as I know there was something new (from that time) about it. It had a little thingy on it where you could attach a chain to wear it around your neck. But it also had little thingies where you could attach the two ends of a band to wear it on your wrist. It was my grandmother’s, it was unique, and it’s a treasure to her granddaughter – me.

How do authors come up with things like hidden passages and compartments? It takes a little work. You have to decide how these passages would fit into a house and still remain secret. You have to decide where a hidden compartment would be located. I usually draw sketches to make it more clear to myself. And, of course, there’s research to see where others have placed these things.

Here’s the thing. When you write fiction, some part of it has to be realistic. You can’t just stick a hidden passage anywhere you want to and hope it makes sense. Also, there should be excuses why they’re not obvious to the characters.

When I was a child my grandparents (other side of the family) moved to a different house, and it was an old two-story home. As kids we wanted to explore the basement. Would you believe, one of us saw something that looked unusual and pushed on the wall.  A secret compartment popped open. It was long and narrow, and the only thing inside was a very old cane. I kept that cane for years and then it just disappeared. I have no idea what happened to it.

Now that you’ve read this far, here’s one of the surprising points of this post. It’s really all about figuring out what readers enjoy reading about. Secret passages? Secret compartments? Spooky old houses? Dark and stormy nights? Basements and attics are usually great places to find unusual clues – like an old cane. Why would someone hide a cane?

Some readers prefer suspense and some prefer horror. Some enjoy an old-fashioned mystery.

What “makes” a book for you?

Until next time, I hope you find a fun hidden treasure where you least expect it.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website.

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Hidden Passages: Mysteries of Holt House – A Sandi Webster Mystery

Hidden Compartments and Unexpected Treasure: They Call Me Ace – A Bogey Man Mystery

Treasure: A Well-Kept Family Secret – A Sandi Webster Mystery

                Awkward Moments – A Bogey Man Mystery