Mystery Music

My heartfelt thanks to all veterans, past and present. God bless you!

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I turned on the local news on Saturday morning and heard a story that should pique the interest of most mystery writers. Imagine that.

The Delaware River runs between New Jersey and Delaware. For the last couple of weeks people have been hearing loud (lots of base) music. It starts in the early evening and ends around two or three o’clock in the morning. It’s equal opportunity music, meaning it’s rock, jazz, salsa, classical and who knows what else?

The people in both states hear it, and it sounds like it’s coming from the Delaware side of the river.

Needless to say, it’s driving people nuts and interfering with their sleep. There have been numerous complaints to the police about the noise, and yet no one has been able to determine where the music is coming from. Apparently the music suddenly stopped, but many people have said they’ve heard it occasionally over the past few months. It was only recently that it became a nightly event.

By the way, I don’t live in either state, but across the country. However, how could I, in good conscience, pass up sharing this story?

Would this inspire a mystery? Of course, it would. The story could take so many different directions.

Ghostly music trying to lead the authorities to a murder scene? Maybe someone is purposely trying to drive people nuts. It could be an elderly woman who can’t hear the music without the volume turned up. She could be a little crazy and she’s buried bodies in her basement over the years. Maybe someone is trying to make some kind of point.

If you presented the original scenario to seven hundred mystery writers, they could probably come up with at least five hundred ideas. (You have to draw the line somewhere. I figured five hundred was a good cutoff point.)

You could add something to the music. Maybe the music suddenly stops and a loud scream is heard from one side of the river to the other, and then the music starts in again, like nothing ever happened. Or a dog could howl soulfully.

Anything can inspire a good mystery, so why not music with a secret source? I kind of like the little old lady idea, although it reminds me a bit of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which you should watch if you haven’t seen it – talk about crazy people and good laughs.

There’s always the possibility that some kids are playing a prank. What if that prank went awry?

Oh, here’s one. What if it turned out the music was coming from an old cemetery and the only music anyone heard was from a specific time period, like the 1880s or the 1920s? Since I don’t believe in ghosts, I’d have to come up with another idea for the source of the music. I know, plenty of people do believe in ghosts, so I’ll leave those story ideas to them.

If an individual decided to look for the source of the music, bear in mind that curiosity killed the cat, figuratively speaking.

I wish someone would take this news item and run with it. Create a good mystery. I’d probably read it.

Can you think of a good storyline with the music in mind?

Until next time, pay attention to any unusual stories you hear on the news. You might come up with a unique idea.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

A Well-Kept Family Secret and Bubba’s Ghost are now available in audio format. Prudy’s Back! is in the works. Just thought I’d mention it.

If you’re looking for something light, you might give One Adventure Too Many a try. These are all Sandi Webster Mysteries.

Being the Unexpected Guest

A number of years ago my husband and I attended a charity auction. We bought an item that had been contributed by a very wealthy man, and in the process we met this man. He invited us to his penthouse, which was an impressive home, to put it mildly. By the way, you’ll get no hints as to who this man is.

During our visit with him, he invited us to see a second home, but we’d have to travel by helicopter to see it. The look on his face said, “Trust me, you’ll want to see this.”

This was the beginning of an interesting story.

We met him on the roof of the building where he lived and took his helicopter from there. I’m terrified of flying, but my thought was a helicopter ride wouldn’t be the same as an airplane ride, and it wouldn’t involve going through the airport process. Silly me! I could see all around the helicopter as we flew and within moments I’d grabbed hold of what I thought was probably a safety strap. My shoulder, arm and hand hurt for a few days after this trip. I mean, hurt. I thought I wore a poker face during the trip, but my husband knew. Oh, he knew me so well.

Our pilot took a circuitous route to what turned out to be a “secret” home. It seems this wealthy man had decided he wanted to be prepared for any coming event. The interesting route we took was to keep us from ever finding his home again. As an ex-cop, by husband was an observant man, and even he couldn’t figure out where we were. All I can tell you is that we were in a mountainous area.

We landed on a pad that couldn’t be seen from the air until you were right on top of it. It had been camouflaged, along with almost everything on the property. We were met by a security guard who lived there. Although the man was friendly, he took his job seriously.

Our host excused himself, and the next time we saw him he was wearing camouflage (camo) clothing, right down to his socks and shoes. The jeep on the property was painted as camo, and even the tires were camo.

 Fake Rock

We walked around the property and he showed us fake rocks that hid… Well, who knows what? Almost everything we saw was fake and served a purpose. My guess was electronics or some such thing, but I guess if The Big One (whatever that might be) ever happens, electronics would be useless. From the air and any vantage point, you couldn’t see the home.

I had to laugh to myself as we walked around the property. Our host pointed out a few real rocks and plants and said if I wanted to take one as a souvenir, to feel free. I thanked him but said no.

It really was a home, although not as spectacular as the penthouse he lived in. The difference was that there was a door which could be closed to protect the occupants, and it was made of what I would guess was reinforced steel. If you didn’t close the door, that wall was all windows with a gorgeous view. The house was functional, and yet elaborate.

He showed us cabinets and cupboards filled with long-lasting food (25-year shelf life), first aid items, and things to entertain himself with, along with extra tires in the garage, and the list went on and on. He mentioned weapons, but we didn’t see those.

When we left we had to take the helicopter to get back to the city. It took every bit of gumption I had to reboard. If I could have, I probably would have walked home.

We never saw this very wealthy man again, but it’s a day I’ll long remember. It was also the inspiration for “Entrance to Nowhere – A Sandi Webster Mystery.” After all, how could you spend time with someone like this, in a secret place, and not put the experience to work.

I’ve often said to watch what goes on around you and look for inspiration. Listen to people. A writer has to be at least a little nosey, right? You never know when you’ll have a once in a lifetime experience that won’t let go of your imagination. Although, come to think of it, a lot of things happen in our lives that are one-of-a-kind.

Until next time, make the most of unusual experiences. Enjoy the memories that come with them.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

One Adventure Too Many is the latest Sandi Webster mystery, but you might want to find out what happens at a secret mansion in Entrance to Nowhere, too.

Patricia Gligor, Guest Author

This week my friend Patricia Gligor joins us to discuss her new book, Secrets in Storyville. I'm about halfway through the book and it's very different from her Malone series. I'm really enjoying this new standalone mystery.   

Thank you for visiting today, Pat!

What inspired me to write Secrets in Storyville?

As a reader, I’ve always loved a good mystery. Most of the books I’d read were standalone mystery/suspense novels. But, several years ago, I picked up a cozy mystery, which took place in a small town, and I was hooked on cozies. Now, I still love a good suspense novel but I find that I read more cozies than any other mystery sub-genre. Some are standalones and some are part of a series.

As a writer, I never know where inspiration for a story will come from. But it’s always from people, places and things that have crossed my path. Sometimes they’re recent and other times they emerge from my memory bank.

When I finished writing my fifth Malone mystery, Marnie Malone, I wasn’t sure what my next book would be. I’d spent so many years on the series and had become so involved in the lives of the characters. I knew I’d miss the Malones but I also realized it was time to end the series and to do something totally different.

My Malone mysteries are all written in the third person and they are set in real locations, places that really exist. An old Victorian in my neighborhood was the inspiration for the series.

For a long time, I’d wanted to write a cozy mystery in the first person and set it in a fictional small town. Now I had my chance. Secrets in Storyville is completely separate from and different than my Malone mysteries but the books have one thing in common: an old house inspired me.

 As it turned out, I didn’t use that house (photo below) as the main setting in my new book but it is a secondary setting and important to the plot. 

The other elements of the book came to me in the usual way – bits and pieces that somehow eventually coalesced to form a book. A book that was so much fun to write!

I hope you enjoy reading Secrets in Storyville as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Blurb:

Kate Morgan, a single mother, lives in the small town of Storyville, Ohio where she grew up. A want-to-be author, she works as a sales clerk in the town’s only department store doing what she describes as “a job a monkey could do.” Although she’s bored with her job, she’s reluctant to consider making any major changes in her life. However, she’s about to find out that change is inevitable.

When Kate’s ten-year-old daughter, Mandy, tells the family she plans to do a family tree for a school project, the negative reaction of Kate’s parents and grandmother shocks her but also arouses her curiosity. Why are they so against Mandy’s project? Surely her family is too “normal” to have any skeletons in their closet.

Kate decides to support her daughter even if that means defying her parents. As she searches for the truth, she discovers some long buried secrets that, if she decides to reveal them, will change her life and the lives of the people she loves - forever.

Bio:

 

Patricia Gligor is a Cincinnati native. She has worked as an administrative assistant, the sole proprietor of a resume writing service and the manager of a sporting goods department but her passion has always been writing fiction. 

Ms. Gligor is the author of the Malone Mystery series: Mixed Messages, Unfinished Business, Desperate Deeds, Mistaken Identity and Marnie Malone. 

Secrets in Storyville, a small town mystery, is separate from her series.

Her books are available at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007VDDUPQ  

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CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw's website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com