Would You Read a Book with a Senior Sleuth?

I have wanted to create a series that uses the fictional Ocean Alley town and characters, but brings in outsiders for each mystery. And not just one person, but several. It would keep me from having to bump off more people in the small town.

The Cozy Corner B&B, operated by Mayor Madge and her husband Harry, presents an option. In When the Carny Comes to Town (Jolie Gentil Book 3) a B&B guest was involved in the mystery, and a body turned up in the B&B in Trouble on the Doorstep (Book 5). But such situations are not good for tourism in the Jersey Shore town.

The B&B has always hosted individual guests. What about having a group rent the seven rooms? Or better yet, a bunch of people forced to stay there for a day or two? That would give Mayor Madge (Aunt Madge to Jolie Gentil) a reason to be involved.

Perhaps she'd have some help, but she'd be the main sleuth -- a senior sleuth, a.k.a. silver sleuth. Would having older characters turn off younger readers? Think The Kominsky Method, Grace and Frankie, or Black-ish. And Miss Marple was not exactly a spring chicken.

I've begun developing the characters and first couple of plots. I don't envision fourteen books, which is the status of the Jolie Gentil series. However, I think I could have fun writing three or five. 

Starting a new series is a big investment. Especially for a 'senior writer.' It takes a certain amount of optimism.

                                                                  *     *     *     *     *     *

 Check out Elaine's web page or sign up for her newsletter.

Who is Where in the Room?

By Elaine L. Orr

Though I wrote stories and poems as a young person, when I began more serious writing I went with plays or (how bold of me!) movie scripts. I realized books could have a wider audience. While I've written a one-act play fairly recently, I veered to novels.

However, the play-writing taught me something valuable. Two things, really. The first was how to write dialogue that said what I wanted when I wanted it, and nothing more. That doesn't mean a character can't be long-winded, only that if s/he is, it should be who they are -- not simply that I can't write concisely.

Perhaps even more important is blocking a scene -- yes, in a book. In a play, the writer has to be aware of where every character is and what they are doing on stage. You can't just leave someone sitting on a couch while all action focuses on two or three other characters. You can if the couch sitter is meant to eavesdrop. You can't if you simply don't know what else to do with them.

I learned to keep track of every character in a novel's scene and -- more important -- let readers know what s/he/they were doing even if they weren't the focus of the action. 

For example, my WIP is Phoning in a Murder, set in the fictional Ocean Alley and the 14th book in the Jolie Gentil series. The partial scene below is in the high school auditorium, just before the start of a contentious meeting about the school band. 

From Jolie's point of view:

The few people in the room were talking loudly enough for me to hear snatches of conversations. Generally, it was male voices that came through.

“…expects us to drive the kids to practice every…”

“…I haven’t missed any of the competitions…”

“…a lot of nerve to cancel…”

“…raised more than $500 for those buses…”

Scoobie had been listening, too. “Oh, boy.”

I shrugged. “It’s what I expected. You and I work at the co-op day care. We know how to tell people to pipe down if they get too rowdy.”

“Pipe down? Rowdy? You sound like Aunt Madge.” Terry looked toward the back of the room. “There’s George.”

“Is Ramona with him?”

Terry craned his neck. “I don’t think so. I see Kevin and some of the guys.” He moved toward a back corner.

“If Kevin’s here,” Scoobie said, “I wonder if his favorite uncle is.”

I turned toward the front. “I bet Sergeant Morehouse has better things to do.”

The scene establishes which of the key characters are present and mentions one who is not. Jolie and her husband Scoobie are together, initially Scoobie's brother, Terry, is with them. George is Scoobie's best friend, and Ramona (his girlfriend and Jolie's friend) could be expected to be there. Sergeant Morehouse is a key player in the book -- good to know what he's up to. (He shows up later.)

My offbeat humor has George explain why Ramona's not there.

“Where’s Ramona?” I asked.

“I’m not supposed to tell you she isn’t interested in high school food fights.”

“What are you supposed to say?” Scoobie asked.

George grinned. “Something about planning how to arrange paintings for the next showing at her art gallery.”

An author can simply say where a person is, but I prefer to show things through action or dialogue. That isn't always possible.

Note the above is written in first person, so the reader only knows what Jolie knows. If a book is in third person, there may be more description, or even a narrator who says who is where and what they're doing.  

I prefer to keep the reader guessing along with the sleuth.

                                                                          *     *     *     *     *     *

 Check out Elaine's web page or sign up for her newsletter

Choices about the Profession for Amateur Sleuths

When I decided to write mystery series with amateur sleuths, I spent time thinking about careers that would put them in contact with a lot of people, provide a flexible schedule, and be interesting to men and women.

I had learned in an earlier stand-alone book that the protagonist couldn't be tied to her career. When would she investigate? I had created a teacher, and then had to have her break her arm so she wasn't in the classroom all the time.

I settled on a real estate appraiser for the Jolie Gentil Jersey shore cozy mysteries and a reporter-turned-gardener for the Iowa River's Edge series -- Melanie. It seems no matter what Jolie and Melanie do, they don't attract many male readers. Or at least, male reviewers. It seems women read male protagonists but men don't often pick up books with female sleuths.

The second question was how much daily life should mix with murder. Readers pick up a cozy in part because of the sleuth's profession. People can relate to bakers, dog walkers, and bookstore clerks. I figured a real estate appraiser was just different enough to be equally interesting.

Most people buy or sell a house at some point, so they would recognize the work without finding it too familiar. And boy, can Jolie get in trouble in a vacant house.

Newspaper reporters are more common in thrillers, less so in cozy mysteries. Melanie didn't last long in that role -- in fact From Newsprint to Footprints opens with her firing.

So, she became a gardener, which happens to be one of my hobbies. Most of us have planted something in the dirt at some point, so I figured readers could also get a sense of satisfaction when plants sprout along with suspects.

I plan to continues the two series and a third, which features a small-town police chief -- the Logland Series. I call that a police procedural with a cozy feel.

Lately, I've done a book a year in each series, but I think readers expect more regular installments. I traced publication dates over the last decade, and realized I did three Jolie books in the first publishing year. I'd written them over several years. I need to pick up the pace. Yikes.
                                                                   *          *          *
 Learn more about Elaine at www.elaineorr.com, or sign up for her her newsletter.

Why Write Mystery Series?

I ask myself this question periodically. Mostly, I feel a responsibility to continue the characters, as if they cease to exist if I stop writing them. (Maybe an inflated opinion of my powers?)

The first series (Jolie Gentil) I wrote because I wanted to write about the Jersey shore and thought I could not do it in one book. Of course, the books are about the characters more than the place, but the setting was important to me. I never thought there would be ten books (more coming).

I'm not from Jersey, but I LOVE those towns along the ocean. Most had their size established before the ocean condo craze, so they feel more homey than the Maryland and Delaware towns I've visited much of my life. Several of those exploded in concrete.

At Bonaparte, Iowa 2008 floods

Because I love my adopted home of Iowa, a series there was almost inevitable (River's Edge). It grew from experiences working in several towns along the Des Moines River. The combination of rural life and water living is compelling.

Sadly, what made river towns so captivating were the floods of 2008. People sandbagged for days and still lost so much. And then they shouldered on -- which meant cleaning a lot of mud from basements and tackling mold, among other things. I met so many fantastic people during those summer weeks.

Now, here's the funny part. I wrote "Tip a Hat to Murder" in 2016, intending it to be a stand-alone book set in an Illinois town. I now live in that state, and thought writing about it would make it feel more like home.

Dang, if I didn't really enjoy those characters and want to continue them. So, three series! That's a lot for me to juggle. I've noticed others are far more prolific as series writers, especially for mysteries. I will read anything written by Carolyn Haines -- if you have not read her, do so.

Sometimes I wonder if it's...lazy to want to use the same characters, but I don't think so. They just kind of grab your heart and won't leave.
                                                      *     *     *     *

 Check out Elaine's web page, sign up for her classes, or receive her newsletter.

Adding Hearts to the Story Line

One of the things I wrestle with in a cozy series is whether to add a love interest and, if so, when to have the protagonist fall in love with the guy. Or should there be a different love interest every couple of books? While cozies don't feature loose women, single women in their late twenties don't generally marry every man they date.

If there is to be a long-term romance or marriage, when should it occur? If it  happens too soon, does that signal an end to the series? It's certainly killed some TV shows. 

My Jolie Gentil series has a longstanding friendship between Jolie and a former high school pal, Scoobie. The books have progressed very differently than planned. The original series outline had the third book titled "Justice for Scoobie," and Jolie was going to solve his murder! 

Things evolved differently. Partly because I liked Scoobie, and more because readers really liked him. So, I'm working on the tenth book, and Jolie and Scoobie are going to take their relationship to a new level - with a twist, of course. 

"Ground to a Halt" is the eighth book, and Jolie and Scoobie explore thinking differently about each other. Actually, Scoobie has been interested since book one, but he's a smart guy. He knows when to make his move.

The ninth book, novella length, lets family and friends in on a secret, and the one I'm writing lets the world know. I've having fun with the story. It's tentatively titled "The Best Way to Start a New Year," but I don't think the title will stick. (Note: Now called The Unexpected Resolution.)

I look forward to letting readers in on Jolie and Scoobie's new path.   

                                                    *     *     *     *

Check out Elaine's web page or sign up for her newsletter