And The Creation of a Mystery Series
by Jackie King
Grace Cassidy was born fully clothed and in a peck of
trouble. Hot and tired from a long walk, she was thoroughly ticked off
with her philandering husband Charlie’s antics. But alas and alack, as soon as
Grace walked into my head, things grew much worse for her.
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| Jackie King looking deviously sweet |
Like Grace, I was staying in a B&B on the northern coast
of California and had exhausted myself walking from the charming old mansion,
once the property of a sea captain, to the beach. Once back to my room, I threw
myself on the authentic wedding-ring quilt to rest.
When a writer’s body rests, her (or his) mind wanders. Almost without
conscious thought, I began to play my favorite game: What if?
What if I walked into my room and found a corpse? And…what if he was naked and his clothes were
nowhere to be found? And…what if I had
no friends? No money? No credit cards? And worst of all, no job skills? Would
determination, brains, and moxie be enough? Especially if life were complicated by a teenaged son and a cat?
These are the quandaries
that morphed my character Grace Cassidy into life. Soon after, I began writing book
one of a new Bed & Breakfast mystery series.
To make the series more fun for readers and more interesting
to me, I decided that Grace would discover her true self and evolve into a
stronger woman in each book.
Book one—THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE:
In this beginning book, Grace learns that she is made of a tougher fiber than she thought.
With the help of some zany strangers she hires on as the temporary inn sitter where she bakes, cleans, and entertains as she works her way through a maze
of conflicting stories told by the eccentric guests. Her detecting doesn't go
quite as she plans, but she muddles her way through and solves the crime.
Grace’s conclusion at
the end of this book: I CAN survive without a husband or family
money.
Book two—THE CORPSE WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR:
With one solved
murder under her belt plus a glimpse at her true identity as a woman,
Inn-Sitter Grace Cassidy sets her face to evolve from the lady-like people-pleaser
she has always been. During this journey, life throws some dangerous
road-blocks under her feet. Her son is accused of attempted murder and rape.
Trouble, her cat, finds a dead body in the bathtub. And if that isn’t enough,
her Ex-husband Charlie, returns and wants to reconcile.
Grace’s conclusion at
the end of this book: I like this person I’m becoming, but I’m
still scared of a committed relationship with a man. The trouble is, I may be
falling in love with Sam Harper.
THE CORPSE AND THE GEEZER BRIGADE.
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| Grace's latest adventure includes danger and romance |
Grace Cassidy comes back to her hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
She needs to file for divorce and has an inn-sitting position—she thinks. Much
to her dismay, she learns she’s smackdab in the middle of another murder mess. Grace’s
son is in line to inherit 80 million dollars IF HE CAN STAY ALIVE. This in-the-making
catastrophe started 50 years earlier, but is just now catching up with Grace. Her
running buddy Theodora, has to explain what the word TONTINE means.
Thank goodness her
almost-boyfriend Sam Harper shows up to give a hand.
To learn Grace’s
conclusion at the end: You have to read the book.
Tantalising, Jackie. Interesting, too, in that, seemingly without any conscious effort on my part, the main characters in my own series have also developed through their 5 books. I suppose it's partly because the author changes over the few years it takes to compile a series, but also the characters' experiences form them, bring out more of some of their aspects and suppress others. I'm constantly surprised at how this writing business works, how realities and fictions seem interchangeable at times.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Bill. Profound, actually. But isn't it fun?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input.
A thoroughly enjoyable and interesting series that I've enjoyed, Jackie.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jean. I treasure your opinion.
ReplyDelete