tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post1486202646039124601..comments2024-03-18T04:40:38.214-05:00Comments on Murderous Musings: Romance in MysteriesChester Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155257451021065218noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-42334713547784727202014-06-29T16:58:25.816-05:002014-06-29T16:58:25.816-05:00Sharon, what a beautiful stock answer!Sharon, what a beautiful stock answer!June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-30515605492888541442014-06-29T15:41:44.097-05:002014-06-29T15:41:44.097-05:00My stock answer is romance is to a novel what salt...My stock answer is romance is to a novel what salt is to baking, it sweetens, spices, lifts basic flavor.Sharon Ervinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01034672245013019017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-23544042543984112222014-06-29T08:34:32.692-05:002014-06-29T08:34:32.692-05:00Nancy, you're right. Mystery readers do want r...Nancy, you're right. Mystery readers do want romance behind closed doors. And I hadn't thought of it, but a love interest does give us more to anticipate in upcoming books. Good points.June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-75740129987814458712014-06-29T05:11:24.194-05:002014-06-29T05:11:24.194-05:00I always like a romance in a mystery. It adds spic...I always like a romance in a mystery. It adds spice and fun and something to look forward to in subsequent installments. But one has to keep in mind that mystery readers like their bedroom scenes behind closed doors.Nancy J. Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14228901230896110347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-50306262575671235302014-06-28T16:53:54.215-05:002014-06-28T16:53:54.215-05:00Barbara, we all want our stories to end on an enco...Barbara, we all want our stories to end on an encouraging note. Romances, of course, always do. June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-50781783625850998972014-06-28T16:52:24.890-05:002014-06-28T16:52:24.890-05:00Jackie, I'm not sure if it helps a book sell b...Jackie, I'm not sure if it helps a book sell better, but I enjoy adding and reading about a love interest.June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-13153786534019417072014-06-28T16:29:37.514-05:002014-06-28T16:29:37.514-05:00Yes, yes, yes! My favorite mysteries all include a...Yes, yes, yes! My favorite mysteries all include a little romance -- and sometimes a lot. I think that's why I've written quite a few romances that are also mysteries, because much as I love trying to figure out whodunit, I also want the happily ever after at the end.Barbara Monajemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06740868750916582900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-25410932844097605252014-06-28T16:25:12.981-05:002014-06-28T16:25:12.981-05:00I vote for a love interest in mysteries, too, and ...I vote for a love interest in mysteries, too, and for the same reasons already mentioned. Also, I've heard this helps your books sell better!<br />Jackie Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16276062715832103428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-80794661652696741562014-06-28T16:02:43.181-05:002014-06-28T16:02:43.181-05:00Yes, Susan, thrusting couples together does make a...Yes, Susan, thrusting couples together does make a more fertile ground for conflict. June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-43330118440767240602014-06-28T16:00:12.443-05:002014-06-28T16:00:12.443-05:00Jacqueline, I also believe that a love interest ma...Jacqueline, I also believe that a love interest makes for a fully rounded character. And yes, I do enjoy humor. Don't we all like to laugh?June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-898170697144628432014-06-28T15:58:39.019-05:002014-06-28T15:58:39.019-05:00I truly agree with you, Nick. Let's keep roman...I truly agree with you, Nick. Let's keep romance in our lives to make them whole.June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-8197836569273707462014-06-28T15:57:48.059-05:002014-06-28T15:57:48.059-05:00Sandy, I also like the romance to be an integral p...Sandy, I also like the romance to be an integral part of the story. Glad you like Mom's red panties. Yesterday was her birthday. I'm sure she would be smiling at your comment.<br />June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-35050811954461777572014-06-28T15:55:52.805-05:002014-06-28T15:55:52.805-05:00Susan, isn't it interesting how we get to lear...Susan, isn't it interesting how we get to learn about our characters and the people they interact with? You sure are showing a different side to your police chief.<br />June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-48714157592489991422014-06-28T15:54:22.000-05:002014-06-28T15:54:22.000-05:00Sheila, I agree that there are lots that we don...Sheila, I agree that there are lots that we don't see coming in our mysteries. You seem to have figured out what works best in your series.<br />June Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634658458716422436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-26811880319884230192014-06-28T15:07:08.106-05:002014-06-28T15:07:08.106-05:00I love romance in mysteries -- it ups the stakes a...I love romance in mysteries -- it ups the stakes and shows aspects of the characters that the author might not otherwise have a chance to explore. Anything that makes the main characters more 3-dimensional is useful. I think romance helps the reader identify with the protagonist, as well. In fact, I'll go a step further and say that some of the sleuths I have enjoyed the most have been couples (Peabody and Emerson, Nick and Nora, Tommy and Tuppence and so on). As a writer, putting a couple together is fertile ground for conflict of all sorts ... which is why Thea Campbell and Paul Hudson are together in my stories :)Susan Schreyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11902407971890082541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-48824055685886811692014-06-28T14:21:04.739-05:002014-06-28T14:21:04.739-05:00Hi, June,
Romance goes hand in hand with my Kim R...Hi, June,<br /><br />Romance goes hand in hand with my Kim Reynolds mystery novels. I think that makes for fully rounded characters who take on real life personalities. I don't read or write dull novels. I enjoy romance, suspense, mystery and some aspects of a thriller. I like the sound of your novels since they include some humor--something I also enjoy and like to include too.Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-8641626067100117112014-06-28T13:49:45.201-05:002014-06-28T13:49:45.201-05:00June, like you, I like a lot of romance in a myste...June, like you, I like a lot of romance in a mystery because I believe mysteries should encompass all parts of a person's life. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.Nicholas Genovesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00504396107928663672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-18121151088635320402014-06-28T13:39:34.503-05:002014-06-28T13:39:34.503-05:00I like a little romance, but I like for it to be a...I like a little romance, but I like for it to be an integral part of the story. And ... I love the story about your mom's red panties.Sandy Codyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824301408180614516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-17507476613839860252014-06-28T12:46:52.474-05:002014-06-28T12:46:52.474-05:00I also like a little romance along with the myster...I also like a little romance along with the mystery, but organic to the story. My protagonist in the Mellingham series, Chief Joe Silva, didn't find "true love" for three books. Now the romance element is his ongoing relationship with Gwen and her two children. It gives me a chance to show another side to the police chief, and I get to learn more about him.Susan Oleksiwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404036170106001374.post-79678762926007900752014-06-28T11:59:25.440-05:002014-06-28T11:59:25.440-05:00When I began the Lauren Atwill series, the one thi...When I began the Lauren Atwill series, the one thing I was absolutely sure of was the romantic element. I knew who he was and how they'd meet and how they'd end up together, Lauren and this seeming Mr. Wrong. Lauren and her PI, Peter Winslow, have been chasing killers in post-war Hollywood ever since. What I didn't see coming -- OK, there was LOTS I didn't see coming in writing mysteries -- was the challenge of keeping the romance an integral part of the continuing story without it interfering with the mystery. I like my mysteries with a bit of romance, not romance with a bit of mystery.Sheila Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16580800243505309470noreply@blogger.com