I'll Make Mine Poison

A few years ago when my siblings and I were camping at Grayson Highland State Park in Virginia, we went to the Visitor's Center one morning. At that time I was working on plot ideas for my third book and something in the museum sparked an idea. Without stopping to think, I blurted out, "I think I have an idea on how to poison people with plants." The sister, who was closest to me, shushed me and looked around to see if there were other visitors close enough to have heard me.

Writers have plots and ideas floating in their brains like flotsam and jetsam ready to be grabbed and worked into something that will create a story. The drifting ideas of mystery writers are maybe a little more bizarre than those of other writers.

Traditional or cozy writers often use poison in their books to kill a victim. Agatha Christie used it in many of her books. I once read someplace that poison is used more often by women mystery writers as the weapon of choice than men do. I also remember hearing once that if a victim is poisoned in real life, most often a woman did it. I'm not sure if that's correct or not, but it makes sense to me.

One of the most popular panels at Malice Domestic is that of Luci Hansson Zahray, The Poison Lady. (Although there are men at this conference, women far outnumber them.) Except for this past year because of a scheduling conflict, I have gone to every one of her panels since 2007 and always learn something new. She's incredibly knowledgeable about poisons and even brings samples to show - not share. She's a delightful speaker and quite funny, and very good about answering questions. If she can't take all of them in the time allotted at the end of her panel, you can find her in the hospitality room willing to talk to you and answer your questions there. She helped me decide on one poison when she told me how to give it to the victim and how long it would take to work. Another time I emailed her with a question and within a day or two, she got back to me with an answer.

I also have three books on poisonous plants nd three more books on all kinds of poisons. My favorite is Book of Poisons; A Guide for Writers by Serita Stevens and Anne Bannon. I also use a few chapters in Murder and Mayhem by D.P. Lyle, M.D.. I might add that people who come to dinner and see these books, or if I bring one out to prove a point like poinsettias really aren't deadly poisonous, seem to get that look of wondering f it's safe to eat at my house. Maybe those who are picking through their salads aren't really wondering if it's safe to eat.

Recently I finished the first draft of Ladies of the Garden Club in which three members of the club have met their end by some sort of poisonous plants. It puts my protagonist, Catherine Jewell, under suspicion by some since she'd recently taught a workshop on poisonous plants with a tour of Elmwood Gardens, where she works, pointing out common poisonous plants. Out of a total of seven victims in my three books, four of them have been poisoned. Maybe that's why family and friends look a little nervous when they eat at my house.

If you're a mystery writer, what method do you use most often in offing your victims?

And if you're not a writer, but occasionally have murderous thoughts, what method do you think would be the best way to eliminate the person you're angry with?