Three Series? by V.M. Burns

People often ask about the fact that I write three mystery series. In case you didn’t know, I write three mystery series. I write a Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series, which is set on the shores of Lake Michigan in the fictional Southwestern Michigan town of North Harbor, Michigan and features mystery bookshop owner, Samantha Washington as the amateur sleuth who solves murders with the help of her grandmother, Nana Jo and friends from a retirement village.

In addition to the Mystery Bookshop series, I also write a Dog Club Mystery Series which starts in the fictional town of Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana. In the second book, the series moves to Chattanooga, Tennessee and features Lilly Ann Echosby as the amateur sleuth who solves murders with the help of her family and friends from the dog club.

My third series is my RJ Franklin Mystery Series which is a culinary mystery set in the fictional town of St. Joseph, Indiana and features detective RJ Franklin and his godmother, Mama B, as the sleuths. One of the questions that I’m often asked is how can you write three completely different mysteries? How do you keep the characters and the details straight? So, I thought I’d give a bit of insight into the how and the why of writing multiple series.

Why three series? I have a lot of different ideas for mysteries and writing three different series helps to provide a way to get all of these ideas out and onto paper. It also helps to eliminate the possibility that I would become bored with the characters. Writing a book takes quite a bit of time…months (sometimes longer, if you have a life). When you’re writing, you spend a lot of time with your characters. I spend a lot of time not only writing, but just thinking about the characters. I spend a lot of time thinking through how the characters would react in various situations. I even spend time thinking about what these fictional characters eat, drink and wear. Imagine spending months with the same people in your head day after day and line after line (probably the reason a number of famous writers were also alcoholics). These characters are in your head all day, every day. Even the closest of families spend time apart from time to time. Yet, when you’re writing, you don’t get a break from your characters. Even when doing other tasks like cooking, shopping, or laundry, those characters pop in your head. If you know a writer, that’s when you will see them grab a scrap of paper (or in my case, an envelope or a napkin) to jot down notes for later. Needless to say, after months thinking about, listening to and writing about a cast of characters (yes, I said listening to because it can seem like your characters are talking to you, and NO, I’m not crazy). When the book is finally finished, you need a break. Writing a different series (at least for me) provides an opportunity to continue writing (something I love), but with a completely different set of people in a different environment with different problems. Writing multiple series provides a well needed break.

The next question I’m asked is HOW do you keep your characters straight? Each of my series features different people in different settings. The fact that I’m very familiar with each of those settings is extremely helpful. I was born and raised in Northwestern Indiana. I lived for several years in Southwestern Michigan and I now reside in Chattanooga, Tennessee, so I’m very familiar with each of the locations for my series. Southwestern Michigan, although close in physical proximity is very different from Northwestern Indiana, and the Midwest often feels like a completely different planet from the South. Plus, Detective RJ Franklin and Mama B are different from Samantha Washington and Lilly Echosby. So, their reactions will, of course be different. However, there are tips for helping to keep all of the details straight. First, I keep a detailed list of my characters along with their quirks and eccentricities which I refer back to when needed. I also find that Pinterest is great for maintaining visual images. I’ve gotten into the habit of creating a Pinterest board for each of my books when I start to write. This enables me to describe (and remember) people, places and things which may come back in future books.

Ultimately, I think writing multiple series adds variety and provides different creative outlets. As a reader, I enjoy reading British and American, historic and contemporary cozies as well as police procedurals and P.I. mysteries. As a writer, I am having a lot of fun trying my hand at writing them. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find the time for a fourth or fifth series. 

V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com.