A Writer’s Progression by M. E. Roche

Like many writers, I had always wanted to write, but I had little idea what that meant until I finally set the goal of finishing something. Then I had the daunting task of figuring out how to set about getting published. It all began naively enough with the desire to re-create the student nurse mysteries of the 1950’s—Cherry Ames, Sue Barton, etc. I thought there would be young readers eager to read my updated versions of life as a nurse—and written by an RN! Of course, that didn’t happen. Against all warnings, I finally went with a subsidy publisher and discovered—what is now commonplace—that publishers expect writers to do much of their own promotion. Cut to the present: I eventually turned to indie publishing. Along the way I also discovered that I loved the creative process of writing, that despite the directive to outline one’s story, I loved letting my characters take me to where a story would go.

I wrote three YA novels, updating those old student nurse mysteries. During that process, I discovered that I loved my main character, Nora Brady. I wanted to bring her into adulthood and as she had worked with law enforcement, I decided to take her into that arena. To gain a better idea of what that involved, I was lucky to work with my local sheriff’s department: I did ride-alongs and volunteered with the coroner’s division in assisting with autopsies. I also took a gun safety class, qualifying me for concealed carry! Then I wrote the first of my adult Nora Brady mysteries: The South Spit Murders. Set in a small, coastal town in northern California, Nora is now a detective with the sheriff’s department and is tasked with solving the murders of three, seemingly unrelated victims found on an isolated strip of coastal land.

As I was working on subsequent manuscripts on Nora Brady, friends brought me the story of their grandfather who was accused (rightly so) and jailed for bigamy in the 1930’s. They had numerous newspaper clippings from that time, and they thought it would make a great novel. I did further research on the story, but it took me some time to decide if I could shape the story into a book; there was no murder. What would make readers want to read about this? Eventually, I did decide to write the story, and the product is Bigamy. What’s different about this story? Both wives were full participants in the plot and that the story was true—to a point. Times were different then. No TV. No Internet. No real communication between different state departments, or different states for that matter. These people had every reason to assume their goal was achievable, but they forgot one tiny factor which proved to be their downfall. I hope my readers will enjoy!

Meet:  M. E. Roche

 After focusing on the creative component of my writing for the last twenty years or so, it became my goal over these last few of those years, to focus on learning more about marketing—what to do once I had a finished product. Unlike many writers, I didn’t have to make a living at my writing—which was a good thing—but there is that desire to get the work out there to see if it resonates with others. This time around I did the usual work of taking classes, setting up a website—which I had done in years past, but to which I had not devoted sufficient time. I joined writers’ groups, attended webinars, and then set up online connections with social media and promotional sites. I had avoided exposing much of myself, but when the recent calls came out for those interested in doing a blog, I jumped at the chance to do something with a group that called itself “Writers Who Kill.” Coincidentally, I had just begun to wonder if I had some deep-seated psychological problem in that my work always had to include murder!

To learn more about my books and me, please visit my site: www.meroche.com