by Grace Topping
Dunbar Road
When real estate broker Alex Boston’s friend since childhood, Pebble Connelly, is murdered on the seawall in front of Alex’s home on St. Simons Island, Alex vows to find the killer, no matter how long it takes. Alex’s planned reunion of her four remaining life-long friends will still take place at Alex’s home as Alex enlists the help of her friends and her trusted housekeeper, Truly Lewis, to find the murderer.
As Alex Boston does her own investigation of suspects she imagines to be killers, even the Island’s new police chief faces her scrutiny. Did Pebble’s work as a reporter put a target on her back? Is the murderer close to Alex or at least living on the Island? Alex and her four remaining friends seek answers to even more questions as the weekend continues. www.amazon.com
Everyone has a story, and we often hear people say they would like to tell that story in a book. Not always an easy task. Studies show that of the people who start writing, only three percent will complete a manuscript. And of those, only six percent will go on to have it published. Astounding statistics.
So when you learn of a writer who toiled for years to write a book and then have it published, it’s impressive—it showed they never gave up. One of those writers is Rose Stack Bock. She worked for years on her book and joins us to talk about her first mystery, Dunbar Road, which was released on Memorial Day.
Welcome, Rose, to Writers Who Kill.
You’ve said, “I’ve arrived late to the world of publishing although I've hung around the door to it for decades.” Did hanging around a high school teaching English influence you to write?
I remember always encouraging my high school students who showed an interest in writing or who were already writers to keep up their good work. I was impressed with the work of several of them over the years. While I haven’t heard that any of my former students are now writers, I’ve had the pleasure of receiving thanks from some of my students who did not show an interest in writing but have thanked me for setting fire to their interest in reading fiction. That is so rewarding.
What prompted you to write crime fiction?
One of my first attempts to draft a novel was based on a murder that happened in a close friend’s family. I was totally drawn into that event, and I took the seed of the story and created my first full-length novel. I was fascinated with the way the Philadelphia detectives found the killer in that murder, and I used information in newspapers to build the story.
My husband and I are drawn to mysteries in movies, television shows, and in novels. After my first attempt to write a murder mystery, I was hooked on the genre. I’m the type of reader who sits back and waits for the identity of a killer in a movie, television show, or novel. I enjoy the red herrings the author inserts, but I try not to be fooled by them. I enjoy the final reveal of the killer.
I understand that you worked on Dunbar Road for a number of years. Writing and publishing can be challenging. What kept you motivated to persevere?
I did work on Dunbar Road for years. When I had the first inkling of the story, I shared my idea with my sister-in-law while we were on a family visit to an aquarium with our two-year-old niece. That was 14 years ago.
I'm an avid reader of mysteries, and I was actually encouraged over and over by mysteries that were published while I was working on my book. I was confident that Alex Boston's tale would be a well-received story. I had faith that my protagonist's story was one that readers would enjoy and even hope to see other mysteries involving Alex. A writer's product, the novel, has to be seen to be enjoyed. After years with Alex, I had to share her story with readers. Looking back, I'm so glad I persevered. Did I mention that writing a murder mystery can be fun? The writer is in a powerful position, adding and subtracting characters, sometimes killing or kidnapping others.
Your main character, Alex Boston, hosts a gathering of her childhood friends. When murder joins the mix, how does Alex remain neutral and not discount any of them being the murderer?
Being an only child, Alex longed for siblings. Without those siblings, her group of friends enriched her life since she was an infant. She thinks of them as the siblings she chose to be with instead of siblings she received at birth.
Alex cherishes her chosen siblings. While she might imagine how one of them could commit a murder, her love for her family won’t allow her to totally accept that one of these siblings could be Pebble’s killer. In spite of her feelings for her life-long friends, her sense of right and wrong won’t let her excuse any one of the group if that person was guilty of murder.
Alex is the daughter of a prominent politician. Has that impacted or complicated her life?
In the years leading up to Pebble’s murder on Alex’s seawall at St. Simons, Alex has always been aware of the public’s interest in her life. Her father was governor of Georgia for a full term, and her mother was the owner and president of the largest flooring manufacturer in the United States.
Each parent has been the object of scrutiny during Alex’s life. As a result, she has heard the opinions of the public on many of her parent’s occupations. Her father has managed to be a politician who sincerely listens to the opinions of his constituents. Alex tries to stay one step ahead of public opinion when she can see that her actions might impact her parents' lives. Alex doesn’t see this communication with her parents as restrictive. Instead, she sees it as showing respect for her parents, and she sees them do the same for her.
Alex absolutely doesn’t like surprises. Is there anything in particular that caused that dislike?
That is an interesting question. Sometimes an author allows one of his/her own quirks to be demonstrated in a character. However, I don’t share Alex’s feelings about surprises, especially if they are carried out with love and joy.
Alex has probably spent her lifetime becoming accustomed to surprise attacks from people who criticized the decisions her parents made in their careers. Her dislike for surprises can be seen every time she updated her parents about a new development in the search for Pebble Connolly’s killer.
Like you, Alex is a life-long resident of a southern state and involved in real estate. Other than that, how much is Alex like you?
Other than those two similarities, I don’t think Alex and I resemble each other. I am one of three children. My parents did not have careers that would result in public comments about their actions.
Similarities beyond those two are that we both earned college degrees that were not related to a future career in real estate. I differ from Alex in that I did earn a master’s degree in secondary education. Right now, we don’t have information on what career Alex pursued after college and during her failed marriage. I’m fairly sure we’ll learn more about that in the future, but it’s not important now.
Writing can be a very isolating activity, especially when you are just starting out. What did you do to counter that isolation and become connected to other writers? Do you have any recommendations for new writers?
I have tried to organize my writing career, even while involved in another career, which was teaching at one time and in real estate later. I set goals for myself; all tied to the story I’m writing. I try to devote the needed amount of time to writing in order to set up a scene in a chapter or to tidy up a scene that is part of the story. I find that I usually approach my writing of a work-in-progress by allowing myself time to move the plot along. When an idea or an action is in my head, I need to get it on paper before it’s gone. That can be isolating.
To ward off isolation, I attend writer’s conferences, and I belong to several organizations for murder mystery writers. As I join a group as a member, I begin to receive email news from those organizations. When Zoom came into our lives, we began to be able to widen our network of fellow writers because a number of functions these organizations hold are available virtually.
Over the years, did your initial story change that much?
The story of Dunbar Road did change quite a bit. In the beginning, Alex’s father was a U.S. Senator and her mother was a non-working wife who became an alcoholic after the death of Alex’s twin sister who was kidnapped and murdered at the family’s summer home on St. Simons. Alex was very involved emotionally and physically in helping to find her sister’s killer. As a result, there was too much going on in the story. With the help of my reliable group of readers who critique my work, the story underwent some revisions that ultimately made it a better read.
What is the most valuable thing you learned since you started writing?
My most valuable lesson since I started writing is the need for connection. A writer needs to be connected to any number of people who can help a story develop.
For example, I have become friends with the officer in charge of jails in our area. I have visited the jail and spent time there, in the central control room of the jail, in order to accurately insert a jail into my writing. I’ve visited and spent time with a detective at our local police station. I learned so much about a day in the life of that individual, and it helped me write about lock-ups, laws governing jailing, etc. I had to reach out of my domain to find these people and others so that there was authenticity in my novel. I have one individual who is my go-to-car guy. If I am using an auto in a scene in a novel, he makes sure I properly describe the vehicle.
What’s next for Alex Boston and you?
There have been several requests and suggestions for a second Alex Boston mystery, and she and I are thinking this over as I write. I am no different than these fans of Alex Boston. When a series I follow in television is over, I miss that series and long for another season. So, Alex and I will stay in touch until we get the right vibe for her next adventure. There are so many aspects of Alex’s life that can possibly change or grow. She’ll be popping up again before too long.
Thank you, Rose. I look forward to the further adventures of Alex and Truly.
Bio
The author and her main character, Alex Boston, have some similarities. Both have lived in the southern United States for their entire lives, and both are real estate brokers with their own companies; but similarities end there.
Bock’s love of murder mysteries is the driving force behind the birth of Dunbar Road, a fictional road and a place that will serve as the basis of more happenings for Alex, her housekeeper Truly Lewis, and her four best friends. Watch this author as she looks forward to the next adventure with Alex Boston.
Grace Topping is the author of the Laura Bishop Mystery Series.
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