Starting a New Series by Marilyn Levinson

Recently, I started writing the first book in a new cozy series. However, there was much I had to work out before I could write the first word of the first chapter. For one thing, my new series takes place on an island that you will never find on any map. Dickens Island is my creation. It's situated smack in the middle of the Long Island Sound and belongs to New York. Creating an island requires all sorts of planning—its size; its shape; how many people live on the island year round; how many come during the summer months; what ferries link the island to the mainland; what the school system is like; its local government; its history.

I researched the islands off Long Island to learn how they deal with many of these issues, and came up with many methods of my own. Setting, as any cozy author will tell you, is a very important element. It is the world where our characters live, work, interrelate, and commit murders. 

My main characters came to me early on. I knew I wanted my sleuth to be a savvy woman around forty—divorced for many years and the mother of a fifteen-year-old son. And so Delia, short for Cordelia, was born. Twelve years earlier, she divorced her abusive husband and left three-year-old Connor on Dickens Island to be raised by her parents, while she lived and worked in Manhattan. When she moves back to Dickens Island to resume her maternal duties, is it any wonder that Connor resents her? That he's distant and difficult, and bound to get into more-than-typical teenage trouble?

Graham Dickens, Delia's father, is the patriarch of the family, and feels it's his responsibility to keep the island running smoothly. Not that he holds any position in the island's government. Those positions are held by his brother, Brad, the president of the town council, and Reenie, Brad's wife, who is the island's manager. Unfortunately, Brad and Reenie are fiercely at odds over most issues. Their open discord has begun to affect their marriage and to divide the island into two hostile camps. 

 What fun it is to create new characters that will live on in future books. Helena, Delia's grandmother, has left Delia a large Victorian house when she died the previous year. When Delia discovers her grandmother's hidden room filled with sailors' logs and journals, Helena appears in ghostly form. She fills Delia in on events that occurred many years ago that shed light on the  recent homicide.

 A shaggy dog starts to follow Connor about, often spending the night at the house with Delia and her son. Delia has no success in finding his owner. She's surprised when she sees the spitting image of the dog in an early photo with her grandmother.

 And so I've begun writing the first book in my new series. I've had to stop a few times to understand my characters' relationship with one another. I'm glad I did because that enriched the texture of the story. Now all I have to do it write about the murder, why it came about, and how it gets resolved. And a few other things, of course. That should keep me busy for the next several months. 

COZY DOESN’T MEAN WEAK by V. M. Burns

Cozy mysteries may not feature a tough as nails, hard-nosed, pistol wielding, foul-mouthed detective, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still pack a punch or be impactful. If you stroll down the aisles of your favorite bookstores, you won’t have any difficulty separating the darker noir, true crime, or gritty police procedurals from the cozy mysteries. The titles and the covers are a dead giveaway. But just because cozy mystery titles are full of puns or the covers are overflowing with cuddly kittens, adorable puppies, or trays of delectable baked goods, that doesn’t mean that the books are light-weights that shy away from tough issues.

There are some dos and don’ts for cozy mysteries that contribute to the misconception that cozy equates to cream puff. Cozy mysteries almost always feature an amateur sleuth rather than a hardcore alcoholic cop like Jesse Stone or a shoot first and ask questions later, Dirty Harry. I have an active imagination and even I can’t imagine Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher pointing a gun and shouting, “Go ahead. Make my day.” Cozy mysteries don’t have gratuitous sex (well, any sex), no graphic violence, and no swearing. Plus, it’s not uncommon that in addition to a murder that must be solved, cozies will often include a knitting pattern, a tip for decluttering your home, or a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Nevertheless, cozy mysteries can still address important issues…in their own way. I’m a big fan of Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery Series, about a widowed midwife, Sarah Brandt. Over the course of the twenty plus books in the series, Thompson sheds light on issues of class, race, sexual orientation, and police corruption at the turn of the century in New York City. Thompson doesn’t beat audiences over the head, nor does she forget that the ultimate point is the mystery. However, she does manage to enlighten while she entertains.

In my Mystery Bookshop series, my protagonist, Samantha Washington is writing a British historic cozy mystery that is set between WWI and WWII. This was an incredibly turbulent time in our history, and I’ve managed to weave in things like the kindertransport, which was an organized rescue effort that brought over 10,000 children from Nazi occupied territories to the United Kingdom prior to the outbreak of World War II. Also, despite the cute puppies on the covers of my Dog Club Mystery series, I’ve attempted to include some weightier topics. In, Sit, Stay, Slay! the soon-to-be-released fifth book in the series, I shed light on the practice of dog racing and the plight of these (thankfully) now retired greyhounds.

Mystery/Crime fiction is a segment of genre fiction which is often looked down upon as “escapist,” and not taken seriously by literary fiction enthusiast. Within the mystery genre, cozies are even further down the ladder. Nevertheless, cozies are able to broach subjects in a way that is subtle yet relatable. I’m not deluding myself to believe that cozies will have the same law changing power as books like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but they definitely have the potential to make an impact. If honey can attract more flies than vinegar, then who knows what a great chocolate chip cookie recipe is capable of accomplishing.

Sit, Stay, Slay!

When her best friend Dixie is suspected of killing a dog show judge, Lilly must bring one sick puppy to heel . . .
 
Tennessee transplant Lilly Echosby has two great loves: dogs and mysteries. So naturally she's named her poodles Aggie, after Agatha Christie, and Rex, for Rex Stout. Now that she has two dogs to manage, it makes sense to enter Aggie in an obedience competition—especially since her instructor is Lilly's gal pal, Scarlet "Dixie" Jefferson.
 
But when one of the judges for the competition turns out to be Dixie's high school rival, the dog trainer gets hot under the collar. When the woman is found strangled, Dixie becomes the number one suspect. With the help of the other dog club members, Lilly must find the real killer—before the next judge Dixie tangles with throws the book at her . . .

Buy Link---- Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, Nook

 

About the author

V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. She received a Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, a Master's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Seton Hill University. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers Association of America, Thriller Writers International and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. In addition to the RJ Franklin Mystery series, V.M. Burns is also the Agatha Award nominated author of The Plot is Murder, the first book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series; and the RJ Franklin Mystery series.

She currently resides East Tennessee with her two poodles. Readers can keep up with new releases by following her on social media.

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vmburns

Website: vmburns.com

Starting a Novel by Marilyn Levinson

Last week I started writing a new novel. Something to celebrate but not to get all bent out of shape about, having written more than twenty books before. But that's exactly what happened when I started to plot the eighth book in my Haunted Library series. I got stymied. And nervous. And wondering if I could write a rough draft. I knew the two story lines I wanted to use, had known it for months. But seeing them through and making the necessary connections somehow seemed impossible this time.

Why? I wondered. Was it because it was the last book in the series? The one that had to deliver a rousing conclusion that brought out the best in my characters and ended the series in a memorable way? Recently, the sixth book had been published and some readers had told me it was the best one yet. There's nothing like having to match or even top yourself.

I love the two story lines I planned to follow as guides for this new novel. They're quite different from each other and full of possibilities. I'm not someone who can sit down quietly and plot out my next book. Ideas comes to me at various times—when I'm in the shower, taking a walk, drifting off to sleep. I decided to be practical this time, and so I asked my two writing friends with whom I check in each evening to become my sounding boards via Zoom. "Write out what you have so far and send it to us before," Peg said. And that's what I did.

To my surprise, I managed to write out a rough draft of an outline and sent it off to Peg and Kaye. To my amazement, they found it perfectly fine. They raised a few issues; we discussed a few points and I came up with a brilliant ending. Well, brilliant in my eyes because it works and it's different.

Once I had my friends' blessing, I began Chapter One. The opening scene came to me right away, probably because starting a novel is something I've done many times. Somehow the mechanics of doing this gets into your brain the way your body remembers an aerobic workout routine.

Do any of you ever have trouble plotting your next novel? If so, what steps do you take to get the job done? 

Some Thoughts Upon Starting a Novel by Marilyn Levinson

Here I am again, about to start a new novel in my Haunted Library mystery series. Death on the Shelf celebrated its book birthday this past week, and I'm in the midst of a virtual book tour and other methods of promotion as I continue to write guest blogs and interviews. My editor has gone over Dewey Decimated, the sixth book in the series, and I'm currently addressing her notes and edits. For a while now I've been thinking about book number seven.

My mysteries often have two plot lines that eventually converge, and the plot lines on which this book is based came to me immediately. That's all I know so far and it's not for lack of thinking. The criminal element in this book revolves around art. But in what capacity? I've considered storylines that involve art theft, art forgery and fake and illegal antiquities. All possibilities. Then I have to decide who's crooked, who ends up murdered, and how my sleuth will put two and two together and find the killer and the thieves.

Will I ever fashion an entire novel incorporating all these elements? How did I manage to write novels until now? A good friend and fellow author reminds me that I go through this with every book I write. It's somewhat comforting to know that many of my fellow authors go through the same morass of doubt and  concern.

The solution, I've discovered, is to turn to what I already know. Book number seven is part of a series, which means many of my characters, the tone, and the setting are well established.  One of my two plot lines comes directly from the previous book in the series. This always happens without any conscious effort on my part. It's as though my characters are pushing the story forward. While every book in the series stands alone, there are links to the continuous saga of my characters' private lives--their loves and friendships, experiences and adventures. These will help me figure out the mystery part of the story. And as soon as I've finished writing my final interview and have given away my last giveaway, I'll settle down and let the ideas I need come to me. And I'll start to write my next novel.

Some Thoughts About Writing A Cozy Series by Marilyn Levinson

 Writing a series, I've discovered, requires focusing on more than one book at a time. Last month Checked Out for Murder, the fourth book in my Haunted Library series came out. This required months of promotion: Facebook parties, guest blogs, a virtual book tour, etc. At the same time I've been writing and editing Death On the Shelf, the fifth book in the series. And following my agent's instructions, I've started to outline Book Number Six. Then there are the price reductions and unexpected activity involving earlier books that demand my immediate attention. Is it any wonder I occasionally mismatch titles and murder suspects in my head?  

The nice thing about writing a series is that your main characters and setting are already established. I'm very fond of my sleuth Carrie Singleton, Evelyn the ghost, and the others who populate my books. I enjoy writing about their experiences and relationships, and, of course, the mysteries they solve as the series progresses. Carrie works in the Clover Ridge Library. Her life is filled with colleagues, friends and relatives. As head of programs and events, she also has the opportunity to meet new people—very important to a series as each book in a series requires new situations, events, and themes. Personal issues arise as well as problems facing the community—all fodder for a murder mystery. 

 

A cozy series provides readers with well-loved characters, a familiar sense of place, and the knowledge that all will be resolved in the end. At the same time, each book must offer new mysteries and new directions—a challenge to the author and not for the faint of heart.