Small Towns, The Perfect Mystery Setting - by Judy L. Murray

“It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.” Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Arthur Conan Doyle

The English may think they have the corner on dangerous villages, but we prolific American writers also create lots of small-town settings that affect our characters’ lives and charm our readers. We know small towns make for perfect incidents of murrrr-der whether we choose the Chesapeake Bay, the Midwest, or the Colorado mountains.

Cabot Cove, the beloved hometown of Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote, will always be one of the most famous mystery series locations, proving that cozies belong in villages. With boats in the harbor, a country doctor, and a small-time sheriff, Jessica’s travails became a genre theme. Over the years small towns as a location evolved into private jokes among authors. After all, how many murders can any one town handle?

What makes small towns the perfect cozy setting? Being from a small town in Pennsylvania, I think of local shops, teachers who taught generations, three-person sheriff departments, and two traffic lights. The anonymity a killer might count as an advantage in a big city is far less likely in a small town. Local killers have a harder time dreaming up alibis because everyone knows each other’s business, for good and for bad. If he’s new to the community, he’ll stand out like a red Maserati parked next to an old pickup truck.

Readers enjoy a small-town sense of community. They get emotionally involved with a book’s familiar cast of characters, even the annoying ones. Parks, shops, and libraries where characters meet to discuss the latest news are endearing. It adds to the shock and concern of a murder just discovered. Who did it? Why? Is the killer one of us? Gossip and accusations fly. Townspeople are less likely to set bad news aside and continue their lives untouched. Some will circle the wagons. Some will spill the beans. Someone decides to do some sleuthing.

The bakery, the church, and the hardware store all form an even smaller microcosm within the town setting. It’s here where co-workers become family even when not related. They are dependable and close-knit. They either welcome a newcomer or regard the newcomer with suspicion.

A crime in a small village provides a different element of fear, unlike a crime in a big city of strangers. The person killed isn’t a stranger. They know the victim personally. And the killer is highly likely to be someone they know. Secrets are closely guarded and loyalties are long, even when misguided. The town buzz is fodder for useless clues and valuable insight.

Amateur sleuths in small towns tend to nosey into solving crimes and step on the law’s toes. They’re good at talking among the locals to flush out clues. The small police force with limited resources may initially discount our sleuths’ abilities but grudgingly come around to their intrusions and deductions.

Although we might joke about the frequency of small-town crimes like in Cabot Cove, as readers we’re perfectly happy to set those doubts aside. We fall in love with the odd mix of characters. We stay up at night turning pages while we sort through the drama, the danger, the clues and the missteps. We hope we can ferret out the killer before the sleuth. Much like the all-too-famous line about Vegas, what happens in small towns stays in small towns. Until the next dead body. And that’s part of the fun.

Do You Believe in Serendipity? - By Judy L. Murray

…In good karma? Or is it just coincidence? Jane Marple considers coincidence suspect, often deliberate. Yet I’ve decided as writers we experience ‘accidental’ moments quite often.

Last week my husband and I took a quick two-night trip. We were hungry for a bit of adventure before a big surgery. I picked a large historic B&B in Connecticut. It turned out to be the perfect choice. Charming, immaculate, and with delightful touches. But within hours he was under the weather. I was left to myself while he slept through the two days.

Restless and alone, I tucked into a tiny side room on the B&B’s first floor when a small dark-haired woman looked in. “I’m sorry, I was curious about this spot. I didn’t mean to intrude.” She smiled. I smiled back. “Of course not,” I replied. “My husband is sleeping. I’m returning a few calls.” The woman lifted two wine glasses in her hand. “My friends and I are in the fireplace room. Do you want to join us?” I began to protest, then stopped. “That’s so nice of you. I think I will.”

Which leads me to the subject of ‘community’ and how karma can pull us together at just the right time. The definition is ‘a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society’.

In mysteries, authors tend to place their protagonist within their own imagined community. It might be Port Anne, a small Maryland town on the Chesapeake in my series. Perhaps a community is like the famous Jane Marple’s St. Mary Mead or Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove. It’s not just geography. Community incorporates characters’ work, personal hobbies, the styles and ages of their houses, even the weather. It becomes a shared commonality that binds residents together or perhaps drives them apart.

The term community is an important means for building reader attachment. Good writers inspire their readers to feel emotionally connected to their characters. Certainly in a series, fans anticipate the next book because of their evolving affection for a circle of characters. We laugh at the silly ones, root for those fighting crime, and cheer at the conclusion.

Writing can feel lonely. Yet we also know our characters become our special community of friends while we create their story. And the real people we meet when we’re out and about can provide us encouragement. Readers send me photos of my books on coffee tables, book shelves, beach chairs, and tote bags. They drive an hour and a half from home to purchase their signed copy at a signing. Their efforts to reach out touches my heart. It leaves me grateful. They become a vast community that keeps me writing.

Do you have an incident where karma or coincidence evolved into building your readership community? I wonder if our readers know how important they are to us or influence our stories.

Judy

Author, The Chesapeake Bay Mysteries Series

Mystery in the Midlands

by Paula Gail Benson

On Saturday, July 28, 2018, in the “famously hot” city of Columbia, S.C., the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the South East Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America (SEMWA) presented the inaugural Mystery in the Midlands conference (so named because Columbia is at the state’s center, halfway between the Low Country and the Upstate, in an area often designated as “the Midlands”). Since last summer's highly successful SEMWA sponsored Jeffery Deaver program, our two organizations had discussed having another event in Columbia. When Sisters in Crime National paid for Elaine Viets to come to Columbia as part of its Speakers’ Bureau program (many thanks for this terrific program!), we knew we had a fantastic guest of honor and set to building a mystery book festival around her appearance.

Presidents Riley Miller (Palmetto Chapter) and Maggie Toussaint (SEMWA) headed our planning committee, which included Carla Damron, Maxine Henry, Debra H. Goldstein, Lynn Chandler Willis, and myself as liaison and event coordinator for each group. We sent out a call to SinC chapters and SEMWA members in the region, asking who might want to participate in a day of master classes and panels. We were delighted by the overwhelming response. In addition to Elaine Viets, 20 authors served on 4 panels and 3 authors taught master classes.



Jaden (Beth) Terrell

Richard Helms

Debra H. Goldstein

We began the morning with Krispy Kremes and caffeine. (By the end of the day, our excellent assistant Billy Itter, a talented cartoonist, told me he now understood that authors were fueled by regular, not decaffeinated, coffee.) The first presentations of the day were the three master classes featuring Jaden (Beth) Terrell (“Don’t Sweat It. Get It Done!”), Debra H. Goldstein (“Turning Up the Heat with Conflict”), and Richard Helms (“The Brains Behind the Words”). All these classes were well attended and the only complaint I heard was that folks wanted to be in all three at the same time. Our gracious presenters have agreed that we may post their materials on our website. YAY!

Lynn Hesse, Brian Thiem, Roger Johns, Paul A. Barra, Lynn Chandler Willis

Following the master classes, our first panel had Lynn Chandler Willis moderating “Getting Real with Crime Fiction” with Lynn Hesse, Brian Thiem, Roger Johns, and Paul A. Barra. Then, we had a lively interview of Elaine Viets by Cathy Pickens. What amazing experiences Elaine has had in conducting research for her novels and short stories! She thrilled us throughout the day with tidbits of what she had discovered about hotel maids, bookstore employees, and male strippers!

Elaine Viets and Cathy Pickens

Riley Miller

During a buffet lunch, Riley Miller presented a super “Hot Leads” introduction of authors. Each table had a composite of author “mug shots.” Riley told the audience an unknown fact about each author in the composite group. The person who guessed the author won a center piece (each beautifully designed by Donna Robison), then the author had a few minutes to tell the audience about his or her work.

After lunch, we continued with “Hot Shorts: The Art of the Short Story.” I was delighted to moderate for Robert Mangeot, Warren Moore, Karen McCullough, Claire Count, and Elaine Viets. I’ll have to brag a little. Robert Mangeot got an acceptance from an editor during our panel discussion! Another YAY!

PGB, Elaine Viets, Robert Mangeot, Claire Count, Warren Moore, Karen McCullough

The final panels were “Characters That Sizzle on the Page,” a lively consideration with Riley Miller moderating Maggie Toussaint, Stacy Allen, and Reagan Teller, and “Turning Up The Heat: Defining Genres,” a great round up moderated by Sally Handley with Leslie Conner, JR Ripley aka Marie Celine, Kathleen Delaney, and Sharon Marchisello.

Riley Miller, Maggie Toussaint, Reagan Teller, Stacy Allen

As you can see, the “famously hot” theme dominated, but the heat remained outside and on the page. Inside, we had to turn up the thermostat because the air conditioning became a little cold! Thank you to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (my home church) for letting us use the facilities!

Sally Handley, Kathleen Delaney, JR Ripley, Sharon Marchisello, Leslie Conner

Our bookseller was Books on Broad from Camden, S.C. Thank you, Kim McCathern, for all you did to ensure you had the authors’ books or could offer them by consignment!

Kim McCathern, Books on Broad

Special thanks to Billy Itter (who took care of us throughout the day), Dean Long (who managed audio), Della Carmichael (who provided assistance and materials from the Columbia Visitors’ Bureau), and Krista Merle Anderson (who created our logo). So many Palmetto Chapter and SEMWA members (and their spouses) worked diligently behind the scenes to make the event a true success. Many thanks to them all!

Elysabeth Eldering

Robert Mangeot

We also had a silent auction, to which many of our authors contributed books. Elaine Viets graciously offered a 20 page critique. Special kudos to Marie Waller, Susan Husman, and Michelle McGee for helping to create and transport the baskets.

The proceeds from the auction (totaling $468) will benefit the My First Books SC -- Midlands program, a statewide partnership led by the Palmetto Project and affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It provides books for any registered child from birth to age five.

Seventy-eight people registered for Mystery in the Midlands this year and almost all attended. We were delighted with the participation and look forward to continuing the new

tradition!

Won’t you come to Columbia for next year’s Mystery in the Midlands?

A Visit from Jeffrey Deaver

by Paula Gail Benson

SEMWA Board with Jeffrey Deaver (Photo by PGB)

This year, the Mystery Writers of America’s President Jeffrey Deaver has given a great gift to the regional chapters. On his own dime, he is visiting each of the chapters to provide a writing workshop for members and guests. The chapters organize the event and may use it as a fundraiser and a means of bringing awareness to the chapter’s activities. It’s a wonderful opportunity for writers throughout the country to hear from a master of the craft without having to travel to an expensive conference.

As a board member for the South Eastern chapter (SEMWA), I was thrilled to hear the news. I was even more delighted when the board decided the program should take place in my home state. It’s been more than twenty years since SEMWA held a “skills build,” the title usually applied to a craft workshop, in South Carolina. I remember that long ago workshop because it was one of the first writing seminars I attended, and I still use the concepts I learned there from such distinguished folks as editor extraordinaire Chris Roerden and our own blogging colleague Carla Damron.

Our board’s first task to prepare for the visit was to explore various locations. We finally determined to have it in Columbia. I was delighted that my church’s assembly hall was available. We went through a process of evaluating caterers and setting reasonable pricing to cover the costs. We felt fortunate to be able to offer the event for $25 for members and $30 for non-members and to include lunch and a reception as part of the package. We attracted participants from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, four of our six state area. Over fifty registered to attend. To say “thank you” to Deaver for donating his time, we provided each participant with one of his books.

Jeffrey Deaver Presenting Workshop (Photo by PGB)

Deaver’s presentation was generous and comprehensive. He addressed both craft and business aspects of the profession. Some of the important information that he emphasized included:

(1)  Understand what you want from writing and what methods work best for you. He told us that today’s writing world offers lots of options, including traditional, hybrid, and independent. All are viable depending upon each writer’s goals. Be honest about what you are seeking to achieve.

(2)  To build confidence and an audience, produce a regular product and don’t miss deadlines. He pointed out that both Shakespeare and Mozart worked on commission. To build a reputation as a successful, readable author, you must approach the work as a business.

(3)  A writer’s mission is to produce an emotionally engaging story, or creating good and bad characters who confront increasing levels of conflict that are resolved in a largely positive manner. These principles are almost direct quotes.

(4)  Novels, short stories, and plays all require different craft skills. Learning how to write one won’t teach you how to write another. Write in the style that comes most naturally for you and discover all you can about the marketplace for your writing.

(5)  The four basic elements of storytelling are plot, character, setting, and dialogue. Propel your story by conflict and suspense. Always keep the readers on the edge.

Panel Discussion (Photo by PGB)

Following Deaver’s presentation, our board members joined him in a panel discussion of how we had applied his recommendations. Hearing about the individual techniques and applications allowed us to explore the many options open to writers and helped emphasize that success can come in many forms.

The opportunity to meet Deaver and hear about his personal writing habits (he is a confirmed planner who does not write a novel until he has outlined it, then completes it only after revising through approximately fifty drafts) made the day truly informative. I was particularly impressed with his humble, structured approach and his continuing curiosity. If you have the chance to hear his presentation when he comes to a MWA chapter near you, please take advantage of the experience. You won’t regret it.

Group Attending Deaver Event (Photo by Lynda Sasscer Hill)

Also, if you haven’t had a chance to consider MWA membership (chapter membership is included when you join MWA), check out this link to the website.

Have you been influenced by a particular writer or piece of writing advice?