Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Finding the Right Place

My third Nordic mystery and I am certain that I couldn't tolerate the darkness, or the feeling of foreboding that surrounds the setting. Of course if you're writing a mystery these settings exude a level of fear.

Once upon a time, I wanted to write a mystery, possibly a cozy because readers aren't sticklers for how the murder was done. However, if you select a taxidermist as the "investigator" you best be sure that you know, practically everything about taxidermy.

I went to a local book store and browsed mysteries—the cozy kind. Obviously, I needed to find a niche. Scan the shelves and you'll find flower lovers, owners of coffee shops, bakers, knitters, quilters, tea lovers and a plethora of others solving crimes.

Select something you know  played its melody in my ear. What did I know? A teacher. A teacher of learning disabled students. The series never got off the ground. I really didn't want to see mayhem erupt in a school.

The whole project fell flat when I realized that the setting felt right for a coming of age story and not a cozy mystery.

Perhaps I'll need another niche.

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