BEGINNING WITH THE END IN MIND

NANCY JILL THAMES

Happy Fourth of July coming up next week! I'm sharing my recipe for Potato Salad that my husband insists I make every year. I'll post the recipe in our Cozy Kitchen for you. And now to my thoughts about beginning with the end in mind!

Some writer's are very methodical. John Grisham uses legal terms for his titles, such as "The Confession" or "The Firm," for instance. As a reader, I enjoy knowing I'll be looking into the legal world every time I pick up a book. When I decided to write a mystery novel, at first, that's all I was thinking I would do. But later, my protagonist, her little dog, Teddy,  and her garden club begged for more adventures so I had no choice - I would write a series. At that point, I too became a methodical writer. Now, some writers go on forever with their stories, like "The Cat Who" series by Lilian Jackson Braun. Hats off, I must say. For me, I decided eight books would be just about right considering the age of Jillian Bradley to be in her senior years. One reader caught the fact that Teddy was going to be 19 in one of the books, so I had to change the story to say he'd passed on and I'd inherited another Yorkie from my niece. Details, details. I recently heard from some fans that the characters in my Jillian Bradley Mystery series were taking on so much life that they seemed real and these fans really identified with them. They are looking forward to reading how I'm going to get Teddy across the Atlantic Ocean to London in book 7, "The Ruby of Siam."
     After a while, writing the adventures of Jillian and Teddy become a necessity to satisfy the readers who are hooked on the series. I can't think of a better incentive, can you? Now, Jillian is attracted to "bad boys" in most of the novels, some of which turn out to be the murderers, others, just involved in the cases in other ways. Towards the end of the series, however, I'm scheming on which way to go. Will Jillian fall in love again? Will she ever be able to put being a widow behind her? Will she ever stop getting another Yorkie when one passes away? Fear not. The happy ending is just two books away. And for the last book in the series? You are going to love the way the story ends.

 

Nancy Jill Thames is the author of The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series based on her life experiences of traveling with her husband, staying in exclusive hotels and resorts. She loves serving afternoon tea and is known as Queen of Afternoon Tea. Writing is her latest creative outlet, along with playing classical piano. She holds a music degree from UT Austin and lives with her husband in Leander, Texas. She is a member of The Leander Writers Guild.

To check out my books, Murder in Half Moon Bay, The Ghost Orchid Murder, From the Clutches of Evil, The Mark of Eden, and Pacific Beach, please visit the COZY BOOK STORE here on Cozy Mystery Magazine, or go to: 
http://www.nancy-jill.blogspot.com ,
http://www.nancyjillthames.wordpress.com