When I was a little girl living in California my family would travel to Arkansas to visit my grandparents. It was a little long drive, so my parents would tell stories. Sometimes they would even make them up, like “The Dog With Radar Ears” or “How to Find a Good Wife.” That was my first inspiration along with reading every book I could put my hands on.
After I got married my husband and I traveled on his business trips and I kept diaries so I could remember details. The first trip we took to great Britain and France I fell in love with afternoon tea and good coffee. I brought the customs home with me. Those travels and afternoon tea inspired me to put them in books, again, so I could remember.
It all started when we had to get rid of Sandy, our daughter’s pet rat that we all loved dearly. To help soften the sad news I wrote a story called “The Sacrifice” explaining how detrimental the rat’s allergens were to my husband. After I wrote that story I discovered something. I liked to write!
In 2001, Murder in Half Moon Bay was my very first attempt at writing a novel. I loved reading murder mysteries but was burned out with the authors I had been reading, so I decided to write a mystery of my own.
My inspiration for Jillian Bradley and her Yorkie companion came from staying at The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay for four days where my husband and I were attending an off-site board meeting for his company. With time on my hands I began creating a murder mystery based on the hotel and inspired by different people I met. I began taking notes of the surroundings and used my imagination to create a protagonist that might be a guest at a gardening conference. I used my husband's name Ted for her little dog, Teddy, since I would have her be a widow.
After writing 12 chapters I shared the plot with my 14 year old daughter and was told how dumb it was and that nobody would ever read it. Discouraged, I ltucked it away for 8 years until one day our son suggested I write a blog.
I began with Camp Grandma Fun but decided to publish my manuscript one chapter at a time for feedback. A newspaper called The Half Moon Bay Review became interested in the story and wanted an interview. Now I was really inspired to finish my book.
A few months later I self-published “Murder in Half Moon Bay” and put it on the market. I included afternoon tea and created the character of Teddy, an intelligent little Yorkshire terrier who is the protagonist’s inseparable companion. And people bought it!
My son inspired me to write the second book using the setting of our next conference in Scottsdale, Arizona called The Sanctuary. He suggested writing about a murder centered on an endangered species since the protagonist is a garden columnist. “The Ghost Orchid Murder” now initiated the series of 11 books and a collection of six short stories to come.
I must add that my husband and I enjoyed collaborating on plots and I credit him for much of my inspiration.
I hope you enjoy the reads. Stay safe. #FlattenTheCurve
