JENN McKINLAY: I just finished a proposal for a new mystery series. It's definitely different for me as it leans heavily into fantasy and horror, so yeah, there's that. I can't say anything more about it because I'm waiting to see what my agent thinks we should do with it.
Burn it?
Potentially. LOL.
Otherwise, I'm back in the cozy mystery saddle with A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT, which will be Library Lovers Mystery #15. Not bad for a series I thought would be dead and buried at book six.
The only thing I have so far is the high concept. This is the short paragraphs that I submit to let the publisher know that I do actually have an idea. I'm not sure how this ended up being a Christmas themed cozy. I don't remember submitting any ideas for it until two months ago when I got the nudge to submit a brief description of my upcoming Christmas themed Library Lovers mystery so that the Art Department had something to work with.
Not gonna lie, I said, "Huh? Christmas? Really?" Followed by "Okey-dokey." And this was what I wrote:
Another newcomer, who was listening to the conversation, informs Lindsey that Helen actually is H.R. Monroe and that she, Jackie Lewis, is Helen’s number one fan. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie. She suspects that Helen is unaware that her “number one” fan is here in town. Helen does not welcome the visit but when Lindsey tells her about Jackie, Helen is obviously petrified. Lindsey offers to call the police but Helen refuses. She ushers Lindsey out the door with no explanation.
The next morning Jackie’s body is discovered in the town park beneath the recently installed holiday light display. She’s been electrocuted. In Jackie’s hand is a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript for a book that isn’t out yet. Helen is now the prime suspect in the murder of her self proclaimed top admirer. Helen asks for Lindsey’s help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before "The End" becomes Helen's final sentence.
This is the first time I've ever electrocuted a victim, so I'm rather excited about that. Yeah, I know, my enthusiasm is concerning.
I have written a Christmas mystery before. In fact, SUGAR PLUM POISONED comes out in a little over three weeks. Mayhem, murder, and cupcakes...
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It was tremendous fun to write. Who thought murder and the holidays would make such an excellent pairing?
How about it, Reds and Readers, are you a fan of holiday themed murder mysteries?
Okay, I’m hooked. Christmas-themed or not, I want to know how things work out for Helen [and who killed Jackie].
ReplyDeleteHoliday-themed murder mysteries? Yes, indeed . . . holidays are extremely stressful for some people, so a murder mystery seems to fit the season quite well . . . .
Ha! I never thought of it that way, Joan. A murder mystery could definitely distract from any family drama.
DeleteHA HA, your enthusiasm about using electrocution as a murder method is sweet!
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned yesterday, I enjoy reading the Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews. According to Fantastic Fiction, 11 out of Meg 35 books are Christmas-themed mysteries. LET IT CROW, LET IT CROW, LET IT CROW! comes out later this year.
I also like other fun holiday-themed murders. Catriona McPherson's SCOT IN A TRAP is a hoot to read. Her Scottish amateur sleuth Lexy is having a hard time adjusting/adhering to US Thanksgiving meal traditions.
Love both Donna and Catriona - Donna owns holiday mysteries, for sure.
DeleteI do enjoy the holiday themed books. All the holidays. Since I read series in order, if I get to Christmas in the summer that's when I read it or Halloween in the winter. I'm looking forward to reading Sugar Plum Poisoned. Love this series!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I like to read in season but sometimes Xmas in July is a nice break from the reality of 115 degree weather.
DeleteI'm hooked on the snippet you wrote, too.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I'm particularly drawn to holiday mysteries per se. It's always the story idea that grabs me, and this one sounds so good.
Thanks, Elizabeth. I had an epiphany about the plot last night so I am more enthusiastic (despite the electrocution) than I was.
DeleteOoh, electrocution! I love the premise of the proposal.
ReplyDeleteHoliday-themed books are great. Little bit of BSP: I have a Christmas novella coming out in a week and a half. They often end up almost a ticking clock kind of story, since the protag has to get this thing solved before the holiday.
EDITH:: I enjoyed reading your Christmas mittens novella.
DeleteAdding to the holiday stress of shopping, baking, entertaining, add in a murder - love it!
Deletelove the idea of murder by electrocution. I enjoy holiday-themed mysteries
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dru!
DeleteLet's see...didn't Louise Penny have a snobby woman electrocuted out in the snow? Are there others?
DeleteYes, I'm a fan. In the week before Christmas, if the house is full of kids and blaring music, I retreat with a fun holiday read. Kings River Life is doing a podcast of my short story, "Christmas Cookie Caper" in December.
ReplyDeleteGreat, Margaret! When it is available, provide us a link!
DeleteYes, let us know when it's available!
DeleteI love all of your series. Library Lovers was supposed to be 6 books?! Well, just keep them coming! As for an electrocution, of course you're excited! We all are;>)
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy holiday books, more than I ever thought I would. Yep, I read 'em.
Same. I'm not a huge fan of the holidays - now that the hooligans are grown, it just feels like work - but I enjoy a nice holiday mystery where someone else is doing all the heavy lifting.
DeleteI am so happy Lindsey is back! I love this series Jenn, and look forward to the newest in the series.
ReplyDeleteI do like mysteries with a holiday theme. I mean, all that time that you are supposedly spending with family is sure to cause any number of moments of possible homicide so having a figurative outlet in the form of a mystery book helps keep the real word murder rate down.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Most likely.
DeleteI love holiday mysteries too, both reading them and writing. We will be so interested to hear about the newest series Jenn! And I love the story about the reclusive bestseller--much to look forward to!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope! I have no idea what is happening in publishing these days. It's weird.
DeleteOh yes, I love a holiday mystery! I’ve read a bunch. I don’t remember any electrocutions off the top of my head. Novel idea. 😉
ReplyDeleteVery punny, Brenda. LOL.
DeleteWow, Jenn! That really sounds like a great one! In my old age I've gotten to be more of a bah-humbug so I don't go out of my way to read holiday themed books. Especially on or around said holiday. If they are next in the series that's when I'll read them.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm afraid to admit this here but lately I find that I am avoiding some cozy mysteries and I'm not sure why. Maybe I need something a bit edgier. But not too edgy. I love the rom-coms!
Any advice for someone like me who has always loved the cozies and now wants more - more something but I don't know what? I hope I am not invited to leave JRW.
Judi, sometimes we just need a rest. And there are enough non-cozy JRWs to satisfy your “edgier” yen. Elisabeth
DeleteJudi, I don't know how old you are, but I recommend reading some books where old people are the detectives. They are usually hilariously funny and semi-mocking of how we (with more years under our belts) are perceived. Try Richard Osman, or Robert Thorogood or Helene Thurston. Once you start into this type of series, I think you might be hooked.
DeleteIf JRW throws you out, they'll loose two Judies. Just the other day I admitted that cozies are not my favorite reads. There are several cozy series and authors that I follow, but I am loathe to add to them. I, too, adore rom coms! Interesting characters, action, humor have always been important but seem to be more so now. We should compare notes and exchange ideas on authors and books.
DeleteJUDI: There are definitely cozy mystery series that are more edgy/less saccharine. Or maybe you should try some traditional mysteries that are more puzzle mysteries and not a cozy?
DeleteSome cozies are more romantic than others. Jenn has a real talent for writing romance and her heroes in cozies are irresistible. There are other cozy authors who are great at that, too. Rhys's Darcy is just too, too!
DeleteI am also a reader who does not like many of the cozy mystery books. Those books are very formulary, there are many labeled as cozy that are edgier too. Sometimes those publisher imposed labels make finding the type of book that you want to read more difficult. If you want edgier with more varied and unique stories, seek out police procedurals, often called crime fiction too. There are many with interesting and compelling characters whose personal lives are also included in the books. Similar to Deborah’s and Julia’s books. Val McDermid has several police procedural series, these books are edgier and not cozies. Tanya French is another author that writes amazing mysteries. Many of her books are also police procedurals.
DeleteThere are many police procedural set in the US with women as the primary investigator, I think you would enjoy those too. Sarah Stewart Taylor is another author you may enjoy. Happy reading!
Susan Nelson-Holmdahl
You are not alone, Judi! I have been reading loads of fantasy - cozy fantasy like Legends and Lattes - books lately just to mix things up. There is a saturation point in cozies where I think you have to step back and try something different. I'm reading T. Kingfisher's A House with Good Bones right now and loving it - it's funny and creepy. I've been on a Richard Osman bender, too. Very funny and charming.
DeleteThank you, Marjorie. I've been meaning to check out her children's books!
DeleteThank you all! Margo, I do love the Osman books! Maybe it's time for me to reread the Anne George books. Those sisters are a hoot! And of course not all of the JRW books are cozies. Glad I'm not being stossed out!
DeleteI don't go out of my way to read holiday-themed books, but if they're the next in a series, then I'm in. I especially enjoyed Anne Perry's Christmas novellas, because she used them as a vehicle to showcase minor characters. Very satisfying reads! But, alas, there will be no more of those.
ReplyDeleteAnne Perry had a very interesting personal life. A convicted murderer writing murder mysteries.
DeleteI'll miss her work, too.
DeleteInteresting Judi. I found myself feeling the same way with two exceptions. I really like the humor in Jenn's Library series and the growth and characters in Lucy's Key West series which I don't think of as a cozy mystery, but being part of a vibrant community of interesting people.
ReplyDeleteI like holiday mysteries and am enjoying your Library Lovers series! The story of Helen and her stalker is intriguing --I hope it's not based on any real life experiences!
ReplyDeleteNo, thankfully!
DeleteIt's so funny, reading comments by ordinarily nice women rubbing their hands in glee over a "novel" way to do someone in.
ReplyDeleteGive me all the books, holiday-themed or not. I do not discriminate. Whenever I get holiday-themed titles donated the my Little Free Library I set them aside to put in the boxes during the appropriate season. Does anyone notice? No idea.
Oh, that's so smart. I want to have a Little Free Library. I think it would soothe my librarian soul.
DeleteHas anyone heard from Margo? I hope she and he who harrumphs weathered the storm okay.
ReplyDeleteThere are power outages all over Nova Scotia but less so where Margo is.
Deletehttps://outagemap.nspower.ca/external/default.html
The power is out in our cottage in N.S. I hope Margo is okay.
DeleteThanks for asking. The breeze is still blowing – it started about 10 last night after a sunny afternoon, when we thought “well that was nothing”. Still blowing hard, although not taking down any trees in spite of the big neon sign that I placed in the sky reading “Blow me down, man, Blow me down!” Now that would be a good way to commit a murder – killed by a neon sky-sign in the middle of a hurricane… I doubt that you could incorporate the Christmas part unless you have all the guests coming to Christmas dinner and still nattering on about dead uncle Freddy and what a terrible mishap that was.
ReplyDeleteFor another weather-related theme for a book, let me tell you about the news last night. There were lots of pictures of the destruction around the three local provinces and then there was a picture where everything was covered in white. I thought where did the snow fall in this heat, because that was what it looked like. Nope – something called sea foam, where the water is battered so much by the wind that it is essentially like making whipped cream, which was picked up by the wind, and deposited on everything – just like snow. Having weather and murder in my mind, my thoughts of course went to making it as a part of a good murder – when the foam dissipates, the body is found…
I don’t know what everyone else’s house looks like who were in the path of Lee, but I need to borrow Claire’s atlas to find my way around all the plants and tomatoes – everywhere! Maybe I should make salsa.
MARGO: Glad you're ok. I also saw those sea foam photos/videos near Lawrencetown on TV last night.
DeleteThanks for checking in, Margo. Glad you escaped being clobbered!
DeleteThe sea foam sounds so strange!
Margo, glad you made it through okay. How are our Maniacs today? Got power? Everyone okay?
DeleteGlad you're okay, Margo! We're still waiting to hear if our cottage weathered the storm. It's near Cape Split. Where are you?
DeleteCatalone Gut - Look on map of NS and look for Louisbourg or Main a Dieu - enlarge area. We are on the lake where the ocean comes into the lake - hence the "gut". About 15 houses, and probably close to that people. We live on the lake.
Deletehttps://www.google.ca/maps/place/Catalone+Gut,+NS/@46.0031141,-60.0081014,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x4b680470a722ec07:0x59050afd56c84586!8m2!3d46.0109898!4d-59.9556719!16s%2Fm%2F05zwzf4?entry=ttu
A long way in Nova scotia terms from Jenn!
Ever since finding Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, I have loved Christmas mysteries. Keep them in a box and haul them out around Thanksgiving, reading them through again through the season. I do not save the new ones for Christmas, read them right away and do reread them when Christmas comes. Thinking that soon the 12 days of Christmas will not be enough time! Cupcakes and Christmas — great combination, Jenn, keep writing. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elisabeth - that seems like a lovely tradition.
DeleteJenn, how did “your place” in Nova Scotia come through Lee. Have been thinking of you. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteWe're still waiting to hear. It's up near Cape Split right on the Bay of Bundy so...fingers crossed.
DeleteI’ve been asked to write several Christmas mysteries. The good thing is that they get trotted out again every Christmas! I really like your story idea for this one, and that you’ll be an expert on electrocution if we ever need it!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Having almost electrocuted myself when trying to rewire some outlets, I feel like I have life experience to offer.
DeleteJenn, I'll tackle lots of home repairs, but electric stuff I leave to the pros (i.e., my brothers)!
DeleteRhys, I love your Christmas books.
DeleteJenn, at first I read "Helen" as Holly. Face palm moment. Then I looked again and it's Helen.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a fan of murder and holidays. Loved Hercule Poirot's Christmas. I have a collection of Christmas themed mysteries, including murder mysteries, and I read them again in December. Same for other holiday themes like Valentine's (Romance) and Halloween (spooky).
Intrigued by your proposal of a series with fantasy and horror. More like Scandinavian noir or Stephen King or Shirley Jackson?
Diana
More like Harry Potter meets Agatha Christie in a library :)
DeleteOkay, Jenn, whose arm do I have to twist or bribe with goodies for this series to be given a go?? :-)
DeleteThanks for the vote of confidence, Flora!
DeleteLove that idea, Jenn. Harry Potter meets Agatha Christie in a library. Diana
DeleteJenn, I am all on board for this new idea. Just my cup of tea!!!!
DeletePondering “sea foam” - fascinating. Glad everyone seems to have come through the storm - Gorgeous day after here. And a Christmas mystery sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteJulia? Celia? How is our Maine contingent? Do you have power? Check in when you can!
DeleteYes, chime in, Mainers!
DeleteSounds wonderful, Jenn. Looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteI do like holiday murder mysteries - Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, all fun to see how many ways writers can turn traditions into deadly objects! Why no Easter themed murders? That seems strange, all that chocolate must have possibilities.
Kait, I wrote a KRL Easter story, "The Twilight Easter Egg Hunt". Great fun!
DeleteLeslie Meier likely had an Easter mystery.
DeleteWhy not! Murder is not a seasonal event. I can see Reddy Kilowatt in a Santa hat electrocuting your victim!
ReplyDeletePat D, Love that image! — Pat S
DeleteLOL! Hilarious.
DeleteJenn, I am happy to read a Library or Cupcake Christmas book by you any time of the year. And your new out-of-your-usual cozy/Rom-Com mode proposal sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteJust want to add that I love that the JRW community really feels like a family when you all inquire about someone who might have been in harm’s way. Take care and stay safe, everyone! — Pat S
What Pat said! Be safe, everyone!
DeleteSorry I’ve been absent, I’m very behind on everything. Jenn, the new series idea sounds very intriguing. Of course I am very excited about Christmas cozies in back to back years from you. I love everything about Christmas. My family goes all out with decorations. We have 8 fully decorated inside trees ranging from 8 feet to about 18 inches depending on the room they’re in. With the outside trees I think we have upwards of 20 total. We were joking yesterday that we should hire out as decorators for people who don’t have the time or inclination.
ReplyDeleteThat would be me! Please come and decorate my house. I can't face a Xmas tree and five cats. Ack!
DeleteI would be delighted and honored to do so, Jenn. Unfortunately I live on the other side of the country.
DeleteI am a super fan of holiday themed mysteries AND romances, so I'm everyone's target audience. The book I'm working on right now takes place in December, and I'm trying to remember to add some charming Christmas details. I'm not known for charming, so we'll see how it goes...
ReplyDeleteYou're very charming, Julia, but also murdery. LOL. I suppose it's all about balance.
DeleteLatest comment ever! I am so sorry! This is so fabulous, Jenn , I love love, love it!
ReplyDeleteAnd as for holiday mysteries, I loved one Rhys wrote, about the 12 clues, but other than that… I am not drawn to them, but once offered, they’re very sweet. Oh, my friend Hannah Mary McKinnon wrote one called The Christmas Wager that is out very soon… And it is adorable I have to say! And I think the fabulous Sophie Hannah has a Poirot Christmas book coming out… Cannot wait !
What FUN! Jenn!
ReplyDelete