Peg Herring, Mystery Author

My first release, now in audio: Macbeth's Niece This month I'm answering questions I often get at personal appearances. Today's question is "How long does it take to write a book?" That's a little like "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" It's part practical, part philosophical, and mostly unanswerable. We all know authors who take years to write a book. Some of them are quite self-righteous about it, copping a "you can't rush genius" attitude. I'm no genius, so I can't say if that's true. I've noticed, however, that the rest of us are writing as fast as we can, and while it used to take two years minimum to get a new book out, most publishers are fine these days with more than one a year. That can lead to some loss of quality, and readers with an editor's eye bemoan the modern tendency to rush to get a book out. Still those same readers go on Facebook or Goodreads and wonder when Author X is

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Silence-Loser-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B00A87IAQG I'm on vacation for September, so for the blog I thought I'd address some questions people ask at personal appearances. QUESTION #1 Where do you get the names/inspiration for your characters? Often from real people I know. I need an image in my head to create a character. (Brag here: one site said last week that my characters are people you think about long after you finish the book. YAY!) I start with someone I've known--perhaps a coworker or a former student--and imagine how that person would react to the scenario I'm creating. I always add when I admit this that those people NEVER stay real. As soon as I have a firm picture in mind, the character becomes a whole new person, with his own personality, attitudes, and personal details. For example, Verle in the Loser Mysteries started out as a man who was sort of my second dad, since I practically lived at his house as a kid. Readers

Okay, I made that word up, and I never studied German, so don't criticize! There should be a word for wanting something good to read but not being sure what you want or able to find it. Apparently what I want to read isn't very popular right now. I've been sick of serial killers for years, but that's mainly what Amazon offers when you type in mystery . I'm also sick of protagonists who aren't much better than the criminals they seek. I gave up on two books this week. In one the protag shared his client's cocaine with him and spent waaaaaay too much time describing the physical attributes of the sleazy, slimy women the client surrounded himself with. In the other, every cop was corrupt and every lawyer was shady to the point I was sick of all of them. I've never been much for books where the mystery takes second place to something else, like growing kumquats or shopping. I'm disappointed by books where the killer comes totally out of the blue

Why Do You Write Mysteries? I get asked that question a lot, so I've thought long and hard in order to be able to come up with a good answer. Here it is. I don't really know. Why do you read mysteries? might be a place to start. If we can agree that we read mysteries because we enjoy having a puzzle to solve, like seeing characters tossed into unusual and often dangerous situations, and feel satisfied when everything works out in the end, then I guess the logical extension of that, at least for someone who likes to write, is attempting to create her own  mystery. I like coming up with unique characters: a homeless woman, a dead P.I., a famous princess/queen. I like salting the plot with clues, both false and real. I like filling in details once the main story is in place and adding subplots like the relationships among sisters or the joys of growing up in a small town. I get to know my characters through a series, so my mind stops me if I try to make a woman or even a dog

Unless an author writes only police procedurals and P.I. novels, the question of why the protagonist gets involved in the mystery is present. I've never in my life wanted to investigate a murder, and I'm guessing most readers would say the same. We trust the police to do an adequate job, and while we might grumble that they didn't turn every stone in a specific case, we seldom jump in to help. If you're going to write a mystery with an amateur sleuth, he or she has to have a reason to get involved that departs from what is good behavior and good sense in real life. Loser wants to help the father of a little girl who reminds her of her daughter. Caroline is suspected of killing her former best friend. Many authors choose to have their protag or someone close to him as the suspect . This is certainly a driving force, as long as the rules of logic are applied. If you're accused of murder, are the people involved in the case likely to sit down

Edible things are starting to appear in our garden (through John's efforts alone these days) and it occurs to me there are some things Science could invent to help gardeners: Leaf-penetrating radar: for finding all those cucumbers that hide until they're too fat to use Underground MRI : to show which carrots, beets, potatoes, etc. are big enough to pull Rodent-discouraging pods: Before we get to them, critters have chewed a hole and taken out all the peas.  Shaper for peppers: The ones from the store are perfectly formed. Ours taste better, but they look like some weird science experiment.   Shut-off valve for cherry tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini : We're so excited for the first ones, but by mid-August we're desperate to give them away. Don't stop to ask for directions--you'll leave with a car full of vegetables! You probably have suggestions too if you're a gardener.

For some reason I ended up with a bunch of historicals at my last visit to the bookstore. It could be that there are a lot of them out there, and it could also be that I'm drawn to them. Here's what I've got: The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman-I'd read good things about this one, and I did enjoy the gradual narrowing of the distance between the two protagonists. Lots of interesting stuff about the times, when it was perfectly okay to display "freaks" and pretend it was science--although I guess today we do the same thing through television and pretend it's altruism. A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger-This one isn't for the casual reader of historicals. Like Hilary Mantel's work, it's a book that immerses one in the time, with references to real people the reader is expected to recognize and words I wouldn't have known except for good old Dr. Calver's Chaucer class back at U of M many decades ago. I had