Tommy's Park

One of the settings I mention in my mystery novel, Fatal Whispers, is Tommy’s Park. This patch of greenery and paved walkways is located at the corner of Middle Street and Exchange Street in the old district of Portland, Maine. The park has lots of benches where you can take a break from work or from shopping. And there’s a Starbucks Coffee shop just across the street.

My sleuths, ghostwriter Megan Scott and reporter Michael Elliott, meet for lunch one brisk autumn day in Tommy’s Park to exchange information gathered in an ongoing murder investigation. Megan only has half an hour before she returns to work at Bianca’s Gardens, a fictitious flower shop on Exchange Street.

A cool wind blows, but the coffee Michael purchased from Starbucks keeps their conversation going. Here’s an excerpt from Megan’s perspective:

The maple trees that had formed a protective barrier against the sun on warmer days were bare. Gusts of winds scattered foliage across a pedestrian path and into the street. I raised the collar of my wool jacket and wished I’d worn a heavier sweater underneath…

I sat down on the bench next to Michael, gave him a quick kiss, then handed him the printouts of the employee profiles from Bianca’s Gardens. “I feel like a thief.” 

“You shouldn’t,” he said. “You’re doing it for an honorable cause.”

Want to find out more? Click here for a description of Fatal Whispers and links to online retailers.

Blue Box Windows

A blue façade draws the eye to these pretty twin box windows in the Proctor Building (1898) on Exchange Street in the old district of Portland, Maine. The building is one of numerous historical red brick structures you’ll find in this part of the city.

In my mystery novel, Fatal Whispers, sleuths Megan and Michael visit Bianca’s Gardens, a fictitious flower shop located on Exchange Street alongside other New England style stores. To everyone’s surprise, the inviting flower shop with the dark green awning is soon linked to three suspicious deaths in the city.

Join my sleuths as they wander the picturesque streets of Portland in search of clues. If you love the challenge of solving mysteries, you’ll have three to solve in Fatal Whispers. You’ll find the link here.

Enjoy!

Montreal: joie de vivre

Photo: Montreal over river at sunset © Depositphotos.com/rabbit75_dep

If there’s a city that reflects an eclectic culture, a flair for fashion and the arts, and a genuine joie de vivre, it’s Montreal. It’s not surprising that I chose this cosmopolitan city as the setting for my mystery novel, False Impressions.

I get a pang of nostalgia whenever I visit Montreal. After all, it is my hometown. In my younger days, I’d spend weekends shopping along Saint Catherine Street, attending live concerts at Place des Arts, and checking out quaint boutiques along the cobblestones streets of Old Montreal. Memories like these stay with you forever.

Also engrained in my mind are historical landmarks like the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, McGill University, and Mount Royal—a large hill that overlooks the city from more than seven hundred feet high. The view from the top is spectacular—day or night!

English and French are the main languages spoken, though four million inhabitants of Greater Montreal represent more than eighty ethnic communities. The cultural diversity extends to the variety of eateries. From gourmet to traditional, the choice of restaurants and menus is vast. No visit is complete until you’ve tried poutine—a French-Canadian tradition of fries, cheese curds, and gravy.

The hot summers set the stage for this City of Festivals to play host to film, comedy, music, and other events, including the International Jazz Festival and the International Fireworks Competition. Montreal also holds the annual Canadian Grand Prix and is home to the legendary Cirque du Soleil. With winter comes the hockey season and watching Les Canadiens—aka the Habs—on ice at the Bell Centre.

The fastest way to get around and to avoid traffic jams is to ride on the Metro—the subway system. If time permits, you can stroll through the Underground City. As one of the largest interconnected complexes in the world, it boasts twenty miles of tunnels and connects the subway, shopping malls, hotels, banks, and other sites.

And did I mention the choice of delicious restaurants?

One visit to Montreal just isn’t enough.

The Flower Shop

When was the last time you strolled into a flower shop and enjoyed the sweet scent of gardenias? Or the musky fragrance of chrysanthemums? Or the exotic scent of an oriental lily?

In Fatal Whispers, the second book in my mystery series, Megan and Michael get more than a whiff of the floristry business when they visit Megan’s cousin in Portland, Maine. As conventional as her cousin’s flower shop might appear, it unexpectedly draws police interest during an investigation into three mysterious deaths in the city.

Join Megan and Michael as they gather clues along a winding path that takes them from downtown alleys to a millionaire’s mansion. Solving a triple murder mystery is hard work, so don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

My Story Characters

Before I sat down to write the first book in my mystery series, I decided the main character would be a young woman. Megan Scott is observant and diligent and works behind the scenes as a ghostwriter. Because her daily routine can become tedious at times, I spiced up her life by adding friction to her workplace and stress to her relationship with her husband. As difficult as her situation had become, I increased the tension and dropped a few dead bodies in her path.

Then I created Michael Elliott, a cool investigative reporter and Megan’s sidekick. His investigation of criminal activities and risky meetings with informants are at odds with Megan’s sheltered lifestyle. The differences in their personalities and viewpoints offer potential for more conflict in the story and keep the plot moving forward. Despite Megan’s aversion to chaos, Michael’s unpredictable investigative efforts spark her curiosity, and she gets involved in helping him unearth and scrutinize clues.

Like the main character, the villain has to be believable. Motives such as jealousy, revenge, and greed are strong triggers that can lead to murder. They also reinforce the existence of an antagonist as a credible villain. Because no villain is pure evil, I add one or two positive attributes to balance things out and keep this character under the radar. I like to introduce a couple of suspects so that guessing the identity of the real villain and the motive behind the crime becomes more challenging.

Supporting characters can include suspects, witnesses, police officers, coworkers, neighbors, friends, and family. A supporting character’s relationship with the main character adds texture and interest to a story and provides a realistic setting in which the mystery unfolds. I enjoy dreaming up “mini” character sketches for a supporting cast and keep them close at hand in case I want to invite a character back in future stories.

The personalities and behaviors of story characters can be as diverse as the colors and shapes of pebbles on the shore. I like all the characters I’ve created and try not to be partial, though I’ll admit that Megan and Michael do have a special place in my heart.

Do you have a favorite story character?