I was watching BONES last night...I'm trying to catch up and got through the first three episodes of Season 3. I love forensic drama, and forensic mysteries, so the qustion arises in my mind- "Why are you writing an amateur sleuth mystery?"
The answer is "I'm not really sure." Although there is DNA and trace evidence and a scene or two in the lab, most of my action takes place outside the Justice Center in Portland. After giving it some thought, I believe the answer lies in my characters. I love the offbeat, so my characters are just that. Somehow, I don't see the Carstairs spending time debating whether the skin cells under a victim's nails are anything other than skin cells even though one of the brothers (Sam) is a detective for the PPB. Phil's interests are far different, even when he's committed to helping Sam track down a serial killer. It's their differences that drive the story I think, along with their determination to figure out just who the killer is. Forensics in detail might just get in the way, although what the M.E. finds does give them more than a clue or two. Maybe I have my answer after all.
Happy Sunday!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Name's The Thing
What oh what to write for a first blog post? Right now most of my creativity is going into editing my mystery and besides, I haven't have my first cup of tea yet on this icy Saturday morning. My book is about two brothers, last name Carstairs (which explains the blog name, no?), who live in Portland Oregon and get involved in finding a murderer.
Editing the story of these two and their fictional companions is tougher than I thought. It seems I have a fondness for commas and my computer has a fondness for indenting willy-willy, which means I spend a bit of time correcting margins as well as punctuation before I even get to the story. Happily, my editor (Ramona, you are the best) has made some good suggestions and makes me realize each time I look at her notes just what more can be done with the boys.
I love Portland, which makes it easy to include my favorite places, but I have to remember that I am not writing a travelogue, but what I hope is a true mystery...you know, the kind where no one knows exactly whodunit until the final pages. That's a task in itself, since I have o throw aroun all those red herrings and false clues...yikes. However, I'm a month away from pitching my story, so I must move onward and upward, right?
Stay tuned for more on the brothers Carstairs.
Editing the story of these two and their fictional companions is tougher than I thought. It seems I have a fondness for commas and my computer has a fondness for indenting willy-willy, which means I spend a bit of time correcting margins as well as punctuation before I even get to the story. Happily, my editor (Ramona, you are the best) has made some good suggestions and makes me realize each time I look at her notes just what more can be done with the boys.
I love Portland, which makes it easy to include my favorite places, but I have to remember that I am not writing a travelogue, but what I hope is a true mystery...you know, the kind where no one knows exactly whodunit until the final pages. That's a task in itself, since I have o throw aroun all those red herrings and false clues...yikes. However, I'm a month away from pitching my story, so I must move onward and upward, right?
Stay tuned for more on the brothers Carstairs.
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