I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD IT IN ME

           I enjoy reading. I enjoy reading so much that housework doesn’t get done, dinner is late, I miss my stop, I am thinking of what I just read and writing, in my head, what should happen next. I enjoy reading so much that I came to the conclusion that I could write a book. So I started. I would try to write after work, in the evenings, on weekends, but only when I had something to write. It’s not as easy as I thought it might be. Do all writers go through this? Do writers just sit down and the words flow from their fingers? Could be, who knows? I have never had the opportunity to interview a writer on his or her methods. I have a great respect for all writers.

           So; I started writing. What should I write? A mystery, perhaps. After all I read a lot of mysteries. So, I guess I should be able to write one, don’t you think? I thought I could. So, where to start. What kind of mystery?  Murder, suspense, humorous? Maybe one with no deaths; but there always seems to be at least one death. Right? OK, one death. Who dies? And how?  Who should I pick as the murderer? A woman, maybe. Where is this mystery to be happening? I decided on England, because many of the books I’ve read are written in England, and mostly old England. By that I mean way before 2021, more likely 1821. But, I will place my mystery in 1980’s England. It must be before the emergence of the cell phone.

           Chapter 1, hmm. She didn’t know she was being followed, she turned around and screamed. Hmm. Nah. Ok, I will start with what characters I would want in my book. I need to make up names, oh boy. And, how many characters?    Great, I’m on a roll. This takes a lot of thinking, but its fun, in a way. Wow, I am now starting Chapter 6, on a roll, and still no one has died. I guess I should remedy that.  Who gets to die? And how? And who does the killing? Wracking my brains. Uh. Huh. I got it. Chapter 9. Scotland Yard. Interrogations. Chapter 10. Scotland Yard reviews statements, goes over the scene. Alibis checked. Seems cut and dry. A suspect is found. The Detective Constable has never been able to close a murder case so quickly. Was it too good to be true? Maybe he can take his wife away for a short holiday.

           Wow, this is going along just fine. Chapter 12. An anonymous report; can’t ignore it. Must be checked out. Darn, the suspect may be as innocent as she claims, but Scotland Yard will recheck all the other evidence, as well as following through with the new evidence. It may be that the real killer is still out there. Lock you doors; don’t go out at night alone.

           Chapter 15. Mystery solved. Killer apprehended. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and disbelief. Who would have thought that Lisa, the local spinster, was the killer?  Why did she kill the Lord of the Manor? Her solicitor argued that she was not of sound mind; she had to be observed by a psychiatrist. She was then sentenced to life in a sanatorium.

           Book completed. Published and out there for sale. 

I DIDN’T KNOW I HAD IT IN ME.

           Second book. It will be a follow up of book 1. I will write about the lives of all the characters in book 1 plus add a few more characters. There will be talk of the trial, why did Lisa kill him? And rumors. There will always be rumors. Which brought up the question many had, why was she living in the gatekeeper’s cottage? Was she a distant relative?

           What is my plan for this book?   How can I make it full of suspense? Lisa will make friends with a fellow inmate. She has a plan. She realizes that this fellow inmate is like a ticking bomb; therefore she must be handled just right. Lisa needs her new “friend” to be able to cope with her plan. Lisa wonders what’s happening at the manor. She would have been in line to inherit the manor, but on account of her crime, she would not now or ever.  She hasn’t yet been told that. Why was she to inherit?

           At the manor, the family solicitor told everyone who will inherit. It is a surprise to everyone, especially those who will inherit. The two who inherit are very distant relatives. The Lords distant cousin moved to Australia and everyone lost touch. The two men will arrive at the manor in a few weeks. The housekeeper will prepare the house for the new owners, while her husband will take care of the outside areas.

           At the sanatorium, Lisa is the model of behavior. She does not know what is going on at the manor because since her incarceration, the law prohibits her any knowledge of the manor and its inhabitants.

           Book 2 completed.   Published and out there for sale.

I DIDN’T KNOW I HAD IT IN ME.

           A third book. More on the characters of the other two books. Should I have Lisa escape? She had been told about the manor, and that she would have inherited but given what she did, no way. She said she wouldn’t want the manor.  She told her councilor that she likes living at the sanatorium. She said she feels safe and it’s peaceful (well, most of the times). She did not respond when told who did inherit the manor, other than saying “good for them”>

           The brothers were astonished when they saw the manor. They couldn’t believe their luck. At home the family was finding it very hard financially to make ends meet. This couldn’t have come at a better time. They both took to their roles like a new born duck to water. They met and married local girls and started families. The village prospered with their running of the manor.

           Lisa took up drawing at the sanatorium and did a great job that the councilor was able to sell some of them on local market days. She was able to oversee some of the other residents attempting to draw. She did at one point say she was sorry she killed the Lord of the Manor, but what else could she do? When asked what she meant, she said “it’s not right to talk ill of the dead”.

           Book 3 completed. Published and out there for sale.

I DIDN’T KNOW I HAD IT IN ME.