Sometimes people ask me where I get the ideas for my books. Let me tell you, they come from everywhere: from something someone says, from an unsolved mystery in real life, or just from asking, “What if?” Anything can prompt a story and I’m off and running.
My characters? Well, sometimes a character is a little of this person or a bit of that one. Sometimes, they bear no resemblance to anyone I know or have known. They are real, though–at least, to me.
When Barbara and I wrote The Cemetery Club, we had in mind tales we’d heard all our lives about the possibility of buried Cherokee treasure. What if it were true and someone knew where it was and someone else wanted it?
A strange letter prompted Grave Shift. What could Darcy and Flora do if a desperate mother asked for help in finding her child?
Best Left Buried explored the possibility of Darcy and Flora’s family secret. In fact, it was such a secret that they had no idea it existed until the package was discovered in the old well.
Grave Heritage? Flora is worried that Darcy’s lineage may not be the shining one they thought. 
As it turned out…well, you’ll find that in the book.
When I wrote Moonlight Can Be Murder, I began with a really wonderful gift: a Victorian house and five acres that Nettie inherited from her uncle. What could go wrong? The answer to that: Plenty. Beginning with murder.
And, in Fright of the Silvery Moon, Nettie was awakened by a nightmare. So, you see, dreams work their way into my books too. In fact, the other night night I dreamed about a bear with a broken leg being chased by two dogs. Funny thing was, the next day a black bear was sighted in a man’s back yard in Fayetteville. That couldn’t have inspired my dream because I didn’t know about the real episode until this morning. Weird, huh?
We’ve had lots of cozy mystery days lately: thunder, lightning, wind, rain, and now cold temperatures. This looks as if it’ll be another good day to cuddle with a cozy, a day to visit Ednalee or Levi, Oklahoma and check in with the folk living there. I guarantee you’ll land smack in the middle of a mystery.
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