Last night, a thunderstorm blew through, in a hurry to get somewhere else, evidently. We did get a sample, just an appetizer of rain. It left me hoping for more. The temperature has dropped now to a more seasonal level.
Not the Mary Celeste
You know, life has more real mysteries than a writer could ever dream up. Sometimes, there seems to be no answer, and the mystery itself is an appetizer leaving me longing for the solution. Yesterday was the 145th anniversary of a mystery that occurred in 1872, concerning the ship the Mary Celeste. No, she didn’t disappear, but everyone on board did. Why? What prompted them to leave the safety of their sturdy ship for the choppy and turbulent Atlantic? If you are interested, you might want to find out more on the web or library. Lots has been written about it and its young captain and his family.
And then today (I get This Day in History in my email) in 1945, an aircraft squadron was lost in the Bermuda Triangle. What happened? Why hasn’t a trace ever been found? Another real-life mystery that has prompted books and stories, all searching for a possible answer.
These mysteries have never been solved and they are sort of like an open-ended story. You might write your own version of what you believe happened to those who disappeared.
Photo by Missy Day Albrecht
Neither you nor I have much control over real-life mysteries but in my books, I do. Maybe that’s why I write them. Ned runs into some sticky situations, puzzling events, and she doesn’t know what’s going on until the last few chapters or pages. Then, things fall into place. Sometimes, it might have been better if she hadn’t been so nosy or had closed her eyes to a few things or squelched that large bump of curiosity. But, she never does this and, before the mystery is solved and things are set right, some dangerous things happen. Several times in By the Fright of the Silvery Moon, Ned thinks she may have reached the end of her rope, especially there in the old cemetery or in the deserted church or when a new friend just drops dead from no apparent reason.
But, if we knew all the answers to everything, what a dull world it would be. We have a longing to be involved in something mysterious, as long as we know it’ll be all right in the end. Just as the rain last night was an appetizer, leaving me wishing for more, cozy mysteries are just a taste of excitement and, there is no need to wish for more. Library shelves and book stores (and my book shelves) are full of them. My version of mysteries and excitement and a longing for a satisfactory solution.
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