To Write or Not to Write

Why did I write them? Why, indeed? Why are the three Ned McNeil moonlight books on the market, available for those who like to read cozy mysteries?

As any writer can tell you, there are people and plots inhabiting the area in our brains where creativity takes place. Since those people and plots would not let me have any peace until I brought them to life, and inspired by a bright, moonlight night when everyday objects cast long shadows, I sat down and wrote a bunch of what ifs.

 What if somewhere in Oklahoma (the area with which I am most familiar) in an old, large house (of which Oklahoma has plenty) past events had taken place which had no resolution? And, what if this house was inherited by a not so young (I’m familiar with that state too) woman who returned to her hometown after a long absence?

These what ifs were enough to get me started. The woman, named Nettie Elizabeth Duncan McNeil, Ned for short, being the inquisitive sort, and not willing to let her uncle’s murder go unsolved, found herself in the middle of a mystery that reached backward in time to a miscarriage of justice.

The moon, shining down upon Granger Mansion, the home place Ned inherited, seemed to have something to do with strange and weird incidents. Moonlight, mystery, romance–Moonlight Can Be Murder was born.

Having solved the first mystery, Ned and her three childhood friends plus one childhood sweetheart, soon found themselves in the middle of another mystery involving a deserted church and a legend of an outlaw. Again, moonlight played a key part, and it all took place By the Fright of the Silvery Moon.

With a little extra imagination, an estate with a history that reached far, far back in time, was the scene of a tragic death which turned out to be not an accident, but a murder. Not content to let this case go unsolved, Ned very nearly became the next victim before she brought a killer to justice. Ned’s friend Pat was convinced that the malicious misdeeds which had descended upon their small town, was because the killers were Moonstruck and Murderous.

So, why do I write? Because the characters, the plot, and the place demand to be more than imaginary. They are not content to be merely figments of my devious mind. Word by word, escapade by escape, narrow escape by chilling escape, the Ned McNeil moonlight books came to life on paper.