by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1

We are going into the second month of Covid 19 and while I trust God and know that this too shall pass, my mind has still been fractured. It’s taken three weeks to write this blog, so evidently not all of me is trusting Him. It’s gotten easier since I turned off the TV, though. So if you’re staying stressed, maybe that’s an option for you, too. 

Now onto my blog. Not long ago I asked my readers if they had any questions they’d like to ask an author and I’ve gotten some neat queries! Two of my readers, Meredith Wilkes Tipton and Rosalyn Schlabach, had similar questions so I’m answering them together:

From Meredith—When you write a novel, do you have the ending completely planned out in advance or do the characters/ storylines help you determine the ending as you go?

Rosalyn Schlabach—I’d like to hear about your process of plotting out a mystery—and do you have the answers before you start writing? Or does the story come to you as you write it…?‬‬

Me: When I start a book, I have a general idea of how the book will end, although it doesn’t always work out the way I have planned. Before I actually start writing, I have to know a few things. 

1. My main characters—who they are when they walk onto the page.
2. What the crime is (usually a murder) and why.
3. Why now? If someone is murdered, why now and not some other time?
4. How will the villain get caught without being too stupid to live? 🙂

Let me break these down. While I’m in the planning stage, I figure out a lie that the character believes which gives me her wound, fear and flaws. These also must pertain to the story. For instance, if the character is impulsive but being impulsive has nothing to do with the outcome of the story, I don’t use that as her flaw. But, if  being impulsive puts her in the crosshairs of the murderer, then I do. 

For the crime (and I’m going to assume it’s a murder) I have to know why the person is murdered. What did they do or know to draw the attention of the murderer? Since I often write about cold cases, I have to know why after ten years someone else connected to the murder is killed. In other words, why does this crime happen at this particular time?

Last of all, I have to figure out how the murderer is going to be caught without him or her doing something stupid. The villain has to be worthy of the hero. The hero (or heroine) has to outsmart the villain. And the villain can’t make it too easy. I usually have the villain do something minor that later in the book, the hero picks up on. And my readers can pick up on it as well if they’re paying attention. 

Is my way the only way to write a book? Absolutely not! For you writers out there, chime in with a few tips of your own. Until next month, stay safe and trust that this too shall pass.

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Standoff (Natchez Trace Park Rangers Book #1)

  The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It’s the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it’s being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.

John’s daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father’s murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her. Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who’s going to keep him safe when he realizes he’s falling–hard–for the daughter of the man he failed to save?

Winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense and a 2018 Carol finalist, Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi with her rescue kitty, Suzy. Her romantic suspense books include the Logan Point series and the Memphis Cold Case Novels. She also has written sweet romances for Harlequin Heartwarming available as e-books.