Why I Wanted to Write a Mystery

Every good story has an element of mystery, or we wouldn’t bother turning the pages to get to the end. That said, few mysteries found their way into my backpack or onto my bookshelves until a few years after high school and college.

In the 90s,while working as a computer software trainer, lugging equipment and spending long hours on California freeways, my back gave out, which kept me out of work and flat on said back for about a year and a half. As long as I was at it, I got a divorce…while raising two teenage sons. All I can say about that period of time is that I’m glad we didn’t have Facebook then, or I’d probably have to live down pics of me in my pajamas, crawling around the kitchen trying to make tacos for dinner.

During the long hours I was stuck in bed or on the floor with ice packs, someone handed me “A is for Alibi” and I became hooked on mysteries.

Sue Grafton’s breezy Kinsey Millhone did things I could only dream of doing, like getting out of bed to go to work and having enough money to live on. Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon explored a new National Park with each book, and Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch was just plain awesome. These characters kept me from lying there, staring at the ceiling, wallowing in self-pity. If they could overcome their problems and have lives, so could I.

Of course, this wasn’t a conscious thought, but looking back on that time in my life, now, I realize that weaving a good, solid story that entertains is not only a fun, entertaining challenge for a writer, but can be valuable to a reader in a very practical way. I’d always thought of writing poetry or stories, or sketching one of my kids as somewhat selfish – sort of a guilty pleasure – a way to get out of doing the laundry.

For the next few years I was busy with physical therapy, hopeful starts and frustrating stops on the path to recovery and being able to work again. At one point, a friend of mine built an elevated frame for my computer (those huge, heavy monstrosities computers used to be) with a swivel keyboard. I would scoot under it and while laying on my back, click away and still continue writing. If the Big One had hit, I would have been squashed like a pancake!

Once I was back on my feet, literally and financially, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel, one with characters and story lines that would hold someone else’s hand while they tackled whatever they were going through. Also, writing is just plain fun for me, and satisfies my need for challenge, variety and learning new things. As an author, I get to wrap all the things I love doing into each new book. Works for me!