Origin
Raindrops on Roses and Whispers of Kingpins: My Mysteries
My absolute favorite genre to read is Mystery. I was nervous to write one, but a flash flood in a creepy, Texas oak forest on a muggy October day was enough to inspire me. Of course, my protags are theatre kids. And yes, the title is a pun on musical song lyrics.
Raindrops on Roses and Whispers of Kingpins
Continued from above . . .
In high school I played the Mother Abbess in the school's rendition of The Sound of Music. The director had nun costumes made for about a dozen of us, and they were spectacular. I got to keep mine after the play was over and my mom wore it to a Halloween party. She won the costume contest.
I always wondered what it would be like to walk around town in that nun habit. There's a sense of anonymity with the veil and wimple covering your head. It almost makes you invisible. What mischief could a couple of girls get up to in nun costumes if they were poking around for information?
I knew immediately that this book would have a scene where the nun costumes would play a key role in solving the crime.
I also knew that the creepy greenbelt would become a character unto itself. The local legend of "La Llorona" plays heavily into the spooky vibes. While I made the decision not to pull the supernatural into this story, you may be left wondering just what is real and what is perceived. There's a hint of unreliable narrator to this one.
I am absolutely prepared to build out this mystery series with multiple punny titles, all based on musicals. The diverse cast of characters has so many possibilities for fun, growth, and arcs.
Editors
To see this manuscript, please contact Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.