Book Number Two: A MURDER DOWN THE BLOCK

Quite a while ago, I mentioned some of the other books I have in the works.  In writer parlance, they are called Works in Progress or WIPs.  I have gone back to working on A Murder Down the Block, a story idea I had over a year ago.  The basic premise of my WIP is as follows:  New Bern, NC, is experiencing a rash of  gruesome murders.  While there are clues showing that they are all committed by the same person, each one is very different.  The first murder sounds familiar to my main character - a mystery writer.  A second murder occurs in a different part of town then the third takes place just down the block from her, and from the news reports on TV, she realizes that each murder was straight out of her discarded plot ideas for murder scenarios.  She goes to the police and tells them her theory and she immediately becomes a 'person-of-interest.'  Tessa has to figure out who had access to her discarded murder scenario pages - and what could possibly drive a person to commit such horrible acts? 

I'm looking forward to the research phase of my book.  I love New Bern.  This beautiful, tiny city on the water has a bustling downtown scene that is just teetering on the edge of Southern Upscale.  It's wonderfully laid out and makes for a great walking town.  Of course, having an honest-to-God palace (Tryon Palace) right smack dab downtown only adds to its charm.  I know I'll be using Gus and her store in my book (with her permission, of course)...she's from Scotland and owns her own wine and cheese shop just one block off the waterfront.  I've always made it a point to stop in and talk to her every time I've visited New Bern.  Her shop is great!  I'll use the historic Chelsea Restaurant and the rooftop dining area on Captain Ratty's will figure prominently in my book.  Another shop important to A Murder Down the Block is the hardware store that's around the block from Gus's place. 

So, what about School of Hard Rocks? I can go no further on that novel until I do some on site research at Diamond Crater State Park over Christmas.  That left me asking, What's next? What's next? 

I see why I needed the down time yesterday; I had to be quiet so I could listen.  What's next? What's next?  That vexing question has finally been answered:  A Murder Down the Block.

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Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand. ~ Neil Armstrong
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