Category: Research

I HATE to miss deadlines.

~ patyjag ~ 6 Comments

I’m an Indie author. That means I make all the decisions from characters to plot to the endings of my books and when they will be published. I have a whiteboard that I use to keep track of a year’s work/publishing schedule. When I get behind or have to erase and change the dates, it makes me edgy and angry. I like to stay on schedule.

I knew the move I made in March would mess up my schedule. I made concessions for it on my whiteboard. Fast forward to June when I had expected to have a good chunk of the next Cuddle Farm book written and I was slogging in indecision.

Sorry about the reflections in the middle of the photo.

From the moment I finished book 1, Merry Merry Merry Murder, I knew what book 2 would be about. I’d run some scenes in my head and had already researched what I needed to know. I started the book, but it wasn’t flowing. Things didn’t feel right.

I took a break and went to a play with my daughter in an opera house built in 1912. I fell in love with the building and the ambiance, and then my height-conscious daughter walked along the balcony railing and was scared. The railing didn’t come to her knees, and the balcony felt as if it were pitching you forward onto the stage.

After that visit, I couldn’t stop thinking about that opera house. A story was forming in my mind and I had to go back. I bought tickets to the next play and dragged my daughter along again. The play was good, I paid more attention to the stage, the exits, and the short railing. When the play finished, we waited for everyone to leave the balcony and I did some experimenting and then we went down and I took pictures of the balcony from the stage. I wanted one for the cover the next Cuddle Farm book.

Yes, I set the book I’d been working on aside, realizing I needed more time (another book) in between book 1 and the book I’d been writing. It has to do with the discord between the main character and her sister. I wanted to show a bit of a change there before, what is now book 3, is written since it deals with the reason for the discord.

Back to my switching books. Because what had started out as book 2 was now book 3, and I had been brewing that story in my head for almost a year, I was switching to a book I hadn’t even thought of until 4 months ago. As I’d glance up at my whiteboard and see the looming date for the release of book 2 in the Cuddle Farm mysteries and I was still trying to pull all the suspects, the motive, and everything else into place so I could start writing it, my tension grew that I was going to miss the publish date and it would throw off all of the release dates through the rest of this year.

When I was complaining to a friend, she asked me, “But will it be a better book for the series if you write it now?”

My answer was yes.

“Then that’s the book you need to write and move the other publish dates out. They aren’t made in stone.”

Oh, but they are chiseled in my head. My greatest flaw is my greatest strength. I don’t like to be late for ANYTHING. It makes me nervous when I think I’m going to be late. I purposely give myself extra time for everything. And I had for book 2 in the Cuddle Farm Mysteries. But I had to wipe off my whiteboard and redesignate publish dates for this book, the next Spotted Pony Casino book, and the next Gabriel Hawke book. I wasn’t happy, and it made my stomach twist as I erased the dates and reset them.

However, this is going to be a good book and will hopefully pull more readers into this series. It also gives me more time to decide the direction I’m going with the next Spotted Pony Casino book. I’ve been back and forth on how to approach it, and hopefully by the time I am ready to start, I’ll have that story ready to rock and roll.

Guest Blogger~Kathleen Kaska

~ patyjag ~ 6 Comments

Murder, Hotels, and Roadside Attractions

by Kathleen Kaska

One of the great joys of writing my Sydney Lockhart Hotel Mysteries is stepping back into the early 1950s—a world balanced between postwar recovery and renewed optimism. The American dream felt tangible then, within reach. For Sydney, that dream meant breaking free from the prescribed role of wife and mother and forging her own path in a man’s world—first as a newspaper reporter, then as a private detective. The only complication was the man she met along the way. But that’s another story.

Back to the hotels.

While the murder plots are born entirely from my imagination, the settings are not. Each mystery unfolds within an actual historic hotel. For me, these grand dames are more than elegant backdrops—they have stories of their own. Their architecture, guest registers, and whispered legends carry me into a true-to-life past, lending each novel an authentic texture.

Beyond the hotels, I explore the surrounding businesses that thrived in their heyday—speakeasies, illegal casinos, and especially roadside attractions. These quirky landmarks still dot America’s highways and byways. Many sprang up between the 1940s and 1960s, when newly built interstates rerouted traffic away from small towns, threatening local economies. The solution? Create something so unforgettable that travelers would have to pull off the road. Curiosity would do the rest.

During my husband’s and my retirement adventure—our two-year, 47,000-mile journey we call “The Big Trip”—we encountered more than a few of these curiosities. In West Texas, the half-buried, graffiti-splashed cars of Cadillac Ranch rose from the prairie like a modern Stonehenge. In South Texas, we searched for the mysterious glow of the Marfa Lights. In Houston, we wandered through the aluminum-clad marvel of the Beer Can House.

Then there were the corn-themed delights: South Dakota’s Corn Palace; Iowa’s Field of Dreams baseball field carved from a cornfield (I entered—and thankfully found my way out); and the humble memorial marking Buddy Holly’s crash site outside Clear Lake, Iowa, hidden among rustling stalks. It was too much fun not to weave these Americana treasures into my stories.

corn Field of Dreams

In Murder at the Arlington, set at the historic Arlington Hotel and Spa, Bathhouse Row plays a key role. I also mention the Arkansas Alligator Farm & Petting Zoo and Tiny Town, both of which still delight visitors today.

In Murder at the Galvez, Sydney finds herself stranded on Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pierwhen a blinding fog rolls in—and a bullet slices through the mist.

For Murder at the Menger, research took me deep into Louisiana’s swamps with Cajun Encounters Tour Company at Honey Island Swamp, home to the legendary Whiskey Tree and the ghostly moonshiner said to guard it still.

But my favorite roadside attraction lies just outside New Braunfels, Texas: Aquarena Springs. My parents took my sisters and me there when I was young. The crystal-clear lake featured glass-bottom boats and the world’s only submarine theater, where aquamaids—women dressed as mermaids—performed underwater ballet. There was even an underwater wedding, with lead weights sewn into the bride’s gown to keep it from drifting upward.

In Murder at the Faust, Sydney tracks suspects to Aquarena Springs, where an aquamaid makes a startling discovery that helps her solve the case.

Aquarena Springs closed in 1996 and is now the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment—but in the 1950s, it was pure magic. And as any mystery writer knows, magic often hides something darker beneath the surface.

Welcome to Sydney’s world. Check in. Settle in. And watch closely as Sydney brings every secret to light.

Giveaway

Kathleen is giving away an autographed copy of Murder at the Faust to the person who can tell her where this photo was taken.

Murder at the Faust

Welcome to the historic Faust Hotel, where the year is 1953, the carpet is plush, and the crime scenes are unfortunately plentiful. A bloody hotel room, a dead body on the bank of the Guadalupe River, and a suspiciously well-informed police chief land Sydney in the interrogation hot seat.

With Dixon still recovering from a gunshot wound, help arrives—whether Sydney wants it or not—in the form of plucky Lydia LaBeau and the irrepressible Cousin Ruth Echland. Lydia promptly delves into birdwatching escapades with a mysterious new friend, while Ruth, disguised as a Miss Texas contestant, seems more focused on evening gowns than evidence.

Then another dead body turns up in Sydney’s apartment. Lydia disappears. And the case takes a turn for the bizarre with the arrival of a mermaid and a Bible-thumping zealot—just the sort of chaos Sydney has come to expect.

In a whirlwind of duplicity, deception, and pageant drama, one question looms:
Will the real Sydney Lockhart please stand up?

Look for Murder at the Faust in bookstores and on Amazon on September 8, 2026.

Buy Links:

Pre-order today: https://anamcara-press.com/product/murder-at-the-faust/

http://www.kathleenkaska.com

Kathleen Kaska writes the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series, the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series, and the Mystery Trivia series, which includes The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book, published by Lyons Press. Her Holmes short story, “The Adventure at Old Basingstoke,” appears in Sherlock Holmes of BAKING Street, a Belanger Books anthology. She founded The Dogs in the Nighttime Sherlock Holmes Society, a scion of The Baker Street Irregulars. Her latest Sydney Lockhart mystery, Murder at the Pontchartrain, winner of the PenCraft Award for best mystery series, is set in New Orleans at the Pontchartrain Hotel. Kathleen is the winner of the Amity Literary Award for her novel, Death Without Dignity, scheduled for release in January 2027. A Texan at heart, she remains a Texan, even though she now lives in a small coastal town in the Pacific Northwest, where it’s cooler, and there is no traffic. 

Social Media Links

http://www.facebook.com/kathleenkaska

https://www.instagram.com/kathleenkaska/

https://www.amazon.com/author/www.kathleenkaska.com

Too Much Imagination?

~ patyjag ~ 4 Comments

Writing has always been therapy for me. A way to put my vivid imagination to good use instead of making me fearful and worried.

Early in my married years, when my hubby was a truck driver, my imagination would play scenarios in my head about things that happened to him while he was driving. Or if my parents were coming to visit and they were late, my mind would jump to all the tragic things that could have happened.

Once I started writing, sitting down nearly every day and putting my imagination to work writing stories, I rarely envision harm coming to people I know anymore.

What does happen is that my mind is constantly finding ways to bump off people in my mystery books. Ways that are unusual or that are everyday things that can become deadly. I haven’t asked other murder mystery writers if they do the same thing. I need to do that the next time I’m at a conference.

My latest was an innocent trip to the local theater group to watch the play “Oklahoma!” I had been toying with going, and then a friend said the Elgin Opera House put on the best plays, that most of the actors were actually people wanting to get into the field, and used the Opera House as a way to pad their résumés.

So I called my daughter, who lives halfway between the Opera House and me, to ask if she wanted to go with me. She said yes and I purchased the tickets online.

I have driven by the Opera House a hundred or more times, but I’ve never been inside the historical building built in 1912. We parked and entered the building, purchasing water and popcorn before finding our seats in the balcony section. I was impressed by the tin ceiling, the sloped seating, and the excellent sound. Very historical looking. The chairs were a bit hard, even though they were padded. I’m pretty sure it was the old wood shaving stuffing that had been packed down over decades of use!

We were a little bit early and entered the balcony from the top, found our seats, and took in the surroundings. After visiting and talking about the stage and my daughter having been in the building before, when her daughter was in a play, we decided to use the restroom before the play started. I stayed seated as my daughter went to use the facilities. The balcony didn’t have any lights on. The light came from down below on the stage. My daughter doesn’t like heights,. She came back from the restroom and said she didn’t like walking along the edge of the balcony to go to the door leading down to the restrooms.

I laughed at her and said, at least it wasn’t as high as the Church tower we’d climbed up to in Holland. Then I went down to walk along the balcony railing. It came to my knees, and the walking area between the railing and the front row seats was maybe 24 inches. I stopped to look down at the seating below and felt a little dizzy from the darkness above, the light below, and the sense that I was tipping toward the railing.

I continued on and then as I came back, the idea hit me that having a character be at the opera house for a play and seeing a person fall from the balcony would make a good start to a murder mystery. And as I sat in the balcony watching the play, more and more scenes flashed through my mind.

At the end of the play, when the spectators in the balcony had left, I sat in the front row and envisioned how someone could orchestrate an accidental fall.

So stay tuned for book three in the Cuddle Farm Mysteries. The death at the beginning of the book may or may not have been an accident! 😉

I’m having a 20th-anniversary bash to mark 20 years of being a published author. Follow my Facebook page or sign up for my newsletter to be part of the celebration and win prizes the whole month of May. I’m giving away a prize every day on my Facebook Page and giving my newsletter subscribers a Bingo game to play for a chance to win prizes.

Link to Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPatyJager

Link to subscribe to my newsletter: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

Guest Blogger ~ Kathy Sechrist

~ patyjag

From Memoirs to Mystery: Crafting a New Narrative Through Healing
Writing has always been my sanctuary—a place where I can sift through the cacophony of life’s experiences and find meaning. After penning two deeply personal memoirs about my journey through domestic violence and the healing that followed, I never imagined that my next literary endeavor would take a sharp turn into the realm of mystery and murder. Yet, here I am, sharing with you the unexpected evolution of my writing journey.

The Healing Power of Words
Before I delve into the origins of my latest book’s premise, I must first acknowledge the role my memoirs played in my life. They were not merely books; they were lifelines. Writing them gave me the courage to confront my past, the compassion to forgive myself, and the empowerment to advocate for change. Each word was a step toward healing, an act of defiance against a world that often silences survivors.

As I shared my story, I realized how deeply connected I was with others who had walked similar paths. This connection fueled my desire to continue writing—not just for myself, but for those who needed their voices amplified and their stories told. But after two memoirs, I found myself at a crossroads. I wanted to explore new narratives and challenge myself creatively while continuing to honor the themes of courage and resilience.

The Birth of a Mystery
The idea for a mystery novel came to me unexpectedly, like a whisper in the quiet moments of reflection. It began with a question: What if the very skills I had honed while writing my memoirs could be used to craft a story that was both thrilling and meaningful? Could I weave a tale that captivated readers while subtly addressing themes of empowerment and justice?

The premise for the book took root in my mind while I was reflecting on the concept of duality. In life, as in writing, we often wear many hats and navigate different roles. I was intrigued by the idea of exploring the dual nature of people and circumstances—the light and the dark, the seen and the unseen. This duality became the cornerstone of my mystery novel.

Characters with Depth and Purpose
My transition from memoir to mystery was guided by the essence of character development. In my memoirs, authenticity was paramount. I had to be truthful, raw, and vulnerable. In crafting my mystery, I applied the same principles to my characters. They had to be real, flawed, and relatable.

At the heart of my story is a protagonist who embodies resilience and strength. This character is a survivor, much like myself, and her journey is one of empowerment. She navigates a world filled with secrets and shadows, using her intuition and determination to unravel the truth. Her past, marked by adversity, becomes her greatest asset as she faces new challenges.

A Plot Rooted in Reality
The plot of my mystery novel is woven with threads of real-world issues that resonate with me deeply. It’s not just a tale of whodunit, but a narrative that examines justice, moral ambiguity, and the power dynamics inherent in society. These themes emerged from my lived experiences and my advocacy work, reminding me that fiction can be a powerful vehicle for change.

The setting, too, is steeped in authenticity. Drawing on my life’s journey, I crafted environments that reflect both beauty and menace. The juxtaposition of a seemingly idyllic community with its hidden undercurrents of treachery underscores the novel’s central conflict. Just as survivors often navigate the complexities of their own environments, my characters must traverse a landscape where nothing is as it seems.

Empowerment Through Storytelling
Writing a mystery allowed me to explore empowerment in a new light. While my memoirs focused on personal empowerment, my novel broadens the scope to include communal and systemic empowerment. It challenges readers to question their assumptions and consider the broader implications of justice.
The process of writing this book was an empowering journey in itself. It required me to step beyond my comfort zone, to trust my instincts, and to embrace creativity as a tool for advocacy. Every twist and turn in the plot was an opportunity to highlight the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of standing up for what is right.

A Message of Hope and Courage
Ultimately, my mystery novel is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling. It is a reminder that we all have stories worth telling and that our voices matter. Through the lens of fiction, I hope to inspire readers to confront their own truths, to seek justice, and to find strength in vulnerability.
In writing this book, I discovered that the line between memoir and mystery is not as stark as it seems. Both genres require honesty, courage, and a willingness to explore the depths of human experience. Both offer the chance to connect, to heal, and to advocate for change.

As you turn the pages of my mystery novel, I invite you to embark on a journey of discovery—a journey that echoes the resilience of survivors everywhere. May it inspire you to embrace your own story, to seek the truth, and to find empowerment in unexpected places. Together, let us continue to write new chapters of hope and courage in the book of life.

Bodies Under the Bluebonnets (no cover)

Book 1 in the Secrets Never Sleep series.

Sara Matthews comes to China Grove searching for peace. After a lifetime shaped by control, fear, and survival, she buys a neglected house on the edge of a small Texas town, hoping distance and silence will finally offer her a fresh start.

But peace is hard to find when bodies begin turning up beneath the bluebonnets.

As the town reels, Sara becomes entangled in a murder investigation that exposes long-buried secrets, betrayals, lies and dangerous loyalties. Police Chieff Dean Williams believes the deaths are connected—and the closer he gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that Sara’s past has sharpened instincts others ignore.

Having learned to read danger long before it shows its face, Sara recognizes the warning signs no one else wants to see. Yet each step toward the truth draws her deeper into a web of threats, where trust is fragile and survival is never guaranteed.

When the case finally closes, Sara learns one unsettling truth: China Grove has been hiding secrets for decades—and the land remembers all of them.

Bodies Under the Bluebonnets is the first novel in the Secrets Never Sleep Series, a gripping small-town Texas mystery in which buried crimes resurface, and a woman who survived one kind of violence must face another to reclaim her life.

Available Late Spring 2026.
Be the first to know when Bodies Under the Bluebonnets is released—follow kathysechrist.substack.com for launch updates, behind-the-scenes details, and early announcements.

Parris Blue Photo

Kathy Sechrist is a survivor of domestic violence and a dedicated advocate for those who have experienced similar trauma. Through her powerful and honest writing, she shares her journey of healing and resilience, offering hope and support to others. Kathy is passionate about raising awareness of the prevalence of abuse and breaking the cycle of silence that often surrounds it. Critics and readers praised her work for its raw vulnerability and its ability to connect with readers on a deep emotional level. Kathy resides in the Hill Country of Texas with her companion, Dean, and Toby the cat, Warlord of the house.

www.kathysechrist.com

Guest Blogger~ Michael Geczi

~ patyjag ~ 2 Comments

Why and How I Write Psychological Thrillers

Seven of my eight novels are psychological thrillers. The eighth? Inspirational/book club/family crisis fiction with a lightly speculative thread. But that’s a story for another time

For me, psychological thrillers offer endless opportunities to tell the complex stories I want to tell and enjoy myself in the process. I can break rules, twist tropes, create wonderful and hateful characters who interest me (and I feel I know), and generally skirt around violence without ever describing it in detail.

“The Serial Killer Anthology,” my first series, is a collection of five novels related to serial killers. In theory, they are standalones, but – as I mentioned earlier – I break the rules. Although two of the stories feature the same characters (the homicide team of the Santa Monica Police Department), some of them also appear in a third book. I didn’t want to write a series about one detective or team … I wanted different people, places, and circumstances — but they keep sneaking into some of the stories.

And I couldn’t stop them. They can be pretty insistent.

I rarely, if ever, describe actual violence. I don’t need to; readers have imaginations. It’s easy enough to leave that responsibility to them. Instead, I focus on what’s going on in the characters’ heads: from victims to suspects to law enforcement to other citizens.

The serial killings and the geographies provide a vital playing field for me to maneuver the characters, kind of like a chess match. When I write, I’m interested in motivation, thoughts, clues, and internal struggles – and, when possible, stretching to extremes. Readers can expect twists and turns, as well as surprising and thought-provoking endings.

For instance, in the series’ fifth book, “Then She Died,” my motivation was to experiment a bit with structure; specifically, the expected roles of the protagonist and the antagonist, and how readers might feel if I played around with them. What if the protagonist is not likable and the antagonist is likable? At least for a chunk of the story? I was immediately intrigued with the idea. I was also interested in creating a character who experiences a period of relative normalcy in Act Two, but nothing close to that in the first and third acts.

I love being surprised by my own endings. It’s enjoyable to begin a book with a rough idea of the ending, only to be blown away by the words that get typed when I actually get there.

My books are the result of a writing process that is both structured and unstructured.

I’m a pantser who grasps onto one or two of the thousands of characters who flow through my brain every day. Something about them needs to be unique, often flawed, but they always have real emotions (even if they don’t surface until later). Then I need a geography that works for the plot and the characters: as it turns out, it’s usually somewhere where I’ve lived – I want the environment to play a role in the story. So … Southern California, Arizona, New Jersey, Massachusetts. Each offers excellent color and atmosphere.

With a couple of potential twists and turns in my pocket, I start painting the outside of a house. I try to get the primer down first, making sure it’s even and smooth – and then I start layering in plot points and crises. I break some rules because I like to get the first 25% of the manuscript close to complete before proceeding. And close to complete means I have the characters right, the inciting incident right, but have left room to plug in new and necessary information as I write the rest of the book. I then switch my brain to the structure of the other 75% and write 500-word mini-chapters/scenes for the rest of the book, so I know the flow will work.

At that point, I go back to the beginning and apply additional coats of paint over the primer until I know it is done. How long does that take? It varies, but at some point, I know. I feel it.

And I have great fun with an ending that draws on my original thinking but regularly surprises me as well.

I’ve been a writer my entire life – journalist, speech writer, crisis manager, ghost writer, etc. Being an independent author enables me to focus on the stories and readers, rather than the bureaucracy associated with traditional publishing. That works for me at this point in my life.

I’m currently working on the third book in my second series, “The Revenge, Unhinged Series,” the first two books of which were “Pointless” and “Soulless.”

I’m fortunate to be engaged with many of my readers. I email with quite a few and am always intrigued by the comments and encouraged by their remarks. My favorite comment was in one review where the writer said, “The suspense mounts as we approach the final pages, and, no sooner do I breathe a sigh of relief … the ending is worth a star of its own, because as much as I hate it, I love it.”

For me, it doesn’t get any better than that.

“The Serial Killer Anthology” is a five-book series perfect for fans of dark, intelligent thrillers that delve into the killer’s psyche and the investigators obsessed with stopping them. It delivers compelling and page-turning storytelling, with each story digging deeply into a variety of psychological and emotional perspectives and points of view.

The killer? Of course, but not always. The victims. Yes, but in some new ways. Law enforcement? Sure, but sometimes including exploration into their personal lives too. Local communities, institutions, friends, and extended family – most of whom are not even known to the victim – are explored and make for compelling story arcs. Collateral damage is an insensitive term, of course, but does describe some of the POVs the stories will emphasize.

The anthology comprises standalone books and a two-book mini-series. The first book – “The Deadly Samaritan” – is a standalone story set in 1992. Two – “Killer Dead, Victim Alive” and “Hunting a Cat in Dogtown” – comprise a modern-day, two-book series with many of the same characters and an extended story. The fourth book – “The Compass Killer” – introduces a character tied back to the first book, and the fifth book – “Then She Died” – is another standalone.

In these books, we explore parental behavior, small-town politics, doomed friendships, copycats, terrible misunderstandings, and the effect of traumatic loss.

With the exception of “Hunting a Cat in Dogtown,” each book can be read as a standalone.

Looking for a captivating read? Consider “The Serial Killer Anthology”!

Book Links

https://books2read.com/theserialkilleranthology

Michael Geczi is an author based in Scottsdale, Arizona. A former journalist, corporate executive, consultant, and university instructor, he is the author of nine books. “The Serial Killer Anthology” includes five psychological thrillers: “Then She Died,” “The Compass Killer,” “Hunting a Cat in Dogtown,” “Killer Dead, Victim Alive,” and “The Deadly Samaritan.” “The Revenge, Unhinged Series” includes “Pointless” and “Soulless.” He also wrote the inspirational, lightly speculative novel “Equinox.” Early in his career, he published an investment advice book.

Website

http://www.michaelgecziauthor.com

Social Media Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-geczi-0450841/?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

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https://www.threads.com/@michaelgecziauthor

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