So, I've begun a new novel.  It's something I've been wanting to write for a loooong time.  Not to mention, it'll be pefect for someone with a last name that translates, literally, to "after death". 

Haven't guessed  yet?  It's a murder mystery!  With a fantasy-ish twist.  Only because computers are from hell, gremlins live in said computers, and demons possess the living... as well as walk amongst us unknown.  Ok, so two out of three is fantasy. ;)  After all, everyone knows computers are from hell!

I have about six pages, or 1900-some words, written so far.  Another oddity is the fact I'm actually writing in first person.  The reason being: I'm writing something I know.  I'm using my own profession in the novel for the main character, so I have eight years of experience to pull from, not to mention the annoyances that can come from everyday use of a computer. 

Of course, I've still got a long ways to go.  From discovering the body, to finding clues and planting red herrings, to figuring out who dun it and why.

The best part of this novel?  The research.  I get to pick a co-worker's brain about golf (a game I abhor and mock happily), I'll be asking Mark's sister and mother about working at a library (yep, that's a part of it, too), and, of course, reading mystery novels.  Not just any, but murder mysteries! 

Who am I reading?  The Queen of Murder Mysteries, Agatha Christie as well as the every amazing Earl Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason novels.  Then, of course, there are the movies (Murder on the Orient Express, Perry Mason episodes) and tv show Midsummer Murders and Sherlock Holmes.  Ok, so Holmes isn't murder mysteries, but he is an excellent example of mysteries! 

If I could find copies of The Toff, I'd read those, too! 


Here's the first page, for those interested.  It needs some editing (Mark's supposed to go over it later), but what the heck? ::


“How was the golf tournament?” I asked Jamie, my co-worker and golf enthusiast as I booted my computer.
The game, tournament, had taken place that weekend and though I hated golf, I enjoyed hearing about my friend’s weekend. An important part of being a good co-worker was taking an interest in their lives. Or at least hearing who won and who lost.  I'd been off the week before and, though she'd posted a status on her Facebook page, there hadn't been any post about who won or lost after the update on the game. 

Jamie peered over the short partitions, a broad grin on her face. “We placed second. You would’ve loved it. It was on the weird side.”

That peeked my interest. I turned around from my computer, giving Jamie my undivided attention. Sweet, friendly, and bubbly, she could have been a cherub. Wavy blond hair curled under her chin and at her neck, heart-shaped face, and bright blue eyes. She even had dimples when she smiled. Jamie also wore flattering clothing that showed off her blond-bombshell figure. I’d met a few cherubs and every one of them could have been a model. Of course, I also knew she wasn’t a cherub, but I always wondered if she had cherubic blood in her ancestry somewhere.

“Congrats on the win! How was it weird? What happened?” I asked.

“Thanks. Each player had nothing over a 53. They all had birdies or less. Talk about weird. I’ve never heard, let alone seen, anything like that before. They were all checked for ‘loaded’ clubs, but they came up clean. They won the pot with ease. It was almost eerie the way the balls seemed to zero in on the hole.” Jamie explained.

Great. A wizard that plays golf and cheats to win. That’s really original. Not that I could tell Jamie that, she’d probably think I was crazy. So, instead, I jumped on the loaded club comment. Especially since it made me think of a club rigged to be used as a gun.

“Loaded clubs? How do you make loaded clubs?”