Nancy Radke's Blog

Mystery novels are a little bit different than regular stories, because you need to plot backwards on some things. I wrote two cozy mysteries, Any Lucky Dog Can Follow a Trail of Blood, 2021, and Any Lucky Dog Can Find a Missing Child, 2022, and am starting to plot the third one, Any Lucky Dog Can Save Her Master’s Life (working title).

Because this is a series, I already have the dog’s name, Lucky, and the hero, Sheriff Craig, and the heroine, Jenna. I also have the town and many characters in the town. But because this is a series, I have to figure out what time of year I want it. Right now I think I will put this in November, when Jenna and Craig plan to have their wedding. Nothing like a murder to interfere with wedding plans.

Plotting backwards involves deciding on the villain or villains—who they are and what their motive is before you plan anything else. Once I have that, then I have to decide who they will kill and how. Since I am just starting to plot, I haven’t made these decisions yet. I am at the stage of just jotting down ideas in a notebook.

Next I need to figure out what clues the sheriff and Jenna will follow to solve the mystery. I also need to decide on what are called “red herrings.” These look like clues but lead nowhere.

Who will find the body? I’ve already decided that it will be Lucky who leads them to the body, and I’ve decided where I’m going to hide it, as this will be the opening chapter. I might have to change it, but that sounds good right now.

Two other mystery books which I plotted backward was Scorpion’s Trail (my all-time favorite) and Stolen Secrets, both written in the late 1900’s.

I am not an author who enjoys plotting. It “ruins” the excitement of writing the book when I know all the answers. But a mystery can’t be written totally without direction. If I can, I will avoid plotting some scenes and let them write themselves. Then I’ll enjoy it more and I think the book just turns out better.

I enjoy watching Korean mystery series on Netflix and pick up some ideas from them. Two series I watch over and over are “Stranger” and “Beyond Evil.” Neither are “cozy” but I enjoy the characters and watching how they work the clues into the plot.

Most folks think that any horse will chase cows, pull a cart, and be a good parade horse, but they are trained different ways, and have different personalities. So some either refuse or just can't do certain things. In my Trahern story, The Quietest Woman in the South The Quietest Woman in the South, I wrote about a Civil War mule, General Wheezer, who would pull a wagon or a plow, and would let you ride him, on his terms. He was a truly multi-purpose mule. My dad had one of those, a white mule he rode and who also pulled farm equipment.
For many years I rode a mountain-bred horse, Flicka, who was half Morgan and half Quarter horse. She was a working companion, much more than a pet, and loved to eat my peanut butter sandwiches. She would come up behind me and steal a bite if I wasn't paying attention.
She was sure-footed on the mountain trails, and would chase a cow full speed down the hillside. All I had to do was lean back and give her her head. I used this experience in Appaloosa Blues, as I knew what it was like to "fly" on a horse. I would ride from sunup to sundown and sometimes late into the night.
I rode her in parades, but it bored her, and she fought being loaded in a trailer. She did fine in speedy drill team performances, although I had to make sure she missed the other horses, as she was used to pushing cows around and would run right into a horse and rider if I didn't steer her away.
My last year of high school, I was chosen as one of the Rodeo fair court. All the other girls had sorrels, while my mountain horse was a Palomino. So they looked around for a sorrel for me to use as a parade horse, and to ride in the fair.
One of the fair officials found an Arab called Ali, and we brought her out to the ranch for me to ride. They mentioned that she was owned by a woman who rode her once, was bucked off, broke her arm, put the horse out to pasture, and never rode her again.
I saddled her up, and she tried to put her hind foot into the stirrup. I was still on the ground, so spun her around, backwards, and got on and off her, loosening and tightening the cinch, and then spinning her about whenever she tried to hook her foot into the stirrup. Finally she gave up trying.
Next I galloped her out into the fields, doing fine until she stopped abruptly and put her head down. She caught me unprepared, and I flew over her head and landed on my feet, facing her, as I always did when thrown off unexpectedly. So I remounted and galloped her again. This time when she full stopped, I was ready, and made her run full tilt again. Next she started spinning fast to try to throw me off. After all morning doing this and not succeeding, she stopped trying to throw me. Never tried again. I added this experience to my next Trahern novel #14 (still without a name). Last Trahern was #13.
I rode her all summer, along with my mountain horse. Ali was the perfect parade horse. She loaded quickly into a trailer, was calm in the parades, and let people pet her. But she stumbled on the mountain trails and did not know one end of a cow from the other, getting her feet all tangled, so I still used Flicka when herding cattle.
During the rodeo Grand Entry, Ali would gallop full bore up to the other horses and slide into place. For the Grand Entry, everyone rode into the arena one at a time, and stopped abreast in front of the grandstand. It was to introduce the court and present the flags. Ali was the only horse who would run full bore right up to the end of the line, and then slide to a stop, so they had me come in last. She seemed to thrive doing it. She was a great parade horse and riding horse, even if she didn't know how to stand upright on a steep slope.

Since I write more than one book at a time, I will finish one (The Traherns) The Toughest Man in the Territory, #12 (now on Amazon), and have another almost done (the first of the Brothers in Spirit series––still without a name). Also another romantic suspense Brothers story and another Trahern story. I am also working on finishing Volume 3 of the Show & Tell Bible, which will finish the O.T.

I bounce between projects, because otherwise, I get bored when I just work on one. This way, if I get stuck on one story, I go to another, while my brain works independently on solving the problem.

Come to this site on Monday, July 14th, and get my book (Songs for Perri) starring Hugo, my favorite hero, FREE.
http://www.digitalbookday.com

I don't blog often (last time in February) since I am ususally writing. There are now 8 books in the Sisters of Spirit series, and 8 in the Trahern series. Trahern #9 should be up by the first of August. I am also working on a new series, the Brothers in Spirit.

I am a speed reader, so that is why I never put up books I am reading, since I finish them before I get them put up.

I think I might also be a "speed writer," since I wrote 7 Trahern novellas and one Sisters novel, and three short stories since the first of this year.

Taking more time out this summer to pet the dog, watch grandson's/granddaughter's baseball/softball, put in a garden, pick blueberries, work on the Show & Tell Bible DVDs that I also author, and just rest!

Happy reading to y'all.
Nancy

Hi, I'm just finishing up book # 3, The Prettiest Girl in the Land. This follows Ruth Trahern as she searches for a man she can love, her "Boaz."

Free on Amazon Feb. 13-14, The Book of Ruth (children's picture book on kindle) and Courage Dares, a romance novel of a woman learning how to live again after a horrible childhood event.

All the best,
Nancy