When I decided to write a mystery series one of the first questions I had to answer was, “what will my main character do for a living?" I wanted to come up with something unusual, so I did some research.

It turned out that mystery heroine occupations ranged, from teachers, artists, beauticians and bankers, to doctors, innkeepers and morticians. In fact, I even found a web site that cataloged mystery characters by their occupations; the list was fairly exhaustive. However, there were relatively few heroines who were employed in major American corporations, and certain none in the field of HR.

That discovery was all it took to get started. Drawing upon some of my own career experiences, I soon realized that the traits that would make a real person competent in HR were the same qualities that would make for a good fictional detective. For example, an understanding of human nature, respect for procedures, and the ability to make criteria-based decisions were all components that a believable sleuth would need to solve puzzles and catch bad guys. In addition, the tone and texture of life in the business world provided a unique contrast to the untidy business of murder.

Ellen Sparks. She might not help you get your Affirmative Action Plan written, but she will most certainly keep you entertained.