Mystery Ink: A Novel Way To Die
Ever meet someone who’s the definition of smart and sweet?
When I lived in Kansas City, I met Lisa Daly at the Kansas City Writers Club. We worked together on the Kansas City Voice’s literary magazine. She is a unique storyteller.
Lisa Daly
I’m happy to introduce you to Lisa Daly.My dream of holding my first published novel in my hands with my name in print as the author recently came true. I’ve been writing short stories for several years, entering contests, winning some awards, but I’d never written a novel until two years ago. I loved the challenge of telling a story in a short space. My favorite was flash fiction meaning the story was extra short, sometimes less than 750 words, a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. So writing a full length novel seemed a daunting challenge to say the least. True to form, my novel is not long. It’s 185 pages in print, a story that could be read in one or two days if no other duties called.
Many writers are asked whether they outline first or let the characters speak to them, following their voices to see where the story takes them. In my murder mystery novel, I had a combination of both. I wrote an outline, but realized by the fifth chapter that I had covered everything in the outline. Obviously I needed more. This is where I let the characters speak to me. It was fun to learn what would come out of their mouths when they argued with each other. I knew how I wanted it to end, but since I was writing a mystery I had to throw in some red herrings while making sure to include accurate details and interesting subplots that did not lead the story away from the main mystery. I’d read the importance of being fair with the reader. Nobody likes a new character brought in at the last minute who’s the killer. But it shouldn’t be so easy that the killer wears a neon sign that states, “I hated the victim and I’m not ashamed to admit I killed him.”
Mystery Ink: A Novel Way To Die
Today people are busier than ever. I wanted to write a book that couldn’t be put down easily. I placed cliff hangers at the end of each chapter whenever possible. A mother with three young boys who bought my book told me recently that my book was incredibly hard to put down. That is the kind of compliment I hope to receive with the next book I write and the next, and the next….Thank you for taking time to read about my process in writing my debut novel, Mystery Ink: A Novel Way To Die . It’s available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online. My website is http://www.lisakaydaly.com.
As a coroner, Dr. Marv Henderson is more comfortable around corpses than with the living, especially his adult daughter, Mary, who refuses to speak to him. But when members of his book club are murdered the same way as characters in the mystery novel they’re reading, he unwittingly leads the killer to his daughter’s doorstep. And when a romance with a fellow book club member, the mysterious Lyla Baxter, finally seems possible, Dr. Marv fears she’s involved in the serial killing and is nothing more than a deadly distraction.
Here’s where you will find Lisa’s book:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00I3LF22Y
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mystery-ink-lisa-daly/1118354208?ean=9781930584631
More about Lisa:
Lisa Daly is a licensed clinical social worker who spent sixteen years counseling families before focusing on a career in writing. Her story, “Road to Dreamland” was published in Kansas City Voices magazine in 2010. She won first place in the OWFI Contest for one of her short stories and second place in the WOW Women on Writing Contest for another story, that one being published online. This is her debut novel. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and their six year old daughter. You can find her on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter and her website: http://www.lisakaydaly.com
Happy Reading!
Linda Joyce
www.linda-joyce.com
