X is for X-Rated? Not on My Watch

Not where the STAC Mysteries are concerned, and the same is true of my forthcoming series, the Spookies Mysteries.

True, I have written a few hard-boiled titles, and they contain scenes which might make your hair curl, but for the majority of my work, I tame the language and when it comes to the bedroom I close the door and cut to another scene.

The STAC Mysteries are cosy whodunits, and you wouldn’t expect anything frightening or graphic in terms of violence or sex.

Spookies are slightly stronger, but even here, the language is toned down, any violence is no worse than a Tom & Jerry cartoon and while tussles and clinches between the characters may be more than hearsay, they still stop short of graphic.

That leaves us with the horror element.

You can’t write supernatural mysteries without ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night, and some of the scenes in The Haunting of Melmerby Manor are intended to be nerve jangling, but they’re no worse than certain scenes from Dr Who or Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I’ve seen parts of cosy TV series like Midsomer Murders which can make you feel uneasy, and Spookies is no worse. These scenes are essential. Without them Spookies would just be another set of whodunits.

In a similar vein, Shani Struthers, a fellow Crooked Cat author, releases The Haunting of Highdown Hall this coming Wednesday. I haven’t read it (obviously because it’s not released until Wednesday) so I’ve no idea how serious or how X-rated her Psychic Surveys titles are/will be. (However, Shani, you are welcome to let us know in the comments.)

Consideration of X-rated material, brings us nicely to Fishwick, Sceptre’s ghostly ally. We quickly learn that this spectral butler keeps a watchful eye over Her Ladyship, but what happens when Sceptre is feeling, er, frisky.

It’s quite simple. Sceptre orders him, “Fishwick: take an hour off.”

BTW: in case you think I’m rushing to compete with Shani, I’m not. I mention her work to demonstrate that different writers may treat the same subject differently. The similarity between our titles is purely coincidental. I had never even exchanged Facebook comments with Shani until she signed on with Crooked Cat.

But it will interesting to compare reaction to the two titles.

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The Haunting of Highdown Hall by Shani Struthers is published by Crooked Cat Books on Wednesday April 30th, and there is a launch event on Facebook where everyone is welcome.

The Haunting of Melmerby Manor, the first Spookies Mysteries is published by Crooked Cat Books on June 10th, and once again there is a launch event on Facebook, and everyone is more than welcome.