Why I Write Mysteries by Barbara Brett
At a recent book event, a man who said he loved SECRET AGENDA asked me, "Why does a nice woman like you write about such crimes?"
I laughed and told him that all mysteries, no matter how suspenseful and frightening, were most likely written by "nice" women and men. It's people who aren't nice who commit horrendous crimes. He laughed too, and told me he was looking forward to my next book.
His question left me thinking, though. Why are mysteries usually written by authors who, in their private lives, are quiet, pleasant, funny, warm, and loving? This certainly describes the mystery writers I know. And I think they would probably say it describes me—even add the word "shy" to the list. So why do we steep ourselves in murder and mayhem when we write? I think it's because, in the midst of an often frightening and chaotic world, we want to create fictional worlds in which we are in control and can set things right.
I began writing SECRET AGENDA because I was so disturbed by the Wall Street shenanigans that were wreaking havoc in the lives of hardworking, ordinary people. I intended to kill off the villains, each one in a different, but a deliciously appropriate and satisfying way. Then, one day when I was having lunch in a restaurant, I overheard some men in the booth behind me talking about an acquaintance who had been in a terrible accident that had left him emasculated. They all seemed to feel that it would have been better for the poor man if he had been killed. It was, one of them said, "a fate worse than death." I shuddered, appalled by the crass and unfeeling way the men were talking about their friend, and my heart went out to the victim.
I couldn't get that conversation out of my head. It would pop up at the oddest times—when I was doing the laundry, when I was shopping, when I was working on my book. And then one day as I was writing, that phrase, "a fate worse than death," hit me with full force, and I realized I had found the perfect punishment for my villains. I put my fingers down on the keyboard and typed: SECRET AGENDA: Who's Castrating the Wolves of Wall Street?. It meant a lot of replotting and new research, but it was worth every moment. Now I was in complete control of my characters and could create a satisfying and just world, even if only a fictional one. And that's why I write mysteries!
SECRET AGENDA: Who's Castrating the wolves of Wall Street?
They are the most powerful men in America: billionaires born to privilege and linked by their membership in the nation's most elite fraternity. They have always snatched what they want. From the halls of their ivy-league college to the counting houses of Wall Street, nothing has ever stopped them from reaching their nefarious goals. But as they gear up for their biggest takeover of all—the presidency of the United States—they discover to their horror that someone else has a secret agenda too. One by one, they are being castrated by an unknown attacker....
SECRET AGENDA—a riveting mystery of political ambition set in the glittering heights of New York society and the darkest depths of Wall Street depravity!
LINKS
Amazon paperback:
Amazon Kindle:
Barnes & Noble paperback:
Nook:
Apple iBooks
Kobo
Smashwords
Thanks, Marilyn, for inviting me to share my thoughts about writing. I'd love to know what some of your other readers think. Why do they write or read mysteries?
Until she left to pursue her own writing, Barbara Brett was both a magazine editor and book editor and publisher. Besides Secret Agenda, she is the author of Sizzle, Between Two Eternities, Love After Hours, and, with her husband, Hy Brett, the critically acclaimed mystery, Promises to Keep.
You can find out more about Barbara and her books on her website: www.brettbooks.com And you can keep up with her news and her views on writing, reading, and life by following her on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraBrettAuthor
Comments
Theasa Tuohy