Marilyn's Musings

            Can setting really be a character in a book? A year ago I would have said no, at least not in my books. I’m a minimalist when it comes to setting. You won’t find long paragraphs of description or colorful prose. I try to layer elements of setting among dialogue and action scenes. My goal, if successful, is to have a line or two or description and then the reader’s imagination fills in the blanks. That’s what I want to happen because when I’m reading I skip long passages of description. With such small bits and pieces of places, how could a setting take on a bigger role? You create a town that is out to get you main character. In doing so, I’ve had to revise my view on setting a bit. In A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES the town itself rose from the pages and seemed to be attacking my sleuth, Mitch Malone, at every turn. To understand this, I need to give you a bit of the plot. Mitch is forced to return to his hometown to tea...

Marilyn: Hi, Wendy or W.S., the name you write under. How about telling my readers why you chose to go that route with you name. Wendy: Way back when I decided to write the Mitch Malone Mysteries, it had a decidedly male feel to it. I figured that it would appeal to a male audience so I decided to disguise my sex by using initials. I figured if it could work for J.K. Rowling, it could work for me. The funny thing is that the series seems to appear more to females than males. Marilyn: Tell me something about your background. Wendy: I’ve always written but for many years it was nonfiction. I worked a dozen years as a newspaper reporter and interviewed famous and not-so-famous people. I’ve ticked off a county sheriff so my name made the unofficial most wanted list. When it came time to write, it just seemed easy to follow the old maxim of writing what you know so my main character, crime beat reporter Mitch Malone, was born. Marilyn: What made you dec...