Thursday, January 7, 2010

Guest Blogger, Jackie Griffey

I’m please to introduce Jackie Griffey, author of “The Devil in Merrivale.”

Jackie has stopped by Thoughts in Progress today to talk a little bit about her writing and offer a free copy of her new novel to one lucky person. She is busy this month participating in a Virtual Book Tour throughout blogdom.

Jackie, please tell us a little bit about your writing and where you get ideas.

Thoughts and ideas for novels are like teaching children. The ideas are growing and you are teaching whether you realize it or mean to or not.

Ideas won't be turned off and children are always learning. So treat them both, ideas and children, with kindness and respect.

One idea I had stayed with me for years, one I had before I even thought about writing anything. I've told it to my reading and writing group and a few others but you may find it interesting too since it's a good example of how an idea will take hold and grow.
 

Years (and years!) ago when my children were little we were living in East Memphis and my son was a cub scout, he was going with a friend to gather and identify local tree leaves for a project for a badge. The two of them had not been gone very long when my son ran in the kitchen door, hurried to the bathroom and threw up!

After getting him cleaned up and finding he was basically all right he told me he had seen dead people and his friend had too. He had run home and Jimmy had run in and lost his breakfast. He said the dead people were where they were going to find their leaves. I took him by the hand and went up there to see what was going on. Dead people?
 

By the time I got there security had been posted. A contractor who I thought must not have done his homework had got into the burial place of some of the victims of the yellow fever epidemic. Where else could they have taken them come to think of it but east? The Mississippi River is west; the military base was north; the state of Mississippi was south; it had to be east they took the poor things.

I looked over the shoulder of the security guard and saw a slender leg in a black stocking sticking straight up from a disturbed grave, the white eyelet lace around the bottom white as show. Someone's darling child, I thought.


I took my son home but I never forgot the experience. From then on everything about the era caught my attention. When I started writing, I already had a lot of information to draw on.

The novel I wrote was a historical romance-suspense and the research on it was as interesting as any novel in the library. The history of the Commercial Appeal alone would make a wonderful novel. When the Yankees took Memphis (my editor told me I have to spell Yankee with a capital LOL), the staff at the paper grabbed up their presses and ran to Grenada, Mississippi.


The Union soldiers chased them all over the south, caught up with them somewhere in Georgia and smashed their presses. The Commercial Appeal didn't go back to Memphis until the War Between the States was over and a few little weeklies sprang up to get the news out.

My novel is about three families in that era; one has one of those weekly papers; one bought into the river boat trade; and the other has the only gourmet restaurant in town.


My heroine is the daughter of the one who bought into the river boat trade and she was sent to school in England until the war was over. She comes home determined to use her education to work, love and live as she sees fit. She faces dangerous times; the need to protect her reputation;  a society deaf to women; falls for the handsomest most arrogant man in town and has to keep him at arms reach while they rescue a friend accused of murder. Thereby hangs the tale... So if you have an idea that won't die - don't kill it, write it!

Thanks so much Jackie for stopping by today and sharing that interesting story. I can see why the events of your son finding dead bodies would stay with you. A great piece of history about The Commercial Appeal too.

Jackie hopes to check back during the day to answer any questions you might have for her. Meanwhile, let me tell you about her giveaway.

She is offering a free copy of  “The Devil in Merrivale,” to one lucky commenter on today‘s blog. All you have to do is comment on this post between now and 8 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, Jan. 9. One name will be drawn and the winner will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 10.

A follow-up note about Jackie. She likes to read as well as write cozy mysteries and romantic suspense. She and her family, two cats, a Chihuahua, and a couple of wild bunnies; live in Arkansas where she is working on another cozy mystery. You can visit her website atwww.jackiegriffey.com. You can also find Jackie's Virtual Book Tour schedule at Pump Up Your Book


23 comments:

  1. Wow - very interesting :)

    Sounds like a great book Jackie. Have fun on your virtual book tour!

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  2. Wow is right! What a thrilling, exciting story!! Another book I must have!

    Really great post! Such a pleasure to virtually "meet" you, Jackie!

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  3. That's a great story, Jackie!

    I bet it really threw your son. My son went out into the woods with his friend a couple of years ago and came across a huge carcass of a half-eaten deer. It was definitely a "Lord of the Flies" moment for both boys...they came in very shaken. I can only imagine seeing HUMAN bodies...

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder
    Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen

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  4. I'm glad you didn't give up on your idea, Jackie. And your poor son! What an experience.

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  5. Mason - Thank you so much for "hosting" Jackie! Jackie, thank you so much for telling us about your book and what inspired you. What a frightening experience for your son, though! He's lucky he had you. I love historical mysteries, and your book is now on my TBR list.

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  6. Always interesting to me to read about other authors, how & where they get their inspirations, etc. Fascinating post, love the way you took a frightful experience and turned it into inspiration for writing.

    The Old Silly

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  7. What an inspiring interview Jackie. I must say I've been waiting too long to come up with a story, probably my mind does not focus tightly enough but you have inspired me to give it a try as I am already 69. I have many stories from my grandmother that I can backtrack on to research more. She was born in 1892 in New Westminster, BC, when New Westminster was larger than Vancouver. She also spent a lot of time in the Yukon while miners were still coming up to search for gold. Your book "The Devil of Merryville" looks fascinating.

    Thank you for your interview and inspiration.

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  8. what a wonderful interview and thanks for the giveaway minsthins at optonline dot net

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  9. Jemi: Fun is right - the research on it was as much fun and interesting as any novel. If I ever want to do another historical- I'll go to the paper's history in Memphis.
    Thanks for stopping by,
    Jackie

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  10. Crystal Clear - what a neat name! Wish I could think up appropriate and fun ones on the spur of the moment LOL.
    Thanks for stopping by and happy reading,
    Jackie

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  11. Elizabeth: You're right it really did shake up my little boy - me too. I went right up there and checked it out. Memphis, New Orleans and St. Louis - what great old cities and history we have - they just beg to be written about.
    It's great too, to meet other writers who get a thrill out of writing and blogging and meeting each other.
    Happy New Year,
    Jackie

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  12. Carol: It was more than an idea - I hadn't even started writing novels them! But it was a happening and a setting and an experience that I couldn't ignore - it wouldn't go away - ha!
    Happy reading,
    Jackie

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  13. Margot: I had no idea of writing a historical novel although like you, I enjoy reading them. As I said, it just 'wouldn't go away' - ha! It seems everything I heard from then on about that particular era I just had to find out more about. It's good to meet someone else who likes historicals.
    Thanks for stopping by,
    Jackie

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  14. Marvin: Maybe someone else would have been inspired to do good works or volunteer or something but all the poor victims of that epidemic were gone - I suppose there wasn't anything I could do but write down what their feelings were and some of the adventures they may have had. The research was realy as much fun as putting the thing together.
    Where's you get a sig like 'the old silly?' - made me smile, thank you,
    Jackie

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  15. nightreader? That sounds like me with a good book, dozing off. LOL. I don't know why they sell sleepin pills when a book is much more fun and since i'm 82 (going on 39 LOL) the name fits me too. Sounds like you have an absolute treasure of possibilities - get moving on that research, girl! We'll be waiting to hear about it.
    Jackie

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  16. Mindy: I love interviews and blogging too. It's like meeting new friends and having a visit. Thank you for coming by,
    Jackie

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  17. Jackie, thanks so much for stopping by today and sharing your story with us. It is quite interesting. No one would ever guess your 82.

    Thanks everyone for stopping by also. Remember Jackie is giving away one of her books to a luck person who comments between today and 8 p.m. Saturday. I'll announce the winner's name on Sunday, Jan. 10.

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  18. Very interesting storyline. How long did it take you to write?

    I love that your editor said you had to capitalize Union. Made me laugh.

    Fun post!

    Helen
    Straight From Hel

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  19. I admire anyone who can do the historical research. I never fared well in history class. Maybe if we'd read novels instead of textbooks????

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  20. Thanks for the interview. I would love to be entered.
    djeanq(at)gmail(dot)com

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  21. What a great interview and how about that for a story idea. I don't know how I would have reacted to finding corpses as a child. I look forward to reading the book. sharonaquilino at hotmail dot com

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  22. Great interview, and great story. Looks like a super book!

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  23. Nice interview. This book strikes me as interesting, intriguing. Would love a chance at reading it.

    wakeupangel at gmail dot com

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.