Writing Book Three - a glimpse behind the scenes!
The third book in the Caroline Jordan Mystery Series is The Body Beautiful. Taking up the Jordan PR story several months after the The Body Count, we find Paula Hughes preparing for her wedding. But what should be - according to all the romance novelists - a magical time is fraught with worries about her appearance. Paula has always been a little self deprecating about her looks, despite the fact that we know she's very attractive when viewed through the other characters. Both Caroline and DS Alan Doyle remark on her good looks, and most importantly warm and loveable personality. She attracts attention (albeit of a stalker-ish kind) from two of the male side characters in The Body Count. Caroline frequently compares her, favourably, to her very glamourous older sisters. To Caro, Paula is by far the best of the bunch.
Paula herself cannot see this; she only knows she is "boring" and "unremarkable" compared to her out-going, pretty, sisters.
Adding to her woes is an unexpected issue with Stephen, her fiancé who makes up the third part of the Jordan PR partnership. Loyal and steady, Stephen is the man they all rely on to be...well, reliable. But he's taken to disappearing off, working late, and being unavailable. She can't even admit it to herself but Paula is worried...
The Progress, a new fitness movement that's sweeping across Ireland offers a solution to at least one of her problems. They promise fitness, health, weight loss, all in a community of likeminded people supporting and encouraging you.
But is this really what it delivers?
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Meanwhile Caroline has her own issues. Her once-boyfriend, now double murderer, Rory has reached out from prison. He wants a favour, but not what she might expect. Apparently he's on the road to reform and needs her forgiveness. Obviously she wouldn't dream of getting pulled back in, not in a million years. So why can't she let it go, and move one?
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DS Doyle is in his usual state of suppressed vexation, mixed with dogged resolution. Political interests are putting pressure on the SCS to investigate things that technically they shouldn't be touching with a barge pole. Minister Lilian Roche is using the Justice department as her own personal fiefdom. But on the other hand Marie has decided they should move in together, assuming she can house her collection of handknits and craft tools. Doyle is bewildered to discover he might actually be....HAPPY?
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A host of minor characters move in the background, living their lives and unaware that a brutal murder is about to throw everything up in the air.
Obviously as I write and then, gods help me, edit and re edit, some of this will change, some stories step forward and others recede, some characters muscle their way to the front and of course, I still don't know who is going to turn out to be the killer and why (it comes as a surprise to me every time, the joy of unplanned writing.) But I have a plot, a setting, characters and two previous books to draw on in building the world of Jordan PR
One trick I've learned is to create a mood board on Pinterest for the book. Every time I find an image that feeds into the atmosphere, ambiance, or society I'm creating, I save it. It builds up a visual inspiration for all things to do with the book. It might only have meaning for me, but it all contributes to the process.
The Body Beautiful will be out later this year. If these characters get their act together!
THE CAROLINE JORDAN MYSTERY SERIES (Amazon)
Order / Buy in any good bookstore
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