So I’m currently working on Book 5 in the series, The World of Murder. The Taste of Murder takes place in and around the Food 
Network and cooking shows.
My two detectives, O’Roarke and Garcia are waiting for the elevator to take them down to the lobby at the Food Network studios. And who walks off the elevator but Arnold Miller, Broadway star… and one of my characters from The Act of Murder.
I stared at my screen for a second and, even though I was alone in my studio, asked aloud, ‘Arnold, what are you doing in this book?’ I got no answer of course so decided to see where Arnold would lead me. My readers know by now that I am a staunch believer that at some point the story takes over and the writer goes along for the ride….we become the typist. So why was I surprised when Arnold rushed out of an elevator and almost mowed down my two murder cops? Well, it turns out that Arnold knew my victim and his lover. He really filled our ear with all the latest gossip!
I also believe that the best stories are based in truth. My first inspiration to write The Taste of Murder sprouted (pun intended) from 
watching competition, cooking shows. I thought to myself, ‘would it be interesting if one of the judges got knocked off…in front of two dozen witnesses?’ A month and ten thousand words later, it was very bizarre to be watching one of my favorite shows the other night and who walks on set as the surprise celebrity judge? MY MURDER VICTIM! Wait! He’s dead. Wait, that’s not right….it’s fiction.
Keep the doors to your mind and creative soul OPEN AT ALL TIMES. You just never know what will happen next. If you are very lucky, your story won’t turn out the way that you had planned. It will be better, richer, and in the case of my murder series, more intriguing. I don’t know where the plot is going yet but Arnold appearing just added an extra layer to what is developing.
As a writer, it’s my favorite thing to have happen; when my story takes a sharp left and wanders down a path I hadn’t planned.…not really caring whether I follow it or not!
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