The Overnight Bestseller is very pleased to welcome crime fiction author Sandra Nikolai. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Sandra has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University. She's published a number of short stories and is the author of False Impressions, the first Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery.
Welcome, Sandra! The floor is yours.
***
Mike, it’s a privilege to be a guest
on your blog. Thanks for inviting me here.
Several years ago, I was perusing books
in the mystery aisle of a bookstore when another customer stopped to
chat with me. He told me he was following his dream and had just
published his first book. At the time, all I had on paper was the
title and a rough draft of a mystery novel. We exchanged words of
encouragement, but I still remember the one piece of advice he shared
with me before we parted: mystery fans love to read books in a
series.
That bit of information played in my
mind while I was writing False Impressions, my first mystery
novel featuring ghostwriter Megan Scott and investigative reporter
Michael Elliott. I knew that whatever happened in the story, I had to
give these two main characters continuity so that their sleuthing
adventures could extend into future books. In other words, I had to
keep them alive, regardless of the perilous situations they’d
encounter while following leads through the streets of Montreal, the
setting for False Impressions.
Character development is a story
element close to my heart because I love creating different
personality types. Although their ethics are similar, Megan and
Michael have distinctive traits so that any conflict between them
creates dialogue and action that propels the plot forward. In
comparison with Megan’s organized lifestyle and behind-the-scenes
work as a ghostwriter, Michael’s investigative work involves an
impromptu itinerary and meetings with shady informants at all hours
of the night. Without revealing too much of the story, their worlds
overlap when Megan’s husband is murdered and Michael offers his
support. When startling evidence suggests they’re the prime
suspects, they set out to clear their names and find the real killer.
You can imagine the chaos it creates in Megan’s world—not to
mention the intrusion into Michael’s!
I’m now writing Fatal Whispers,
the second book in the series. I’m building on the original
character profiles I created for Megan and Michael, adding layers of
backstory so that readers can get to know them better. The story
takes place in Portland, Maine, where my characters’ physical
worlds expand as they investigate the mysterious deaths of a
millionaire’s beautiful wife, a homeless woman, and a priest.
I decided on a new setting for each
book in the series because different backdrops help to reveal and
develop my characters’ personalities. It’s interesting how a new
place—or even a change in the weather—can affect one’s moods,
words, or actions. Finding the perfect choice in location or ambiance
can present a challenge and might entail rewrites of a particular
scene before I’m satisfied with the result, but eventually it all
falls into place. (Excuse the pun!)
To throw internal conflict into the
mix, Megan and Michael will be lugging unresolved personal issues
with them from the first book. Will Megan overcome guilty feelings
about her husband’s murder? Will Michael succeed in winning Megan’s
complete trust? As in real life, some problems will haunt them for a
while before they’re able to resolve them. But that’s okay.
Giving my characters personal problems makes the interactions between
them realistic so that readers can identify with the issues and
connect with the story. Problems also create conflict, and conflict
is what keeps readers turning the pages to see what happens next.
I already have a premise for the third
book in the series and can’t wait to get to it. I love to write and
hope to keep entertaining readers with thrilling mysteries they’ll
want to solve over the life of the series.
Buy False Impressions:
Also available at Kobo, iTunes, Barnes
& Noble, Smashwords, and Sony Reader stores.
