A House, a Car, and a Few Secrets
Ramona here, and a few weeks ago, I finished my next book for Love Inspired Suspense. I’m still a little giddy about that, and I can’t wait until its release next April. House of Secrets will be my fifth book for LIS, and in it, I get to celebrate one of my dream cars: a 1968 Corvette Roadster.
This emerald green beauty belongs to my heroine, June, and is almost as much of a character as she is. A gift from her late husband, the car represents some of the key elements in their relationship—sacrifice and endurance as well as a few unexpected quirks under the hood. And like all great mystery characters, it’s in for a few troubling times before the story is finished.The “house” of the title also holds a few unexpected surprises. Based loosely on the Chenault House in Decatur, Alabama, the house was built in the early 1900s and renovated twice.
I had a lot of fun treating the house as if it were a jigsaw puzzle. Around every corner lies a new secret, a new piece of the puzzle, including one that opens the door on a murder almost 25 years old.
One of my joys as a writer is taking pieces and parts of my own world and turning them into fictional wonders. A small town I love becomes the birthplace of a hero. A trail I love to hike turns into a frightful murder scene. A beloved car becomes a idiosyncratic “character”. . . and future crime scene . . .
Ah, but I’ll save that “secret” for later. In the meantime, I’m working on another book, and I have to go bury a body in a basement of my favorite restaurant . . .
6 Comments:
At April 21, 2010 3:58 AM,
Nicola said…
Hi Ramona
Congrats on finishing your next book! Love your post. I agree. It's definitely one of the pleasures of being a writer - being able to 're-vision' those places that our dear to our heart.
Blessings,
Nicola
nicolak3(at)gmail(dot)com
At April 21, 2010 8:05 AM,
Lyn Cote said…
Like the phrase of treating the house like a jigsaw puzzle. Great.
At April 21, 2010 9:41 AM,
Project Journal said…
Congratulations, Ramona!!!! I think your readers are just as excited to hear about this as you are to be finished *wink*
When is it scheduled to be released?
It is very cool how writers can use imagination like that. The readers are oh so appreciative of it!!
How's your Dragon treating you? Did you end up picking a name for her/him?
Hannah
At April 21, 2010 9:03 PM,
Cindy W. said…
I can hardly wait for your book to come out. The house sounds so intriguing. I loved the picture in the blog. I'm a sucker for Turrets.
Blessings,
Cindy W.
countrybear52[at]yahoo[dot]com
At April 22, 2010 1:02 AM,
Ramona Richards said…
Thanks, ladies! The book will be out in April 2011, which feels like forever. But at my age, I know how fast the time passes.
Hannah, the Dragon has taken a back seat for a few months. The project I planned to use it on fell through, so I'm focusing on other stuff (like more books). No name yet. :)
At April 22, 2010 11:43 AM,
Wilma said…
Beautiful house! I'm looking forward to your next book.
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