What's that? A NEW mystery?

Yes, I'm leaving Peri and her pals momentarily to wander off and write a new mystery with new characters. Why? For two reasons.

One: I'm tired of being asked why I don't include horses in my books, since I do wrap so much of my real life around them. I have the flimsiest of excuses - it's hard work. Most people do not possess a lot of knowledge about working with horses, so I have to write in a way that lets the non-horsey reader in on the world without boring the horsey reader. It's not an easy task.

Two: I had an idea for a mystery when I was at the last horse show. Horses' stalls are usually bedded with wood shavings and we must clean them at least once a day. At shows, we put the used shavings at the end of the barn aisle and a tractor comes and scoops them up. One morning, as I walked toward our barn, I thought, what if there was a pair of cowboy boots under the shavings... with a body in them?

I've got the basic plot written down, and journals written for my two main characters. Journaling not only gave me their voices, their description of their lives created my subplots. I love it when my characters make my life easier.

So meet my female sleuth, Wilhelmina (Willie) Adams. She is somewhere in her mid-30s, a short, curvy brunette, and a widow. Her husband has been gone for two years and after taking a few horse riding lessons, she discovered that horses are good for the soul. She is now competing on her trainer's horse, but they go to a show to try to find a horse for her to buy.

Enter Tyler Ransome, a 40-something horse trainer who is divorced and bitter. He is friendly enough to keep clients and sell horses, but nothing more. To Willie's eye, he is too tall, too handsome, and too gruff to be bothered with.

Of course, a game of romance will be played along with the whodunit.

Check out my Pinterest board for some of my inspiration. In the meantime, I'll share a little of my journaling over the next few posts. Stay tuned.