Today the Chicks are happy to present the marvelous Jenny Dandy, author of the Houses of Crime mysteries: The Brownstone on E. 83rd and The Penthouse on Park Avenue. Today she’s talking about characters inhabiting her dreams. Take it away, Jenny!

What Are All These Characters Doing in My Bed?

Well, more accurately, in my dreams. Yes, I dream about my characters. I don’t mean to, and often it’s gibberish, but there they are. In that early morning haze between waking and sleeping, they’re all gathered and talking. Loudly. They’re in the middle of a maze garden, and because I’m aware of what I’m dreaming, I begin to panic. How am I going to write them out of there? But wait! How am I going to write them into that space, there among the hedges with the stone table in the center? As I anxiety myself into full consciousness, I realize that a) there is no such garden in any of my books; b) those characters would never appear in a scene all together; and c) some of them aren’t even my characters. Guess I don’t have to write my way into or out of THAT scene.

Crime fiction is a plot-driven genre. So what’s with all these characters? Yes, dear reader, I write character-driven fiction in a plot-heavy arena. That’s how I get started, anyway. Who is the criminal and what makes them that way? Bad childhood? Major trauma? Out-sized ego?

Since I’m writing a series, I pretty much know the characters who go from one book to the next, mainly Frank and Ronnie. They’re my friends. As are the accompanying characters, Susan, Pete, Cathy. You’ll have to read the books to find out who they all are, but just know, they’re my friends. I’m always so happy to talk to people after they’ve read my books because I can finally talk about these friends I’ve had for years who few people have met. Hated Isabelle? Great! Did my job. I actually loved her. Even though she is the criminal in The Brownstone on E. 83^rd and an evil manipulator, she’s still my friend. I may not want to ever be subject to her wiles, but she intrigues me. I hope she’ll intrigue you too, because then we can gossip talk about her!

When I set out to write the second book in the series, The Penthouse on Park Avenue, I had no idea how to get into it. Should’ve been easy, right? I knew the setting, the criminal, the crimes, and the characters from The Brownstone on E. 83^rd, but, where, oh where to start? And that came from a dream, the entire scene fully formed. The writing session was easy that morning. I just had to transcribe the full color dream. And then I was on a roll, furiously writing away. Of course, in the edits, it stood out as an orphan scene, and, at the last minute had to be cut. I’ll admit a few tears were shed—sometimes part of the editing is grieving the writing that has to go—but I’ll be forever grateful for having Ronnie in my bed that morning, showing me where to start.

And if you’d like to see that scene as written that morning fresh from sleep, shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you: jennydandyauthor@gmail.com You don’t have to have read The Penthouse on Park Avenue, but I’d be curious if you see a place it could’ve appeared in the book.

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Readers: Do you ever dream about characters you’ve read about, watched on TV, or otherwise encountered?

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 “The Brownstone on E. 83rd grabbed my attention from the first page. Jenny Dandy’s debut has all the hallmarks of a veteran writer: blistering pacing, rapid-fire dialogue, and characters that not only keep you guessing, but caring about what happens to them. Dandy is an author to watch.”

—Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author of The Father She Went to Find

“Jenny Dandy’s THE PENTHOUSE ON PARK AVENUE sets FBI agent Frank Jankowski and reformed thief Ronnie Charles against a professional money launderer in a story showcasing Dandy’s talent for intricate plotting and well-honed dialogue. The relationship between Frank and Ronnie deepens, Frank’s search for his missing daughter grows darker, and the stakes grow deadlier. THE PENTHOUSE ON PARK AVENUE is top-floor entertainment from a gifted writer on the rise.”

—James D.F. Hannah, Shamus-winning author of Because the Night and Behind the Wall of Sleep

About Jenny:

Jenny Dandy is a graduate of Smith College and of Lighthouse Writers Workshop Book Project. Though she has lived and worked from Beijing to Baltimore, from Northampton to Atlanta, New York City was the place that held onto a piece of her heart. She now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains where she would never scam a dinner guest nor launder money for cartels.

http://www.jennydandy.com