The Chicks are tickled to have author pal Gianetta Murray hanging out with us today on the blog. She will give us the inside scoop on spouses helping out with writing about murder (and various challenges involved).

The Danger of Writing from Life

The second Vivien Brandt Mystery, Dug to Death, almost ruined my marriage.

To give credit where it’s due, my husband is funding my writing career while I try to complete enough books to make it viable. For this, my gratitude knows no bounds (except when it comes to harassing him on housekeeping issues). It also entitles him to final approval of my major works. I give him several weeks to look over the formatted product before listening to his thoughtful comments with the patience of your average author. (Translation: not much.)

But because Dug was loosely inspired by a combination of real-life events, this time he came to me two days before publication to say he wanted me to make the location more…fictional. I pointed out there was no similarity to actual people, processes, or resolutions, not to mention actual murders, but he was adamant. (He works with lawyers.)

Oy vey. These are the times that try authors’ souls.

Fortunately, he’d marked up the manuscript and we went rapidly through it, finding even more things that had to be changed. I still live in fear that someone in the book is driving south when they should be driving north!

So, our marriage survived (at least until the next time he turns off the washing machine before it’s done). He’s realised procrastination isn’t the way to deal with publishing deadlines and I’ve learned to demand feedback at least a week in advance. As every spouse knows, these little adjustments make a marriage work, along with the occasional scream into a pillow to avoid alarming the neighbors.

The book was on time, and I am now the proud author of a mystery series including Moved to Murder and its free prequel, Ungrateful Dead.

The next step is the introverted author’s nightmare: marketing. Interviewers asking “How much is based on your real life?” (obviously some, but I haven’t found that many dead bodies) and “Is the protagonist really you?” (again, some, though Vivien is younger and better looking, and there’s also a lot of me in Sydney the cat).

Which is why I’m thrilled to be here with Chicks on the Case who—aside from being a truly lovely people—gave me time to think about what I wanted to say and promised I could respond while wearing slippers.

So, what’s the book about? I hear you ask.

In Dug to Death, California-transplant Vivien is dealing with the twin challenges of sharing her Yorkshire home with her new British stepdaughter and assisting friends protesting a housing development. It’s not long before a dead body appears and those dearest to her are suspects. Vivien must suss out the killer from an assortment of bilious boyfriends, poncy politicians, and extraordinarily angry exes, all while helping her buddy Hayley find le mot juste for a saucy novel about a mixed-up minister distracted from his calling by a pole dancer named Beulah.

Will Vivien and her group of Power Chicks be able to stop another murder? Will Sara ever accept her new stepmum? Is there any way Tithes and Thighs won’t become a bestseller? (And if not, am I writing in the wrong genre?)

Find answers to all that and more in Dug to Death.

And while you read, I’ll be working on the next Vivien Brandt mystery, Shipped to Slaughter, inspired by an Alaska cruise that my husband wasn’t on. Fool me once, shame on you… 😊

Question: Have you, like Vivien, ever been confused by language or culture in a foreign land? I do love a funny culture clash. See my latest in the comments.

I am happy to give away an e-book copy of either Moved to Murder or Dug to Death, winner’s choice, to one of the commenters on today’s blog. Just leave a comment to be entered.

Author biography

Gianetta has been writing stories since she was five and imagined herself as a thermos in a lunchbox. Having worked as a technical writer, librarian, and knowledge manager on two continents, she now lives in Yorkshire, England with her husband and two opinionated cats, Cordelia and Winifred, although she misses the California sunshine. She writes mysteries and short stories inspired by her love of snappy dialogue, classic film, and all things feline.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Crime Writers Association, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. Visit her at gianettamurray.com.