Hope, Kindness, & a Murder or Two

by Cindy Brown

I am a bad brand. I’ve written farces, articles for financial news magazines, rom-coms, crime fiction, The Slightly Silly Newsletter; the humorous cozy Ivy Meadows series, and a new serious mystery, Echoes of the Lost. Why? Partly because I’m lucky. I’m one of those fortunate people who has a new writing idea nearly every day. (There are so many fascinating things going on!) Sometimes a character pops into my head and starts speaking, like Ivy did. Sometimes there’s a news story, like the gunfight accident at Tombstone that inspired Ivy Get Your Gun. Sometimes I’m fascinated with a plot idea (In my play Dog Lovers, a guy borrows a dog to meet women). Sometimes it’s a place that inspires me, like Mount Angel Abbey, the location for an audio play about a ghostly organist. And sometimes, when I’m really lucky, an entire scene is downloaded into my brain.

That’s where Echoes of the Lost began. I was sitting in a coffeeshop when bam! A lonely retired detective was in my head, waking to a knock on a December night. He opened the door to find a small boy, maybe two or three years old, standing on his porch. All by himself, in the cold rain, at five o’clock in the morning.

I had to write it. I wanted to know what happened. The result is Echoes of the Lost, a more serious book than the Ivy books but not violent or dark.

It took me a while to find the right publisher for this book. The problem with being a bad brand is, well, branding, which is a big deal in publishing these days. I’m kind of like those Chinese restaurants who also serve Italian food (and they are both delicious!). But as a friend pointed out, I do have a brand. My books are about justice. About kindness. About the need for community and how we’re stronger together. And they always end with hope.

Macdeath

Like every actor, Ivy Meadows knows that Macbeth is cursed. But she’s finally scored her big break, cast as an acrobatic witch in a circus-themed production of Macbeth in Phoenix, Arizona. And though it may not be Broadway, nothing can dampen her enthusiasm—not her flying caldron, too-tight leotard, or carrot-wielding dictator of a director. But when one of the cast dies on opening night, Ivy is sure the seeming accident is “murder most foul” and that she’s the perfect person to solve the crime (after all, she does work part-time in her uncle’s detective agency). Undeterred by a poisoned Big Gulp, the threat of being blackballed, and the suddenly too-real curse, Ivy pursues the truth at the risk of her hard-won career—and her life.

Ivy Meadows Mysteries

Not too long ago, Ms. Brown was my guest to chat about her Ivy Meadows mysteries. A fellow playwright, we have a certain Scottish dude in common. Offering Ms. Brown some Irish Cream, we settled into the Interview Room. Sliding a jade plant to the side of the table, I looked over my notes and began.

Who is your favorite playwright and why?

Shakespeare, of course! I love the way he plays with both the meaning and sounds of words. For example, after Macbeth has decided to kill his best friend Banquo, he has a great monologue that begins:

“Come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond
Which keeps me pale! “

When you say the words out loud, you can hear the snakelike “seeling,” the hard, ravenous “Scarf up,” and the explosive consonants in “pitiful day.” And then when you find out that “seeling” means “sewing one’s eyes shut” (they used to train falcons that way), it becomes really creepy.

As a fellow playwright, I made a note to tell Cindy about my “Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble” play, featuring our common buddy.  Ms. Brown, how do you use your playwriting background in this new mystery?

I learned how to put exposition in dialogue, how to differentiate characters by their language, and how to use timing to great effect (another lesson from Shakespeare!). And of course, working with actors and directors helped me learn to create natural-sounding dialogue.

In your writing process, do you initially create an outline of structure or first get the words out on the page then go back and organize?

I’m part “outliner” and part “seat-of-the-pantser.” I do use a basic structure I learned in screenwriting: An inciting incident begins the story, then there are turning points for each act that eventually lead to an “all-is-lost” moment. At the end, of course, my protagonist triumphs, and the story gets wrapped up. After figuring out these plot points, I come up with the characters and do a very thorough character exploration (being a former actor helps with this). Then I just let go and see what happens!

Which of the six story elements do you feel are the strongest in this book?

Can I choose two? Macdeath is definitely a mystery based on character (that’s one), but I think diction (two!) is as important, because I think Ivy’s voice really carries the book. She gives the story heart and makes it funny.

If we invited your protagonist over for tea or coffee, what would be the first thing we’d notice about her?

Ivy does have great legs, but you might be more likely to notice the way her slightly goofy demeanor contrasts with her strong will and emotional intelligence. Author Bill Cameron called her the “fierce and determined Ivy Meadows, a delightful misfit with a knack for getting herself into—and ultimately out of—trouble.” I think he said it perfectly.

So what is Ivy Meadows’ greatest accomplishment?

Ooh, I can’t tell you, because it would be a spoiler! Let’s just say that she’s able to reconcile her past.

Just as Ms. Brown finished her beverage, I checked off the last question on my list. We stood and gathered our cups, and I escorted her to the front door. I snuck a gift bag of Scottish shortbread cookies into her pocket as a pleasant reminder of our visit. Cindy was such a delight, and I hope she comes back soon.

My annual Scotland trip includes a visit to Glamis Castle this time. Lots of rooms and hidden nooks for her newsletter.