Diane Pearson
Mystery with romance for your amusement!
MINNESOTA MAYHEM
“Where do you get your story ideas?” is a question I’m often asked. The short answer usually revolves around a question and a challenge. Each of the stories in Minnesota Mayhem had a different “idea” spark.
Surprise at High Altitude started when I was stopped at a red light and opened a tin of Altoids and noticed how similar they looked to aspirin tablets. What if a person had a headache and they only had the curiously strong mints in her purse? By the time I crossed through the intersection, I remembered a contract job I had at an insurance company in downtown St. Paul and the people I encountered. It amazes me how a little daydream at a stop light could turn into a story with fictitious characters doing interesting and sometimes dangerous things.
Counting the Days came after reading a short story written in epistolary format. I asked myself would it be possible to tell a story in letter form, but only show the letters from one person. Would the reader be able to fill in the blanks? From comments I’ve received from readers, it’s a thumbs up.
Too Much Gin happened as a result of a sentence coming to my consciousness during a meditation. “I think I’m in trouble.”
Me: Who are you?
Answer: Tess
Me: Interesting name.
Answer: It’s for Tessora
Me: That’s an odd name. What’s your last name?
Answer: Morgasmer
Hearing that answer made me chuckle and threw me out of the meditative mood. And since the name was so weird, I had to find out more. Thanks to an active imagination and asking more questions, I put a story together.
The idea for The Fire at The Bent Fork Café took longer to develop. Over the years I’ve written character sketches whenever I’ve come across something interesting or unusual. Then at a meeting of the Northern Lights Writers, a conversation started about creating an anthology. My mouth engaged ahead of my brain and said, “I could write a story.” I was already working on a Janet Darcy mystery and didn’t need another distraction—something I’m prone to do. But in speaking I put a challenge on myself. What I could “dream up” in a reasonable amount of time? For inspiration I went to my character file and picked a few interesting characters and plopped them in tough situations.
How the stories in Minnesota Mayhem began
What's in Progress!
I am currently working on a Janet Darcy mystery. Police Chief Darcy has her hands full when a prominent citizen is murdered. Add to her problems is a pushy mayor, a questionable witness, and an inexperienced investigator. Too bad Chief Darcy has only one hand.
The Memento
A 100 word story
Mary Rosa lives in the third house from the corner, the white vinyl-sided 1950’s remodel. She watches the gawkers from her living room window while sipping her second breakfast martini wishing they’d stop pointing. The gin passing over her tongue distracts her for several beats and takes her mind from the people passing by. From her viewpoint, the wall has been cleaned of blood and tissue splatter, and the smell of fresh paint still lingers. She refuses to let her son patch the bullet hole, the comforting reminder that the mailman will not be delivering the mail today.
The Elfie Project
Elfie Hanging Out
Sometimes ideas pop into my awareness when I least invite them. Case in point: One cold December morning I decided I needed more fun and exercise. Elf on a Shelf was very popular in the neighborhood at that time and I wanted in on the fun even though there were no kids living at home. On a whim, I decided I’d take the little guy on an adventure. So, for a full year, we set out to do something different every week. And to keep me focused, I posted pictures on Facebook.
After playing in the snow, Elfie needed a massage.