That Would Never Happen!

Have you ever read a book and thought, “No way that would ever happen” and decide you just can’t suspend disbelief enough to accept the premise of the plot or the traits of a character? Perhaps you have no problem doing so when it comes to science fiction or paranormal mystery or the new genre of romantacy, but you draw the line at contemporary fiction, no matter the genre.

I’ll admit, I haven’t yet been able to make that leap when it comes to dogs or other pets as protagonists with their own points of view in mysteries and romance. But my experiences have shown me that truth is often stranger than fiction, and I often use those real-life situations for many of the characters and plots in my books.

For instance, in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Anastasia is saddled with her deceased husband’s communist mother-in-law, a woman many of my readers love to hate. However, there are some readers who find Lucille Pollack too over-the-top to be believable—until they learn that Lucille was based almost entirely on my own communist mother-in-law. Although, I did wait until she’d crossed over to wherever departed commies go in the afterlife before writing about her.

Next month, Seams Like the Perfect Crime, my fourteenth Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, will release, and some of the characters in this new mystery reside in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category. Some of those characters and their behaviors come directly from my own memory of incidents I observed in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Last year, when I was pondering what to write in my newsletter, I decided to tell my subscribers about the odd neighbors who once lived across the street from me. After describing them, I asked if they thought these former neighbors would make good characters in my next book. Their overwhelming response encouraged me to craft a plot around characters I modeled after these former neighbors. The result was Seams Like the Perfect Crime.

Have you ever read a book where you found it difficult to suspend disbelief, then found the story was based on actual people or events? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the first twelve books in the Anastasia Pollack Crafty Mysteries. 

P.S.: On Monday evening, January 27th at 7pm ET (6pm CT, 5pm MT, and 4pm PT), I’ll be the guest of the Cozy Mystery Party Facebook Group, hosted by Heather Harrisson and Shawn Stevens. If you’d like to join in for a fun hour + of all things murder, mayhem, and cozy mysteries (there will be prizes and surprises!), join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozymysteryparty. Hope to see you there!

Seams Like the Perfect Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14 

When staffing shortages continue to hamper the Union County homicide squad, Detective Sam Spader once again turns to his secret weapon, reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. How can she and husband Zack Barnes refuse when the victim is their new neighbor?

Revolutionary War reenactor Barry Sumner had the odd habit of spending hours mowing a small patch of packed dirt and weeds until his mower ran out of gas. He’d then guzzle beer on his front porch until he passed out. That’s where Anastasia’s son Nick discovers his body three days after the victim and his family moved into the newly built mini-McMansion across the street.

After a melee breaks out at the viewing, Spader zeroes in on the widow as his prime suspect. However, Anastasia has her doubts. There are other possible suspects, including a woman who’d had an affair with the victim, his ex-wife, the man overseeing the widow’s trust fund, a drug dealer, and the reenactors who were blackmailing the widow and victim.

When another reenactor is murdered, Spader suspects they’re dealing with a serial killer, but Anastasia wonders if the killer is attempting to misdirect the investigation. As she narrows down the suspects, will she jeopardize her own life to learn the truth?​

Craft projects included. 

Preorder now. Available 2/4/25