Roses and Readers, please welcome our guest Heather Weidner!
Thank
you so much for letting me visit and talk about my sleuth Delanie Fitzgerald
from Secret Lives and Private Eyes
and The Tulip Shirt Murders. Fiction
is made up, right? Surprisingly, I do quite a bit of research for my
traditional and cozy novels and short stories. I want the story to be plausible
and as accurate as possible. Readers do notice when writers don’t get it quite
right.
I
grew up as a “C.K.” (Cop’s Kid). Handcuffs, night vision scopes, and
My
dad, now a retired police captain, is my best law enforcement resource. I’m
always asking him things like, “Hey, Dad, what does a meth lab smell like” or
“how long will a body stay submerged if it is dumped under water?” And he is
always willing to share tidbits from weird cases or stupid criminal stories. I
think believability is key to mystery writing.
My
writers’ groups are also a great resource. The Sisters in Crime – Central
Virginia chapter hosts a variety of programs for our authors. We bring in all
kinds of professionals, such as law enforcement, criminal psychologists, and
K-9 trainers to talk to our writers about what they do. Recently, we have had
presentations by a CSX railroad investigator, a tour of a local hospital’s
forensic unit, an Alcohol Beverage and Control Board investigator, and a
Conservation Officer. These are amazing contacts, and our guest speakers have
been wonderful about answering questions. I landed a lot of ideas for my PI
series when we had a female private investigator talk to the group about her
job and experiences.
My
sassy private investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald gets herself into all kinds of
adventures. For my second novel, The
Tulip Shirt Murders, Delanie gets involved with larping and roller derby. I
had to do a lot of research on live-action role playing (larping) and roller
derby gals to make sure my descriptions were accurate.
My
sleuth lives in a Sears Catalog home, the Yates model from 1939. Beginning in
the early 1900s, people were able to order homes from the Sears Catalog, and
the parts were delivered by rail. These had to be assembled on the owners’
lots. Some of these homes still exist still in Virginia, and many of the boards
and parts still show the parts numbers. I found several good resources on Facebook
and Twitter, and real Sears Catalog home owners were willing to answer my
questions.
Google
Maps is one of my favorite online tools for research. I can find locations
where my character visits. The street view is invaluable for giving me ideas
about setting and location. Since my character is a PI, I sometimes have to
find locations where she can conduct a stakeout without drawing too much
attention to herself. With this online tool, I can see surroundings and lots of
good places to hide a body or a crime.
Research
and in my case, past experiences, are key for fiction writers. I tend to do
quite a bit for each of my novels and short stories because I want to make sure
the details are right for my readers.
Author
Biography
Heather Weidner, a
member of SinC – Central Virginia and Guppies, is the author of the Delanie
Fitzgerald Mysteries, Secret Lives and
Private Eyes and The Tulip Shirt
Murders. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series and
50 Shades of Cabernet. She has a novella,
“Diggin’ up Dirt” coming out in November in To
Fetch a Thief.
Heather lives in
Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers, Disney and
Riley. She’s been a mystery fan since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew.
Some of her life
experience comes from being a technical writer, editor, college professor,
software tester, IT manager, and cop’s kid. She blogs at Pens, Paws, and Claws.
Synopsis
for The Tulip Shirt Murders
Private
investigator Delanie Fitzgerald, and her computer hacker partner, Duncan
Reynolds, are back for more sleuthing in The
Tulip Shirt Murders. When a local music producer hires the duo to find out
who is bootlegging his artists’ CDs, Delanie uncovers more than just copyright
thieves. And if chasing bootleggers isn’t bad enough, local strip club owner
and resident sleaze, Chaz Smith, pops back into Delanie’s life with more
requests. The police have their man in a gruesome murder, but the loud-mouthed
strip club owner thinks there is more to the open and shut case. Delanie and
Duncan link a series of killings with no common threads. And they must put the
rest of the missing pieces together before someone else is murdered.
The Tulip Shirt Murders is a fast-paced mystery that appeals to readers
who like a strong female sleuth with a knack for getting herself in and out of
humorous situations such as larping and trading elbow jabs with roller derby
queens
Contact
Information
Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com
Pens, Paws, and Claws Blog: http://penspawsandclaws.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1
Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherBWeidner/
Book
Links
Barnes and
Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-tulip-shirt-murders-heather-weidner/1127425899?ean=2940155054696
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/363967058/The-Tulip-Shirt-Murders-The-Delanie-Fitzgerald-Mysteries-2
