Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tuesday's Inspirations - Mystery - Doyle, Reinhart, Christie, Keene

Back on the right day. Besides fantasy, I also write mysteries and I decided to look at those who inspired me to write in this field. There are modern writers of mysteries who I enjoy, but I'm looking at those whose books I read years ago.

Carolyn Keene - not necessarily a single person but she wrote the Nancy Drew series and I read every one of those many years ago. What I find interesting is my granddaughters at ages 12 and 7 are reading the more modern versions. Will they grow up to write mysteries, who knows.

Arthur Conan Doyle is another writer of mysteries. My father turned me on to him when I was about 9 or 10. These books were kind of puzzles and sometimes didn't make sense but the atmosphere was wonderful.

Agatha Christie was a mystery writer I stumbled on during my teenage years and I devoured them. When I decided to write mysteries I went out and found as many of her books as I could read. Her Miss Marple was my favorite of her characters and I liked the small town approach. In some ways that found its way into my writing since I chose a small town.

The final one was Mary Roberts Reinhart, a fellow nurse and Pittsburgher. I read her mysteries with interest especially since a nurse was the starring character. Perhaps this was where Katherine Miller arose.

If you write mysteries who influenced you when you were a child to write mysteries?

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