Meet Mystery Novelist D.M. O'Byrne

Today at The Write Way Cafe, D.M. O'Byrne tells how she taps into a wealth of experiences to write cozy mysteries.


When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a mystery?
It was an interesting journey. My first mystery, Dangerous Turf, began as a sports novel called The Finish Line, written for the “high-low” market—books for adults written at a grade-school reading level. I was teaching in an adult education program at the time and had had a math book for that program published by New Readers Press. But they passed on the novel. So I put it in a drawer and forgot about it. About fifteen years later, I rewrote it as a YA novel, and it won third prize in a writing contest. But I couldn’t find a publisher for it. So, back in the drawer it went. Several years later, after reading loads of mysteries, I got the idea to turn the book into a mystery. I added the mystery plot to the original story, renamed it Dangerous Turf, and pitched it to Black Opal Books, who snapped it up. That led to the sequel, Three to One Odds, and my latest series beginning with Death in Trout Fork.

What was your path to getting Death in Trout Fork written and published? What type of research did you do?
After writing Dangerous Turf and the sequel, I began thinking the audience for horse-y books was limited and thought I would try writing a mystery with a broader appeal. I concentrated on the “cozy” mystery genre (no sex, violence, blood and gore, f-bombs) because that’s the kind of book I like to read. Black Opal Books was delighted to publish it, along with the sequel, The Mountaintop Murders, which is scheduled for release in May, 2019, and the third book in the series which is 2/3 finished. As for research, I had to scour the internet for information on various types of crimes and murders.

Where did the idea for Death in Trout Fork come from?
The setting was inspired by an actual place not 50 miles from my home. My husband and I were riding our bikes in the area and stopped for lunch at the little café. As I sat there watching the patrons and enjoying the scenery, I asked myself, “What kind of people live here? Who stops here? Where are they going and what kind of secrets do they have?” That started the mental ball rolling. I’m often asked where my ideas come from, a topic I covered in an article on my website: http://dmobyrne.com/where-do-you-get-your-ideas/.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
As we sat at that little café, I realized it would make a perfect setting for a cozy mystery. It’s a small closed community that appears very much like the description of Trout Fork in the book. There are four stores under one roof, including the café which I named Alma’s in the book. The place is at the intersection of the two rivers I name in the book and the surrounding mountains and forests are very much the same. The characters are NOT taken from anyone in the real town, however. I’ve never met any of the residents.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
I have never written a character based on anyone I know. I think I would find that too stifling. One thing that helps me create memorable characters is to write extensive biographies of each one before I begin to write the book. I do an in-depth (two or three pages) description of each person—his/her physiology, sociology, and psychology. Most of that information will never appear on a page, but it helps me to know how they will speak, think and act. It makes it so much easier to write about them. For many scenes, I have no idea what the characters are going to say. I just kind of put them in a room together and listen to them talk! I go into this technique in depth in a post on my website: http://dmobyrne.com/let-your-characters-write-your-novel-for-you/.

Did you face any blocks while writing Death in Trout Fork, and if so, how did you handle them?
Writer’s block is a very real occurrence in the life of most writers. As I say in a post on my website, the only way (at least for me) to deal with it is to write something, even if it’s terrible and never finds its way onto the page. When I feel “blocked,” I revert back to a philosophy I adopted many years ago that applies to any difficult situation: “Do something, even if it’s wrong. At least you have something you can fix.” That has been a helpful mantra for me in many of life’s trials. Too many people are immobilized by fear of failure or of making a mistake. They are plagued by “what ifs” and imagine all sorts of possible dire consequences to any action they might contemplate. The problem with that plan is that it produces inertia. Of course they’re right in believing if you do nothing, you can’t make a mistake. But doing nothing also produces nothing and for a writer, that is career-ending. If you do something and it turns out badly, you can always fix it or re-do it. But if you do nothing, you have nothing to work with.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing Death in Trout Fork and after?
I honestly don’t remember anything surprising me while writing. I guess I’ve been most surprised by the reactions of readers to the descriptions of the town of Trout Fork and the surrounding area. I don’t see writing descriptions as a strong point for me.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about local detectives, writing a travel column, and journalists?
I learned the way small town police departments function and the roles of detectives vs. beat cops. There were other things I had to research, but if I mention them, they would give hints about the murders and killers in the next two books which would be spoilers.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
I have several places I like to settle in to write. In the summer, my favorite place is on the deck in our back yard where I can listen to the birds and watch the squirrels and rabbits play in the grass. It’s peaceful and very Colorado-ish, which helps me create the ambiance of the Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series I’m writing. One day last summer, a bobcat was walking along the fence that separates our yard from the neighbor’s. He stopped and we stared at each other for a while, then strolled off down the fence and disappeared. In the winter, I either hunker down in my living room or go to the local Panera Bread where I sit by the fireplace.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
My two all-time favorites are Jane Eyre and David Copperfield. I’ve read both at least four times. Oddly enough, even though I write cozy mysteries, I never read them. In fact, I rarely read any fiction written after 1920. I have a list of classics from the library and have been working through the list. I find that reading good literature improves my own writing and expands my ability to plot and create characters. There’s a reason why those books are still in print, some hundreds of years after they were written. How many books written today will endure that long? Most will never even get to a second printing. In the mystery genre, my favorite is the Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane series by Dorothy Sayers. I am inspired by Sayers to try to write the best novels without the use of sex scenes, profanity, or sensationalism. I’m convinced if I can do that, there are still enough readers out there who will want to read my work.

What are you working on now?
I’m almost finished with the third of the Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series, entitled A Killing in Vail, in which our heroine tries to solve a murder in the famous ski town. I think it’s my best so far. In fact, in this series, each one seems to be better than the previous one. Let’s hope I can keep that up!

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre? Which one and why?
Actually, I’ve already written in other genres before turning to mysteries. Under my real name, Dolores Kimball, I have had two nonfiction books published in the Christian women’s self-help genre, both published by EP Books, a UK publisher. I also rendered into modern English a book of John Bunyan’s called The Holy War, which was published by Ichthus. All are still in print. I tried writing YA, but wasn’t very good at it. Too far removed from that age group, I suspect. I think I’ve found my niche with cozies and will most likely remain there.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
Writing IS my dream job! I’ve waited decades to be able, like Ryn, to “escape the stifling confines” of offices and sit at home with my cat on my lap and let my mind build the fictive dream. What could be better? Of course it helps to have a hubby who goes off to work each day and pays the bills until my dream job actually starts to pay off!

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
Marketing! I hate it with a passion. But it’s part of the business today. Publishers, even the big ones, aren’t going to do all the marketing for a writer, so we have to accept that we’re responsible for the success of our books. In the actual process of writing, descriptions give me the most trouble. I’m not a visual person, so describing people and places is something I have to really work at. The flip side is that plotting is easy for me because I’m a sequential thinker. 

Who is your favorite hero/heroine, either in books you’ve read or in your own writing?
Jane Eyre is my favorite fictional heroine. She is smart, resourceful, literate, incredibly loving and forgiving, and always manages to overcome obstacles while maintaining her personal standards. My favorite hero is Lord Peter Wimsey in the series by Dorothy Sayers. I love the way Lord Peter uses his wits to solve mysteries while maintaining his cool, unflappable good manners.

She should have known when she fished that Pink Floyd T-shirt out of the creek that it belonged to that waitress, the one who disappeared…

Kathryn “Ryn” Lowell has escaped the stifling confines of her office at the New York travel magazine she writes for and pulls into Trout Fork, a tiny fishing hamlet in the Colorado Rockies, to write an article about the town. She hasn’t been there long, when along with her orange tabby cat, Jack Kerouac, she discovers a T-shirt in the local creek that belonged to the missing waitress. Now foul play is suspected, and Ryn, who has fallen for the quaint mountain town, is determined to find the killer and give her new friends closure. Teaming up with the local police detective, who seems to want more than Ryn can give him, she puts it all on the line—her heart, her job, and her life.

Death in Trout Fork Trailer

https://youtu.be/jUwnL-ic5vE

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About D.M. O'Byrne:

     D.M. O'Byrne's first job was as a waitress. Now she's a writer of mystery novels. In between, jobs included English teacher, racehorse exerciser, jockey, accountant, golf resort assistant manager, writer, and editor. Her places of residence ranged from the Jersey Shore to a lengthy sojourn in California, and finally to the Colorado Rockies. Each profession, each location was rife with life lessons, fascinating characters, potential plot lines, and wide-ranging experiences. Sooner or later, they will all end up on the written page.

     D.M. lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and their cat, Warnie. They spend much of their time riding bikes and enjoying the scenery. Warnie spends his time watching the bunnies out the window, lounging on the sofa, and trying to catch his tail.

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