Saturday, August 29, 2020

How we came up with the story, STONE PUB #1



 Dublin, Museum: The Gold Balls

Starting a new series is always exciting. The fear that the lightning bolt moment of creation will never arrive is ever-present. What will be the central mystery?  We have never gone "dry," after fifteen novels, yet when beginning each book, the anxiety is always there.

 We decided to focus on the first of our new International Mystery series in Ireland.  We visited the Emerald Isle in 2014 and fell in love with the country and its people. During our stay, we took notice of everywhere we went and everyone we met. From these experiences, we developed a plot, the mystery, and some great characters.


     While walking through the city of Dublin, during the last few days of our trip, it started to rain. (In Ireland when it rains it's always downpour!) To escape the deluge, we walked to the National Museum of Irelands. Not only did it keep us dry for several hours, but we were amazed at the rich history of Ireland found in so many archeological items dug out from ancient peat bogs.

     One eye-popping discovery was the Tumna Gold Balls. They date back to the Late Bronze Age, which means they ended up in a bog nearly 3,000 years go!

 We came home from our trip with wonderful memories and long-lasting relationships. Then life got back to normal.


When it came time to plan the series, we thought of all our adventures in Ireland, and immediately the Gold Balls came to both our minds.

After several months of planning, that “lightning bolt” moment came, and we knew immediately how to weave the Gold Balls into the story. Since STONE PUB is set in 1962, it was easy to work the mystery around the Gold Balls. Once we got the outline complete, the story fell into place.

When we began our writing careers, authors would tell us that inspiration will come in the most unusual places. I didn't understand it until I started publishing, and it is so-o-o true!

 

For more information about the Tumna Gold Balls, go to: http://irisharchaeology.ie/2014/05/a-late-bronze-age-gold-necklace-from-tumna-co-roscommon/