Behind the Scenes - The Big 80s

I am Generation X. We were first generation “Sesame Street” and “M-TV.” Television, movies, music, and the mall scene were part of formative years, and we grew up with ever-changing technology. So, it was a natural fit for pop culture to play a key role in my mysteries and characters’ lives.

In the first Delanie Fitzgerald mystery, Secret Lives and Private Eyes, the sassy Private Eye is hired by a tell-all author to look into the rumors that 80s rock star, Johnny Velvet of the Vibes, faked his death and was living incognito on a small farm in Amelia, Virginia. Delanie’s whisked back to the era of boom boxes, teen mags, mix tapes, and other pop culture memories from the decade of excess as she searches for what happened to the members of the Vibes. Could the handsome John Bailey really be the Johnny Velvet?

My mix tapes were full of Duran Duran, Culture Club, the Cure, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, and A-ha. And my closet doors were covered in pictures of C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Llmahl, and George Michael. I sported blue eye shadow, banana clips, braces, and shoulder pads. Delanie is a bit younger, but she experienced the Big 80s in elementary school.

Check out how it all began for Delanie and Duncan (and Margaret, the English bulldog) in Secret Lives and Private Eyes.