Where Do Your Sleuths Live?

I write where I know. I’m a Virginia girl, and all of my stories and books are set in the Commonwealth. We have mountains, beaches, lakes, and urban and rural areas.

My sassy private eye, Delanie Fitzgerald, lives in a Yates Model of a Sears Catalog House. Back in the day, folks would order the home from the catalog, and it would arrive by rail to be assembled on your lot. Many of the boards and parts had the model numbers stamped on it. There are quite a few that have been restored across the country. The Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries are set in Chesterfield and Richmond, Virgina, and she sleuths in the nearby towns and counties.

In the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, I made up the small town of Fern Valley which is located near Charlottesville, Virginia. Jules restores vintage trailers to create glamping (glamorous camping) experiences for her guests. She owns a campground full of vintage trailers and tiny houses. Jules lives in one of the restored cabins on the back of the property.

In the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries, Jade Hicks lives in a small beach cottage that she inherited from her grandmother. Her shop and house are in the fictional town of Mermaid Bay. It’s located near the Historical Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. ‘Tis the Season, her shop, is in a converted beach cottage with a large front porch. The town prides itself on preserving the traditions of the quaint beach towns of the past without McMansions and big box stores.

In the Pearly Girls Mysteries (March 2025), Cassidy Jamison is an event planner who lives on her property. Her apartment is the top floor of the converted farmhouse which is also her office. The event site boasts a refurbished barn, a serenity garden, an amphitheater, and a cave. Cassidy lives in Ivy Springs, Virginia, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the I-81 corridor.

In my cozy mysteries, I created fictional towns near real places in Virginia. Each amateur sleuth has the type of job that brings her into contact with a lot of people (many of whom turn out to be suspects).

It’s fun to create worlds for the characters and places for them to live and work and solve crimes.

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.

Behind the Scenes - Larping

Surprisingly, I do a lot of research for my mysteries (even though the books are fiction). For The Tulip Shirt Murders, my sassy PI, Delanie Fitzgerald, needs to interview a twenty-something who was accused of stalking. In their conversations, she learns he larps (live action role playing).

According to C. Don Wilson in the Urban Dictionary, This is a “form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue their characters' goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with one another in character.”

Originating in the 1970s, the activity gained popularity in the 1980s. According to Wilson, “The fictional genres used vary greatly, from realistic modern or historical settings to fantastic or futuristic eras. Production values are sometimes minimal, but can involve elaborate venues and costumes. LARPs range in size from small private events lasting a few hours to huge public events with thousands of players lasting for several days.”

According to the World of Geek, larping differs from cosplay in that larping involves action and reenactments. “Cosplay, from the words ‘Costume’ and ‘Play,’ is about costuming and re-creating the design of already existing/original characters.” (World of Geek). Cosplay usually involves less role-playing and action events like battles.

Larping often has rules, and participants “immerse themselves entirely in their character and act out their actions” (World of Geek).

In my story, the suspect, Douglas Black, invites Delanie to an event in a local park where his group or guild reenact Medieval life, including battles between warring factions. He tries to convince her to join him by offering to lend her a replica sword.

Popular culture is a large part of the Delanie Fitzgerald series. In her investigations, she meets all kinds of interesting people with unique jobs and hobbies, and it’s a fun way for me to learn about new things.

Check out the adventures of Delanie, Duncan, Margaret, and Chaz in The Tulip Shirt Murders.

Today's My Book Birthday!

Private investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald, and her computer hacker partner, Duncan Reynolds, are back for more sleuthing in Glitter, Glam and Contraband. In this fast-paced mystery, the Falcon Investigations team is hired to find out who is stealing from the talent at a local drag show. Delanie gets more than she bargains for and a few makeup tips in the process. Meanwhile, a mysterious sound in the ceiling of her office vexes Delanie. She uses her sleuthing skills to track down the source and uncover a creepy contraband operation.

 Glitter, Glam, and Contraband features a strong female sleuth with a knack for getting herself in and out of humorous situations like helping sleezy strip club owner, Chaz Smith on his quest to become Richmond’s next mayor, tracking down missing reptiles, and uncovering hidden valuables from a 100-year-old crime with a Poe connection.

Glitter, Glam, and Contraband is available at your favorite book retailer.

Amazon

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

BookBub

Kobo

All in the Name of Research...

Surprisingly, fiction writers do a lot of research to ensure that the details in their writing are as accurate as possible. When you’re a mystery writer, some of this research can put you in sticky situations (e.g. You may not want to Google the best ways to a dispose of a body.)

I’m fortunate that my dad is a retired police captain, and I have other family and friends in law enforcement who are always willing to answer my procedural or odd questions. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve had questions like, “What does a meth lab smell like” or “what size of a hole would this bullet make.” People are always willing to help and are very generous with their time.

I am also thrilled to be a part of Sisters in Crime. Our local chapter has great programming. We bring in experts to answer questions and explain procedures. I now have two awesome bail bondsmen in my contact list (or in case I need them). We’ve also had an arson investigator, medical examiner, FBI agent, ABC officer, Railroad Enforcement Officer, an expert in human trafficking, and a state conservation officer talk to our group.

I’ve also found that Twitter is a solid resource for finding experts and people who know things. I’ve put out questions before and received good information quickly. Social media sites are great for research, finding contacts, and networking. I’ve received several referrals that were quite helpful in my research.

My Private Investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald, is always getting herself in and out of humorous situations. In book three, she gets a gig to go undercover at a drag show to find out who is stealing from the talent. I’d never been to a drag so, so my writer friend, Rosemary Shomaker, arranged a research trip for brunch. (The bananas foster French toast was wonderful!) We had so much fun, and I ended up with a lot of details to add to my story, and a subject matter expert to answer my questions.

I always keep a list of folks who help me with ideas and answer questions for the book’s acknowledgments page.

Okay writers, what adventures have you had in the name of research?

Playlist for THE TULIP SHIRT MURDERS

I love music. It has always been a huge part of my life, and I have playlists for reading, writing, editing, and revising. Music is always on at home or work. I love all kinds of genres, but I seem to gravitate back to songs from the Big ‘80s. Songs from my high school and college days will always be my favorites. And that era plays a huge role in the first novel in my series, Secret Lives and Private Eyes.

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.

So here's my playlist for The Tulip Shirt Murders. These songs make me think of Delanie, her sassy spirit, her nose for trouble, and of course, her beloved Mustang.

1.       Adam Ant's “Goody Two Shoes”

2.       Robbin Thompson’s “Candy Apple Red”

3.       Kelly Pickler’s “Red High Heels”

4.       Robbin Thompson's “Sweet Virginia Breeze”

5.       Bon Jovi's “Wanted Dead or Alive”

6.       Rachel Platten's “Fight Song”

7.       Cyndi Bruce Springsteen's “Dancing in the Dark”

8.       Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”

9.       Keith Urban’s “Jeans on”

10.   Cyndi Lauper's “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”

11.   The Beach Boys' “Fun, Fun, Fun”

12.   Wilson Pickett's “Mustang Sally”

13.   Chuck Berry’s “My Mustang Ford”

14.   Jason Aldean’s “Tattoos on This Town”

15.   Toby Keith’s “Whiskey Girl”

16.   Rascal Flatts’ “Fast Cars and Freedom”

17.   Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise”

18.   Rascal Flatts’ “Life is a Highway”

19.  Jim Croce’s “Roller Derby Queen”

20.  George Jones’ “White Lightnin’”

21.  Brad Paisley’s “Moonshine in the Trunk”

22.   Mark Wills' “Nineteen Something”

23.   Bowling for Soup’s “1985”

24.   And Hall and Oates' “Private Eyes”

Music is such a big part of our lives. We remember lyrics from songs that were popular ages ago, and it invokes a variety of emotions. This list makes me think of my sassy character and the adventures she has as she tries to track down bootleggers and a serial killer.