Lori Soard, author of Murder on Mulberry Lane, the first novel in the Mildred Wiggns mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
Welcome, Lori.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
Murder on Mulberry Lane is the first in the Mildred Wiggins cozy mystery series. The first book throws Mildred into an investigation when her neighbor winds up dead. He isn’t someone she particularly liked, but even he deserves for the truth to come out. It also sets off an overarching mystery about a missing teen that will span the entire ten books in the series.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
I had a neighbor years ago that was sketchy. There were always weird goings-on at their house. It sparked the idea of what if everything went wrong? Why did it go wrong? The story was born from there.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
Truth always has a way of coming out. It might not be today, or even tomorrow, but light will be shed and truth will be revealed.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
It varies, but Mildred came to me fully developed. She would not leave me alone. I had other commitments and books, but she kept poking at me to tell her story. She’s quite blunt and strong-willed, and I love her for it. Mildred is a part of me, but also nothing like me. She doesn’t have the polite limitations I live with. Instead, she’s blunt and forceful. She is who I’d be if I didn’t worry about offending people. LOL
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
Maple Hollow is a compilation of dozens of Indiana small towns I’ve grown up around. It has bits and pieces from different locations. Every small town I’ve been to has some similarities. There is always the town diner, a good coffee shop and certain personality types.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
For this book, I researched things like how a small police station would handle a potential homicide investigation, where they might make a mistake and how annoying someone like Mildred might be. I’m fortunate to have a lot of law enforcement contacts, who can answer my endless questions.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
Mildred Wiggins is more than a book. She is a force. I’ve also started a cozy mystery mailed series based on Mildred. Readers get 24 letters over 12 months. Each letter offers clues and goodies until the reader unravels the answer to everything. You can check out my epistolary stories at MailboxMonologues.com.
I hope you enjoy getting to know Mildred. She still has a lot to say, and my next book in this series will release shortly.
Thank you for answering my questions, Lori, and good luck with Murder on Mulberry Lane, the first book in the Mildred Wiggins mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Lori Soard by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page. You can also sign up for her newsletter.
The novel is available online at Amazon
About Lori Soard: Lori has a PhD in Journalism and Creative Writing, but she’s hardly the stuffy professor type. She loves nothing better than a good romantic comedy and thinks the good guy should always win, and the ending should always be happy.
From an early age, Lori started honing her storytelling skills. As a kid, she was rarely seen without a book in her hand, even walking and reading at the same time. Her first stories were about the world around her. At twenty she wrote her first novel, which she admits was horrible. At twenty-one, she sold her first article to a local newspaper. Once she got that taste of having others read her work and realizing that she could reach others and touch their hearts, there was no turning back for this natural-born writer.
“If I can make someone’s day just a tiny bit better,” Lori says, “if I can make them smile even though they are sad, make them think things could be better, make them understand how much God loves them, then I have accomplished something. I write my stories, articles, and books with that one person in mind who really needs the message. If I can change one person’s perspective, then I’ve succeeded.”
Lori is a lifelong Hoosier and lives in southern Indiana with her high school sweetheart turned husband. They have two grown daughters and two granddaughters. She always has her critters surrounding her, including a couple of miniature dachshunds and several rescue cats. “During the extreme low points in life, it has been my animals that have seen me through. There is nothing like the deep devotion of a dog or the unconditional love of a cat.” Lori adores animals, and while some of her dear friends have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, she will always stand by her belief that animals make the world a better place.
She loves to hear from her readers and blogs regularly.
