Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Stories surround us everywhere

First of all, let me start by saying how thrilled I am to be an official member of Type M for Murder. It's a real honor to join such a wonderful and diverse group of writers. I hope I don't lower the bar.

For the hoards of people who are unfamiliar with who I am and what I write, I'm a British transplant who moved to Los Angeles to pursue a screenwriting career but discovered a passion for writing mysteries instead - which was fortunate given the fact that my screenwriting career wasn't exactly going anywhere.

The Vicky Hill Mysteries are published by Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin USA) and follow the adventures of an obituary writer desperate for a front-page scoop. Set in the wilds of Devon in Southwest England, they are based on my own experience as - yes, you've guessed - an obituary writer.

Working for the now defunct Tiverton Gazette was the most boring job I'd ever had. I'd sit for hours in the newsroom waiting for someone to die (I'm sorry, but I did). How strange that this would form the basis for a series. Although my younger and more optimistic self shares many similarities with Vicky Hill, I can safely assure you that my parents have never been silver thieves nor wanted by Interpol.

One thing I was unprepared for was my editor's fascination for quirky British hobbies that I use as backdrops to my plots. I thought everyone knew about country pursuits such as hedge jumping or snail racing. It just goes to show that stories are everywhere around us. What may appear normal and mundane to me, might be utterly gripping to someone else. Even my manic day job working for a West Coast advertising agency, is filled with enough juicy gossip to write a whole new series. Now, there's a tantalizing thought.

One of the great things about being a writer is discovering that all those ghastly jobs and broken romances really come in useful. My old journals are filled with what now seem hilarious tales of angst and pain to say nothing of a list of jobs ranging from summer chicken "sexer" to spending a full five days in Her Majesty's Royal Navy. No doubt they too, will one day find their way into a book.

I'm intrigued to hear of personal experiences or awful jobs that you've turned into fiction and want to share. But be warned. We writers are always on the hunt for new ideas.

16 comments:

Donis Casey said...

I thought of you recently when I heard a report of a recently resurrected Cornish pastime that involves putting a live ferret down one's pants and seeing how long one can stand the little bugger running around down there and biting things.

John Corrigan said...

Great post! Welcome aboard.

Hannah Dennison said...

John - Thank you!

Donis - Ha ha! I just LOVE the ferret idea. I need to steal that one. I wonder if it just tickles?

Rick Blechta said...

Well, my favourite British pastime is "cheese rolling". It's also decidedly dangerous, unlike snail racing and the hedge jumping.

You have to admit, Hannah, the UK is just a little bit quirky.

;)

Welcome!

Hannah Dennison said...

WELL Rick, I am very familiar with cheese rolling. I am also familiar with flaming tar barrel racing which involves dashing down the street with wooden barrels (aflame - of course) by torchlight. I suspect all these quirky pastimes have something to do with the weather and a touch of inbreeding.

Charles Benoit said...

Glad to see you on Type M - I check in daily (anyone who's anyone does the same) and I look forward to your posts. And if that's your idea of a boring job, I have some suggestions for you.

Violette Malan said...

Fantastic to meet you. Great post.

Hannah Dennison said...

Thanks for such a warm welcome - I really appreciate it. And Charles, do any of your suggestions about my boring job have anything to do with the machete that is sitting in the corner in my boss's office?

Debby (Deborah Turrell) Atkinson said...

Welcome from a former Type M-er and I enjoyed the idea of using a once hated job as a plot device. Hmmm--I've used despicable people, why not a job? Problem with my real-life losers is that they keep morphing into someone different and even worse. This makes them even harder to kill them off. Yikes!

Hannah Dennison said...

Hmmm .... I am intrigued by these real life losers. If you'd like to brainstorm a few ways to get rid of them (possibly in a humane fashion), I'm all ears.

Mary Jane Maffini said...

Welcome, Hannah! Glad to see you here. I love those Vicky Hill books and how you'll integrated life's peculiarities.

Cheers!

MJ

Linda Wiken said...

Hi Hannah...nice to see you on Type M. I haven't used this yet but it's tempting...as a former bookseller, I always used to say the job had a lot of similarities to bar tending -- customers would reveal truly personal stories and it would be a continuing saga each time they came in.

Barbara Fradkin said...

Welcome, Hannah, from fellow Girl Wednesday. I agree, stories surround us everywhere. But it takes a very special person - a writer- to see them.

Sue Pike said...

Lovely blog, Hannah. Years ago my daughter had a pet ferret so I can well imagine how dangerous putting one of these nasty fellows down your pants might be.

Hannah Dennison said...

What great comments! I just remembered a friend of mine keeps ferrets. I wonder if she ever played the Cornish pants game?
As for booksellers being told personal stories - hairdressers are the BEST source of all. I should have remembered that one.

Donis Casey said...

A hairdresser detective! Has anyone done that yet?