Ask Connie Archer discussion

Hi everyone ~
Thanks so much for your interest in the Soup Lover's Mystery series and I'm really happy to chat with Goodreads friends. Feel free to ask me any question you'd like or chat about books you're reading now. I'm on Pacific time, so I'm posting this a little early just in case we're all in different time zones. I'm really looking forward to hearing from everyone!

So, Connie: HOW do you structure your work? Do you begin with the ending, and know pretty much how Lucky will end this book, or do you pranster? Or is it a combo? Also, do you do a history on all your characters even if you're not going to use it in the book? With objectives and motives, etc? Just to differentiate each one? Thanks.

Good morning, Connie. Your books have very clever titles. Titles mean a lot when people pick up books and think about buying them. They want to know something about what they're getting into. Do you spend a lot of time on your titles or do they just come to you?

Stefanie wrote: "So, Connie: HOW do you structure your work? Do you begin with the ending, and know pretty much how Lucky will end this book, or do you pranster? Or is it a combo? Also, do you do a history on all y..."

Hi Stefanie ~ Hmmm, okay, hope I can answer this for you. I like to start with the crime because that's the crux of the plot. Everything evolves from that. The emotional impact of the story is rooted in the WHY of the crime. What makes an individual so desperate they would commit that act? What was at stake? And because my protagonist is an amateur sleuth how would she be compelled to investigate? Something must be at stake for her -- her own survival or the well being of those she loves. After that, it's a puzzle of backtracking, sending my sleuth down dead ends or up against difficulties, hoping the red herrings work, until I reach the beginning of the story. I so admire writers who can do that well and try to study their structures. Ann Cleeves comes to mind because I love her Vera series. Her plots are labyrinthine and I just love them. I hope that answers your question, Stefanie. Thanks for visiting today! It's great to hear from you!

Carole wrote: "Good morning, Connie. Your books have very clever titles. Titles mean a lot when people pick up books and think about buying them. They want to know something about what they're getting into. Do y..."

Hi Carole ~ I agree! I'm always intrigued by titles. Mine have followed a certain format -- 'A Spoonful of,' 'A Broth of,' 'A Roux of,'
My publisher chose the first one, and following that format, I picked the next two titles. I created a list with words that had a "soup" or "cooking" reference and a second column with words like "mayhem," "bludgeon," betrayal," words of that ilk. But finally, the "Broth" title just popped into my head. I liked the two "B" sounds. Then with the third book, I was fond of the word "Roux" and wanted to use the alliteration with "Revenge."
I always submit the manuscript to the publisher with the title that's been running through my head during the months I've been writing. The title I suggested to them for the upcoming 4th book was "A Corpse in the Cauldron," which followed the same pattern. My publisher wanted, I think, to break that pattern, so they've chosen "Ladle to the Grave," which is probably a better title, catchier, at least I hope so. I've tentatively entitled the 5th book "Parsley Sage Rosemary and Crime," but of course my publisher has the final say-so. I do hope they like that title for #5. Would it bother you if there was a break in the naming format? Love to hear your thoughts!

Hi! First of all, I love "Ladle to the Grave" as a title; I've always been obsessed with naming things, and that includes book titles.
Secondly, a lot of cozy writers work on more than one series at a time, or have more than one in general. Do you have any ideas/plans for another cozy mystery series, either to write after Soup Lovers or alongside it? I love your characters and plots, and I'm sure I would enjoy any new characters or scenarios you create as well!

I like the alliteration! It reminds me of Grafton's alphabet. It's catchy and helps to keep your books in one's mind!
Your books are as delightful to read as a good bowl of soup is to sit and read with!
is Lucky going to get married and have babies? I know you can't aswer that, but it's iteresting to think about: how will she manage the Soup Shop, having a baby, and still solving mysteries!

And Ladle to the Grave is wonderful as a title as well!

Gabriella wrote: "Hi! First of all, I love "Ladle to the Grave" as a title; I've always been obsessed with naming things, and that includes book titles.
Secondly, a lot of cozy writers work on more than one series ..."

Hi Gabriella ~ I so glad to hear you love the new title! I was a little nervous about changing the naming convention, but everyone who's commented seems to think it's a great title. I have been really busy with this series, but I have another series that I wrote before this one. My agent has it, and I'm really hoping it finds a home soon. My protagonist is an astrologer in San Francisco whose clients involve her in murder and mystery. It's a little different than a typical cozy, but she's still an amateur sleuth, so I guess it still qualifies as a cozy. Do you think you'd like to read a series like that?

Hi, Connie. This Goodreads venture is fun! Add me to those who enjoy your books and their titles.
What are you working on today when you're not here answering questions?

Connie wrote: "Gabriella wrote: "Hi! First of all, I love "Ladle to the Grave" as a title; I've always been obsessed with naming things, and that includes book titles.
Secondly, a lot of cozy writers work on mor..."

An astrologer? That sounds like it would be fun and open a gateway for all sorts of slightly crazy antics! And there are series with witches with bakeries, so why not? I would probably enjoy it!

Hi Connie! I love your books and I have two questions. Firstly , do you ever create a scene for a character and then leave it so you can use it at a later date. My second question was can you give us any hints as to what will be happening in the next book in the series.Many Thanks :D

Paula wrote: "I like the alliteration! It reminds me of Grafton's alphabet. It's catchy and helps to keep your books in one's mind!
Your books are as delightful to read as a good bowl of soup is to sit and read..."

Hi Paula ~ Thank you so much! It's so great to hear you like Snowflake, Vermont and the soup shop! I do think it's important that Lucky has a happy relationship with Elias (even though they go through their ups and downs in A Roux of Revenge). And I do think that both of them are moving toward a permanent relationship. I've mulled over the same thing -- would Lucky still be able to operate as independently if she were married? Elias is pretty busy at the Clinic, so he couldn't be around a lot of the time. And then she has a lot on her plate with just the By the Spoonful Soup Shop. But I remember watching old movies and TV series when I was little -- The Thin Man, Mr. & Mrs. North -- that were based on husband and wife sleuth teams, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that they could work together if they were married.
Lucky becoming a mother??? Wow! That would be interesting! And certainly hard for her to solve crimes, but maybe Jack or Sophie could babysit while she was off running around the countryside and nabbing murderers. I'll let you in on a little teaser -- there is a wedding in Book #4, Ladle to the Grave -- Sophie and Sage are getting married! And it's very romantic too! I can't tell you how the crimes connect with them, that would be a spoiler, but I certainly hope you have a chance to enjoy the story next March!

Paula wrote: "And Ladle to the Grave is wonderful as a title as well!"

Thank you, Paula! I'm so glad to hear you like that title! I have to say, that one never occurred to me, so I can thank my publisher for that one!

Edel wrote: "Hi Connie! I love your books and I have two questions. Firstly , do you ever create a scene for a character and then leave it so you can use it at a later date. My second question was can you give..."

Hi Edel ~ So glad you stopped by! To answer your question -- sometimes when I'm not sure where something is going, but I do have an idea, I'll write the scene and copy it onto another page and save it. Lots of times I'll look at it again and have to decide if it's useful, or if it detracts from the story line or the pacing. Often, I can fit it in somewhere, but then lots of times I have to let it go. I admit I'm a little nerdy about saving everything on my computer because I'm so afraid I'll lose my train of thought or lose a good idea. What I do a lot of, is write little notes to myself in the middle of something, and I highlight them in yellow, so my eye can pick them up quickly, as I scroll through. Places where I have to fact check something, or do some research, or just ask myself a question, such as, "When was the last time Lucky spoke to Elizabeth?" or "Did I say that before? Am I repeating myself here?" Believe me, my editor will catch it if I'm redundant!!!
Hmmm, the next book. Okay, what can I tell you that won't spoil anything for you? I'd love to tell you everything, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. In Ladle to the Grave there are two murders that seem completely unconnected. This plot is a lot more complex than some of the others, I think. This idea came from a true crime story I read a few years ago that I found very strange. I couldn't use it as it really happened, but it gave me the kernel of the idea. Lucky is very busy helping Sophie prepare for her wedding in this book, but it could be that Sophie has a connection to the crime and one of the victims. Lucky is the only one who's convinced the two murders are connected, and in pursuing her investigation, she unearths old family secrets of her best friend Sophie. I hope that sounds intriguing to you! And I really hope you enjoy the story!!!
By the way, I want you to know -- when we first connected on FB or Goodreads -- I was so thrilled to learn my books had reached across the Atlantic to Ireland! I just had to tell you that!

Gabriella wrote: "Connie wrote: "Gabriella wrote: "Hi! First of all, I love "Ladle to the Grave" as a title; I've always been obsessed with naming things, and that includes book titles.
Secondly, a lot of cozy writ..."

Hi Gabriella ~ I love witches, real and imaginary. In fact, writing a series set in New England, the location of the Salem witch trials, gave me lots of topics to blog about. I wrote one for Melissa LaPierre on the real Salem witch trials, one on "witch balls" which are a real New England thing, and another on "witch bottles." All my blogs can be accessed through Goodreads and on my website [conniearchermysteries.com], so (LOL!) it's safe to say I find witches fascinating!
As far as bakeries go, I have to admit I'm just an adequate baker, nothing genius there. And there are so many great series in the baking/chocolate/cupcake realm -- you name it -- like Nancy Parra's series, or Krista Davis or Cleo Coyle to name just a few writers.
I'll have to check if there's an actual bakery series with witches! It's a good point. There's even a tea leaf reader/fortune teller series, but I'll have to ask my partners in crime on Killer Characters about that!

Linda wrote: "Hi, Connie. This Goodreads venture is fun! Add me to those who enjoy your books and their titles.
What are you working on today when you're not here answering questions?"

Hi Linda ~ Well, I'm planning on writing some blogs actually. I just finished one for Lisa K's reviews about "Who should I kill next?" It's about the difficulty of choosing the next murder victim. Lisa will post it on the 30th of this month, and I'll advertise it too. I'm working on a blog about Halloween and its pagan roots in the Druidic festival of Samhain that will be posted on Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers on October 17th, just before Halloween. After that, I have some ideas about Vermont that I'd like to work on. My desk is littered with notes and post-its about things to do and things to remember -- as I'm sure yours is too!
So glad you could take a minute and stop by today!

Hi Connie: Given Snowflake's modest population and the fact there are now four books set there, are there any plans to let Nate hire any additional members of the Snowflake PD? lol LOVE the title ("Ladle to the Grave"), btw!

Hello Connie.

I agree with everyone. Your titles are great and the plots are intriguing. The soup! What I like about your books is they are not only entertaining, but I hunger for soup while reading them. I think this is another good reason they are popular. You have honed your brand. When first reading Sue Grafton's work and character, I wanted to jog all the time.

How hard is it to keep up with the theme of soups as well as the theme of murder? And why soup?

Hi Donalbain ~ LOL! I think Nate could really use some help, don't you? For a little village, the murder rate is overwhelming! So far, Nate only has Bradley Moffitt to back him up, and even though Bradley tries hard, he can't stand the sight of blood and can't stop gossiping to everyone, so Nate's between a rock and a hard place. I don't know what he'd do if Lucky wasn't there to mop up.
But, seriously, thinking about that, Nate's a very proud man, he certainly wouldn't want anyone else taking charge,or an outsider coming in to tell him his solve rate wasn't high enough. You know -- you might just have given me an idea for a plot! What would happen if someone higher up came to town and took over Nate's patch???? I'll have to think about that!
So glad you stopped by today!

D.J. wrote: "Hello Connie.

I agree with everyone. Your titles are great and the plots are intriguing. The soup! What I like about your books is they are not only entertaining, but I hunger for soup while readi..."

Hi Diann ~ great to hear from you and thank you!!
I love plotting crimes and figuring out who/what/when/where and how can this affect the village of Snowflake. My ideas come from all over the place, news stories, true crime, what would happen "if." Sometimes the character themselves give me their ideas!
As far as soup goes, I really do love to make soup and I'm always inventing new ones. Plus, everyone now gives me soup cookbooks as gifts, which I absolutely love! The biggest problem I've had is re-making all my favorites or new ones and actually writing down the recipe. Making sure the recipe and ingredients are correct is the hardest thing because I usually cook by throwing whatever I have around in the pot -- and some, as you can imagine, are better than others!
I find soup far more comforting than anything else -- more than pastries or anything. Especially when it's chilly outside. Well, I also love mashed potatoes and dark chocolate too, but there are already a lot of chocolate/fudge series, so I'll just stick to my soup pot!

D.J. wrote: "Hello Connie.

I agree with everyone. Your titles are great and the plots are intriguing. The soup! What I like about your books is they are not only entertaining, but I hunger for soup while readi..."

I just remembered something -- when the first book, A Spoonful of Murder, came out -- a woman named Karen wrote to me on FB to tell me she was upset that I hadn't included a recipe for the Chicken-Artichoke-Tarragon soup that Sage had been cooking in the kitchen. I had gotten a little carried away with soup in that first book, so when I went back to check, I found I had mentioned 11 different soups. That must have been a very busy week for the chef! Of course, I sent her my recipe right away so she could try it out for herself.

I like how your characters evolve from one book to the next. Do they have the personality of some you know or a combination of a couple people.

Hi Connie,
Just stopping by to say hi and i can't wait to read book #4 and even book #5. Will we be seeing Lucky and her friends having a New England halloween in Salem, Ma sometime?
Elisa

Becky wrote: "I like how your characters evolve from one book to the next. Do they have the personality of some you know or a combination of a couple people."

Hi Becky ~ great to hear from you! That's a good question! I love Halloween and it wouldn't hurt to have Lucky make a trip to the real Salem. Roux of course is set at Halloween in Snowflake, VT. Originally, the plan was to release each book with eight months in between, if I recall, and so the seasons could be staggered. That's why #1 is in winter, #2 in August, and #3 in the fall. Since then, the publisher's decision was to release each book in April. There's been a slight change and they've notified me that #4 will be released a little earlier (March 3rd). Because of that, they'd prefer a story set in very late winter or spring or maybe even early summer, to match the real season. I can understand that, it makes sense that people want to read a book that matches the weather they're living through. #4 takes place in May when Sophie and Sage are getting married, and #5 will also take place in the spring. Of course, all that could be subject to change, so maybe Lucky could tackle some real witches in Salem! That would be a lot of fun!

Elisa wrote: "Hi Connie,
Just stopping by to say hi and i can't wait to read book #4 and even book #5. Will we be seeing Lucky and her friends having a New England halloween in Salem, Ma sometime?
Elisa"
I apologize, Elisa - I think I responded to your question. I hit the wrong button, but here it is again:
I love Halloween and it wouldn't hurt to have Lucky make a trip to the real Salem. Roux of course is set at Halloween in Snowflake, VT. Originally, the plan was to release each book with eight months in between, if I recall, and so the seasons could be staggered. That's why #1 is in winter, #2 in August, and #3 in the fall. Since then, the publisher's decision was to release each book in April. There's been a slight change and they've notified me that #4 will be released a little earlier (March 3rd). Because of that, they'd prefer a story set in very late winter or spring or maybe even early summer, to match the real season. I can understand that, it makes sense that people want to read a book that matches the weather they're living through. #4 takes place in May when Sophie and Sage are getting married, and #5 will also take place in the spring. Of course, all that could be subject to change, so maybe Lucky could tackle some real witches in Salem! That would be a lot of fun!

Becky wrote: "I like how your characters evolve from one book to the next. Do they have the personality of some you know or a combination of a couple people."

Hi Becky ~ So sorry, I hit the wrong button and responded to another message. My apologies!
To answer your question --I felt it was important that each story delve more into the regular characters of the series, so people felt they really could get to know each person -- Jack, Elizabeth, Janie and so on. It's given me so much material to work with by creating stories that involved the mainstays of the village and inventing their pasts.
It's difficult to be conscious of where these characters come from sometimes. They're all rattling around in my head and sometimes just pop up to let me know they have something to say. In Jack's case, I'm very sure where he came from. He's a blend of my dear Dad who was much like Jack, loyal and caring, and my father-in-law who really was in the Navy and did use ocean-going terms, and (believe it or not) really did tell time by the bells! I'm not where Flo Sullivan came from. I really love Flo because she's so outrageous and really sets Jack's teeth on edge. And Cordelia Rank, she's someone we've all known at some time or other, perhaps a very strict, unforgiving teacher or aunt, who's wound very tight and always has to be right! It's really been a lot of fun creating the characters in the village, even the bad guys!

Hi Connie,

I agree with Donalbain, the PD needs help, but I guess that's why they are lucky to have Lucky. When plotting, do you spend time thinking about useful occupations or hobbies to add to Snowflake's gene pool? I was at a bird watching/birding/twitcher lecture the other day, and thought about what a spectacular murder obsessive hobbyists would make, especially twitchers. No ill will intended, but the meticulous manner that some people cultivate in pursuit of their dreams is perfect fodder for murder. Does Snowflake have any new local pastimes upcoming? Or are new residents planning to overwinter in out favorite tiny town?

Hi Planchette ~ So glad you could stop by today. That's a great idea and thanks to everyone who remarked on this line of thought. I'm getting lots of good ideas for story lines. You're right, many aficionados are rabid in their pursuits -- sports, golf, beekeeping, you name it. Birdwatching would be a great idea because people have to be out tromping through the woods. Who knows what they might discover there!
In Ladle to the Grave, Sophie is getting ready for her wedding to Sage, so that takes a lot of time and planning and of course leads to her examination of her own family history. And in #5, a famous mystery writer comes to town. It's been a lot of fun picking out the true mystery lovers in the village. Would you believe Marjorie Winters is a rabid mystery fan?
But birdwatching -- hmmm -- that would be a good one! Thank you for that idea. If I can use it, I will definitely give you credit!

I've been remiss on this thread! I should have reminded everyone that there's a Goodreads giveaway running right now, until October 10th. If you haven't read all the books in this series, or even if you have and would like to give one as a gift, go to the Giveaway button and sign up. There's still plenty of time!

Hi Connie, just stopping by. Sounds like you're having a great event. Great!

M.M. wrote: "Hi Connie, just stopping by. Sounds like you're having a great event. Great!"
Hi Madeline ~ Yes, it's been terrific. Lots of questions and visitors! It's really been fun. Thanks for stopping by!

Connie, wow, what a great discussion you have going! I'm not sure I could add anything...though I do often wonder whether the challenge of keeping things cozy gets hard. Do you ever feel a more violent impulse or greater level of danger coming for the story than the genre usually tends toward? I know your cozies are on the edgy side...

Jenny wrote: "Connie, wow, what a great discussion you have going! I'm not sure I could add anything...though I do often wonder whether the challenge of keeping things cozy gets hard. Do you ever feel a more vio..."

Hi Jenny ~ Great to hear from you! I think of this series as a "village mystery" with darker elements. The term cozy in my mind seems to imply something light-hearted or humorous, which I don't think I would be very good at doing. There's nothing wrong with stories like that at all, I don't mean to imply there is, but darker tales are not everyone's cup of tea. (I've always thought that lumping all amateur sleuths in the 'cozy' realm is not quite correct.)
The Soup Lover's Mystery series has, I think, all the elements expected in a cozy, but the motives and the crimes are anything but. Not all my murders have happened off-stage by any means, and some have been quite brutal in the telling. This is just my approach, but I try to be very honest with the horror or disgust or fear of the characters and the psychology of what drives a murderer. Why is that person's survival so at stake they must commit that crime? I've certainly read lots of serial killer thrillers and cop procedurals, like Mo Hayder or Ian Rankin, to name just a couple of fabulous authors, and I've loved them, but for me, the fascination is the psychology of the average man or woman who would do such a thing. Do I get a little carried away sometimes? Uh . . . yes, but I have a fabulous editor who keeps me in line!