WHAT'S MY LINE?

from Janis Lane

Fiction. That's right, I write fiction and by the time I’d written the third Detective Kevin Fowler novel Murder on Blake Hill I felt as if I lived in Hubbard, NY. Are there certain key elements of the stories that resemble my own small Western New York village? Oh, sure. You might recognize the blazing color of the hard maples in the fall, decent townspeople who give a friendly wave, the fond interaction of the local police with the citizens. A mayor can be spotted walking his dog through the village.

There exists a table where politics are discussed on a daily basis, but Buddy and Rita are not there. Sad to say, no fresh sticky buns either, but fortunately you will find them across town. Now you suspect my secrets. I often use a piece of this or that to make an entirely new whole. It may resemble something with which you are familiar, but it is never the real thing. I write fiction.

Magic does happen. Once born, a character (or place) takes on a life and personality of his/her/its own. Detective Kevin Fowler drives a ‘plain brown wrapper’ car. It would be a rare thing to see him in a marked police car. You can almost see the raised eyebrows and frown on the popular detective’s face.

Beverly Hamlin knows no stranger in her home town. Her self-assurance is a thing of wonder to Kevin who is in love with her.

My cozy mysteries are all about small-town America, a slice of life which gives us a peek into the trials and tribulations of ordinary citizens. Are the characters based on real people? You bet. Well, parts of them here and there. I, you will remember, write fiction.

Disconcerting events disturb the peaceful town of Hubbard, New York, but Detective Kevin Fowler and his staff are on the job, even as shocking secrets are revealed and night patrols are stepped up to a high alert. Church bells chime faintly in the distance.

Detective Kevin Fowler is baffled by the wall of silence that greets him from the relatives of two septuagenarians whose bodies are discovered in a country cemetery called Blake Hill. Even more upsetting is the unusual rash of vandalism reported nightly by the citizens in his peaceful community. Have the teenagers declared an uprising? Night patrols reveal a totally unexpected and shocking situation. When a poignant secret is revealed, Beverly Hampton weeps over the sadness of a long ago tragedy, but soon wedding bells are heard for the home town princess and the popular detective. At the local diner the alluring fragrance of fresh-baked, cinnamon sticky buns continues to reign over the peaceful citizens of Hubbard, New York.

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Janis Lane is the pen-name for gifted author Emma Lane who writes cozy mysteries as Janis, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma's new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma's face.

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