Light Within: Writing a Mystery: Dream or Destiny

Writing a Mystery: Dream or Destiny
Thursday, 4 December 2008

by Lillie Ammann

A long-time dream became destiny when my romantic mystery novel Dream or Destiny was published a few weeks ago.

I had written the book about ten years earlier and even had an agent, who tried without success to find a publisher. After my two-year contract ended with the agent, I put the manuscript away and decided it wasn’t going to be published.

But the characters kept calling to me, demanding their destiny of publication. So periodically I pulled the manuscript out and revised it, even getting feedback from other writers.

I found a publisher, but before the book went into production, the publishing company made some business changes that I didn’t like. The company released me from my contract, and the manuscript was put away again.

However, my characters, who had been the driving force behind the book from the beginning, were determined they weren’t going to stay hidden away on my computer hard drive forever. They wouldn’t let me forget them or the story.

When I started writing Dream or Destiny, all I knew was that Marilee Anderson would have a dream about a murder that really happened. Marilee was inspired by a woman featured in a TV documentary who used her psychic dreams to help law enforcement bring criminals to justice. She didn’t dream about the crime itself, but watching the show made me wonder what it would be like if someone dreamed of the actual crime.

However, I didn’t have any ideas for the other characters. As I wrote, the characters appeared on the scene and told me about themselves. People have asked me why I wrote about domestic violence, even wanting to know if I wrote from personal experience.

The domestic violence aspect of the story came about because the characters told me their experiences—not because I decided to write about people who had been abused. I’m pleased that a domestic violence victims’ advocate told me my character David Nichols was the best portrayal of the psychological reactions of an abuse victim that she’d ever seen in fiction. I researched domestic violence, especially first-person accounts, but David himself told me about his background.

Marilee, David, and the other characters were determined to have their story told. Although I could forget the book for months at a time, eventually I felt compelled to work on it again. As time passed, I had to make revisions because of changes in technology and society. For example, caller ID wasn’t common when I originally wrote the story, but by the time the book was published, just about everybody had caller ID on their phones. I had to come up with an explanation of why David and Marilee didn’t get the number from caller ID when they received a threatening phone call.

I submitted the manuscript to GASLight Publishing, LLC , and the company offered me a contract to publish the book. There were several delays during the process, but finally, Dream or Destiny was published in mid-October of 2008.

The book is now available in paperback and e-book formats at GASLight and in paperback and Kindle edition at Amazon.com.

The book has garnered excellent reviews, and I’ve enjoyed touring the Internet to let readers know about Dream or Destiny. I’m pleased to be visiting here at Light Within.

I’ll check back during the day and will be glad to answer questions about writig, editing, and publishing as well as about my book.

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About the Author: Lillie Ammann is on her second blog book tour for her romantic mystery novel, Dream or Destiny, her second novel and fourth published book. You can read reviews or a free excerpt on her Web site. Lillie is a freelance writer and editor specializing in working with self-publishing authors. She and her husband Jack live in San Antonio, Texas. She blogs at A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye , where she covers writing, editing, and publishing topics.

About Dream or Destiny: Marilee Anderson dreams about a murder and wakes to find it really happened. She and David Nichols, the victim’s brother, become the prime suspects. Though they have their secrets and aren’t sure they can trust each other, Marilee and David team up to find the killer in this psychic suspense.

posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, December 04, 2008,

8 Comments:

At 11:11 AM PKT, Deb S. said...: Intriguing post. I like how Lillie describes the process. I wish her much success.
At 12:49 PM PKT, Muhammad Yaqoob said...: it sounds very interesting. where could we buy this book?
At 2:23 PM PKT, Lillie Ammann said...: Shirazi,
Thank you for hosting me here at Light Within. I look forward to responding to comments and answering questions.
At 2:24 PM PKT, Lillie Ammann said...: Deb,
Thank for your good wishes. I'm glad you enjoyed my post.
At 2:27 PM PKT, Lillie Ammann said...: Muhammad,
You ask the question an author loves to hear!

The book is available at Amazon.com and on the Web site of the publisher GASLight Publishing. There are links to both places on my blog.
At 3:03 PM PKT, LMB said...: I have read on this very blog how Shirazi self published his books. It is so difficult here. May be someone from the industry reads this and learn to value written words. You are welcome in this part of th world. Great review of the book I wish to read.
At 3:04 PM PKT, LMB said...: And Shirazi, thanks to you for bringing such a writer to Pakistan.
At 8:59 PM PKT, Lillie Ammann said...: LMB,
Publishing is a tough industry everywhere, but I realize you have much harder in Pakistan. I hope the situation improves.