The View from the Other Side
Now, on to this week's blog.
My name is Sandi Webster. I’m a main character in one of Marja McGraw's series, and I decided to give her a break this week. I’m writing the blog in her stead.
I’m not altogether sure how Marja thought me up, but I once heard her say she originally planned on basing me on a younger Sally Field. Well, I showed her. Within the first chapter of the first book, I took on a personality of my own. I didn’t want to be based on anyone but myself.
I later heard her say she’d decided to base my menopausal mother on Sally, but as you can read for yourself in the books, that plan fell short of the mark, too. My mother is a one-of-a-kind. Why, she once took down a mugger while in the throes of a mood swing. Poor guy -- I almost felt sorry for him.
I’m a private investigator and proud of the work I do. Yes, I do a lot of work for insurance companies, my bread and butter, but I’ve also brought down a number of bad guys -- really bad guys.
My life is full. I have Pete, my partner and fiancé, our friends Stanley and Felicity, and… I should probably explain that I hired Pete not long after I opened my agency. In true fictional form, the business took off and I needed help. We’ve had our ups and downs, but overall we make a great couple.
Stanley was one of our first clients. He was being stalked, but I won’t go into that because Marja is writing a story that will explain Pete’s and my relationship with Stanley. When we met him, he was writing verses for greeting cards, not a very exciting career. Now he works for us. And Stanley met Felicity when Pete and I were out of town and she came in to ask for help. They are the cutest, smartest and clumsiest couple I know.
I have an elderly neighbor named Dolly who owns a cat named Miss Kitty. I always feel so silly when I refer to Miss Kitty. Good grief! Dolly is like the grandmother I never knew, and she loves what I do for a living even more than her soap operas.
I have a dog named Bubba. He’s half wolf and half Golden retriever, and he’s, well, big. Very big. And he smiles frequently. The first time he ever smiled at me he was a stray and I thought he was baring his teeth and almost called the cops. Bubba’s just a big ol’ bear-sized lovable mutt. And he can be very protective, which is a good thing.
So far Marja has exposed me to a hundred-year-old murder involving a relative, Bubba thinking there was a ghost in the attic, a young woman being harassed by a bum, and an eighty-something-year-old woman who wanted me to solve a cold case for her. As if that wasn’t enough, she brought the Bogey Man into my life. I have to admit, he was quite a character. One of my favorite actors is Humphrey Bogart, and this guy was a dead ringer for Bogey. After that she sent Pete and me to a ghost town where we became stranded. Actually, that was a lot of fun and quite an adventure.
I wonder what she’s got up her sleeve next. I know my author is sometimes frustrated with me. She’ll write a scene for me, scratch her head, and rewrite the whole scene. Sometimes I get dizzy from all the rewriting.
Well, all I can say is that I think it’s very generous of me to take over the blog this week. I hope Marja is busily writing me into another adventure as I carry her load.
Like Marja always says: Until next time, have a great week and enjoy a big chocolate candy bar. We do have that in common.
COMING FROM OAK TREE PRESS IN FEBRUARY, 2012, Bogey's Ace in the Hole - A Bogey Man Mystery
To find out more about Sandi’s adventures, please CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com
CLICK HERE to view a book trailer for Bogey Nights
CLICK HERE to view a book trailer for Old Murders Never Die
Categories: characters voices, Developing characters, Solving a Mystery, Mysteries, Humor, Story Ideas, Authors, Emotions, Pets, Scenarios, Family, Reading, Marja McGraw, Books, eBooks
Tags: Marja McGraw Blog Fiction Writers Mystery Blog Mystery writer Authors Books Mystery Humor Humorous Mystery Fun Sandi Webster Cozy Mysteries series Mystery characters The Bogey Man Marja's Mystery Blog writing animals Bubba dogs Sally Field Guest Blogger
Sandi,
It was so nice of you to do your author's work this week! I enjoyed meeting you and I look forward to reading about your most recent adventure in Marja's "Old Murders Never Die." It's on order and should be here any day now.
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Patricia, Sandi's off chasing a bad guy right now, but I wanted to say on behalf of both of us, thank you for stopping in and I hope you enjoy Sandi's adventure. She is fun to work with, and it's a good thing since she's (hopefully) going to be around for a while.
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I enjoyed hearing about Sandi from a different perspective, Marja. You almost have be believing she's a real person. Looking forward to what you have planned for Sandi and the gang next. Dorothy
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Thank you, Dorothy! Sometimes I wish I knew Sandi in real life. I think she'd be a fun friend.
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Like how you lured Sandi into filling holiday posting. Always like to hear from your characters how they mold your mind.
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LOL Jake, I'm supposed to be molding their minds. Thanks for stopping in.
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Hi Sandi,
Nice getting to know more about you. I think we writers can be boring at times. We think we create whole personalities in our characters then find out things we never thought of. My protagonist, Daisy Muniz, I just found out, wanted to be a dancer during childhood and spent hours practicing front of the mirror in her room. I had no idea! Thanks for telling us about yourself. Hope Marja is relaxing while you give her this break.
Theresa
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Thanks for stopping in, Theresa. There are a lot of things my author doesn't know about me, and apparently it's the same for Daisy. We do like to delight and surprise you.
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I enjoy your series, Sandi, as well as the Bogie Man's. It's nice that you took over for Marja and gave her a week's respite.
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Hi, Jean. Yeah, Marja needs a break every once in a while. Thank you for stopping in.
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This was a fun blog. Glad to learn more about Sandi.
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Thanks for checking it out, Marilyn. Once in a while we just need to do something different and silly to keep our sanity.
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Sandi, Tell Marja that I loved meeting you!
Jackie
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Thank you, Jackie! She'll be delighted that you stopped in.
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My favorite line:
In true fictional form, the business took off...
Love that droll humor.
Marta
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LOL Thanks, Marta. Only Sandi would put it that way.
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Hi Sandi,
You are such an interesting person, a true character! How generous of you to give your boss a week off and tell us about the "real" you.
Eileen
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Ah, who needs her anyway. Oh! I guess I do, or I wouldn't even exist. Thank you for stopping in, Eileen. It promises to be a fun week.
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What a fun blog! Looking forward to more from Sandi.
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I'm thinking that next time maybe the Bogey Man will give me a break. Thank you for stopping in, Tricia. Always good to see your smiling face.
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Is Sandi still single? I wanna marry her. haha..Lovely post!
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