Everybody Has a Story - And That’s Where the Magic Lives

I heard a quote recently that stopped me mid-thought, mid-coffee sip, mid–“why is the dog staring at me like that” moment.

“Everybody has a story. Once you understand that story, their lives will make sense.”

Excuse me while I just sit here and emotionally spiral for a minute.

Because wow. That one line explains so much. So many of those moments where you watch someone do something and think, why on earth would you ever do that? Why that choice? Why that reaction? Why that hill to die on?

And the honest answer is usually this: you don’t know what came before. You don’t know the trigger. You don’t know the quiet history that shaped that decision long before you ever witnessed it.

We see the moment. We don’t see the backstory.

Which, as it turns out, is basically the entire job description of being a writer.

In real life, we’re all walking around as finished scenes with missing chapters. You bump into someone in line at the grocery store who is unreasonably intense about coupons, and you think, okay wow, that escalated quickly. But maybe they grew up in a house where money was terrifyingly tight. Maybe they once lost everything. Maybe this tiny square of paper represents safety, control, or a small win in a very long week.

Suddenly, the behavior shifts from annoying to understandable. Not excusable necessarily. But human.

As a writer—especially a cozy mystery author—this idea is pure gold.

Because the difference between a decent story and a truly unforgettable one is whether the reader ever thinks, why would anyone do that? Or whether instead they think, I wouldn’t do that… but I get it.

That’s the magic spot.

When I’m writing characters, I spend an almost unreasonable amount of time asking myself annoying little questions. What happened to them before the story starts? What scared them once and never really let go? What tiny, seemingly insignificant moment quietly shaped the way they see the world?

And here’s the fun part: those moments don’t need to be dramatic. Not every character needs a thunderclap tragedy or a dark-and-stormy-night trauma. Sometimes it’s small. A betrayal that stung more than expected. A kindness that arrived at exactly the wrong—or right—time. A loss that wasn’t loud, but permanent.

Those are the things that make choices make sense.

In cozy mysteries especially, this matters more than people realize. Yes, there’s a mystery. Yes, there’s a crime. Yes, someone did something very questionable. But what makes readers lean in isn’t just the whodunit—it’s the why. Why this person. Why now. Why this method. Why this secret stayed buried for so long.

When I know my characters’ stories, I don’t have to force their actions. I don’t have to drag the plot along behind me like a reluctant dog on a leash. The characters move on their own, because of course they would react that way. Of course they would hide that truth. Of course they would make that terrible decision that sets everything in motion.

And honestly? It’s made me softer in real life too.

I’m still human. I still have my moments of “wow, that was… a choice.” But now there’s a little writer voice in my head whispering, you don’t know their backstory. You’ve only read one page.

Everybody has a story. And once you understand that story, things start to make sense—not just in books, but everywhere.

Which might be the most magical part of writing after all.

The Absolute Madness of Naming Characters

Let’s talk about one of the most ridiculous struggles of writing a book. No, I’m not talking about the part where you stare at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your ancestors. I’m talking about naming characters. It should be easy, right? Just slap a name on them and move on? Oh, my sweet summer child. If only. See, naming a character is like naming your kid—except worse, because nobody is going to complain if your kid and their cousin both end up being named Liam. But if your main villain is named Liam and you accidentally give the quirky coffee shop owner in book three the same name? Cue the existential crisis. Let’s walk through the madness. The Overthinking Spiral of Doom You start writing, and there’s that moment: your brand-new character walks onto the page, full of potential. All they need is a name. A simple name. Something strong, something fitting, something— Oh no. Nothing sounds right. This one is too complicated. That one is too simple. ...

DIY Audiobook. A bit of equipment, good advice and lots of patience

I want to create an Audiobook - should I? Ever since the release of book one in the "Cannabis Preacher" series of thrillers, that question has been on my mind. The "Cannabis Preacher" books were quite long. To produce an audiobook from each of the four, including voice actors and audio production with a turn key service, I was looking at around $15,000 per book. Financially, that was a non-starter for me at the time. That amount represented a LOT of books and audiobooks to sell to recover the investment, and I shelved my plan again. With the popularity of the "Magical Papillon" cozy mystery series, I found myself coming back to the growing popularity of audiobooks. I knew that audiobooks could reach a wider audience and catered to busy readers who prefer listening while multitasking. The idea of bringing my characters to life through narration excited me, as it offered a new dimension to my storytelling. The cozy mysteries were only 60-65,000...

The Battle-Scarred ThinkPad and the Mountain of Notebooks: A Love Story

Let’s talk about favorite writing tools. Now, I know some authors might name drop fancy apps, sleek white minimalist keyboards, or those delicate fountain pens with gold nibs that require ceremonial ink rituals … But me? My tools are a little less... romantic. A little more indestructible . And, dare I say, a little more clunky with character . Once upon a time—cue flashback shimmer—I wrote all my stories by hand . Not just a page or two, either. I mean boxes and boxes of handwritten notebooks , full of scribbles, side notes, doodles in the margins, entire character backstories I forgot existed until ten years later. My early stories were a workout for my wrist. I had pens running dry faster than a coffee pot in a newsroom. It was chaotic. It was glorious. Typing those books up? A mission. A translation project. A cryptic decoding effort worthy of Indiana Jones. There were arrows. Stars. Entire paragraphs stuffed sideways in the margins like they were trying to escape the story. So...

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