Welcome to fellow Sisters In Crime author, Sharon Daynard!
Sharon Daynard’s writing runs the gamut from light and quirky to
downright dark and troubling. Her debut novel, Murder Points North, puts
a humorous spin on murder in a small town. Her short stories include “The Boss
of Butler Square” which received Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award
and “Widows Peak” which was short-listed for a Derringer Award. She’s been
offered the services of a hitman, crossed paths with a serial killer, testified
before grand juries, and taken lie detector tests. She is a member of the New
England chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sharon.Daynard.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonDaynard
Potter’s Field
Publishing
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@PottersFieldP
How did you get involved with this anthology?
How did I get involved with this short story anthology? Ironically, that’s a long story.
After years of having my short mystery stories appear in various anthologies and magazines, I thought it was time to try something new. So, in 2019, I found a partner and launched a publishing company—Potter’s Field Publishing. A Plot for Any Occasion is the second book we’ve published. Each crime story in the anthology is based on or incorporates a traditional holiday, observance day or appreciation day.
I’ve been part of the mystery writing community for over twenty years, having served as Sisters in Crime/NE president and as a co-chair on the New England Crime Bake conference. Finding authors willing to submit their stories wasn’t going to be a problem. We decided to keep our first foray into publishing anthologies small, and limited the number of submissions and authors who’d be part of the project. We’re pleased by how well A Plot for Any Occasion turned out and may open the submission process to everyone if we continue the theme in an annual anthology. With over a thousand different National or World days for writers to choose from, the anthology would always be something original.
Besides A Plot for Any Occasion being an opportunity to
share two of my dark and twisted stories with readers, Potter’s Field
Publishing was established with a social conscience from day one, pledging and
fulfilling a commitment to donate a portion of book sales to help fight food insecurity.
In the first year of the pandemic, we gave a hundred percent of our gross sales
to area food banks and soup kitchens.
Do your reading choices reflect your writing
choices?
I tend to read more cozies and horror than any
other genre. Not so coincidently, my writing runs the gambit from cozy to dark
fiction. My debut novel Murder Points
North was a humorous holiday cozy with a female geology professor as its
protagonist. My two short stories in A Plot for Any Occasion, “Lothario”
and “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year,” are dark crime fiction. One
revolves around a serial killer with a penchant for leaving a gruesome grin on the
face of his victims. The other takes place during the holidays with a crime
kingpin known as Saint Nick who’s hellbent on ruining Christmas for everyone on
his naughty list.
Do your characters come before or after your plot?
For my novel, Murder Points North, the
murder weapon came first. I have a degree in geology and my favorite mineral
made for the perfect murder weapon. The protagonist and antagonist quickly
followed along with the plot. Supporting characters filled in as the story took
shape.
When I write a short story it’s typically the
character that comes first—a serial killer with a morbid sense of humor and Santa
reimagined as a thug.
Which type of characters do you love to write?
I
love offbeat characters with a sense of humor, be it dark or lighthearted. In Murder
Points North, one of my favorite characters was Martha Washington, an
elderly rough talking, whiskey drinking, pathological liar who makes me laugh
every time she opens her mouth.
I had
a lot of fun writing the character of the Christmas curmudgeon, Nick Caedwalla,
in my short story, “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” for A Plot for Any
Occasion. I wanted the reader to despise him, but found myself liking him
more and more as the story progressed.
How do you choose a villain and how do you make
them human?
I
give my antagonists/villains quirks and flaws to make them relatable to the
reader. Their backstories are woven throughout the story, slowly revealing
their pangs, faux pas and unfulfilled dreams, almost endearing them to the
reader. I blur the line between good and bad.
What genre do you mostly write in and why?
I mostly write mystery or crime fiction. They allow
me the freedom to tell stories that can be anywhere from laugh-out-loud funny
to downright terrifying, and everything in between. I enjoy writing both novels
and short stories, although I would have to admit that a short story provides
almost instant gratification.
A PLOT FOR ANY OCCASION
https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Any-Occasion-Crime-Anthology-ebook/dp/B09LP8MVMF/ref
From hot cocoa cozies to rotgut
whiskey noir, A Plot for Any Occasion features eleven original
crime stories based on traditional holidays, not-so-familiar observances and
appreciation days.
With Mardi Gras beads, Santa suits,
drops of blood, mahjong tiles, birthmarks, and a doctoral thesis found among
its pages, this anthology is a diverse collection by award-winning short
fiction authors, seasoned storytellers and fresh voices.
MURDER POINTS NORTH
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Points-North-Sharon-Daynard-ebook/dp/B0812F6H9Q/ref
With one week until Christmas,
picturesque Points North, New Hampshire, hasn’t seen as much as a token flurry
and the temperatures are almost as high as local tempers. The lack of snow,
however, is the least of Liesl Alan’s worries
Liesl teaches geology, collects
rocks, minerals and ex-husbands—three at last count. On the brink of turning
forty, she finds herself living amongst a group of eccentric “innmates” at the
Muddled Moose, an inn her family has owned for generations. Hardly in the
Christmas spirit, the last thing Liesl’s looking forward to is a night of wearing
a too tight, too ruffled, too plaid gown for the village’s annual Home for the
Holidays open house celebration.
When the event ends in a fiasco and
someone from the Muddled Moose is found murdered, Liesl becomes the prime
suspect of everyone from the lead homicide detective to her own mother. Fellow
residents at the inn are even offering fashion tips for her inevitable perp
walk and mug shot.
Determined to prove her innocence
and find the real killer, Liesl teams up with a private eye wannabe. With a list
of suspects that might as well include all of Points North, she has her work
cut out for her, especially when each new clue points her in a different
direction.
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