Bitter Weed and Other Things

Last week my Mystery question asked what the field of yellow was.

Was it:

1. Canola
2. Sun Hemp
3. Weeds

And the answer is #3. It is Bitter Weed, called that because if milk cows happen to get into a field of it, their milk will be bitter.

But doesn’t it make a beautiful field!

Now on to this week’s blog post.

I’ve been having a hard time deciding exactly what I want the blog to be about.

I know that I want it for readers (rather than just for writers) so I thought I might talk about different subjects that readers might like, such as some of the things that go on in a writer’s mind as they’re working on a book. And sometimes, I’ll post reviews of books I’ve read recently. And sometimes I’ll probably just ramble.

But, every week, I’ll try to have a stupid criminal or a cold case for you to solve.

Last week I attended an author gathering in Memphis at the Ben Hooks Library. It was an opportunity for readers and writers to ask authors questions. And do you know what the # 1 question I was asked? (and no, this isn’t the mystery challenge) I was asked over and over where I get my stories.

And over and over, my answer was: everywhere. Let me clarify that. First of all, I believe storytelling is a gift from God. He puts the stories in my head. Events that I read or hear about in the news might trigger it, but He adds that spark that turns it into a story.

When people ask what I write about, I always say, murder, but that I do it nicely because I write Inspirational fiction. 🙂

Now for my Mystery Question:

On December 14, 1969, a young single mother named  arrived for her shift as a Southwestern Bell telephone operator in Houston. After parking her car in the company lot, she was forced into a nearby shack by an unknown individual and murdered. After a thorough investigation by the Houston Police Department (PD), no suspects were identified, and the latent prints lifted from the outside of the victim’s car were filed away.

Thirty-four year later, the crime was solved and the man responsible was put behind bars. How was the crime solved and who solved it?

1. The woman’s son joined the police department and asked for his mother’s file. DNA that did not belong to his mother was found on her clothing, and after there was a match in the database, the murderer confessed.
2. The woman’s brother began investigating the murder, and he ran the latent prints found on the victim’s car through IAFIS and a match was made that eventually put the murderer behind bars.
3. In 2003, a man serving a life sentence confessed to another inmate that he’d killed a woman in 1969. He gave her name to the inmate and the inmate reported it to the warden. When the murderer was confronted, he confessed.

So, which is it, Readers? Tune in next week for the answer.

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]When people ask what I write about, I always say murder, but that I do it nicely–it’s Inspirational fiction. [/tweet_box] [tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” inject=”#amwriting”]Storytelling is a gift from God. He puts the stories in my head.[/tweet_box]

My 4th book in the Logan Point series released April 19th and in celebration, I’m giving away 1  copy to someone who leaves a comment. (Print for US and Canadian addresses. Digital for all  other addresses) on this week’s blog.