Where do I get my ideas? Well, with THE CROWS, it was the murder of two hunters (that took place close to where I lived) that triggered the idea for that book. When I started thinking about writing a sequel to THE CROWS, three reports on TV triggered the idea for AS THE CROW FLIES.

One of those reports was a warning about driveway repaving scams. BBB Scam Alert: Need a new driveway? Look out for asphalt paving scams!

The second idea was about a missing bureaucrat (he was later found in Florida), and the third was about a fire where the owner refused to let the fire department on his property. (It was later discovered he had buried barrels filled with chemicals on his property rather than disposing them according to EPA regulations.)

Then, just before I started writing AS THE CROW FLIES, a debate ensued regarding the straightening of an S curve on the road from Climax to Fulton. Farmers who owned land along that road were upset. If straightening the road cut their farm fields into two parts, how would they handle the planting and harvesting of crops as well as irrigation?

Aha! Now I had 4 ideas I could braid into a story.

P.J. Benson lives just south of Zenith, Michigan, and Abby Warfield, owner of a boarding kennel and P.J.’s newest accounting client, is adamantly against straightening the road. Even though her farm is not affected, P.J. goes with Abby to the community meeting being held about the road and is soon involved in the debate. Her involvement has P.J. at Abby’s place less than an hour before Abby dies under suspicious circumstances. As usual, it doesn’t take long before the sheriff’s department considers P.J. a murder suspect.

When I was young I used to listen to a program where the narrator was given three unrelated ideas she had to weave into a story. If you want to know how I wove my four ideas together, and how P.J. manages to prove her innocence, pick up a copy of AS THE CROW FLIES.

And, I hope, if you so desired, you downloaded SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT during the three days the ebook was free. If you did and read it, I would love it if you would write a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

Thanks so much.