A Non-Supernatural Mystery In Prague

First, though, private investigator Quille C. Davis will travel to Prague to question a psychic medium, who is also a murder suspect, in my Q.C. Davis mysteries.

While the Q.C. Davis mystery series is not supernatural, Prague’s long history of mysticism and alchemy make it an ideal home for the psychic medium character. And the city’s overall beauty makes me willing to have Quille spend time away from Chicago, which she (like me) loves and where she lives, practices law, and solves crimes.

Supernatural Books And Mystic Prague Nights

More on the new series, which will be a follow up to my Awakening Supernatural Thriller series, down the road. But to give you a hint, some highlights, photos, and ideas.

Simply being in Prague felt mystic, especially at night. Above is a statue on the famous Charles Bridge. 

And the monastery sparked many ideas for twists and turns in a new novel, as it included two halls of books. Look at the sign on one of them — perfect for a religious conspiracy thriller.

The Missing Bones

I also toured the convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia in Prague. (Hall and scale model of convent below.) What intrigued me most?

My guide told me that the crypt that bears the name of Agnes of Bohemia is not her final resting place. 

Turns out her supporters hid her bones from enemies after her death. They did such a great job that no one has ever found them.

I’m sure I can do something with that legend, or borrow from it.

Cathedrals And Castles

In Krakow, the Wawel Castle and the cathedral in it captured my imagination. In particular, the skull on one wall and what looks like a goat’s head with a sword thrust into it on the ceiling.

Why are both there? I’ll need research. Which will be fun and no doubt will lead to more ideas for plot twists.

Here’s the castle:

If you want to be first to know when the new supernatural thriller series begins or the new Q.C. Davis mystery is underway, click here to join my Readers Group email list and get a free Reader’s Guide to the original Awakening series.

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I love the hardwood floors in Sandmeyer’s. Some boards creak when you step on them. It also smells like wood, a smell I associate with books and therefore love.

There were two reasons I hadn’t visited there in forever.

Drifting Away From The Bookstore

One reason is that I’ve spent since April 22 recovering from a broken foot.

A lot of that time I was in casts (photos of the pink and orange casts are included in previous posts here and here) and on crutches. But now I’m walking on my own two feet again. It’s a big part of my physical therapy.

While stuck on crutches, ordering online made life much more manageable. From vitamins to socks for my removable cast to a pretty blank journal (shown at left), I relied on deliveries for almost everything.

The second reason I haven’t been to the local bookstore in a long time is that for most of the years I practiced law I worked late at my office each evening and worked weekends.

That schedule meant I was rarely free when Sandmeyer’s–or any neighborhood retail store–was open.

A Tale Of Two Journals

I decided to walk to Sandmeyer’s–about a mile round trip–and buy a new blank book/journal. I use them both for scrawling notes about first drafts and rewrites and for writing a page or so each morning about what I’m grateful for.

What I found was different than what I’d seen online. At first I wasn’t happy.

I loved the cover for one of the journals. But I flipped to the back to look at the price. And I put it back down.

Which was kind of crazy.

It was $12.95, about $7 more than I’d paid for the previous journal, but not a fortune. Still, I didn’t really need this journal. I could staple scrap paper together or buy a cheap spiral notebook. So I almost left without buying.

Inside The Bookstore

Instead, I examined the journal.

I felt the heavy cover, one that won’t bend or fold like the one I’d bought online. I turned pages, thinking how it would lie flat because it’s spiral bound. I saw the inside pocket. (There’s no pocket in the previous journal I bought.) Sometimes when I travel, I write on scrap paper. With the pocket, I could store those pages in the journal.

Finally, there were far more lines per page than in the previous journal, both because the pages are larger and because the lines are closer together.

Most of all, I loved being able to see the lines I’d be writing on and feel the book I’d be holding.

I bought it. Now each time I look at it, I feel happy.

I think I’ll be walking to Sandmeyer’s more often.

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A couple years ago, a friend from a book group sent me the perfect solution to my book problem. (Thanks, Andrea!) She invited me to join Goodreads.com.

What’s On Your Friends’ Shelves?

One of my favorite things about Goodreads is I can check out what other people have put on their shelves when I am trying to decide what to read next. I also created separate shelves for types of books I’ve read or want to read, including Wiscon 2014, which lists books recommended at the conference panels I attended; mystery-and-private-eye, a genre I love, so these are books I’ve already read and reviewed; and books discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Most of the Buffy books are on my actual shelves, too. I created the virtual shelf to make it easier for other Buffy fans to find them.

Detailed Info On Likes And Dislikes

I find Goodreads reviewers tend to be more specific than readers on other sites about what works and doesn’t for them. Once toward the beginning of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (the sort of sequel to The Shining), I felt less interested than I’d expected. I didn’t like the main character much, and I wasn’t sure I’d finish given the many hours I was working at the time. But enough people on Goodreads said they’d felt the same at the start but ended liking the book that I continued. It still isn’t my favorite Stephen King novel–that’s The Dead Zone–but it was worth finishing Doctor Sleep. I’ve also occasionally bought a book based on a negative Goodreads review because I figured I’d like exactly what the reviewer did not about the novel.

Free Autographed Books

Periodically, publishers and authors offer giveaways of books on Goodreads, often autographed ones. (If you list a book on your To Read shelf, sometimes Goodreads will email to let you know a giveaway is happening.) Right now, as part of preparing to publish Book 3 in my Awakening series, I’m offering 10 autographed trade paperback editions of The Unbelievers (The Awakening, Book 2) to readers in the U.S.

For a chance to win, sign up here by February 13, 2016.

Enter today, as the giveaway is only open until February 13, 2016. Watch this space for announcements regarding Book 3 of 4 in The Awakening series, The Conflagration, and/or connect with me on Goodreads. Happy reading!

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