Last night, I just made the third book live. You can click on the graphic below and go to the sales page on Amazon. Like the others in the series, Book 3, The Case of the Pernicious Parrot, is in Kindle Unlimited. I'll tell you some fun things about writing the book below. First off, here's the link to get it!
Cool Things About the Writing
The Case of the Pernicious Parrot takes place in the Lower Florida Keys. I try to place all of the Julia books in places that I've actually been. (Or at least in amalgams of places. SeaBreeze, the location of the second book, is a combination of Grayton Beach and SeaSide. Both places where I've spent an enormous amount of time over the years.)
Book 3 is no exception. I've vacationed in the Keys many times!
It's been a few years since I've been to the Keys, though, and it was pretty funny when I wrote the Hemingway house part. I've been there many times over the years, and I really like Hemingway. (The writer, that is. the man was a bit of a twerp.) I'm an eternal optimist, and I thought writing the description of going through Hemingway's house would be a breeze. Turns out, I had forgotten a lot of stuff.
I remembered the pool, the deep wrap-around porches, the cats, and the incredible tropical flora. I didn't remember how the house was constructed, though—the flow of the rooms, for instance. So, I took a deep dive into YouTube to help jog my memory.
Here's one of the best videos I found. I don't know the guy who made this, but he did an excellent job!
He's also touring the house with his dad. I've been to Hemingway's house many times with my own father. So, that was a little poignant. (My dad died in 2000.) My dad was nothing like Hemingway (Thank God!), but he did share quite a few similarities. He loved to travel, and during my childhood, I traveled a lot with him. He also spoke Spanish fluently and loved Spain. If you watch the video, you'll see a lot of Spanish furniture that Hemingway brought with him from Spain. Dad wasn't a furniture collector, but he was a book collector.
Another funny thing about the video is about six minutes in when he goes upstairs and looks at the books on the hall bookshelf. As the video scans down the middle shelf, there's a copy of one of George Simenon's Maigret books. I inherited the language thing from my dad. I speak French fluently, and I love the Maigret books. It was really cool to see that Ernest (can I call him that? Lol) was a Maigret fan, too!
While doing all this YouTubing, I stumbled across a movie called Papa Hemingway. This wasn't about the Key West years. This was set in Miami and Cuba. Hemingway lived in Key West from '31 to '39. Then he moved to Cuba, right outside Havana, where he lived for the next twenty years until Castro confiscated his house and land. I think it's a museum now.
Oh well, I digress (a lot)!
But I love this stuff, and location, that sense of place, is one of the big reasons I write.
I love mysteries, too, and I love to entertain. In case you didn't notice, the world is a little out of kilter, and, at least in my opinion, folks need to lighten up! As a writer, I'm doing my part in helping that process along!
I'd love to know what you think about all of this? Where you've traveled, and what has inspired you over the years. If you have a moment, leave me a comment, and let me know your thoughts.
Book 4, which is set in the Everglades, should be out in about a month. I'm finishing it up as we speak (or as I write).
Book 5 will take place in the Bahamas, and I'm considering having Book 6 take place in Paris. But I'll tell you more about that in future emails.
Thank you so much for reading my books!
L. C. Richards