Why I Wrote My Novel - Interview with Morton S Gray

From the website of Morton S Gray. https://mortonsgray.com

Another new visitor to my blog this week, as I welcome Jane McParkes. We are both members of the Birmingham group of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and it is great to chat with her when we meet up. Jane has recently published A Deadly Inheritance with a very specific background intention. I’ll let Jane tell you more …

Why I wrote this book

Thanks so much for hosting me, Morton and giving me the opportunity to explain the background to my new cosy crime mystery series, which some people might find a little unusual…

When I first began writing A Deadly Inheritance, my intention was to write an entertaining murder mystery set in Cornwall. However, I’ve always been environmentally aware and there’s no disputing the fact that we are facing a massive climate crisis which we can no longer simply ignore. So, I found myself researching and imagining a better world that includes positive environmental solutions and green characters as the norm and, being a writer, that’s what I created.

I soon discovered that there is a whole new movement out there, called ‘positive green fiction’ and that I was a part of it. Detailed scientific studies carried out at UK and US universities have proved that doom-laden and dystopian stories leave readers feeling helpless, fearful and they just switch off. On the other hand, when readers are immersed in a good story with all the usual ingredients of character, setting, tension etc, they are transported to the story world, connect with the characters and often change their attitudes and beliefs to those of the story’s protagonists, either short or long term. Stories which include positive role models, green ideas and solutions that are embedded within a traditional genre and aimed at a mainstream audience far more likely to inspire hope and actually change readers’ behaviours.

Consequently, although I wrote A Deadly Inheritance primarily to entertain, I am delighted when readers tell me they have picked up and acted upon the green messages embedded within the story. Reviews so far show that readers have enjoyed the Cornish setting, the characters, friendships, plot twists and the mystery element. Others have enjoyed the eco element and have said that my story has inspired them to look at their lives and businesses to see what they can do to make them more sustainable.

My hope and the hope of all green fiction writers is that the positive sustainable ways of living we create and write about will be found beyond the pages of a novel before it’s too late…

Now that really is fascinating. Thank you for sharing and good luck with the book. Mx

About Jane McParkes

Jane McParkes is the author of the Olivia Wells Mysteries, a new Cornish cosy crime series with a green twist and is full of environmental friendly characters, ideas and positive green solutions, all set against the backdrop of a traditional murder mystery.

Jane’s love of mysteries was sparked as child by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and she has always written in this genre, but it was the diagnosis of a rare but treatable cancer and the Covid pandemic that gave her the impetus to finish the first novel in the series and seek publication.

Jane is married, has two grown-up children and spends most of her days with her two dogs and writing buddies, Margot and Geoffrey. 

Social Media & Website links

Website: www.janemcparkes.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/JaneMcParkes  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaneMcParkes

Instagram: @JaneMcParkes 

About A Deadly Inheritance

Eco -architect Olivia Wells returns from her successful life in New York to the Cornish village of Penbartha intent on fulfilling her god-father’s bequest to expand and oversee a co-working community of eco and creative entrepreneurs in a converted railway building.

Opposition to her endeavours soon surfaces and it becomes clear that not everyone is committed to the cause. Then, the day after an unexpected argument with someone she considered a friend and ally, Olivia finds her murdered body.

The tight-knit Cornish community hampers police investigations and when the forensic evidence places Olivia firmly in the frame, she is persuaded to put her trust in an unlikely accomplice. Using their unique combination of skills, they work together to try to clear her name, but their sleuthing gets them caught up in a dark web of secrets and lies. 

Will Olivia be able to find the killer before they make her their next target, or will this inheritance turn out to be the deadliest of all?

Book buying links :-

www.janemcparkes.com – for eco-friendly paperbacks and free goodies 

https://amzn.to/3GVXGW7 – for eco-friendly e-books