We spend a lot of time constructing our mysteries, laying in the clues and red herrings, characterizing our hero/heroine and villain, plotting meticulously and creating a satisfying conclusion for our readers. But there are many, many unexplained mysteries out there. Here are a few intriguing ones:
Loch Ness Monster
Nessie has fascinated us for hundreds of years. First reported in 565 AD in the large, freshwater loch, interest renewed in the 1930s and has continued to today. This legendary water monster has had dedicated searchers hoping to find him or her, to no result – yet – despite photos, sonar and even a video.
The Great Pyramids
Who built the great pyramids? How were they constructed using the tools and knowledge available at the time? Man has spent a great deal of time since the mid-19th century exploring the pyramids, without coming up with definitive answers.
Atlantis
Plato teased us with stories of a great seafaring civilization whose island world sank into the sea, leaving no trace. There have been stories, movies and endless discussions about the mysterious world of Atlantis since.
Jimmy Hoffa
Head of the influential Teamsters union, Jimmy Hoffa disappeared one day in Detroit, Michigan, in July, 1975. No trace has ever been found of Hoffa, but there are plenty of theories and rumors about what happened to him.
Bermuda Triangle
How many aircraft, ships and people have simply vanished in the famed Bermuda Triangle. Is it a wormhole, piracy, weather phenomenon or something else entirely?
Just a few mysteries that intrigue and puzzle us – do you have a different favorite mystery?
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
Also on Twitter, GoodReads & Facebook
Showing posts with label Loving mysteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Loving mysteries. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Why Do We Love Mysteries
Of course I’m speaking about fictional mysteries, I don’t think we like real-life mysteries if they happen to us.
I have no idea what other’s reasons for loving mysteries are–but I do know mine. There are very few mysteries that I don’t care for and those are the ones where the mystery isn’t really solved, or the bad person, perpetrator of the crime, the villain, manages to get away to come back another day.
Though I do really like on-going series–after all, I write two of them myself– I prefer for each book to be complete in itself. That doesn’t mean there can’t be some ongoing plots in the life of some of the characters, I just want the major crime to be solved.
In my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Tempe and her husband Hutch sometimes go through rough patches because of their different belief systems. Hutch is a Christian pastor with strong faith. Tempe uses some of the mystical and supernatural aspects of her Native American heritage to solve crimes. Slowly, he is coming to terms with some of Tempe’s experiences, like her ability to see spirits, though he often has deep concern for the health of her soul. Whatever the major crime may be in a book, Tempe will find out the truth by the time the reader reaches the last page as you’ll see if you read the latest in the series, Kindred Spirits. Though the guilty party has in essence planned the perfect murder, Tempe continues on until he reveals himself.
Because the Rocky Bluff P.D. is about the men and women in the police department and their families rather than just one hero or heroine, focusing on someone different and several crimes in each book, there are many ongoing stories as these people live out their lives on the job and at home. My main theme in each book has been to show how what goes on in the family affects the job and how the job affects the family. The most growth shown in a character has been Detective Doug Milligan, who in the first book, Final Respects, is a street cop who loses his best friend and his wife. In the fourth book, Smell of Death, Doug becomes interested in a female officer who is the first on the scene of two murders. In some of the other books, Doug is merely a supporting character, with other officers in the forefront.
No matter which series I’m writing, you can be sure the bad guy or gal will get it in the end. This is important to me for two reasons–in real life things don’t always turn out for the best or the way they should. Bad guys do get away with murder. I want better endings in the books I read and the ones I write.
The second reason is I have no control over the world I live in–my smaller world containing my friends and family–or the big outside world. When I’m writing, I’m in control–more or less. I must admit, sometimes the characters lead me in directions I never expected, but that’s a whole other blog.
And that’s why I love mysteries. What's your reason?
Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com
I have no idea what other’s reasons for loving mysteries are–but I do know mine. There are very few mysteries that I don’t care for and those are the ones where the mystery isn’t really solved, or the bad person, perpetrator of the crime, the villain, manages to get away to come back another day.
Though I do really like on-going series–after all, I write two of them myself– I prefer for each book to be complete in itself. That doesn’t mean there can’t be some ongoing plots in the life of some of the characters, I just want the major crime to be solved.
In my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Tempe and her husband Hutch sometimes go through rough patches because of their different belief systems. Hutch is a Christian pastor with strong faith. Tempe uses some of the mystical and supernatural aspects of her Native American heritage to solve crimes. Slowly, he is coming to terms with some of Tempe’s experiences, like her ability to see spirits, though he often has deep concern for the health of her soul. Whatever the major crime may be in a book, Tempe will find out the truth by the time the reader reaches the last page as you’ll see if you read the latest in the series, Kindred Spirits. Though the guilty party has in essence planned the perfect murder, Tempe continues on until he reveals himself.
Because the Rocky Bluff P.D. is about the men and women in the police department and their families rather than just one hero or heroine, focusing on someone different and several crimes in each book, there are many ongoing stories as these people live out their lives on the job and at home. My main theme in each book has been to show how what goes on in the family affects the job and how the job affects the family. The most growth shown in a character has been Detective Doug Milligan, who in the first book, Final Respects, is a street cop who loses his best friend and his wife. In the fourth book, Smell of Death, Doug becomes interested in a female officer who is the first on the scene of two murders. In some of the other books, Doug is merely a supporting character, with other officers in the forefront.
No matter which series I’m writing, you can be sure the bad guy or gal will get it in the end. This is important to me for two reasons–in real life things don’t always turn out for the best or the way they should. Bad guys do get away with murder. I want better endings in the books I read and the ones I write.
The second reason is I have no control over the world I live in–my smaller world containing my friends and family–or the big outside world. When I’m writing, I’m in control–more or less. I must admit, sometimes the characters lead me in directions I never expected, but that’s a whole other blog.
And that’s why I love mysteries. What's your reason?
Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com
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