How much should real current events seep into our fiction? This is a question every author must ponder and answer for themselves. It was a question that came into sharp relief for me as I started writing the second Archie Cavendish mystery in December.
(I am about half-way through at this writing)
“Should,” I asked myself, “Covid come to St. Lazarus?”
“No,” I decided. “It should not.”
More than that, I decided the imaginary version of the universe in which St. Lazarus exists should ignore the existence of Covid completely. Readers have commented on how vivid, well rounded, and “real” St. Lazarus seems. Despite being an imaginary location, it has a complex and realistic history. It has industries typical of places like it in the Caribbean – I have been very painstaking in my efforts to make it seem like a real place. Reviewers and readers have also commented on how it was a “relief from Covid burnout” … that they felt like they were on the island on vacation and it gave them a break from being trapped by this pandemic. Knowing that the first Archie Cavendish mystery was a place of respite for these readers convinced me that I didn’t want to bring reality crashing into the world of the Archie Cavendish mysteries. I want them to continue being a destination for people who need a break from the stress of their daily lives, even if their inexpensive vacation can only be consumed a few pages at a time.
This doesn’t mean the books are bereft of musings on the human condition. I think the people have to be real, and deal with relatable conflicts, for them to be interesting and worthy of care. In A Consequence of Sin one of the central tensions was a daughter’s desire for material wealth and her mother’s effort to ground her with good moral values that do not depend on shallow consumerism. Meanwhile, Archie is constantly struggling between his professional inclinations and his desire to be a good father to his motherless daughter.
Open an Archie Cavendish mystery and I hope you will find yourself transported to the Caribbean, walking alongside Archie as he becomes ensnared – only half-reluctantly – in a murder case and works to bring a killer to justice. I want the world to be real so its immersive, so you can feel the humidity and smell the flora so the journey between the pages is as close to a virtual experience as possible. I don’t want to break the spell by intruding on your vacation with reminders about what awaits you back home.
That is why the universe of St. Lazarus does not feel the shadow of current events blocking out its sunshine. I hope you will enjoy your visits. The real world will be waiting for you when you return to it, but I promise it will never find you while you are visiting with Archie Cavendish and his colleagues.
Comments