Tomorrow, my latest collaboration with TG Wolff and her Mysteries to Die For podcast series drops. As I’ve shared before, the podcast is made up of several mystery authors who write a short story to be presented by author TG Wolff and her son, Jack, who accompanies the readings with music and provides his own commentary on the plots. Once again, I decided to use this upcoming episode, “Magnetically Ever After,” as a way to expand The Unde(a)feated Detective Series.
Season nine of the series centers around the concept of STCKY—short for “stuff that can kill you.” This meant that we couldn’t use the typical instruments of murder in the whodunnits, such as guns or knives. Rather, the devices needed to be off the beaten path, including gravity, electricity, or similar types of hazards that could result in a person’s demise.
When the call for submissions came out last summer, I had my share of reservations about contributing this year. For one thing, the timing of deadlines conflicted with the release of Undeveloped Memories. Along with that, the theme struck me as very science-y, and I was never a big fan of the subject. All in all, it seemed out of my wheelhouse, so I shelved the idea to even step into the ring this time.
A few weeks later, a friend happened to discuss the adverse interaction magnets have on a pacemaker. My brain was “drawn” to the concept. In fact, my project for the seventh-grade science fair was about magnets and their effect on different objects. As an adolescent, the topic saved me from the dread of having to tread into my least favorite subject and even propelled me to the regional round. Could it rescue me this time, too?
Because of the scheduling issues, I still didn’t seize the opportunity. Just after the book release, though, TG contacted me again with a last call notice. With the start of a story in mind, I shared some of my reservations about the deadline and pitched my idea to her. She gave me the green light and an extension to the deadline, so I went to work. It wasn’t the “sticky situation” I believed it to be, after all!
To deepen my passion for it further, I threw in another nod to my junior high days, namely my dream to be a wedding planner. Back then, I even took a course on it, but for various reasons, I opted not to pursue the career. One of those reasons was the drama that can accompany an event that’s supposed to be about love. From the start of my writing career, I’ve yearned to craft a character named Dahlia as an overbearing mother, so this seemed like the ideal plot for her.
Dahlia is Detective Minka Avery’s aunt and the mother of the bride, Cassidy. Minka serves as Cassidy’s bridesmaid—even though the cousins aren’t close at all. Her personal duties expand to professional ones, when Aunt Dahlia collapses due to a heart attack in the middle of the rehearsal. Since Dahlia has an implanted defibrillator that fails to save her, Minka grows suspicious of foul play causing this coincidental tragedy. Can she sort through the bouquet of family and friends who are tired of Dahlia’s micromanaging ways to determine who transformed the wedding into a funeral?
You’re Cordially Invited to listen to “Magnetically Ever After” premiering TOMORROW
on TGWolff.com!
Follow along with Minka’s investigation into the guest list of suspects and motives.
KarinaBartow.com 