Bill Noel: Folly Beach Mysteries Highly Acclaimed – Part 4

Source: iUniverse Author Focus
 
iUniverse publishing again talks with the Star Author of the Folly Beach Mysteries series, Bill Noel, about his

experiences.

iUniverse: You’ve already self-published several books. How do you manage to find the inspiration for all of them?

“Noel: I’m often asked if my books are plot or character driven. I respond by asking the questioner to think about the last few fiction books he or she enjoyed and to describe the plot and the main characters. More often than not, the characters are easier to describe. They are remembered long after the plot is forgotten.

In the Folly Beach Mysteries series characters trump plot. The characters are real to me, and fortunately, to many of my readers. I enjoy the main characters and like spending time with them. They inspire me to write, and to continue writing.

The plots are another matter. I find them more difficult. Since my core characters aren’t law enforcement officials, it becomes more and more difficult to provide them with a believable reason to be involved in solving murders on the small barrier island. But, unfortunately, the real world provides many ideas, and inspiration comes from television news, newspapers, and the Internet. I’ve also had several residents of Folly Beach suggest ways to bump off some of their fellow citizens. None have suggested that a mystery writer from Louisville, Kentucky, be killed—not yet, that is.

iUniverse: Are there any plans for future Chris Landrum stories?

Noel: Thanks for asking. The sixth book in the Folly Beach Mysteries series,“Ghosts”, was released by iUniverse in early 2012.

In “Ghosts”, Chris Landrum’s life of retirement is turned upside down when his ex-wife, who he hadn’t heard from in more than two decades, calls to wish him Merry Christmas. The cryptic call hurls Chris into investigating an automobile accident that killed his ex-wife’s husband in the Smoky Mountains, hundreds of miles from Chris’s peaceful beach cottage. Coming to the aid of someone long forgotten takes Chris on an emotional roller coaster ride and worse.”