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Dr. Marjorie Abrams is visiting the Senior Center Murders Blog as part of the BookLocker Virtual Tour. She is the author of two books: Murder on the Prairie and Murder at Wakulla Springs, both North Florida Mysteries.        Cheryl: Hi, Marjorie, and welcome. I read somewhere that you said, “I set out to employ an interesting, issue-oriented, and environmentally significant setting for a murder mystery.” How big a “character” is the setting? How influential, how significant to the actual story? How dangerous is it to right an issue-oriented work of fiction? (mine is as well) What are the pitfalls? How did you personally try to avoid them? (or not) I guess you can pick any or all of the above. Sorry.

Marjorie: The setting is pivotal to the story and not only drives the plot (saving environmentally significant land and exposing evil-doers) but provides a chance to give the reader an education about the setting’s historic and ecological significance. The danger is that the issue–in this case development on the rim of the Prairie–might become moot when all private lands are purchased by the State. This is not likely in my lifetime!

Cheryl: You also said that in Murder at Wakulla Springs, “The subject of [Chekov's] play mirrors the protagonist’s plight” and in Murder on the Prairie “protagonist Crane once again finds parallels between real life and the plot of the play.”

I’m guessing that you start with the play, pull what you think would make for a parallel and then work it into your story, similar to Romeo and Juliet being recycled as West Side Story (I mean no disrespect; I’m just trying to envision how you might have approached it.) On the other hand, since your protagonist is an actress, do you point out the similarities (for those of us who haven’t read Chekov and Ibsen)

Have you heard from readers who particularly appreciate being able to identify the play elements?

Marjorie: One of my undergrad majors was English lit and I have many friends who are very literary. I describe the plot of the Cherry Orchard early on in the novel so the reader, having not read the play, will understand the parallel. Essentially the theme of converting a longstanding and lovely environmental setting (the cherry orchard) to commercial purposes for human occupation (a vacation development). In a similar way, Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People was chosen for its inherent parallel–toxic water, deceit by public officials, and passionate opposition of a scientist.

Yes, I’ve heard from readers who love the theatrical dimension to my novel. It is not why I included it since I did so for my own pleasure in exploring plays, acting, and the theatre. By the way, my second novel — Murder at Wakulla Springs — has won a Bronze medal for popular fiction by the Florida Book Awards.

Cheryl: Congratulations on that and on the awards for your play, The Cellphone. [Winner in the 2005 Mt. Dora Music and Literature Festival and produced by the Hippodrome State Theatre in Gainesville, Florida where Dr. Abrams lives.]

Marjorie: Thank you.

Cheryl: Theatre, evidently is a passion. Does this make your novels necessarily more dramatic? More visual? How does it contribute to your writing?

Marjorie: It contributes to my writing by adding the extra challenge of comparing art to life–drama to reality–and honing the skills of my amateur sleuth in the area of assessing human motivation and character. My protagonist discusses the similarities between detective work and acting in my second book.

Cheryl: I would appreciate some sort of description of the play as I cannot find one anywhere else.

Marjorie: The Cellphone has not been published. It concerns the poignant and sometimes humorous attempts by a 90 year old man to master this technology during a time when he very much needs the emotional support of a distant niece.

Cheryl: Thanks, Marjorie.        Okay, readers, go to BookLocker and buy Murder on the Prairie and Murder at Wakulla Springs so when Marjorie shows up for our Virtual Book Tour you can ask her your own questions! Link to Marjorie’s website

Link to chapter excerpts

Link to her article in Writers Weekly, “Fiction Set in Real Location Can Inspire Local Interest and Sales!”

Her article, “Three Things No One Told Me About Self-Publishing,” appeared in the summer 2005 edition of The Florida Palm, the official publication of the Florida Writers Association, Inc. [Somebody please, ask her what the three things are! The FWA's site is under construction]

The virtual book tour starts here

Tags: Environmentalist, Abrams, Mystery, Author, Florida