Murder, mischief and mystery in lower Burlington

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

A 300-acre homestead off the beaten path conjures up images of songbirds, golden sunsets and quiet days amid wildflowers and butterflies. However, for one individual, it’s murder.

Nestled in this pastoral idyll, something sinister is brewing in the mind of author Wendy Eggleton.

In her debut book, Murder Makes Mischief, Eggleton takes the reader back to her hometown of Victoria, B.C., where the banking industry is a far cry from the peaceful backwoods of her current home in Lower Burlington. It’s a place where death unfolds in an entertaining albeit gruesome manner.

The creation of Murder Makes Mischief isn’t only a dream come true for Eggleton, but proof positive that the Brits aren’t the only masters of the popular genre.

“This is not a genre that's marketed in Canada; it's traditionally British,” Eggleton said. “But there is a market out here.”

‘Cut her teeth’ on Agatha Christie

Born in Annapolis Royal, Eggleton moved with her parents to British Columbia at a young age and cut her 'reader’s teeth' on the likes of Agatha Christie. No wonder her first book written at the age of 10 was a cross between Christie and Nancy Drew.

That first story didn't quite make it past the finish line, however, it stayed close to her heart and influenced Eggleton to reclaim her passion for murder and mayhem many years later.

Eggleton says the book was something she had in the back of her mind until the day she finally just sat down and started. “That's always the hardest part about writing for me; getting started.” She began Murder Makes Mischief while concentrating on a successful career in the world of finance. “I'd work on it and stop for a while and then get back to it.”

She said she'd often find time to write on lunch breaks during her day job. “My interest has always been writing fiction, but I had to ask myself, 'do I try and make a career out of this or do I feed myself?’”

In the end, it took 15 years for Eggleton to bring her book to fruition. When she won third prize for a short-story contest from Crime Writer Canada she knew it was time to get the job finished. “The first edition was just too short. It took three revisions before I felt right about publishing.”

In fact, it was her work at the bank that paid tribute to the true-to-life characterization and atmosphere of the book. “The bank in the book is fictional, but when you know an environment so well you can't help but focus on that,” Eggleton said. “It was easier than if I tried to set it in, say, a space program, something I know nothing about.”

She admits that writing what you know also has its drawbacks. “When you know an environment so well, you don't go into the finer details because you assume the reader understands.”

Suspense and atmosphere

But a good mystery is all about suspense and atmosphere. Eggleton manages to take the day-to-day operations of a bank, build on the typical tensions and strains of an ordinary workplace and expose it as the perfect scene for homicide.

When it comes to building character, Eggleton says there's no better way than to spend days and months working with the public. All of her characters are fictional, but carry the traits of real people she has observed over the years.

There’s also a bit of her in the Murder Makes Mischief cast. “You can't help but put a bit of yourself in a book,” Eggleton said. “I can always relate to this or that feature of any character I've created. Besides, I like going into another world when I write. I like being inside the minds of these other people.”

Fan of whodunits?

As of fan of whodunits, Eggleton chose to write lighter fare. “Some of today's books focus so much on violence and characters with some dysfunction. But there’s a market for books that are light and keep the reader engaged without making them feel depressed at the end of day.”

She describes Murder Makes Mischief as a “good vacation beach-read.”

The real test to the book’s success, Eggleton says, is whether the reader can guess who did it.

“You lay down the right hints, but provide enough distraction so the reader doesn’t figure out the puzzle. You need to have a pretty tight game plan and I enjoy that challenge.”

Eggleton says that challenge can sometimes be a love-hate situation. “Some people find joy just in the act of writing, but for some like me it’s also work. Just getting going is difficult. Whether it has been one day or a year, starting is always the hard part.”

Now in semi-retirement, Eggleton is self-employed as a life coach and international business consultant and is working on a second book. Her next work will take place again in a bank, but the time period has changed to the mid-1950s. She has also begun a draft for a third novel that brings her original character, Inspector Hanlon, back home to Nova Scotia like she has done.

“Readers have e-mailed me asking for more,” Eggleton said, and that’s a good sign for any writer.