Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. 

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Priscilla Paton, author of When the House Burns which releases on February 14, 2023

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

My mysteries are inspired by a real circumstances and crimes: instances of data theft and crimes against children for my first mystery, Where Privacy Dies, and drug dealing and sex trafficking for Should Grace Fail. Also, I serve on local nonprofits who support marginalized people and see data about abuse, homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues. That all sounds like a sensible beginning, but to tell the truth, “origins” remain mysterious. When I was beginning the Twin Cities series, the name for the male detective, “Erik Jansson” came immediately, though I had to work out his age, family situation, and experience. Then Deb Metzger burst out in full form, like Athena from the head of Zeus. Deb is like that.

When I started researching the newest book, When the House Burns, I had a different topic in mind—not the housing crisis and arson that are featured. What turned my interest around was the murder of a real estate agent in the region, though my fiction does not use the specifics of that crime. I was juggling my first concept (which may be used later) and the death of a realtor when it became evident during the Covid Pandemic shutdown that the basement of my residence had become toxic. I had to move. Suddenly having to pack unsettles the mind greatly, and new ideas came out of that experience. By the way, I put toxic basements to sinister use in When the House Burns. 

In addition, research tosses up fascinating stuff. In researching arson, I came across a Harvard Business Review article (to sum it up would be a spoiler) that sent my plot in a fresh direction. 

Yes, the subconscious or subliminal does make contributions. I decided to call a woman character, “Karma,” and the concept of karma ends up reverberating with other characters. My detectives, Erik Jansson and Deb Metzger, are a volatile match. Erik, who can seem like a boy scout, is devious with a sly humor. Deb, who’s lesbian, is outspoken and impulsive. I let them loose through free writing to see where their banter goes. 

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it? 

With pain and agony. I have a few central points in mind, like the original crime scene and key scenes of conflict and action. Again, real life offers examples: I read about conflicts over real housing proposals, from absurd to serious, and also learned about a former ammunition plant site being prepped for development, a situation that had its own convoluted plotline.

I start as a pantser and after I have a chunk of crude draft start outlining.  (Only my outlines are cut and paste jobs, rewritten several times.) Then I set up a large white-board calendar to clarify which characters are involved on which days—this also prevents me from having three Mondays in a row. It’s a two steps forward and one step-in-a-hole process for me to construct an evidence trail and developments among the characters that work together to advance plot and therefore story.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

I don’t think of my plot as firmly in place until I reach the line-revision stage. I’ve had characters significantly change in early drafts, which influences their motives and actions. For example, in When the House Burns, I first had a passive uncertain man, Edward. Edward morphed into Rafe Edward, and Rafe is driven and clever and dreams of vengeance and love. His boss, though, calls him ‘Edward’ to put Rafe in his place, which only incites Rafe to—well, you’ll have to read the book. 

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I used to be a literary scholar reflecting carefully on what others wrote. It’s still a challenge for me to move into a quicker procreative mode, and I have to release my irreverent alter ego to have at it. Going out in the world helps, too. As other writers have noted, you don’t need to start with a big idea. A detail about a person you see, or a situation like a toxic basement, can spin out into more. It’s like catching fluff from the air and then making yourself stay at the computer until you’ve nailed that fluff to a premise. It’s hard nailing fluff.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

As noted above, this happened to me with When the House Burns. I found that one topic kept me writing longer than the other, so it’s organic, or I’m like a dog. I go with the one that feeds me first.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I’m pet-less at the moment, but two of my writing spots overlook bird feeders. One’s near the Mississippi River, a major flyway and home to eagles. It releases the imagination to see an eagle cruise by.

When I’m desk weary, I stretch and take music breaks. I leave periodically to eavesdrop on people in coffeeshops where there happen to be yummy treats. Writing requires profundity and treats.

Priscilla Paton writes mysteries set in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Priscilla grew up on a dairy farm in Maine. She received a B.A. from Bowdoin College, a Ph.D. in English Literature from Boston College, was a college professor and taught in Kansas, Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Minnesota. She has previously published a children’s book, Howard and the Sitter Surprise, and a book on Robert Frost and Andrew Wyeth, Abandoned New England. She married into the Midwest and lives with her husband in Northfield, Minnesota. When not writing, she participates in community advocacy and literacy programs, takes photos of birds, and contemplates (fictional) murder.