You’re writing a murder mystery series set in the chamber of commerce world. Is that a normal occurrence?
Um… No. That’s definitely something I’m taking into consideration as I create the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MYSTERIES series. I have a plan that I’m confident in to explain why chamber folks are suddenly pulled into this arena of intrigue and malfeasance. I believe you’ll like it.
You are an AI consultant in your day job. Do you use AI to write your novels?
When I teach AI, I tell people that being a writer, turning over copywriting to a machine was a very difficult hill for me to climb. But, I realized that there are things I want to write… And things I don’t. My novels, my blogs and my LinkedIn posts are all written by human hand. Other stuff – press releases, tweets, white papers… I tell ChatGPT to have at it. I do use AI extensively for research, though, and it is an incredible tool.
Are your characters based on real people you’ve encountered in your chamber of commerce work?
The question I get asked all the time from chamber of commerce people is, “Am I going to read about myself in this book?” None of my characters are based on any single person. But, certainly, there are personalities of the numerous people I’ve been over 20+ years in the chamber business interwoven into my cast. I appreciate all of you – especially everyone who’s requested to be either the killer or the victim in one of the next books!!!
Who are your author role models?
I am not only an avid reader of Elmore Leonard, Michael Crichton and Clive Cussler’s books for their expertise in storytelling. I’m sure that if I broke down my writing, I’d see influence from Leonard’s dialogue, Crichton’s explaining difficult topics and Cussler’s emotion. Taking those efficiencies into the cozy mystery genre was incredible interesting, and felt very natural for me. I’d say that Neil Gaiman’s matter-of-fact style, and Dave Barry’s humor are also influences that I appreciate.
Cozy mysteries generally have some kind of educational hook Do yours?
There are definitely synergies between NETWORKING NIGHTMARE and what I do on a daily basis in my real life. Hidden in the pages are plenty of pieces of advice on how to use a chamber of commerce membership, grow a small business and be a leader in your community. At the end of the book, I even offer some networking advice for folks to take away!
When you write your mysteries, do you know exactly what happens when you start?
Not at all. For me writing a mystery is such a thrill. I write it as though I’m reading it, watching the movie, or figuring it out with friends over a themed dinner. I get so excited trying to solve my own mystery as I write, and the different avenues that come out of it – even ideas that I can’t use right away, but must save for future books. People tell me all the time that they “feel like they have a book in them.” I always recommend that people try to write a mystery. So much fun.
Connect with Craig at craig@craigwturner.com or via LinkedIn!
