THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Ginny Reese Mysteries Series
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to MK Dean's Ginny Reese Mysteries Series!
***Synopis***
It’s Diagnosis Murder meets All
Creatures Great and Small!
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or
was that decided before the story began?
Cozy mystery, animal lovers.
I have worked with animals my entire life, and all my stories include them. It always occurred to me a house-call vet would be in the perfect situation to have access to information others might not get!
Are you more character or plot driven?
Mysteries have to have a plot, but it’s the characters that drive me to tell the story!
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep
them separated in your mind? Do you have
a story/vision board above your workspace?
This is something I never worried about until I began writing mysteries and series. Now I have a notebook with pages devoted to character details and town information.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a
life of their own. Were any of the
characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of
where you initially wanted them to go?
Ginny’s mother is… outrageous. She’s not PC, has little to no filter, and yet in her own way, loves her children. She’s a fierce advocate/campaigner for charitable causes and runs things with a ruthless hand. She is either loved or hated/feared. No middle ground. She is appalling, and yet many readers love to hate her.
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
Not directly. Most of my characters draw on elements of people I know but never all in the same way—bits and pieces of the best and worst of those I know.
Joe Donegan takes his looks from my various favorite dark, messy-haired actors, some of his views on life from every good ol’ boy I’ve ever met, and his attempt to be a better person, to treat Ginny as her own person instead of rushing in to save her, from some of the best people I know.
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
*coughs* Don’t ask me how I come up with all the outrageous things Julia Reese says and does.
Was there any one character/scene
that was harder to write about than the other?
I always get about 2/3 of the way through a story, decide it is utter trash, and am tempted to bail. Doesn’t matter what story or why.
I’m learning it’s part of my process, but it never fails, and it annoys the heck out of me every time.
What is your favorite book in the series?
So far, An Embarrassment of Itches. It was SO much fun to write, especially the bar scene where Ginny gets pushed across a line.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?
That would have to be Ginny and Joe. Former high school sweethearts who went their separate ways after high school, meeting now as adults and still attracted to each other.
They aren’t the same people they were in high school, and yet in some ways, they are better suited now than ever before.
How do you get inside these character’s heads to find
their perfect HEA?
Perhaps it’s because of my theater background but getting inside the character’s head is never an issue for me. Once I find their voice, that part of writing is the easiest part.
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for
you? Why?
Ginny Reese is a dedicated and empathetic professional, as well as self-deprecating and has been raised by a domineering mother. Some people think she should stand up for herself more, and she probably should.
But there are some lines You Do Not Cross, and woe be unto you if you do. There’s a scene in An Embarrassment of Itches in which she has a confrontation in a bar with the abusive ex of the victim. When he threatens Ginny, let’s just say she rises to the occasion in an effective and hilarious manner.
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than
others?
The second book is always harder than the first because you want so very badly to catch that lightning in a bottle of the first story, and that can hamper the story you need to tell this time.
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
I am a slow writer. Demanding day job, etc., so normally it takes me a year to write and publish a story I’m happy with.
I wrote An Embarrassment of Itches in four months, and had so much fun, I started on The Dog Days of Murder right away and had a completed draft by the end of the year.
Since then, I’m working on the third Ginny Reese book now, but competing projects are slowing everything down.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
When I said I was writing a cozy featuring a veterinarian, one of my friends said, “Oh, the title should be something funny and clever, like An Embarrassment of Itches.”
I was like THAT’S IT! And the series was born.
If you met these characters in real life would you get
along?
Ginny Reese, yes. Definitely. We have a lot in common, perhaps more so than other characters I’ve created.
Joe Donegan I would avoid for the simple reason that he’s far too good-looking and charming to be interested in someone like me, so why is he talking to me anyway?
Julia Reese? Sadly, I know a LOT of controlling women like Julia Reese. I’d smile and say, “Bless her heart” a lot and edge quietly toward the door.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were
going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand
their own story?
I almost NEVER imagine writing a series when I start one but then the characters demand more stories of their own.
But from the get-go, I thought a house-call vet would make an excellent amateur sleuth, so I knew the Ginny books would be a series.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors
do you see as playing your characters?
Oooh, tough question!
For Joe Donegan, perhaps a younger Joe Flanigan (from his Stargate Atlantis days). Not that there is any similarity in the names or anything. 😉
Ginny Reese, Rachel McAdams or Kirsten Dunst? Not necessarily so much in appearance as in the vibe they bring to their characters.
Julia Reese? Who else but Meryl Streep? 😊
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect
next? Whether a new book and series or a
sequel to an existing series? Can you
share a small tease?
In the third Ginny Reese book, she’s off on a road trip to check out one of the properties she now owns and at the last minute, invites her sister to join her, thinking it would be fun.
Having her sister along is a lot like bringing her mother with her, and there will be conflict as they sort their relationship.
But first, they must deal with the corpse in the condo!
Check my interviews/reviews for MK Dean!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/07/author-at-glance-mckenna-dean.html
She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her family, as well as the assorted dogs, cats, and various livestock.
She likes putting her characters in hot water to see how strong they are. Like tea bags, only sexier.
McKenna is the creator of the Redclaw Universe, which features paranormal romances set in both contemporary and historical times.
McKenna also writes cozy mysteries under the name M.K. Dean
Connect with McKenna:
(all links in one place, including links for M.K. Dean)
McKenna Dean Amazon Page:
McKenna Dean Goodreads:
McKenna Dean Bookbub:
K Dean Facebook page:
As a house-call vet, Ginny Reese has seen her share of the weird and wacky. But nothing in her previous experience could have prepared her to find one of her clients floating in her own swimming pool.
Local artist Amanda Kelly was extremely wealthy with her share of secrets. By naming Ginny as her heir, not only did she make Ginny the number one suspect, but she painted a big bull's eye on her friend's back as well.
With her trusty German Shepherd at her side, it's up to Ginny to find the real killer and prove her innocence to the sheriff. The new sheriff. Who happens to be her ex.
Piece of cake, right?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09V5MQFK5
But the fur flies when the practice is bought out from under her by a smoking hot newcomer who also has ties to Joe. And things get really dicey when Ginny’s outrageous mother is heard making threats against Dr. Rachel Burnham.
When the new vet dies under suspicious circumstances, all fingers point to Ginny’s mom as the primary suspect. It’s up to Ginny and her trusty German Shepherd, Remy, to find the real killer before her mother goes down for murder.
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