I’ve had a twenty year career as a writer-producer on a number of popular
television series. When I wrote my debut novel, PLANTATION
SHUDDERS. A Cajun Country Mystery, and segued from writing
scripts to
writing fiction, I reveled in creating finely crafted prose and poetic
metaphors.
But there was one problem.
My dialogue stank.
This came as a shock to me. Not because I’m so brilliant, but because most
of my
career has been spent writing almost nothing but dialogue – first as a
playwright, then for the characters on Wings, Just Shoot Me,
Still Standing, and a bunch of shows that disappeared after a season.
I’ve
written pilots for major networks where I had to create original characters,
and
each had to have his or her own unique voice. So why wasn’t I bringing that
to my
manuscript? After pondering this dilemma, I finally landed on the answer. I
hadn’t written prose since a creative writing class in high school, and I
was
having so much fun doing it that writing dialogue felt, well… boring.
I began to think about all the television shows I’d written for, both the
hits
and misses. Each show’s creators laid the groundwork for enjoyable viewing
by
populating their shows with well-drawn characters. Once we went into
production,
talented actors fleshed out the characters with unique choices and dashes of
their own personalities. On Wings, there was the deadpan humor of
Steven
Weber and the dry wit of Tim Daly.
Just Shoot Me’s David Spade somehow tapped into a snarky delivery
that was
all his own, yet nothing like his very nice real self.
I harkened back to the number one rule of playwriting – each character’s
voice
should be so distinctive that you know who’s talking without ever having to
check
for their name in the script.
I started to apply what I’d learned writing for other mediums to my book.
My
protagonist, Magnolia “Maggie” Crozat, is feisty and passionate, but also
insecure and self-effacing. Her beloved Grandmere seems like a “Glossy” – a
Gracious Lady of the South – on the surface, but beneath that, she’s sharp,
sophisticated, and has a great sense of humor about herself. Maggie’s arch-
enemy,
Police Chief Rufus Durand, is arrogant and often seems totally clueless. He
barely made it through high school, but he’ll have a sudden attack of
street-
smarts that throws anyone who underestimated him off balance.
As I developed the rest of my characters, I began having fun writing
dialogue
again.
Perhaps my life will come full circle, and someday I’ll create a television
series inspired by my Cajun Country mysteries. But for now, having
found my
characters’ voices, the quirky residents of Pelican, Louisiana, are as alive
for
me on paper as they would ever be on the big or small screen.
Ellen Byron is a television writer, playwright, and freelance
journalist.
She’s also an author; Her debut novel, PLANTATION SHUDDERS: A CAJUN COUNTRY
MYSTERY, was chosen as the Debut Mystery of the Month by the Library
Journal. She
is also a recipient of a William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant from the
Malice
Domestic Conference.
TV credits include Wings, Still Standing, and Just Shoot Me, as well as
network
and cable pilots. As a journalist, she's written over 200 magazine articles
for
national publications. She recently served on the Editorial Board for the
UCLA
Writers Program's books, CUT TO THE CHASE and INSIDE THE ROOM. Her plays,
published by Dramatists Play Service, include the popular Graceland and
Asleep on
the Wind.
A graduate of Tulane University, Ellen lives in the Los Angeles area with
her
husband, daughter, and the family’s spoiled rescue dogs, which they describe
as a
“corgi-jack-huahua” and a “cherrier.” A native New Yorker, Ellen still
misses her
hometown… and still drives like a New York cabbie.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog
Check in for some Southern hospitality in PLANTATION SHUDDERS, the
Cajun
Country series debut from Ellen Byron.
It's the end of the summer and Prodigal Daughter Maggie Crozat has returned
home
to her family's plantation- turned-bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana. The
Crozats
have an inn full of guests for the local food festival— elderly
honeymooners, the
Cajun Cuties, a mysterious stranger from Texas, a couple of hipster
lovebirds,
and a trio of Georgia frat boys. But when the elderly couple keels over dead
within minutes of each other - one from very unnatural causes - Maggie and
her
family suddenly become suspects in a murder.
With the help of Bo Durand, the town's handsome new detective, Maggie must
investigate to clear her name while holding the family business together at
the
same time. And the deeper she digs, the more she wonders: are all of the
guests
really there for a vacation or do they have ulterior motives? Decades-old
secrets
and stunning revelations abound in Ellen Byron’s charming cozy debut,
PLANTATION
SHUDDERS.
1 comment posted.
I'm sure that going from one writing medium to another was quite a change for you, but I'm thrilled to learn about your book!! It sounds like the perfect read to shake up my TBR list, and I'm looking forward to reading it. Your book has all of the elements that I adore, from the setting on down, and it sounds like quite a read!! Congratulations on your book, and I'm sure it's going to do quite well!!
(Peggy Roberson 9:42am August 17, 2015)