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Bente Gallagher | Turning What If....Into A Novel
What if...?
Those two words are a writerโs best tool, and have been the impetus for many a
great book.
What if... the world was flat (and was carried through space on the backs of
four elephants standing on the shell of a giant turtle)?
What if... the South had won the Civil War?
What if... Sherlock Holmes didnโt really die that day at Reichenbach Falls?
What if... magicโs real and there are witches and wizards living among us, but
weโre just too stupid to realize it?
What if... I walked into this empty house and found a dead body?
That last question was the โwhat ifโ that started me on the journey of writing
the first book in the Savannah Martin Southern Real Estate series.
Savannah is a newly licensed Realtor in Nashville, and the idea for her story
came about when I was a newly licensed Realtor in Nashville, walking into empty
houses a lot.
There was another โwhat ifโ involved, too: What if this guy who called me out of
the blue and asked me to meet him here, is really a dangerous murderer? What if
I never walk out of here again?
I put those two โwhat ifโs together, along with the comment someone made, that
real estate is a cutthroat business and maybe I wasnโt suited for it, and came
up with a story involving a gentleborn Southern Belle trying to make her way in
a competitive business--and in life. I added an old, empty house, a dead
body--with its throat cut--a group of what I thought were interesting suspects,
and a guy who may or may not be a murderer, but whoโs certainly both dangerous
and hot enough to turn the heroineโs head.
The result is A Cutthroat
Business, the first Savannah Martin mystery. Library Journal says that "the
hilarious dialogue and sexual tension should appeal to readers of chick-lit
mysteries and romantic suspense," while the Nashville Scene calls the book "a
frothy girl drink of houses, hunks, and whodunit narrated in a breezy first
person voice." That should give you a pretty good idea of what youโre looking
at. If I add that the love interest--tall, dark and dangerous bad-boy Rafe
Collier--bears a striking resemblance to Derek Morgan on the TV show Criminal
Minds, maybe thatโs incentive enough to make you want to try the book. You can
download a PDF of the first three chapters on my website, if youโd like a sneak
peek before you run out and buy.
In addition to being a (former now) realtor and having written A Cutthroat Business and
two (so far) sequels, Bente Gallagher is also
the author of the Do-It-Yourself home renovation mysteries from Berkley
Prime Crime, written under the pseudonym Jennie Bentley. You can
learn more about Bente, Jennie, and all their
doings and undoings on their website, www.bentegallagher.com or
www.jenniebentley.com
Comments
11 comments posted.
Re: Bente Gallagher | Turning What If....Into A Novel
Hi Bente, Your books sound like the perfect thing for summer reading material. Thank you for your blog and the tantalizing intro to your mystery series.
(Robin McKay 11:16am July 2, 2010)
I also sold real estate & sometimes wondered about empty houses. Open houses was the worst for me, never knowing who might stop by. Your new series sounds very interesting.
(Pat Wilson 12:19pm July 2, 2010)
I had two friends who decided to go into the real estate business, but soon gave it up because they were afraid of many of the circumstances with which they were faced. I am confident that entering empty houses was one of them. But the book sounds intriguing.
(Gladys Paradowski 3:27pm July 2, 2010)
Loved the Terry Pratchett reference. What if makes the world go round.
(Mary Preston 7:06pm July 2, 2010)
I like some mysteries and yours is right up my alley.
(Diane Sadler 7:15pm July 2, 2010)
Or if Death rides a horse named Binky? Thanks for the Terry Pratchett reference.
I never thought about real estate agents and sitting around an empty open house. That does open up possibilities for stories (although I like to think that all agents in my neighborhood are safe and not in any way discomforted).
(S Tieh 8:12pm July 2, 2010)
Would love to read your book!
Thanks for the info on it!
(Brenda Rupp 9:16pm July 2, 2010)
hi! I've read your Do-It-Yourself home renovation mysteries and loved them. This new one sounds like something I would like too!
(JoAnn White 10:22am July 3, 2010)
What ifs always fascinate me. I want to delve into them and solve the mysteries or at least imagine a new journey.
(Alyson Widen 11:26am July 3, 2010)
I always did wonder about realtors who met strange people in empty houses, sometimes at night. Perfect setting for an unhappy ending.
The books sound like fun, I am enjoying (needing) books with a sense of humor.
Best of luck with both of your series.
(Patricia Barraclough 7:14pm July 3, 2010)
At one time in my life, I had thought about becoming a realtor, but never followed through. Your book sounds like a real attention-getter right from the start, and I can't wait to read it!! Your expertise helps a lot with the storyline. Thank you advance for writing a good summer read!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:39pm July 3, 2010)
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