HeyJaredMain Street & Mysteries
Stories from a recovering journalist and late-in-life mystery writer.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 5, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 28, 2026
Latest issues
Above the Fold - Chapter 9 (opens the original)
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For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. After a phantom car tried to run Nikki and Kelly down, that force is Terese. This version of the book has far less interaction with Kelly’s step-mom, and Terese is a bit more of an antagonist, all to ramp up the tension in Nikki’s life. The focus is now Nikki and Kelly, and the special bond they share. <a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1619453942238-c388f1c11575?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&
Above the Fold - Chapter 8 (opens the original)
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You probably know all you need to know about publishing newspapers. Reporters interview subjects and write stories that go to an editor for proofing and verifying facts, then the editor forwards them for placement in the newspaper layout. Once that’s finished the paper goes to the print house where the magic of printing and folding happens. In my first draft, I tried to avoid getting too deep in the weeds. I gave one of the women in the comp department a child and made the other two flighty coll
Above the Fold – Chapter 7 (opens the original)
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When I start a novel, I generally have a good idea about the major characters and what they’ll do or accomplish during the course of the story. This chapter introduces someone new, Marcia’s husband Todd. To say he is not a nice man would be an understatement–but he also plays an important role in the Mustang chase storyline. I’ll be honest, I have no idea how I come up with new characters. They seem to pop up on their own. I can usually picture them and their place in the story. Maybe it comes f
Above the Fold - Chapter 6 (opens the original)
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Writing murder mysteries with a sleuth who is also a mom poses a few challenges. How much tolerance does she have for putting her child in danger? How close does the child get to the villain? How do you keep her safe? How big a role does the child play in the sleuth’s day-to-day life?In the original version of this book, Kelly pretty much disappeared into the ether. She spent more time with Terese and the Kellers, Terese’s parents. This time around, I’ve put her more into the action of the story
Above the Fold - Chapter 5 (opens the original)
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This chapter represents the start of a significant change from the original version of “Above the Fold.” The old Nikki seemed almost relieved to share parenting duties with her ex-husband’s second wife, despite the fact that Terese had been Jeff’s mistress while he was married to Nikki. Having been down that road, I know cheating is not something you just get over–at least it was something I couldn’t. There’s just no way Nikki would want her precious daughter anywhere near Jeff’s widow. So inste
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