Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Cozy Character Development by Allison Brook

 LUCY BURDETTE: Today the Reds welcome a return visit from Marilyn Levinson aka Allison Brook, who has a new book out in her popular haunted library series. She comes with a topic that is dear to my heart--character development. Welcome Marilyn/Allison!


ALLISON/MARILYN: Carrie Singleton, my sleuth in the Haunted Library series, has come a long way since she accepted the position as head of program and events of the Clover Ridge Library the previous October. She's gone from dressing like Goth Girl to becoming a responsible member of her community. In DEWEY DECIMATED, Carrie becomes a temporary member of the town council and has to weigh in on an important decision regarding a valuable piece of property bordering the Long Island Sound. Should the Seabrook Preserve remain a preserve, be converted into an upscale park with boating and swimming, or should the property be sold for condos? 

Becoming engaged is a serious matter, especially for a gal who grew up in a dysfunctional household. Carrie loves Dylan, but looking forward to a wedding and marriage is a scary proposition and isn't the same thing as helping your BFF with her marriage plans. Carrie's concerned because Dylan never says much about his parents or his growing-up years. She's worried—are there skeletons in the family closet?

Maybe, maybe not, but Dylan's uncle Alec's ghost turns up in the library, causing a whirlwind and scaring the patrons. Carrie and her ghostly friend Evelyn Havers have to whisk him away until they figure out how Alec ended up dead in the building next door that's being renovated to become the library's new addition. Can Carrie convince Dylan to talk to his uncle despite the fact that Alec has let him down several times in the past?

Then there's the in-your-face TV investigative reporter who wants to team up with Carrie to find out who killed Uncle Alec and a popular Clover Ridge resident. All this and more keeps Carrie on her toes, but she's strong and resilient and manages to deal with everything life throws her way.

For those of you who love to read cozies, are change and growth important qualities you like to see in characters as a series progresses? What cozy series do you read that show growth in characters? I enjoy writing about Carrie and Dylan’s relationship. Is romance something you like included when you read a cozy series?


A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. DEATH OVERDUE, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. DEWEY DECIMATED, the sixth in the series, was just published. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and GIVING UP THE GHOST. Her juvenile novel, RUFUS AND MAGIC RUN AMOK, was an International Reading Association-Children's Book Council Children's Choice. It will soon be reissued, followed by three more books in the series. AND DON’T BRING JEREMY was a nominee for six state awards.

Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, and chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids.

35 comments:

  1. Goodness, it does sound as if Carrie has her hands full! I’m looking forward to finding out what Uncle Alec has to say. Congratulations, Allison/Marilyn on your new book. . . .

    I think character growth is an important part of a series . . . it’s always interesting to see how your favorite characters change over time.

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  2. Oh how fun! Just the ticket for me today, a haunting to take my mind away from Ian.. who is slowly approaching the coastline. Do the ghosts have character growth too? Conventional wisdom might indicate they are here to resolve something. But do the dead change? Happy to discover Carries take on this idea.

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    1. Coralee, please keep us posted from Tampa--we will be worried about you in the hurricane!

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    2. CORALEE: Hoping that you stay safe as Ian comes ashore!

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    3. I'm monitoring your Facebook updates, Coralee. Stay safe!

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    4. Also keeping tabs on Facebook, Coralee. Hoping Ian glides on by without incident.

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    5. Coralee, I know you'll weather the storm with grace, but still praying for your household's safety.

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    6. Stay safe and (hopefully) dry, Coralee! I was just in Tampa for the first time, and what a lovely place it is. Here's hoping you all emerge relatively unscathed from Ian.

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    7. Thanks everyone. The eye of the hurricane is now (at 2 PM) 81 miles to the south. Still on a NNE track, so we may be spared. Yet others are not so fortunate. Please continue to monitor us. I will keep posting on my Facebook page. Julia, glad you liked Tampa, next time let me know. I have a Cuban coffee place that you would love to visit.

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  3. Congratulations, Marilyn! If characters don't change at least a bit, a series can get really boring. And we have romance in our lives, so our characters should, as well. My two cents!

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    1. Yes! I love having my characters grow through their life experiences. And romance is definitely part of life!

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  4. ALLISON/MARILYN: I love this series and Carrie's growth as a character is an important reason why I keep reading! The appearance of Uncle Alec sounds intriguing and may force Dylan into accepting ghosts in their lives.

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    1. Thanks, Grace. Uncle Alec isn't the heroic type, and he's disappointed Dylan several times.

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  5. Character arcs throughout series make them more interesting, and make me want to know what's next for our heroine.

    Here's hoping Alec steps up!

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  6. Congratulations, Marilyn! Yes, I think characters have to change over time, especially series characters, to keep readers engaged.

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    1. Thanks, Liz. I think readers grow attached to our series characters and are even more interested in their lives than the murders they solve.

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  7. Marilyn, congratulations on your new book! I'd say, yes, character development is important--especially in modern cozies. Many feature a young female as protagonist, someone who's going through a series of unfortunate events--cheating husband, death of husband, lost job, etc., so I want to see how they cope and grow as a result.

    On the other hand, I adore cozies like Dorothy Gilman's Emily Pollifax series and Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. The main characters don't change in the dramatic ways we see in modern cozies, yet they reflect on the situations and times in which they find themselves--and often affect change in the characters with whom they interact. All very satisfying to me as a reader.

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  8. I'm with you, Flora. Emily Pollifax and Brother Cadfael are older sleuths. Mature adults in both senses of the word. They have already experienced a good deal in life, and these experiences help make them good investigators.

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  9. Marilyn, welcome to Jungle Reds and congratulations on your new novel. For me, if the character develops during the first novel, then the story grabs my attention. If the character is someone that I do not like for whatever reason and it does not look like there is a potential for character development, then why bother to read the book? It is just me. I am sure that other readers have different approach to reading.

    Diana

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    1. Thanks, Diana. Characters strike us as people do. Why bother with someone we don't like off the bat? But then, he or she may turn out to be nicer or more interesting than we first thought. This happened re one of my characters in the book I just handed in.

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    2. Sometimes I can see the potential in a character for growth. Thanks, Diana

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  10. It's ALL about the character arc. The mystery is just what gets the characters into trouble, so the readers can enjoy seeing them get out again. As I always say, no one re-reads a mystery to find out whodunnit.

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  11. Hi Marilyn! What Julia said! I read for the character arcs. The mystery plot is just a box to put that in!

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    1. Yes!! And I love to explore my characters' relationships with one another.

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  12. Something I've always wondered about - how come we all love Poirot and Miss Marple so much when neither of them change or grow. Has made me wonder whether their books could have found a publisher today. Because I agree, today's characters need to have that changey-growy thing going on.

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    1. Interesting question. And I love how OLD Miss Marple was at 65.:)

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    2. Looking at myself at age 50 is so different from what I thought I would look like at 50. If you had told me that I would look the same at age 50 when I was 25 years old, I would Not have believed you! Look at Gloria Steinem. She is 88 and still looks great!

      Diana

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  13. To me, the main attraction to a series is how the characters grow and change. Allison Montclair's arc for Gwen is a perfect example in his marriage bureau series.

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  14. It is SO much fun to see your wild success! I think characters have to wants something..and they grow through understanding that desire. And it's annoying when the "potential for change" thing is so telegraphed in chapter one. We start with a regular person--who may not know they need to change--but then they do.

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  15. Thanks, Hank! ❤️ It's great when characters change because they gain insight from their experiences.

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  16. I'm hearing a lot of good things about this book, I can't wait to read it :)

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