I write romantic mysteries for a niche market, my stories
deal with art, travel, a bit of mayhem and romance. I might preface that with-I
love art and I love to travel-and have been fortunate to be able to do so. The
old adage write what you know and love is true.
When I started writing, I knew my novel would be set in
Paris. In my youth, I lived there for a year, and have since gone back a few
times. It stood to reason that my first romance should be set there. I’m familiar
with the city, and over the years from my perspective, little has changed in the
City of Light. The Louvre now has Pei’s Pyramid at the entrance, a few
buildings have been added, but the age old charm, the cobblestones, the
meandering streets, the essence and soul are still very much there.
The first time I visited Bath, England, many years ago, I
said I must come back, and I did. My second book is set there. My third hotel
book, is set in magical and mysterious Venice. All three cities are unique and
romantic places.
My heroine is an artist, and through her eyes, I introduce
my readers to my favorite artists, allow her to live in exciting places, give
her mysteries to solve, and someone to love. The best of all worlds.
For me it is essential to visit the place I write about, get
a sense of the culture, the everyday, mundane activities that make up our
lives. The magical moment of sitting in a cafe, sipping an espresso, and
watching people go by. An image is created that will allow a glimpse of that
perfect intimate moment. A sculpture in
a garden described so well that the reader can almost reach out and touch a
sinew, that is the wonder of the written word.
Rodin has always set my pulse racing, his work is strong,
exuberant, poignant to the point of agony, and sometimes even mischievous. I
tried to bring that sense of joy and discovery to my hero in A Hotel in Paris, and hopefully to my
readers. I find solace in art, for me it’s therapeutic. You don’t have to be an
art scholar to enjoy it, it’s everywhere we turn, it surrounds us, all we have
to do is take note.
Imagine tea at the Pump Room in Bath, and that first sip of the
heavily scented Earl Grey tea, you take a deep whiff to savor the smell of the
bergamot oil, take a bite of that a fresh scone still warm, loaded with clotted
cream and strawberry preserves-except that I skip the cream and go directly for
the jam, lots of jam. Those are all real memories that will enrich a story.
Visit a restaurant that has been in business since the early
1600s, watch out as you step down on the crooked stairs and touch the warped
wall, coated with gobs of thick paint as you continue your descent that doesn’t
seem to end, and then you gingerly sit down in a rickety old chair and hope you
won’t be sitting on the ancient brick floor instead.
From the Rodin Museum in Paris, to the Pump Room in Bath, to
the dark and narrow canals in Venice, where the water mysteriously shimmers in
the moonlit night. It’s all there. Familiarity with a location makes it easier
to write about, it makes it come alive.
Even though I write contemporary romance mysteries, I love
history and art, and that is what I write about. It goes back to the beginning,
write what you know and love.
Cheers,
Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
A Hotel in Venice
A Fire Within
Blood Art
www.mjustes.com
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