A #Golf Setting For My Cozy #Mysteries - #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “G” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016. In that regard we will honor golf.

Middle age does different things to different people. Moods change. Behavior is altered. Opportunities once available seem to disappear. For me, that time in my life provided an opportunity to tell a mysterious story from a golf setting.

That occasion came in a roundabout way. Events and characters were swirling in my head. One of my golfing buddies suggested that the story would make a good movie. So after a golf trip he asked me what I was going to do after we returned home. I replied, “I’m going to write that movie.”

Needless to say he was skeptical. However it was the start of my writing career. After doing some online research I joined an internet screenwriting site. Soon after I purchased the proper software and the characters and plot came alive. It was agreed after several rewrites and critiques that the basics for a story were present. When the final version of the screenplay was finished I asked my consultant what would help it sell in Hollywood.

His reply was frank. “The book.”

I digested that for a couple of months and then admitted that I had nothing else to do at the time. I opened the screenplay and used it as the outline for my first novel – Lifetime Loser. A year and a half later after some rewrites and extensive editing my first novel was published. The feeling was indescribable.

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But then a funny thing happened. The characters were screaming to tell another story. One novel has become six. The recurring characters at the golf course serve as the perfect foils for the intrigue and mystery that surround the clubhouse.

The stories are realistic, character-based fiction. The setting is Prairie Winds Golf Course high atop the Mississippi river bluffs east of St. Louis. The screenplay won a lot of awards at various indie film fests but is now gathering dust. However the books are available on Amazon in hard cover and paperback version and on Kindle in eBook format.

Give my books a try. The genres vary but most lean toward the cozy mystery area. There is no doubt that you will like the characters. They are diverse, from all walks of life, and memorable. Start with LifetimeLoser. I’d be interested to hear back from you.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.