When you were writing Murder at the Ocean Forest, did you find it difficult to craft the characters?

Crafting the characters was somewhat difficult for Murder at the Ocean Forest since it is a period piece. I had to take into consideration people’s mannerisms and beliefs and emotions that may have been a part of the World War II era. I had to ask myself what motivated people during the war and how did the war impact them psychologically and emotionally. I talked to some people I know who were around during the 1940s and who could remember the times.

As you know, each character in Murder at the Ocean Forest is extremely unique, and since the book is very character driven I went into some great detail about them all and their mannerisms and you even get a glimpse into their thoughts and point of view. Up until the first murder, you get a chapter or part of a chapter from each character’s point of view, so it gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters and what they think and how they perceive some things. That makes for a very interesting dynamic between all the characters when the reader puts everything together.

What was more difficult was trying to craft the setting at the old Ocean Forest Hotel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Ocean Forest Hotel was demolished in the 1970s, long before I was introduced to Myrtle Beach. So, I’m trying to write a story set in a place that doesn’t exist anymore and for which there is really very limited information. I had some photographs to go by to get an idea of what the hotel looked like on the outside and to some extent on the inside, but I didn’t have much to work with. I interviewed some people who had local knowledge and who shared with me their memories of the place. After that, I set to work to recreate the Ocean Forest Hotel in the 1940s, and from the feedback I’ve received from a number of readers who had actually been to the Ocean Forest Hotel, I’m told I did a pretty good job at capturing the place in my book. I’m glad I could do it justice.