Hello, fellow Chicagoans and mystery lovers everywhere.

Picking up where we left off, I want to share some uncanny synchronicities that inspired me in the early days of writing my debut murder mystery, The Etiquette of Murder.

The first arrived in mid-January, right after I’d finalized the plot. With the new year just beginning, I checked my horoscope on a whim. To my amazement (and I kid you not), it essentially said, “You will be blessed with the ability to complete any work or project that has been stalled for several years.” Buoyed by this, I pressed on—though I kept my book-in-progress to myself, fearing that talking about it (yet again) might sap my resolve.

Once the plot was set, I focused on bringing my eclectic cast of characters to life, drawing inspiration from people I’ve met over the years. Still, all the characters are fictional amalgamations of various traits and flaws. The same goes for their names—except for two, which were borrowed from real people (and they know who they are). Which brings me to

Synchronicity #2.

By then, spring was in sight, and I felt compelled to tackle the clutter overtaking the basement. Whenever I needed a break from writing, I’d sort through boxes destined for junk removal. That’s how I stumbled upon several boxes filled with old and forgotten photographs.

When I eventually made it to the last box right on top, there was a photo of someone who inspired the name of a main character—a person I hadn’t seen in twenty years, but whose name always struck me as destined for stardom. That moment gave me pause. A little deeper, I found Polaroids from an old TV commercial shoot, capturing the creative director whose last name inspired another character’s name only. Most profoundly, I found a greeting card—the only one among all the pictures. The front read, “For a Special Granddaughter.” When I opened the card, a tiny wallet-sized photo of my grandmother, Violet, slipped into my lap. If you read The Etiquette of Murder, you’ll understand the significance. It felt as though my grandmother, gone for decades, was sending a message: Keep going, you’re on the right track. Finding this card and the other photos at this stage of the book’s development embodied synchronicity—meaningful coincidences that defy explanation yet hold deep psychological or spiritual meaning.

There are even more uncanny synchronicities, but to reveal them now would give too much away. If you read the book, feel free to reach out, as I’ll be delighted to share more. In the next installment, I’ll reveal some fascinating and lesser-known nuggets about Chicago and its prestigious Gold Coast neighborhood.