I have been a huge fan of Jessica Fletcher, mystery writer and amateur sleuth extraordinaire, since I watched the very first episode of the television series Murder, She Wrote in September 1984. I was a faithful viewer for all twelve seasons—including rewatching summer re-runs. In the late 1980s when Don Bain began to co-write (with Jessica Fletcher!) the Murder, She Wrote books I loved having some Murder, She Wrote available to read.
Time went by. Today fans watch reruns of the television series on many platforms all over the world. Don Bain continued to write the Murder, She Wrote books, he was followed as Jessica’s co-author by Jon Land and I am proud to say that I have written the four most recent books.
Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle was released in January 2023 and it brings to mind an issue that Jessica’s fans frequently want to discuss: How does the author chose the location for Jessica’s next adventure?
Well, I can tell you it is not easy. From the very beginning of the television series, fans have split into two decisive groups. The first group, of which I am a lifetime member, I call Team Cabot Cove. We are the folks who are happiest when Jessica is in her home town of Cabot Cove and there happens to be a murder and she happens to figure out “who done it”.
The second group, who I call Team World Travelers, are delighted to join Jessica in visiting different places and meeting people. They love watching her make new friends while she ferrets out the truth and solves a murder.
So when I began writing the Murder, She Wrote books, you would think, as a member of Team Cabot Cove, the first book I wrote would be set in Cabot Cove. However, as a reader, I was current on the books. At that point there were fifty-two of them and I knew the most recent books were all set in Cabot Cove. It was time for something different.
With my favorite location a no-go for my first Murder, She Wrote entry, I had to decide where Jessica should go. Well, the first thing I did was take a good long look at the book list. One place that Jessica hadn’t yet visited was Columbia, South Carolina, so that became the location for Murder, She Wrote Killing in a Koi Pond.
Then, I could have Jessica stay home in Cabot Cove (Hooray!) for a while, which is exactly what she did, but of course there was a murder and Jessica had to help Sheriff Metzger solve the crime in Murder, She Wrote Debonair in Death.
Once I finished writing a Cabot Cove mystery where on earth could Jessica go next? I had noticed that in both the television shows and the books whenever Jessica visited my home town of New York City she tended to stay in mid-town Manhattan. I thought it was time she got to see more of the New York City I know and love so Jessica spends some vacation time on Rockaway Beach with Grady, Donna and young Frank. Along with Jessica we travel around parts of the City that are new to her and she still manages to solve the crime in Murder, She Wrote Killer on the Court.
And by the time I finished writing Killer on the Court I knew that Jessica’s next adventure would be in Northern Ireland. Why there, you ask? Well, Jessica visited Ireland several times during the television show but not once in any of the books. So, I thought it was time. I picked places such as Belfast, Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills that Jessica had never visited. Also I knew Angela Lansbury was of Irish descent and had owned a home in Ireland for many years. Put all that together and add in a murder for Jessica to solve, and we have the recently released Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle.
And where might Jessica go next? Well don’t you think it is time that she goes back to Cabot Cove? I sure do!
About the Author:
Terrie Farley Moran is thrilled to be co-author, along with Jessica Fletcher, of the long running Murder, She Wrote series. Murder, She Wrote Killing in a Koi Pond and Murder, She Wrote Debonair in Death, Murder, She Wrote Killer on the Court and the recently released Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle. Terrie has also written the beachside Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series, and is co-author of Laura Childs’ New Orleans scrapbooking mysteries. Her short stories have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly Magazine and numerous anthologies. Terrie is a recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards. Find her online at www.terriefarleymoran.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/terriefarleymoran/
To read an excerpt from Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle, click here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669194/murder-she-wrote-death-on-the-emerald-isle-by-jessica-fletcher-and-terrie-farley-moran/9780593333686/