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Behind the Writing of Molly Jones and The Homeplace

Tell us about the background for the theme, what inspired it or why you wanted to write in this setting, or with play with these tropes?

This is inspired by our real life- we really ranch in west Texas, and I took a little bit from the adage of “write what you know” to help it be authentic, with some creative liberties taken on plot points, etc.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

Yes, the main characters are essentially based on our real family. Some secondary and tertiary characters are based on people we know (ex. Molly’s grandmother Margaret is based on my grandmother), and some are just inventions. I’ve joked with people when they ask that positive characters are based on real people and the not likeable ones are the ones I made up 😉 Now, Cooter and Roy are inventions, but we’d love to have those two in real life someday!

Tell us about character traits that were fun or hard for you to include in the book.

It’s fun to make Molly similar to me, but hopefully better in ways that I know I struggle. Molly is a touch more outspoken than I am, so I think she’s more of my inner monologue than my outer monologue in the situations she finds herself in than I would be.

Create a playlist with 5 to 10 songs with the below in mind:

I struggle to listen to music with lyrics while writing, so I listened to a lot of instrumental hymns/ worship music (which maybe isn’t the most fun, haha!).

If you read Molly Jones and the Little Shoppe of Horrors, you know that there is a karaoke fundraiser near the end, and here are the songs featured in that scene:

• “Pride (In the Name of Love)”- U2,
• “The Room Where it Happens”- Hamilton,
• “Snake Farm”- Ray Wylie Hubbard,
• “Don’t Stop Believin’- Journey,
• “Islands in the Stream”- Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, and
• “Where is My Husband”- Raye.
• If Molly had to sing a song for karaoke night, she would probably pick “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean

Were there any alternate endings you considered?

Not necessarily an alternate ending, but sometimes I go into the story with two or three possibilities of the killer, and let the story somewhat guide me to the one that makes the most sense. Sometimes the one I think it will be initially doesn’t work as well as another one that pops up later.

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?

That’s a hard question because I’m not a super detailed initial plotter, so sometimes my initial ideas change and morph into something else, but a lot of the time there isn’t something there to change in the first place.

Which of the side characters would you love to explore more, or turn into a main character in another series?

I’m not sure I’d ever make them main characters, but I absolutely love Margaret and JoBeth. Margaret is based on my real life grandmother, who we lost a few years ago, so this is my little homage to feel like she’s still here. JoBeth is a compilation of my dad’s three sisters, so all the best, most fun parts of them, and that’s a really fun dynamic to write and reminisce about times with them. I love writing naturally strong women, and those two, and the four they are based on are some of the strongest, but kindest, best women you’d ever meet.

What special knowledge or research was required to write this book?

Somewhat a special knowledge of the ranching/ cattle industry just to make it authentic. My biggest goal in anything is to make it authentic. One of my biggest peeves as a writer (or even watching TV shows/ movies) is knowing something is wrong/ the writer didn’t make it authentic. I think it pulls you out of the experience and reduces credibility/ professionalism. I never want someone to read something I’ve written and say/ think “that’s not really how that is”.

What’s the strangest thing you had to do to create this story?

I’m not sure I had to really do anything strange, but my search history from time to time is a little wild! Nothing like searching for ways to discreetly murder people and hope no one takes it the wrong way, haha!

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope readers see themselves in my characters, and feel like they are just part of this little world I’ve created. I love being immersed in very character driven material, and I hope that’s how people feel when they read my work. I want them to love the characters, to root for them (or against them!), and to feel invested in their lives.

Was there something major that happened in your personal life while writing this?

Nothing more than crazy regular life! We have two elementary aged kids, a full seedstock ranch, and my husband is an attending gastroenterologist, so our life is full, but fun!

A Recipe to go with the read:

In Molly Jones and The Homeplace, Molly has a moment with the eventual victim where she tries to make friends with him via her “famous” chocolate chip cookies. These are our favorite cookies- “Cowboy Cookies”, an oatmeal chocolate chip.

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• ** Optional—1 cup of walnuts, almonds, pecans, or any preferred nut. You can also add white chocolate chips, dried fruits, peanut butter chips, coconut, or butterscotch chips.  

Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate, larger bowl, cream together butter and both sugars, followed by eggs and vanilla, with a mixer. Slowly add in flour mixture. Once it’s all incorporated, add in chocolate chips and any other add ins. Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.

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Synopsis:

In the heart of small town west Texas, Molly Jones stumbles upon an unexpected and shocking scene during a guilt-driven unsolicited welfare check: her neighbor, the curmudgeonly Dick MacDougal, lifeless in his chair.

While locals and authorities dismiss his death as a nature driven “goodbye and good riddance” due to his difficult personality, Molly sees something deeper. As it becomes evident that the MacDougal estate is much more substantial than anyone realizes, without a clear cut heir, she can’t ignore the pull to uncover the truth. While juggling middle school mom politics and her responsibilities mothering pre-teens and twenty-something ranch hands, Molly dives into a web of secrets to make sure their new neighbor isn’t also a murderer.

Join Molly on a journey of humor, resilience, and unexpected friendships in “Molly Jones and the Homeplace.”

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