Claire’s Corner

Inside the Storyboard: Building Secrets and Scones

One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “How do you come up with your mysteries?”

The truth is, they rarely begin with the crime.

For Secrets and Scones, everything started with a single question:

What if Claire Anderson had the chance to finish the last investigation her father never solved?

That simple idea became the foundation for the entire book.

From there, the pieces slowly began falling into place.

A family tubing trip on the river.

A human bone discovered along the shoreline.

A decades-old mystery that everyone thought had been forgotten.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

While sorting through her late father’s belongings, Claire discovers a letter he left behind. It’s more than a keepsake. It’s the beginning of a trail that James Anderson never had the chance to finish.

Suddenly, Claire isn’t just investigating a cold case.

She’s continuing her father’s final investigation.

Those are the moments I love as a writer.

When a story stops being “just another mystery” and becomes deeply personal for the characters involved.

Before I write a single chapter, I spend weeks building the mystery itself. Every clue has a purpose. Every suspect needs a believable motive. Every reveal has to feel earned. It’s a little like assembling a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle before anyone else gets to see the picture on the box.

Only after I’m confident every piece fits together do I begin writing.

Right now, that’s exactly where I am with Secrets and Scones.

The clues are falling into place.

The suspects are taking shape.

Claire, Jordan, Emily, Hannah, Brady, Lily, and the rest of Willow Creek are ready for another adventure.

And I have a feeling this one may become Claire’s most personal mystery yet.

I can’t wait to welcome you back to Willow Creek.