REEDLEY – When asked how she organizes a novel, Reedley author Lorie Lewis Ham described herself as what is called a “pantser.”
“I happen to be known as a pantser – writing by the seat of my pants,” she said. “I’ll have a general idea of what event I want it to take place around. How to get it going. But typically, I don’t know who the victim is going to be or who the killer is going to be.”
A panster is a writer who constructs their story without an outline. Anyone who has studied writing may find that this approach to writing goes against everything they have been taught. But it has served Ham well as she is currently thinking about her eighth novel.
“It does mean there’s a lot of editing later,” she said.
Ham is a mystery writer. Her latest book, “One of You,” takes place in Fresno’s Tower District. The protagonist, Roxi Carlucci, 35, recently arrived from Santa Cruz and trying to get her life together, stumbles upon another murder in her new town.
This is a formula that has served Ham well over the years. She writes in a mystery sub genre known as “cozy” – cozy mysteries.
“They are extremely popular,” she said. “These are ordinary people who happen upon a situation where they find themselves in the middle of a mystery.”
She said cozy mysteries lack the graphic sex, violence and language of more traditional mysteries.
“There are murders,” she said, “you just don’t get all the gory details like you do in thrillers. Think ‘Murder She Wrote.’”
Which is an interesting comparison because the synopsis of “One of You” posted on mysteryrat.com, Ham’s website, has Carlucci wishing everyone would stop calling her the Jessica Fletcher of the Tower District.
BORN TO WRITE
There is an axiom, or saying: “writers write.” In Ham’s case, the axiom has held true since she could put together sentences.
“I was first published when I was 13,” she said. “It was a poem in a Christian magazine for teens called ‘Young Ambassador.’ I also published a song when I was 13.”
Ham was homeschooled. Her family, a gospel group called the Leon Lewis Family, traveled the country singing gospel music. The family lived in Reedley but was frequently on the road.
“We usually were singing somewhere several times a month,” she said. “In Oklahoma or Tennessee. We went to sing at the military bases in San Diego several times. And Guam. I was probably about 16 when we did that.”
The family had a radio program on the Dinuba Christian station KRDU. Ham said she began easing up on touring after she got married at 24 and had a family. Her first love was writing; she decided to return to it.
She said she always wanted to write a novel. She published a few short stories but she knew she would pen a larger work at some point.
Ham had always loved mysteries. Her turning point came when she joined Sisters in Crime when she was still a teenager.
“It’s an international mystery readers and writers group,” she said. “It was started because all the big publishers were publishing men. And the reviewers were mostly men. That’s where the sisters part came in.”
She said Sisters in Crime provided support as she worked her way through her first novel, which was published in 2000. Titled “Murder in Four Part Harmony,” its heroine was a gospel singer named Alexandra “Alex” Walters. It took place in a fictionalized Reedley, though Ham did retain a few landmarks.
“The characters went to Valentino’s a lot,” she said. Walters was featured in three more books – “The Trouble With Tenors,” “Out of Tune” and “The Final Note.” Ham followed the series with what she described as a transitional book, “Deadly Discrimination.” This featured a male protagonist from the first series. This, too, was supposed to be a series.
“It just never happened,” she said.
Along the way, Ham started the online magazine, “Kings River Life,” which bills itself as “A California magazine with local focus and global appeal.” The magazine features a few of Ham’s passions – mystery writing and animals – as well as theater, community news, manga, podcasts, movie and music reviews.
Ham said she developed the itch to write a mystery again but did not know what she wanted to do. Her work with Kings River Life introduced her to the theater scene in the Tower District. That’s when it came together.
“I thought this would be a really interesting place to set a mystery,” she said. While she was mulling over characters, she remembered a character she introduced in the last book of the Walters’ series. This character was living on the coast near Santa Cruz.
“So, I moved her to the Tower District,” she said. “Her cousin lives there. She has to start her life over again. Her cousin says, ‘I have a spare you. Why don’t you come stay here with me until you figure things out?’”
Ham said this series featuring Carlucci is “cozy-ish.”
“It’s cozy enough to make the cozy readers happy. Some people call it cozy with an edge,” she said.
Despite being a published author, Ham is reluctant to call herself a full-time novelist.
“Most novelists are not full-time because very few writers make a living off of writing,” she said. “And even if they do, it’s not the only writing they’re doing. They write articles for newspapers or magazines or different things as well. So, I would never say I became a full-time mystery writer. I’ve always been doing other things.”
On Sept. 10 at 6 p.m., Ham will give a book talk at the Reedley Library at 6 p.m. She will also give a talk at the Sanger Library on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated on July 31, 2024 at 12:09 p.m. EST.
