As a little girl, Nancy Lynn Jarvis would curl up in bed at her grandmother’s house to read mystery after mystery.
Although she was terrified, especially by the spindly branches of the weeping willow that scratched at the outside window, she wasn’t deterred from reading the books.
“I couldn’t put them down,”
she said.
Now, years later, she’s writing mysteries of her own.
The Bonny Doon resident is the fledgling author of two mystery novels, “The Death Contingency,” and her latest, “Backyard Bones.” A third novel is in the works.
But Jarvis hasn’t always been a writer.
She’s a strong believer in the philosophy that people should try something radically different every few years. And she’s been doing just that.
Jarvis, who sold real estate until she retired when the economy turned south in 2007, has a background in behavioral studies and has always worked with people.
“Certainly, I’m an observer of people,” she said. “I can’t help but go to restaurants and eavesdrop.”
Jarvis has been business manager for Shakespeare Santa Cruz, a librarian, photo archivist and Realtor — that last job was one she had for 20 years.
“Finding someone a home is like a puzzle; I loved solving that puzzle.”
Regan McHenry, the main character of Jarvis’ mystery series, is much the same. She’s a real estate agent, but for her, the puzzles she solves are murder mysteries.
In Jarvis’s first book, “The Death Contingency,” McHenry becomes entangled in a killing when a seller disappears before signing the final deed. Police suspect a colleague of McHenry’s, but she sets out to prove them wrong. A second death, deemed accidental by police, induces McHenry to find the true murderer.
In her latest novel, “Backyard Bones,” McHenry investigates the murder of a 17-year-old girl — and in the process puts herself in danger of becoming the next victim.
So how does Jarvis come up with the plot twists and cliffhangers?
“It’s an adventure — I don’t know exactly what will happen,” she says.
A self-proclaimed “method writer,” Jarvis acts out some of the scenes described in her book and writes a complete history and background for each character.
“The characters tell me what happens (next),” Jarvis explained.
Local readers will recognize most of the locations in Jarvis’s mysteries, and some may even be surprised with a description of their home.
“I had an owner (of one of the houses described) who bought a book call me up and say, ‘This sounds like my house,’” Jarvis said.
In fact, just as all of the settings in her novels are locations in Santa Cruz County, most of her characters are loosely based on Jarvis’ acquaintances.
“All the characters started out as people I know, but they morphed quickly,” she said, noting that she needed the characters to do things they would not normally do.
Jarvis, who spends her days happily researching and writing her mysteries, always has her eyes open for inspiring new characters.
But watch out — those who get to know her might end up suspected of murder in her next novel.
At a glance
WHAT: Author Nancy Lynn Jarvis’ book reading and signing for “Backyard Bones”
WHEN: 3 p.m. Aug. 22
WHERE: Boulder Creek Library, 13390 W Park Ave., Boulder Creek
DETAILS: “Backyard Bones” is available on amazon.com and at local independent bookstores
