“The victim of any crime when you're writing a novel of this kind in particular needs to evoke a passion within the reader’s mind. That passion can come in several different forms...” instructs the lecturer to her hall of students, few though they be tonight. This is a class of mature students learning about writing a crime mystery to become an independent novelist earning money from their enjoyment and favourite past time. “It could be a passion evoking worry, caring and concern; it could contradictorily evoke hate, disgust and different concerns too regarding the victims’ victims as it were depending on your plot and how and where you begin in case it’s revenge from a past crime upon themselves as revenge; you could also evoke the passion of mystery about who they are, where they came from and what caused the victim’s end, if they may have deserved their ‘end’ as such or not. You could also evoke confusion a-plenty surrounding a twist in the plot so not-expected to keep the readers interested in what they’re reading that they have to come back for more, time and again...” Taking a very short breather ‘Willow Hunter’ as she’s known to her fans online with her books now turns her attention towards a potential perpetrator in her group of students, whichever one of them it may be, or not, she supposes because someone somewhere has threatened to make her meet her own maker sooner than she’d be planning for and ‘Willow,’ aka Eva Stansbrooke does not ‘do’ threats. If someone is promising to do something then she’ll start to worry and involve the police but threats are not even acknowledged in her mind because they’re easily and efficiently dismissed. Eva knows when someone is a serious threat enough to know that her life is in danger but she always has a back-up plan up her short sleeves. She has people looking out for her anyway under the radar as such too just in case? As well as her students who have paid for their term to learn from her there is also an interloper in her group, just sitting there quietly at the back of the class and as far as Eva is concerned this woman isn’t even a student at this college for anything else either!? That of course is very concerning but again she dismisses the woman as if she’s not there for the moment, not drawing attention to the fact that she knows she’s there and not encouraging conversation either with her.

“The murderer, the one who is to perform this crime: what is the reason for causing the crime: what is their backstory? Have they done this before and is there a pattern? What is being used to cause the end of life for the victim that they’ve chosen? What of their life because you need the reader to have either empathy or a real hate with this victim-causing individual; that always reads better in my opinion but you can make your own decisions upon this in your own stories of course. How are they planning for the victim to be found, when will they be found, how and by whom? And then there are the police detectives: are they real true geniuses or are you talking about needing them to be a little clumsy of feet and of mouth but do they have an intelligent side-kick to help save this crime of passion or ensure that the perpetrator be caught? This may not be murder of course but another crime and there could be more than one main crime going on too...” as the lecturer continues, she asks for ideas from her students by picking on each of the five of them one at a time but the non-student, the interloper has slipped back out unnoticed by any of them at this time now, getting bored of their lessons now...

“Clarice: give me some ideas please, what are you thinking at this time for your novel?” Clearing her throat Clarice begins. “Theft: art or jewels possibly, could be an inside job at a big house. Huge family, Christmas time, alcohol numbing all senses. Female detective with a side-kick, snow-in at the house where this takes place maybe? Staff and family members all under suspicion of course.” “Good girl, again keep it interesting with lots of little plots and side stories going on too. Deborah?” “Uh okay. I’m thinking murder, on a cruise liner in the middle of the ocean, three hundred plus maybe guests and staff around obviously, ship captain could have a secret past soon to be discovered, one of the guests may already be a detective on a two-week break? Crime of passion: maybe the victim is presumed died of natural causes but the detective thinks otherwise? This victim possibly holds secrets about a love-child maybe from two decades ago? Another story unfolds and maybe becomes intertwined with the murder?” “Okay, sounds good for starters, maybe needs a few other stories going on with other guests, but okay, sounds very interesting. Orla?” “I’m thinking a true crime of passion, love, sex and passion BUT only as a starter of this crime. A crime of fraud, intrigue, twists and others galore with maybe the victim being convinced of a long-lost mother returning, takes control once more of family wealth? Once she dies, she’s found in very strange circumstances but the fraudster pretending to be the mother returned is still alive maybe... just to intrigue the reader?” “Hmm, that sounds good, keep it going, keep working on that one Orla. Lily?” “Okay. I’m thinking a run-away train? Crime of passion, as this is maybe the longest train ride in the world. Victim is a wealthy lady, blind since birth. States her jewellery has been stolen but it’s found, seemingly easily at the beginning of this story. BUT as she’s fully blind and knows her jewellery intimately inside and out she suddenly states it’s not her own, that it doesn’t ‘feel’ right somehow? Like a fake?” “Sounds like a good starter Lily, remember to have many other plots and side-lines going on too. Karen?” “Okay. I have a plot building in my head already. A female victim, crime of passion being as she’s had her heart stolen ... literally... not discovered till the autopsy though? The perpetrator may be an actual surgeon, or is it? With online videos etc things can be learnt without actual qualifications these days? Also, the victims as they build up in numbers are found to have died by different causes, mainly natural, but had their heart surgically removed after they’ve died. Until one of them is found to have been with unnatural causes before it stops quite suddenly and no one else is killed for a while leaving a lot of unsolved and unresolved questions? The police are baffled. An electrical storm sends the city into darkness, robbery all over the city one night a year later or something with all the local thieves taking advantage left, right and centre and then this new victim already being murdered as this spree starts again and resources are stretched far, wide and thin.” Staring at her student proudly Karen seems to have ‘got it’ today? “That sounds very interesting Karen? Keep working on that. Right, ladies? Our lecture ends now for two weeks and I hope you’ve taken in all that I’ve been able to suggest to you so far. I’d like you all to start planning your stories of crime, preferably starting the first chapters please too. Bring them with you in two weeks to class and remember to leave the reader feeling a thirst and a need to get to the next chapter? I’m hoping I can help you tweak things from just a reading point of view, just to advise on grammar and for if anything else that needs padding out. Thank you for coming today, despite my preference for a full hall of students this has been so lovely and intimate today. Keep working hard and believe in your stories above all else.” Looking around at her five potential novelists the interloper has already left and so Eva can relax further now. ‘Karen’s story is intriguing... I think she’s been following up on a few real-life cases unresolved as yet? That will be interesting,’ thinking to herself while she packs away her study folders Eva watches them but only briefly...

Watching them all packing up to leave, subtly, and talk excitedly while doing so Lily stays behind a few minutes longer as the others exit the auditorium. “Yes Lily? Anything else dear?” As the hall empties of everyone else Lily smiles quite widely at her as she likes this lecturer and wanders what she’s doing for her two her weeks off. Where is she going? With whom? “Eva, where are you holidaying for two whole weeks?” Sighing out feeling hemmed in quite suddenly she spins her a line about a break with family, a break with a friend too so that Lily can be totally convinced that she’s hundreds of miles away: “I’m going away to be away from people I know for work Lily? I’m going away with a new friend, exploring mountains and passionate nights besides. Family is also very much around over the next two weeks as family is good to have around Lily; you should visit your own family too while I’m away because I know for a fact that you’ve been a little neglectful of late with your family? You must never forget your family and friends Lily. You’ve got to be seen to be enjoying their company too as a family is important in blood-ties as well as with support for the selling of your books too? At least some of the time, anyway. Now, please start your story tonight, plan it and begin your first chapter for me or by the weekend at the very least? I know you’ve got it in you Lily to be a very good crime writer.” While they’re talking Karen popped her head back around the doorway looking for Lily and tuts obviously annoyed at her distracted mood, she’s always mooning after the teacher and this will not do her any good...

As Eva managed to extract herself eventually from Lily’s gaze and her annoying constant obsession her phone rings now upgrading her mood to ‘pleasantly very excited.’ “Hi there,” “Hi Eva,” the deeper than usual voice on the phone has Eva laughing and giggly, excited and hopeful that their time alone was truly going to be alone and away from her own constant distractions too. “You ready Dorian, you ready for this debauched weekend ahead of us?” Giggling again at their private conversation she’s being watched as she makes her way over to the usual coffee shop in the main foyer of the college. It’s as if she's putting on a great performance on the world’s stage at this given moment, as indeed she must because of the threats upon her life that are still annoyingly in the background. But she knows a few other crime writers that are constantly having to keep looking behind themselves too, just in case. Apart from that incident from about six months ago that she’s ever vigilantly looking around herself for then Eva is trying to ignore these for now; they didn’t see her face, they don’t know for sure that it was Eva that shopped them in so willingly, easily and eagerly...

“The usual please Steve? Thanks.” Eva appears to have no idea of being watched at this time or is it simply that she’s blasé about it knowing the threats are around and is still ignoring them perhaps? “It’s not Steve, by the way, it’s Paul? For the last week you have kept calling me Steve but my name is Paul?” Nodding at him when he hands over the Mochaccino with a double shot, not noticing the annoyed look on his face she’s still talking to Dorian on the phone. Not listening to his annoyances also at her getting his name wrong every time she’s been in here this week and then she smiles at him, smiles at the seemingly grumpy coffee barista not understanding why he’s grumpy because she’s been totally distracted by the exciting voice on the end of the call. “Thanks Steve, see you in two weeks...” Turning around and walking off quite hurriedly now on her heels with her phone still firmly glued to her ear Paul is shouting loudly much to the chagrin of the rest of his customers at this point as the one person he’s aimed his frustration at is completely unaware of the decibels he is producing and trying to get his point across to no avail. “It’s Paul! How many flippin times do I need to tell you, I’m not Steve!” Knocking over a large stack of disposable coffee cups suddenly as his frustration takes a hold, he lashed out sideways with his hands with quite a wide and dramatic flourish while he has to suddenly apologise to his ‘decent’ customers as he collects the cups up off the floor quietly promising that he’d actually kill her himself one day...