Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Falling into Magic is her first cozy mystery in the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic series.
The beginnings of Falling into Magic
“Over the past fifteen years I’ve written thirteen non-fiction parenting books. My writing career was based on research, science and the realities of everyday family reality. However, always in the back of my mind, my novel simmered.”
Over the past few years, Elizabeth said she’d been jotting down notes of thoughts about possible stories. Sometimes she copied a passage or sentence that touched her heart. “When COVID struck, and I spent more time at home, I realized that it was the perfect time to create a warm, enchanted place where the problems of the crazy would we live in could be left behind and replaced by a magical new world.”
While Elizabeth didn’t say it, her background in writing parenting books is also influencing her cozy mystery. “The underlying message of the book is that family and home is a fluid thing that changes over the course of your life. People can become important to you in a short period of time, and friends can be made in moments. Life is complex. We as people change, and our world around us changes with us. The good news is that the lucky among us find our place, our home, and our family, and we settle in to enjoy a rich and beautiful life in that place.”
A world of wonders
One of the things that surprised Elizabeth when she started writing fiction was how the world she’d invented became so real to her. “I was truly amazed that once I created a cast of characters and an enchanted location, that the town and the people almost overtook the storytelling! I would wake up many mornings with a new scene filling my head – I’d be squinting in the dark, tapping out notes on my phone before I even got out of bed! At various points of my day I’d suddenly be inspired by something one of my new “friends” would say or do and rush to jot it down before the images left my mind. You might say I was just as surprised as my readers at some of the things that happened!”
Elizabeth feels that in Falling into Magic, she’s created an enchanted world full of wonders. “I’ve filled it with rich and quirky characters to keep you entertained and delighted. I’ve ended this story with a fanciful, magical scene. Try to picture yourself there, and guess what your grand destiny would be.”
Climbing mountains
“I have four grown children who are all climbers, campers and hikers. Over the past year I’ve worked on my own health and fitness to a point that they invited me to join them on a climb. At first, I laughed. There was no way I was going mountain climbing! But my kids promised we’d only go as fast or as far as I was comfortable going. They even offered to carry my gear, so finally, I agreed.
“The adventure was amazing, and I’m proud to say I made it all the way up to the peak. The views from atop a mountain are breathtaking, and the joy of the experience is exhilarating. I took many stops along the trails – but it’s not what you think! I kept stopping to take inspirational photos and jot down notes for my book.
“So, when my characters hike the mountains, you can know that I’m sharing the scenes based on my own personal experience. I’m happy to say that the day turned out to be a highlight of my life! I’m a woman who climbs mountains! And I’m happy to get to share the experience with my readers through my stories.”
Learn more about Elizabeth Pantley at ElizabethPantley.com. Click here if you liked this interview and want to see more like it.
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