Ness Notes – 23 March 2026

A daily blog by Ava Ness, author of 1920s cozy mysteries

WEEKEND WRAP UP

What a difference a man named Rabbits can make to your outlook on life.

My back yard had reached the point where I was beginning to feel that the garden had won — a slow, leafy victory I was pretending not to notice.

But on Saturday, Rabbits arrived and in short order transformed the whole thing into something I’m actually keen to step into again. There’s something deeply satisfying about looking out a window and seeing possibility instead of chaos. I’m already thinking about what to plant.

FROM MY WRITING DESK

I confess I’ve been a little unfaithful to Lady Marigold this month. Book 3, A Deadly Inheritance, is waiting patiently for me, and I do intend to get back to her very soon — but I have been thoroughly distracted by the first book in a brand new series.

Here is the exciting part: I am building an interconnected universe across my books. Lady Marigold, as some of you may know, is an avid reader of the Lady Clues mysteries. Well — I also have new Lady Clues books on the way, and this new series is about the fictional author of the Lady Clues books. More on all of this very soon!

TOOLS & PROCESS

I’ve been thinking about story over the past week — and more specifically, about how easy it is, as a mystery writer, to become entirely consumed by plot at the expense of story.

A mystery can have an airtight plot and still leave a reader cold. So I’m working on making sure the emotional truth of the story is carrying the same weight as the clues and the reveals.

READING

I’ve just started Queen of Fives by Alex Hay. I’m six chapters in and loving it. The characters are just about to meet, and I just know something fabulous is coming. It’s set in the 1890s which is always fun to read and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

WATCHING

I binged Scarpetta this weekend, and I think not having read the books may have been in my favour. I came to it fresh and thoroughly enjoyed it. Jamie Lee Curtis was my favourite, which isn’t hard as I love her in most things, but I thought she was excellent in this. Nicole Kidman was also pretty good I thought. Not her best role, but not her worst either.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday night I’m hosting online writing sprints for my local author group, which I always enjoy.

And I’ve promised my daughter that I’ll listen to the Project Hail Mary audiobook before the weekend so we can go to see the film together. She says it’s fantastic and my lovely author friend Emma Grey tells me it’s the most she has cried about an alien since 1982, which is quite the recommendation!

Have a lovely day!

Ava