Clued in Mystery Podcast
The Clued in Mystery podcast explores mystery and the different ways we enjoy the genre through books, TV, film, and podcasts.
Your hosts Brook Peterson and Sarah M Stephen love reading, watching, listening to, and talking about mysteries. Join us as we celebrate good mysteries everywhere.
100th Episode!
Brook and Sarah celebrate Clued in Mystery’s 100th regular episode by answering questions from listeners. Join us on July 9 at 4:00 pm Pacific for a live episode on Instagram (the recorded version will be available later on YouTube).
For more information
Instagram: @cluedinmystery
Contact us: hello@cluedinmystery.com
Music: Signs To Nowhere by Shane Ivers – www.silvermansound.com
Sign up for our newsletter: https://cluedinmystery.com/clued-in-chronicle/
Join the Clued in Cartel: https://cluedinmystery.com/clued-in-cartel/
Brook and Sarah celebrate Clued in Mystery’s 100th regular episode by answering questions from listeners. Join us on July 9, 2024 at 4:00 pm Pacific for a live episode on Instagram (the recorded version will be available later on YouTube).
For more information
Instagram: @cluedinmystery
Contact us: hello@cluedinmystery.com
Music: Signs To Nowhere by Shane Ivers – www.silvermansound.com
Sign up for our newsletter: https://cluedinmystery.com/clued-in-chronicle/
Join the Clued in Cartel: https://cluedinmystery.com/clued-in-cartel/
Transcript
This transcript is generated by a computer and there may be some mis-spellings and strange punctuation. We try to catch these before posting, but some things slip through.
| Sarah | Welcome to Clued in Mystery. I’m Sarah. |
| Brook | And I’m Brook. And we both love mystery. |
| Sarah | Hi Brook. |
| Brook | Hi Sarah. We have introduced ourselves like this over 100 times. |
| Sarah | I know. I think that’s so incredible. When we started, did you think we would get to 100 episodes? |
| Brook | It seemed so far out into the future that it just didn’t really seem real. you know I feel like we need some confetti poppers or a glass of champagne this morning or something. |
| Sarah | Well, I’ll settle for tea this morning. Maybe I’ll have some champagne tonight. |
| Sarah | Yeah, so when we talk about 100 episodes, we’re talking about 100 regular episodes that we’ve recorded. We’ve done some bonus episodes, and when we take a break, we re-release episodes. so I’m not counting those, and I think our tally as of this morning is 100. |
| Brook | Fantastic. And we want to thank all of our friends who have sent in questions because today we’re celebrating with a ask us anything question and answer session. |
| Sarah | That’s right. And later today, because this is coming out on July 9th, later today, we are doing a Instagram live where we will, if we don’t get to all of the questions in our recording, we will answer some of those during the, uh, Instagram live. |
| Brook | That’s the time for the confetti poppers. |
| Sarah | I’ll bring the champagne. |
| Sarah | So let’s, uh, let’s get started, Brook. |
| Brook | Great. So the first question that we’re going to cover is from our friend Elle Wren Burke, and ah listeners to the show will remember that Elle came on and had a fantastic discussion with us about representation in mystery. It’s a great one. You don’t want to miss it. um So Sarah, here is Elle’s question, and this one goes especially to you. How long does it take to edit the audio and prep each podcast episode? |
| Sarah | I will say it’s improved. I’ve gotten better over time. um But yeah, I do all of the kind of back-end editing after we’ve recorded. I smooth out any any big bumps, any extra long spaces, and then I send it to you to listen to. And then I do another pass and at the same time clean up the transcript so that we can provide that. The transcript’s published on our website. And there’s a link to it in the show notes when we publish the episodes. I don’t know how long, if i if I added that up, it’s probably a couple of hours between those two passes that I do. We use a tool called Zencaster for our recording and it creates a transcript. But of course, if I’ve edited some content out, I have to take it out of the transcript as well. |
| Sarah | But I just learned that they have a function that will create a transcript based on the final version of the episode. So I’m going to give that a try maybe for this episode um and see if that cuts down a little bit on the work that I do. But I enjoy actually re-listening to the episodes because I often think of something, another question I wanted to ask, or um another you know point that um I thought I could have made. And so I i try and use that to like prepare for the next, whatever our next episode is to try and think about, OK, well, how can i how can I incorporate that into the next episode? |
| Brook | Yeah, and I know um sometimes we share some of those little nuggets that we think of in our re-listens in our newsletter. So we’ll put some of those tidbits in there. |
| Sarah | So I have a question for you, Brook. And this one came in from Patricia Meredith. And listeners will remember her from an episode that we did where we did a deeper dive into Anna Katharine Green. And Patricia is really an expert on that pioneer of detective fiction. Her question is, ah congratulations on your 100th episode. Which classic author has been your favorite new discovery since starting the show? |
| Brook | Well, this is a really astute question, I think, because that is something that we’ve worked really hard to do, Sarah, if both of us learn more, want to learn more about you know the golden age and the pioneers um of the genre. um But it’s hard because we’ve covered a lot. I think, honestly, this is a very recent addition to our list is Anthony Berkeley. I have really enjoyed ah reading his stories. I like his style a lot. and I feel like he’s somebody that I would you know pick up and read more of just just you know for leisure. so um I guess it’s Anthony Berkley. |
| Sarah | That’s a great choice Brook. And I actually struggle to name one. I think i I really enjoy the process of learning about these early authors and the origins of the mystery genre. Like that’s been um really fascinating to research and and talk about. I think, ah I don’t even know how I would answer this question. It’s so difficult, right? Yeah. Yeah. I, I just finished reading another PD James book and I wouldn’t, she’s kind of that cusp, right? Because she, this book was written, I think in 2000. So, you know, ah not really a classic author, but she writes very much in that golden age yeah style, I think. |
| Brook | Yeah, good point. She is a bridge between those two eras, I believe. Okay, so our next question comes from Eric Rutten and Eric is also a guest who came on. He hosts the Hallmark Mysteries and More podcast. So another podcaster who is all focused on Hallmark Mysteries. So Eric asks us, What famous sleuth, professional or amateur would you like to be their sidekick? I love this question. |
| Sarah | And I think it’s, um, I think it’s fantastic because I actually would love to do an episode about sidekicks. So let’s make a note of that for future. I think I’m going to have to go with Miss Marple. I would, I would happily be her, her sidekick for a couple of reasons. Um, I don’t knit very often, but I do, uh, crochet. And so, you know, I can imagine us sitting, having a cup of tea with projects in our laps, discussing the clues. |
| Brook | Oh my goodness. I love that, Sarah. And you know, Ms. Marple needs the younger, more spry helper. We see that in a lot of her stories. So I think there’s a job opening. Like I think you could fit that bill. |
| Brook | And if I were going to answer this one, I would love to be Kenzie Milhone’s sidekick. However, listeners will know that I have admitted to being a big chicken and Kenzie gets into some like adventurous scrapes. So maybe I could be sort of like her gal Friday that just stays in the office and does like the the paperwork or the the research on on that end of things. |
| Sarah | I love that, Brook, and that’s exactly how I imagined you were going to answer that question. So Brook, we received a question from Mystery Manon, who has been a guest multiple times on our show. She has her annual Christmas or holiday gift list that she creates, and she’s talked about that with us a couple of times, as well as coming on to talk about the detection club. |
| Sarah | And Manon is, I would say, an expert on mysteries and is really building a ah great community of of mystery lovers. So her question is, how has discussing mysteries on the podcast impacted the way you read or write mystery books? |
| Brook | Wow, this is a big this is a big question. um And I don’t even know if I can put into words how much. Oh my goodness, I’m finding myself getting a little emotional. I can’t believe how much it’s impacted. um I feel like I’ve learned so much. And there were so many authors. um you know I hadn’t even read a lot of Agatha Christie I had like as a younger person. And I think, you know, watched a lot of the shows and things, but there were so many authors, so many greats that I had never really ah read or gotten into their work. um And, you know, you and I have joked over the, over the time span, Sarah, that this is almost like we’re building our own little master’s program in mystery. And that’s kind of what it feels like. It’s impacted everything I think about the way I read and write. I feel it a lot more knowledgeable. I also feel a lot more like a small fish um because there’s so much to live up to and so many great authors that came before us. um Yeah, it’s it’s huge and it’s just it’s just meant so much to me, much more than I anticipated. |
| Sarah | I feel very similarly, Brook, just realizing the scope of the genre, right? And there’s all of these different sub-genres and there’s really something for everyone, I think. And that’s been fun to just look at all of the different kinds of mysteries and their origins. And yeah, I feel like there’s still so much to learn. Right. Like it feels like every time we learn something or we research someone, there’s some more that that we uncover and think like, oh, we should talk about that or we should learn a little bit more about that. um So that’s been ah that’s been really fun. ah In terms of reading, I think I’m a more critical reader, but i I still really enjoy reading mystery. Right. i I haven’t, if anything, my love for the genre has deepened over the last couple of years that we’ve been talking about it. |
| Sarah | And in terms of writing, I hope it’s helped my writing just to kind of understand, because we’ve read so much, um just understanding structure a little bit better and kind of what readers are expecting. And um yeah, I think it’s, I’d like to think that it’s that it’s helped that. |
| Brook | Our next question came in from Teresa Peschel, and she and her husband, Bill, are the authors of the book, Agatha Christie, she watched, and it has recently been nominated for an Anthony Award. So, congratulations to the Peschles. Her question for us is, are you purists when novels are made into films, such as ranging from keeping the names to changing the murderer’s identity? Where do you fall on that line? |
| Sarah | This is a good question. I think um I came to appreciate why some of those changes are made after we had our conversation with Mark Grenside about adaptations and that either you know we if it’s a story that’s been adapted several times, you know the you can’t retell it exactly as it’s as it’s been done. um And there are just, you know, really valid reasons for making changes to the way a mystery is is um produced on screen. |
| Sarah | I would struggle if the identity of the murderer changed because I think then you’re telling a completely different story, but, um, changing the era in which the story is told, I think that can work, can work really, really well. Um, so I’m not, uh, I think I’m not as much of a purist as I used to be. I’m, I understand and appreciate why those changes are made. What about you? |
| Brook | For sure. I think the show and what we’ve learned has, that’s one way that we’ve been influenced and kind of goes back to Manon’s question because I was a very staunch purist. Like it would bother me if, you know, it’s the, the book was better, right? That, that kind of feeling if you you’re watching a movie and it’s, it’s not the same um but we’ve learned so much about why ah we also discovered that for instance in the Agatha Christie um stories some of the super superintendent battle stories for instance were made into TV adaptations with Miss Marple as the sleuth and where that would have probably irked me before. Now I understand why because you need to have your audience buy in and you know the the characters are important and the reason why people want to watch that story. So there’s so many different layers of why they may um change something up for an adaptation. |
| Brook | Uh, so I have gotten to be a little bit less strict. And, and I think to that point, I can say that I really, really enjoyed the movie a haunting in Venice, uh, which was they say based on Halloween party, which we discussed in depth is, was not exactly based, but it definitely was inspired by, and you could see those threads of connection and, um, and I can enjoy those things now. |
| Brook | Well, we have a comment from Carmen and we want to thank her for, for writing in. And Carmen is a fan of Sarah’s series and she congratulates us on our 100th episode. And she says, have a great summer. I’m waiting to reconnect with my old friends, Jack and Riley. And let me just second Carmen’s comment. Cause I am too, Sarah. |
| Sarah | Well, ah thank you, Brook. And thank you, Carmen. There will be another book coming out this fall featuring Jack and Riley. And yeah, I’m looking forward to people having a chance to read that. So thank you. |
| Sarah | One thing that I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I’ve been inspired to try different genres as a result of our podcast. And you and I are doing that together, writing a mystery where we’re sharing it as we write it with ah members of the Clueden cartel. And but tell me about what that experience has been like for you. Yeah. So, but you know, that’s something that I don’t think we anticipated doing when we started, we were starting a podcast, right? But as we, um, you know, got to know one another and realized, you know, how really similarly we construct a story as long as far as like the process, we were like, Hey, let’s give this a try. And let’s give this treat to people who subscribe to our Cartel. Um, |
| Brook | It’s been a lot of fun, ah probably less nerve wracking than I thought it was going to be. Like it scared me a lot thinking of like letting first draft material go out to the world, so to speak. ah I definitely think I feel less scared because I have a partner. like If I was all by myself, I think I’d be even a more ah more timid about it. But knowing that somebody um like you, who I really enjoy their writing and trust their judgments, like you’re collaborating with me. So I know that it’s going to be it’s going to be good, what we what we send out. I agree, Brook. I think it’s much easier to do it because I know that you’re doing it with me. |
| Sarah | It has been so fun to see where you take, you know, if I’ve written written a scene and left the story in one place, it’s so fun to see where you then pick it up and take it. And, you know, it’s kind of like I’m reading it. I guess we are each other’s very first readers in this case. And yeah, it’s been it’s been lots of fun. But like you said, this wasn’t something that we set out initially to do. um No. But it’s just been a ah really nice evolution. |
| Brook | I agree. ah Yes, our method of collaboration, I think everybody who collaborates on a story does it a little bit differently. um And so ours is I think very unique. And if you’re interested in learning more about How we do this I would encourage you to join the cartel first of all so you can be in on the story But I think we’ll also do a an episode down the road, don’t you think, Sarah about how we do this and maybe talk to somebody else who likes to collaborate on mysteries? |
| Sarah | Yeah, I think that would be a fantastic idea ah and there are yeah There are some others who are co-writing mysteries. It would be great to bring someone else on to talk about their experience. |
| Brook | And along that line, I would just like to take a minute to thank all of the amazing um people who have come on as guests to our show. I can remember the very first time that we were sending out invitations to be guests on the show. And we didn’t know if anyone would say yes, but we’ve had fantastic luck. People have been so warm and um excited to come on the show. And it’s probably one of the biggest thrills is meeting with these other people who love mystery and are literal experts in their um in their field. |
| Sarah | Oh, definitely, Brook. It has been so fun to meet other mystery fans and talk about mystery with them. Uh, whether it’s, you know, whether we’ve brought them on the show or they’ve connected with us, uh, through email or through Instagram. |
| Brook | Um, yeah, that’s been a lot of fun. Definitely. So if you’re listening to this episode on July 9th, this afternoon, we’ll be doing our very first Instagram live event. |
| Sarah | That’s right, Brook, we are going to be live on screen at around four o’clock this afternoon, assuming we can figure out which buttons to press. And we will answer a few more questions and yeah, just talk a little bit more about mystery. |
| Brook | Yes, we would love you all to come to our little celebration party this afternoon and spoiler, Sarah and I have questions for each other. |
| Sarah | So I’m looking forward to it, Brook. I think it’ll, I i think that will be lots of fun. And then we’ll be taking a little bit of a break. over the summer and we’ll be back with new episodes ah in late August, early September. |
| Brook | That’s right. So thanks Sarah. This has been so much fun and thank you listeners for joining us today on Clued in Mystery. I’m Brook. |
| Sarah | And I’m Sarah and we both love mystery. |
| Sarah | Clued In Mystery is written and produced by Brook Peterson and Sarah M. Stephen. Music is by Shane Ivers. If you liked what you heard, please consider telling a friend, leaving a review, or subscribing with your favorite podcast listening app. Visit our website at cluedinmystery.com to sign up for our newsletter, The Clued In Chronicle, or to join our paid membership, The Clued In Cartel. We’re on social media at Clued In Mystery. |
