The photo above is of the ballroom of Mar Lodge estate in Scotland. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? You can almost imagine some fairytale figures–maybe Beauty and the Beast–twirling around the ballroom floor under the lights, and vines, and wait–take a closer look.
Hmm. Maybe a little more like something out of the first season of True Detective–missing you, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson–where the Yellow King might hang out. Still an amazing room in a beautiful place, but just a touch more creepy. And yes, I know this room is a celebration of culture, but hey, I write thrillers.
It doesn’t take much for my mind to travel to dark, creepy places. Sometimes if I’m taking a walk along say a river bank, I’ll see a spot where I think a body might wash up and snap a photo. I try to pretend I’m being artistic, but my family knows I’m just trying to get the details right. If you’re going to murder someone (in the literary sense), you need to get the details right. You owe it to your readers. That and a certain creep factor.
You don’t have to go to Mar Lodge to find creepiness in every day life. Your own backyard will do. It’s all in the details.
Sarah Cain 