Ever been in a theme park at night? When it’s dark and deserted? Would that make a great setting for a
mystery/suspense novel?
Early in my career I was an ad copywriter for
Knott’s Berry Farm, the large Southern California theme park. Long before I ever wrote a mystery, I was an avid mystery reader. One evening as the park was closing I strolled
down one of the make-believe streets at Knott’s and heard footsteps behind me, the
sound echoing off the false-front buildings. I stepped around a corner, paused, and was
relieved to see a park employee I knew.
It gave me an idea.
Years later, after working for newspapers, writing
business books and teaching, I started to write my first mystery. It would be set in a theme park. But what kind? Disneyland has explored so many possibilities
already and parks such as Six Flags that just emphasize high-speed
rollercoasters didn’t interest me.
Historical villages such as Virginia’s Colonial
Williamsburg had possibilities. You wandered
the streets from the 18th century and pretended you were back in time. But what if you could explore recent history,
a time some people remembered. The good
old days of 1970s rock ’n’ roll, bell bottoms and classic cars? Now there was an idea.
I started building the theme park in my head. It had to be realistic and believable. It
would be the setting for a series of novels, the second one of which, Desert Kill Switch, was just released.
I created a former Las Vegas hotel mogul as the
developer and set the park in northern Arizona fittingly near a section of old Route
66, the old “Mother Road” of songs and stories.
With construction overseen by a Ph.D. in history and culture, Nostalgia
City took shape. It became a meticulous
re-creation of a 1970s town.
Streets were filled with shops and restaurants
such as J.J. Newberry and drive-in burger joints. Visitors could rent classic Mustangs or other
muscle cars to drive around the new town.
Movie theatres offered titles such as “Jaws” and “The Sting.” Employees wore period clothes are were
prohibited from carrying cell phones or anything else that contradicted the
dates on the park’s calendars. Park
staff, such as cab driver Lyle Deming—one of my protagonists—talked to guests
as if it really was 1975 and Gerald
Ford was president.
And the music.
The Eagles, John Denver, the Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt. All of these
artists and more would be heard in record shops and over KBOP, the Nostalgia City
radio station.
It all worked.
Until someone sabotaged a park ride killing tourists. The mysteries began.
Mark S. Bacon began his career as a southern California newspaper police reporter, one of his crime stories becoming key evidence in a murder case that spanned decades.
After working for two newspapers, he moved to advertising and marketing when he became a copywriter for Knott’s Berry Farm, the large theme park down the freeway from Disneyland. Experience working at Knott’s formed part of the inspiration for his creation of Nostalgia City theme park.
Before turning to fiction, Bacon wrote business books including one for John Wiley & Sons Publishers that was printed in four languages and three editions, named best business book of the year by Library Journal, and selected by the Book of the Month Club and two other book clubs. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post,Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Antonio Express News,Denver Post, and many other publications. Most recently he was a correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Desert Kill Switch is the second book in the Nostalgia City mystery series that began with Death in Nostalgia City, an award winner at the 2015 San Francisco Book Festival. The third book in the series will be published soon.
Bacon is the author of flash fiction mystery books including, Cops, Crooks and Other Stories in 100 Words. He taught journalism as a member of the adjunct faculty at Cal Poly University – Pomona, University of Redlands, and the University of Nevada - Reno. He earned an MA in mass media from UNLV and a BA in journalism from Fresno State.
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Website and social media:
Twitter: @baconauthor
Google plus: https://plus.google.com/+MarkBaconwriter
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