Blogs by Flo Fitzpatrick
Deadly Deja Vu - In Time for Halloween!
10/21/2025 5:56:49 AM
Zillow was the inspiration for Deadly Deja Vu, although I doubt having a mystery/romance novel was the intent of their listing!
I was in the process of looking for a place to live and still deciding whether to rent or buy. One afternoon, when BUY was the top choice, I’d put in the usual filters on the realty site: square footage (max and minimum), number of bedrooms and baths, property type, fenced-in yard for the dog. Just for kicks I tossed in, “waterfront”. Of course, waterfront can mean pretty much anything…ocean, river, lake, pond, stream, someone’s backyard swimming pool. But, when one fills in the little box on price (and one is poor) the search definitely narrows.
Two or three homes cropped up, most appeared to be summer vacation for folks interested in river activities. One interesting listing was for a house on a cul-de-sac in Coosa County. Cute. Definitely not huge…under 1200 square feet and clearly aimed at a vacation home for a fisherman. Open floor plan with a large living room/dining/kitchen area. One bedroom somewhere hidden in the back. Fabulous view of the Coosa River.
There was no way I was going to buy it. The price was right (cheap!) but it was too far from civilization, and while I’m pretty reclusive I do like having a Publix and an Aldis preferably within fifteen minutes of where I live. There was no fenced -in yard…which, admittedly, was an easy fix. It was, however, a bit too close to the river for comfort-the idea of snakes sharing the yard with the dog was not appealing.
Anyway…fast forward. I didn’t even bother to ask for a showing. But the place stayed in my head and I kept thinking, “It’s perfect as the location for a VERY reclusive writer who wants to hide out after some kind of traumatic experience.” Which led to me “What better time for a traumatic experience than Halloween?”
The title, oddly, has more of a “paranormal” sound than my actual paranormals, even though there’s no time traveling, reincarnation, or second sight in…uh…sight. The “deja vu” comes from the writer reliving the horrific events of a Halloween night five years earlier when she discovers her neighbors dead in the house next door to hers on a cul-de-sac overlooking the (fictitious) Moon Valley River.
Deadly…because it is. Five years earlier…the heroine’s parents and siblings. Present Halloween…the parents of a lonely seven-year old boy the heroine has befriended. All murdered in exactly the same manner.
I normally write in first person, so this is a bit different, but went with two points of view…the heroine, Natalie Willis, and the hero, Gil Acosta, Moon Valley’s new chief of police. And since Halloween has been more of a children’s holiday for many years, I added seven-year-old Aiden Hadley as the son of the murdered couple, who is in danger from the killers. He’s a cute, fun, kid and hopefully readers will be as invested in his safety and future as Natalie and Gil.
I tossed in the (very strong) possibility of romance between Natalie and Gil.
Created what I hope are a few eccentric residents along the Coosa River.
I added in some really bad, scary, villainous types (!) and tried to ensure a Halloween spooky atmosphere would come across without turning a mystery/romance into a horror novel! 🙂
Trick R Treat, anyone?
Deadly Deja Vu bit.ly/4qlluba
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