Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in Volume 2 of our yearly anthology.
Today, Andre DeCuir is sharing what inspired his story “The Body in the Bog.”
My story is set in the middle ages, 12th century, I would say, as I have always been interested in the literature and art of the period. When murder mysteries happen to be set in the middle ages, then I am extremely interested. I have read the works of Ellis Peters and Margaret Frazer, and their works have inspired me to try my hand at a medieval murder mystery. I thought about a royal valet as a possible protagonist because in helping a royal person look his best in public, he would have to have a keen eye for detail, a skill that would be most helpful in solving crimes as well.
I recently became interested in the poetry of Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who has written poems based upon the discovery of “bog bodies,” bodies of medieval people almost perfectly preserved because of the makeup of the bogs. These two interests were combined in the story “The Body in the Bog,” a story that I would call a medieval “cold case”!
Andre DeCuir’s work has appeared in publications such as Adelaide Literary Journal, Blink-Ink, Heron Tree, Mystery Tribune, Shotgun Honey, Origami Poems Project, Gay Flash Fiction, Dialogual, and The Rose and Thorn Journal.
Thank you for sending us your story, Andre! We know people will love reading it as much as we have.
In the meantime, don’t forget to order your copy of A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 2.
Cendrine & David
