Jule Selbo

JULY 6, 2026

YEAH!   6 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery will be winging its way out into the world SOON!

To take a short break before I move onto 5 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery,  I have been reading a lot of short mystery/crime fiction (less that 10,000 words). Here’s what I am finding that I respond to as a reader and I would love for you to add your thoughts/opinions and “druthers” to this.  I love this form, and it’s all subjective – right? But I wonder where we agree or disagree.

Here’s my list. Can you add or subtract?  I know we all have different preferences.

1. Characters have to draw me in.
2. Plot is not enough
   1. Intricate plotting (too much focus on the procedural elements) is not what I respond to.
   2. I get frustrated if the crime or mystery is not foreshadowed or introduced by the second page of a short story. Not sure why.
   3. Character description and backstory hold my attention for only so long, I want to know why I am reading the story. What’s the mystery? What’s the crime?
   4. I admit I am an impatient person but since these are short stories, is it necessary to “get on with it”?
3. The differences between complicated and complex in the art of storytelling have become clearer to me.
   1. Unbelievable or outrageous machinations of planning and/or executing a crime are not necessary or appreciated by me.
4. Stakes that are of a personal nature to the main character (s) is (are) a must.
   1. Presenting the crime/mystery more as a puzzle for the reader (and not for the protagonist) is not as attractive to me as being a reader in the passenger seat while the protagonist drives the way to the solve.
      1. This was a bit of a revelation to me. I didn’t know I would have that bias.
5. Wordsmithing impresses me.
   1. A well-built sentence with a metaphor or simile that surprises or makes me think is appreciated.
   2. Pacing and great word choices? Kudos!
   3. But simplicity and clarity – kudos too.
   4. But my head can be turned (and my heart warmed) by a bit of wordsmithing
6. Interesting formatting gets good marks if the story remains clear.
   1. Story is revealed through a series of letters? Emails? Texts? Bulletin boards? Graffiti? I take my hat off if it’s pulled off successfully.
7. Humor? Not necessary it but can add some good flavor.
   1. Sarcasm? Sure.
   2. Personal views of the protagonist or another character that make me smile or agree or disagree – sure.
8. Horror? Real horror (an evil that can’t be stopped or mitigated) can work well, but for me, that genre should come third in preponderance. I appreciate it if the crime and mystery genres take precedence.
9. A period piece? I love the addition of that element.
   1. Take me back in time.
   2. Shine a new light.
   3. Get into the heads of people who ventured through different times and politics and societal clutches.
10. Gravitas? A point to be made? An analogy for a current situation/problem?
    1. All good for me if the story and characters are not at the service of the writer’s opinion or political, religious or social beliefs. The characters and crime/mystery story need to be the main meal and let the gravitas be the gravy.

So excited for 6 DAYS!  Hope you all can read it and let me know!

The FIFTH (5th) book of the Dee Rommel Mystery series!

An ethereal beauty, heiress Freya Cummings hasn’t left her private island in Maine for over twenty years, not since she was thirteen. Her reclusive lifestyle is infamous. When a teenager files a maternity suit against her, and mysterious evidence seems damning, former policewoman and now private investigator, Dee Rommel, is hired. She travels up the coast from Portland to flesh out the truth, and as avenues of investigation are shut down, and New England’s blood banks are hacked, and bodies are found, Dee discovers dark secrets can create dangerous chaos for the families and for her own relationships.