Jessica Fletcher Made Me Do It

Creating a cozy mystery scavenger hunt during a difficult season.

This story starts back when I was pregnant.

I was five months pregnant and had just started a very unexpected early maternity leave. I was the only one in the house who was physically incapable of going to work, walking around, and sometimes even getting out of bed.

I was miserable.

By nature, I’m a very active person. My pregnancy made that hard. All I could do for the most part was sit down and put my legs up.

I tried to teach myself how to sew. I stared at the wall. And I watched a lot of television.

One show that I became seriously addicted to was Murder, She Wrote.

There’s a Samsung channel dedicated to the series on our TV, and one day I sat down and watched it. At first, I found the main character, Jessica Fletcher, to be a bit of a busybody, always in other people’s business.

But the more I watched, the more I fell in love with the wholesome small-town (and, at times, international) quirkiness of the show.

It had all my favorite hallmarks: murder, cozy mystery, comic relief.

But most importantly, there was a staunch sense of morality and a clear compass for right and wrong.

Someone had done something terrible. Jessica would figure it out. Eventually, the truth would come out.

I really needed that stability during that time.

And for this reason, I fell in love with the show.

Then I Found the Jessica Jog

It wasn’t until I had my son that I found out about the Jessica Jog.

It’s an event in California where fans of the show dress up as Jessica Fletcher and run around some of the popular filming locations.

I was obsessed.

And immediately, I wanted to recreate the event on the East Coast, in my own small, sleepy town.

There was just one problem.

Running is not my thing.

So I imagined a walk event.

But then I thought:

Why not have a cozy mystery scavenger hunt?

I took my idea and ran with it.

From an Idea to an Actual Event

I created an outline of everything I needed to do and when I needed to have it done, and I got to work.

I started planning this in May. Since then, I’ve been writing, editing, designing materials, coordinating with local businesses, and figuring out all of the little details that turn an idea into an actual event.

At first, it was just an idea in my head.

Then there were story lines and aesthetic concepts.

Then there were clue cards, flyers, envelopes, promotional materials, emails, and conversations with local businesses.

Slowly, the thing that had existed only in my imagination started becoming physical.

And then I received some bad news.

When Life Gets Dark

I found out that my mother’s health had taken another turn.

She’s okay right now, but there’s no telling how her illness will affect her or how much time she has.

And that was a really hard pill to swallow.

I stopped working on the event and spiraled a little. I started to realize how scary it was to lose your mother, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

But life goes on.

I knew that if she knew what I was doing, she would be proud. She wouldn’t want me to stop everything on her behalf, so I kept going.

I coordinated with local businesses.

I printed flyers.

I arranged promotional and event materials.

The whole thing was starting to feel real.

I felt a sense of immense pride and resilience.

But most of all, when things became too much for me or when I felt like I couldn’t handle it, I thought about my mother.

I imagined being able to tell her about everything I’d done, the businesses I’d contacted, the materials I’d made, the strange little mystery I’d created, and I knew she’d push me to keep going.

So I kept going.

I passed out more flyers, and became closer to making this event a reality.

Finding Joy Anyway

And while I know she isn’t at the capacity to be a part of it in the way I would like, I know she’ll be there with me in some way, as I move through all the quirky, cozy, and mysterious things I’ve created.

Because that’s what this event has become for me.

It’s not just a scavenger hunt.

It’s a reminder that even when life gets dark, I can still make something joyful.

I can still have fun.

I can still create.

I can still take one more step forward.

And maybe that’s what I love most about cozy mysteries in the first place.

The world can be strange. People can be complicated. Terrible things can happen.

But there’s still a mystery to solve.

There’s still a story to tell.

And, eventually, there’s still a way forward.

So, on October 17, I’ll be taking that next step.

I hope you’ll join me.

🕵🏾‍♀️ The Cozy Mystery Walk

October 17 • Downtown

Come investigate the clues, visit local businesses, and see if you can solve the mystery.