A Risk Worth Taking: A Guest Post by Lyla Lane

Laughs, chaos and small-town secrets simmer under the Texas heat when Cordelia inherits a motel that’s anything but ordinary… along with a murder investigation. Can this unlikely detective catch the killer before it’s too late? Read on for an exclusive essay from author Lyla Lane on writing The Best Little Motel in Texas.

The idea for The Best Little Motel in Texas came to me two years ago when I did a Dolly Parton movie marathon, which included the irreverent musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I’ve always admired the country music icon for her support of children’s literacy, but I never realized what a comedic genius she was until I watched this movie. She made the role of Miss Mona sparkle with the effortless charm she wears like a second skin. While I became enchanted with the way she and Burt Reynolds played off each other, I thought about what the movie would be like if it were remade today, and how Dolly Parton could still carry the film with same effervescence.

This, of course, got my writer-brain whirring. I’d been reading a lot of cozy mysteries at the time, and really loved how fresh and modern they felt, with the kind of cheeky dark humor that speaks to my soul. I started dreaming up a cozy mystery of my own set in a brothel, but one populated with women in their 60’s. The kind of place Miss Mona would’ve run well into her senior years if her chicken ranch hadn’t been shut down.

It was the perfect setting for hijinks and intrigue.

From there, I crafted who would be the madam of my golden working girls, and decided the perfect counter to my brash and bawdy trio would be someone their polar opposite. A young, reserved, inexperienced, and cautious librarian. They were the perfect match. But I still hesitated to begin writing. This idea that I came up with was completely bonkers. It was a big risk to write something so far outside my usual wheelhouse.

But then during the summer of 2024 I went on a life-changing retreat to Banff, Canada with a group of authors who have seen me through every up and down in publishing. I shared my pitch with them and then gritted my teeth, wondering if this idea had legs or if it was one of those wild story ideas that would lose steam after a chapter or two. The reaction was immediate. Every single one of them loved the idea. They thought it was the perfect direction for my career, and even though it was outside my wheelhouse, it was still a “me” idea. The kind of story that would allow me to build a found family, blend humor with heart, and celebrate women at all stages of life.

The day I arrived home, I opened my laptop and began writing the first chapter, and the story just flowed out of me. It was fun and ambitious and buzzed with joy, just like the women in my book. It felt good to spend time with characters I wished I could spend time with in real life. And it was a timely reminder to me that the best experiences always begin with a risk worth taking.