This month, specifically August 2nd 2023, is the five year anniversary of me starting this website. When I wrote my first post, it was with the intention of embarking on a fun project that would take my mind off the stress of being in grad school and help get my writing juices flowing while working on my thesis. Now, five years later, this website has become much more than that and I am so pleased to see that this “fun project” has become an established resource for other fans of Murder, She Wrote and mysteries.
Since my previous anniversary post, I have continued with my goal of compiling Murder, She Wrote trivia by completing several posts I’m particularly pleased with:
- Recreating Jessica Fletcher’s Kitchen
- What is Jessica Fletcher typing?
- 8 episodes that reveal Jessica Fletcher’s life history
- Mendocino as Cabot Cove in “Sticks and Stones”
- Mendocino as Cabot Cove in “Joshua Peabody Died Here…Possibly”
- As well as close looks at the first and second Murder, She Wrote computer game
With that said, since finally finishing my thesis and entering the workforce, I haven’t been able to post as frequently and expand the website as much as I would like. When I started blogging, I wanted to post twice per week. But over the last year, it’s been a struggle just posting twice per month. This has become particularly difficult since I started a temporary full-time job contract in May. Since then, while I have certainly started many new blog posts, I simply haven’t been able to find the mental energy to complete them.
While I am incredibly thrilled whenever I happen upon someone mentioning this website online, it does make me regret not being able to put in as much work into this website as I’d like. It is for this reason that I decided that, once my current full-time job contract ends in September, I will finally try my hand at blogging full time. While I’m not sure if I’ll be doing this forever — and in fact I may need to go back and re-enter the traditional work-force in a year or two — I do know that I have to take this opportunity now.
In addition to my many blog post ideas, I would love to finally work on a few larger sub-projects. Specifically:
- A digital recreation/adaptation of the Murder, She Wrote board game.
- A travel/guide book to Murder, She Wrote filming locations.
- Printable dust jackets recreating the covers of Jessica Fletcher’s books.
I’m curious to find out what you think about these ideas, so please let me know in the comments! And if you have any additional ideas you think I could pursue as part of this website project, I’d be interested to hear them, too!
Additionally, if you would like to see me continue expanding this website, you can support me in various ways.
You can Buy Me a Coffee via my Ko-fi page, you can shop for some downloadable content via my Ko-fi shop, you can browse and shop via my Amazon idea lists, or you can purchase various fan art designs on products available on my Redbubble and my Teepublic shop.
The newest item added to my shop is this design meant to be used as a dishwasher magnet to indicate whether the machine is full of dirty dishes or whether they’re clean and it’s ready to be emptied.
(Note: the above image includes a watermark intended to prevent it from being copied. The actual product will not include the watermark.)
To anybody who reads this: thank you for being a blog reader and website visitor!
Murder, She Watched 
Happy Anniversary!
Life gets in the way of the fun stuff. Whatever and whenever you do, it’s appreciated!
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I believe I am getting this post because, last month or so, I left a question about another detective series and thought this notice might be your answer.
I can’t recall the specific inquiry now, but hopefully in scanning recent comments to your mystery blogs, you may come across it with an answer.
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Happy Anniversary! Thank you for putting in the time it takes to create and update this blog. I used to watch MSW during its original run on tv. I now have the box set of the entire series on DVD and usually watch a couple of episodes (in order, of course) on the weekends. I always come to your site after I have watched an episode to read what you wrote and to find out the name of an actor that looks familiar, but I just can’t remember their name.
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Just keep doing what you plan to do. We all appreciate your work and are thrilled when we see you have posted something new. Also, your research is perfect and will always be available. Than you for your interest and hard work.
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Hi! I think you should definitely include ideas/ thoughts about Jessica’s 1980’s clothing!
Her pretty stitched sweaters – maybe where to buy some of the items today! LLBean – a Maine tradition!
Good luck!
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Thanks for your suggestion Amelia! I’ve so far refrained from doing this because there have been other bloggers and social media accounts who have already tried documenting her style. But perhaps I will look into it over the coming year.
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Hi Joanna, I saw this some time ago (I didn’t think it was August 2023 but maybe!) I have been thinking that the one thing I would adore if you could do it, would be interviews with living cast members and members of the production team of the show (example Bryan Rodgers of the show’s production design team is still with us and occasionally comments as a member of the Jessica Fletcher – Murder She Wrote FB group. He’s shared pictures and memories of working on the show. These precious gems should be preserved and your thorough blog is the best place for that.) Also, Michael Horton commented today on your post about the upcoming 40 year anniversary with the photo of he and his wife Debbie as Grady and Donna. What about an interview with him? You could reach out to him, and maybe prepare questions like What do you remember about how the show was made? What was it like working with Angela Lansbury, William Windom, Tom Bosley and Peter Fischer? Not to mention the old movie stars like Dorothy L’Amour, Janet Leigh, Gale Storm, Eugene Roche, etc. Keep in mind that Michael had been a recurring cast member in Peter Fischer’s previous one hour mystery series The Eddie Capra Mysteries so they must have known each other well, and most of the Eddie Capra actors like star Vincent Baggetta were on MSW repeatedly. So his experiences on both shows would be relevant. Anyways I hope you see this and give it some thought. You have mentioned the website Jes.Maine.tripod, otherwise known as The Definitive MSW web page which is sadly not updated any more, and I hope you continue to salvage the great info that person compiled. He was the only one who bothered interviewing Peter Fischer (it’s on YouTube) and while I understand there were creative differences, he created the show and character of Jessica Fletcher. I feel we are missing an opportunity as more people discover MSW every day, to ask those still living who remember what it was like to make it and can answer questions fans are always asking about. Hundreds of cast members are still alive, so think about it, your blog is the perfect place for these interviews to live for years to come.
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