It has never been any secret that I have a certain dauntless penchant for Hallmark’s Signature Mysteries, and one of those new series happens to be The Chronicle Mysteries, starring the inimitable Ali Sweeney. Thanks to her relentless promotion for this series, I was able to connect with the writer of these amazing films, Melissa Salmons. She and I spoke right after the first in the series (Recovered) premiered, and I am ecstatic to share her informative, engaging thoughts in anticipation of the third episode (Vines That Bind) which will premiere on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this evening (March 3rd)!

RH: Melissa, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be chatting with you! 

MS: Ruth, thank you for reaching out. From what I can see, you are one of the “uberest” Hallmark fans there is. Thank you for supporting us all so much. It’s really lovely.

{laughing} It’s my pleasure, and I really enjoy it. And really, the mysteries are my favorites. I’ve been so excited to see all these new mystery series that Hallmark has been producing this year. I loved Murder, She Baked, but then it’s been great to have this new series for Ali Sweeney as well.

Oh, yeah! It’s been an absolute joy to work with her on this new series.

I agree that she is amazing!

with Ali

She is great in a lot of ways. I have known her a long time. In fact, if you’ll allow me to toot her horn a little bit…I met her when she was doing Days Of Our Lives. that was back when I was writing on that soap. I was so impressed with her because after twenty plus years, it’s very easy for people to begin to phone it in or just not be able to bring the same enthusiasm and energy to work. But she was amazing. You don’t usually meet actors as a writer on the soaps, but I was so happy. I wanted to get to know her ’cause you could watch her on the feed when they’re shooting, and the energy, the focus, the dedication, the “let’s make it work” energy from her on a set that can be so challenging with the relentlessness of the schedule…she was just great. And we really clicked. We’ve been working together ever since. I wrote the script for The Irresistible Blueberry Farm and the last Murder, She Baked. And also the Christmas movie, Christmas At Holly Lodge. And I’m so happy she wanted to do this mystery series.

So you got started in the business writing soap operas?

Yes, I wrote soap operas for many, many years. Days was my last soap job. I’ve written for a whole host of them. Twenty plus years myself. That’s what I got paid for.

So was it at Ali’s request that she wanted to work with you on these Hallmark projects?

Yes, she brought me in for The Irresistible Blueberry Farm. We really enjoyed working together, and we had a great shorthand. I respect her story sense and her ideas, and she respects mine. And it just works.

Ali seems really good at bringing in those people that she enjoys working with. I have heard that from her co-workers. In fact, I talked with Dave Collette, and he told me about how he only worked on her Christmas movie and how they didn’t even share any scenes together. But he told me how she remembered him and brought him in for this series. 

Rebecca Staab, Dave Collette Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Farah Nosh

Well, here’s the thing. Ali is a producer with a capital “P.” That’s not a vanity credit. We both watch all the dailies. She’s part of the editing process and ADR. She picks the person who does the soundtrack. She’s an incredibly hands-on and gifted producer. With Dave, it didn’t have to do with whether they had scenes or not together. We had seen his audition, and I fell in love with him too. He is so great. That kind of a role, you have to have somebody with just the right touch to get it right, and he was so great. When we started working on Chronicle Mysteries, as we started thinking about the character of Chuck, we realized this character was someone who had been downsized from a previous job, and they were working on their second plan B. The idea of having somebody with Dave’s energy and humor about it made it seem so great. His character is a counter to the typical stereotype when you think of people who have to come into a second career. He was so wonderful.

Rebecca Staab had played the mother in The Irresistible Blueberry Farm, and she played her in such a delicate way! I love her so much, and I was very happy we were able to get her for this series. And with Toby {Levins}…I wrote Holly Lodge for Toby ’cause I loved his work as well. These things have to happen so fast, and when you know you’ve got someone who is guaranteed to deliver and is going to be great to work with…I think that matters a lot with Ali. And it certainly does with me too.

And I know we were so happy with the first Chronicle Mysteries to see Lisa {Durupt} back.

Yes, that was something else we talked about because we loved her! I wrote the last Murder, She Baked series, and I had watched a lot of that series. I loved her and Toby together, which you obviously can’t do in this series. There is a limit. But I do feel like in a way that Hallmark has a sort of company of players, and that makes casting these films such a treat!

Cameron Mathison, Alison Sweeney Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

I know a lot of people were very disappointed that Murder, She Baked ended. And I know there are people who are still missing the series even though Chronicle is doing so well right now. I know not everyone is quite over the whole Murder, She Baked cancellation.

Well, we hope to be able to get them completely over it. But I am glad people loved Murder, She Baked. I know it was a popular series.

I will tell you honestly that I have moved on because I understand that things happen, and I am too busy enjoying this series that is here right now. I really only discovered Ali through Hallmark. I didn’t grow up watching soap operas. Love On the Air was my introduction to her. 

She had a great performance in that. I loved her performance in that one!

What excited me was that as I’ve been following Ali, I had noticed how she had started over the past couple of years really having that passion for true crime podcasts. So when The Chronicle Mysteries was announced, I thought it made perfect sense! 

I did too. Originally, when we started talking about a series, I came up with Harrington and the world of the newspaper. When we were talking about the dynamics and I pitched all the characters and how we wanted a relationship between Drew and Alex, she dropped in one of her ideas. She said, “What if she’s a podcaster?” I was like, “Bing! Yes!” It was great and just made everything click.

The Chronicle Mysteries Cast

When I was watching the first one in the series, I could tell that as much as I loved her as Hannah, there was something different about her character Alex. You could tell that this role was so ideal for her.

Yes, we made this role for her.

And you could tell! You know, with Murder, She Baked, it was based on book characters, and not that it’s bad…Ali was perfect for that role…but there’s something different and you can tell when the role is actually created for the actress. There was something very special about this one, and I was very impressed.

Oh, thank you. I’m so excited. I’ve written for Ali for a long time, and I think there’s a definite advantage since I know her and I know what she can do. I know things she can do that the Hallmark audience hasn’t even seen yet.

I also liked it also because it was edgy, but it wasn’t too edgy. It pushes the boundaries a little and takes some risks, but it doesn’t push too far, and all the risks make sense. And having Lisa’s character alive at the end of the first film? That was a nice surprise. 

Alison Sweeney Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Dean Buscher

That’s great! You know, we would have hated if everyone had known exactly what was going to happen in act one. We want these to be action-packed mysteries. We want the viewers to be able to really dig into them and pay attention and follow the clues. I hope we keep everyone guessing till the end in all of them.

My mom and I both love the mysteries, and we typically watch them together. And we always try to figure out who did it.

Yeah, that’s great. Everybody tries to figure out who did it. That’s the game.

We really enjoyed it. And Ben{jamin Ayres} was fabulous too.

Isn’t he wonderful?

Oh yeah! And I know he is so excited about the series too. 

He’s such an asset. He was new to meI hadn’t seen him before he was brought in here, and it has been a real pleasure to watch him work and to see him settle into the role. And I think it’s only going to get better.

I think so too. We just had the second one last week, and our third and final one, for now, this weekend. And I know Dave told me that this third one, you go on a road trip. 

That is correct.

So that’s when I told him that what I’m pushing for is for this to be the first mystery series that films overseas. Hallmark does so many of these location movies, why not do a mystery one in Europe or Asia? 

{laughs} I’ll pack my bags immediately! I’d be happy to go overseas if that’s what they want to do!

Alison Sweeney, Benjamin Ayres Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Dean Buscher

Well, you can see how this series gives you the freedom to move around. You’re not stuck in one place. While there’s nothing wrong with being in a small town, you have more flexibility with a series like this one.

Right. We wanted to avoid the Cabot Cove dilemma. Having watched Ali through the Murder, She Baked series, when we started talking about Chronicle, there were some very specific things we wanted to work around creatively if possible that often naturally happen in these mysteries.  And the confines of a small town was one of them. If you’re in this small town, then you’ve got a town full of victims and killers.

Right, and I know those do work, but it’s always nice to have something a little bit different. 

Hallmark is doing a lot of these mysteries right now, and as much as possible, if we can bring a new perspective and a little twist, we’re happy to do it. We do want our mystery to have its own distinctive voice.

I understand there are more of these in the works.

I am just finishing number four right now.

That’s great! Hopefully, you guys will have a really long run. 

From your lips…we hope! As long as people like them, I think we’ll be happy to make them.

From what I read, a lot of people seemed to really like them. And even those who aren’t sure about them yet, because Ali’s in it, people are willing to jump in with an open mind. 

We hope that everyone who watched Recovered will come back and watch the second and third installment. And that if anyone held back and wasn’t sure, we hope that word of mouth enticed them to give this series a try.

Benjamin Ayres, Alison Sweeney Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Farah Nosh

So I would assume that The Chronicle Mysteries series is keeping you busy.

They are! {laughs} The plan right now is to write four of them each year, so if that happens, that will keep me pretty busy. But I do have other projects of my heart that are totally not Hallmark projects. I’ll find some time to sneak in on them.

It’s so nice to hear from you, Melissa, since you are the writer of these projects. And from chatting with many actors, I don’t think they always get as much input as Ali does in the writing process, and that makes this even more exciting.

I know what you mean. Ali is an incredible producer, and for me as a writer, because Ali is so good, I welcome and beg for the input. And I think that’s part of the reason we work so well together. It is a true collaboration.

When these movies were being filmed, did you visit the set?

Chronicle Mysteries

I came up for the prep on Recovered, the first one. I stayed for a couple of days of shooting. As an American producer, there are restrictions to how much time I can be on the set. But I watch the dailies every day. And I feel that having been there for prep was really my important contribution. It was fun to hear from the set designers and decorators. We spent a lot of time talking about what Uncle Miles would have in his office and what you want everything else to feel like. I was pleased to hear a couple of them say to me, “It’s so helpful to hear from the writer,” as opposed to, “Oh my gosh, what’s that woman doing here?” {laughs} And as far as the dog goes, I made it clear that I wanted him to have a baronial perch dog bed, and the first time I saw his sofa, I just howled! I laugh every time he goes to his bed! It was so perfect and funny. He’s a great dog too.

I always love the inclusion of these animals in the Hallmark projects. 

When I was researching small-town newsrooms, I came across a photo of this newsroom in a small town in Iowa where the paper had actually won a Pulitzer. In the photos, there was a picture of the owner’s dog there at his feet, and I thought, “Yeah! That would be good! We need a dog!”

Melissa, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to chat with me. 

My pleasure, Ruth. I hope everyone tunes in for the third one tonight, and here’s to many more in the future.

Listening to Melissa “gush” about Ali Sweeney and all the other actors included in this series definitely made this a memorable interview for me, while also giving me quite a positive opinion about Melissa and her incredible career. In today’s frenetic entertainment universe, Melissa would unquestionably have the right to spend her time highlighting her own contributions to the industry, but in truth, she was more focused on the accomplishments and contributions of everyone else. And I seem to think that is why she and Ali work so effortlessly together. She and Ali both are decidedly humble and immeasurably gifted, and there is no doubt those are the main ingredients of their winning collaborations. Having Melissa detail just how hard Ali works as an executive producer is something that doesn’t surprise me, but assuredly aids me in understanding why her projects always tend to succeed. Anyone who is that invested in a production while continuing to give one hundred and ten percent (and beyond) is going to experience this degree of success even if she does not receive the same kind of acclamation as the A-listers in Hollywood might. Moreover, the fact that Melissa actually respects and values Ali’s contributions is further proof of the phenomenal writer she is. Not all writers would be nearly as open-minded to listening to the lead actor share his/her ideas, and I sense that I begin to understand the incomparable recipe for success these two dauntless females have concocted over the years.

I hope that everyone in the U.S. tunes into the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Network today (March 3rd) for the conclusion of the limited series run of Chronicle Mysteries (Canadian audiences will have the opportunity to see this series on the Bravo Network in April). Additionally, I would invite my readers to click on Melissa’s links below and follow her on Twitter (she does do some live tweeting during the premieres, so be on the lookout!). The idea that Chronicle Mysteries may produce four episodes a year is something that thrills me to no end, and I can hardly wait to see the exhilarating progression of this remarkable mystery series!

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