0 s ▁she ▁had ▁many ▁low - pay ing ▁jobs , ▁including ▁work ▁in ▁a ▁private ▁investigation ▁firm , ▁and ▁spent ▁a ▁lot ▁of ▁time ▁writing ▁and ▁re - writing ▁a ▁M ob ▁comedy ▁called ▁Plan ▁B . ▁Her ▁screen play ▁was ▁option ed ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 7 , ▁and ▁was ▁made ▁into ▁a ▁movie ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 ▁( re leased ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 1 ). ▁Vari ety ▁Magazine ▁described ▁the ▁movie ▁as ▁" t ort ur ously ▁un fun ny ." ▁She ▁subsequently ▁produced ▁several ▁other ▁tent ative ▁screen plays , ▁but ▁none ▁were ▁picked ▁up . ▁Her ▁final ▁effort , ▁tent atively ▁titled ▁" The ▁Sp ell man ▁Files ", ▁was ▁also ▁rejected . ▁At ▁that ▁point , ▁L utz ▁realized ▁that ▁" the ▁story ▁really ▁needed ▁more ▁space ▁to ▁be ▁told ▁properly ," ▁and ▁decided ▁to ▁write ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁novel . ▁She ▁began ▁the ▁novel ▁while ▁still ▁living ▁in ▁California ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 , ▁then ▁decided ▁to ▁move ▁into ▁a ▁relative ' s ▁family ▁vac ation ▁home ▁in ▁up state ▁New ▁York ▁to ▁work ▁on ▁it ▁full - time . ▁She ▁returned ▁to ▁Seattle ▁to ▁write ▁her ▁second ▁Sp ell man ▁novel , ▁then ▁moved ▁to ▁San ▁Francisco , ▁where ▁she ▁lived ▁until ▁ 2 0 1 2 . ▁She ▁presently ▁lives ▁in ▁a ▁remote ▁area ▁of ▁up state ▁New ▁York . ▁ ▁Writing ▁Her ▁novel ▁series ▁describes ▁the ▁Sp ell mans , ▁a ▁family ▁of ▁private ▁investig ators