Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Creative Commons

2012-02-08T21:33:00.001-05:00

The following is a fascinating article by author James Hutchings. I was pleased when he contacted me because this topic is something that I've seen discussed within a lot of writer discussion groups. It's the topic of licensing, giving work away for free, and other related concepts. The topic interests me greatly. Whether you agree or disagree, I hope it interests you, too.

Creative Commons

James Hutchings

Many writers, whether published or just starting out, are very nervous that someone else will steal their work, whether that be another writer using their ideas in their own stories, or someone making pirated copies of their books. When I put out a collection of my writing, I specifically gave permission for anyone at all to copy my ideas, or even to cut and paste whole stories. I also contacted the Pirate Party, a worldwide network that wants to lessen copyright, and told them that I was giving anyone permission to put my ebook on file-sharing sites. In this post I hope to show why I went against common wisdom.

Creative Commons
I used a free service called Creative Commons. Creative Commons is useful for people who want to give the general public permission to use their work, but with restrictions. In my case, I didn't mind people using my work for non-profit purposes, such as posting on a blog, but I didn't want to allow anyone to make money off it. Similarly I wanted anyone who used it to give me credit. I could have just listed these things myself. However I'm not a lawyer, and perhaps I would have worded it wrong so that someone could twist what I said to do more than I meant. Also I could have been unclear about what I was allowing and what I wasn't allowing. Sure, someone could email me and ask, but the whole purpose of having a written statement is so that people don't have to ask.

Creative Commons has a series of different licenses, which give permission to do different things. They're all legally 'tight', and they're all summarized in plain language. So all you have to do is go to their site and answer a series of questions, to get to the license that does what you want. In my case I used the Attribution Non-Commercial License.

Why?
That's what I did. But why? Common sense would suggest that I'm giving something away for free that I could be selling. However I believe that, in the long run, I'll be better off. The main reason is that I've seen how many people are, like me, trying to get their writing out there. Go to Smashwords and have a look at the latest ebooks. Then refresh the page ten minutes later, and you'll probably see a whole new lot. The problem that new writers face isn't that people want to steal your work; it's getting anyone to show an interest in your work at all. If someone passes on a pirated copy of my work, it might get to someone who's prepared to buy it - and that someone would probably have never heard of me otherwise. Even if they don't want to pay for what they read, I might come out with something else in the future, and perhaps paying 99c for it will be easier than hunting it down on a file-sharing site.

Science fiction writer Andrew Burt tells the story of someone who disliked his book, and to get back at him decided to put a copy on a file-sharing site. The effect was that he got a small 'spike' in sales immediately afterwards.

I also have some less selfish motives. Many people would assume that the purpose of copyright is to protect authors and creators. Leaving aside the fact that someone else often ends up with the rights (how many Disney shareholders created any of the Disney characters? How many shareholders in Microsoft have ever written a line of code?), that doesn't seem to have been the intention in the past. The US Constitution says that Congress has the power "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Note that protecting 'intellectual property' isn't mentioned. The authors of the Constitution seemed to see the point as getting ideas out there where people can use them: almost the exact opposite of keeping them 'safe' and 'protected'.

The original idea of copyright seems to have been a sort of deal: you have an idea, and we want you to get it out into the world where it will do some good. To encourage you to do that, we'll give you a monopoly on its use for a limited time. After that, anybody can use it (it will enter the 'public domain').

A lot of people don't know that copyright used to give a lot less protection than it does now, especially in the United States. In the US, it used to be that works were copyrighted for a maximum of 56 years. Today copyright in the US can last for over 100 years. In fact, Congress keeps extending the time. In practice, they're acting as if they never want ideas to go into the public domain.

This is great for the owners of 'intellectual property'. But it's hard to see how this "promotes the Progress of Science and useful Arts," or how forever is a "limited time." In a sense it's a theft from the public. Anyone who publishes work has accepted the deal that the law offers, of a limited monopoly in return for making their idea known. Congress has been giving them more and more extensions on that monopoly, but doesn't require them to do anything to earn it.

It probably doesn't matter that much that Disney still owns Mickey Mouse, or that Lord of the Rings is still under copyright. But remember that these laws don't just apply to the arts. Similar laws apply to science as well. So a life-saving invention could be going unused, because its owner wants too much money for it, or because it's tied up in court while two companies fight about who owns it.

Conclusion

I'm far from an expert on either the law or the publishing industry. However I hope that I've given you, especially those of you who might be thinking about publishing some writing, a different take on the whole issue of whether authors should worry about their ideas being stolen. At least I hope I've shown you that there's a different way of thinking about it, and that that way doesn't require you to just give up on making money; in fact that it might be more profitable as well as better for society.

Bio
James Hutchings lives in Melbourne, Australia. He fights crime as Poetic Justice, but his day job is acting. You might know him by his stage-name 'Brad Pitt.' He specializes in short fantasy fiction. His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, fiction365 and Enchanted Conversation among other markets. His ebook collection The New Death and others is now available from Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble. He blogs daily at Teleleli.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License.
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I hope folks reading this will leave their comments. I know that I've spent a lot of time (mostly hurting my brain) considering the ramifications of copyrights and public domain. Do we ever really own an idea? Can we own an idea? If you look at the history of invention, you'll discover that when the time is right, it seems like several different people will come up with similar ideas, simultaneously, though they may come at it from different angles. And all they really patent is their approach, not the idea itself.

Several authors I know firmly believe that no work ought to be copyrighted or be sold for money. It ought to all be freely given away. While I understant this sentiment, I then wonder, how would professional writers live if they gave away their product for free? It is, I'm afraid, too Utopian to be pratical (at least from my perspective) and I believe in free competition. If you get the same idea for a book as I get and you write it, your book will be completely different than mine. And both should earn what folks are willing to pay for it.

At least that's what I think at this moment. But I'm always open to new discussions, arguments, and routinely change my mind as folks point out different factors to me. I don't know if that means I have a mind that is a little too open or I'm just weak-minded.

You decide. And let us know.

Guest Author: Chris Redding

2012-02-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

Mystery author Chris Redding agreed to let me interview her, and we're lucky to have her here. One of the things that is so frequently overlooked when talking about writing is the preparation work. Wej all have this fantasy that writers just sit down and...write. But months, if not years, of research go into every book to try to make it as accurate as possible. Chris is no exception as she mentions in this interview.

Chris Redding

Why did you decide to write?
I can’t not write. If I don’t write down what’s in my head, I can’t focus on anything else. My brain gets too cluttered.

How much research do you do?

This really depends on what I’m writing about. For A View to a Kilt, I actually spent a lot of time talking to a Philadelphia Detective. He taught me so much about investigating crimes. For Incendiary, not as much. My husband has been a volunteer firefighter for many years so I could pick his brain for that part of it. I was on a first aid squad for many years, so I already knew that part of it. For the novella I’m writing now I need to research what happens when a company goes public. It’s something I know nothing about so I will spend more time because there is a learning curve.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I write in the morning when I am writing new stuff. It’s when my brain is at it’s best. If I am revising, then I can do that anytime. I have to fit writing in between kids, husband, part time job and the morning, after everyone leaves, is the best time.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?

The best advice was to keep at it. The worst was to try to break into Category Romance first. I don’t write like category writers. Nothing wrong with them. Love a good Harlequin a couple of times a year, but that’s not my style. My plots tend to be more intricate.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
What if? It’s the first question I ask my self. Then I map out the goal motivation and conflict of the main characters. Then I careen down the hill like Bode Miller, hoping I get to the bottom in one piece. Can you tell I’m a pantser?

What makes a great book in your opinion?
It needs to resonate with the reader. I can’t tell you how it should, but that the reader needs to be able to identify with at least one of the characters. It also needs to have a beginning, middle, and end with character growth.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Learn everything you can and keep it at it.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?

I see myself making enough money to quit the day job and to pay someone else to clean my house.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
I am not one of those people who can predict things. What I’d like to see happen is more and more of the money going to authors. There is no reason that we shouldn’t be able to make a decent living from writing. Look at surgeons. They get paid a lot of money because not everyone can be a surgeon. Not everyone can be a good writer. Some people have the desire, but are not willing to put in the work. However we get there, we should be paid for what we do.

Brief Bio
Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works part time for her local hospital.

The Coroner's Role

2012-01-30T09:37:00.000-05:00

So What Happens Next: The Coroner

As most of you know, I write mysteries set in the early years of the 19th century, the Regency period. As I mentioned in my previous blog about law enforcement during that period, I’m fascinated by the processes at play in the process of catching a murderer. I mean, I’d better be, since I write mysteries, right?

So here’s a bit more detail about what happens when a murder is committed before the days of CSI or even a regular police force, Scotland Yard, and all those wonderful detectives.

Make a Hue and Cry

If James Everyman witnesses a murder or finds a dead body, the first thing he has to do is make “hue and cry,” the equivalent of calling 9-1-1 (emergency services) today. Hue and cry is actually required by law, first instituted in 1285 by the Statute of Winchester. The purpose was to alert folks to the crime and catch the criminal (theoretically fleeing). Anyone who witnessed a crime was required to make hue and cry, not just constables, and the alarm would spread through the countryside in an effort to alert folks and catch the bad guy.

The interesting part to modern folks who are used to calling 9-1-1 and then leaving matters in the hands of law enforcement officials, is that historically, all able-bodied men who heard the hue and cry (it included, literally, shouting to notify folks to the crime and the fleeing criminal) were required to help in the pursuit. Just like a posse in a western.

By the Regency, there was actually a police magazine, Police Gazette, often called The Hue and Cry which gave details about folks wanted for crimes. The magazine was started in 1772 by John Fielding (chief magistrate of the Bow Street Court at that time) and initially called The Quarterly Pursuit. It went through several names to eventually settle on Police Gazette or Hue and Cry by 1828. The magazine included information about rewards offered for information or the capture of criminals, notices about criminals, and requests for information.

It’s still published today through Scotland Yard.

Coroner’s Jury – The Inquest

So what does John Everyman do, now? Well, we’re going to assume there’s no murderer standing over the body clutching a bloody knife and babbling his confession. So John Everyman has discovered a body and made hue and cry. The constable and the coroner respond to the hue and cry and round up a dozen or so men to view the body in situ (if possible). Between twelve and twenty-four men will make up this coroner’s jury and they are required to examine the body in any case of suspicious death. The dead person can’t be buried until this is done, therefore the law stipulates that it must be done within a few days of finding the body.

And this may seem odd to us today, but the jury examines the corpse, and I do mean literally examines, for signs of violence or clues that could assist in coming to the right verdict. Since there was no refrigeration in the 19th century, the inquest had to be held as quickly as possible, usually within a day or so of the death. The jury could also ask questions of witnesses during the inquest—they are active participants in the proceedings. Remember, this is the coroner’s jury and inquest and their only mission is to categorize the death as one of the following: murder (or manslaughter); suicide (self-murder); accidental death; or natural causes. They aren’t concerned with identifying the murderer, if it was murder, although if that comes out in the inquest, the responsible party would be bound over for trial.

In fact, the purpose of the inquest was very specific. They are only intended to establish the following facts:

• The identity of the deceased;

• How, when and where the death occurred; and

• Draw attention to anything that might lead to further deaths.

When the inquest is concluded, the findings are recorded in a formal document called the inquisition and include an attestation signed by the coroner and the jury. The inquisition must contain: the name of the deceased; the injury/disease causing the death; the date, time, place & circumstances of the death; and the conclusion (or verdict). Naturally, if the condition of the body precludes identification, that shall be duly noted.

We'll continue with this look at law enforcement, forensics and other fun facts about catching murderers in the 19th century in the next few blogs. Stay tuned!

And note, on Feb 1 and 2, 2012, The Vital Principle will be free on Amazon! So be sure to mark your calendars and grab a copy if you've been dying to read book 1 in the Second Sons Inquiry Agency series of Regency mysteries.

The Vital Principle
A cold draft, a candle extinguished, darkness…and yet…nothing except a suggestion, a touch of the unknown. Did they truly contact the spirit world or is it all an illusion? Perhaps it’s simply a clever fraud perpetrated by spiritualist, Prudence Barnard. Their host, Lord Crowley, certainly suspects her. He hired an inquiry agent to prove it and yet the agent has proved nothing.

The truth remains as illusive as the fading smoke from the candle.

With shaking hands the small group of guests relight the candles and turn to each other in relief. All returns to normal until Lord Crowley suddenly dies, poisoned by an unseen killer. Who would do such a thing? Someone, or some thing, in the shadowy room? Everyone present is well-known, a longtime friend, except Prudence and the inquiry agent.

It must be the spiritualist. She is guilty, she’s the stranger in the room, the unknown entity.

And all eyes turn to inquiry agent, Knighton Gaunt, to uncover the truth.

But is Prudence really a murderess, or an innocent bystander? Knighton isn’t sure. She might be a charlatan, but his instincts warn him that there are other forces at play at Rosecrest, forces that remain hidden beneath a jovial façade. He takes a chance on Prudence to set a trap for the murderer.

But will the murderer take the bait or will someone else at Rosecrest die before Knighton can work his way through the maze of deceit and lies woven by the innocent-seeming guests?

“The Vital Principle” is the first in the Second Son’s Inquiry Agency series of mysteries, featuring the agency’s coolly intellectual founder, Knighton Gaunt. Other books include a variety of inquiry agents associated with Second Sons, or the illustrious founder. The series is set in England’s fascinating Regency period in the early years of the 19th century, when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and the Prince Regent, the eventual George IV, ruled in his stead.

Each volume stands alone as a mystery touched with romance.
'
Enjoy!

Guest Author: Lois Winston

2012-01-22T21:23:00.000-05:00

Today we have mystery writer, Lois Winston, joining us. She is starting a virtual tour to celebrate the release of her latest book, Death by Killer Mop Doll. I'm really pleased to have her because I'm a big fan of the cozy mystery genre and the fun sub-genre of craft mystery stories.

I grew up in an era where girls spent a lot of time learning handicrafts, and I spent a lot of enjoyable hours with my parents, the Girl Scouts, and at summer camp learning a wide variety of crafts. At one time or another, I've run a tumbler to polish rocks to make jewelry (I still have some of it!); learning to knit, sew, build a fire, cook over a campfire, make lanyards, sit-upons, pottery, string beads, beeswax candles, soap, butter, and any one of a number of things. I'm not sure if children spend as many hours now doing these things, but I get a huge wave of nostalgia when I think about them, and craft mystery stories tend to bring back all my most cherished memories. Somehow, I just can't think that computer games will have the same nostalia value for kids of today, but.... In any event, here is Lois!

Lois Winston

Amy, before we begin the interview, I want to thank you for inviting me to your Fiction Writing and Other Oddities blog as part of my virtual tour for the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

I’d also like your readers to know that I’ll be giving away 5 signed copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll at the end of the tour. To enter the drawing to win a copy, readers only need to post a comment to any of the blogs on the tour. The full tour schedule can be found at my website, http://www.loiswinston.com/ , and the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/ . In addition, I’m giving away 3 copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll on Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/15173-death-by-killer-mop-doll .

Why did you decide to write?
The voices in my head decided for me. Seriously. I hadn’t written any fiction since Freshman Comp in college. And that was a loooong time ago. Then one day, these characters popped into my head and wouldn’t go away. So I finally decided to tell their story. Once I did, they contacted all their character friends and relatives, and before I knew it, there was a long line of characters demanding I write about them, too. And the line shows no sign of letting up any time soon.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
I write humorous amateur sleuth mysteries, so along with hoping I’m providing a great mystery plot, I want my readers to laugh. I think there’s too much in the real world that scares the you-know-what out of us on a daily basis. Laughter helps us get through all that you-know-what.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
The best advice I ever received: “Every scene in a book MUST do one of two things: either advance the story or tell the reader something essential about the character that the reader needs to know AT THAT GIVEN MOMENT. If the scene does neither, it’s filler and doesn’t belong in the book.”

The worst advice I ever received: “You shouldn’t bother trying to write; you’ll never sell a book.”

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I don’t outline. I probably should because it would make my writing life a lot easier, but I like the spontaneity and excitement that comes from not quite knowing where my characters will take me. I begin with an idea for an opening scene and a general concept of how the book will end. Then I write a few paragraphs of blurb. From there I just start writing. I do maintain a timeline as I write, though, to keep track of events as they unfold.

How do you develop your characters?
People I’ve known have given me the inspiration for many of my characters. For instance, Lucille, Anastasia’s curmudgeon of a communist mother-in-law, is loosely based on my own mother-in-law, a diehard commie to her dying day. Only my mother-in-law never owned a French bulldog.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
For me, a great book is one that hooks me with the opening sentence, doesn’t let me go until the last word on the last page, and leaves me saying, “Wow! I wish I’d written that!” In mysteries, it’s also got to be a book that keeps me guessing. I hate when I’ve figured out whodunit early into the story.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
That I’ve provided the reader with a few hours of enjoyable entertainment.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Never give up! It took me ten years from the day I started writing until I sold my first book. This is not a business of instant gratification. You’ve got to be in it for the long haul if you expect to succeed.

Also, if you’re writing because you think it’s a quick path to riches, you’d have better luck playing the stock market -- with a monkey throwing darts at a dart board to pick your stocks. I have friends who consistently make the NY Times list and still can’t afford to quit their day jobs. For every James Patterson, there are tens of thousands of authors making barely enough to cover their weekly Starbucks habit. Writers write because they have to, not because they think it will make them wealthy.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
I’d like to see myself on the NY Times list (what author wouldn’t?)

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
Wow! If only someone had a crystal ball…I wish I knew the answers to those questions. Publishing used to be an industry that never changed, something authors and readers alike could always count on for being a constant in our lives. Now publishing is changing be the hour. More and more authors are turning to self-publishing their work as more and more publishers slash their midlist budgets and buy fewer new authors. Life in the publishing world as we knew it up to a few years ago will never be the same, but there will always be readers in search of good books. I think as the price of eReaders continues to come down and newer ones become available, eBooks will gain a larger share of the marketplace. I hope that all the changes coming to the industry will open more doors for authors, but we’ll have to wait to see what happens.

As for me, I hope I’m still writing and selling books.

Brief Bio
Lois Winston is the author of the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries published by Midnight Ink. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was recently nominated for a Readers Choice Award by the Salt Lake City Library System. The new year brings with it the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the series. Read an excerpt at http://www.loiswinston.com/excerptap2.html . Visit Lois at her website: http://www.loiswinston.com/ and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/ . You can also follow Lois and Anastasia on Twitter @anasleuth.

Blurb for DEATH BY KILLER MOP DOLL
Overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles at home are bad enough. But crafts editor Anastasia Pollack's stress level is maxed out when she and her fellow American Woman editors get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show. Before the glue is dry on Anastasia's mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and the producer is murdered. Former co-hosts Vince and Monica—sleazy D-list celebrities—stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format. And Anastasia has no clue her snooping has landed her directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight.

Links
Website: http://www.loiswinston.com/
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @anasleuth

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Thank you so much!

Law Enforcement in Historical Mysteries

2012-01-19T13:15:00.001-05:00

Law Enforcement in Historical Mysteries...What to do?

I’ve been doing a blog tour (and I’m giving away one $25 Amazon gift certificate for Jan, Feb and Mar, 2012, so be sure to check it out, the list of blogs is on my News page) and one of the question that a lot of folks ask me in my interviews is why I chose to write during the first half of the 19th century. This period in England is often called the Regency period, although technically that only lasted from 1811 through 1820 when the Prince of Wales ruled as Prince Regent when his father, King George III, was considered unfit to do so.

The sort answer to the question of "Why the Regency?" is that it was a pretty darn interesting period. The roots of policing, forensics, medicine, and most branches of science as we know them started to develop along modern lines. What I’d like to do is reveal a bit about these developments through blogs to describe some interesting background information for my Regency mysteries. While the Second Sons Inquiry Agency in many of my books is entirely fictional, it is an organization that could have existed. At that period, law enforcement was largely funded privately. Odd as it might seem today, private individuals (most often the victim) were responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminals.

It’s a fascinating subject, and for this blog, I’d like to talk about law enforcement, although it will be in sort of generalized terms to avoid the high eye-glaze coefficient that this topic can engender. Law enforcement hasn’t always been as formalized as it is today.

It wasn’t until 1829, that Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel’s leadership established the modern British police force through an Act of English Parliament. It even specified the use of the word “police.” For those who have heard the term “peelers” or “bobbies” for British police, this is also the origin for those terms. The Bow Street runners were charged with keeping the King’s (or Queen’s) peace, just like bobbies do today.

At first, this mostly consisted of The Bow Street Patrols (Bow Street runners); Police Office constables under the control of the Magistrates; and the Marine police (river police). These groups were later melded into the Metropolitan Police Force in 1839 for the City of London.

But if the police force didn’t exist before 1829, how were laws enforced and criminals caught?

Initially, sheriffs, reeves and groups of men acting as juries provided law enforcement. Most of us have heard of sheriffs from Robin Hood movies. They basically kept order and maintained the King’s interests locally. From 1500 onward, private watchmen, thief-takers, etc. performed law enforcement activities. Watchmen were often funded by private individuals or organization and rewarded for catching criminals.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, there were parish constables and the Justice of the Peace. The constable was appointed to serve for a period of one year. He wasn’t paid and he worked in co-operation with the Justice of the peace to maintain order. In larger towns, there were guilds that became known as The Watch who were paid to patrol the streets at night. By 1663 in London, the night watchmen became the first paid law enforcement officers.

A gradual shift to government control over law enforcement really got underway in 1737. King George II initiated a scheme to pay London and Middlesex watchmen, using taxes as funding. Then in 1749, Henry Fielding’s famous Bow Street Runners were organized. They were essentially professional constables and by 1828 were the largest privately financed police force covering 45 parishes within a ten-mile radius of London.

In the early years of the 19th century, if a person wanted a constable to help him or her apprehend the perpetrator of a crime he had to pay the expenses of the investigation. Any English citizen could prosecute a crime and the prosecutor was often the victim of the crime. He had to file charges with the magistrate, present evidence to the grand jury and provide evidence. In the 18th century, rewards for the conviction of criminals ensured that citizens had incentive to prosecute, but they also led to abuses where people were accused of crimes they didn’t commit simply to collect the reward.

There was a particularly famous case of a thief-taker in 1720 who epitomized the corruption that led to Sir Robert Peel’s reforms. In London in 1720, Jonathan Wild had a gang of thieves under his control. When they stole, he’d often arrange to return the property and hand over someone, sometimes even a member of his gang who displeased him, and collect the reward. His shenanigans came to an end though when his perfidy was discovered and he was hung in 1725.

But thief-takers remained tainted with corruption. In 1754, there was another scandal similar to Wild’s where Stephen MacDaniel was caught prosecuting innocent men in order to collect the rewards. Again, this was another incentive to eliminate the system of rewards from victims hoping to regain their stolen property or gain justice. A salaried police force, i.e. Sir Robert Peel’s bobbies, seemed like the answer to cut the dependence upon rewards and their corrupting effect.

So there you have a few glimpses into the early history of law enforcement. I hope you found it interesting, as bits and pieces of my research have found their way into my historical mysteries, include The Vital Principle and A Rose Before Dying. I'll be talking more about law enforcement, forensics, and other such fascinating topics in future blogs (assuming I don't get a lot of comments like: "What the HECK are you THINKING?")

Guest Author: Eloise Hill

2012-01-17T21:35:00.001-05:00

Most of my readers will be stunned to know that I have not one, but two tarot card decks. One is a deck with pictures from the Regency period and the other is the more traditional tarot deck. So it seems natural to invite Eloise Hill to join us today, as a real psychic, as well as a mystery writer.

Eloise Hill

What made you decide to write?
I think the seed was planted, in the back of my mind, at the age of nine. I remember pulling a gothic romance off of the shelf, at a local drugstore, and hearing a voice in my head say, “You’re going to write books someday.” Someday turned out to be forty-three years and a nursing career later, after my mother’s sudden, unexpected death from cancer. She was a very dynamic woman, seemngly immortal to friends and family, and her passing left me thinking about opportunities I knew she had denied herself, my own mortality, and how authentically I was living my own life. Some advice from an acquaintance triggered the memory of my nine-year-old self standing in the drugstore, paperback in hand, and, within six months, I had quit my job and was writing my first paranormal cozy, The Eight of Pentacles. So, I guess you could say the time had come.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
My nursing career and thirty years experience working as a psychic have both taught me the value of taking the time to listen to my inner voice and value my intuition. So my protagonist, Eileen McGrath, represents the more fearless aspect of living like that: pushing her dimunitive self past her polite Southern upbringing and against the powers that be, if what’s being presented to her doesn’t ring true. I also teach a variety of tarot classes and I know there are a lot of readers and collectors out there who share my love of the cards, so it seemed a natural fit to incorporate into Eileen’s intuitive practice, weave into the story line, and use as a theme. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to “create” my own deck for the series: something I had wanted to do for a long time.
What is your favorite method for researching?
I start my research with the murder setting and build out from there; I am fortunate to live in Northern California, where there is no lack of eye candy to hang a story on: both scenic and not so. The setting for the murder in The Eight of Pentacles was a five minute walk from my home, at the time: a wildlife sanctuary and man made salt-water lake on the edge of Oakland, California’s uptown. It’s a lush, placid spot ideally suited for working-out, bird-watching, sailing, and family gatherings, but also a place with a history of drug-dealing, prostitution, and outbreaks of violence, after sundown. The contrast between the two faces of Lake Merritt appealed to the crime writer in me, so I visited the nature center and gathered all the available information the employees there had to offer, checked out several books from the library by local authors on the lake’s history, and finished up on the internet. Like most writers, I’m guilty of getting a little too absorbed in my research and ended up injecting only about twenty percent of what I learned into the story.

How do you develop your characters?
I developed the base personalities for the characters before I wrote the book. I needed Eileen to be a middle-aged protagonist who was a psychic and a nurse: a single woman, deprived of her ability to make a good income and forced to use her intuitive abilites to help make ends meet. Daniel Burnette, the antagonist/homicide investigator, was based on a favorite Irish actor who has a penchant for brooding intensity and Atticus Spencer, the more layed back p.i. character, was inspired by my ex-boss and my partner; he started out as a hybrid and gradually morphed into his own man as the book progressed. Like so many of us who live in urban areas and away from the families we grew up with, Eileen is very much on her own and I wanted her to find an extended family in her neighbors, Tessa and Jessamae: both amalgams of co-workers I have known and loved. I spent several weeks listening to rap music and watching locally produced “crunk” videos and interviewed a Bay Area rap artist to get a better sense of how to create the prime suspect, FoZ. And, Audie, Eileen’s cat, was inspired my by an ex-roomate’s Blue Russian, Sundance, who preferred “murping” to meowing, as his favored form of communication.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you about writing?

Two pieces of advice come to mind. The first came from a Bay Area sports writer, who was incredibly kind and encouraging when he found out I was working on my first novel. I’m paraphrasing here, but he said something along the lines of “Do your first draft, your second, your third, complete all your edits…and then go back and take out everything that isn’t absolutely essential to the story.” Killing your darlings can be a painful process, but I think the bare bones approach makes, in the end, for honest writing and a more fluid read.

The second piece came from the actor, Peter Riegert, at a writer’s conference I attended several years ago. He referred to the part of the Pesach Seder where children are asked “Why is this night different from all other nights?” and suggested applying that model to your writing. That really stuck with me, the idea of checking in, as you were preparing a scene and asking yourself “What makes this character and the response to whatever I’m subjecting them to unique?”

What makes a great read in your opinion?
Obviously this varies a bit depending on whether the book is fiction or non-fiction, but I generally look for two things in a book: I want to be transported and I want to come away from the experience having learned something new, including more about the craft of writing. I don’t like a novel that reads like a textbook, but I do like enough well chosen detail to drop me into the whatever alternative reality the author has created. And I love books where the writer has planted little “enlightment bombs”: asides that make me stop and re-think the world.
Bio
Eloise Hill grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, resides in Northern California and is a writer, nurse, and psychic who has been in love with the Tarot, and all things metaphysical, since she picked up her first Rider-Waite deck at the age of eighteen. In addition to the tarot, she teaches classes on a variety of subjects including Candle Magic for Muggles and The Womanly Art of Tea Leaf Reading.

Website: http://www.eloisehill.net/
Email: candlestonetarot@me.com
Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/3n329gv
Digital format available (for Amazon Prime members) in Kindle Lending
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Thanks Eloise!

Guest Author: Eleanor Sullivan

2012-01-15T22:29:00.001-05:00

Eleanor Sullivan joins us today to talk about writing and her latest mystery, Cover Her Body, and although she may not realize it, we have a lot of the same interests. We're both interested in life in the 19th century and have a fascination for the kinds of medical details you always seem to need in a mystery. And it's sort of funny that she mentions a distant grandfather who left Germany to establish a villiage in Ohio. I also had a German grandfather who married an Irish woman and settled in North Dakota. I wonder if it's something to do with our German genes that make us both want to write historical mysteries? Weird.

Anyway, enough oddball speculation. Here's Eleanor!

Eleanor Sullivan

Why did you decide to write?
After winning awards for my nonfiction books for nurses, I decided to write a mystery series featuring a nurse. Few books, TV shows, or movies show nurses’ work accurately. (Nurse Jackie is the exception.) With 20 years success in nonfiction, how hard could it be? I found out: very difficult! But, numerous workshops, classes, and critiques later, my series of three nurse-themed mysteries were published. That inspired me to turn to a historical mystery fiction series.

Why historical fiction?
I grew up hearing stories about my distant grandfather who led a beleaguered band of religious dissenters safely out of Germany to establish a village in the Ohio wilderness in 1817. Why not set a series in the quaint village, I thought. It remains a historic town, complete with museums and reenacters who demonstrate the work and lives of the settlers.

Uncovering the beliefs and practices of this unusual group of believers surprised me. Named Zoar, it was one of the lesser known utopias, idyllic settlements where disenchanted Europeans (in this case, Germans) found refuge from religious persecution in the new world. Of course, all was not perfect in this Garden of Eden, I discovered after researching the lives and religious practices of the inhabitants and by visiting the town.

How much research do you do?
Lots! I’m a former professor and author of scientific articles so accuracy is paramount to me. The medical situations in my first series are accurately portrayed, but research for the historicals is much more difficult. Not only did I have to reconstruct 19th century life, I needed to know such esoteric facts as what the men’s suspenders were made of (fabric, if you want to know).

I was helped by a 1930s dissertation from Ohio State University that chronicled the lives of the people who settled the town and by the historian who spent more than 30 years as the town’s site manager. Both sources could be counted on to be accurate. Here’s a photo of my ancestor’s cabin today.

What’s your favorite method for researching?
Of course the internet has revolutionized research even if some sources may be suspect. Primary sources, often transcribed and posted online, were invaluable.
Traveling to the location is a must for me. I made several visits to Zoar, Ohio to take photos of buildings (interior and exterior) and walk about gardens and take paths through the woods. I interviewed a tinsmith, cabinet maker, and blacksmith. Also I visited other historical towns of the same vintage—New Harmony, Williamsburg, VA, and Amish country. Finally, I try to put myself in the scene, capturing the sights, sounds, and smells of the moment.
Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
Readers tell me that the theme that comes through all my stories is the strength of women whether they’re contemporary or historical.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I keep a regular schedule. After an early morning workout, breakfast and shower, I’m in the office by 9 to start writing. Mornings are my best time. Then I break for lunch, run any necessary errands, and return to the office to review what I’ve written, revise and, when my brain seems completely depleted, I stop. I don’t try to push through because I found whatever I write then is garbage. Then it’s time to answer email, check Facebook, and tidy up anything else awaiting attention. I leave the office about 5. That’s it except I do find that my mind keeps working on tough problems and I often awake the next morning with how to solve them. Hurray for the subconscious!

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
As a former scientist and nonfiction author, I can’t imagine writing content without an outline to guide me.
I start first with the murder: who’s murdered, by whom and why.

I make two outlines. The first is a list of scenes in the best order I can imagine. Here’s an example my latest book, Cover Her Body:
Scene 1 Adelaide finds body in river, knows the girl didn’t drown
Scene 2 Benjamin learns body in river, fears it’s Adelaide but learns it was Johanna
Scene 3 Adelaide tells Nellie about Johanna’s death, fearing her reaction

Then I flush out details of each scene in an expanded outline with notes about who was there, what happened, descriptive details, how characters felt, how the scene ended, and anything else I think of. This is not an onerous task. I just jot down ideas as they come to me.

Of course the outline changes as I write. I add scenes, delete some, and reorder them throughout the writing process. But the outline keeps me on track. Without it, I think I’d wander around endlessly without getting anywhere.
How do you develop your characters?
Since I start with the murder, I create the victim and perpetrator first, identifying their characteristics, physical appearance, and relationship.

For the protagonists (I have a husband and wife POV in Cover Her Body), I develop a detailed backstory and rationale for their flaws, fears, and hopes.
For the entire cast, I create a mind map, linking names to reflect their connections. I give each a role in the story and then figure out each character’s name to convey just the right message about the person. At the same time, I work on his strengths and weaknesses as well as his appearance that could reflect his personality or counter it.
If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
That they’ve been taken into a different world for a time, that they’ve learned about people and places, that they’ve been caught up in the characters’ plights, and, finally, that they’ve been satisfactorily entertained.

Cover Her Body, A Singular Village Mystery Blurb

In a strict, religious society in 1830s rural Ohio, a 16 year-old girl is murdered because she’s pregnant, but the only person who suspects it wasn’t an accident is a young midwife, who puts her own life in danger when she tries to find the killer.
“…finely drawn murder mystery…expertly crafted, perfectly paced novel…”
Kirkus reviews, December 6, 2011

“…enjoyed the storyline, the writing style, the well-rounded characters…no facet of the story I did not enjoy!”
Reader Views, December 1, 2011

Brief Bio
Eleanor Sullivan is the award winning author of books for nurses, the former dean of nursing at the University of Kansas, and past president of the world’s largest nursing organization. Turning her attention to mystery fiction, she authored the Monika Everhardt medical mystery series and, more recently, a series of historical mysteries set in the 1830s religious settlement of her ancestors. The stories feature a midwife and her cabinet-maker husband in the Northern Ohio village of Zoar. Cover Her Body, A Singular Village Mystery, is the first book in the series.

Website: http://www.eleanorsullivan.com/
Blog: www.EleanorSullivan.com/category/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eleanor-Sullivan

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Thank you Eleanor!

Stories to Enjoy - Tom Mach's Blog Tour

2012-01-11T22:16:00.001-05:00

By some stroke of good fortune, I was selected as one of the hosts for Tom Mach's "Stories to Enjoy" blog tour. I'm very lucky (for once) and am glad to interview him. I'm glad to see another writer who believes compassion is one of our most treasured graces.

Please be sure to check out the entire blog for there is a nugget in there that might reward one of the readers. As they say, "You'll know it when you see it." But to avoid being too mysterious and driving you nuts, it's The Icing on the Cake.

So here's Tom Mach.

Tom Mach

Why did you decide to write?

A combination of two factors. One is that I enjoy reading because it releases my mind, allowing it to experience other situations and get involved with interesting characters. As a result of my reading, I want to introduce readers to situations and characters whom I create. It’s sort of like creating your own vacationland and inviting others to have fun with you. Another factor is that I’ve always had an interest in writing, much like an artist has an interest in painting or a composer has an interest in creating music.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
My favorite theme is compassion and forgiveness. In fact, I’ve devoted my entire blog site (http://tommach.com/ ) to compassion. Sometimes it’s difficult for a reader to see where this theme fits into one of my stories, but it does. For instance, in “The Crossword Puzzle Murders” (a story in Stories to Enjoy), Detective Pulaski feels badly about her brother being confined to a mental hospital.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I generally take an idea and then try to do an outline for it, if it’s a short story. If it’s a novel, I work up a synopsis. What I find, however, is that as I write, my story or novel does not follow my outline but rather goes in a new and better direction.

How do you develop your characters?
I let my imagination create the characters, trying to imagine them as real people have certain distinct personality traits. As I write my story, I discover more about these characters and soon they take on a life of their own. I don’t like to write a comprehensive bio on each one because doing that makes my characters seem too artificial to me. You can’t force a character to act in a certain way just because you said so in a bio.

How much research do you do?
The amount of research really depends on the story I’m writing. For a historical novel, for instance, I do a ton of research because I want to be sure everything I say is dead-on accurate. For other stories, I may rely on my personal experience (such as my market research manager background when I wrote “The Lead Bird” in Stories to Enjoy.) I also have to do research in contemporary fiction where I’m not familiar with certain scenes (such as the interior of Air Force One in “The Assassin.”)

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
I have a broad range of favorite authors. If I had to pick three, I’d say John Steinbeck, O. Henry, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Steinbeck wrote with true compassion. O. Henry takes us through unusual twists to get to a surprising conclusion. Dostoevsky can get into a torture mind better than any writer I know.

What makes a great book in your opinion?

A great book has timelessness to it. It’s the kind of book that you read more than once, and each time you read it you get a greater depth of understanding of what the author intended to say.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
Although the industry is going in the direction of eBooks, I think there will continue to be a large population of readers who want physical books with pages and covers. I can’t see myself lining my bookshelves with Kindles and Nooks. I will continue to write in both media—for eBooks as well as perfect bound books.

Tom Mach’s Bio

Tom Mach wrote two successful historical novels, Sissy! and All Parts Together, both of which have won rave reviews and were listed among the 150 best Kansas books in 2011.Sissy! won the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award while All Parts Together was a viable entrant for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Award. He also wrote a collection of short stories entitled Stories To Enjoy which received positive reviews. Tom’s other novels include: An Innocent Murdered, Advent, and Homer the Roamer.

His poetry collection, The Uni Verse, won the Nelson Poetry Book Award. In addition to several awards for his poetry, Writer’s Digest awarded him ninth place in a field of 3,000 entrants. His website is: www.TomMach.com He also has a popular blog for writers of both prose and verse at http://tommach.tumblr.com/

Links
http://twitter.com/kansasauthor
http://www.facebook.com/kansasauthor
http://www.linkedin.com/in/tommach
http://tommach.tumblr.com/
Book Blurb

This unique collection of 16 short stories written by prize-winner Tom Mach includes stories such as "Real Characters," which is about a writer who gets his wish--that his characters come alive.... "Breakfast, Over Easy" makes you wonder about loyalty in the face of temptation.... "When Kansas Women Were Not Free" takes you to a time when women were less free than former males slaves.... "Son" make you think differently about compassion. One novelist describes STORIES TO ENJOY as "memorable and intriguing, with O. Henry twists that are sure to surprise and entertain."

Excerpt

Detective Pulaski agonized over the challenge. This one was tougher to solve than the other three. When she finished the upper portion of the puzzle, adrenaline again pumped through her body. She felt a pain in her chest as if she were about to have a heart attack. Aggie blinked twice as she stared at the answers to today’s puzzle:

“Agatha Pulaski,” she said aloud, her voice quivering. “Policewoman, Sib, Twelve.”

That’s crazy. My own brother wouldn’t rape and kill me, would he?

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The Icing on the Cake

At the end of Tom Mach's blog tour, he will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to a lucky person who leaves a comment. So be sure to give him a cheery hello and throw your hat into the ring!

Thanks!

Guest Author: Kaye George

2012-01-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

Author Kaye George joins us today to talk about writing mysteries. For writers, there are a lot of great tips and ones which I have also taken advantage of. If you haven't taken an online writing class with Mary Buckham or Margie Lawson, I highly recommend them. They are a wealth of information.

One of the things which has always struck me about writers is their generosity and Kaye is no exception. I don't know a lot of fields where folks are so willing to help each other out with whatever tidbits they've gleaned over the years to help make their books a success. Readers may also find this information illuminating, even if they never intend to write a book of their own. There's a lot of work that goes into even the shortest of short stories, but when you think about it, that's true of every job out there. If you want to do a good job, it requires learning. And sharing what you've learned has surprising benefits. Try it sometime. I think you'll go to bed happy that night.

So here's Kaye!

Kaye George

Why did you decide to write?
This was not really a decision. I've actually had to seek therapy when I'm not writing. It's my pressure valve, the thing that keeps me sane. So, not a decision, a necessity. Another thing that contributes to a writers' sanity is keeping company with other writers. Writing a short story anthology together with my regular writing partners has been a blast.
How much research do you do?
That depends on what I'm writing. I do like to get all the details right, so I'll look up the times of sunset and sunrise in the area I'm using as a setting so that I'll have it getting dark at the right hour for that time of year. I've been writing a lot of rodeo-related stuff lately for a novel and have had to look up videos so my descriptions won't be wrong.

What’s your favorite method for researching?
The most intense research I've had to do is for a mystery series that takes place thirty thousand years ago, among Neanderthals. Don't ask me why I'm writing this, I just feel I have to! I've ordered textbooks and saved every clipping on new discoveries, especially the insights being gained with DNA analysis. I'll admit I do look a lot of things up on the internet. But if I want to go into any degree of depth, I'll order a book on the subject.

I sometimes do almost as much research for a short story if there are details I want to get right. I love to set short stories in places I haven't been, so I need to research that. One of the short stories in our anthology has a colorist as a character. That's a career I read about in an airline magazine, *American Way* if I remember correctly. I saved the article. Didn't use much of it, but did use the occupation.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
I want my readers to have fun, to be entertained, and, if they have something going wrong in their lives, to able to escape for a few hours. With my short stories, my main goal is entertainment. I like to startle my readers with unexpected endings, maybe because I like to be startled that way myself. For the Neanderthal series (which is unpublished as yet), I want the reader to feel about them as I do, that they've gotten a bad rap for many years and were pretty interesting people. In my mystery, "Choke," I want to make people laugh, to take their minds off whatever their troubles are.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I'm not a morning person, so I usually go through emails, write blogs, pay bills, that sort of thing, in the morning. More times than I like, I have to do grocery shopping, errands, laundry, that sort of thing, in the afternoons. So evenings are for writing. Unless I have a writers' group meeting. I'll sometimes write after meetings, though, late into the night. Sleep is a waste of time!
What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
Best advice: persist. The difference between a published writer and an unpublished one is that the published one didn't quit.

Worst advice? I guess the poetry class I took from Stephen Spender years ago was my worst writing experience. I didn't get any advice, but sure got shot down. We had one-on-one consultations at the end of the course. His comment was, "Why are you writing poetry?" I answered something, maybe that I liked doing it. He repeated his comment twice more and I walked out. I didn't write poetry for years. Still don't do it much.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I've gotten a system together, cobbled from many courses I've taken from Mary Buckham, Margie Lawson, Kris Neri, and Pat Kay.

First I fill out the plotting templates I got from Mary Buckham on the main characters (protagonist, antagonist, and villain) and main plot points. I get my opening and my ending (which, of course, is subject to change) from this.

Then, per Kris Neri, I write a blurb of what I think the book will be about. After that I write out the background necessary for the crime, the backstory and what she called the root story. This means I'm telling the story (to myself) from the villain's point of view before I start writing the book. These are all just a few paragraphs.

I then put some plot points on a spreadsheet in a loose three-act structure. A good number is 24, but for the project I'm on now, I just have 9. I'll write in the direction of the next plot point, but will veer off course sometimes as new things crop up.

After I've started writing some of it, maybe one or two chapters, I'll stop and make some notes to myself on who the characters are. I don't really know them until then.

Short stories are an entirely different matter. They often come to me fully formed. They're much easier for me.

How do you develop your characters?
As implied above, they develop as I'm writing them, especially the secondary characters (who sometimes move to the forefront unexpectedly). But my starting point is the name. If I don't have the name right, but character doesn't come alive for me. If the character is lying flat on the page, I fool around with the name and, when I've found a good one, that guy or gal will pop.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
That's a very hard question! Ann Rule is my favorite true crime author. I like lots of different mystery authors in lots of different sub-genres. I like to read biographies and autobiographies and history, as well as mainstream and literary fiction (although I'm not certain of the difference between those last two). I love humor, such as P.G. Wodehouse, Douglas Addams, David Sedaris, and Carl Hiaasen.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
To call a book great, it has to be something that stays with me long after I've put it down and after I've read a lot more books in the meantime. Sandra Parshall's mysteries are like that.
Amy's note: I'm so glad to hear you mention Sandra Parshall. She's a fabulous writer and a long-time friend. I first met Sandra when I volunteered to work on the local Audubon Society newsletter. She was the editor and did an absolutely unbelievable job. She is a skilled writer and I agree with Kaye, her books are wonderful. And so are Kaye's.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
Oh gosh, maybe a feeling that they hadn't wasted their time and money. You know how insecure we writers are! A feeling that they had fun reading the book. The stories are all dark, but in varied genres since we three all write in different genres.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Don't give up. Take some courses. If what is taught doesn't resonate with you, toss it and take another course. Try to find a community of writers, either in person or online, that you're comfortable with. That will make a big difference.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
I hope to have published the two sequels to "Choke" and to have published lots more short stories. I'd like to have gotten another series into publication by then, too. Maybe two more.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
That's up for grabs, isn't it? I'd like to do at least one more anthology with Mary Ann and Steve, and publish more mysteries with my present small press, Mainly Murder Press. I'd love to move up to a larger press eventually if things hold together at all in the industry. If not, I'll strike out on my own and self-publish, hoping the following I have will, well, keep following.

Contact Info
My webpage: http://kayegeorge.com/
My solo blog: http://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/
My group blog: http://allthingswriting.blogspot.com/
Website for our anthology http://allthingswriting.blogspot.com/p/all-things-dark-and-dastardly-website.html

ALL THINGS DARK AND DASTARDLY

Thirteen horror, mystery, and urban fantasy short stories by Austin authors with a distinctly dark side.

"Keep an eye on these authors. You'll be seeing their names for a long time to come." --AJ Hayes, featured author in the noir anthology, PULP INK.

Corwin's Blog Tour Starts Next Week!

2012-01-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

I'm starting off this year with a series of blogs during Jan, Feb, and March with Goddess Fish Blog tours. It's very exiciting and I love working with them, they are a wonderful resource for writers hoping to connect with a few more readers. Several of the blogs are interviews and some are just "off the top of my head" about mysteries, why I write mysteries with a touch of romance, and a writer's life. They were all fun to write, I mean, who doesn't love talking about their interests? I hope they're just as much fun to read.

For a lot of writers (me included) it's always difficult to juggle writing your next book and writing other things like blogs. I found that working with a blog tour coordinator was easier for me for two major reasons: 1) I had someone to prod me to write the blogs; and 2) The coordinator did all the leg work to find and schedule blogs. It sounds trivial and a lot of writers do this on their very own, but ultimately, I recognized my own limitations. I needed help in setting it up. So thanks to all of those who spent time chasing after me to get my blogs in on time and keep track of everything. It wasn't a trivial task.
Please join me on the following dates as I'll be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card each month to one lucky person who leaves a comment. Be sure to drop by and leave a comment!

January

1/10/2012 - Write About
1/17/2012 - Carrie Ann Ryan's Blog
1/24/2012 - We Fancy Books
1/31/2012 - Realmantic Moments

February

2/6/2012 - Sherry Gloag The Heart of Romance
2/7/2012 - Christine Young Romance Writer
2/8/2012 - It's Raining Books
2/9/2012 - Rachel Brimble
2/10/2012 - Worlds of Possibilities

March

3/6/2012 - Book Lover's Hideway
3/13/2012 -
3/20/2012 - Megan Johns Invites
3/27/2012 - Kacey's Kreations

Note that I'll update the March events when they are completed.

Thanks to all my readers and I hope 2012 is off to a great start to you!

Guest Author: C.K. Crigger

2012-01-04T21:51:00.000-05:00

It's always exciting to discover a new mystery author and I was really lucky to have C.K. Crigger here for the first blog in 2012.She has a new book coming out this year and from the blurb, I can't wait for the release. One of the things I like most about having authors participate in interviews is that I always learn something new about writing and the people who enjoy this profession. There is always some new aspect, some new thing I never thought about, or knew before, and CK Crigger is no exception.

C.K. Crigger
Why did you decide to write?
I can’t help laughing at this question because I belong to the generation who started out with, “See Dick run. See Jane run. See Spot run.” Even then I thought that was pretty uninspired storytelling. I always figured I could to do better and nothing in the intervening years has changed my mind. I still think I can write better stories than many of those being published today. Of course, there are those writers--many of them--who make me sigh and say, “I wish I could write like that.” All I can do is keep on keeping on.

How much research do you do?
How much research I do depends on the story. Some require quite a lot, some not so much. The book I’ve done the most research for is the second in my Gunsmith Series, Shadow Soldier. I did lots no only for the guns used in the story, but for the whole WWI era. I discovered I love that period of history. The least research was probably for a little fantasy called, The Prince’s Cousin. The others have been a mix, more for the China Bohannon series, immersing myself in the 1890s, than for the westerns.

What’s your favorite method for researching?
I’ve found all research requires extensive reading. For my historical stories, an interest in antiques helps, by providing inspiration. Who used the items I now collect? How does the object fit into the period’s lifestyle? How does it fit into the story? Sometimes what a writer does is not pure research, as such, but fact checking. You might be surprised how often what you think you positively know is wrong.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
Although I don’t particularly start off a book with a theme or message to my readers in mind, I’ve discovered over the years that my heroines and heroes often have an overly developed sense of responsibility. If there’s a wrong needing righted, they can’t rest until it’s done, whether it began as their problem or not. This is often the very trait that leads them into trouble.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I used to answer this question by saying I write mostly in the mornings, although when I held down a full-time job, I wrote from 7 - 9 every single night. Nowadays, I write when the notion takes me, sometimes with only fifteen minute intervals. But I find I plan more of what I’m going to say before I begin, so it all seems to work out.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I’m a total seat of the pantser writer, so I approach new books with just an idea. I don’t outline, as such, although I have a notebook for each book with names, characteristics, potential scenes, and the main conflict. These ideas often get ditched along the way, but they do give me a starting point. Fun stuff to read back on when you finish the story and see how everything evolved from those first ideas. For instance, I have an idea for the fourth China Bohannon story. One, it’s to be set in the fall with the weather getting cold, and two, the plot will be based on horse racing. Spokane was a big horse racing town in the 1890s.

How do you develop your characters?
Once I’ve introduced the characters, they sort of grow on their own, changes stemming from the events happening to and around them. Sometimes I’m afraid they don’t show enough growth--that old character arc thing so important in writing--but I promise, I do work on it.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
I love Lois McMaster Bujold, and not only her Vorkosigan series. She’s one of those from whose work I sit back and wish I were able to write like that. I like Craig Johnson for his intelligent simplicity. I like Cherie Priest and Sophie Littlefield. Oh, there are so many I’m having brain failure right now. Oddly enough, the only author I feel may have influenced my own writing, and that only what I was writing at the moment, is Barbara Hambly. Why? No idea, but it’s weird.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
In my opinion, characters make the book. Of course, story is part of the whole. Sometimes you can read a satisfactory book that relies more on subject matter or how characters fit within the plot. Frequently, an exciting story can compensate for mediocre characters. But for a great book, you need great characters.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
I just hope that when a readers puts down my book at the end (see. I trust my stories will not belong in the DNF category) they say, “Got my money’s worth. I was entertained.” The whole idea behind my books is simply to entertain.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
My tips are the usual things. Write, rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite again. Persevere. Write for the sheer joy of getting those stories and characters out of your head.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
I hope I’m going at it stronger than ever, but if not, I’m thankful for whatever success I’ve had to date. Writing, as about everyone knows, is a tough business. Hey, everyone is a critic!

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
I can’t help thinking e-books will gain more market share. I know I love my Kindle, although when it wears out, I may try a Nook or whatever new is out by then. Technology changes so fast! My books have been available (and still are) as e-books from the very beginning of my career. I’ve seen that except for hand-selling print copies to a few favored customers, most of my sales have come from the e-book stores and in audio. I don’t see this changing, but only growing stronger. Besides, my poor house has about run out of room for hardcovers and trade paperbacks, even though I’ll always love holding a printed on paper book in my hands.

Brief Bio
Born and raised in North Idaho on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation, C.K. Crigger lives with her husband and three feisty little dogs in Spokane Valley, Washington. She is a member of Western Writers of America and reviews books for Roundup magazine as well as occasionally for the Buried Under Books review site at ww.CnCbooks.com/blog.

Imbued with an abiding love of western traditions and wide-open spaces, Ms. Crigger writes of free-spirited people who break from their standard roles. In her books, whether westerns, mysteries, or fantasy, the locales are real places. All of her books are set the Inland Northwest, the westerns with a historical background. Her short story, Aldy Neal’s Ghost, was a 2007 Spur finalist. Her western novel, Black Crossing, won the 2008 E.P.I.C. award. Letter of the Law was a 2009 Spur finalist in the audio category.

Visit her website at:
http://www.ckcrigger.com/
www.twitter.com/ckcrigger
www.facebook.com/ckcrigger
www.twofeetbelow.com/blogspot
e-mail: ckcww@aol.com

Book Blurb for THREE SECONDS TO THUNDER, to be released early 2012 from Oak Tree Press
China Bohannon is a modern 1890’s career woman, but the Doyle & Howe Detective Agency hasn’t turned her loose on a case of her own just yet. China is champing at the bit and when a call for help comes in, a trip into the mountains above the St. Joe country sounds just the thing to prove her worth and assist a friend at the same time. Porter Anderson’s uncle has disappeared and a Johnny-come-lately timber baron has claimed the family homestead. What’s more, he has a bill of sale that Porter knows his uncle didn’t sign. The problem is proving it—or so it would seem. Porter doesn’t believe his uncle sold out and left the country without telling anybody. He’s afraid old Lionel Hooker might be dead—murdered.

Declaring the case unsuitable for a lady like China, Monk Howe takes it on, but now no one has heard from him in days. China sets out to discover his whereabouts as the dry lightning of summer sets the woods ablaze.

What she finds is a trail of lies, theft, and murder, with her uncle Monk likely the next victim. Then, just when the problem appears solved, trouble breaks out again. This time, Gratton Doyle is the one in danger and it’s China who must bail him out.

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Thank you and I can't wait to see your latest book arrive this year!

Guest Author: John Lindermuth

2011-12-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

Someone once said to me that the best writers were once newspaper editors or journalists. I'm not sure that I would go that far (after all, I'm not one) but it's certainly true for John Lindermuth. Perhaps it's the ability to dig down to the truth, do the research, and pick out the elements that appeal to our emotions and natural curiosity.

Whatever it is, I'm fortunate to have John with us, today.

John Lindermuth
Why did you decide to write?
Like many writers, I was an early reader. Our community had no library until I was in high school. Fortunately, my dad had books ranging from the classics to mysteries and Westerns. As I got older, I started emulating some of the writers I admired. Eventually it became something I ‘had’ to do. When I entered the Army they recognized I had some ability and sent me to J-school. That provided a career which paid the bills as I learned to write fiction.

How much research do you do?
It depends on the project. For a modern mystery I’ll look into necessary aspects of police procedure, forensics, etc. I want enough information to be reasonably accurate, though I prefer not to bog down the story flow by getting too technical.

What’s your favorite method for researching?
The Internet has made it so much easier for most research. For historical subjects, though, I still like to explore sources like newspapers, magazines of the period. You can’t beat those for getting a feel for the period.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I try and write something every day. Life sometimes gets in the way but it’s like dieting or exercising—you can’t let excuses gain the upper hand or the battle is lost. Even if it’s no more than a few paragraphs, it’s important to keep up the flow.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
The best advice I ever got came, indirectly, from an artist. My initial goal as a youth was to be an artist. I wrote Thomas Hart Benton and asked his advice. His reply was one word: “Paint.” I think the same formula applies to writing. I’m an empiricist. I believe the only way to learn anything is by doing it. I definitely agree with Charles Nodier who wrote—“A writer should read until he is filled to the brim and like a pitcher which is over-filled over flows. And then he should write.”

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?

My stories generally begin with an image in my mind of a character in a situation and grow from there. I’m not much of an outliner. My outlines, if they can even be termed as such, are a few mere jottings—hieroglyphs that would be meaningless to anyone else. I usually know where it’s going to end up, but I don’t want to have everything planned out in advance or I run the risk of getting bored.

How do you develop your characters?
They have a tendency to create themselves. I may think I know them, but they have a way of surprising me.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
I can’t really name one favorite writer; there are too many I admire and love reading. I’m sure I’ve been influenced to some degree by all. Some classic favorites include Poe, Melville, Emily Bronte, Twain, Dumas, Cervantes, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London--the list goes on. Among modern writers I’d name Peter Matthiessen, John Fowles, Nabokov, Jim Harrison, and mystery writers like Charles Williford, Ruth Rendell and James Lee Burke—again the list goes on and I’m always discovering new writers (including many who aren’t famous) who make me envious.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Ray Bradbury once advised a person who wanted to write to stay away from college. In his opinion the only way to learn to write was to do it—everyday. His second bit of advice was to believe in oneself.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
A best seller, film, fame and riches might be nice to imagine, and I’d be lying if I claimed to not want any of those things. Few of us write fiction because we expect to get rich. We don’t write because of lack of ability to do something else. We write because we want to—and that doesn’t demean it to the limit of a hobby. Not that there’s anything wrong with hobbies. But a hobby is something we do primarily for entertainment; a diversion from the trials and cares of every day life. Anyone who tries it will soon learn writing fiction is not always entertaining. It’s hard work and anything but a diversion.

My hope is to continue writing stories someone will want to read.

Brief Bio
A retired newspaper editor, J. R. Lindermuth lives and writes in central Pennsylvania. Since retirement, he has served as librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with research and genealogy. He has published nine novels, including four in his Sticks Hetrick mystery series. Three other mysteries are under contract for 2012. His articles and short stories have appeared in a variety of magazines, both print and on line. He is the father of two children and has four grandsons.

Website: http://jrlindermuth.com/
Blog: http://jrlindermuth.blogspot.com/
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLJIQ8
https://www.facebook.com/john.lindermuth
http://twitter.com/jrlindermuth

Blurb for The Limping Dog, a mystery coming from Whiskey Creek Press in March 2012

Gavin Cutter, an artist living in an isolated village on the New England coast, witnesses the crash of a sailing ship onto a reef. The first aboard the wreck, Cutter rescues a dog, the only living creature on the vessel. Ron Myers, wealthy owner of a growing computer firm, and the ship’s crew have disappeared without a trace.

Myers is alleged to have developed a radical new microprocessor system. Some assert the system was lost with its creator. Others believe it exists and have devious plans to profit from the invention.

When TJ Flood, an insurance investigator, questions Cutter and others, he learns a sheriff’s deputy has concealed knowledge of a woman who also witnessed the wreck. Flood is attracted to Dee, Cutter’s daughter, a newspaper reporter. They join forces in investigating the ship incident and strange coincidences surrounding it, including a break-in at Cutter’s house and mysterious concerns about the dog. The result is threats, danger and, ultimately, several murders before the case is resolved.

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Thank you John!

Guest Author: Jeffrey Marks

2011-12-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today's guest author is Jeffrey Marks, a biographer who has specialized in some of my favorite mystery writers. If you are interested in mysteries, you really need to check out his work and his website. You won't be disappointed.

Jeffrey Marks

Why did you decide to write?
It’s never been a choice for me. I have been writing as long I have been able to write. Before that, I drew little picture books that told a story. I’ve never had any notion that I would be anything but a writer.

I started writing seriously (as in trying to become a professional) when I was 30. I worked for a magazine, a public relations person for an IT company and finally a novelist.

How much research do you do?
Since I write biographies, I do a ton of research. I have to verify every story I hear about the subject as well as find new things to say about a subject. I never want to be the writer who tells the same stories as everyone else. A biography is only as good as the new things it brings to light about the subject. In the cases of Craig Rice and Anthony Boucher, it was easy. There had been no biographies of these two fascinating authors. For Erle Stanley Gardner, it was a bit difficult, but I hope that I have brought the man more to life than other books.

What’s your favorite method for researching?
95% of Gardner’s papers were donated to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas – Austin. He kept good (not great) records and those files totaled some 635 boxes of papers for me to look at. I could say using a research because for the past year and a half, that’s what I’ve done. I have a graduate student at the University of Texas – Austin who helps me. I received a fellowship, the Erle Stanley Gardner fellowship ironically, to do my research there; I spent 10 of the hottest Texas days doing research into Gardner and came away with tons of material. Now my research assistant answers the questions that I’ve come up with since my return.

Boucher also had his files at Indiana University. Craig Rice had no papers, following years of alcoholism. I’d much rather have the too many papers than not enough.

I love the convenience of the Internet, but I also double check the information I get out there. It’s so easy for people to copy and paste the same incorrect information. I ran into that with Craig Rice’s real name (which was Georgiana Craig Rice). It was like trying to deal with the 9 headed hydra to correct it. I still run across an incorrect reference from time to time.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
A typical writing day is that there is no typical writing day. I usually have a stack of items to be added to the biography. I can do more research if I need to at a particular point or I can spend the time adding in the new information. Then, of course, there are days like today where I put on my marketing hat and go about talking about myself in hopes of piquing reader interest.

In the last six months, I’ve done quite a bit of writing on the Gardner biography. It’s been an intense time, but the first draft is done. Now I’m going back and editing. It’s my biggest book to date, 450 pages – so far, and it takes a lot of time to recheck my facts and edit it into a document I’m proud of.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
The best advice was to just sit down and write. I tend to be a terrible procrastinator and would rather play on-line Sudoku than actually put words to paper.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I usually do my planning in advance. The book proposals have to have an outline of sorts, and I usually use that as my framework. I don’t know how others do it, but I usually make my chapters each be a separate file on the computer and then I combine them all at the end. In that way, I can check them off and archive them safely once I’ve finished with a chapter.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
I love the older mysteries. I just finished rereading all of the early Ellery Queens and I’ve got all of the SS Van Dine books on my Kindle now. The e-book has been a boon to those of us who like those early authors who published before 1923.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
Perhaps that authors have their own lives and each one brings a part of him or herself to the page. I’ve never met an author who didn’t share a part of themselves when they started writing.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
Well, after a rather rough fall health-wise, I hope to be alive, kicking and able to get around on my own. I’d love to be writing more biographies and introducing more readers to these phenomenal authors I’ve met.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
You likely don’t want any predictions from me. I’m the guy who always buys the wrong technology. I had a Beta player for years, and we all know how that story turned out. So I very hesitantly bought a Kindle a few months ago, which likely ensure the dominance of the Nook in the long run. I think that e-books are here to stay and that more people will be publishing more books. I hope to still be doing what I’m doing, because I enjoy it so much.

Amy's note: Wow, you sound so much like me. I've consistently picked the wrong technology my entire life and have often joked that if I buy a stock, others need to sell immediately because the company is sure to go under. What can I say?
Brief Bio
Jeffrey Marks is a long-time mystery fan and freelancer. After numerous mystery author profiles, he chose to chronicle the short but full life of mystery writer Craig Rice.

That biography (Who Was That Lady?) encouraged him to write mystery fiction. His works include Atomic Renaissance: Women Mystery Writers of the 1940s/1950s, and Criminal Appetites, an anthology of cooking related mysteries. His latest work is a biography of mystery author and critic Anthony Boucher entitled Anthony Boucher. It has been nominated for an Agatha and fittingly, won an Anthony.

He is the long-time moderator of MurderMustAdvertise, an on-line discussion group dedicated to book marketing and public relations. He is the author of Intent to Sell: Marketing the Genre Novel, the only how-to book for promoting genre fiction.

His work has won a number of awards including the Barnes and Noble Prize and he was nominated for a Maxwell award (DWAA), an Edgar (MWA), three Agathas (Malice Domestic), two Macavity awards, and three Anthony awards (Bouchercon). Today, he writes from his home in Cincinnati, which he shares with his partner and two dogs.

http://www.jeffreymarks.com/
http://www.thelittleblogofmurder.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeffrey-Marks/271929135155
http://twitter.com/#!/Jeffrmarks

Publishers Weekly, March 26, 2001
Every writer may deserve such a dedicated biographer and Rice's life is interesting (especially for hardcore mystery fans).

Midwest Book Review March 2001, Cindy
“Fascinating biography ... very highly recommended.”

The Bookwatch, April 2001
"a must for her fans and an invaluable contribution to the literary genre."

Denver Post, June 3, 2001
“…the book provides a wealth of new information about this remarkable woman, …”

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Thank you, and I hope you'll visit us again!

Guest Author: William S. Shepard

2011-12-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

Diplomacy and wine, who can resist? I'm pleased to have William Shepard join me again to talk about his diplomatic mysteries. So this is my holiday treat for my blog readers. Happy Holidays!

Diplomacy and Wine

William S. Shepard

www.diplomaticmysteries.com

I was a career diplomat in the American Foreign Service, and served at our Embassies in Singapore, Saigon, Budapest and Athens, retiring as Consul General in Bordeaux. “Write about what you know,” is the usual advice given writers, and for me, that was the Embassy world. During one of my five Washington tours, I found myself staying late one late evening, as Duty Officer for the Secretary of State. I perused the files and diplomatic cables, and then realized what a variety of information from all sources a diplomat has access to. That is when the idea came to my – when I retired, I would write mystery stories set in American Embassies overseas.

It is a new genre, and to my knowledge I am the only writer writing what I call “diplomatic mysteries.” It now have a series of four, and my protagonist, Robbie Cutler, is a thirty something career diplomat. He serves where I have served, and where necessary, I have gone back overseas for research purposes.

The first novel, “Vintage Murder,” is set in Bordeaux. The bad guys are the Basque ETA terrorist group, who attempt to raise money by terrorism the great vineyards of the region. In “Murder On The Danube,” Robbie has been reassigned to the American Embassy in Budapest. Someone is killing prominent visiting Americans, in order to keep his secret, that he was a traitor to the Hungarian Freedom Fighter cause during the Hungarian Revolution.

Robbie is intelligent and knowledgeable, but he is not a people person. His sister, and then his wife Sylvie, often have a better feeling for people and their motives than he does. Readers like them both, but many prefer Uncle Seth, Robbie’s great uncle, a nationally prominent man, once Time Magazine’s Man Of The Year, who has access to Washington intelligence circles.

Where did the names come from? “Robbie” is a family name, and Cutler was my mother in law’s maiden name. I had an Uncle Seth, whom I just remember, and Seth is my middle name. Bad guys? They are all sorts, but they are not one dimensional. The ETA gunman in the first novel was motivated by a police killing of a member of his family. The bad guy in the second novel believes (incorrectly) that one of his fellow Freedom Fighters murdered his brother.

As I said, this is an original mystery genre. As the President of the American Foreign Service put it in a cover blurb, “London has Sherlock Holmes and San Francisco has Sam Spade, and now Washington has its first diplomatic sleuth, Robbie Cutler. Learn about embassy life from the inside, as you enjoy Bill Shepard’s latest diplomatic mystery.” You’ll have an enjoyable read in the process!

But diplomacy and wine go well together, as I discovered during my residence in Bordeaux. The 2011 Kindle edition of my book on French wines, “Shepard’s Guide to Mastering French Wines,” has just been issued. It costs less than one-third of the 2003 print first edition! And there are new features, including dozens of hyperlinks that take the reader from the book to websites of the great French wine estates! There are even e-mail forms embedded into many links, so that if you are actually thinking of planning your own overdue trip to France, you can send an e-mail directly from the book to the wine estate you wish to visit, and request the appointment to taste the estate’s wines!

Writing this wine book was a labor of love, and it grew out of my visits to the vineyards in Bordeaux. But we also went to Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne, the Rhone and Loire Valleys, to sample the wines and form judgments as to which wines were of fine quality and still offered the best value for the American consumer. Since returning to the USA I have become Wine Editor for two websites, with over 150 columns on French wines published on the internet.

It should be an easy errand for the purchaser of this book, at $5.95, to save more than the book’s cost with the first wine purchase made with its help. The two diplomatic mysteries are just $2.99 each.

And since all three books are now on Kindle Select, anyone enrolled in that program can borrow one of these books at no cost! That may just be why the wine book has been my best selling book for the holiday season.

Did you know that you can send one of these Kindle books as a gift to a friend? Just click on the “gift” button, and you’ll be linked with the e-mail message that you can fill out for a lucky friend! That’s also turning out to be a popular holiday season option.

And here are the links for these three books -
Vintage Murder
Murder On The Danube
Shepard’s Guide to Mastering French Wines

Bio
Now residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Shepards enjoy visits from their daughters and granddaughters, fine and moderate weather, ocean swims at Assateague, Chesapeake Bay crabs, and the company of Rajah and Rani, their two rescued cats.

Prize winning mystery writer William S. Shepard is the creator of a new genre, the diplomatic mystery, whose plots are set in American Embassies overseas. That mirrors Shepard’s own career in the Foreign Service of the United States, during which he served in Singapore, Saigon, Budapest, Athens and Bordeaux, in addition to five Washington tours of duty.

His books explore this rich, insider background into the world of high stakes diplomacy and government. He evokes his last Foreign Service post, Consul General in Bordeaux, in Vintage Murder, the first of the series of four “diplomatic mysteries.” The second, Murder On The Danube, now also available on Kindle, mines his knowledge of Hungary and the 1956 Revolution. In Murder In Dordogne Robbie Cutler, his main character, is just married, but their honeymoon in the scenic southwest of France is interrupted by murders. The most recent of the series, The Saladin Affair, has Cutler transferred to work for the Secretary of State. Like the author, Cutler arranges trips on Air Force Two – now enlivened by serial Al Qaeda attempts to assassinate the Secretary of State.

* * * * *
Thank you so much and I hope folks take advantage of the holidays to check out gifting, or the pleasure of reading, your books!

May you have a warm, cheery holiday season and a bright New Year!

Guest Author: Jenny Milchman

2011-12-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

Jenny is an amazing, accomplished woman, as you'll see when you read her bio at the end of this blog. Not only does she teach writing, but she is a published author, proving that some teachers no only teach, but also do. It's not easy to write suspense and she does a surperb job.

Making It, or: How Salmon Spawn

On my blog is a forum called Made It Moments. Over 125 authors so far have dropped by, answered the question “How did I know I’d made it,” then stayed to chat for a while.

I love this forum because every single answer is utterly unique—while all saying the exact same thing. I haven’t.

The concept of success in this writing world is a really hard one. The bar can be set awfully high. Once we pass one mile marker, we immediately see another one ahead.

Beginning your first novel. Finishing your first novel. Editing your first novel. Again and again and again. Realizing it may not work and beginning your second novel. Or your third. And so on. (In my case, all the way to eight, before I sold.)

The roads diverge then, and as Robert Frost wrote, the one you take may make all the difference. Or, it may not. In Amanda Hocking’s case she parlayed serious success as an independent author into serious success as she embarked on the traditional route. Whether that success continues remains to be seen. Whether she would’ve had such success if she didn’t start out independent is likewise an unknown.

If you travel down the traditional path, mile markers of success will be: Getting an agent. Getting published. Receiving reviews. Having your book in bookstores. Doing a signing. Doing a signing where more than five people come. Doing a signing where 500 people come. Hitting a list. Winning an award. Selling subsidiary rights of various sorts.

If you travel down the independent road, other mile markers will ensue. Finding a good editor. Designing a cover. Deciding on print options. Uploading to various platforms. Setting a price. Seeing those first sales come in. Tweaking the price. Seeing the first double digit numbers hit. Triple digit. Quadruple. Or even higher. Then you get to be interviewed along with Karen McQuestion, John Locke, and let’s throw in Amanda Hocking again.

Have you made it?

I think the reason this question hangs us up is because we’re defining success based on the wrong things. The above things—any of the above.
Think about the salmon’s perspective.

He’s ‘made it’ when he arrives at the top of the stream without getting eaten.

The writer’s equivalent is, I think, getting up every day and putting words down on paper or screen without letting the inevitable discouragement creep in and stop you in the act.

Discouragement comes from all sorts of sources. It’s that little voice in our head that says things like, You can’t do this. And even if you can, what are the chances you’ll succeed? (See? Making it again). You’re not getting paid. You may never get paid. Aren’t there other, more important things to do? Clean the house, help a friend, take the kids somewhere, get a ‘real’ job?

And it’s not that those things aren’t all very important.
But—your writing is, too.
This is how it happened for me. I always wanted to write. I studied poetry and fiction until I graduated from college. During my sophomore year, my parents, who were not overly practical and typically encouraged my dreams, so I was wont to trust them, suggested that I might want to pursue something that stood a chance of allowing me to feed myself. I decided to double major in English and Psych, and wound up ABD in clinical psychology. But the siren’s call of writing never stopped singing, and during my internship, I began writing my first real novel.
I call it ‘real’ because this was the book where I found my writer’s voice in suspense. I’d always loved to read suspense, but somehow I never wrote it before.

Because I had heeded my parents’ advice and was working, I wrote this novel at 4 o’clock in the morning before leaving for shifts at the hospital. It took me about five months to complete—that’s how fired up I was. The novel was unpublishable, but it did earn me offers from agents. And once that carrot was dangled, my hunger pulled me through seven more books, two more agents, and many, many close calls.

The fact that you write, that you have this creative urge deep inside you, is a gift and deserves to be nurtured. Taken seriously. Given some time.

Virginia Woolf called it a room of one’s own.

You deserve for your writing to have a room.

If not a whole room, well—at least a converted closet, such as the one I wrote those eight novels in, and recently began my ninth.

If you can honor your gift enough to give it some space, and a dedicated portion of your day, however you manage to come by those things, then the results might surprise you. You just might come to something great enough to deserve revision, querying, uploading.

You might make it.

Jenny Milchman is a suspense writer from New Jersey. Her short story ‘The Very Old Man’ has been an Amazon bestseller, and another short piece will appear in the anthology ADIRONDACK MYSTERIES II in fall 2012. Jenny is the Chair of International Thriller Writers' Debut Authors Program. She is also the founder of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, and the Made It Moments forum on her blog. Jenny teaches writing and publishing for New York Writers Workshop and has designed curricula to teach writing to children. Her debut novel, COVER OF SNOW, will be published by Ballantine in early 2013.

Jenny in 2001 when her first book went on submission (above right).

A closet of my own

The No Plan B photo my husband gave me when I was close to giving up

* * * * *
Okay, now this is just weird. Because years ago when I was first writing, I took a large closet in my one bedroom condo and turned it into an office, complete with one of the original IBM PCs and a daisy-wheel printer. In those days, publishers wouldn't accept manuscripts printed on dot-matrix printers which were the only other alternative to a daisy-wheel.

Times have changed, at least in how your furnish your closet.

Thanks Jenny and I hope you sell a billion!

Guest Author: Liz Jasper

2011-12-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

We have Liz Jasper, author of Underdead joining us today with an absolutely brilliant blog. She's an EPPIE award winning mystery writer and her books are a wonderfuly way to spend a few holiday moments. It was hilarious when I saw the title of her blog, since More magazine once featured a small tidbit about me called, the kid with the crayons. I'd like to say that great minds think alike, but I don't want to drag Liz down to my level.

Even more exciting, Liz has agreed to give an ebook version of one of her books to a lucky commenter, so be sure to leave a comment!

What Vampire Mysteries Have to Do With...Crayons

The genius about writing paranormals is, in theory, that you don't have to research the real world, you can just create your own. Aren't theories nice? The reality, however, is that I have to fact check all the time and the simplest things can send you off in wild-goose-chase land. Take this little section for example from Underdead In Denial:

"Dan Sterling—Drama Dan, as the students adoringly called him—had made another conquest. I tried to figure out what the big thrill was. I suppose Dan looked a little like Leonardo DiCaprio, if you imagined the famous actor redrawn with crayon colors. Dan Sterling’s eyes were sky blue, his cheeks were lightly flushed with pink sherbet and his hair was yellow straight out of the basic eight crayon box. He might be a little too boyishly handsome for my tastes, but that didn’t seem to be keeping just about everyone else from joining the Drama Dan fan club."

First off, I had to figure out how to spell crayon, because when I say "crayon" it actually comes out as "cran." Just a guess here, but if I said that Dan looked like he was fashioned from crans, no one would know what I was talking about.

That's not really research, of course, more of a spelling issue. But then I realized that I didn't know what crayon colors were in a box these days. So I had to do some research.

Now, I majored in Biology in college and I was a science teacher and I did ecological field research in China, Belize and Costa Rica. And let me tell you, being upside-down in the ocean with a snorkel, a ruler and an underwater tablet and trying to measure coral polyps before the next wave came or I was eaten by a pissed off eel was far easier than trying to understand the world of crayons.

When I was a kid all anyone had was the mongo box of 64 because it was a better deal than the few smaller boxes and our parents probably figured we'd stop asking them for crayons if they thrust a giant box of them at us every so often. And 64 does sound like a lot of crayons but let's be real. After about 3 days the box had been reduced to a fought-over stub of "sky blue", an untouched stick of burnt sienna, and a bewildering one called "flesh" that was...well let's just say I've never met anyone that particularly bright shade of yellowy-orange-beige.

Anyway, the deal with being a professional writer is that you do have to try to actually be right about things, which means that if I describe Dan using crayon colors, I need to become a crayon expert.

And yet, come on. It's crayons. How hard can it be?

Well, you try it. Wikipedia has a list of 133 Crayola crayon colors with the year they were introduced and retired. But that should make it even easier, right?

Hah.

In my mind Dan has that yellowy sort of blond hair. Which means the possible crayons that would match are: Yellow, Unmellow Yellow, Sunglow, Orange Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Laser Lemon, Goldenrod, Gold, Dandelion, Canary and Banana Mania.

Whatever. Pick the closest one and move on.

Okay. Lemon Yellow then. I remember Lemon Yellow. I think I drew a few hundred seriously awesome stick figures with Lemon Yellow hair when I was a girl.

Wait, whoops, Lemon Yellow was retired in 1990. Hmmm. Looks like Orange Yellow is out, too.

Laser Lemon is too day glow for hair. How about Dandelion? "Dan's hair was Dandelion..." Yikes. Way too cutesy. Canary? "Dan's hair was Canary..." it sounds like a bird not a crayon and is confusing. Banana Mania--is sort of fun but when I read "Banana Mania" I don't think crayon, do you?

How about Goldenrod? It's still around. It sounds like a crayon color to me without a lot of need further explanation. Except... it's really more strawberry blonde than blonde And would Jo, who is 22-years-old, have used Goldenrod, the hot color of 1958? I don't know. I kinda think she'd have been coloring with Banana Mania and Laser Lemon.

So we're left with... yellow. Okay, basic old yellow. Fine. "His hair was yellow." How do you know I'm talking about a yellow crayon and not just saying his hair is yellow? I need context.

Easy enough. I just have to reference a crayon box. Except... what size? All I know is the ratty, fought over 64 count box. Now I have to go to Amazon and look up bestselling current crayon box sizes and hope they've been the bestselling sizes for years so that the reference rings true for most readers.

At this point, I'm mostly aware that I've spent a ridiculous amount of time over crayons. I'm having a wild argument with myself. Why in the world did I ever come up with this stupid idea of describing a character in crayons? Just say he has blond hair and blue eyes and move on! Look how much time I've spent researching this one stupid paragraph! I could've brokered world peace by now.

And yet wait. There on Amazon is the eight count crayon box. Perfect in it's simplicity. A small, compact box of happiness and joy. And suddenly I'm done.

"... his hair was yellow straight out of the basic eight crayon box."

Except I still have to talk about his eyes and cheeks. But that can wait until after I've had some milk and cookies and maybe taken a little nap.

BIO

Liz Jasper is the award-winning author of the humorous UNDERDEAD mysteries about beleaguered science teacher Jo Gartner who is bitten by a vampire--sort of. If you don't usually read books with vampires in them, well, neither does Jo, so these are for you! Available now in ebook and trade paperback. The first in the series, UNDERDEAD, is on ebook special for 99 cents for the holidays.

Liz's website and blog: http://lizjasper.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorLizJasper
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LizJasperAuthor (She's nearing the facebook max so has, reluctantly and resentfully, started a page.)

Underdead

Liz Jasper

EPPIE Award winning mystery about newbie teacher Jo Gartner who thinks teaching eighth graders is deadly…until she’s bitten by a vampire. Sort of. And then things really get out of control. Dead bodies. Police. Undead. Outrageous lies to her mother. But then someone wants Jo dead…the traditional way!

Underdead in Denial

Almost undead teacher Jo Gartner is having a good year until she volunteers for the Haunted House fundraiser. That's just asking for the vampires to show up! And then there's another dead body. And more cops. And Jo is forced to decide which side she's on before someone gets rid of her permanently.

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Thank you, Liz, and as a special holiday treat, we'll be giving away an ebook verison of one of Liz's books to a randomly selected person who leaves a comment.

So make sure you stop and say, Hi!

Happy Holidays!

Guest Author: Joselyn Vaughn

2011-12-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

The holidays are a time for family, friends, and maybe a sweet romance or two. Joselyn's romances definitely fit the bill and are perfect for stealing away (perhaps to hide behind the Christmas tree) and relax for a few minutes.

Joselyn Vaughn

How much research do you do?
It depends on the story. For Hauntings of the Heart, I had to learn more about ghost hunters and inadvertently found out that a building across the street from my house is said to be haunted. The ghost hunters who had investigated there hadn’t finalized their investigation yet. I am no longer interested in seeing the inside of it. Of course, this fits with the stories I’ve heard. My friend was on the fire department and had to do a walk through. He said it was creepy. The closest I’ve been to a haunting experience is when my sewing machine started running on its own. We figured out that it was caused by a faulty extension cord, but it still gave me the creepy-crawlies. And my sewing machine has never been the same.

For Sucker for a Hot Rod, I had to do a lot of research into poison ivy cases. Because I had issues with the timeline of the story, the character had poison ivy for two months. Worst case scenario, a rash will last about two weeks. I also learned that I’m thankful I’m not particularly susceptible to it. You can get it from the dried roots in the winter. You can get it in your lungs by breathing in the smoke from burning it. There are some pretty scary cases documented online – they include pictures. Yikes.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
I always wish I could answer this with something like I write for three hours in the morning, then revise or do marketing in the afternoon. But right now, I’m lucky if I get through my email in the afternoon when my kids are resting. Somehow the time they need for afternoon rest keeps shrinking. If I’m not completely exhausted when they go to bed, I try to do some then. I don’t set daily writing goals right now. It’s too frustrating for me when I can’t make them. So I mostly write in fits and bursts.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I usually start out with one of the main characters. They start doing something and the story grows from there. Hauntings of the Heart started with Minnie, a character from my first book CEOs Don’t Cry, slamming the door in someone’s face. I had to find out who was on the door step, why they were there, why Minnie was angry with them and what she was going to do about it. Simply answering those questions developed quite a story.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
When you start writing, you notice the writing in other books. You don’t get to read for pleasure very much anymore. You notice that they repeated a word or phrase within two sentences or you pick up the sly hints/foreshadowing much too easily. For me a great book has become one where the story is so engaging that I don’t notice any of this stuff—that is allows me to read purely for pleasure. I know I’ve got a good one when I carry it around with me, trying to read here and there throughout the day.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
At the least, I would hope that they didn’t feel that they wasted their time. My goal would be that they had a few laughs and enjoyed the story.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Write and rewrite. The great thing about writing is that your first draft doesn’t have to be your last. (Unless you’re taking an essay test. But then it only has to be mostly legible. ) I think I went through a million drafts on my first book, but each one was a learning experience that made it better.

Find a good critique partner or group. You need people you can trust to give you an honest opinion, but that you also know are trying to help you be a better writer. It’s easy to find the honesty, not so easy to find people who truly want the best for your writing.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
Some days, I hope I’m still writing in five years. There are moments that can be quite discouraging and it’s hard to keep plugging away on your current story. I hope that in five years, I have continued to learn about the craft and have improved as a writer and a story teller. And maybe be able to write faster, and if not that, at least type faster. I think I’m the slowest typist in the world.

Bio
Joselyn Vaughn lives in the Great Lakes states with her husband, three energetic preschoolers and two barking Beagles. In the rare minutes when she is not chasing them and encouraging them to use their inside voices, she enjoys thrift store shopping, reconstructing clothing and, of course, reading.

Her first book, CEOs Don’t Cry, was the winner of the WisRWA Write Touch Readers Award in 2010. It was also a finalist in the GDRWA Booksellers Best Award and the USA Book News Best Books 2010 Award.
For more about Joselyn and to keep up with her adventures, you can visit her blog at http://joselynvaughn.blogspot.com/ or hang out with her on Facebook Http://facebook.com/joselynvaughn .

Hauntings of the Heart Blurb

When lost love shows up on your doorstep, what do you do? Minnie Schultz slams the door in his face. She and Gordon Anderson have a history—close to ancient history, given the fifty years since their last encounter. After all that time, it might seem like water under the bridge. But the water pours from the plumbing in Minnie’s bed and breakfast, the Lilac Bower, uncovering all the secrets and heartache between them. With the help of some paranormal investigators, an Elvis impersonator and a couple of nosey friends, can Minnie and Gordon find the future they were meant to have?

Buy Links
Astraea
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Contact Links
Email: jvaughn@joselynvaughn.com
Webpage: http://joselynvaughn.com/
Blog: http://joselynvaughn.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/joselynvaughn
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/joselynvaughn

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Thanks Joselyn, and Happy Holidays!

Guest Author: Anne K. Albert

2011-12-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

Do you like cozy, funny mysteries? Want something to keep you warm over the holidays?

Then you definitely want to check out Anne Albert.

Why did you decide to write?
Until I reached a ‘certain’ age, okay, middle age LOL, I never imagined ordinary people could be writers. It seemed like such an incredible occupation--this ability to create worlds with words.

It was the late 1980s, I was a display advertising sales representative for a small weekly newspaper and I came face-to-face for the first time with a computer. I fell in love with the sound of fingertips flying across the keyboard. As strange as this sounds, that’s what inspired me to write my first book! I love that sound. It’s music to my ears.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
I write to entertain. If I can make readers smile, laugh out loud, or give them an ‘ahhh’ moment as they’re reading one of my books then I’ve succeeded.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
My writing day is mainly devoted to promotion and marketing, I’m afraid to say. This came as a huge surprise since getting published. Like most people, I just thought an author writes a book, turns it over to the publisher, and then begins writing the next one. Whoa! Talk about a reality check. The publishing arena is changing, and so is an author’s list of responsibilities.

On the bright side, I’ve met some incredible people along the way. I really believe my life is enriched because of it. It’s a wonderful time to be an author!

As to when I write, I find afternoons and evenings are my best writing time. When I’m really in the ‘zone’ it’s usually after midnight!

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
The best advice came from my editor. She said promotion and marketing is a marathon not a sprint. That has really helped me to keep at it day after day. She also told me to stop applying so much pressure on myself to write the next book. I’m working on book 3 and having a much harder time in that regard! I wanted to have it released months ago, but that didn’t happen. Protecting Hope, book 2 of the Piedmont Island Trilogy series, will be available soon, however…really!

As for the worst advice? That’s easy. Years ago, before this surge in e-books, a multi-published author advised to jot down how long it takes to write a book. Then, when an editor asks, you’ll have a good idea.

It sounds like a great idea, but it’s no longer applicable. Promoting and marketing on Facebook, Twitter, etc. is a huge commitment. Having all day to write is a luxury few authors have.

With zero interruptions, I can write a book in about 8 weeks. I know because I kept track on both Defending Glory, book 1 of the Piedmont Island Trilogy, and Frank, Incense and Muriel, book 1 of the Muriel Reeves Mysteries. When I spoke to my editor about book 2 for the Piedmont series, I used that calculation/information to set a deadline. Needless to say, that deadline came and went, and I’m still writing Protecting Hope. I haven’t even begun to write book two of my mystery series…ack! I can feel my blood pressure rising. I have to stop and breathe… ;-)

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
Definitely just an idea. I’m a pantser who writes to find out what happens next. That is literally from one sentence to the next. I have no idea who will say or do what, or where the plot will go.

Which, now that I think about it, may be part of the problem with Protecting Hope and why it is taking me so long to complete. I wrote the synopsis at the request of my editor before I’d completed chapter three. I realize I don’t have to stick to it exactly, but writing the synopsis first just feels all wrong! While I’m proud of Protecting Hope, I don’t think I’ll write the synopsis for my next release until after I’ve written the book!

How do you develop your characters?
I usually have at least one trait in mind for each character when I begin writing. He’s determined. She’s spontaneous. The villain’s just plain old bad! Then, as I continue writing the first draft, they do something that shows me they’re so much more than that.

It’s very much like meeting a person in real life, actually. You develop a snap first impression of them when you’re introduced. The second time you meet you gain a little more insight into who they are. With each additional encounter you get a deeper understanding of what makes them tick. By the end of the first draft, I know my characters better than they do!

What makes a great book in your opinion?
A fast-paced plot with intriguing characters works for me. I have to care about them. I want to hit the ground running and not be caught up with a lot of backstory. Add a mystery or murder to solve, a dash of romance, a laugh, and a satisfying ending and you had me at Chapter One!

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
Writing. Promoting. Writing some more! Oh, and traveling, too. Thank you so much, Amy, for featuring me today! It’s been such fun.

Bio
Anne K. Albert’s award winning stories chill the spine, warm the heart and soothe the soul…all with a delightful touch of humor. A member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and married to her high school sweetheart for more than a quarter of a century, it's a given she'd write mystery and romantic suspense. When not writing she loves to travel, visit friends and family, and of course, read using ‘Threegio’ her cherished and much beloved Kindle 3G!

Book Blurb

FRANK, INCENSE AND MURIEL is set the week before Christmas when the stress of the holidays is enough to frazzle anyone’s nerves. Tensions increase when a friend begs Muriel to team up with a sexy private investigator to find a missing woman. Forced to deal with an embezzler, kidnapper, and femme fatale is bad enough, but add Muriel’s zany yet loveable family to the mix and their desire to win the coveted D-DAY (Death Defying Act of the Year) Award, and the situation can only get worse. This cozy, comedic mystery is recipient of the prestigious 2011 Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

To read a sample of Frank, Incense and Muriel click here: http://amzn.to/pg67sx .

Visit Anne online at her website http://www.annekalbert.com/ and blogs http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com/ and http://muriel-reeves-mysteries.blogspot.com/ . She is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/annekalbert and Twitter www.twitter.com/AnneKAlbert .

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Thank you Anne and Happy Holidays!

Truth is Too Far-fetched for Fiction

2011-12-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

Truth really is stranger than fiction, and thank goodness for that. While writers get their ideas from all kinds of crazy places including the cob-webbed corners of their dark little minds, sometimes their best ideas come from a bit of reality that is too weird to pass up.

That’s what happened to me.

I was researching crime in the 19th century and ran across an article about a young woman who had been living as a man. Catherine Wilson. It seems like the type of thing that only happens in fiction, but it does not. In fact, this one only one of many cases where independent women chose to live as men rather than face the restrictions and terrible choices endured by women before the 20th century.

One generation as passed since women broke through the barriers that said the only proper role for a woman was to be a wife and mother. Many today don’t have a real conception of what it was like to be beaten, starved or even imprisoned in a mental institution if you did not agree to do what you were told, and yet that’s what many women faced. You did what your parents or guardian said you should do and married who they said you should marry, and that was pretty much it. Sure, some ran away with lovers, but many of those subsequently ended up in poverty or resorting to prostitution to survive.

It was not a lovely world for women with no visible means of support.

So what about Catherine Wilson?

Catherine Wilson lived in Perth and by her account, assumed the dress of a boy when she was between six and seven years old. Her brother had died and when her parents followed him, Catherine found herself without protection.

She donned her deceased brother’s clothing, took the name of John Thomson, and sought employment with graziers (working with cattle). When she was around fifteen, she drove cattle to Hallow Fair, Edinburgh and left her job as a grazier to work in the stables of one Mr. Lawson. She left Lawson’s service when she got a better situation as a groom and foot boy with J. Williams, Esq.

She worked for the Williams family for two years, but was discharged after an argument. She wandered up to Leith and managed to find another job as a “lumper” and she lodged at a house run by a woman named Gray.

This was the start of her downfall.

Mrs. Gray somehow found out that John, aka Catherine, was a woman. Mrs. Gray had a daughter who had an affair with their butcher and gotten pregnant. Well, the butcher was already married and broke things off with the girl when he heard the news.

When Mrs. Gray discovered her tenant, John, was really a female, she saw a way out of her dilemma. She told John/Catherine that she was liable to transportation for going around dressed as a man, unless she agreed to Mrs. Gray’s demands. The Grays demanded that “John” marry the pregnant Mary Gray in order to conceal Mary’s shame and prevent the compulsory disclosure of the real father.

John/Catherine didn’t want to do that and ran away to Edinburgh where she got employment as a bricklayer. But she didn’t escape the clutches of the Grays. Mrs. Gray followed with a letter from Mary, reproaching John for deserting Mary after seducing her. Mrs. Gray handed this letter to John/Catherine’s employer, who discharged John/Catherine on the basis of this depravity.

Mrs. Gray assured John that the butcher agreed to pay a dowry to support his child if only John would marry Miss Gray. John/Catherine finally consented and married Miss Gray. But the couple never got the dowry and married life didn’t agree with John. John/Catherine found it difficult to support a wife, child and his mother-in-law. The last straw was when his “wife” Mary resumed her affair with the butcher and got pregnant again.

John/Catherine couldn’t stand it any longer and tried to run away, only to be dragged back by the parish officers for desertion of “his” family. Finally, John/Catherine went to the parish officers and revealed her true sex.

She resumed her petticoats and went to Glasgow where she sought work in a factory.

And that, my friends, was the story of Catherine Wilson and the inspiration for the premise behind my Regency romantic mystery, The Bricklayer’s Helper. My heroine, Sarah, becomes Sam when her family is murdered. She dons the attire of a lad and obtains work as a bricklayer, until the murderer discovers she’s still alive.

Then the troubles really begin.

While I really wanted her to marry her employer’s daughter (because I thought it would be hysterically funny) my editor convinced me to make it more believable. Obviously she’d never heard of Catherine Wilson and how she married to continue hiding her identify.

Sometimes, reality is too far-fetched for fiction.

Guest Author: Lise McClendon

2011-12-06T21:12:00.001-05:00

If you're like me, you have a wide range of books you like to read and crime thrillers are on the top of my list. I'm particularly glad to have Lise McClendon here today as she's recently released a new thriller, Jump Cut, under her persona of Rory Tate. In the interview below, Lise gives us a fascinating glimpse into her creative process.

Lise McClendon
Why did you decide to write?
I decided to write because I love to read, and I wanted to tell stories. Now that I’ve been writing for twenty-five years, seriously, I have been become fairly intolerant of forms that don’t actually tell a story, that don’t have a beginning, a middle, and an end. They can be long, short, or in between, but if there’s just a little scene or vignette, a humorous slice of life, I start to twitch. I need narrative. I breathe it. I was a film reviewer and love movies too. I am somewhat more tolerant of a film without a distinct plot, like Ingmar Bergman, say, but still I like a well-rounded tale, the denser and more complicated the better.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
I used to harp on theme to students and critique group members -- a lot. Man v. nature, man v. man, all that. But after writing for so long I have found out what my overarching theme is, in every book. Kinda strange to just figure it out after all these years, isn’t it? But all my novels are about connection, about the bonds of family and what they mean to each of us, about the disparate ways we can hurt each other, and love each other. And laugh at each other! Don’t forget that one. I never set out to have a “message.” Hey, use Western Union, right? But in looking back, the relationship theme, the weirdness that can be family, the drama, the turmoil: all is a recurring constant, sometimes just an underlying rumble, in my books.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
I am, sadly, an intuitive writer. Tony Hillerman always said he wouldn’t take an advance without writing the book because he never knew if he could do it again. He wasn’t an outliner either. I get an idea, or half an idea, and try to see if it will work as a novel length idea. (A short story idea is easier, because it’s more of a one-note.) I’ll get an idea that might work for a novel and fill a spiral notebook with ramblings, then fill a computer journal of more ramblings and copied-and-pasted-in research. This can take months and much of it is ultimately useless. But I don’t have a very ordered mind. I approach writing as someone who needs focus. Writing actually gives me that, a purpose, and grounds me. Eventually I do work up an outline, a very squishy one. I’ve even done post-it notes and index cards in different colors! I’ll do anything to get organized. Sometimes I have to cut photos of my characters out of catalogs or magazines to get me started. I’m visual that way.

How do you develop your characters?

Sometimes a character springs full-blown from the imagination, but usually it takes some work to get not only the voice right -- the internal thinking, the view of the world, the mood -- but also the physical attributes, the background, and especially the name. Naming your character is so important. Work can mean writing and rewriting, or just thinking hard. In my latest manuscript I changed the main character’s job several times, making her less and less an expert. She ended up a policewoman, plain and simple, who just happened to be back from Iraq with PTSD and an expertise in bomb investigation. Which leads me to this question....

How much research do you do?
I could have made my character an ATFE agent with an expertise in explosives. I needed somebody to help at an explosion site in the first scene of the book. I even interviewed a very helpful federal agent. But in the end I wanted her grounded in her community, not popping in from the big city. And guess what, it would have been a lot more research to make her an expert. I love to research, don’t get me wrong, but it can overwhelm me, and scare me with so much information I can never find my way back to the story. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself, stop!

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
One of my favorite authors is Alice Hoffman. She is so original, and writes such great characters. Her book, ‘Turtle Moon’ is everything a novel or a mystery should be. I wish I could write magic realism but apparently I am too literal! On my practical side I am a Jane Austen Jane-ite of long standing. In mystery fiction I love Jasper Fforde’s crazy vision and James Lee Burke’s lyrical writing. They all inspire me.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
A great book transports you into someone else’s life and makes you feel what it would be like to be that person. So a living, breathing, full-bodied character (or three). Then, I was told years ago that every story needs a birth, a death, and a sacrifice. In crime fiction, deaths are not difficult. Births somewhat more so, if you take it literally. But a birth can be a new start, a reckoning, a sea change in perception. Keeping in mind the need for sacrifice in a story can give you focus while writing. Who can sacrifice, and what can they altruistically give up? Maybe that’s why we love that O. Henry story where each lover sacrifices their favorite thing for the other: double bonus.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?

I see publishing fragmenting so that there really is no “publishing industry” per se. There are big publishing corporations some of whom also sell books directly, there are authors who publish with them or on their own, and there is everything in between. I started a small press a few years ago with my friend Katy Munger, to bring our backlist into print again. With the rise of digital books and readers we’ve gone that direction. My new novel, Jump Cut, is our third original title. We’ve also ganged up with other authors to create a group called Thalia Press Authors Co-op. We blog together and we just published our first short story anthology, Dead of Winter. There are so many opportunities these days. You have to stay sharp and don’t try to do everything. And don’t forget to actually write. That’s what it’s all about. I tell myself that daily.

Brief Bio
Lise McClendon’s new novel, Jump Cut, written as Rory Tate, is out from Thalia Press. A modern thriller, it follows a Seattle TV reporter and a narcotics detective searching for answers in the deaths of three prostitutes to redeem their reputations and save the city they love. She is co-editor of the new anthology of chilling crime stories, Dead of Winter. Her website is http://lisemcclendon.com/ and Rory Tate’s is http://rorytate.com/ where you can view a short video trailer about Jump Cut. Her suspense novel, Blackbird Fly, has just been released in audio from Iambik. She lives in the wilds of Montana where she has discovered she is a ‘bear magnet.’ Learn more about Lise on her blog, on Facebook and Twitter: @LiseMcClendon.

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Funny note: I got a kick out of her being a "bear magnet." We're just a "weird magnet" here in North Carolina and our daily walk to the mailbox often has unexpected surprises. Once, there was a barracuda (yes, the fish) lying in the middle of the road. Another time, there was a cow trimming the weeds around the mailbox. Don't ask. All I can say is, it's a weird world out there.

Thanks Lise!

Guest Author: Charles Rosenberg

2011-12-05T09:13:00.000-05:00

Remember the move, The Paper Chase? Or shows like LA Law and Boston Legal? Perry Mason? We've all been thrilled by courtroom drama and intrigues by lawyers (despite the jokes about them) and I'm honored to interview Charles Rosenberg, a gifted writer and lawyer.

Charles Rosenberg
Why did you decide to write?
After having been the legal script consultant to four TV shows – The Paperchase, LA Law, The Practice and Boston Legal, plus having been one of two on-air analysts for E! TV’s coverage of the O. J. Simpson criminal and civil trials, writing Death on a High Floor, which is a legal thriller, just seemed a natural thing to do. Although the truth is that I started a similar novel in the mid-70’s, but never finished it. So maybe it all started back then.

How much research do you do?
Didn’t have to do any research, really, on what life is like inside very large law firms since I spent a significant part of my life as a lawyer inside such firms (although I want to be sure to point out that none of them was as mean as Marbury Marfan, the firm in Death on a High Floor). Nor did I have to do much research on criminal procedure since I taught that subject as a law professor once-upon-a-time, have represented clients in criminal matters (although they involved white collar federal prosecutions rather than murders) and, of course, watched every minute of the Simpson murder trial plus a couple of others. So all I had to do was brush up a bit on current California criminal procedure. As for ancient Roman coins, which play a key role in the plot, I collect such coins (in a minor kind of way), and I own all of the books that are referred to in the novel. So that research was done from my own book shelves. I did have to learn a bit more, though, about the particular coin in the book – the EID MAR (Ides of March) denarius of Brutus—the coin Brutus minted to celebrate his assassination of Julius Caesar, complete with double daggers and the Latin words EID Mar (Ides of March) on the back. That research I was able to do on the Internet. Other than that, it was just odds and ends Internet research.

What was the most interesting thing you discovered when you were doing your research?
That counterfeit ancient coins are even more common than I thought. Indeed, I discovered that some forgeries were so good that there are people who collect them.
(Note from Amy: I had no idea people collected forged coins, but I can see why. Many are works of art and show real talent on the part of the forgers. Makes you wonder what they could accomplish if they set their mind to doing real work. :) )

What’s your favorite method for researching?
The Internet, particularly things like Google Scholar.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
Hmm. I think I’d like people to take from the novel that circumstantial evidence of guilt doesn’t always mean that the person is guilty.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?
My life, because it involves continuing to be a full-time lawyer, as well as an adjunct law professor, is hard to plan from day to day. So I just write whenever/wherever I get the time. There is no standard “writing day” in my life. Might be nice if there were.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
Best advice was: Finish it and then go back later and polish it. Worst advice: use an outline.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?

Outlines work well for many people, I know. They just don’t for me. I approach a mystery just by asking myself who died, who did it and why. That provides, instantly, two characters (although the dead one doesn’t have much of a role). From there, it just develops as I write.

How do you develop your characters?
I think they develop organically through interactions with the other characters as I write them, mainly through dialogue. I’m a big believer in “show, don’t tell.” In some ways, I just start with a broad character outline. For example, the main criminal defense lawyer in Death on a High Floor is anti-technology: doesn’t own a computer or a cell phone. Once you have that down, the rest of his personality just flows from that—he’s something of a crank in everything. The ancient coin dealer, Serappo Prodiglia, is quirky, in part because I think that to be a dealer in ancient coins you have to be a bit quirky. Aren’t all antiquarians quirky in some way?

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
I always have trouble with this question because I’d need to break it down into many categories, and name a favorite for each. In the thriller genre, I’ve always loved Frederick Forsyth, who wrote Day of the Jackal. Currently, in the area of novels that are more “literary,” I’m enamored of Hilary Mantel, who wrote Wolf Hall (the Man Booker Prize winner in 2009), among many other novels. In terms of true influence, though , I’d have to say it would be the non-fiction work by the late John Gardner, The Art of Fiction, Craft for Young Writers. I first read it when it came out in 1984, and it’s still full of good advice and insight.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
Being able to be absorbed in the fiction in so profound a way that you truly forget that the characters never really lived.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
A sense of what it’s like, psychologically, to be accused of a crime you didn’t commit.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Just finish it!

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
I have a second novel that’s about 70% done (not a sequel) that I hope to finish in a couple of months. Then I plan a sequel to Death on a High Floor. And then there are some novels beyond that, one of which is a historical novel, and one of which is a sci-fi “space opera.” And I hope to be better known. But what author does not?

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
I’m sad to say (because I still like hard copy books, even though I now read most books on my Kindle) that print books, except for specialty items, are going away. As a result, large brick and mortar book retailers (like retailers of music) are going to be largely gone (Barnes & Noble lost a lot of money this year), and publishers are going to find themselves, like record companies, re-emerging in forms they can’t now quite envisage. There will also be, as with record companies, a lot more consolidation.

Bio
Charles B. (“Chuck”) Rosenberg has been the credited legal script consultant to three prime time television shows: L.A. Law, The Practice and Boston Legal, as well as The Paper Chase (Showtime). During the O .J. Simpson criminal trial, he was one of two on-air legal analysts for E! Entertainment Television’s live coverage of the trial. He also provided commentary for E!’s coverage of the Simpson civil trial. He is also the author of the book The Trial of O.J. Simpson: How to Watch the Trial and Understand What’s Really Going On (Publishing Partners 1994) and is a contributing author to the book Lawyers in Your Living Room! Law on Television (ABA Publishing 2009). He has taught extensively as an adjunct law professor, including at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, the Loyola Law School International LLM Program in Bologna, Italy, the UCLA School of Law, the Pepperdine School of Law, and the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. A graduate of the Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Chuck currently practices in the Los Angeles area. He has been a partner in several law firms, including a large international firm. Currently, he is a partner in a three-lawyer firm. Chuck and his wife have lived in Los Angeles since the early 1970s. He is at work on a second novel.

Website: http://charlesrosenberg.wordpress.com/ (with links to blog and the book’s Facebook page)

Book blurb
Death on a High Floor
Simon Rafer is the roundly hated managing partner of Marbuy Marfan, a glitzy Los Angeles law firm with more than a thousand lawyers scattered across four continents. Robert Tarza, a sixtyish, laid back senior partner who is waltzing toward retirement, has the misfortune to get in early one morning and find Rafer dead in the reception area, an elaborate dagger struck in his back. It’s not good to find the body, and it’s particularly not good if you seem to have a motive, to wit: Rafter had just bought a rare ancient Roman coin from Tarza for a cool half-million dollars, declared it a fake and was demanding his money back. LAPD homicide detective Spritz has his eyes fixed on Tarza from the start, and seems near to building an air tight case against him for Murder One. Jenna James, the kick-ass woman associate whom Tarza has mentored for seven years, wants to defend him. And Tarza likes the idea, because he finds himself falling apart and needs somebody who believes in him. But then again, maybe Jenna herself is the real killer . . .

* * * * *
Thank you!

Sample Sunday: The Bricklayer's Helper

2011-12-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

It's sample Sunday again! This time, I'm giving you a small taste from my Regency romantic mystery, The Bricklayer's Helper.

What would you do if you were a young girl, orphaned during the early years of the 19th century? Without a family and references, there were pitifully few jobs for women, leaving them to face desperate lives of thievery or prostitution.

Sam faces this terrible situation in The Bricklayer’s Helper.

Her story was based on the actual life of Catherine Wilson, who was orphaned at fourteen and bravely refused to accept the social restrictions of her day. She donned her deceased brother’s clothes to find work under the name of John Thomson.

An orphan like Catherine, Sarah finds herself alone when a suspicious fire burns down her home with her family trapped inside. All she can remember about the horrific event is the warning to “run and hide.” Fighting to stay alive, Sarah cuts her hair, dons the garb of a young boy and obtains a job as a bricklayer’s helper. This disguise allows her to remain safe for nearly thirteen years.

Unfortunately, work takes her to London and a man from her past recognizes her. He arranges a meeting with her, only to be murdered before they can speak. Desperate that she may be vulnerable, Sarah hires an inquiry agent from the Second Sons Inquiry Agency.

However, Sarah is not too sure about the inquiry agent she's assigned. William Trenchard may be competant to fumble his way beneath a lady’s skirt, but can he discover who murdered her family? Despite her doubts, Sarah hires him, hoping to survive long enough to uncover the killer.
Unfortunately, their decisions may prove to be dangerous to their hearts…if not downright fatal.

Book: The Bricklayer’s Helper

In the scene below, Sarah, in her guise as Sam Sanderson, has gone to meet a man from her past, unsure what secrets he will reveal about the fire that destroyed her family.

Excerpt from The Bricklayer’s Helper

She glanced around, trying to listen over the pounding of her heart. No one shouted. No one except the major showed any interest in her—other than sheer annoyance when she impeded the smooth flow of foot traffic.

Major Pickering raised his hand, his eyes intent on her face. She took a slow step forward. Then without warning, he stumbled. His hand fell to his side. His gaze wavered. A look of confusion passed over his thin face. Glancing down, he pressed a hand to his side. And as he brought his palm up in front of his face, his legs buckled beneath him. He fell sharply to his knees, and with a shudder, he raised his head. His gaze once more met Sam’s as his mouth worked soundlessly.

A sense of urgency sent her running forward, hand outstretched. Alarmed by the pallor of his face, she tried to reach him to hear the words he uselessly mouthed. Then, although she couldn’t be sure with the jostling men between them, he shook his head slightly in warning. A spasm twisted his features.

Sam stopped and watched in agonized horror as he slowly crumpled, face down, onto the pavement.

A passerby dressed in black bent over him. His quick hands patted the major’s back and sides.

Several men trying to pass turned and exclaimed in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” one said, his voice carrying above the crowd.

“Drunk—”

“No—murder!” another man yelled. “Fetch the constable! This man’s been stabbed!”

------
I hope you enjoyed the excerpt!

Guest Author: Anne Ashby

2011-12-02T10:29:00.000-05:00

We're lucky to have author Anne Ashby join us today. We share a publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and I was delighted when she agreed to let me interview her. She and I both share the same writing goal: write a book that leaves the reader with a smile on his or her face.

More and more, when I read a book, I want at least some of the characters to survive (preferably characters I like) and be happy. Real life can be so difficult at times, that it's nice to think someone, somewhere has survived all the trauma and found happiness, even if it's just in a book.

Anne Ashby
Why did you decide to write?

I don’t think I can say why I began writing, it was just something that happened, a natural progression, I guess you could say. I loved to read and dreamed of putting my own stories onto paper, but it took the encouragement of Loree Lough, whose “romance writing” course I attended in MD, to make me realise I could actually do this.

How much research do you do?

Writing contemporary stories makes research very easy – I’m writing about today, in today’s world, with today’s problems and solutions. I’m in awe of historical writers and those who develop other worlds, but I’m not even slightly tempted to follow their lead. I’m sticking to contemporary. I haven’t yet set a story in an unfamiliar place so descriptions are either via memories or visits to those locations.

What was the most interesting thing you discovered when you were doing your research?

Researching for my first story “Worlds Apart” was the most involved and interesting as I used many of the language/cultural differences between USA and New Zealand we discovered when shifting to Maryland. Our family assumed movies and television had prepared us – after all, both countries speak English, don’t they? No, we discovered. American is spoken in US and New Zealand’s brand of English caused a few raised eyebrows. Much of every day living in US was initially foreign to us. But with the help of good friends we soon found our feet, and I discovered heaps of padding for my story. Each time my words baffled friends, or they confused me, out came the notebook to record yet another weird or wonderful distinction.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?

My tag-line is “warm, fuzzy and fun” and I always start off a story intending it to be light-hearted. My aim is to provide a ‘feel good’ buzz for my readers. But sometimes my characters take control and I’ve ended up writing about some very serious social issues. For example, in “Time to Bury the Past” teenage binge drinking plays a major part. Despite this, I hope my stories can always bring a smile and a sigh of satisfaction as the cover closes.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?

I started writing when my youngest child started school so I got into the habit of using “school hours” as my writing day. Over the last few months this has changed slightly as I work on self-promotion, with me spending about 30-60 mins posting onto loops/FB etc. I’m yet to dive into Twitter but will take that plunge one day soon. When writing, I usually read over/edit the previous day’s work then write whatever is itching to get out. I’m a pantser, attempts at planning my stories have so far fallen flat. I’m reasonably disciplined (maybe because of years in the military) and put in about 5-6 hours Mon-Fri on some sort of “writing-related” work.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?

Some ideas present themselves almost en masse, while others appear as just one scene and take a lot of thought before they turn into a whole story. It is my intention that every book will be planned, with a clear outline, the precise number of pages per chapter, personality charts, character arcs, everything! Only when I sit down to do this planning my mind turns to mush and nothing appears. So instead I let the jumbled story flow out and do an awful lot of editing once the draft is complete.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?

I’ll be very surprised if anyone reading this has ever heard of my favourite author. New Zealander Essie Summers wrote over 50 stories for Mills & Boon, setting most of them close to where I grew up. Reading her romances and knowing the locations made the stories so real. I guess she provided a mile of inspiration – I could write stories set in far off New Zealand, too.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?

A smile.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Write, write and then write some more. Never give up if writing is your dream. Keep practicing and devour any writing related information you can grab, no matter where you find it. Then write even more. Submit your work, hopefully feedback will help you recognise your faults or weaknesses.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?

I’d like to hope I’d be still writing 4-5 books a year and getting them all published. The most important thing for me at the moment is to stay true to the “sweet” genre, but provide stories that are realistic in today’s world. Sweet doesn’t have to mean sickly.

Brief Bio

I’m a contemporary traditional/sweet author from New Zealand, published with The Wild Rose Press. I grew up in a very small coastal town in New Zealand’s southern-most province. An eagerness to travel, fostered by my mother, led me to join the Royal NZ Navy where I enjoyed a very satisfying career. I have been fortunate to have travelled extensively and lived in Singapore and Maryland USA. I began writing contemporary romances when my youngest child started school. I enjoy including family issues, genealogy, rugby and/or snippets from my past military life in my stories. I am dedicated to bringing something of my beautiful country to romance readers everywhere, so New Zealand always features in my stories, normally as the setting. When not reading or writing, I find plenty to occupy my time with my family commitments. I currently live in Auckland with my husband and two of our four children.

TIME TO BURY THE PAST

By: ANNE ASHBY

Available – Amazon, Wild Rose Press

BACK BLURB
PTSD forces American Naval Officer Zane Erickson to re-evaluate his life. A posting to untroubled New Zealand after years in Afghanistan will allow him to bond with his motherless teenage son. Unfortunately Cody doesn't share his father's enthusiasm for this new living arrangement.

Kelsey Hewitt is a single mother wrestling with her son's drinking problem, struggling to keep the truth about his abusive father from him and determined to exclude men from her life.

As Kelsey and Zane are drawn together by the boys' friendship they each have compelling reasons to avoid any possible intimacy. But while dealing with their sons' dilemmas, their attraction for each other deepens.

Can Kelsey risk allowing another control freak into her life?

Anne Ashby
Author of: “Worlds Apart” “Devon’s Dream” “Time to Bury the Past” “Wilderness Liaison” coming soon
http://www.anneashby.com/
Facebook

Thanks Anne!

Guest Author: Judy Alter

2011-11-27T21:13:00.000-05:00

Mystery and Western writer Judy Alter joins us today to talk about book signings and finding a niche. I'm glad she was able to join us as she touches on two subjects that speak to the nostalgia of the season. My father loved westerns and mysteries and I inherited a good many of his books when he passed away. To my delight, I found after I married my wonderful husband, that his German mother also loved westerns and I felt privileged to share my father's books with her, too. Sharing books and finding new authors is one of the best ways to make a connection with others, so I hope Judy's blog helps you to connect with her and find a new, favorite author to share with your friends and family.

Judy Alter
Book signings and finding a niche

I’ve been following the Facebook postings of western writer Steven Law. He apparently arranged to sign books at Hy-Vee grocery stores across the nation. For the last three days, he’s been at Hy-Vees in the Omaha area—he always tells what part of the store he’s in, such as next to vitamins, the produce, whatever—once, by good fortune, next to the ATM machine. His book is a traditional western, Yuma Gold, and I doubt HyVee is mentioned in it. But he’s somehow made great use of a connection and has done successful signings in an unconventional venue for books.

My new novel, Skeleton in a Dead Space, is definitely a neighborhood novel, one in which the Fort Worth historic neighborhood of Fairmount is a major character. Kelly O’Connell buys and sells real estate and renovates older houses, particularly Craftsman style, in Fairmount, and she is passionate about the neighborhood. So are the residents there today.

Fairmount was built mostly between 1910 and 1930. For years, it was a stable upper-middle class neighborhood. But in the latter part of the twentieth century residents began to move to the suburbs, to more fashionable neighborhoods and, probably in truth, to safer neighborhoods. Many houses became rental property, with larger ones broken into apartments and rooming houses. It was a neighborhood on the decline until maybe the 1990s when young professionals began to realize the advantages of a neighborhood so accessible to downtown and the hospital district. They moved in, renovated the older homes, and turned the neighborhood around. Today it is more remodeled homes than not, but there’s still an occasional dilapidated house that leans and needs paint and has a washing machine on the front porch. There’s a great esprit d’ corps among the residents, and so I’ve marketed directly to them.

My book signings have been in unconventional signing sites but places dear to Fairmount residents. I launched the book with two signings at The Old Neighborhood Grill, a popular café about a block beyond the actual boundary of the neighborhood but one many residents frequent. In two signings—early (7:00 a.m.) Saturday morning and 5:30 the following Monday evening, I sold almost 75 books. Sure, lots of people came because I’d sent out emails and Peter, the grill owner, had fliers. But several regular customers walked up and said they wanted to buy books for their wives.

Fairmount also houses a wonderful store called Old Home Supply—it’s got everything you could possible want to redo your older home or add character to a new structure—from doorknobs to French doors, plumbing fixtures, fire screens, you name it. I once bought a metal couch for my porch there. It features two running horses and a Texas star. So now, Old Home Supply has eight copies of my book, and I signed there the Saturday after Thanksgiving. For that signing and the one at the local Barnes & Noble, I made a sign that said “A mystery set in Fort Worth’s own Fairmount Historic District.”

Fairmount also has a book club, and I spoke to them, though it was a small group, and they talked as much about the neighborhood and its street repairs as they did my book. But it was a pleasant evening, and I bet the word spread. They eagerly asked if I’d come back to talk about the second book, and I assured them I would.

My point in all this is to suggest writers find the unique audience for each of their books and then look for alternative signing sites. My marketing in Fairmount has paid off wonderfully.

Check out my website— http://www.judyalter.com/ —for pictures of Kelly’s neighborhood and see why it’s a character in the book.

Author’s note:

Judy Alter is the author of fiction and nonfiction for adults and young adults. Much of her career focused on women in the American West, and she is the recipient of Western Heritage (Wrangler) Awards from the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame and Spur Awards from Western Writers of America She also was honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA. But she always wanted to write mysteries, and Skeleton in a Dead Space, published by Turquoise Morning Press, is her first venture into cozy mysteries. At least two more Kelly O’Connell mysteries are scheduled.

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Thank you, Judy, and Happy Holidays

Guest Author: Abby Gaines

2011-11-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

We are really fortunate to have author Abby Gaines with us today. She's an absolutely terrific author of romances that are perfect to brighten up a long winter's night.

Abby Gaines

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?

Yes, I do. The theme that comes through in all my stories is “You can be loved just the way you are.” Which isn’t to say that love won’t change and transform us—it does. But unconditional love is a very precious thing.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?

I get up at 5am Monday to Friday, and write until 7am. I used to do email etc first thing, but then I attended a talk by creativity guru Eric Maizel, who says the very first hour or two are the most creative of the day. Since I started using that early morning for creation rather than administration, my productivity has increased a lot.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?

I usually have an idea for a quirky situation, likely involving the heroine – the kind of “oh, no!” situation that makes you laugh and cringe for her at the same time. Such as, “Oh, no, she duped her boyfriend into going on a live TV wedding show, and he just jilted her in front of an audience of millions!” (Married by Mistake, available as a free download from www.tryharlequin.com). Or “Oh, no, she met the man of her dreams and he just fell in love with her best friend...and now she’s got to stop the wedding!” (Her Best Friend’s Wedding, Superromance, June 2011). And, my new book, The Earl’s Mistaken Bride: “Oh, no, she married the guy she’s loved for years, but it turns out he thought he was marrying her much prettier sister!”

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?

I read widely, but my favorite authors in the romance and women’s fiction genre are Karina Bliss, Sophie Kinsella, Kristan Higgins, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Georgette Heyer, Julia Quinn...to name a few.

What makes a great book in your opinion?

I’m not sure what makes it, but this is how I recognize it: I’m still thinking about a month after I finished reading it.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?

A smile! I like to say that I write “stories that leave you smiling.” Which isn’t to say you might not cry a little bit along the way, but you should definitely end up smiling at the end of my books.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Keep writing, keep learning (even when you think you’ve already mastered the craft), keep submitting your work to editors. As far as possible, make every piece of dialogue and every action unique to your character...work hard to make sure they react in ways that person would react, rather than how you, the author, need them to react for the sake of your story. So, for example, if your hero makes hand-crafted furniture, rather than have him think of the heroine’s skin as being as smooth as silk, have him think of it as smooth as the finest French polish. Okay, maybe that’s not very romantic...but you know what I mean.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?

I have no idea! The publishing industry is changing so fast, it’s impossible to say. I can pretty much guarantee that whatever the next big thing is, I’ll miss it. I don’t seem to have very good timing like that. I’m loving writing my Regency inspirationals, but have also really enjoyed working on Young Adult and women’s fiction manuscripts recently. Whatever I write, it will always have a happy ending.

Brief Bio

Abby Gaines writes funny, tender romances for Love Inspired Historical and Harlequin Superromance -- she's currently at work on her 19th novel for Harlequin. She's also experimenting with a young adult novel and a women's fiction novel. Abby loves reading, skiing, traveling and cooking for friends, as well as spending time with her husband and children.

The Earl’s Mistaken Bride is her first book for Love Inspired Historical. Here’s the blurb:

As soon as Marcus Brookstone lifts his bride's veil, he sees he's been tricked. He made a bargain with God—to marry a good, Christian girl if his mother recovered from illness. But Marcus intended to marry pretty Amanda, not stubborn Constance. His next plan, to ignore his new wife, fails as well when Constance makes it clear that she wants a true union.

Constance Somerton doesn't dare reveal that she's been enamored of Marcus for years. The man believes love is for weaklings. Someone needs to teach him about marriage's blessings. Someone who sees beyond his arrogance to the tender heart beneath. Someone exactly like Constance….

Visit http://www.abbygaines.com/ to read an excerpt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T11:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you are enjoying time with your family and loved ones, may you have the brightest and happiest day of the season!

Thank you to all my readers, friends and acquaintances who have shared their lives and inspiration with us over the years. We are truly fortunate.

I'm writing this in between bouts of cooking--this is one time of year when I truly enjoy being the traditional housewife. Yesterday, I baked bread and made the cranberry sauce. Today, we've got the turkey on the smoker and I've made a pumpkin pie and some deviled eggs. All that's left are the collards, green bean casserole and whatever else I get inspired to make.

Outside, there are still a few roses hanging on, like our Comtesse du Cayla, one of my favorites. The petals have a sheen that looks just like apricot silk. We've already had one frost, though, so I don't think the remaining buds will open, unfortunately.

Tip to Share
Here's a little tip, as well.
We're starting to clean up the garden and I found a few clusters of green tomatoes on the withered vines in my veggie patch. Rather than toss them into the compost, I went ahead and picked them. So last night, we had blackened fish and fried green tomatoes. Not half bad.

So the tip is: if you have a few small green tomatoes left on the vine, don't toss them into the compost.
Slice them about 1/4" thick, dredge them in whatever you like (I used chicken breader) and fry 'em up.
To conserve on oil, I like to use a small cast iron pan that I only fill with about 1/2" of oil. Just enough for the tomatoe slices to float in.

They only need to cook a few minutes, until brown.

Happy Holidays!
Amy Corwin

Guest Author: Olivia Kelly

2011-11-21T02:00:00.001-05:00

Please welcome author Olivia Kelly, who writes Regency romances and is a fellow North Carolina writer. I developed a fondness for Regency romances when I picked up my first Georgette Heyer novel at a used bookstore when I was in my teens. In fact, although I write mysteries, I set many of mine in the Regency period (the first two decades of the 19th century) simply because it was a time of so many changes that directly resulted in the "world as we know it, today."

So you can imagine that I'm thrilled to have Olivia Kelly join us and allow me to ask some fairly impertinant questions.

Olivia Kelly
Why did you decide to write? I have always been an avid reader, and as Toni Morrison has said “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” I just felt that I had stories I wanted to get out, even if they never went any further than the page in front of me.

How much research do you do? I do research as I go, usually. It would probably be more efficient to get a list made and research before I write, but sometimes I feel as though I will lose my inspiration if I don’t get the story down on paper.

What’s your favorite method for researching? The internet! I write at home, usually late at night or during my three year old’s naptime, so trying to make trips to the library isn’t practical for me. I try to make sure that I can verify my facts with at least two or three sites before I commit to using it, though.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers? No, not really. I think the best message is one that been said over and over. Write what you love to read. I don’t see how I could ever do anything else. I could never write just for the market, just for money. If I don’t want to read it, then why bother writing it?

When do you write/what is your writing day like? I write whenever I can snatch a few minutes. Sometimes I get lucky, and my mom takes my three year old for the morning, since she works part-time. But that usually only happens once every two weeks or so. I write at night after the kids go to bed, or when they are occupied with a puzzle or playing outside. That’s tough, though, because I have one ear and eye on them and one on my work, and I have to be ready to stop at a moment’s notice.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice? The best advice came from Deb Marlowe, who writes for Harlequin Historical. She once told me to just write what I love and don’t worry so much about the “rules”. She said if the writing is good, it will find a home, and I have to believe that is true. I think there is room in the market for so many styles and genres of romance –I know I love to read a variety myself. The worst advice? Well, I know the toughest advice to take was well-meaning, but still made me bite my tongue. I have heard the phrase “….since we aren’t Nora, we can’t do this or that.” That phrase makes me nuts. I bet when Nora Roberts started out, someone once told her “You can’t do this” or “That doesn’t sell/They aren’t buying that”, and she did it anyway, because that’s just what she does. I think you have to be true to your voice, and not allow anyone to compromise it. I do think you should take advice, especially from your agent/editor, but you always should weigh it against your own personal truth.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea? Ha! Yeah, I’ll let you know when I have that one down. Well, it usually starts as an idea scribbled on whatever happens to be handy, like a napkin. I thought for a long time that I was a “pantser”, that I just wrote as I went. I’m finding out that I need more structure than that, or I tend to wander around the middle of the story and get lost. I’m still working on my outlining skills.

How do you develop your characters? Usually listening to a song! No, seriously, I think I’ve come up with the majority of my ideas when listening to the radio! As far as actually fleshing them out? I sit down at my laptop and write a background for them. But that background is changed and tweaked over the course of the story. It is always fluid, and can morph into some interesting surprises for me. Sometimes I think I know a character, and it turns out I was completely wrong about them.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work? Well, Nora Roberts was the first romance novelist that I read, and I’m very loyal to her. I adore Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, Claudia Dain, Cherry Adair, Kieran Kramer, Sarah McLean, Sabrina Jeffries, Virginia Kantra, Stephanie Lauren and Sherry Thomas. Every one of these ladies has a very distinct style of writing, something that stamps their books with their own personal flavor. I get excited when I see a new novel from one of them, I just know I’m in for a treat!

What makes a great book in your opinion? I don’t know how to define that. I guess I would say that it draws you in, grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the last page. I’m not saying it has to be action packed, but something needs to hook you, whether it is a high-speed race to save the planet or watching the intense emotional struggle of a couple trying to come to terms with each other and themselves.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be? Love for the characters. I love them so much, I want everyone else to see what I see. I hope I can convey it on the page in the right way, so that people want to come back and re-read the story. I love re-reading novels, it’s like visiting with old friends and family.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors? I’m so new that I’m still figuring things out myself, but I say write what you love and don’t give up. Find a network of support through friends and family, and join RWA, if you write romance. Romance Writers of America, and my local chapter, has been invaluable to me.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years? Hopefully on a bookstore shelf!

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry? I’m not going to touch that one! I’m way too new at this to make any predictions.

Bio:

This is Olivia Kelly’s debut foray into the world of Regency Romance. Although always an artist at heart, Olivia actually graduated college with a culinary degree, intending to use her flair for creativity and her need to direct other people’s lives to become the dictator of the kitchen- a chef! Instead, she now cooks up ways to get her characters fascinated, frustrated and falling headlong into love.

She lives in North Carolina, with her husband and two young children. You can find her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter at oliviakelly_ and visit her website at http://www.oliviakellyauthor.weebly.com/ .

It Could Only Be You

Harry Connelly has crossed an ocean and pushed his half-healed, battle weary body to its limits to confront the man who ruined the life he should have had; his grandfather, the Duke of Danby. Wounded, Harry collapses in a small village’s church, and is nursed back to health by the beautiful vicar's daughter, Lily Beaumont. A man haunted by the demons of war, he should know better than to become involved with such an innocent but he cannot stay away from her. Harry's forced to make a decision. He can wield his decades old anger and bitterness against his grandfather, to compel him to acknowledge the damage he caused, and demand that the duke make amends. Or he can turn his back on the past, and create a future with the woman he is beginning to think he cannot live without.

* * * * *
Thank you, Olivia!

Guest Author: Robert P. Bennett

2011-11-18T02:00:00.001-05:00

Mystery writer Robert Bennett joins us today to share his experiences as a writer. I'm particularly happy to have him as his most recent book features an agricultural pathologist and a computer geek, two professions that fascinate me. In fact, by day, I'm a computer geek.

So, here's Robert!

Why did you decide to write?

I’ve wanted to write all my life. When I was younger I kept lizards as pets. As I learned more about them I wanted to write a book about them. Unfortunately that never materialized, but the dream of being a writer stayed with me. Then, fate gave me the opportunity when I was 28 yrs old. I had a car accident, which eventually paralyzed my legs. While I was recuperating and learning to deal with my new body limits I took the opportunity to learn how to develop my passion for writing. I started with nonfiction articles about disability issues but then moved on to fiction.

How much research do you do?

I’ve always believed that the old adage ‘write what you know’ really should be ‘write what you can find out about’. That philosophy came in handy while I was doing journalism. As a freelancer I was writing articles about a wide variety of subjects, for a diverse audience. I had to learn about the subjects I was asked to write about. That required research, a lot of it. I learned to use the internet. I learned to conduct interviews. Now, when I write fiction, I research every aspect of my stories, from where the characters come from (their dialects and cultural mannerisms) to settings (my stories have and will continue to be set in places I’ve traveled to). I’ve researched archeology, architecture, music, poisons, virtual reality and adaptive technologies.

What’s your favorite method for researching?

I’m not sure I have a favorite method, though I almost never start writing until I’ve at least scoured the internet for tidbits of information related to the kinds of story I want to write. From there I collect resource articles and the names of experts I’ll contact either by phone or email to interview later.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?

I’ve always had a soft spot for the disenfranchised masses, those that society ignores or mistreats. Before my accident I was working as a social worker in a group home for mentally challenged men. That gave me some outsider’s understanding about how a certain group of people with disabilities might think and interact with the world. After my accident, and with a newly-minted wheelchair-user’s perspective on the world, I began to write about what it was like to have a disability. In my fiction, my protagonist is a blind man. I endeavor to show that disability is not something one accepts but rather something that one learns to deal with. I try to show that people are people who have to find ways to get on with their day to day lives.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?

My writing mentor taught me that everyone has a story that is authentic to them and that only that person has the authority to write that story. There is no such thing as fiction. You can fictionalize a story, but in its bare essence everything comes from pieces of who we are and what we have experienced.

How do you develop your characters?

You know that little voice you sometimes hear in the back of your mind? In my opinion it is the voice of instinct talking to you, but it is also a character. I believe we all have such characters living within us. I once wrote a short story (sadly, unpublished) about the voices inside the mind of a person who was undergoing surgery. In it each voice took the shape of a ‘physical’ being. He had to listen to each of the characters that he met along his journey in order to recovery from that surgery. In the same way when I am developing a story I let my characters tell me their experiences and how they want to proceed from the beginning to the end of the story I am writing through them.

What makes a great book in your opinion?

That is the age-old question, isn’t it? Is a great story character-driven or plot-driven? Does the setting take you to a far off place where you can successfully suspend disbelief? My father didn’t have much patience for weeding through overly developed settings. He wanted to get to the meat of the story, the action. My mother would say it’s the emotion of the characters that is compelling to her, and the complexity of their lives that drives her to read further. For me, it’s all of that and more. A great story, which is a rare and difficult thing to find, has to first put me into a world I’m interested in seeing. It has to show me things I either haven’t seen in my daily life or that I’ve wanted to know more about. Perhaps that is why I use the places I’ve visited as backdrops for my stories. And, perhaps it is why I throw a lot of technology into my stories. Then, of course, I throw in the people and cultures that have always fascinated me. Who are they? Where do they come from? What emotions, philosophies and desires drive them to do the things they do? I don’t know if I’ve written a great book though. That is for my readers to decide, isn’t it? My mentor used to say he is an expert in the creation of his stories, but not in what they mean.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?

Everyone has a disability, whether it is visible or not. We each struggle to overcome our own shortcomings. We each struggle to do the best we can with the life we are given. Some manage to do better than others in pursuit of that goal. In the end, it is the act of living that matters, not the manner or the adaptive tools we use in order to succeed in that life. My protagonist uses a GPS and a sonic cane to navigate his world. Someone in the “real world” uses a hearing aide. What does it matter as long as their life is a successful one?

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?

My Blind Traveler mystery series explores the life of a blind man as he manages to navigate through his world. Thus far each story has focused on the use of one of his remaining physical senses as a tool to solving the crime he is presented with. I have several senses left to explore. I also have several challenges I’d like to present to my character, and I invite my readers to suggest challenges they think a blind man who solves crimes should be presented with.

Bio

Robert Bennett, a former social worker turned writer, lives in the house he grew up in with his mother, one of his two brothers, two dogs that don’t get along, and a turtle. His lifelong focus has been a concern for the needs of society’s disenfranchised. His articles span a wide range of topics from sports to technology and from politics to social justice. His fiction is grounded in real world events and technologies as well as his own philosophical concerns. "It is the act of truly living and believing in yourself that is important, not the manner in which that action is undertaken." Mr. Bennett has spoken to groups of physical therapy students, church members and senior citizens, and has appeared on several radio programs. Contact Mr. Bennett through his website at http://www.enablingwords.com/ .

Book Blurb

The year is 2021. Natural forces have changed our world. As the Earth's magnetic poles have shifted, pressure on the planet’s mantle layer is building. The bottom line…earthquakes now wreak havoc in areas they have never occurred before.

In Mexico, members of an archaeological team investigate the remains of an ancient village uncovered by a quake; racing to prove their theories about the civilization that once lived there. But, disaster strikes when the accidental destruction of an artifact unleashes a worldwide agricultural plague.

Halfway across the continent, Douglas Abledan, a blind computer technologist, embarks on a long anticipated vacation. On the plane to Chicago, he meets world-renowned agricultural pathologist Cara Cordelia. Little do either of them know she has been targeted for murder.

In this stand-alone sequel to his critically acclaimed "Blind Traveler Down a Dark River," author Robert P. Bennett continues to bring us suspense and intrigue while exploring a world of the not too distant future. While society struggles with the impact of natural changes, the advancement of new technology enables a blind man to investigate a murder.

* * * * *
Thank you for joining us!

Guest Author: S. L. Smith

2011-11-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled to be able to interview author S. L. Smith today. As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of mysteries and suspense and it's a real pleasure to feature a mystery writer on my blog.

S. L. Smith

Why did you decide to write?

I have written forever, even though it doesn’t seem like I’m that old. When I was in college, I wrote snail mail letters almost weekly to both of my grandmothers. I still treasure the letters I received in return. I compiled family memoirs for the families of both of my parents, believing the lives these documents portrayed deserved preserving. (Say that real fast five times.) In my career, technical writing was a primary responsibility. That was, generally, nonfiction.

I love to read, so sharing my thoughts and ideas seemed a logical next step. Mysteries and suspense have been my favorite genres forever. It seemed logical that I expand my interests from reading mysteries to writing them. I believed I could succeed, and that served as a stimulus. I had to find out if I was right. Once I reached that point, writing became an obsession. When I wasn’t working at my paid job, I was writing. On weekends, holidays and vacations I wrote.

In the meantime, the dust motes thrived, emails went unanswered and meals became anything I could prepare and eat with minimal interruption. The good news is that I am single, so I am not subjecting a spouse to what others might define as insanity.

How much research do you do? What’s your favorite method for researching?

Anything I don’t know first-hand I research. Many things I know first-hand I research. I want to get it right. Some readers put a book down the first time they find an inaccuracy and thereafter refuse to look at anything by that author. I work far too hard to risk that type of turnoff.

I spend a lot of time on research throughout the writing process, and the method I prefer depends on the most complete/accurate and time-saving method available. Let me give some examples:

My career required substantial interaction with the state police and local law enforcement agencies. That gave me a starting point for Blinded by the Sight, but it was just the beginning. A friend spent 25-years in law enforcement. He served as my reality check for those aspects. Knowing that I needed a captive audience to fulfill my mission, I’d take him out to lunch when I needed his input and feedback. Then I painted scenarios and with his help insured the way I handled each one was accurate, feasible—you name it.

Blinded by the Sight is set in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. An investigator from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office would handle the crime scene and autopsy, so I found a phone number on the Internet, made a call, and located someone in that office. In cases like this, the luck of the draw can be a factor, but when you tell these professionals what you are doing, they are often willing to help. I found someone who patiently answered all of my questions—twice. Despite the fact I’d kept him on the phone for a half-hour the first time, he answered my second call and follow-up questions. Between the two calls, he explained what the investigator from the medical examiner’s office would do, as well as when, where and how.

It may have been possible to obtain this information on the Internet, but I dread to think the time commitment that would entail. Also, by having a local contact, I was able to insure that the picture I painted was specific to Ramsey County. There’s one other thing I’ve accomplished through this process. I now have a fan in the Ramsey County ME’s office!

There are two kids in the novel. Beginning, again, with the Internet, I found and reached someone in the applicable school district. She gave me the information I requested about the relevant practices and procedures.

I researched homelessness on the Internet. Then I added that information to my experiences working at a soup kitchen.

My bachelor’s degree is in psychology. I used some of the things my coursework taught me about people while creating my characters. To that I added a lifetime of interactions with friends, family, co-workers, you name it. Include a generous dose of the observation time that the day-to-day life of an introvert entails. However, once I created the personalities, what they did with their lives was up to them.

The St. Paul High Bridge, shown on the cover of Blinded by the Sight, plays an important role in my novel. I had driven across this bridge many times, but not in years. After writing the bridge into one chapter, I went there, walked back and forth across the bridge and checked out the surrounding area. Viewing the bridge on foot gave me a much better feel for the possibilities the layout offered. When I got home, I rewrote that chapter, making use of the knowledge I’d gained. The result: what happened on the bridge was much more compelling. The bridge tour qualifies as one of my favorite pieces of research.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?

I don’t have a single, favorite theme, but both Blinded by the Sight and the sequel, now in the early stages, have a theme. Unfortunately, disclosing the themes will disclose too much about the stories, so …

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?

When I began writing Blinded by the Sight, I had a victim, a homeless man who was wearing an impressive diamond ring. I knew why he was homeless. I had two protagonists—two investigators with the St. Paul Police Department. I knew their personalities. That’s it!

I know there are authors who use outlines, story boards, etc. and swear by these methods. I am not one of them. I start with a skeleton and let the characters develop the story for me. That makes writing the novel an adventure. I am waiting to see what happens along the way. Some readers skip ahead, checking to see “who dun nit.” With this methodology, that isn’t possible. I have to either be patient or work more hours.

Once the first draft is completed, I start at the beginning and add more meat, more description and detail. This part of the process takes more time than the first draft. At the same time, I begin listening to the manuscript, using the language bar in MS Word. I listen to a lot of audio books and forever find myself thinking of a better way to phrase something I’ve heard. When I’m writing, it isn’t possible for me to make that type of assessment. I do a much better job of that by listening to the manuscript once, twice, a dozen times or more. This is my best way of locating problems in the manuscript, including detecting when I’m using the same word repeatedly.

How do you develop your characters?

I seek to know and understand my characters from the outer surface to the core. A person’s physical appearance often influences his or her personality. More often it goes much deeper than that. As a result, I begin with the physical description. Next I do a detailed outline of their lives and personalities. I determine what their childhood was like, how they did in school, their likes and dislikes. I establish their triggers and their vulnerabilities. This applies to all characters who make more than a cameo appearance.

What makes a great book in your opinion?

For me, a great book is one that grabs my interest and doesn’t release its grip until I’ve either read or listened to the last word. It requires characters I like and want to know better, characters with whom I identify, or characters I hate but am given the opportunity to understand.

I like action and suspense. I dislike books that end on a sad note. I love Jodi Picoult’s writing, but I HATE the endings! I should qualify that. I’ve only read a few of her novels and stopped after Sister’s Keeper. Once I’ve grown attached to her characters, I can’t stand the way Jodi ends her novels.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

I have two tips. First, don’t give up. There are more ways than ever to get published. In addition to the major presses, there are all kinds of small presses. Self-publishing is no longer only a last resort. Some highly successful authors are choosing that option. It gives them more control and can be more profitable. With eBooks storming the gates, print books are no longer the only game in town. At the same time, it seems there will always be a niche for print books.

Most important of all, whatever methodology you pursue, get your work professionally edited BEFORE you look for an agent or a publisher, self-publish, whatever. Make your work as perfect as possible. People will notice.

Bio:
Born in St. Cloud, I’m a lifelong resident of Minnesota. I obtained a bachelor’s degree from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, majoring in psychology. A died-in-the-wool introvert, I found the coursework engrossing. The things I learned in those classes have been invaluable to me in writing fiction. Writing nonfiction, however, was one of my major responsibilities during the 32-years I worked for the State of Minnesota, Department of Public Safety.

I’ve never been married. Although I have no children, eleven nieces and nephews do a wonderful job of filling the void. Among my other loves are reading and travel.

In the early days of the new millennium, I completed a different version of my debut novel. Realizing time was fleeting, that manuscript took a backseat to family memoirs. I spent four and a half years gathering information and finding anyone and everyone with a link to my family. In the process, I discovered a treasure trove of stories and pictures. Many date back into the 1800s.

Once I’d compiled and published those books, I returned to fiction. By then, the motive for murder was passé. The rewrite was huge, but I don’t regret prioritizing the memoirs. I believe they will accomplish what I’d hoped, i.e., preserving the memory of these integral parts of my family for future generations.

Although Blinded by the Sight is my debut novel, this isn’t the first time I was published. In the mid 1990s, three articles I co-authored were published in public administration journals. Even so, the memoirs and Blinded by the Sight feel more like they’re my babies. I have more of a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction from them, perhaps due to the relative time commitments each project entailed.

http://www.slsmithbooks.com/

Blinded by the Sight

by S. L. Smith
ISBN 0-87839-439-7
Mystery set in St. Paul, MN
North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc. • September 1, 2011

Police investigators Pete Culnane and Martin Tierney are as different as parchment and newsprint, and Martin s insecurities are fed by Pete s expertise and finesse. A homeless man wearing an eye-popping diamond ring is as inexplicable to both of them as the disappearance of the two boys who reported his body on St. Paul s Upper Landing.

Blinded by the Sight demonstrates how good intentions can go awry, resulting in unintended, life-altering predicaments.

* * * * *
Thank you for joining me!

NaNoWriMo Update

2011-11-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

National Novel Writing Month Update
As we're heading into the second week, I've hit 10k words written on a historical mystery (as opposed to a hysterical mystery) Hidden Aspects. It's going pretty well, but it's an uphill battle now where I have to fight for each word, the reason being that we are moving into the "laying down of clues" arena where things have to make sense and build the mystery.

All threads are pointing to one suspect at the moment. This person was originally intended to be my killer, but I've since started to wonder if I shouldn't shift that role to someone else. This person just looks too guilty early on, if you know what I mean.

Of course, there's always the handy Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express technique of just making everyone guilty. LOL

Must rethink....
Or must not...because all this writing is making my brain feverish and I'm having trouble turning it off to sleep at night. Which I suppose could be a good thing if it weren't for the fact I have a day job and can't walk around fuzzy all day.

On another front, I'm starting to sweat about writing 50k because we're now destined to have a guest over the Thanksgiving holidays. So instead of sitting down and churning out another 20k words or so over the last week (and finish!) I may have to do other things, instead. Like clean house. And shop. And actually cook something. And entertain a guest, which we're ill-equipped to do since we live out in the country where, unless you like to birdwatch, hunt, fish, or do some other outdoor activity, there's not a lot to do. We don't have things like "wiis" or "X-box" or whatever those things are that you hook up to a TV. And we're about 60 miles away from the nearest mall. Not to mention that I'd rather sit naked in a pit of rattlesnakes than go shopping.

We'll just have to see what we can do.

Then there's the cooking, thing. I usually only cook one meal a day. Take it or leave it. Don't get me wrong, I almost enjoy cooking, particularly when I don't have to. In fact, I cooked a pot roast last night and it was good. And is now gone because it was so good. There was one tiny piece left but hubby ate that for breakfast, meaning I have to cook again tonight! I was hoping for leftovers...but never fear, I believe a Mexican Lasagne is in order as that should provide enough for two nights. (Yes, we're piglets, but it was a very small pot roast and the lasagne isn't all that big, either.)

Anyway, I've got to get back to work, but I just wanted to do a quick update.

Nearing The End Of Week 1: NaNoWriMo

2011-11-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

We're closing in on the weekend and the end of the first week of National Novel Writing Month, or more affectionately known as: NaNoWriMo. The Internet ether is churning with reports of NaNoWriMo wracking up thousands of words. It's exciting and astounding to watch.

How am I doing?

Not too bad, although having to work overtime last night knocked me back by a thousand words from my goal. So far, I've got 6,300 words written. I need to write 50,000 by the end of November to step into the winners circle.

Will I make it? Yes.
At least, I think so. Assuming I don't have to work a lot more overtime like I did last night. The prospects don't look good, though. My hubby and I were looking at our respective schedules and November is a bad month all around. I'm holding the fort while he's gone, he's holding the fort while I'm gone and we're very, very busy.

In a number of ways, I wish they'd move NaNoWriMo to a month like January. We'd get one more day to reach 50,000 and what else are you going to do when you can't get out of the house because the door is frozen shut? Not to mention that you'd start out the new year right by writing a brand, spanking new book that you can maul and work over for the rest of the year.

Sigh.

But we have to work with what we've got. I'm a little worried about productivity tonight because I haven't quite decided which subplot to start working into the story. Since it's a mystery, there are several subplots which are my "red herring" threads. One is already started. I can't decide which of the other two I want to start weaving in now.

And no, I'm not going to describe them. LOL. If, by chance, I should manage to get this book published, I don't want even the slightest possibility of divulging any secrets ahead of time. Assuming that the red herrings aren't so blatent that within five minutes of hearing about the clues, you dismiss them.

Then there's characterization. That's more challenging. I need to give my characters challenges while not making them appear to be complete idiots. It's harder than it sounds.

Back to work and mulling over red herrings. After dinner tonight, I need to settle in and write at least 2,000 words. That's the goal.

In the meantime, did I mention that A Rose Before Dying is on sale? Check it out at your favorite ebook store.

The first victim was Sir Edward’s ex-mistress, a woman who threw him over for a younger man. After receiving a mysterious rose, she dies while alone with Sir Edward. Then a second rose is delivered and a deadly game commences, where roses are the only clues to save the next victim.

However, Charles Vance, Earl of Castlemoor, refuses to believe his uncle, Sir Edward, could commit the murders, even when the renowned head of the Second Sons Inquiry Agency warns him there may be some truth behind the rumors. "The roses are Sir Edward’s attempt to cast suspicion elsewhere." "Misdirection." Or so the whispers say.

Convinced he can prove his uncle’s innocence, Vance enlists the aide of notable rosarian, Ariadne Wellfleet, little realizing his actions will involve the Wellfleet household in the killer’s game.

Before the week is out, another rose is delivered.

And someone else is missing.

Christmas Spirit has also been released, the perfect holiday historical mystery novella to curl up with next to the fire.
Enjoy!

National Novel Writing Month

2011-11-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

The first day of NaNoWriMo is over!
Phew.
I wrote 2,014 words, roughly 8 double-spaced pages, last night on my WIP (work in progress) Hidden Aspects. It will be the third story in the Second Sons mystery series and features Prudence Barnard and Knighton Gaunt from the first book, The Vital Principle.

And while I'm constantly telling people, "If you want to be a writer, write," I haven't been so good at following that advice. My writing goes in spurts, in part due to necessity. I spend a few months writing a first draft, set that aside, and work on editing some other book. There are only so many hours in the day, and I have a day job, so when I'm writing, I'm writing. When I'm editing, I'm editing. Sigh.

However, what that has meant was that I'll go for long stretches without doing much in the way of new writing. Which is bad. Often, I'll learn a thing or two while industriously writing during NaNoWriMo, but instead of continuing to write when the book is done and cementing what I've learned, I go back to another book and start editing it. Not good. Must rethink.

And on a side note, even spiders write. In fact here is a writing spider. Isn't he pretty?

I've been doing so much editing recently that my mind has gone into hibernation on the creativity front. In fact, I was starting to worry that after I manage to write the next three or four books that I have ideas for, I may run out of creative juice.

Which brings me back to NaNoWriMo and why writers must write. Constantly.
Because last night, not only did I get those 2,014 words written, but I got a bunch of side benefits!

While I was writing the chapter, I thought of a twist for the story that hadn't even occurred to me before. My goal tonight is to write another 2,000 words to incorporate that cool twist.
The germs of two more books occurred to me. I wrote them down. So maybe the creative juices haven't quite run out. Yet. LOL

So you see? The more you write, the more your skills improve and the more you tap into your hidden well of creativity.

If you want to be a writer, then write!

I love NaNoWriMo (even if it scares me half to death with visions of falling mid-month into a writing-induced coma).

Join the madness! It's not too late!

Christmas Spirit and Silence is Concurrence now available!

2011-10-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

What a great week!
Both my holiday historical mystery novella, Christmas Spirit, and my short, short ghost story, Silence is Concurrence, have gone live on Amazon! I'm very excitied (as I'm sure you can guess).

That clears the ground for me to concentrate on writing Hidden Aspects, a new historical mystery featuring Prudence Barnard and Knighton Gaunt, the two main characters from The Vital Principle. I plan on torturing myself during November by participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) to attempt to get the first very rough draft of Hidden Aspects done.

As I go slowly go insane, I'll be blogging about my NaNoWriMo adventures during the month. Wish me luck--I really want to get close to finishing the rough draft if at all possible.

Once I get the rough draft done, I'll put it aside to concentrate on getting the editing done for Escaping Notice, the final (at least for now) book in the Archer family series. Escaping Notice will feature Helen Archer, the younger sister of Oriana Archer who you met in The Necklace. With luck and the help of my editor, we're hoping to get Escaping Notice out early in 2012.

Whew. My head is spinning.

Here is a bit about my two newest releases.

Christmas Spirit

A Regency mystery novella

A blizzard envelopes the English countryside five days before Christmas, stranding Eve Tomlin and her mother when their carriage shatters a wheel. The women struggle through the snow, forced onward by a wraith-like figure gliding through the trees. Exhausted, they find an apparently abandoned house and stumble inside. They are confronted by Giles Danby, a guest at Folkestone Manor. Danby ruthlessly tells the women they must go.

Their host has just been murdered. A killer is on the loose.

Or a vengeful specter, if they believe Danby’s father. A specter Eve may have glimpsed in the woods.

Desperate to solve the mystery and remain alive, they can only hope the Christmas Spirit isn’t searching for another victim.

Silence is Concurrence
A Southern ghost short story

Collecting material for a book of ghost stories, Kate travels to North Carolina's beautiful Outer Banks to collect an eyewitness account of a haunting. She has a few difficulties finding the house, but eventually she meets Mrs. Corley and hars her story.

Although she doesn't realize it, Kate may find more material than she knows what to do with.

-----
Enjoy!

Coming Soon - Preparing for a New Book Release

2011-10-18T15:13:00.000-04:00

Pre-Release Checklist

Ever wonder what an author is doing the last few weeks before his or her book is released? Think she’s just sitting around with a smile on her face, eating chocolate-covered strawberries and waiting for the accolades to roll in?

If it were only that easy.

So what really does go on behind all the lights and glamor? (Oh, if only there really were lights and glamor…)

Technically, the author has been working his or her tail off not just for weeks, but for months before the book comes out. She needs to get ARCs (advanced reader copies) out to reviewers in hopes of getting folks to start talking about the book before it hits the street. These days, a lot of readers rely on not just the book’s back cover blurb, but also reviews. I know I use reviews to figure out if there are elements in the book that either appeal to me or don’t appeal to me before I purchase it. I find the one-star reviews the most helpful in figuring out if there’s some element I’m not going to like. I don’t care about the number of stars, per se, but I do care about certain gruesome or horrific elements (or erotic) that don’t appeal to me.

Blurbs and Taglines
Some publishers are kind enough to have some poor editor create the snazzy, tantalizing blurb you find on the back of the book. Others leave it up to the author. So if it’s in the author’s hands, she must to write something that is going to make readers buy her book. The blurb is generally just a paragraph or two, about one hundred words long. Most of the time, it presents the central conflict, e.g. Jane finds a dead body, is discovered standing over it, and is arrested as the prime suspect.

The blurb is sent to the publisher (for the back cover) and used by the author on her website and for any promotional/marketing activities.

In addition to the back cover blurb, the author needs to come up with a sentence, i.e. tagline, that encapsulates the brilliant premise of the book. Jane must find the real murderer before he finds her! Jane sees dead people! Whatever. It sounds really easy, but trust me, it’s not. This tagline (plus the blurb) has to be so enticing that readers are hooked.

The Final Few Weeks
Right before the book is released, there is a flurry of activities.

Updates to the author’s website
The new release should be listed (coming soon!) on the main web page, with a link to the book’s web page
A web page should exist for the book with the following information:
Cover image & publishing information (e.g. release date)
Back cover blurb and tagline
Purchase links which the author will activate when the book becomes available for purchase
An excerpt (optional)
Links to any reviews (from the ARCs the author sent out)
Tweet, blog, and otherwise socialize—the book is coming soon!
Figure out a marketing plan including any contests, e.g. GoodReads, from your website, Facebook, etc.
Line up blogs with other bloggers to spread the news – but just schedule blogs for now. Don’t actually start blogging too heavily until the book is out and has a purchase link, otherwise “I want it now!” readers will forget all about it by the time the book is released.

Timing is everything. In this digital world, there is an expectation that there should be a “buy now!” link on any blog or other social media note about a book. This can actually be the hardest part: holding back until the book is “live” and folks can actually buy it!

I know I can’t wait to start talking about Christmas Spirit which will be out in November. There’s no buy link, but it is coming soon to an eReader near you!

Harvest Time

2011-10-09T19:25:00.000-04:00

It's Peanut Harvest Time!

That's right, if you live in North Carolina, it's time to get at harvesting those peanuts. We live surrounded by fields and the last few days, the farmers have been busy, busy, busy. Used to be that those fields were used for tobacco, alternating with corn and cotton with the occasional soybean crop to keep things interesting. Now, it's corn, cotton, soybean and peanuts.

The corn crop went to heck this year because of the drought, so those fields were pretty much a waste. But at least the guy who farms around us has a pretty good crop of peanuts. I've already seen one truckload delivered to the peanut factory down the road. (Their warehouse burned down a couple of years ago, so they have to store the peanuts in some old warehouses previously used for tobacco, but it seems ot be working out for them.)

For those who have never seen what this process looks like, here are a few pictures. Basically, the farmer turns up the soil around the peanut plants to expose the roots where the peanuts are growing. Then, once that's all done and they dry out a bit, he comes back to harvest the peanuts, which are really not nuts at all, but a member of the legume family, like soybeans.

Once they're harvested, they fill up dump trucks with the peanuts and drive them off down the road to be roasted and processed at the local peanut factory. There's even a store, Houston's, in Dublin where they sell various peanut products ranging from your traditional peanuts-in-the-shell to peanut brittle. Sadly, I developed a late-life allergy to peanuts so I have to forgo all this goodness. :( But my husband still enjoys them.

Halloween Is Near!

And of course as if you didn't already know that I'm a complete nut, I've been working on our Halloween family. They're all duded up for the holiday and once October is over, I'll be getting them ready for the next round of holidays, as well. Our UPS delivery person gets a big kick out of these and takes pictures as I change their clothes appropriately for the season, so I guess I'm not the only nutter around.

It takes so little to make me happy.

Professionalism and Jon Cryer

2011-10-05T02:24:00.008-04:00

I don’t know Jon Cryer and know nothing about his personal life, and I generally avoid all the “scandal rags,” celebrity gossip, etc, like the plague. But during the meltdown of Charlie Sheen and its impact on “Two and a Half Men,” you couldn’t really avoid hearing about it, even on the radio.

As a society, we’ve come to accept and even expect immature behavior. Tantrums pass for “speaking your mind,” and whining and back-biting is the norm. It’s always made me very, very sad that our desire to be young forever has led us to embrace the childish, rather than adult and professional behaviors. In fact, I often wonder if anyone knows what it means to “be a professional” and act thoughtfully and rationally, anymore. To my delight, however, it appears that some folks still value the traits we used to associate with being an adult.

Now, most of the time, when someone in the Hollywood gang breaks down, you get one of two reactions from his/her associates: nothing (as in “No comment”); or a scathing retort wrapped in a whine. Perhaps even hysteria accompanied with a good bout of crying. But not with Cryer.

I’ve always thought Cryer was a good actor. To a large degree, he quietly carried “Two and a Half Men.” But he never really came to my attention as a true professional until this Sheen drama unfolded. Two things really stood out. He didn’t do the “no comment” thing, but he also didn’t whine or speak badly about Sheen.

He behaved with quiet, amused dignity. I wish some of our politicians would behave as well as Cryer in the face of a public scandal or disaster. In fact, Cryer behaved exactly the way I wanted my character, Prudence Barnard, to behave in “The Vital Principle”. She didn’t go to pieces, weep or lash out when she was accused of murder. She behaved with dignity and met the challenge to prove her innocence. I wanted her to have the traits I’ve always admired most in adults: a sense of humor, kindness towards others, and a sense of professionalism. She’s not perfect, but she’s not a childish mess, either.

Cryer’s professionalism first “hit me over the head” when a morning radio program played a snippet from an interview with him. I don’t have the specifics and my memory is so bad I’ll probably get most of it wrong, but it does show how a professional handles a frankly terrible situation.

“He called you a troll, how do you feel about that?” the interviewer asked, obviously trying to spark a ratings-booster outburst of some sort from Cryer.

Cryer said, “Well, I haven’t wanted to admit this…” (And I thought, NO! Don’t sink to his level! Don’t do it…) “But I am a troll.”

He then went on to do an incredibly funny bit about how he’d tried to hide the fact that he was a troll for years, etc. It was one of the funniest things I’d ever heard and an absolutely brilliant way to handle this. Instead of talking trash about Sheen or treating us to a fit of hysterical tears or anger, he simply made a joke. And the joke was not at Sheen’s expense. Now that’s the way it should be done. Professional. Gracious. Adult.

Honestly, at that moment, I thought Cryer could easily walk on water and cure all the ills of mankind. He’s what I want to be when I grow up.

Then not content to rest on his laurels, Cryer continued to respond with well wishes for Sheen. He moved forward. He cooperated to keep the show going. He was a man about the whole thing.

When they reconstituted “Two and a Half Men” and I caught the first episode, my respect for Cryer as an actor went up yet another notch (if that’s possible). He literally carried the weight of the show. There was an undercurrent of awkwardness as the other actors and actresses tried to pull it together and regenerate the smooth feel of an ensemble that is running well. But you could see the jagged edges where things didn’t quite mesh.

Of all of them, he seemed the most relaxed and the most determined. It was like watching one of those local theater shows where they’ve managed to get one major actor to be in the play. That actor knows his lines and knows how to act and he’s literally dragging the performances out of the others to make them shine, as well. I got the definite feel that Cryer was the glue holding the show together, the one who knew what had to be done and was doing it. The others, frankly, still looked a little shell-shocked. I expect that will change over time and the cast will mesh, but in that show, he really stood out.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, “Bravo, Cryer! Well done.”

It’s nice to find someone who still knows what it means to be a professional, and someone I can use as a model for my characters like Pru. I’ve got another book for Prudence Barnard and Knighton Gaunt brewing, so now, whenever I get stuck, I’ll just think, “How would Cryer respond to that?”

With humor and dignity. That’s how.

Guest Author: Elizabeth Means

2011-10-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

I met, virtually of course, Elizabeth as a fellow author published by The Wild Rose Press. Our publisher has done so much for us and many other authors struggling to have our voices heard. Elizabeth and I have so much in common, particularly when it comes to science, that I was very happy when she agreed to join us.

Elizabeth Means

Do you ever find yourself wondering if the dark red stains on your significant others clothing could be the blood of a murder victim?

Hopefully you don’t. Ever.

But just for giggles let’s get into the Halloween spirit a little early and say that you did. How might you go about figuring it out in a timely manner? One that wouldn’t arouse their suspicion?

Oh, and let’s also pretend the year is 1880.

Give up? Well so did my main character – almost. Fortunately, during one of my novel-research-marathons I learned that German scientist Schönbein discovered the ability of hemoglobin to oxidize hydrogen peroxide and make it foam in 1863. This resulted in the first presumptive test for blood. A rudimentary and convenient test I was thrilled to be able to work into my storyline as it brought my main character one step closer to finding the true killer!

For the mad-scientists among us, the chemistry behind the reaction looks something like this:

Blood contains an enzyme called catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas.

2H2O2+catalase releases 2H2O + O2

When this reaction occurs, the oxygen gas is released as bubbles. That’s why you see fizzy bubbles when you pour hydrogen peroxide on a bloody wound.

This test is not fool-proof, however. Other organisms, including plants and some bacteria also make catalase. But it was a great forensic tool for the time period and can still be easily used today.

Considering All Hallow’s Eve is right around the corner…perhaps I’ll keep my bottle of hydrogen peroxide handy. Strange things have been known to happen by the light of the October moon.

A Short Bio
Elizabeth Means lives in the Midwest with her wonderful husband and pretentious cat. When she’s not working, reading or writing, she enjoys hiking, biking, and chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

While she likes many genres, she’s particularly drawn to Victorian era romance stories that are fueled by forbidden love and quite often…murder. The foggy streets, swirling coat tails and foreboding castles make it a difficult one to resist. Her new release, Dangerous Charade, is now available in print and e-book from The Wild Rose Press, Amazon and other major online book retailers. Visit her website at http://www.elizabeth-means.com/.

Dangerous Charade teaser

“One-two-three... two-two-three… very good.” Julian held Gabrielle securely about the waist as they moved across the floor in perfect unison. “You’re a surprisingly quick study.”

She nodded demurely, barely able to concentrate on whatever it was her feet were supposed to be doing. Or not doing. Dancing with Julian was proving to be even more unnerving than she had feared. Having his body but a breath away from hers was far too distracting. He was her number one murder suspect, and she needed to keep her wits about her now more than ever.

“Are you sure you’ve never waltzed before?” he asked.
“Never,” she lied.

He spun them around quickly, catching her off guard, causing her to cling to him tighter. “I believe you’re ready for Rocancourt’s ball. I no longer fear you will trip over both my feet and embarrass us silly.”
She pursed her lips. “I can assure you I would do no such thing, with or without your lessons.”
“You don’t say?” He furrowed his brow in mock thoughtfulness. “Do you know what I’m thinking, Gabrielle?”
“I cannot begin to imagine, my lord.” She cursed the butterflies in her stomach. The effect he had on her when he breathed her name in that seductive drawl of his was maddening.
He leaned down so his face was beside hers and whispered in her ear. “I think you have a secret.” He felt her body tense. “Oh, yes, I’m onto your little game.”

* * * * * *
Thank you, Elizabeth! And I loved that excerpt.

Christmas Spirit

2011-09-27T22:25:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, I've been a very bad person and haven't posted to my blog in a while. But I have an excuse (besides hurricane Irene, which is also a good excuse and I'm using it). I've been working frantically on a new holiday mystery novella called "Christmas Spirit". In fact, I'm getting ready to send it to my editor tomorrow (phew).

And right now, I'm trying to decide about a cover. Here is one candidate. It's actually very good about capturing the feel of the book because Eve, the poor heroine, has to plow through the snow with her mother and maid in tow when their carriage breaks down. And when they come to a house, they discover that the owner has been murdered! In fact, he was found with his throat cut just moments before Eve and her mother (and maid, let's not forget the maid) arrive.

Horrors!

Was it the ghostly apparition they glimpsed as they struggled through the snow? Or was it the guests, Mr. Danby and his father, Lord Wolverton? Or Anatoly, the flamboyant cook?

Will Eve and her mother survive long enough to find out?

Who can say, but stay tuned for more info about "Christmas Spirit" as we get closer and closer to a release date (hopefully, sometime in November).

Here is another cover option (to the left).

Let me know which one you like better. I can use all the opinions I can get. I have no clue.

Then, I'll be hard at work on the next Pru and Knighton mystery, which follows up their story from "The Vital Principle". Pru has found another dead body and this time, the victim is related to her and she's convinced he did not commit suicide as everyone else claims. She's sure it's murder and asks Knighton for his assistance in proving it. I've got the first two chapters written, but haven't even settled on a title, yet.

Some of you who also read paranormals will be interested to know that I've also submitted "A Fall of Silver" to The Wild Rose Press. Wish me luck. That will be the second book, following hard on the heels of "Vampire Protector". If that submission goes well, I'll be working on the third manuscript, tentatively entitled "Smoke" and featuring the redoubtable Theresa Blackstone, who had guest appearances in both "Vampire Protector" and "A Fall of Silver".

Lots of irons in various fires. Despite that, I'm going to desperately try to do better about keeping the old blog going.

In the meantime, let me know what you're up to now that the weather is starting to cool down.

Dragged into the 21st Century

2011-09-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

Media in the 21st Century

This is a little "off topic" because generally, I like to talk about books: writing books, reading books, new authors, etc. But I love gadgets (I have another life as an Enterprise Admin in the world of computers) and we wanted to have a little more choice on television. I was seduced into getting NetFlix from a freebie offer and while it was okay, it the time lags in getting DVDs meant that I often asked for a movie or TV show that I ended up not watching for weeks. I'd lose interest or be busy or...

So we wanted to be able to stream video so we could watch what we wanted, when we wanted.

We got a few inexpensive gadgest and now, we can stream video to our TV. I thought maybe other folks might find this interesting or helpful.

Our first challenge was the fact that I'm just about as cheap as they come. If something ain't broke, it doesn't get replaced.

The second challenge was: we live in an old log home (i.e. cabin) and our DSL internet connection goes to my home office, upstairs. You can see from the picture that I've got "quite the little network" going already. However, our television is downstairs. Despite what all the wireless manufacturers try to tell you, wireless signals do not like solid log walls. We couldn't get a wireless signal downstairs to save our lives. I did run a CAT-5 cable from my office, through our bedroom, and down to my husband's home office, but despite having repeaters and whatnot, we couldn't get a signal to our living room to save our lives.

So, streaming video was just not in the picture.

Until now.

Browsing around Amazon, I came upon PowerLine devices that use the house electrical wiring as psuedo-Ethernet wiring. And most devices were within my price range, i.e. under $100. I thought, well, heck, why not try it? I did some research and ended up picking a middle-of-the-road device, figuring it had the best performance-to-price ratio.

Netgear Powerline AV200

The NetGear Powerline AV200 is about as simple as they come. It's basically two little white boxes with LED lights to tell you what's going one.

You plug one directly into an electrical outlet near your Internet access point (in my case, in my home office). You run a CAT-5 (ethernet) cable from the PowerLine to your switch, hub or router (whatever you're using to connect to the Internet).

You plug the second one directly into an electrical outlet near the device you want to connect to the Internet. You run a CAT-5 (ethernet) cable from the PowerLine to your device.

One note: you need to make sure you do have a free electrical outlet. You can't use an extension cord or powerstrip. So we did have to move some things around and get a new powerstrip to free a nearby electrical outlet.

We did this we were shocked when it actually worked! Especially considering that our house was built in the early 70's and nothing is standard in it. I honestly didn't think it was going to work.

Next step: a device that can stream video.

ROKU

Once we got a way to connect a device to the Internet, we needed a device. One that could connect to the Internet. See, I told you I'm really cheap and none of our current equipment was new enough to have any Internet connectivity built in. So again, I raced back to Amazon and nosed around.

The little ROKU looked just about right and was within my price range (under $100) so I got one of those. And was seduced again, this time into getting Amazon Prime which offers free, 2-day shipping and free video streaming. :)

We got the ROKU XDS. It's just a little box with a remote control. I was really torn between this and the GoogleTV device, because the GoogleTV has a keyboard which is nice for poking in titles you want to search for, but...I'm a cheapskate.

The ROKU was just as easy to set up--I plugged it into the TV using an HDMI cord (I purchased that separately). I plugged it into the PowerLine. Then I went through a few setup steps to tell NetFlix and Amazon that I had this nifty little box to stream video. There were a lot of other services, e.g. HULUPlus, etc, but I figured NetFlix and Amazon were enough. (I'd eventually like to get down to one service, but right now those two compliment each other pretty well.)

Operation
Now, we can stream video from either NetFlix or Amazon. When you select something, there is a slight delay as it initially buffers your selection. This generally runs a minute or less. After that, it's just like watching "real TV". There are no delays, no jerkiness. You can get HD if your television is capable of it (ours is so we do use that). Both NetFlix and Amazon have search boxes that pop up a small alphabet matrix and you can "type" in letters by selecting them with the ROKU remote. It's less kludgy than it sounds and since it starts search with the very first letter you enter, I've generally been able to find what I want within the first couple of letters.

My only real complaint is that there is less of a selection of shows available for streaming than on DVD. NetFlix: The newest shows come first on DVD with Netflix. You have to wait for them to be available with NetFlix streaming and some are never available. But there is a good selection of "Midsomer Murders" and "Kolchak, The Night Stalker" TV programs, so I'll probably keep NetFlix as a streaming-only option.

Amazon: With AmazonPrime, the selection is limited and tends to run to older movies (either really old, or from the 70's, 80's, 90's with sporadic ones from this century). But since it's part of their "free w-day shipping" it's a nice feature since we buy a lot from Amazon. My husband likes Amazon because he got to stream/watch a few Marx brothers movies. The selection of TV shows is somewhat limited, generally just one or two episodes instead of an entire season. However, you can get new movies on a "pay-for-view" basis that lets you "rent" for two days during which you can watch it until you're sick of it. I was also able to watch some "Murdock Mysteries" TV shows, although I had to pay for them.

I briefly looked at some of the other services, e.g. HULUPlus, but I figured that paying for NetFlix and AmazonPrime was sufficient. (I warned you I was cheap, right?) At one time, I was wondering if we could shut off our satellite subscription and just go with streaming video, but there are too many things we like to watch, e.g. Weather, Fox News and O'Reilly, that are just easier via the satellite.

Conclusion
If you need to create an Internet access point in your house but can't drill holes to run cables and wireless doesn't work for you, I would definitely recommend looking at a PowerLine product. You don't have to use the devices I used: I only included them because they worked for me and they are good examples of how you can get streaming video for under $200.

Good luck--I'm off to watch a few episodes of the original "Star Trek"--on streaming video!

Guest Author: Marian Allen

2011-09-15T02:35:00.001-04:00

The talented science fiction writer, Marian Allen, agreed to join us and I'm so glad she did. She's written a great new book, Force of Habit, as well as a short story, By the Book. I'm a huge fan of the original Star Trek television show (although I'd like to claim that I was too young to see the episodes when they originally aired, LOL) and Marian has woven a story that will delight fans of that series.
* * * * *

Thanks for having me today, Amy! I love talking story. :)

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky and now live in rural Indiana. For as long as I can remember, I've loved telling and being told stories. When, at the age of about six, I was informed that somebody got paid for writing all those books and movies and television shows, I abandoned my previous ambition (beachcomber), and became a writer.

On Aliens and Alley Jammers
One of the eternal questions, right up there with, "Which came first: the chicken or the egg?" is, "Are you a plotter or a pantser?" Sometimes the answer isn't that easy.

When I wrote my upcoming novel, FORCE OF HABIT, I began with a short story I had written by the seat of my pants. It was a take-off of the original Star Trek show, with the elements and characters of the show in the background and the action carried by original characters (and Tetra Petrie, who was created by my long-time friend C. Jane Peyton).

As a farce, the story moved so far from the original tone of the show, it wasn't difficult to move it to a totally original work, and this was where the plotting and planning came into the picture.

I had already created an alien world for the action and peopled it with a police force and a planetary governing body representing the various types of interests. My main characters were original, although Tetra was Vulcan. Or was she half-Vulcan? There seemed to be a lot of that going around in fan fiction. The villains, of course, were Klingons.

That wouldn't do. Tetra became an amphibious humanoid from the water planet Gilhoo. Spock became her brother, Quatro, and moved from the background to the middle ground. The Klingons became the Stokk: smooth customers with violence as part of their courtesy. Since mistaken identity was the pivot of the plot, I gave the Stokk brightly colored skin and hair so that people with skin and hair tones within a wide range of similarity are hard for them to tell apart.

I planned to just change the names of the rest of the television show's characters, but a strange thing happened: they became themselves. As the framework of the story was expanded to the size of a novel, all the characters stopped being tweaks of other people's characters and took on their own personalities, flaws, strengths, attitudes and abilities. They changed gender. They changed species. Since they weren't under contract and didn't have any fans, they faded into the background if I didn't need them.

And, somewhere along the line, alley jammers got into the picture. In the first scene of the book, one of the Stokk is accused of starting a rumor that an eating establishment is using alley jammers in its cuisine. That was supposed to be a one-time reference, but the name stuck in my head. In another scene, a character taking a short cut through back ways and byways pulls an alley jammer out of his pocket. At the end, Bel, my main character, ends up with a pink alley jammer as a pet.

I ran a contest last year to promote my previous novel (a fantasy, and unconnected with this book), EEL'S REVERENCE. One of the prizes was choice of name in a story I proposed to write promoting FORCE OF HABIT. That story, "By the Book", is set on the world of FORCE OF HABIT and features one of the characters. It's free at Smashwords.

I'm running a similar contest this year. Details are at my blog.

FORCE OF HABIT is also available at Kindle and the NookBook store.

* * * * *
Thank you, Marian!
Live Long and Prosper!

Guest Author: Wendy Gager

2011-08-30T22:53:00.000-04:00

We continue our series on mystery authors with Wendy Gager, who was gracious enough to agree to appear here and talk about creating a sense of place. I have to say it is gratifying to find another author who shares my view that sometimes a locale or place can be a character in its own right. So thanks, Wendy!

A Sense of Place

Creating a sense of place is important in a book. Many times the place can act like a character. When it comes to setting, I consider myself a minimalist. I’ve always hated reading a book and getting to a long passage of description which I would always skip. I prefer layering in descriptions little bits at a time and letting the reader use their imagination and what they know to create their own image. This same scenario surprised me because it is true for how I create places as well. Let me explain…

When I write, I usually have my own idea of the setting based on places I’ve been or lived. The Mitch Malone Mysteries are set in Grand River which I’ve fictionalized from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I fictionalized it because cities change and grow and I didn’t want to be inaccurate. (In the first book, A

CASE OF INFATUATION, I wanted the police station to be where is used to be and not in its current location.) Grand River has really taken shape as a large urban center filled with crime, interesting characters and stories.

That has worked well so far but IN A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES Mitch goes back to the small town where he grew up. I called it Flatville based on the river in my hometown of Greenville, Michigan. To fictionalize them I usually interchange the river with the city and vice versa. That is just my twisted and ironic way of knowing where I am when I write and a bit of playing with words which I enjoy. But enough of that, I’m straying from my point.

In this book, Flatville becomes less like a setting and more like a character as Mitch sees the whole town against him from memories of his youth. In the book I thought I was using the layout of the first town I worked in as a reporter. It had a town square, a colonial courthouse with white pillars, and a pub that I frequently visited. Funny thing is when I went searching for photos of the courthouse, I found a very modern structure. Seems the courthouse I had in my mind doesn’t exist. What I painted was either the hospital in Coldwater or the old courthouse in White Cloud when I first covered trials there. It was torn down in the early 1990s.

As I was writing I thought I channeled my first job setting. Instead it is an amalgamation of several places. It has only been when I went looking for a photo for this blog that I realized how fictional it had become. See if you can help me figure it out.

In A CASE FOR HOMETOWN BLUES my crime sleuth reporter Mitch Malone is going to turn himself in. This is his description as he looks at it from being a wanted man.

“My concern mounted when I could see the courthouse and jail behind the office looming like a monolith. The courthouse oozed Southern charm with three-story, white pillars flanking the front entrance surrounded by lush green grass and flower beds comprising the city’s center square. It was the community’s figurehead, a beacon of welcome as espoused by the Chamber of Commerce unusual for a small community so far north of the Mason-Dixon Line.”

I’ve included photos of the Branch County Community Health Center and the Newaygo County Courthouse. Which was I channeling? It could even be a different building I saw in my imagination. Writing is very freeing and that freedom allows our subconscious to come up with so much more than possible. The same things happen in my books in that the characters take over and things happened that I never imagined making the book much better. Which building do you think I pictured in my brain? I’m not sure. Do you ever think you are describing one thing and it morphs into something completely different?

A Case of Hometown Blues” Synopsis

When Pulitzer-winning reporter Mitch Malone's editor presses him for a favor, Malone breaks his vow to never return to his hometown. It seemed simple enough--lead a seminar for Flatville, MI's newspaper, keep a low profile and get back to the city post haste. But memories of his parents' death swarm him, and, to avoid solitude, he stops for a beer. In the crowded bar, Mitch is dismayed to see many of his former classmates--including the still-lovely Homecoming Queen, Trudy. Once the object of his teenage crush, Trudy joins Mitch. He quickly realizes she is upset and inebriated. Always the gentleman, Mitch sees her safely home, and returns to his B&B, still trying to shake memories of his parents' sad demise. The next day, he is stunned to learn Trudy was murdered and he is the prime suspect. The locals treat the murder charge as a slam dunk, and Mitch realizes he must track down the real killer to keep his butt out of jail. As he investigates, facts he thought he knew about his family unravel, and danger ratchets up. Can Mitch discover the truth that will allow his parents to rest in peace, or will he be resting with them?

Author Bio

W.S. Gager has lived in Michigan for most of her life except when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional woman's golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a newspaper reporter until deciding to settle down and realized babies didn't adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills on other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted with her life and that was to write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone who is an edgy crime-beat reporter always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer and won't let anyone stop him, supposedly.

W.S. Gager

Author of Humorous Whodunits

A Case of Infatuation & A Case of Accidental Intersection-Now Available

A Case of Hometown Blues - Coming this summer!

http://www.wsgager.com/

* * * * *

Thank you, Wendy!

After Irene

2011-08-30T02:45:00.002-04:00

We live in North Carolina and braced this weekend for Irene. While it was bad, it wasn't as bad as we feared, although it did about $5,000 for us and more for a lot of others. A tree came down on our pole shed, we lost some shingles on our place at Sea Level, and the water blew out about 5-6' of our shoreline, so we'll have to get a couple more CAMA permits: 1) to replace the pier that is now completely gone (it's broken into three pieces, 1 in our yard, 1 across the street, and another in a neighbor's yard a little further down the street); and 2) to get a few tons of granite to reinforce the shoreline.

We spent the day yesterday at Sea Level assessing the damage and working with our neighbors to clear up debris. One of our friends ended up in the hospital with a stroke, unfortunately. But we're hoping he weathers it and is home, soon. There were a lot of trees down on phone lines and a lot of houses got flooded out again. Many of the homes between Moorehead City, though Beaufort, Stacy, Davis, Otway, and Sea Level had their doors and windows open with big piles of carpeting outside as folks tried to dry out. The water came up to the fourth step of our house (about 2-3' up) but didn't make it into our house at Sea Level. We're hoping the waves didn't wash into the air conditioner unit, either, but we won't know how well that fared until the electricity comes back on.

We were sorry to see the Martin house next door blown down, but we're thinking of getting a new one and setting it up so that when the Martins come back next spring, they'll have a place to live.

The power company guys were all over the place repairing lines. We really have to hand it to them, they are the greatest! We were only out power for half a day at our home. I expect it will take them longer to repair the lines to Sea Level. There were a lot of downed trees and trees leaning on power lines, but they were all over the area fixing lines. I'm just thankful that our power companies are the best of private industry and not Government-owned or they'd still be out there doing "studies" and "evaluations". LOL.

One of the more miraculous things was that, although it tore out our pier and gouged out our shoreline, it left our brand new screens intact. Pretty amazing. This last picture shows two pieces of our pier. I can't imagine the force of the water to rip it up and wash it across the street like that.

Hope everyone is safe and our prayers go out to those who are were hit harder. Be safe.

Interview with Randy Rawls

2011-08-29T08:21:00.000-04:00

Today, I interview author Randy Rawls. He writes mysteries featuring detective Ace Edwards and most recently, a mystery/suspense, called "Thorns on Roses". I can't resist a book that has the word "rose" in the title as I grow roses. Thankfully, Randy agreed to an interview, so here he is.

What prompted you to write THORNS ON ROSES?
I'd written six Ace Edwards, Dallas PI, mysteries, which I'm told are cozies. I wondered if I could write a thriller, something with a harder edge. When I saw Tom Jeffries entering a morgue to identify a body, I knew it was what I had been looking for. THORNS ON ROSES was born.

Why did you decide to write?
Wow, tough question. Kind of like asking why I chose a career in the Army. I just did. That's the best answer I have. I didn't sit down and weigh all the pros and cons, ups and downs, or any of the other measurement tools we're taught to use. I enjoyed my time in the Army so I stayed in. I enjoy writing so I write.

How much research do you do?
I do enough research to make sure my facts are correct. If I choose to use a particular weapon, I research that weapon and make sure I use it correctly. It drives me nuts to read about a safety on a revolver—ain't no such thing. Same with a cylinder or a clip on a semi-automatic pistol.

Research today is made simple by the vast amount of information on the Internet. Unfortunately, some of it is not accurate. A writer owes it to his reader to make doubly-dang sure that what he writes is correct.

What’s your favorite method for researching?
Consult an expert. If I happen to know an expert on a subject, I pick his or her brain. If not, I go to the Internet and find one or more.
Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?
Yes. Read, read, read. There are so many wonderful writers in the marketplace today that deserve to be read. Find them and read them.
When do you write/what is your writing day like?
When the story grabs me, I am absorbed by it. I am so intent on getting it on my hard drive I ignore everything around me. This is not always good since My Honey might say, "Dinner's ready," and I completely miss it. If that happens, she is not pleased.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing? The worst advice?
Best advice. Write what you like to read. Yeah, that might seem simple, but I know people who attempt to write what is popular, whether they like it or not. Vampires are hot—they write a vampire story. Werewolves—yep, a werewolf story. However, the downside is they never write a good story, only what they think the reader will want to read. And they don't enjoy their writing experiences as much as I do.

Worst advice. Just write it, the Agent/Editor will fix it. I still hear this from would-be writers. Horrible advice that should never be repeated. I've never heard this from a published writer.

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?
An opening. I see an opening and let the story take me where it will. For example, I just started a new book, another thriller. I saw a confrontation in an alley between the protagonist and two thugs intent on molesting a teenage girl. Not real sure where the story will take me, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride.

Outlines. Bah humbug! I still shudder at the thought of outlining. A thousand or so years ago when I was a student, the teacher would insist I turn in an outline with my paper. I did it by writing the paper, then writing the outline. I hope no one ever asks me for an outline again.

How do you develop your characters?
Basically, I see them and see the actions they're involved in. That's good for me, but not always good for my readers. I've been told I don't describe my characters enough—you know, height, weight, hair color, etc. However, I always hope my words cause the reader to create their own visions of the characters.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?
Too many to list. I just read John Hart's new book, IRON HOUSE. He is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, wordsmith in the business today. Definitely high on my list of favorites. P.J. Parrish, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, Ken Follett, Bill Crider and many other NY-published authors. Then there are many small press authors that I enjoy. I'm an avid reader, never go anywhere without book. To get on my list of favorites, all an author has to do is write a good story.

Every book I read influences my work. I'm always looking for what makes this author so good, how does he/she express him/herself? I'm a firm believer in learning from the best, and that's what I try to do as I read.

What makes a great book in your opinion?
One criteria: Good writing. I can tolerate a weak story if the writing is good. I cannot and will not bother with any book that is poorly written, no matter how wonderful the plot might be. And that includes those books whose authors try to impress me with how much gutter language they can put on the page.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?
That I love to write, and that I take my writing seriously.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Yes, one tip that will never lead you astray. Read, read, read, and learn from what you read. Then read, read, read some more.

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?
Not much different from today. I've accepted that NY is never going to gobble up one of my books and turn me into an instant millionaire. I'll keep writing and keep working with small publishers to turn out the best books we can.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?
A year ago, I would have said the ease of publishing ebooks would cause the influence of the big publishers to wane and the huge conglomerates that control the industry might well break up. The role of Agents would also shrink. That was last year.

This year, I'm not so sure. The explosion of self-published ebooks threatens to kill the golden goose. The marketplace is suffering from a plethora of bad, bad ebooks. With no gatekeeper to screen what is published, "writers" are putting out manuscripts that aren't ready—far from ready.

This is fine for the writer's ego, but what about the reader? The reader now finds himself having to search through a ton of books, all with wonderful "reviews" to find something worthy of reading. Some of those readers, and I am one, will not waste the time required to find that one gem in a dumpster filled with broken glass. This will result in the reader returning to the tried and true, published by real publishers, large and small. So, instead of seeing the demise of publishers and agents, they will maintain their influence in the marketplace. This last year of unbridled self-epublishing has proven that gatekeepers are a necessary evil.

* * * * *
Thank you, Randy. I was particularly fascinated with your views on where the industry is headed. It is a time of vast changes, both good and bad, but in the end, I think readers will find they have more choices than they used to have and can find those gems, despite the broken glass.

Guest Author: Jacki Vick

2011-08-26T02:44:00.003-04:00

Today we have guest author Jacki Vick with us. She write humorous mysteries that always give me a smile and a sense of satisfaction to see justice done in the end.

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd

The hubby and I will soon celebrate our twenty-first wedding anniversary. I still remember our first date--the awkward introduction followed later by the even more awkward goodnight at the door. Does he like me? Will he kiss me? Is he the one?

After twenty-one years, it’s natural to miss the excitement and anticipation of dating, and that’s what romance novels are for!

However, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Multiple love interests. “Is he the one?” becomes “Is he or that other guy the one?” I’m not bashing the books. These authors are good at their craft, but I wonder if they couldn’t use some reader tips?

Janet Evanovich’s long-standing love triangle was fun at first. Stephanie Plum didn’t know either Joe Morelli or Ranger, and at the discovery phase of a relationship, readers will allow for the heroine’s divided attentions. After sixteen books, Stephanie’s starting to come across as a tramp. Even Ms. Evanovich seems to recognize this, as book seventeen promises to make her heroine choose.

Joanna Fluke’s Hannah Swenson steers clear of trampy because she doesn’t sleep with either Mike or Norman. Still, I wonder how these men put up with her inability to choose between them. Even I want to scream, “Make up your mind!”

The one scenario that really put me off (I won’t name names) was when the married protagonist kept falling for handsome strangers. Adding a second man to the mix is not the way to marital bliss.

Choices are good. I sometimes debate between sweet and salty snacks, but a possible life-partner deserves more consideration than Cheetos versus Nestle’s Crunch.

Then why do trios work in Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series? Amelia is married to larger-than-life archeologist Radcliff Emerson. During their travels in the East, a mysterious Master Criminal butts heads with the couple, and he falls for Amelia in a big way.

There’s a difference between Amelia and those other gals. When the Master Criminal kisses her, she loses her breath. Electricity crackles in the air. Yet even from her swoon, her superior brain is working out how to get back to her true love, Emerson. She never doubts. She doesn’t dally. The equation is still 1 + 1 = Love.

Humor helps. When the Master Criminal demands she strip off her clothes and put on a harem outfit, she leaves on her sturdy undergarments. The Master Criminal’s longing satisfies our romantic imagination without sacrificing Amelia’s integrity. And we laugh.
Is it old-fashioned to hold out for “Boy Falls for Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Wins Girl Back?” I don’t think so. Romance authors and readers have stood by this formula for years. There might be another interested guy in the story, but he’s never a serious contender.

Is two the ideal number in a romance? Is three company or a crowd? Take a stand and let me know what you think!

Biography

Jacqueline Vick writes humorous mysteries and short fiction. An article for “Fido Friendly Magazine” led her to create Frankie Chandler, a reluctant pet psychic. Her short story, “Pekingese Premonition”, is available on Smashwords and Kindle.

Links
Web site: http://www.jacquelinevick.com/
Pekingese Premonition on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82594
Pekingese Premonition on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/3fmxzgj

* * * * *
Thank you Jackie! For me, three is always a crowd, but I'm sure everyone has an opinion and I hope they will share them!

Preparing for Irene

2011-08-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Season Is Ramping Up

Looks like Irene is getting ready to sock it to us here along the coast of North Carolina so we're bracing ourselves and reviewing what we've got in our emergency stash. We've been hit before and have survived having no power for an entire week so we've learned a few things.

For those who are also getting ready for disasters, here are a few tips.
Before You Lose Power

Do the laundry, now. LOL, this is one thing you don't really think about, but becomes a pain in the patootie if you're not prepared. I like to change the sheets, collect all the dirty towels, and catch up on all the laundry because who knows when you'll get to do another load if you lose electricity? (Besides, you may need all those towels to sop up the water...)
Fill every container you have with water.
Water all your indoor plants
Make sure you have everything fully charged, e.g. cell phones, etc.
Get a "regular" cheap telephone if you have land lines. We have an old 1960's phone that we use for informing the power company that we have no electricity, or calling for help when no other phones work. You can often pick these up really inexpensively at yard sales, thrift stores, or even at your local "green box mall" (i.e. the dumpsters).
Make sure you have lanterns, flashlights, etc, and fresh batteries. We have a rechargeable LED lantern that is fantastic, as well as kerosene lamps.
Determine how you're going to cook food, i.e. if you have grills, etc, make sure you have propane, charcoal, or wood. Hibachis are great when you have no electricity.
Worst case latrene--the bucket. If for some reason you can't flush the toilets with dirty water you saved, then make sure you have a 5-gallon bucket and some heavy-duty trash bags. Line the bucket with a trashbag and use that. When you need to, you can lift out the bag, seal it, and dispose of it appropriately.
Have some tarps for covering openings, e.g. gaps in the roof or blown-out windows.
Duct tape.
Food that doesn't need heat to prepare. We like canned chicken because I can make chicken salad. Hard boil a few eggs. They last a long time in the fridge and are great for a quickie breakfast. Another emergency food I like to make is quiche. Yep. It makes a terrific emergency food and because you can make it out of anything that suits your fancy, making a few small ones means some variety in what might become a wacky diet. I also stock up on fresh fruits like apples and oranges. You might as well use this as your opportunity to eat healthier.
Speaking of food, prepare a few "pocket stews" if you have a grill or way to heat them. Fill a square of foil with hamburger, onions, chunks of potatoes, carrots and whatever other veggies you like (I like parsnips) and top with ketchup. These are great to pull out and plop on the fire/charcoal/grill as they give you a nice "meal in one" and you can eat right out of the foil. Almost no cleanup required.
Get packs of foil and plastic wrap. They are useful (see above).
Paper plates, plastic utensils, plastic or paper cups--anything that won't add to the "cleaning" burden or require you to use some of your precious water to clean.
Get some of those foamy strips from the hardware store (not the adhesive kind, though). During the storm, you can poke them in around windows, etc. to cut down on the leaking. They won't damage anything and you can pull them back out after it stops. I like the long rolls that are "rope-like" (I can't for the life of me think what they are called right now) and about 1/4" to 1/2" in diameter as they can be wedged in around windows perfectly with a butter knife (so you don't accidentally gouge anything. Like you.)

After You Lose Power

When you wash your face, wash dishes, etc, with that precious water you've saved, keep the dirty water. You can use it to manually flush toilets as well as water plants (if they need it after being nearly drowned by the storm).
Put a few dark colored containers filled with water outside. Let the sun heat them for you. It'll be nice to have a warm "spit bath" after a day or two, believe me. Although I often just settle for cold, room temperature water.
Pull out the old board games like Monopoly or Scrabble. Use this as an opportunity to have fun!

That's it! Other than this one last piece of advice: losing electricity may turn out to be the mini-vacation you need, so take advantage of it. Enjoy yourself, go birding, play cards, read a book--it's a gift, not a curse. Laugh, because what else are you going to do?

Author Interview: Dennis Collins

2011-08-22T02:00:00.001-04:00

Today we are privileged to have Dennis Collins with us, and I'm flinging some questions at him that he's been patient enough to answer.

An Interview with Dennis Collins

Why did you decide to write?

I’ve always enjoyed making up and telling stories so I consider myself more of a storyteller than a writer. I have lots of stories running around in my head so I began writing them down so that I wouldn’t forget them. I suppose that’s where it all began.

How much research do you do and what’s your favorite method?

It always bothered me to find a mistake in a book and so I decided that my books would always be thoroughly researched. I sometimes probably go farther than I need to but there is just so much information available on the internet, I get carried away. But when it comes to a setting for a story, nothing is better than a personal visit to get the real feel for the location. You might find that the place has magnificent sunsets or hectic traffic or possibly a unique smell. You can’t find that stuff on the internet.

Do you have a favorite theme or message for your readers?

I wouldn’t call it a message but my writing does have a personality. I like my characters to carry a strong sense of right and wrong and to be responsible and accountable. Of course the bad guys have none of these qualities.

When do you write/what is your writing day like?

I’m one of those fortunate few not tied to a day job so I can write whenever the urge hits. Sometimes it takes a little discipline to keep from getting lazy so I set daily writing quotas. Some mornings I wake up feeling inspired and so I begin before breakfast and other times I find myself working around lunchtime. On rare occasions I can be productive in the evenings. As long as I can get somewhere around two thousand words, I consider it a day’s work. Sometimes it’s only a couple of hours and other times it takes all day.

What is the best advice someone has given you about writing?

It’s a message I’ve heard over and over from successful authors, from editors, and just about every keynote speaker at every conference I’ve ever attended. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t let rejection letters bother you. Don’t give up!

How do you approach a new book? Outlines? Just an idea?

All of my books have been inspired by one small thought or some seemingly insignificant event. The idea for my first book came from an obituary in a newspaper. Another book was the result of a discovery I made about my own family. I start with a very small seed and begin to build a story around it. I never use an outline. One of the adventures of writing this way is that I have to keep going in order to see where my story ends up.

How do you develop your characters?

Basically I give my characters a personality and then throw them into situations. Their personality controls how they react to conditions and gives them a chance to grow. So I’d say that my characters are developed by the challenges they face.

Who are your favorite authors? Have any authors inspired you or influenced your work?

There have been some authors whose work is so dynamic and captivating that I’ve looked long and hard at their writing to see what made them stand out so dramatically. Hemingway comes to mind as a man who could convey great emotion with very few words. Herman Wouk is a magnificent story teller and Mario Puzo was able to take a cold blooded murderer and turn him into a folk hero. These authors shared the same knack for being able to mesmerize their readers.

What makes a great book in your opinion?

Books are a subjective thing. As a reviewer I’ve seen a few books that I didn’t care for draw glowing reviews from other readers. I personally judge a book on whether or not the story appeals to me and ease of reading. I like something that flows well, follows logic, and entertains me.

If a reader took away one thing from your book(s), what would you like that to be?

My main message has always been that good triumphs over evil but life is not always fair. The good guys will win but there will be victims.

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Don’t give up!

Where do you see yourself as an author in five years?

My current goal is to publish two titles a year so I’m hoping to have a large enough list of books to actually get noticed.

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the next few years and where do you see yourself within this industry?

This is the most interesting question of the bunch. I don’t think that anybody knows what lies in the future for the publishing industry. The recent explosion in e-book sales is exciting but I’m sure that there are a few yet to be exposed growing pains lurking in the swamp. The situation is even more unpredictable because the portion of the industry that produced e-readers is in an unprecedented growing spurt as well. We’re not only dealing with a culture change among readers, we’re at the mercy of the electronic geeks who provide the venue. As for me, I’ll probably always be somewhat behind the curve but I’ll keep a close eye on what the leaders are up to and do my best to adjust on the fly,

The First Domino Blurb

Joe Pellerito thought he could murder his way into the mob. The son of a high powered Mafia lawyer and negotiator, he assumed that he’d be welcomed into the Family. When Joe’s father died of cancer he waited anxiously for the invitation to join the ranks. But the call never came. Feeling shunned, Joe devised a plan to show his dedication and fearlessness. From a list of Detroit cops who have been problems for the syndicate Joe chose three candidates and pulled off a string of three brutal murders in less than two hours on a bright spring morning.

The philosophy of the mob has moved into the new millennium and has all but abandoned confrontations with law enforcement. Joe’s actions threaten to undo the progress that took two decades to build. The problem of Joe Pellerito must be addressed.

With a price on his head, Joe is forced to flee and tries to hide in Italy where he attempts to gain a whole new identity.

The diligence of Detroit Police detectives Otis Springfield and Albert McCoy helps them sniff out Joe’s trail but the mob has its resources as well and soon the race is on to see who can get their hands on Joe first.

All of the books in the McCoy series are attractively priced in Kindle and Nook formats. See more at: http://www.theunrealmccoy.com/ .

* * * * *
Thank you for joining us, Dennis! I was really interested in hearing about the direction you thought the publishing industry might take in the next few years. It's definitely a period of change for all of us, but I firmly believe it will result in more opportunities for everyone and a richer landscape for readers. I'm looking forward to it.

Vintage Murder - Real or Research?

2011-08-19T02:00:00.001-04:00

Vintage Murder - Real or Research?

A Look Behind the Scenes

William S. Shepard, http://www.diplomaticmysteries.com/

The first book in my series of Diplomatic Mysteries is Vintage Murder (http://tinyurl.com/3unnas5 ). It is set largely in Bordeaux, where I lived for several years, and in Paris. Much of the detail depends upon my research and memory of the days that I lived there, as Consul General.

Here are some examples, The meetings described in the book that take place at the Embassy in Paris are quite genuine in tone, and mirror actual meetings of American diplomats who were assigned to diplomatic missions around France. The Bordeaux vineyards are also real, and most of them (except where blackmailing episodes take place) are amongst the most famous and pricey wine estates of that storied region. So, unfortunately, are the activities of the Basque ETA, a terrorist organization whose stated purpose is Basque nationhood.

My idea was to combine these elements. Now, fortunately, the ETA seems exhausted (although we have seen that before), and its fortunes at a low ebb. But what if they were to revive, motivated by the desire to be a real player, with large sums of money at their disposal rather than the small amounts of “taxes” which they extort from local Basque businessmen? That led me to the creation of my first character, a young Basque of keen intelligence and a burning desire for revenge. Here I inserted into his background an actual event, the formation of paramilitary hit squads by Spanish authorities, who crossed the border and carried out murders in France. Unfortunately, they fairly often hit the wrong targets and murdered innocent people. That was the case with the father of my main Basque character. (I don’t like cardboard villains very much. I like to understand their motivation and to the extent possible, make them three dimensional.)

Having invented this character, I had the idea of having him be a keen student. Why not have him with an American MBA? That would do several things – he would think of the ETA terrorists as a group with a failing business model. To have any chance of success (specifically, liberating the hundreds of their members in prison) they would need a great deal of money and weapons. And there, in Bordeaux, just a few hours away from the coastline, are world famous vineyards, some bottles of which sell for enormous prices. It would be a tempting blackmail prospect.

My American diplomat, Robbie Cutler, is the Consul at the same mission where I served. He surely knows some of the same people, and of course is enjoying their wines! But when he is contacted by a wine estate owner who claims that he is being blackmailed, the action takes an official turn for Cutler. Add to that the sign paingted on the door of the American Consulate General, “Death to the American Consul,” signed by the ETA!

Robbie is on his second assignment. His father was also a career diplomat, so living overseas is natural for Robbie. He has long since paid all of his official calls, so that when help is needed, he already knows the key players in the French police and intelligence services. He also has that rare quality that Napoleon is said to have demanded of his generals – he is lucky! And luck is presented in the person of the beautiful Sylvie Marceau, a features newspaper writer for the local regional newspaper, Sudouest. He is logical she is intuitive. She also discovers the first wine estate owner to be murdered by the ETA!

Robbie and Sylvie ramble through the most famous vineyards of Bordeaux, in St. Emilion, Pomerol, and the Médoc, where they attend a reception at storied Château Margaux. Their detection becomes a love story, and on a visit to Bordeaux, Robbie’s sister Evalyn tells her brother that now he is the lucky one – Sylvie is far too good for the likes of him!

Since this is the first book of a series, Robbie Cutler and Sylvie Marceau become continuing characters, as do several of their diplomatic colleagues. Cutler is reassigned from Bordeaux to Budapest at the end of Vintage Murder, during the second book in the series, Murder On The Danube, but he and Sylvie keep in touch, and become engaged. Their honeymoon, in Murder In Dordogne, gives Sylvie a chance to play detective as well, and she solves a murder plot of which her husband was totally unaware! Finally, the American Ambassador in Paris in Vintage Murder is so well connected politically that at the start of the fourth book in the series, The Saladin Affair, he is named Secretary of State, and Robbie becomes his Special Assistant, responsible for planning his trips overseas. Here his diplomatic duties are compounded by a murder investigation, and the repeated attempts of Al Qaida to murder the Secretary of State.

Shepard’s Guide to Mastering French Wines (http://tinyurl.com/6eldhbn )

My years in Bordeaux also led me to a second career in wine writing, as the Wine Editor of the travel group, French Wine Explorers. My latest column, published last week, concerns the wonderful 2009 Beaujolais vintage. (http://tinyurl.com/3exy47g ).

My Kindle book on French wines, revised and enlarged for this 2011 edition, introduces you to the wines and wine regions of France. With dozens of hyperlinks, the reader can click back and forth between the book and the actual websites of the great regions of Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. The 2009 and 2010 vintages are assessed, and there are many tips on quality wines that are reasonable priced. For the cost of a single glass of wine, here is your well-researched guide to the pleasures of French wines. Read this, and you’ll wonder why you ever relied on a point score rather than your own good taste!

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Thank you so much! My husband and I are just starting our efforts to learn about wine, so this was wonderfully serendipity to get a blog about this fascinating topic. We can't wait to learn more, and I, personally, can't resist a mystery with such an interesting premise as Vintage Murders.

The Unwilling Herpetologist

2011-08-10T22:30:00.000-04:00

Herpetology for Idiots,
or “What the heck is that?”

Let me tell you a little story. It starts about 2:00AM Saturday morning when, for reasons best known only to himself, my husband decided to go around the house turning off our air conditioning units (we don’t have central air). So around 3:00AM I woke up stuck to the sheets in a pool of sweat. The bedroom had taken on the atmosphere of a Louisiana swamp in mid-summer, so I got up and went downstairs. I turned on the air conditioning unit in the living room and settled down on the sofa, thinking I’ll get a little sleep.

Crash—boom—crash! I heard the sounds of smashing glass, coming from the other room. Now, it’s getting close to 4:00AM and instead of operating at my normal, peak brain efficiency of 50%, my mind was working at about 7.5% efficiency. But I figured the cats were knocking things off the kitchen counter again. They like to push stuff off and watch it shatter and roll around the floor. It amuses them.

So I tottered out towards the kitchen, but on my way, I noticed a lot of smashed crystal on the floor, in the dining room. The broken glass was almost directly below a little decorative shelf that runs along the ceiling where we keep nice, but seldom-used glassware.

I looked up.

A little rat snake peered down at me from the shelf, way above my head.

O-kay. Not the cats. All right, then.

I tried to rev up my brain, but it stuttered and stalled at about 3.2% running efficiency. The only things I could think of were:

If I mess around too long, the snake is going to get away and I’ll never find it again.
And I don’t want to wake up with it in bed next to me.
Or accidentally grab it instead of the lid to the Tupperware when I’m reaching through a kitchen cupboard.
So I have to do something. Preferably, now.
How, exactly, is my husband sleeping through the loud explosions as crystal falls about 8 feet and shatters on our laminate flooring?
I’ve got to get the dogs out because they’ll go nuts, and I don’t want to clean snake parts off the walls.
Why are the dogs still sleeping? What are they? Deaf?
I won’t be able to catch the snake if the dogs are pushing me around.
Side Action: I wake the dogs and thrust them out the back door.
They object because it’s as hot as a Louisiana swamp out there, too, even though we live in North Carolina.
Now, I can’t put the snake out the back door, because the dogs will tear him apart.
And there’s no way I can unlock the front door, while holding a snake. Even with the snake tongs. So I have to open the door, first. At least I got that bit right.
I open the front door.
I get the tongs.
I don’t see the snake anymore.

Crash—boom—crash! Another load of glassware hit the floor, from just a little further along the shelf.

This time, I had the snake tongs. I saw the little rat snake’s face peering at me from the edge of the shelf. There were still some glasses it hadn't broken in front of it.

Another round of ponderous decisions, that ran along the lines of:

If I try to move the glasses, the snake will just slither off.
Do I know what I’m doing? (No.)
Why hasn’t my husband woken up? Should I wake him up, if for no other reason than to see him suffer? Because really, he started this by wandering around the house at 2:00AM turning off the air conditioning units.
And hubby is a wildlife biologist, which is why we even have the tongs to begin with.
So shouldn’t he have to deal with this?
But if I go get him, won’t the snake be gone? And won’t my husband just think I’m a nitwit? (Okay, he probably already does, because after all I'm a blonde--or was, but we all have our delusions.)

So, I clutched the snake with the tongs, remembering my husband’s warning that snake’s necks are fragile and you can easily crush them. It was a relief when the snake coiled around the tongs. I figured it would relieve the pressure on the neck. It wasn't a relief, though, when it started to stink (herp lovers will guess why, others needn’t worry about it) but I was glad I was holding it at the end of tongs and not in my hands.

Finally, I released it into the wilds, next to the front door. I swept up all the broken glassware. By this time, it was close to 5:00AM and too late to go to bed. So I also swept the rest of the house, ran the dishwasher and did a few other things. All of which my husband slept through.

By the time my husband woke up, it was all over except for the screaming, and I was too tired for that. His first question when I told him about it was, “Did it look fat? Maybe it ate the mice.”

Sigh. If only. You see, we also have a mouse problem. Unfortunately, the snake was only about 4 feet long and not at all fat, so I think we still have a mouse problem. If only the cats would be as interested in the mice as they are in shoving things off counters and watching them break.

Anyway after I disappointed him, my husband did educate me. Apparently, rat snakes are largely arboreal and like to live in trees, eating baby birds, baby squirrels and whatnot. Since we live in a log home, the snake probably mistook the place for a really peculiar tree. I'm sure there were plenty of good things to eat, too. Things that I'm glad I know nothing about.

Oh, and then, our Chesapeake retriever, Molly, got bit by yet another copperhead last night and now she has a fine goiter. My husband did take care of that problem, with extreme prejudice. But that’s another story.

(Molly is doing fine, by the way. And she’s very proud of herself. And she took out her bad feelings on another hapless snake that we weren't quick enough to rescue.)

Sleep well!

Guest Author: Dara England

2011-08-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Dara England! I had the temerity to ask her if she would write a blog after I found her books and downloaded every single one of the to my Kindle. I loved her writing and really wanted a chance to host her.

She graciously agreed, and not only that, she is sponsoring a contest. If you stop by and leave a comment here, Dara and I will pick a winner. You'll receive an ebook by Dara, and I'll tell you, if I hadn't already bought all her books, I'd be tempted to cheat and keep the book for myself.
So here she is!

Dara England

Many thanks to Amy for agreeing to have me as a guest on her lovely blog.

Something I’m often asked lately is why I’m pursuing indie publishing after having been previously published in more traditional forms. There’s no short answer to this so I’m going to go with a long one. That’s right, get comfy because this girl is going to share her entire publishing background, such as it is.

In The Beginning …

After years of writing fiction in the hope of getting published “someday” I finally got up the nerve to start submitting my work. Only to small webzines and print magazines no one had ever heard of but at least it was a start. Seeing my work up on the web and knowing other people were reading it was fun and it gave me confidence, as well as the chance to hone my skills.

But that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the real dream, just the smallest taste of it. I learned about the possibilities opening up in the e-publishing world and, although the idea of e-books took some getting used to at first, decided to give it a try. I submitted to a number of digital first presses and was eventually picked up by an up and coming small press called Lyrical Press Inc.

I still knew very little about the small press world and hadn’t had the sense to do much research before submitting. But I got lucky this time and LPI turned out to be a great first home for me and my books. They were professional, easy to work with, paid on time, and I didn’t have to deal with any of the nightmares it’s so easy for a first-timer to get sucked into.

Oh, Sweet Rapture!

But my dream was still traditional publication. Or legacy publishing. Or New York publication. It goes by many different names but you know what I mean. I wanted to see my books in stores and libraries. So when I heard of an opportunity to submit for a Running Press anthology, I jumped at it. And shockingly, at least to me, they wanted my story!

My experience with this second publication was a good one and seeing the Mammoth Book of Irish Romance in bookstores everywhere was beyond awesome. Whenever I stumbled across it someplace new I’d stop and pick up a copy and hug it. Or just stroke the cover. Let’s just say I probably looked like a crazy person to all the bookstore employees and the shoppers around me.

The Depths Of Despair

But New York, alas, still didn’t throw it’s gates open wide for me. I wrote a new book, sent it on the agent rounds and got a lot of interest. One agent even agreed to send me a contract but shortly thereafter her agency closed its doors and I was left still unrepresented. I was tired and frustrated at the endless rounds of queries, submissions, partials, fulls, rejections… Everywhere I went agents and editors talked about the tough market and all our communications ended the same way. They just weren’t confident enough that they could sell my book.

I returned to publishing with digital first presses but I kept an ear to the wind. And about this time I began to hear whispers of the potential for success in the self-publishing arena. Well, this was nothing new. I’d been hearing this kind of talk for years and had always dismissed it as nonsense. Everybody knew what self-publishing was, right? Just hand-selling a few copies of your little book to family and friends and anybody else you could beg or guilt into buying a copy. Self-publishers were largely derided and I was one of the persecutors. Just call me the Biblical Saul/Paul.

What’s This Indie Thing About?

But then something changed. Several authors I knew began to come out and “admit” to trying their hands at self-publishing e-books. These were “real” authors, people whose business sense I respected. They were New York published, for heaven’s sake! And yet, they were finding indie-publishing on the side lucrative. They kept their New York contracts and they continued to write for digital first publishers like Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Carina Press, Spice Briefs, Red Sage, etc. But they were also finding time to put out some indie works and were reporting impressive sells numbers.

Cue inspirational music. This was the moment a light bulb went off over my head and I realized I could be building a reader base with indie publishing and pursuing New York at the same time. It wasn’t an either-or situation. What was more, thanks to the lower cost of producing an e-book versus a print book I could experiment with this whole indie thing at little expense.

Testing The Waters

Ok, I’d wised up and it was time to dip my toe into the water. I wrote something new, something I hadn’t tried before. A historical mystery novella set in Victorian England. I titled in Accomplished In Murder. I had always enjoyed detective stories but this was the first time I’d had the nerve to write one. Previously I had written things I thought would sell well, mostly paranormal romance. But it was time to break out and write something my heart was in, something I actually enjoyed for its own sake.

Thanks to my major obsession with hanging out on writers’ forums all these years I’d made a lot of connections with people involved in the publishing industry. I knew a number of formatters, editors, cover designers, etc. I hired Lauren Dee of Daisy Cakes Creative to edit my manuscript because she came highly recommend by other writers I trusted. Also she was reasonably priced and I didn’t have a huge budget. I lined up Lucinda Campbell of L.K. E-Book Formatting to format my e-book because I didn’t trust myself to do it properly and I was determined my first effort at an indie book would look professional.

The Big Experiment

With surprising ease, I uploaded my e-book to the usual venders and sat back expecting to watch the dismal numbers creep in at snail speed. Instead they…well, not exactly rushed in, but came in at a respectable and sedate pace. I had studied other’s statistics and was prepared for the long haul. I thought, “I’ll sell five copies the first month, ten copies the next, and wait for the snowball effect everybody talks about”. Instead, I easily surpassed my meager expectations on the first day my book was available for purchase.

At this moment, about a month out from my first indie release, I’m sitting in Amazon’s Top 100 list of best-sellers in the Historical Mystery Category. I’m also respectably situated on the Women Sleuths list. I have no idea how long this good fortune will last but I’m enjoying the ride.

As to the big question, will I be doing it again? Heck, yes!
Dara England
http://www.daraenglandauthor.com/

Accomplished in Murder

Murder was never so refined…

When her holiday on the coast of Cornwall takes a deadly turn, it is up to Drucilla Winterbourne to uncover the dangerous secrets the inhabitants of Blackridge House will do anything to conceal. But can a proper young lady from London society comprehend the dark motives of a killer?

Accomplished In Murder is the first in a series of historical mystery novellas featuring intrepid Victorian heroines up to their bustles in crime. These works are only loosely connected and can be read in any order.

Length: 17,000 word novella.
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Contest
Please be sure to leave a comment to win a free copy of the ebook, Accomplished In Murder.

A mid-week smile for the chronically overworked

2011-08-03T15:10:00.000-04:00

For the Chronically Overworked

This goes out to all of you, and you know who you are, who just don't have room on your plate for even one more thing.

By the end of the day, all you can say is, "I'll do it when I get around to it."

Here you go.

You've got one.
Now what're you going to do about it?