Mysterious Writers

Tim Hallinan Revisited

2012-01-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Timothy Hallinan is the Edgar and Macavity-nominated author of the traditionally-published Poke Rafferty Bangkok thrillers (most recently, The Queen of Patpong) and the Junior Bender mysteries, which are ebook originals. Earlier this year, he conceived and edited a volume of original short stories by twenty first-rate mystery writers, Shaken: Stories for Japan, with every penny of the $3.99 price going to the 2011 Japan Relief Fund. He lives in Santa Monica and Southeast Asia, and will be featured in the book, The Mystery Writers, with Sue Grafton, Lawrence Block and others, scheduled to be released in March 2012.

Tim, why did you decide to go the indie route with your new ebook series?

The real answer is that the money we were offered by the publishers we approached wasn't very good. I looked at the offers and thought, “I'd rather own the books.” And I'd already put up some of my Simeon Grist series from the Twelfth Century—sorry, the 1990s—and people were actually buying a few hundred copies each month. I figured if those books were selling, new ones would sell even better. And they have.

In fact the first one, Crashed, sold so well that we got a substantially bigger offer for Little Elvises and reprint rights to Crashed. After a life spent lingering outside publishers' doors in the hope someone would offer me a glass of lukewarm water, it was kind of nice to say no.

What inspired your Junior Bender series?

While I was trying to finish the third Poke Rafferty book, Breathing Water, I kept hearing this voice in my ear, trying to tell me a story in the first person, and every time I listened, it entertained me. I finally put Breathing Water aside for five weeks and let Junior tell me the story of Crashed, which is the fastest I've ever written a book. I put the first draft in a drawer, gave a couple of additional months to Breathing Water, and then edited Crashed and went straight to work on Little Elvises.

Part of the appeal was Junior himself; he's a burglar with a moral code who works as a private eye for crooks. In one sense, he's just a middle-class guy who's unhappily divorced and loves his teenage daughter more than anything in the world, and in another, he's risking his life trying to help clients who will not be good enemies if he fails, and he's trying to catch people who are crazy enough to commit crimes against criminals. He's at risk no matter how things come out.

Tell us more about your ebooks.

Well, they're the funniest books I've ever written, and that counts as something for me, because laughing, for me, is right up there with eating. They're meant to be funny and thrilling at the same time, and I'm not the best judge, but the reviews are 99.5% 5-star (only one 4-star in the batch), so that must mean something.

I've always loved to write crooks, and Junior gives me the chance to fill entire books with them. In Crashed, the main crook is Trey Annunziato, a beautiful woman in her early thirties who runs the biggest crime family in the San Fernando Valley and is trying to take everything legal because she's looked at the techniques the government has developed in the war on terror, and she knows that when the cops get back to catching criminals, criminals won't stand a chance.

And in Little Elvises, we meet an old-time, mobbed up Philadelphia record producer who took handsome Philly kids and turned them into pallid imitations of Elvis, plus the oldest still-dangerous gangster in the world, who is based on a very real person who was the California pointman for the Chicago Jewish mob. (One of Capone's guys said, “If it wasn't for the Jews, we'd still be hiding money in mattresses.”) This man, whom I won't name, who was for about 40 years the most powerful person in the state. No contest. Half the banks in Southern California were originally opened to launder money.

How well have your ebooks sold so far? Are you pleased with the results?

They've done okay, The reviews have been great and it's a few thousand dollars every month. I'd like them to do better, but I just HATE promoting myself. I can't drop in on every online conversation in the world and say, “Speaking of the economy, my book Little Elvises takes an offbeat look at the underground economy.” It makes me wince when I see other writers do it, and I won't.

I also loathe Twitter, which is undoubtedly hurting me. I've got like a thousand followers and I have no idea what to say to them.

How have you promoted your ebooks?

Well, that's sort of the issue. I really haven't, other than blogs like this one. I accidentally did a very successful promotion for Little Elvises. I had two covers and couldn't make up my mind, so I put them on Facebook and asked people to choose. And did they ever. And then I did the same thing on my website and in my almost-nearly-sort-of-monthly newsletter, and literally 800 people stopped their lives long enough to cast votes. So I gave away a bunch of the e-books, and that was the promotion. And Little Elvises really took off in its first week out.

My primary promo device is the newsletter. My website is loaded with information for beginning writers – it's about 80% of the site, and people have been writing to thank me or ask questions for years and years. And I also get a surprising amount of fan mail. All those people are on my newsletter mailing list now—about 6,000 of them—and I see a sales jump every time I send one out.

I work hard to make the newsletter more than just a plug – each has a theme and got reviews of good books and nice images, and nobody unsubscribes, which is saying something. Anybody who wants it can e-mail me at thallinan@gmail.com.

What advice do you offer writers contemplating the indie route?

Pretty much the same advice I have for everyone. Write the book you want to read and when you're finished, make it better. Proof-read everything ten times.This book is supposed to be you at your best, so you don't want it to be riddled with dumb mistakes.

And do a better job with promotion than I do.

Thanks, Tim. You can visit Tim at his web/blog site: www.timothyhallinan.com, my site/blog/Finish Your Novel area. He's also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000623782839
and Twitter: TimHallinan on Twitter.

M. M. Gornell Revisited

2012-01-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

Madeline (M.M.) Gornell has three published mystery novels—PSWA awarding winning Uncle Si’s Secret (2008), Death of a Perfect Man (2009), and Reticence of Ravens (2010). Her first Route 66 mystery, Reticence of Ravens, is a 2011 Eric Hoffer Fiction finalist and Honorary Mention winner, the da Vinci Eye finalist, and a Montaigne Medalist finalist.She continues to be inspired by historic Route 66, and has recently completed Lies of Convenience, a tale that fictionally connects murder, truths untold, and Chicago’s Lake Michigan with California’s high desert on the opposite end of The Mother Road. Madeline is also a potter with a fondness for stoneware and reduction firing. She lives with her husband and assorted canines in the Mojave Desert in a town on internationally revered Route 66.

Madeline will be among those featured in the forthcoming book, The Mystery Writers, scheduled for release in March 2012.

Why mystery novels, Madeline?

I can’t imagine writing anything but a mystery. I grew up with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy L. Sayers, Martha Grimes, Marion Chesney (M.C. Beaton), etc. So my brain is not only steeped in mysterious doings—but Brits and British mystery traditions have a most special place in my heart and imagination. Indeed, I’ve gone on-and-on ad nausea about P.D. James in interviews and blogs. She continues to be my inspiration and guiding light. To experience England through her character’s eyes is a most marvelous treat and adventure.

For me, murder mysteries are unique in that the underlying pinning for the story is solving who done it, which in turn provides much of the impetus for the protagonist’s emotions, activities, and interactions—while simultaneously offering the reader a tricky puzzle to solve. But, solving the murder and bringing the bad guys and gals to some kind of justice is not the whole story. For me, the sense of place (especially enjoyable in British locals), the layers of back stories, the human emotions exposed, the characters’ psychological or emotional advancement—these are the key ingredients in a good mystery—and why I love them!

What's so fascinating about Route 66 that you use it as a backdrop for your novels?

When my husband and I moved back to California from a twenty plus year stay in Puget Sound, somehow, we ended up in a small town in California’s Mojave Desert on Route 66. I am continually fascinated by the sights, sounds, weather, history, terrain, ruins—and so much more—in the Mojave. Interestingly, I was born and raised in Chicago—where Route 66 starts. So, I’ve got both ends of The Mother Road covered.

And my imagination is captured by thoughts of those who have come before me—what challenges they must have had! Reticence of Ravens, my latest published novel, and Lies of Convenience, due out soon, are both set in fictional towns on Route 66; and their inspiration comes from my immediate area.

Tell us about your latest release.

Here’s the book jacket synopsis for Reticence of Ravens which I think not only gives you a feel for the story, but also the Mojave.

“Time and events have turned Hubert James Champion III into a morose man trying for the last year to escape into California’s Mojave Desert—somewhere a little north of Route 66 on the way to Arizona. No longer a practicing psychologist and FBI collaborator, Hugh now owns Joey’s mini-mart, a half-defunct gas station with no gas, no supplies, and little food for customers. Opening hours variable.

He has become a man hiding out from the world, and himself—trying to seek redemption among the creosote and Palo Verde trees. His main companions these days are an aged desert dog, and the unkindness of sometimes raucous, but usually reticent ravens.

But Hugh soon senses that he can’t escape—especially when a “special” young woman with red Medusa-like hair, and covered in her father’s blood is brought to him one Sunday evening. Turner Jackson has been murdered, and LoraLee Jackson is the main suspect. In quick order Hugh is drawn into proving LoraLee’s innocence by both locals and unwanted East Coast intruders. Add the sudden appearance of LoraLee’s previously unknown brother, a bulldog FBI agent with an agenda of his own, and Hugh’s cousin Della’s love-sick ex-husband—not to mention multiple shootings, exploding drug-labs, and most importantly, Hugh’s past demons rearing their ugly heads once again.

No, Hugh cannot escape having to find a murderer—or his own past.

Have any of your characters shared your pottery avocation?

In my second novel Death of a Perfect Man, the protagonist, Jada Beaudine, and the first murder victim are potters. Several suspects are too.

Advice to aspiring mystery novelists.

I think every author is unique, so I don’t have any “rule type” advice. Just never, never, never give up!

Thanks, Madeline.

You can visit Madeline at her website: http://www.mmgornell.com
and her blog site: http://www/mmgornell.wordpress.com or email her directly at
mmgornell@earthlink.net

A Visit with Cheryl Kaye Tardif

2012-01-07T09:19:00.007-07:00

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's work is called Canadian suspense with a killer twist. The bestselling suspense author from north of the border tackles sensitive and terrifying scenarios that most people wouldn't want to consider. From psychic investigations to serial killers and assisted suicides, she delves into the human psyche and spotlights our worst fears.

Cheryl, how did your first novel, Whale Song, come about and had you written/published anything prior to it?

Whale Song was in my head for two years before I ever wrote down the title. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was going to write it. At the time, I had pretty much given up hope of getting published; I had tried for years. But the story of Whale Song haunted me. I couldn't shake the characters or the plot. Finally, a friend said, "Cheryl, don't worry whether it gets published.Write it for yourself. Write it because you have to." That was the best advice I've ever been given.

Since Whale Song, which was first published in 2003, I've had six more novels published (Children of the Fog, Devine Intervention, Devine Justice, The River, Lancelot's Lady and Whale Song: School Edition), as well as Skeletons in the Closet, Other Creepy Stories, and Remote Control, a novelette. All my works are available in ebook editions and all but the novelette are out in trade paperback. I've also had a short story published in What Fears Become: An Anthology From the Horror Zone.

You've written in a number of genres and under a pseudonym. Which genre do you prefer and which has been the most successful?

Suspense is my forte. And any combination of suspense, mystery, paranormal has been successful for me.

Why do you think all your novels have made the bestseller lists?

In general, readers don't like predictable, formulaic works. They'll never have that with my novels. I strive to be unpredictable and I don't use any kind of formula when writing my books. My stories are a mix of plot-driven and character-driven tales. And I bring emotion into each story, whether it's fear, sorrow, happiness, excitement or another emotion. I want my readers to feel like they're right there in the story, seeing everything, feeling everything.

How do you promote your work?

I have two main websites and a blog, plus I belong to various social networks. Most of my marketing is done online through various websites and promotions. And my books are promoted via Imajin Books, my publishing company.

Why did you decide to go the indie route with your own publishing company and how long was it before you began publishing the work of other writers?

I began my career as an indie published author, self-publishing three titles from 2003-2005. With their success I was able to secure a New York agent and a traditional publisher. I recognized a lot of serious problems with my publisher early on and ended up removing my books just before they went under. My experience wasn't entirely negative though; I learned a lot from them--especially what NOT to do as a publishing company.

After leaving my publisher, I decided to return to indie publishing and set up my books again under my publishing company, Imajin Books. Over the next year or so I was approached by other authors who asked me if I'd consider publishing them. I said no, but it made me think. I realized there was a need for what I could offer.

So, on January 15, 2011, I opened Imajin Books to accept other authors. We now have a great group on board; some will be publishing their second book with us this spring/summer.

How does your publishing company differ from other small presses?

Imagin Books is an innovative company. We offer a hybrid form of publishing, kind of a cross between indie publishing and traditional. We offer a small advance and much higher than average royalties on ebooks and trade paperback sales. We consider ebooks to be primary rights, with print a subsidiary right. We only secure these rights so authors are free to purse film and other rights.

Our authors have more input into the creation of their books. We go through various editing stages, which they're part of, and they have input into their cover and trailer as well. We treat our authors like partners. Yet they pay nothing up front. We are NOT a subsidiary publisher. We focus on ebooks sales and market accordingly.

How do your print books sales compare with ebooks? And when did your ebooks begin outselling print editions in Canada?

Print sales are a small percentage of what we sell. Our ebooks far outsell our paperbacks. Last time I looked at the numbers we were selling 50 ebooks for every paperback. We have always sold more ebooks than print.

What's your work schedule like?

I work six to seven days a week. My hours vary, but I rarely work less than eight hours a day and often more. I love what I do and I take frequent breaks, so it doesn't really seem like I'm working that long. The great thing is that I can take days off when I need them.

My schedule is divided between answering email, reading submissions, coordinating editors and authors, assigning covers to designers, checking back with everyone, arranging our promotions, updating the website and blog, and anything else that comes up.

Advice for novice writers?

Facebook account BEFORE you query a publisher or agent. A book won't sell without consistent marketing on the part of the author.

Thanks, Cheryl. You can learn more about Cheryl at her websites: http://www.cherylktardif.com and http://www.whalesongbook.com and http://www.imajinbooks.comHer blogs: http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.comand http://www.imajinbooks.Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cherylktardif and http://www.twitter.com/imajinbooksFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Kaye-Tardif-novels/29769736630 and https://www.facebook.com/imajinbooks

A Visit with Mark Troy

2011-12-31T00:01:00.001-07:00

Mark Troy lived in Thailand for five years as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English and supervising student teachers. He also traveled extensively in South East Asia, India and Nepal. After earning his doctorate from the University of Hawaii, he worked for several years in education research before joining the staff of Texas A&M University.

Mark, you’ve lived in a number of exotic places. Which setting sparked your interest in writing fiction?

The first spark occurred while living in Thailand. I was doing a lot of reading and discussing books with other volunteers. I tried some stories, but they were terrible. I caught the spark again after we moved to Hawaii and I had finished my dissertation. By that time I decided that I wanted to write mysteries. The fact that there were very few Hawaiian mysteries struck me as something that needed rectifying. I was also inspired by the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, which is the spot where the first Charlie Chan story was set. The bar at the Halekulani is named for The House Without a Key and is the best place in Honolulu to grab a martini at sunset.

How did your Hawaiian woman private investigator come about?

My first attempts at mysteries had a main character who was an amateur sleuth and a lot like me. He had a job as a junior researcher at a large university. He wasn’t any kind of an action hero so I added a secondary character, an ex-cop, to supply the action. Thinking there ought to be some romance, I made this character a kick-ass babe. The first smart thing I did with the story was submit part of it to a writing workshop. This was shortly after moving to Texas. The workshop was led by Joe R. Lansdale, whom I was not familiar with at the time. Lansdale hated the main character, didn’t think much of the story, but he liked the woman, Val Lyon. His first two suggestions were to keep the story in her point of view and to write it in the first person. After talking to him about it and giving it a lot of thought, I decided to try it. It turned out to the best thing I did.

The Shamus Awards convinced me to make Val a private eye. I was following Lansdale’s advice, writing the story from Val’s POV when I learned about the Shamus Awards. I looked up the past winners and nominees and realized I’d read most of the books and that the authors were writers I greatly admired. I decided at that point that I should write what I liked to read, so I changed from writing amateur detective stories to private eyes stories.

Did your own participation in sports convince you to write your recent release, Game Face?

I don’t participate in many sports. My main sport is running, which I have not written about. I did skydiving for a few years and that inspired one of the stories in the collection, but that’s the only one. My wife and I watch a lot of sports, though, especially basketball. When I created Val Lyon, my wife suggested that since so many female sleuths were runners, Val should have a different sport. So, I made her a basketball player who had played in college and professionally in Europe. That background and a lot of armchair sports-watching led to these stories. Three of them were inspired by articles in Sports Illustrated.

Tell us about the book.

Game Face is a collection of eight short stories, all featuring Val Lyon as the detective. Seven have been previously published in various magazines, e-zines and anthologies. One story is original to this collection. I wrote that story because I wanted readers who had read the published stories to have a reason to buy this book. There’s also some great interior art. It’s available for all the major ebook readers and in trade paperback.

Although sports provide the backdrop, I don’t consider these sports stories in that they are not about winning and losing. They are about greed, lust, and murder. More cheating takes place in bed than on the court in this collection. The title refers to Val’s dominant attitude of competing to win. The games are afoot and Val had better have her game face on because her opponent is Death and he scores first every time.

What’s your day job and when do you schedule your writing?

I do research on institutional effectiveness at Texas A&M University. Most of my work involves surveys of students and faculty, course evaluations, and assessment of academic programs. Eight to five I’m heavily involved in statistical analysis. Outside of work, I do my writing. I think the two—statistical analysis and writing fiction—are complementary. Statistics is all about people. It’s one way of learning about people. So is writing fiction. I write to learn about these characters.

Do you outline your fiction or do you wing it?

Both. I start with a few notes about the story, which usually include some background on the characters and some statements about the main plot points and the central idea. As I write, I’ll add more information on the characters and list more plot points as they occur to me. From time to time I will look at the plot points and rearrange them as necessary. I used to put the points and the notes on index cards, but now I use Scrivener, which has virtual index cards. By the time I finish the first draft, I have a pretty good outline to aid in the revision.

What’s the most difficult aspect of writing for you and what do you enjoy most?

The first draft always seems to bog down at some point. I start to question the story and the writing. Sometimes I find it hard to get motivated. If I don’t have a set time to write, I might not get anything done.

I enjoy revising. Once I have a draft completed, I enjoy turning it into something good and exciting. I also like letting a story take me to new places and discover new things. A lot of that comes with research.

Who most influenced your own work?

Joe Lansdale set me on the path I’m on now. John D. MacDonald, Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker, Greg Rucka and Marsha Mueller are some of the writers I really admire.

Advice for fledgling writers?

Don’t write what you know. Write what you don’t know. [Research your subject]

Thanks, Mark.

You can visit Mark Troy’s website: http://wwwl.marktroy.net and his blog sites: http://hawaiian-eye.blogspot.com and http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com He’s also on Facebook: Mark Troy as well as Twitter: Skywritermt

A Visit with Ann Charles

2011-12-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ann Charles is a technical software writer-editor by day and award-winning mystery novelist by night. Her books are filled with mayhem, fun, romance and humor. When not writing fiction she's busy working on articles about the craft of writing at her blog site.

Ann, tell us about Dance of the Winnebagos that you wrote with C.S. Kunkle.

I’m actually the sole author of all of my fiction books. C.S. Kunkle is my illustrator (and my older brother). Dance of the Winnebagos is the story of Claire Morgan … When Claire's grandfather and his Army buddies converge in the Arizona desert to find new wives, it's her thankless job to keep them out of trouble with the opposite sex. But when she finds a human leg bone and partners with a reluctant geotechnician to dig up secrets from the past, trouble finds her. If she doesn't stop digging, she could end up dead.
How did your Jackrabbit Mystery series come about?

Once upon a time, I was playing hangman at work with one of my coworkers. It was her turn to come up with a word, and she added a lot of spaces on the white board. After I landed two consonants and a vowel, the board looked like this:

T _ E _ _ _ N _ _ _ T _ E _ _ _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ E _

I was feeling pretty ambitious that day. I took one look at this puzzle and yelled, “The Dance of the Winnebagos!” (I know, the letters don’t match up—I’ve never done well in spelling bees.)

My coworker laughed and hung my poor stick man—the actual answer was The Hound of the Baskervilles. She then wondered what in the heck The Dance of the Winnebagos was.
I said, “I don’t know, but it would make a great book title, don’t you think?”

This game of hangman kick-started my brain. A weekend of plot storming with my critique group fleshed out the story even more. Before I knew it, I had a fun cast, an intriguing mystery, and a book that practically wrote itself. This book landed me my agent, who asked me when I’d have book 2 in the series finished. I hadn’t planned on a second book, but saw where I could tweak the story just a little and make it into a fun series, so I did. And that was all she wrote—well, not really, since I am still writing this series.

How has the ebook revolution affected your book sales?

I’ve sold over 17,000 ebooks this year, my first year of publication. In comparison, I’ve sold around 1,000 printed books. The ebook revolution has served me well, and I personally love reading ebooks on my e-reader. As the co-owner of Corvallis Press, I can also say that ebooks are much easier to publish, sell, and track.

Do you have a day job and what’s your writing schedule like? Also, do you outline?

I am a technical writer by day and a fiction writer by night. Both are full-time jobs and keep me hopping—but not as much as my two young kids. My schedule is crazy, and I carve out moments to write and promote whenever I can, which is mostly at night after my family goes to bed because I am soooo not a morning person.

I am more of a right-brained, write-by-the-seat-of-my-pants author (aka a “pantser”), so my outline is very high level. I rarely stick to it. I like to write a scene and learn what comes next as it fills the pages. It makes the story more fun to build and share.

What are the best and worst parts of writing for you?

Let’s start with the bad stuff. The worst part is just the constant struggle to find time to write, not to mention do all of the promotion and marketing needed to find new readers. It’s not a marathon—it’s more like a triathlon. Some days, I just want to hide under the covers.

As for the best part, it’s the peers, the friends, and the fans. I love meeting new people (even if it’s just online) and building new relationships.

Advice to fledgling mystery writers?

Treat everything as an experiment, which allows you to use failure as a learning device. Be patient and persevere. Remember, this is not a get-rich-quick business. The writing is just a piece of the whole endeavor—an important piece, mind you, but you will need to learn about all aspects of the business like any other entrepreneur.

Who most influenced your own work?

The list is long, but to name a few of the authors: Stephen King, Rachel Gibson, Dean Koontz, Janet Evanovich, and Jane Austen. I also am greatly influenced by movies, which I use to learn more about elements like dialogue and pacing.

In the event of a fire, which three inanimate objects would you save?

My husband has trained me to grab the hard drive that has all of our family pictures on it, so that’s the first thing. Next, I’d probably save the printed photos of old. Third, I’d take my laptop to save me a big headache later.

Thanks, Ann.

You can learn more about Ann at her website: http://www.anncharles.com/
Her blog sites: www.1stturningpoint.com
and www.plotmammas.com

John M. Daniel Revisited

2011-12-17T00:01:00.004-07:00

John M. Daniel was born in Minnesota, raised in Texas, and educated in Massachusetts and California. He was a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing at Stanford University and a Writer in Residence at Wilbur Hot Springs. He has taught fiction writing at UCLA Extension and Santa Barbara Adult Education and was on the faculty of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference for nearly twenty years. He now teaches creative writing for Humboldt State University Extended Education.

John’s stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines. His thirteen published books include four mysteries: Play Melancholy Baby, The Poet’s Funeral, Vanity Fire, and Behind the Redwood Door.

John, you have an impressive background in teaching creative writing. When did you first realize your interest in literature?

When I was five years old my mother read me The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She explained the irony in that remarkable book, and I knew then that forevermore I would be a reader. About ten years later I started reading the novels of Richard Bissell, and I knew then that, whatever it took, I would be a writer.

You’ve worked as a bookseller, freelance writer, editor, entertainer, model and innkeeper as well as a teacher. Which of those jobs did you enjoy and which would you rather forget?

I think I got my highest moments as an innkeeper and a bookseller, because in both cases I was dealing with people and supplying them with what they most wanted at the time. Teaching, too, come to think of it. My least favorite job was as an academic editor for the Stanford University Press. I essentially flunked out, because I wasn’t good enough. That job was hard, borrrrring, and I wasn’t up to the task.

Have you incorporated any of your work experiences into your novels?

Of course. I’ve written fiction about hotel managers and bar musicians, and my newest one (not yet published) is about a bookstore clerk. My main work experience, as a small press publisher, is what fuels the Guy Mallon mystery series, or at least the first two books thereof, The Poet’s Funeral and Vanity Fire.

Who most influenced your own work?

I’ve already mentioned Richard Bissell, my favorite writer because of his honest, humorous, wry, cynical yet compassionate voice. He writes about simple folk and makes them into small-time heroes. I should also give a nod to science fiction writer Ray Russell, with whom I corresponded weekly. He was my mentor during my thirties, and he helped me become the writer I became. I also must acknowledge Wallace Stegner and Nancy Packer of the Stanford Creative Writing Program.

Tell us briefly about your small press and how it came about.

I moved to Santa Barbara in 1983 with the goal of being an entertainer, singing old standards and accompanying myself on the guitar. I got a few gigs, but I needed a day job. I’d worked as an editor and a bookseller, so I hired on at Capra Press, a distinguished independent publisher. My position was assistant to the sales manager, Susan Winton. Within a few months, Susan and I were a couple, and we left Capra, pooled our meager resources, and started our own publishing business which (after we married in 1987) became Daniel & Daniel. We’ve never looked back, even in moments when the business drives us nuts.

Have you published any of your own books and how do you feel about indie publishing?

I have a lot of respect for indie publishing, which comes in many flavors. Yes, I’ve published three books under one of our own imprints, Fithian Press: One for the Books: Confessions of a Small-Press Publisher; Structure, Style and Truth: Elements of the Short Story; and The Ballad of Toby and Lark: A Cat Fantasy. I’ve also epublished three novels with Kindle and Nook: Swimming in the Deep End, Geronimo’s Skull, and Elephant Lake.

Advice to aspiring writers?

Write for the joy of writing. Other reasons to write (for money, for fame) may not pay off, but if you love the pleasure of telling stories, you’ve already won the game.

What are the biggest mistakes your writing students have made?

The word “very” in every other sentence. Beginning writers tend to think the word “very” strengthens a sentence, when in fact it more often than not does the exact opposite.

What inspired your latest book, Behind the Redwood Door?

When Susan and I moved to the North Coast of California, famous for its rocky shores, its towering Redwood trees, its mountains inland, and (yes, for better or for worse) its illegal cash crop, I was enchanted. Then I started hearing gossip about the area’s shady past: exploitive lumber barons, the poor treatment of Native peoples, family feuds, etc. I got hooked. I knew I had to write about this place. And I knew I had to make the murder take place behind our favorite bar, which I renamed the Redwood Door.

Thanks, John.

You can visit Joihn at his website,
His blog site: blogsite,
On Facebook: Facebook
And Amazon.com

A Visit with Ann Parker

2011-12-09T18:20:00.003-07:00

Ann Parker is a California-based science/corporate writer by day and an historical mystery writer by night. Her award-winning Silver Rush series, featuring saloon-owner Inez Stannert, is set in 1880s Colorado, primarily in the silver-mining boomtown of Leadville. The latest in her series, Mercury's Rise, was released November 1. Publisher’s Weekly says, “Parker smoothly mixes the personal dramas and the detection in an installment that’s an easy jumping-on point for newcomers.” Library Journal adds, “Parker’s depth of knowledge coupled with an all-too-human cast leaves us eager to see what Inez will do next. Encore!”

Ann, how do you conduct your Leadville, Colorado, historical research from San Francisco?

I have a pretty good collection of books and photographs of the area now, after more than a decade of writing about Leadville and its environs. My bookshelves include such items as Leadville: Colorado’s Magic City, by Edward Blair; the humongous 2-volume The History of Leadville and Lake County, Colorado, by Don and Jean Griswold (and I have it on a searchable CD!); and Historic Leadville in Rare Photographs and Drawings by Christian J. Buys. I love looking at old photos… you can pick out such interesting little details with a close examination! I also “walk the streets” when I can manage to get up there, and take a lot of photos and scribble down a lot of notes. I peruse the old newspapers at the online Historic Colorado Newspapers, and am a regular Internet visitor at the Lake County Public Library’s Local History site. And I pester the research librarians at the library regularly by email, when I have questions.

Tell us about Mercury’s Rise.

When the book opens, it’s the summer of 1880, and Inez Stannert, part-owner of the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville, is on a stagecoach Manitou, Colorado. Many come to Manitou to “chase the cure” for tuberculosis, but Inez has a different reason for visiting this fast-rising health resort: she is on her way to reunite with her young son, William, and her beloved sister, Harmony. However, the journey turns lethal when East Coast businessman Edward Pace mysteriously dies under the horrified gaze of Inez and Pace’s wife and children.

As Inez digs deeper into the wherefores and whys of his death, she uncovers shady business dealings by those hoping to profit from the coming bonanza in medicinal waters and miracle remedies, medical practitioners who kindle false hopes in the desperate and the dying, and deception that predates the Civil War. Then Inez’s husband, Mark Stannert, reappears after a year-and-a-half unexplained absence. Even as she fights to hold on to her child and the life she has built for herself, Inez comes to realize there is no “cure” for murder....I know that many readers of the Silver Rush series have been curious as to what happened to Mark Stannert, who mysteriously disappeared before the start of the series. Mercury’s Rise answers that question, at least in part!

I know that your 1880s protagonist, Inez Stannert, was named for your grandmother, but was she also the strong woman you portray?

Granny was definitely strong, in her own way, but not the gun-carrying, whiskey-drinking, card-playing Inez portrayed in my fiction. I believe she must have had a rough childhood--she never talked about her years as a child and a teenager, so I believe that says something in itself. She raised three children during the Depression, when my grandfather couldn't find work (not an uncommon story back then, I'm afraid). What's more, even though she never finished high school, she made sure her children got good educations and entered worthwhile professions; my uncle because a mechanical engineer, my aunt was a legal secretary (back in the day when women didn't generally do that sort of work), and my father became a physician.

Why would someone with a degree in Physics decide to write a series about the Leadville mining town?

My decision to write about Leadville is due to a family history mystery: Granny was raised in Leadville, and never talked about it… even though she loved telling us grandkids stories about her later life in Denver! My Uncle Walt urged me to research Leadville and think about setting a novel there. I took it on as an assignment, and before I knew it, I’d fallen in love with Leadville’s rich history and its current-day incarnation. As to how this ties to the degree in Physics… I’ve always been fascinated by science and technology, and that led me to research topics such as silver mining and assaying in 1880s Colorado (for Silver Lies). From there, it was easy to apply the same research skills to a host of historical subjects for the other Silver Rush books: Colorado railroads, the Reconstruction, women’s rights in terms of divorce and property law, the medical views/research/treatments of tuberculosis, and so on—all in the proper time frame, of course.

What’s your day job and when do you find time to write an historical series? Do you outline and have a regular writing schedule?

I’m a science and technical writer/editor and write about darn near any topic you want to throw my way, from nanotechnology to solar energy to cosmology or hydrodynamics or the latest, greatest in supercomputer architecture for data-intensive computing. I also do regular “corporate” writing projects: developing employee handbooks, safety manuals, website content, proposal writing … if it has to do with words, I’ll tackle it. I’m self-employed, for the most part, so take on whatever comes my way.

As for finding time to write fiction… yes, it’s difficult. I don’t have a regular writing schedule—work comes first, because it pays the bills. The fiction I write to “feed my soul.” I joke that I’m driven by deadlines and panic, but it’s actually more truth than not. I’m a caffeine addict, who prefers writing late at night when things are quiet around the house. Sometimes, I will take a weekend and go hide in the guest room of good friend and fellow mystery writer Camille Minichino. I can pound out up to 30 to 50 pages on such a weekend, sometimes even more. I don’t write an outline, but I’m required to write a synopsis for each book before starting, and my synopses tend to run about 10 pages long, so if I get stuck, I turn to the synopsis or brainstorm with other mystery writers.

How has the ebook revolution affected your book sales?

I think the jury is still out on that. My publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, has the first three out in various ebook formats, so that’s great. I can’t say I’ve gotten rich off of the sales, but I’m pleased that the books are available in so many ways, including in audio format, for the most recent two: Leaden Skies and Mercury’s Rise.

Who has been your most read historical author and which writer most influenced your own writing?

Since I read so much non-fiction, I’m hard put to name a most-read historical author. I always look forward to books by Martin Cruz Smith, and I very much admire his writing and how he can put me right into any time and place! Right now, the historical fiction book I’m looking forward to reading next is Michelle Black’s Séance in Sepia. I’m also a closet fan of steampunk, and thinking I’d like to try my hand at that genre someday.

Advice for fledgling historical writers?

Write, write, write. Remember to use all the senses in your writing. Have some honest and blunt “beta readers” who will let you know when you’ve let your research take over your book (a definite hazard of being an historical writer!).

Thank you, Ann. It was a pleasure to have you visit us here.

You can visit Ann at her website: http://www.annparker.net/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annparker.writer

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheSilverQueen

and Mercury's Rise and the other Silver Rush mysteries are available from independent booksellers, amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble.

Leave a comment on this post to be eligible to win a Silver Rush mystery prize! To see the rest of Ann’s blog tour schedule, check out her News page.

A Visit with Jinx Schwartz

2011-12-06T00:01:00.018-07:00

Raised in the jungles of Haiti and Thailand, with returns to Texas in-between, Jinx followed in her father's steel-toed footsteps into the construction and engineering industry in hopes of building dams. Finding all the good rivers taken, she "traveled the world defacing other landscapes with mega-projects in Alaska, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Mexico."

Like the protagonist in her mystery series, Hetta Coffey, Jinx was a woman with a yacht—and she wasn't afraid to use it—when she met her husband, "Mad Dog" Schwartz. They opted to become "cash-poor cruisers rather than continue chasing the rat," and sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge, turned left, and headed for Mexico. They now divide their time between Arizona and Mexico's Sea of Cortez.

Jinx, why were you raised in the jungles of Haiti and Thailand?

My father built dams.

You mentioned that you followed in your father’s steel-toed footsteps into construction and engineering in the hopes of building dams but wound up “defacing others landscapes and mega-projects in Alaska, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Mexico?”

I went into the petrochemical field, so we built large chemical plants, refineries and pipelines

How did you meet your husband Robert “Mad Dog” Schwartz? And how long after your marriage did you leave the proverbial rat race to live in Arizona and the Mexico Riviera?

We are not on the Mexican Riviera, although we did take out boat there a couple of time. We are in the Sea of Cortez, which, if you draw a line from Cabo San Lucas to Mazatlan, everything north of that line is the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California)

I was single, working hard and supporting a three-story Victorian in the Bay Area when my dog upped and died. I decided to change my life, so I bought a 42' Power Boat (my first ever boat) and moved aboard. Six months later, I met Mad Dog at a yacht club, and three years later we married and left for Mexico in what was supposed to be a honeymoon trip, but we decided to stay.

Tell us about your Hetta Coffey series, a woman with a yacht who knows how to use it.

Hetta Coffey is an engineer, with her own one-woman consulting company. She takes on somewhat iffy projects from a legal and ethical standpoint. When her dog dies (sound familiar?) she decides to change her life, so she sells her home and buys a boat to live on. Hetta has a penchant for iffy men, as well, and her world travels have left a string of bad boys in her wake. She's hoping to change all that, but her human foibles keep getting in the way.

You also write a YA series about your childhood in Haiti. Are the stories strictly autobiographical? And why did you decide to write the series?

All of my Hetta Coffey books, and Land of Mountains I would classify as "fictography" (a term I stole from the back cover of John Grisham's A Painted House.) I never set out to write a series, it just happened.

What’s the most difficult aspect of writing for you and what do you enjoy most about the publishing industry?

I am not the most disciplined writer in the world, and it is difficult for me to write when I'm not in the mood. I write humor, for the most part, and you've got to be "on" to do it.

I love book signings, meeting people.

How do you promote your books?

I'm a lousy promoter. When I was working I could sell a client on a multimillion dollar project, but I have difficulty asking people to buy my books. I do well one-on-one at signings.

Do you research all your books by traveling to the various settings? Which novel was the most difficult to research and write?

Without a doubt, my historical novel, The Texicans, required the most research. The other books were easy; I lived it.

Advice to aspiring mystery writers?

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of editing. Of course, now you can go back into a Kindle version and fix your mistakes, but why make them in the first place?

Where can we find you online (your social media links)?

I am on Facebook, Twitter, Murder Must Advertise, and Dorothy L., to name a few. Google Jinx Schwartz and the next six pages pop up. I also have my website www.jinxschwartz.com and all of my books are on http://www.amazon.com/

Just in time for those new Christmas Kindles, my books are now .99 in ebook format, including the Hetta Coffey mystery series and the latest, Just Deserts, (Book 4) and Land of Mountains, my YA (but suitable for ages 8-108) mystery/adventure that is a Finalist for the EPIC e-book 2012 Best YA novel. http://www.jinxschwartz.com/

A Virtual Tour Visit with Ron Berney

2011-12-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

Ron Benrey writes cozy mysteries with his wife, Janet. Together, they have written nine novels in three series: “The Royal Tunbridge Wells Mysteries,” “The Pippa Hunnechurch Mysteries,” and “The Glory North Carolina Mysteries.”

Ron has been a writer "forever"—initially in magazines (his first real job was Electronics Editor at Popular Science Magazine), then in corporations (he wrote speeches for senior executives), and then as a novelist. Over the years, Ron has also authored ten non-fiction books, including the recently published “Know Your Rights — a Survival Guide for Non-Lawyers” (published by Sterling). Ron holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a juris doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law. He's also a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Ron, you’ve coauthored nine romantic suspense novels with your wife, Janet. Do you ever disagree on plot and characterization? If so, how do you resolve your differences?

We frequently disagree. But, because we jointly operated a marketing communications firm, we understand the need to create the best-possible “product” when we write. Consequently, we've learned to make compromises and to rethink our initial creative decisions.

You’ve worn a variety of hats. Which job/profession had been the most difficult and which has given you the most satisfaction and pleasure?

In fact, my many careers have had a common thread. I have always thought of myself as a writer who writes interesting words about difficult subjects. That’s even true about the novels I co-write with my wife today. It’s ironic, but “simple writing” that explains how things work is the most difficult kind of writing to do successfully—at least for me. My latest non-fiction book—Know Your Rights, a Survival Guide for Non-Lawyers (published by Sterling Publishing)—took more time and effort than anything else I’ve written. A close second is Understanding Christianity (published by Greenbrier Book Company). I’m always delighted when someone says, “I read your writing and now I understand.”

Do you incorporate your background in engineering and law into your romantic suspense novels?

Frequently. When I develop plots, I often use the analytic thinking approaches I learned at both schools. Engineering thinking is great for zeroing in on precise solutions, while legal thinking is useful for dealing with the inevitable shades of gray in every story. I also feel comfortable dealing with technology in our storylines, and we often use legal issues to create dramatic conflict in our novels.

As a writing instructor and coach, what are the biggest mistakes you’ve encountered from your students?

I often find that students trying to write a novel will leave out one of the five key factors that makes a manuscript publishable. 1. They don't write in a recognizable genre (and so create a novel that can't be categorized—or sold). 2. They don't write with a strong and clear voice (this is the one aspect of publishability that probably can't be taught). 3. They have many errors of fact that stop readers cold. 4. They don't have a compelling story. 5. They don't know how create a fictional dream for their readers.

In the days before self-published eBooks, a serious problem in any of these areas would earn a flood of rejection letters from agents and publishers. Today, alas, an author can put an unpublishable novel “out there”—and many do. The few readers who buy them are usually disappointed, but may not be able to explain why.

What are the key elements of copyright law that fledgling authors should know?

The key fact is that copyright attaches automatically when an author reduces his or her original words to a “writing”—on paper or inside a computer. There’s no need to put © symbols all over your work… or to register drafts with the Copyright Office in the Library of Congress… or to send yourself copies of the draft by Certified Mail (a truly worthless practice). Fledgling authors worry too much that their golden words will be stolen. Their unnecessary efforts to protect their work make them look like rank amateurs.

What tips would you give writers for readings and presentations of their new releases?

The one piece of advice I give to all of the presenters I coach is: Prepare! There is no such thing as a good off-the-cuff presentation. Even if you are reading words from a novel you've written, take the time to rehearse—several times. If you're giving a presentation, at the very least prepare a script outline and rehearse your comments—several times. The presenter’s rule of thumb is that his or her preparation time should equal the time that the audience will invest in listening to the presentation. For example, if you expect 10 people to listen to a 30-minute presentation, you should spend at least 300 minutes (five hours!) creating an outline and rehearsing.

Tell us about one of your series.

Our “Royal Tunbridge Wells Mysteries” take place in and around the Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum, a fictional institution located in a real English city. (Royal Tunbridge Wells is located roughly 40 miles southeast of central London in England. These days it’s a thriving “bedroom community” for well-to-do businesspeople who work in London.) Here’s the synopsis of “Dead as a Scone,” the first book in the series:

Murder is afoot is the sedate English town of Royal Tunbridge Wells … and the crime may be brewing in a tea pot!

Nigel Owen is having a rotten year. Downsized from a cushy management job at an insurance company in London, he is forced to accept a temporary post as managing director of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum. Alas, he regrets living in a small town in Kent, he prefers drinking coffee (with a vengeance), and he roundly dislikes Flick Adams, PhD, an American scientist recently named the museum’s curator.

But then, the wildly unexpected happens. Dame Elspeth Hawker, the museum’s chief benefactor, keels over a board meeting—the apparent victim of a fatal heart attack. With the Dame’s demise, the museum’s world-famous collection is up for grabs, her cats, dog, and parrot are living at with Flick and Nigel—and the two prima donnas find themselves facing professional ruin.

But Flick—who knows a thing or two about forensic science—is convinced that Dame Elspeth did not die a natural death. As Flick and Nigel follow the clues—including a cryptic Biblical citation—they discover that a crime perpetrated more than a century ago sowed the seeds for a contemporary murder.

Thanks, Ron.

You can visit Ron at his website: www.benrey.com
His blog.benrey.com
greenbrierpatch.com
and buy is book at:
http://www.amazon.com/Final-Crumpet-Tunbridge-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B004QGY9ZG

A Virtual Tour Visit with Alice Duncan

2011-11-29T00:01:00.026-07:00

Award-winning author Alice Duncan lives with a herd of wild dachshunds (enriched from time to time with fosterees from New Mexico Dachshund Rescue) in Roswell, New Mexico. She's not a UFO enthusiast; she's in Roswell because her mother's family settled there fifty years before the aliens crashed. Alice no longer longs to return to California, although she still misses the food, not to mention her children, one of whom is there, the other in Nevada.

Alice, how did your dancing and singing careers lead you into writing?

Um . . . I’m not sure they did. Wait a minute! They certainly did. Silly me. When my body began rebelling against all the dancing and aerobicizing I’d been doing for so many years, not dancing left a huge chunk of my life empty. I tried to fill it up with compulsive cooking and eating, but eventually I turned to the only thing I ever really wanted to do in my life: writing books. So I guess you might say that I finally started writing because I had no excuses left not to.

Winning the HOLT Medallion Award for your first novel, One Bright Morning, was a great start. Where did your writing career go from there?

Downhill. Fast. One Bright Morning was bought by Harper, which also published my second book, Texas Lonesome. Then Harper dumped me. I took it personally at the time, since I was so new to publishing. However, then Harper dumped the rest of their romance writers, so I presume the market began to slow down. No publisher will ever tell you the truth about stuff like that. Trust me on this. Anyhow, I recovered and managed to sell another 40 or so books since then, but publishing is a brutal business, and it’s difficult to get published and stay published.

Tell us about your latest novel.

Genteek Spirits is Book #5 in my "Spirits" series, featuring Daisy Gumm Majesty, phony spiritualist extraordinaire:

Daisy Gumm Majesty is back, and she’s up to her ears again. Not only does she have to deal with her husband Billy’s declining health and her dog Spike’s obedience training, but she’s been hired by Lola de la Monica, a fabulously spoiled silent-screen beauty to be her spiritual advisor on the set of her next picture. As if this wasn’t already enough, a friend asks her to find out who’s been sending him poisoned-pen letters. Her problems only multiply when Sam Rotondo, Billy’s best friend and Daisy’s worst nightmare, is stationed on the same picture set as she!

Why the move from Pasadena to Roswell, New Mexico, with your wild herd of dachshunds?

Money. It costs so much to live in Southern California. Then there were the ghastly crowds and the horrid smog. The air’s clean here, and there’s always parking. However, I do miss the food available in So. CA. Even the Mexican food is bad here unless you make it yourself. I’m looking forward to my trip to California in October. I plan on eating every kind of food I can’t get here: Japanese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Thai, good Mexican. Actually, Roswell does have a couple of pretty good Chinese restaurants, so we’re not completely cut off from culinary pleasures. Just mostly.

What have you done in Roswell to support your writing habit?

I edit books for Tekno Books, the company that acquires for Five Star, and I also have an independent editing service. Before both of those jobs took off, I worked as a part-time secretary to a defense lawyer and taught on-line writing classes for Writer’s Digest’s Writers On-Line Workshops. I hate teaching. Don’t ask me why, ‘cause I don’t know, so I no longer do that. I enjoy editing, though, and I can do it in my own home in my sloppy jeans and t-shirts, with the dogs lying around nearby. Mind you, since I live in Roswell, and things are pretty casual here, I probably could have worked for the lawyer in sloppy jeans and a t-shirt, too, but now I don’t have to leave the house to hold down a job. And my dogs like having me around.

How long does it take for you to develop a book and bring it to conclusion?

Not too long, if I’m on my game, which I haven’t been lately. However, there were years past in which I’d have four or five books (full-length novels, maybe 80,000-100,000 words each) published. I’ve slowed down considerably in recent years. Guess I’m not as driven as I used to be. However, I generally think up a plot and write a book in three months or thereabouts.

What’s your writing nemesis and how do you conquer it?

At the moment, it’s incentive. I have two books under consideration at a house, and I can’t get worked up enough to begin another one. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I have a fifth “Angels” book (Lost Among the Angels, Angels Flight, Fallen Angels) started, but since the publisher hasn’t yet bought the fourth one, I can’t conjure the oomph to finish the fifth one. However, I did get so sick of writing the stupid thing that I took time out and wrote a short cozy historical mystery story that I put directly onto Kindle and Smashwords (Pecos Valley Incident).

How do you feel about the ebook revolution? Are your ebooks outselling your print editions?

I absolutely adore the ebook revolution! I’ve put almost my entire backlist up on Kindle and Smashwords, and the books are selling! Mind you, I’ll never be an Amanda Hocking, but it’s nice to be making money on books that have been sitting around out of print for years. Since my books are now coming out in hardback and are so blasted expensive, I don’t really expect people to buy them. I can’t say for sure that my ebooks are outselling my hardbacks, but I kind of expect they are.

If you weren’t writing, what would occupy your time?

Reading. Rescuing dachshunds. Visiting my children (one in California and one in Nevada). Right now I sing in a church choir. If I had more time, I might join another singing group. I’d love to dance again, but my feet won’t let me.

Advice to aspiring mystery writers?

LEARN YOUR CRAFT. The English language has rules that can be broken from time to time, but it’s really easy to see when a person is deliberately breaking a rule, and when a person honestly doesn’t know the language. The language is our tool; learn to use it well.

Also, NEVER GIVE UP! You might never get published if you keep trying, but giving up is a sure way never to achieve your goal. Also, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Everyone writes the way s/he writes.

Thank you, Alice.

You can visit Alice at: her website: alice@aliceduncan.net

At My Space page: : http://www.myspace.com/117749004
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1074293388

And Twitter: alicesbooks
And she would love to hear from you at alice@aliceduncan.net.

A Virtual Tour Visit with Wendy Gager

2011-11-28T00:01:00.028-07:00

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

Wendy, how did your quirky crime beat reporter Mitch Malone come about? Did you pattern him after anyone you’ve known?

Mitch is very much his own man. He came to me in a dream so you could say he is my dream man. I don’t remember ever meeting anyone quite like Mitch. If he is closest to anyone it would be the opposite of me. Mitch isn’t afraid to say exactly what is on his mind which is something I only wished I could do.

Do you have a journalism background and how do you research your novels?

I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Central Michigan University. Go Chips! I worked at four different newspapers and did free lance writing work for others as well as magazines. For research I still have friends in the business and I also have some police friends who check my manuscript for accuracy. For other items, I start with Google and go from there.

Why did you decide to use your initials, W.S., instead of your given name? Do you think readers are more inclined to buy a crime novel written by a man?

I did decide to use my initials because Mitch is a male protagonist and would appeal to men. Many men I know won’t read woman authors so I didn’t want to make it easy for them to figure out my gender. Funny thing is that many more woman love Mitch. I’m still trying to figure that out.

Tell us about A Case of Hometown Blues.

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?

How are your print editions faring compared with your ebook sales? When did you notice that Kindle was outselling print?

It wasn’t until just recently that I noticed a real uptick in ebook sales. I’ve been selling a lot of print books at arts and crafts events and speaking engagements. Just in the last month or so I’ve had many people ask about whether it is in an electronic form. Now I am giving away a lot of material to folks who have Nooks and Kindles with the link to Amazon or Barnes and Noble websites on it so they can download it. I think in the next royalty statement I will see them evening out too.

What’s your writing schedule like and do you aim for a certain amount of words per day?

I have children and whenever you plan a full day of writing, something happens. They are sick, forgot something they desperately needed or I am called into service for a volunteer project. I try to do 500 to 1,000 words a day normally. If I’m writing the first rough draft, I write much more and give myself permission not to edit at all. I try to get as much of the action down on paper and then go back and layer in setting and emotion and fill out the action.

Advice to novice writers.

Don’t worry about selling, just write. Enjoy writing because once you sell, you have to do so much marketing and it is hard to get back to the writing. Keep writing and editing and find someone to critique your work with constructive criticism and ways to improve your manuscript. It will make a big difference and help you get a salable project faster.

Thanks, Wendy.

Thank you so much for letting me stop by today Jean. I really enjoyed getting to know your readers. I’ve been thrilled with the reviews for A Case of Hometown Blues and love hearing from readers. Anyone who leaves a comment here today or on my blog during the tour will be entered to win A Case of Hometown Blues.

You can visit Wendy at her blog site: http://wsgager.blogspot.com/
on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wsgager
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/wsgager

A Visit with Sue Grafton

2011-11-19T00:01:00.003-07:00

Sue Grafton published ‘A’ is for Alibi in 1982, following 15 years in Hollywood as a television script writer. The Louisville, Kentucky, native is currently on tour to publicize her 22^nd novel in the series, ‘V’ is for Vengeance, released on November 14. She has been published in 28 countries in 26 languages, her books selling in the millions.

Sue, does ’V’ is for Vengeance differ significantly from your previous novels?

It does, indeed, differ from the other novels in the series. In writing these books over a span of some twenty-eight years, I’ve kept detailed charts, which denote the gender of every killer I write about, the gender of the victim, the motive for the crime, and the nature of the climax. I also keep a set of log lines for each novel, describing the set-up for each book.

In ‘A’ . . . Kinsey’s hired to prove the innocence of a woman just out of prison after serving seven years for the murder of her husband.

In ‘B’ . . . Kinsey’s hired to find a woman whose signature is required on a minor document.

In ‘C’ . . . Kinsey’s hired by a kid to find out who’s been trying to murder him.

And so on. This way, I can be certain I’m not inadvertently repeating myself. In ‘V,’ Kinsey witnesses a shoplifting incident and alerts a sales clerk who notifies store security. The shoplifter is arrested and two days after her fiancé makes bail, she dies from a leap off a 400 foot high bridge. While it appears to be a suicide, the woman’s fiancé is convinced she was murdered and hires Kinsey to look into her death. Kinsey’s investigation uncovers an organized retail theft ring with which the shoplifter has been working. There are two other subplots woven into the overall storyline and all connect at the end.

How do you and Kinsey Millhone differ and which characteristics do you share?

As for Kinsey, I think of her as my alter-ego . . . the person I might have been had I not married young and had children. We’re like one soul in two bodies and she got the good one. The ’68 VW she drove (until ‘G’ is For Gumshoe) was a car I owned some years ago. In ‘H’ is for Homicide, she acquires the 1974 VW that was sitting out behind my house until I donated it to a local charity that raffled it off. That car was pale blue with only one minor ding in the left rear fender

I own both handguns she talks about and in fact, I learned to shoot so that I would know what it felt like. I also own the all-purpose back dress she wears. Like Kinsey, I’ve been married and divorced twice, though I’m now married to husband number three and intend to remain so for life. I’m much more domestic than she is and I cuss just as much, if not more.

What’s going to happen to Kinsey when you‘ve finished ‘Z’ is for Zero?

It’s going to take me another eight to ten years to complete the series at the pace I’ve settled on so I have close to a decade to decide what I’ll do after ‘Z’ is for Zero. I may well continue to chronicle her adventures, but I’ll do so as stand-alone novels. No more linking titles!

What’s your work schedule like?

I usually arrive at my desk at 9:00 am, check e-mails and Facebook, and then log into the current working journal for the novel I’m in the process of writing. I use these journals to talk to myself about the story, the characters, the pacing, problems I foresee, and any scene that worries me. Any research I do is recorded in the journal as well. I break briefly for lunch and then return to my desk and work until mid-afternoon when I stop and do a walk of three to five miles. My guess is that on a good day, I work productively for two hours. The rest is writer’s block and Free Cell. I’ve been known to work by page count and on that theory, I consider two pages a day a good run. In fact, I consider page count a better way to operate. It’s way too easy to claim you’ve worked for six hours when in reality you’ve talked on the phone, cleaned your desk drawers, and dawdled the time away.

What do you want your readers to experience from your novels?

I’d like for my readers to experience an entire range of emotions, from laughter to fear, to suspense to anxiety to tears depending on where they are in any given book. I want them to feel connected to Kinsey Millhone, to see the world as she sees it, and to come away from a story understanding how it’s affected her. These are the same emotions I look for in any book I read. I want to be touched and moved and I want to come away from a writer’s work feeling renewed and refreshed.

Thank you, Sue.

You can communicate with Sue Grafton at Facebook.

A Visit with Ellis Vidler

2011-11-12T00:01:00.004-07:00

Ellis Vidler’s love of writing began as a child. While her parents played poker with friends, she and the other children wrote mysteries in the bedroom. Growing up in Florence and Huntsville, Alabama, Ellis encountered a number of fascinating people and heard various stories that continue to influence her to this day. Although she writes from imagination (no criminal experience), she loves research and can easily follow a thread until she forgets the original subject. Her first mystery, Haunting Refrain, was published by Silver Dagger Mysteries and is now on Kindle. She then wrote a suspense novel, The Peeper, with a retired police officer. Her next romantic suspense, Cold Comfort, is due out in January from Echelon Press .She’s a member of RWA, SinC, and Guppies.

Ellis, how did your collaboration with former lawman Jim Christopher come about and do you plan to write more suspense novels with him?

Chris was a speaker at our local Sisters in Crime meeting. We became friends and he asked if I'd be interested in writing something with him. He had the basics in mind, the main characters, setting, and primary crime. It was a great experience, and I learned so much about police procedure and how detectives handle a crime scene—I loved every minute of working with Chris. Both of us were pleased with the book. It's a fast-paced suspense novel, and even though the main character does some bad things, his reasons are understandable. The book has some explicit scenes.

2. When did you write your first mystery and do you remember the plot?

Hmmm. That was a long time ago. Something about horses and jewels, maybe a bridle set with rubies the size of jawbreakers. (Big and gaudy appealed to me at that age.) I do remember churning out pages and pages of printing on those wide-lined tablets. A slightly older friend corrected my spelling. Gee, even children have editors.

3. How and where do you conduct most of your research?

I have stacks of reference books, but most of the research for my books is done on the Internet. I always try to verify information, such as going to the Glock manufacturer's site instead of to a gun enthusiast. The Internet is a real blessing—it's always available, whether it's the middle of the night and you're in pajamas or over morning coffee, but you do have to double check.

4. Has membership in Sisters in Crime helped your writing career?

Through SinC and the online groups, I've learned about agents and publishers, found all kinds of resources, and met some truly great people. Writers are generous and always willing to help. I started out in a vacuum, knowing nothing and blundering my way through. I wish I'd found Sisters in Crime earlier.

5. Tell us briefly about The Peeper and your forthcoming novel, Cold Comfort.

Cold Comfort is old-fashioned romantic suspense. When Claire Spencer, the lonely owner of a Williamsburg Christmas shop, becomes a killer's target, she hires burned out security consultant Ben Riley to find out why. He's sworn never to work with women again, but when Claire Spencer lands in his arms after a hit and run, he can't walk away. Their investigation reveals political connections to the mob and long-buried secrets, but the truth is . . . Cold Comfort.

Haunting Refrain is suspense with a little romance and a touch of paranormal. Photographer Kate McGuire is only looking for a little fun in her life when she joins in a parapsychology experiment. Witnessing a murder isn’t part of the plan. And when her eccentric friend Venice, a complication all by herself, leaks the story to a hot-dog reporter, Kate’s life turns upside down. The police don’t take her seriously, but the murderer does.

The Peeper. Three damaged people face human weakness and murder, love and redemption on a South Carolina college campus. Elliott, the lonely young man who makes “friends” through dorm windows. Sam, the world-weary cop who has to overcome his past, and Kay, the rookie who’s finding her way in a harsh world.

6.
What’s your writing schedule like?

Sporadic, but definitely mornings—my brain shuts down around 5 in the afternoon. I work full time and during the week, it's hard to get focused and work for a couple of hours and then shut it off. Weekends are best. Once I get into the story, I lose track of time and everything else. It's a great feeling.

Has the ebook revolution affected your print book sales?

Yes, Haunting Refrain, my first mystery, is now available on Kindle, and it's doing reasonably well. I'm dropping the price to $.99 in the next week or so because Cold Comfort will be available in November. The Peeper is still selling in eBook, but the print sales have definitely slowed. I love the convenience of eBooks. It's so easy to carry several and to store them—my shelves are overflowing.

8. Advice for novice writers.

Study, study, study. Study your craft. Study grammar. And then keep writing. The more you write, the better you'll be. Just as owning a paint brush doesn't make you an artist, owning a word processor doesn't make you a writer. Continue to learn and improve. Persist. I'm still working on it.

9. Thanks, Ellis.

You can learn more about Ellis at her website: http://www.ellisvidler.com/ :
Her blog site: http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.comfacebook/: http://profile.to/ellisvidler

A Visit with Julie Garwood

2011-11-04T20:43:00.145-06:00

Julie Garwood is the author of more than 30 historical and romantic suspense novels, and 36 million copies of her books are in print. Twenty of them have appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers list. She also writes YA novels as Emily Chase.

Julie, tell us about The Ideal Man.

   It's a story of  a young woman who is facing two threats.  The first one has been with her from her childhood, and the second one comes from an incident that she is thrown into by coincidental circumstance.

Despite the fear she's faced since she was young, she's managed to become a dedicated surgeon. She's successful and self assured; yet, there's always that vulnerability inside. She's never really allowed herself to let go . . . until the second threat appears. She accidentally becomes a witness to a crime, and the FBI agent on the case not only helps her resolve her fears but also opens her up to emotions she's never felt before.

   How did growing up in a large Irish family lend itself to storytelling?

  The Irish are by nature great storytellers I think. It seems to come with the genes. They bring out all the nuances of a situation, and I loved sitting around the dinner table listening to my family talk. Also, growing up in a family of seven children taught me that self-expression had to be quick and forceful.

   Why did you begin your novel writing with YA books and historicals?

   I had young children when I began, so I was drawn to that genre, but I was also interested in historical novels. I had taken a medieval history class in college that I absolutely loved, so I was following that passion as well. My first book, A Girl Named Summer, was published by Scholastic, and shortly after that, Gentle Warrior was published by Pocket Books. The historical novels found a growing audience, and the publishers asked for more of them, so that's that direction my writing has taken.

    While I really enjoy writing the adult books, I'm hoping to find the time to write a few more for young readers someday.

    How have your books evolved over the years?

    I haven't changed my themes much. I still write about family and loyalty, and I try to insert some humor into my stories. There's always an element of intrigue or suspense and the romance between the hero and heroine is absolutely key. The setting has changed somewhat. I started with historical novels and I've moved into contemporary settings in the last few years. I enjoy each of them, so my goal is to find the time to write both.

   What's your writing schedule like?

   I like to begin writing early in the morning. It's a routine I started when my children were young. I'd get up early and work on my book before they were awake. I usually have the TV on, though I'm not watching it. It's just background noise. This is a habit that developed when I was a child doing my homework around a table with my siblings. In order to concentrate, I learned to block out the distractions.

    Do you outline your novels and do you aim for a certain amount of words each day?

    I know where the story is headed, but I don't follow a rigid outline. I find that if I let the story evolve, there will always be some surprises along the way that make it more fun. I can't predict how much I'll produce. There are times when the words just flow and I'll write one or two chapters in a day. Then there are times when I can't seem to get a scene right and I may spend two or three days on one page.

    In your opinion, why do some books make the bestseller lists while other equally well-written books fail?

    That's a million dollar question. If I had the answer to that, I'd be a genius. I do believe, though, that there are a great many elements involved. They include some marketing, some talent, and a great deal of luck.

   Advice to fledgling novelists?

   First, stay focused and set aside some time each and every day to work on your writing. It's important that you get into a rhythm and have the discipline to finish your manuscript.

   Second, let your voice be heard in your writing. If your reader can hear you talking to them in your words, they're more likely to listen to what you have to say.

   Third, develop a network. Writers' organizations and conferences and conferences give you opportunities to meet agents and editor, and that will help you learn more about the publishing business and perhaps give you a leg up in getting published.

    How would you occupy your time if you weren't writing?

    Family would probably take up most of my time. I have a large extended family, so there's always something going on.

   Thank you for an enjoyable visit.

   You can visit Julie Garwood's website at: http://www.juliegarwood.com/
    At Facebook: www.Facebook.com/juliegarwood
    and at Twitter: @JulieGarwood

A Visit with Jan Christiansen

2011-10-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

New Jersey native Jan Christensen lives and writes in Texas. Sara's Search was her first novel and she's published more than fifty short stories over the last dozen years, two of them Derringer Award nominees. She's also written nonfiction articles and has a column about reading in the ezine, Mysterical-e.

Jan, why is a Jersey girl living in southern Texas?

When you marry a military man, you never know where you’ll land. Fort Hood, Texas, was my husband’s last duty station before he retired, so we stuck around. We’ve moved three times in Texas since Fort Hood—to Amarillo, to Arlington (between Fort Worth and Dallas), and now Corpus Christi. We also motorhomed fulltime for eleven years before settling in Corpus. The Gulf of Mexico is a few minutes away, the weather is probably the best in Texas both summer and winter, and the gulf is minutes away—oh, I mentioned that already. Husband is from Rhode Island, I’m from New Jersey. We love the beach, but not the winters up north.

2.
Why mysteries? What is it about them that intrigues you?

I’ve always read more mysteries than anything else, but my first manuscript was mainstream. I decided it needed something to drive the story better, and putting in a murder seemed like a good idea. It still seems like a good idea, but the book will never be published unless I find the time for a huge overhaul. After that experience and the one with Sara’s Search, my only published novel, I’ve pretty much stuck to mysteries.

3.
Tell us about Sara’s Search?

Glad to: Sara Putnam has spent the last two years searching for her biological father, Howard. When she finds him murdered, she has even more questions. As she starts her own investigation, she meets Howard's eccentric, co-inventor partner, his ex-wife and their son who calls his mother "the bank," plus an assorted cast of suspects. She also has to deal with her adopted mother's roadblocks, her crazy roommate's problems, sexual harassment at work and her best friend's strange illness. Sometimes quirky, sometimes serious, Sara's Search, as one reviewer said, will keep you flipping those pages. And it’s now available on Kindle!

4.
What prompted you to write the book?

Again, it didn’t start out as a mystery. I’d been reading Anne Tyler and decided I wanted to write something with very quirky characters. Sara began as mainstream. Most of my critique group members (except one) didn’t “get it,” though, so I changed gears and inserted a murder into Slot B. Slot A contained those weird characters—Sara is about the only sane one

5. How difficult is it for a short story writer to graduate to a full length novel?

Very. For me, anyway. Obviously, with over fifty short stories published and only
one novel, I’m more comfortable and probably better at writing short stories than novels. I even have a series of short stories coming out from Untreed Reads (a publisher who only publishes in ebook format, thus their name) about a hapless
burglar who gets pulled into difficult situations by a different woman in each story. Would I love to have one of the novel series I’ve written published? You bet! Since NY is not breaking down my door, I’m probably going to go the self-publishing
route, starting with Kindle and other ebook formats and see how it goes.

6.
What’s your writing schedule like? Do you aim for a certain amount of pages a day and do you outline your work?

I don’t outline—I get bored when I know what’s going to happen next and don’t want to bother writing it down, I’ve found. When I’m on schedule, I write one thousand words in the morning because I’m both freshest then (ask my husband—he’ll tell you how fresh I can be), and yet not yet bogged down by real life—in other words, I think the dream state is still somewhat with me, so I can put those words down in about an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes. I get that done most mornings, no problem. The trouble begins after that. I’m not very good about editing the work the several times everything, from the shortest piece to the longest, needs, then submitting it, or promoting. My ideal schedule would continue with an hour’s worth of social networking and writing in my not-yet-live blog in the mornings. Afternoons are spent doing everything except writing, and after dinner, ideally, would include another two hours of writing chores—an hour of editing, another of submitting work and marketing.

How do you promote your work?

This is tricky. For Sara, I did the usual signings. I hired P.J. Nunn to do some publicity, and her Breakthrough Promotions was a huge help. But I had some bad luck as we traveled around in our motorhome with repair work needed (had to cancel a signing in Florida and dash up to Indiana for repairs), my son donated a kidney to his sister that year (both doing well!) and ankle surgery for me. Now that we’ve stopped traveling and bought a house, and with internet promotion taking off, I’m hoping our lives have settled down enough that I can get it all together—my schedule, and promoting on-line. Actually, today is the start of my life in a house again because there’s very little left to do to get us settled, so I’m starting up on my writing schedule once again.

8.
Advice to budding writers?

Write every day—have daily goals. Once a project’s first draft is finished, begin to write something else every day, but also spend some time editing the older project. Once the editing it done, add submitting old projects to your to-do list. Also start getting your name out there on the social networks—email lists that interest you, Facebook, Twitter, Good Reads and so forth. If you think you’d enjoy blogging, begin. Once anything is accepted, let your social network know, and once it’s published, tell the world. But also remember to write and edit every day and submit every finished piece you have done as soon as it is either finished or been rejected. Now, if only I could follow my own advice about the submitting. And a final bit of advice--read every day, both fiction and nonfiction. I read at least three books a week.

Thanks, Jan.

You can visit Jan at her website: http://www.janchristensen.com/

Her author’s page on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-christensen/e/B004XTXSYO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=596611147

The Short Mystery Fiction Society where Jan has been moniated twice for a Derringer Awards for short mystery fiction (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortmystery/

A Visit with Lise McClendon aka Rory Tate

2011-10-22T00:01:00.070-06:00

Lise McClendon has written fiction in Wyoming and Montana for the last thirty years. Her latest suspense novel, Blackbird Fly, is set in New York and southwest France. Her latest mystery, Jump Cut. was written as Rory Tate.

Lise, you have a diverse background. Born in California, raised in Delaware and lived in Nebraska as well as Wyoming and Montana. Which place is the center of your universe and where have you set most of your novels?

I have sort of spanned the continent, haven’t I? I think moving around as a kid is difficult but it also makes you flexible and tolerant -- and most of all for a writer, makes you an observer. A writer has to be able to stand back a little and watch human behavior. I’ve lived in the Rockies for thirty years now, half my life. (Yikes!) I love so much about the mountains and the people who choose to live in this wild, beautiful place. I set my first mystery series in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when I lived in Montana. Later I moved to Jackson Hole, so I guess life sometimes does imitate art.

2. How did your interest in writing come about?

I have always loved writing. I studied journalism and communications, indulging my love of film and television in the broadcasting programs at the University of Nebraska and University of Missouri Kansas City. I also majored in sociology. I think of fiction writing as a meld of words and the study human nature so the double major worked out.

3. Tell us about your writing background.

I started writing fiction when I was home after the birth of my second son. I wrote a screenplay first, a form I felt comfortable with. Later I adapted that story into my first novel. I didn’t sell that one but ended up meeting a group of writers, writing a mystery, and publishing my second novel. That was 1994, The Bluejay Shaman is Alix Thorssen’s first adventure in Jackson Hole.

4. What does writing mean to you?

Writing centers me. I tend to bounce around, unfocussed, if I’m not writing. My head spins with ideas, lists, stuff, but when I write I download it to the page. Then the fun starts: getting it all organized!

5. When and why did you begin to teach?

I taught for the Writer’s Voice Project for several years when it first spread out through YMCAs around the U.S. I have also been on the faculty of the Jackson Hole Writer’s Conference for years. A new project is a day-long workshop for fiction writers called ‘Truly Richly Deeply: Structure and Voice in the Novel.’ I think very few conferences or workshops teach you how to make your own long fiction better, so my co-leader, Deborah Turrell Atkinson, and I tried to find exercises for that.

6. What’s your day job and when do you find time to write?

My day job is being a publisher these days, as I started a small press with my friend and fellow mystery writer, Katy Munger. It’s called Thalia Press. Mostly we publish our own and other traditionally-published authors’ backlist, ine-book and paperback, and a select few originals. We’ve also started a co-op of writers like us. (Our blog is at thaliapressauthors.wordpress.com.) My new
novel (published as Rory Tate) is Jump Cut. Thalia Press is bringing it out in November. I still find time to write, but have to sandwich it in with stuff under my publisher’s hat.

7. What are the biggest mistakes fledgling writers make?

Despite the fact that I now edit and publish my own work I think most fledgling writers benefit greatly from having agents and editors read and edit their work. I know I have. There have been many times I was too close to the story to see how it worked, or didn’t work. Submitting to criticism and developing a thick hide are developmental steps in becoming the best writer you can be.

8. Advice to aspiring mystery novelists.

Write what you like to read. You can never go wrong with that. Don’t try to chase trends, they’ll be gone tomorrow.

9. Thanks, Lise.

You can visit Lise at her website: http://www.lisemcclendon.com

Blog site: http://www.lisemcclendon.wordpress.com

Website as Rory Tate: http://www.rorytate.com

Facebook: Lise McClendon: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lise-McClendon/167132620002780

Facebook: Rory Tate: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rory-Tate/136392329774976

Twitter: @LiseMcClendon

Thalia Press: http://www.thaliapress.com/

A Visit With Carolyn Hart

2011-10-14T23:37:00.004-06:00

A bestselling author with more than three million books in print, Carolyn Hart is best known for her Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins (Henrie O) series. Her most recent series features red-haired ghost Bailey Ruth Raeburn of Adelaide, Oklahoma, who returns to earth to help solve murders.

Carolyn, your latest book, Escape From Paris, which will be released this coming week. Was it actually thirty years ago that you originally wrote it?

This month, to my great delight, Oconee Spirit Press is publishing the original manuscript, which has a newly amended copyright. It has been 30 years in coming but now Escape From Paris is available as it was written.

A war story?

I was a child during WWII and the war dominated our lives.Two American sisters risk their lives in Nazi-Occupied Paris to save British fliers from arrest. Family members served in the Army or Navy. We followed the faraway course of the fighting in huge black newspaper headlines. Food and gasoline were rationed. The war remained vivid in my memory and, as an adult, I wrote several WWII suspense novels. To sell Escape from Paris, I cut the book from 93,000 to 55,000 words. That version was published in 1982 and 1983.

I hope readers will share the struggles of brave men and women who defied the Gestapo during the bitter winter of 1940. They knew fear, found love, grieved loss. Their lives and deaths remind us that freedom survives only when the free are brave.

I hope you may be interested to remember a year of war when England awaited invasion and the Nazis devoured Europe. I believe this is a book that will appeal to book club readers, highly intelligent women, often of a certain age, who will bring their own memories or memories of their parents into play.

I look forward to reading it. You also have a recent Bailey Ruth Raeburn novel out, Ghost in Trouble. Please tell us about it?

Bailey Ruth Raeburn has the best of intentions when she returns to Adelaide to save a life but she never counted on that life belonging to a woman she loathed when she was in the world. Moreover, her charge stubbornly insists on playing hunt-the-killer. Bailey Ruth deals with young love, a mother's heartbreak, a fraudulent psychic and a dog's rawhide bone in her quest for a wily murderer.

Your ghost series is my favorite among your books. How did your impetuous red-haired ghost Bailey Ruth Raeburn of Adelaide, Oklahoma, come about?

I loved the Topper books and films when I was growing up. I see ghosts as reflections of the person who lived. I always wanted to write about a fun-loving, energetic, impetuous ghost returning to earth to help someone in trouble and Bailey Ruth answered the call.

When did your Death on Demand mystery series originate?

In 1985, I attended a meeting of the southwest chapter of MWA in Houston and visited Murder by the Book. I had never been to a mystery bookstore and I was enchanted. I had just started a new mystery set in a bookstore. I immediately decided to have a mystery bookstore named Death on Demand.

Tell us about your latest Death on Demand mystery, Dead by Midnight.

Annie Darling refuses to believe in her new employee's suicide. To save a woman from a false charge of murder, Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in the gazebo, the lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst.

You’ve received an amazing number of awards including the Malice Domestic Lifetime Achievement Award. Has the recognition resulted in increased book sales and reader awareness of your work?

I hope that the awards, which I very much appreciate, help to attract readers. It’s hard to know whether such awards increase sales but any mention of a book or books is helpful to an author.

What's your writing schedule like and do you aim for a certain amount of words each day, no matter how long it takes?

I try to write five pages a day (approx. 1,500 words) when working on a book. Some days I meet that goal. Some days I don’t. When I am stuck, I take a long walk and usually something will occur to me.

Tell us about your writing background.

I worked on school newspapers and majored in journalism at the University of Oklahoma. When we started a family, I didn’t return to reporting but decided to try fiction. I wrote juvenile fiction, then YA, and in the 1970s began writing adult suspense and mystery.

How much research do you conduct before you begin a novel and do you always visit the locale?

The novel dictates the amount of research. I wrote several early novels, preceding the Death on Demand books, which had World War II backgrounds and required extensive research. I’ve visited the locales of all the books written since Death on Demand. Once I set a book partly in the Philippines which I have never visited and a woman who grew up there asked me how many years I’d spent in the islands and I knew my library research had been successful.

Advice for novice writers?

Care passionately about what you write. If you care, somewhere an editor will care.

Thank you, Carolyn.

You can visit Carolyn at her website: www.CarolynHart.com

A Visit with Chris Redding

2011-10-08T00:01:00.010-06:00

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, a dog and three rabbits. A graduate of Penn State with a degree in journalism, she's held various jobs over the years including pizza delivery and CPR Instructor. When not writing, she works part time for her local hospital.

Chris, when did you first become serious about writing?

I began writing for publication 12 years ago. I hadn’t written in a while and when I was pregnant with my second son I HAD to write. I had these stories bubbling over in me. So I began to write again. I figured if I was going to spend the time I might as well try to get published.

Why romantic suspense?

That one sort of found me. I’ve always been a mystery fan. My sister passed down her Nancy Drew books and when I was older, my mother always had an Agatha Christie book laying around. I always read 3 grades ahead of mine so my mother knew that the Christie novels were okay for me at a younger age. When I began writing, I started with straight romance, but I always ended up with a dead body. Thus, romantic suspense.

Tell us about your latest release, A View to a Kilt.

A View to a Kilt is a humorous romantic suspense about two people. One of them is trying to forget the past and the other can’t forget the past. The heroine is an interior decorator who may have information on the murder of an ex-FBI guy’s wife. He tries to get it out of her while she wants nothing to do with cops and investigations.

How most difficult was it for you to switch from journalism to fiction?

There were a lot of years between my short journalism career and my fiction career so the transition was easy.

What’s your writing schedule like with children at home and a part time job?

I tend to write 5 pages a day in the morning. I’m more awake and competent in the morning. I have time between when the last child gets on the bus and I have to leave for work.

Have you used any of your previous jobs as background for your novels?

I was an EMT for 6 years and have been involved in emergency medical services for awhile in some form so either EMT’s or paramedics are in most of my stories.

Are any of your characters autobiographical?

There is always an element of me in any of the characters, but none of them are a true portrait of me. They are way more interesting and tough.

Advice to novice writers.

Hone your craft and be persistent. This can be a long road.

Thanks, Chris.

You can visit Chris at her website: http://www.chrisreddingauthor.com/
or her blogsite: http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com/
on Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor
and Twitter: ww.twitter.com/chrisredding

A Visit with Randy Rawls

2011-10-01T00:01:00.005-06:00

A retired career Army officer and ghost writer, Randy Rawls fulfilled his life long ambition to write novels. After six published books featuring investigator Ace Edwards, Rawls wrote his first thriller, Thorns on Roses, featuring Tom Jeffries. He's currently working on a new series with a Florida based PI named Beth Bowman.

Randy, what piqued your interest in writing?

Like many others, I have been a writer my whole life. My first story was written in about the third grade. As best I remember, the teacher gave me a C on it. Could have been a C- even. As an Army officer, I spent years as a Staff Officer. In this capacity, I wrote things for my superiors to claim as their own (ghost writer?). Pick a military subject, and I probably wrote a paper on it. I was also a project leader on some interesting efforts and wrote papers on those. Some of those are still circulating today, setting standards for those who followed.

And, during all those years, I started many works of fiction. A few chapters in, each one died. Life kept interfering. Finally, in about 1990, I was assigned to an office where one of the other officers wrote fiction. When his first book was published, I cheered. When his second was published, I thought, I can do that. So I clicked on the keyboard about a high school student who was a star soccer player. About 150,000 words later, I typed THE END and felt like I'd climbed Mount Everest. Little did I know that it might qualify for one of the worst books every written. Bleck!

However, that story, David's Game, planted the seed and it sprouted. Immediately, I began the second book in that series, Tim's Game. I'd like to think it was a bit better, even though it, also, was bad, bad, bad. The good news is I learned from my mistakes. I sat back and looked at what I'd written and decided I could do better and would do better. Not long after, the opportunity presented itself and Ace Edwards, Dallas PI, was born. Ace's trips to small towns in Texas took me through six books, each of which achieved its own level of success.

I believe that one of the successes of writing is knowing when you've bombed. I've bombed on several efforts. They rest on my hard drive, waiting to be saved. Maybe someday I'll get back to them. There are few bad stories, just bad writing.

How much of your protagonist Ace Edwards is autobiographical? And in what ways do the two of you differ?

Ace is part of me and a part of many people I've known over the years. To the best of my knowledge, none of my characters are autobiographical or biographical. Some of them may reflect my beliefs, but I'd like to think they are pieces of everyone I've known.

How do we differ? Ace is a smooth operator. Me, I'm a klutz.

Tell us about your latest release, Thorns on Roses.

After six Ace Edwards books and a couple of other efforts that did not get published, I decided to see if I could write something with a harder edge. Of course, it would have to meet my basic criteria—blood and guts off-page, no graphic sex, and no gutter language. As I considered the challenge, I visualized a PI in South Florida pulling up in front of the Broward County morgue, invited there to identify a teenage Jane Doe. Tom Jeffries was born.

Tom has good reason to not trust the justice system. It failed his baby sister and, Tom believes, will fail his best friend whose step-daughter's body is found in the trunk of an abandoned car—dead, nude, and the victim of multiple rapes. Tom vows to track down the people responsible and discovers the Thorns on Roses gang. One by one, he tracks and disposes of them. But the police are hot on their trail also and may overtake Tom. When he speeds up his operation, catastrophe awaits.

Has your army career served as background for any of your novels as far as violence and understanding human nature?

I don't know. My background has certainly taught me respect for weapons and proper preparation. A military operation launched in haste is doomed to failure, and failure means lives lost. I believe my military background has taught me to insure every step of my story is logical. I write as I would plan a military operation. Every possibility must be considered. To miss one minor step in the path might lead to catastrophic failure. I hope that my readers will find it difficult (hopefully, impossible) to punch holes in my plot line. I do attempt to make them so logical as to be failsafe—but not so logical they're boring.

What does writing mean to you?

Simply stated, everything. I love to write. If I didn't have it, I would be incomplete. Almost every night, I go to sleep thinking about my work in progress. Many times, I awaken in the wee hours with that WIP on my mind. Did I tell you, I love to write?

How has the ebook revolution affected your own work? And what do you foresee for the future of book publishing?

I have resisted the impulse to dive into the world of ebooks as a self publisher. Please don't get me wrong. I respect those who have epub'd books ready for publication. I am one of the original Kindle owners and have read a ton of ebooks. However, I've been burned so many times by books not ready for publication, I am now gun shy. If I don't see a publisher's name, I probably don't bother.

Yes, this sounds cruel. I don't mean to hurt the thousands of wonderful authors who are self-epub'ing their excellent books. But, as an example, recently, I was looking for a new book. I decided to search in historical fiction, a favorite genre of mine. The first two downloads I found, both with wonderful stories to tell, I dumped. In both, the head-hopping was so bad I couldn't keep up. I'm now into a third and hope it will be worth the effort. It breaks my heart that the first two didn't have the benefit of a qualified editor to fix them before they went public. They could have been very good. I am a firm believer that you only have one opportunity to win a fan. Fail, and he'll never come back.

I believe the future of book publishing is bright. Yes, we'll go through several tremors along the way, but when it settles down again, we'll have a solid ebook presence and an equally solid paper presence. I do not believe that paper books are doomed.

However, I do believe there could be a major change in the publishing world. Some of the major imprints may disappear as the big six struggle to cope with the changes.Or maybe, the big six will break up and we will once again have many publishing houses. The future of independent publishers is bright. They are the ones pushing the ebook revolution. I commend them for doing so. Self-publishing of ebooks will stay with us as long as the vendors allow it. Some will be good, but many will be bad. In some instances, as now, writers of bad books will thrive.

How did your first novel, Jake’s Burn, come about?

Jake's was born at a time I was looking for a new approach to my writing. As I mentioned above, I had written David's Game (bad) and Tim's Game (not much better) and was flailing around trying to find a fix for my many writing problems. At that time, I lived in Dallas and spent almost every Saturday in a small town in Texas participating in a bicycle ride for charity. I'd built myself up to where I could do 100 kilometers in respectable time. I went to Cisco and did the ride around Eastland County. I fell in love with the countryside and decided I needed to base a book there. Since I had a major head-hopping POV problem then, I opted to move to first person. For the next year, I read nothing but first person PI stories. During that year, Ace Edwards was born, written in first person, and coming from Cisco, Texas.

It worked. I had found my niche. I liked Ace and Ace was good for me. We went on to write five more books together. And, he's not gone yet. I'm looking at him making a cameo appearance in the sequel to Thorns on Roses. And, Ace solved my POV problem. I now write in both first person and third person and feel comfortable doing so.

Advice to fledgling mystery writers?

On the top ten of my list of advice to fledging mystery writers, the first eight are Read, Read, Read, Read, Read, Read, Read, and Read in the genre where they want to write. Nine and ten are Read and Read some more. I am a firm believer in learning from those who have done it. And mixing the pleasure of reading with the education of learning from what you read is a no-brainer. Once you know what you're doing and have decided on what you want to write, DO it. Your first effort may stink, but DO it anyway. Progress can only come by writing and learning from your mistakes.

Number eleven on that list is accept constructive criticism. If someone you respect says your manuscript is ugly, smile and say, "Thank you." Develop a thick skin and select critiquers who will be honest with you. A single "it stinks and here's why" from the right person is far more valuable than a hundred "it's wonderful" from the wrong people.

Your social media links?

Ouch! My Achilles heel. I am not good in the world of social media. All I have is my website, http://www.randyrawls.com/ and I don't claim it's very good. But I love to hear from people and WILL answer every email. Please contact me at RandyRawls@att.net

Thanks, Randy.

A Visit with Canadian Author Joan Hall Hovey

2011-09-22T09:27:00.279-06:00

In addition to Joan Hall Hovey's critically acclaimed novels, her articles and short stories have appeared in a number of diverse publications. She has also held workshops and given talks at various schools and libraries, and taught a course in creative writing at the University of New Brunswick as well as tutoring with Winghill, a distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers.

Joan, your work has been compared to Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King. How would you describe your suspense novels?

I'm always flattered to be compared with authors I admire, but I like to think my own writing is unique to me. Of course being a voracious reader all my life, I'm sure my writing has been influenced by many fine authors. We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us and paved the way. I'm a big Stephen King fan. Other authors I enjoy are Edgar Allan Poe, Peter Straub, Ruth Rendell and more than I can list here. It's not easy to describe one's own novels, but I will say that I always strive to give the reader a roller coaster ride and a satisfying conclusion. And characters that will resonate with my reader long after the books is closed.

I like to write about ordinary women who are at a difficult time in their lives, and are suddenly faced with an external evil force. I didn't think a whole lot about theme until I had written a couple of books, but I realized with the writing of Chill Waters that my books generally have to do with betrayal and abandonment, and learning to trust again. And more important, learning to trust oneself. Almost any good book will tell you something about the author herself. (or himself.) You can't avoid it.

All my books are generally rooted in childhood. I draw on my life for inspiration and an emotional connection. Then I'm off and running. The seeds for Night Corridor, for example, were planted in my childhood. On Sundays, I went with my grandmother to visit an aunt in the mental institution, once called The Lunatic Asylum. She'd spent much of her life within those walls. They said she was 'melancholy'. Though the sprawling, prison-like building has long since been torn down, the sights, sounds and smells of the place infiltrated the senses of the 12 year old girl I was, and never left. Night Corridor is not about my Aunt Alice, but it was indeed inspired by her.

My latest novel The Abduction of Mary Rose was inspired by a true story as well. After her adopted mother dies of cancer, Naomi Waters learns from a malicious aunt that she is a child of a brutal rape. Her birth mother, a teenager of MicMac ancestry, lay in a coma for eight months before giving birth to Naomi, and died five days later. Feeling angry and betrayed, but with new purpose in her life, Naomi vows to track down the man responsible and bring him to justice.

Are your novels set in your home territory of New Brunswick, Canada? And what inspired them?

My novels are set in fictional towns that could be anywhere in New Brunswick or Maine, since the flora and fauna are similar. Although I did set part of Nowhere To Hide (Eppie Award) in New York. I researched the city but I also spent time there. But New Brunswick, which lies on the Bay of Fundy, Canada, is part of my DNA. And the town where I live, whose streets and hills and shops are bred in my bones, is probably in essence where all my novels are set, whatever fictional name I give them.

What have you stressed in your creative writing classes at the University of New Brunswick?

I stress to students (and myself because we teach to learn) to relax and let the story come to them. Not that you don't have to think; you do of course. But sometimes we think too hard. Imagine, I tell them. Imagine.

Please explain the distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers.

I have been a tutor with Winghill School for writing for over 20 years. Most of the correspondence is conducted over the Internet, though a few students prefer to correspond by mail. It's a great school. I enjoy my work and get almost as excited when my students publish as when I do myself. I'm sure I learn as much from them as they do from me.

How has your writing evolved since your first books, Nowhere to Hide and Listen to the Shadows.

Language is important to me, and I hope my work is always improving in some way. Maybe the dialogue is crisper, the transitions smoother, the characterizations deeper, but always evolving. And that comes simply from being an avid reader of the best there is, both in my own and other genres. And writing and writing and writing. Since I both love to read and write, it's not a chore. Too, I like to think I've grown as a human being over the years. I've become more insightful, more compassionate. And that reflects in your writing.

What, in your opinion constitutes a good suspense novel? And what’s more important, character or plot?

With any novel, regardless of genre, characterization is the most important element. Without a character readers can care about and identify with at some level, the most ingenious plot won’t matter. That doesn’t mean your character is without flaws, quite the contrary. Consider the late Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley. He is a ruthless killer, but we are fascinated by his complexities and we're happy to follow him throughout the books.

In the end, I don’t think you can separate character and plot. They are interwoven. With suspense, I am always aware of the thread in my story and I hold it taut, letting it out a little at a time, but never letting the thread go slack. It should grow tighter and tighter until it fairly sings. This is what constitutes a page-turner. It’s a promise I make to my readers and one I take very seriously. Reviews tell me I’ve succeeded for the most part, and that makes me happy.

How has the ebook revolution affected your own work and are the electronic versions outselling your print editions?

Absolutely. It’s totally different now. My first two novels were published by Zebra/Kensington Books, New York, and sold thousands of books. They didn’t take the third one and I was suddenly without a publisher. I didn’t feel up to doing the rounds of agents and publishers again, so I went with a small Canadian publisher, BWLPP Publishing, mainly an ebook publisher who published authors with a track record, but also bring the books out in print.

With ebooks you promote in a totally different way, mainly on the Internet. Although I still do book signings in my local bookstores, I can see that my focus is different now. I’m quite sure I’ll not see those big numbers again, and I really don’t mind. That doesn’t mean I’m not always looking for new ways to promote the books, and without annoying people. Pretty much like most ebook authors. Once, my books could be found in bookstores across Canada and the U.S. That's no longer true.

Now they're available worldwide on the Internet. Sounds great, but that means that you're vying for readers with literally thousands more writers showing up every day, many of whom are self-publishing. Some of those books should never have seen the light of day. But I've also found some excellent new authors among them. We have stars like J.A. Konrath, James Scott Bell, Timothy Hallinan, L.J. Sellers and others who are making a very good living selling their ebooks. So in the midst of this gargantuan storefront window, you have to somehow find a way to make your books stand out. 'Ay, there's the rub'. But the possibilities are endless.

Describe your writing schedule.

I write in mornings when I’m freshest and the day has not yet had a chance to intrude on the muses. I work on other things in the afternoon – tutoring, promoting and whatever else needs doing.

Advice for aspiring suspense novelists.

Try to write true, whatever you write. Find that truth inside the fiction. Write out of yourself. That’s important.

Thank you, Joan.

You can visit Joan at her website: http://www.joanhallhovey.com/
She's also on Facebook, Twitter, My Space and Booktown.

James Scott Bell Revisited

2011-09-17T07:02:00.000-06:00

James Scott Bell is a bestselling suspense writer. The former trial lawyer was the fiction columnist for Writers Digest Books and an adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University. His books on the craft of writing are among the most popular writing books today.

You’ve led a varied and successful l life as a trial lawyer, actor, lecturer, television and radio commentator, and bestselling author. What brought you the most satisfaction and why?

Wow, that's quite a list. I hadn't thought about all that in awhile. I can tell you I've been very blessed to be able to do a number of things I really enjoyed.

I loved going to court. All the workup before trial, and the 24/7 aspect of thinking about it, is stressful. But standing in front of a jury and arguing a case, cross-examining witnesses, all that was supremely enjoyable.

I loved acting. If it were a more secure profession, I'd probably still be living in New York doing Shakespeare and O'Neill and David Mamet.

But I love writing, too, and being able to make my living at it is tremendously satisfying. My office is wherever I can lug my computer or my AlphaSmart, and my subjects are whatever my imagination can conjure up.

Your Writers Digest craft books, Plot & Structure, Revision & Self-Editing and The Art of War for Writers have been bestsellers. What’s the best advice you can offer aspiring writers in today’s market?

The best advice for today's market is the same advice I gave yesterday and would have given 100 years ago: produce the words. Set a weekly quota, one that is comfortable, and up it by 10%. Then go for it. You still have to show that you can write solid fiction book after book, no matter how it gets to market. And the way you show that is to actually produce.

Yes, study the market, but don't become a slave to it. Trends come and go. Write material that moves you and it will have a chance to move the reader.

How did you manage to be mentored by Lawrence Block?

When I called him my first mentor, I meant by way of his columns in Writer's Digest. What made those so great is that he knows how a writer thinks. He got into my head and showed me what to do. And he did that for countless other writers.

When I started doing that column myself, I felt like Joshua taking over for Moses. I did finally get to meet and chat with Larry at a convention, and via email, and it felt good to talk as a colleague. But I still reverence those years he was teaching me so much.

Briefly tell us about your latest releases, Watch Your Back and Writing Fiction For
All Your Worth? Are they available in print or only on Kindle and Nook?

I released these two as e-books only. I wanted to supplement both my thriller print fiction and my writing books for Writer's Digest. I discussed this with my agent and the publisher beforehand. I see these as volumes to make new readers. And that's what publishers and agents keep telling writers to do. Build a platform. This is one way to build it.

Watch Your Back is suspense fiction, the title novella and three stories. I love the old pulp days when writers like Chandler and Cornell Woolrich were producing great short fiction. But the pulp market died. Now, with e-books, it's back, and I want to be part of that.

Writing Fiction for All You're Worth is a collection of my best blog posts, articles, interviews and reflections on writing. It covers the writing world today, the writing life, and the writing craft. I've also included a section of my "secret" writing notebook. No one but me has ever seen that material, until now.

How do you feel about the ebook revolution?

Of course it's here and it is a revolution. But will it turn out to be the United States in 1776 or France in 1789? Will it be order or chaos? Will it shake out into anarchy or some form of cooperation between traditional publishing and e-publishing? No one knows!

But it is definitely a heady time and even the professionals—authors, agents, publishers—are wondering how to act and react.

I'm a writer. I write. I write for readers. The readers are out there with e-devices. Why should I not give them material when I've got so much of it?

Suspense/thriller novels and Christian books seem almost polar opposites. How and when did you decide to write in the Christian market?

I began in the Inspirational Fiction market because I liked writing about people struggling with faith issues in a dark world. In a way, that's what great thrillers are about. It may not be religious faith, but it's faith in something—in the quest for justice, say—that makes a thriller worth reading on the character level.

So there is no inherent opposition in the thriller/Christian fiction genres. It's true the latter market is dominated by "softer" titles, such as Amish fiction. I have chosen to jump into the mainstream with my Try series and Watch Your Back. But no matter where you are, you still have produce page turning fiction.

Why do you set your novels in the Los Angeles area exclusively?

I just can't get away from it. It's my home, I love it, I know it and it's the greatest noir city in the world. There is a plot around every corner, a great character on every street. You can drive a mile and be in a completely different neighborhood. And I think there's something cool about being one of the bards of L.A. I love Cain and Chandler and Connelly and Crais and those guys. I like being part of that tradition.

What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you while researching a novel?

Oh, nothing major. I never got thrown in the clink or anything. I did have some uncomfortable moments when I was researching Skid Row for Try Darkness. There's nothing like walking around in a location, but this one is rather sketchy to say the least. Having learned how to walk fast and with attitude when I lived in New York, I did fine.

Does an aspiring writer really need an agent, and are agents becoming the dinosaurs of the publishing industry?

A great agent is such an asset. And indispensible for getting published the traditional way. I have the best agent in the world, Donald Maass, and I am also friends with some terrific agents. I know it's a tough deal right now. If an aspiring writer gets with a good agent, that's fantastic. I know the search can be long and difficult. But the discipline of trying to write material good enough for an agent to take on is not wasted should the author eventually try another route.

Also, agents will evolve along with the changes in the industry.

Thank you for a great interview.

You can visit James Scott Bell at his website: http://www.jamesscottbell.com/

His blog site: www.killzonauthors.blogspot.com

Twitter: Twitter/jamesscottbell and Facebook fan page: http://tinyurl.com/3hy635v

A Visit with Susan Santangelo

2011-09-03T00:01:00.024-06:00

An early member of the Baby Boomer generation, Susan Santangelo has been a feature writer, drama critic and editor for daily and weekly newspapers in the New York metropolitan area, including a stint at Cosmopolitan magazine. A seasoned public relations and marketing professional, she has designed and managed not-for-profit events and programs for over 25 years, and was principal of her own public relations firm, Events Unlimited, in Princeton NJ for ten years. She also served as Director of Special Events and Volunteers for Carnegie Hall during the Hall's 1990-1991 Centennial season.

Susan, what prompted your decision to become an indie writer?

I queried several top agents in New York with my first Baby Boomer mystery, Retirement Can Be Murder. Three of them absolutely loved it, but were unsure as to whether there was a market for it. As one of the 78.2 million Baby Boomers myself, I knew there was a market. So I decided to heed the advice of the Books Editor of our daily paper -- if you're a new author, relatively unknown, take the leap of faith and do it yourself. I am blessed to live on Cape Cod, which has a wealth of talented artists and writers. Some of these folks and I now collaborate as Baby Boomer Mysteries Press. It's a win-win for all of us.

Why Boomer books?

It seemed to me that major attention was being paid to the Boomer generation, particularly to the financial piece of hitting retirement age and beyond. Protecting/growing a nestegg, how to save for retirement, etc. But no one seemed to be addressing the emotional impact of growing older as a Boomer. For instance, what happens when a husband (or a wife), who's been out of the house for years at A Very Important Job, suddenly is at home, all the time. How does a couple deal with this re-defining of roles? I decided to tackle these issues from the point of view of someone who's actually living it, using the cozy mystery format.

Tell us about your writing background.

I've written all my life. In my college years, I wrote a column for my school newspaper. Then I went to NYC and was lucky enough to land a job as editorial assistant to Victor Riesel, the labor columnist who was blinded by acid in the 1950s. What an experience. I learned so much about writing form him. From there, I went to Cosmopolitan Magazine (in the Helen Gurley Brown years) as a copy editor, then did freelance writing for years for newspapers and magazines while my children were growing up. I've also had my own public relations firm, and done my share of press releases and marketing materials. For the past 12 years, I've been in the non-profit world with the Breast Cancer Survival Center, and written all their press materials and quarterly newsletters. I've never stopped writing, no matter what the genre.

How have you utilized your public relations background in selling books?

I'm lucky to have made many media contacts over the years, all of whom I've called upon when the first Baby Boomer mystery came out. (Part of the proceeds from the books benefits the Breast Cancer Survival Center.) I've had to speak in public many times over the years, either for clients or for the cancer program, so I'm comfortable with that aspect of PR. I just think of myself as my own client now. But with the Internet, it's a whole new learning curve that I find very exciting. I'm not afraid to try something new. One of the things I leaned in PR was the value of a give-away. With my first book, I had custom-designed socks made that I sent out with review copies. The socks had the title of the book on the cuff and the web site on the instep. It made an impression

Which types of promotions have been the most successful?

Here on Cape Cod, I'm involved with many other local authors, and we do a lot of joint signings and marketing. We have fun together. I love giving out my bookmarks, which highlight the covers of each of the books. People comment on the wonderful design, and frequently one of the artists who's done the design is there. Folks are thrilled to meet her too. I love one-on-one with readers. In the summer, here on Cape Cod, there are so many opportunities for getting out and doing signings that you could do one or two every day.

Do you prefer online promotions or those in person? Which have been the most successful?

I love the in-person talks. The subhead of each of the books is "Every wife has a story." And the stories I hear from other wives are often funnier than anything I've written in the books. I need to do more on-line marketing. That's on my fall To-Do list! One of my most successful promotions has been collaborating with retirement financial planners here on Cape Cod for presentations. One major financial company hired me as their dinner speaker for the major clients, and purchased a large supply of books to give out as premiums at the event, as well as to future clients. I've already been invited back to their dinner next year, to talk about the next book. I also sell a lot of books at dog shows. My books feature two English cocker spaniels, Lucy and Ethel, and I'm invited to shows all over the country to sell books. I have to be selective about where I go, as my travel budget is pretty limited. But dog shows are so much fun.

What ratio of ebooks have you sold to print books?

We are currently in our fourth printing for the first Baby Boomer mystery, Retirement Can Be Murder. The book was first released in traditional format in April 2009. The second book was just released on May 1. The first mystery went on Kindle at the end of January. The second one went on at the end of May. I was resistant to the whole e-book phenomenon at first. But we topped 10,000 e-book sales in 6 months, which is twice as many as the traditional sales. I never expected that. They are both selling like crazy, and one book is definitely helping the other book sales-wise. Many people are buying both.

Tell us about your series.

The Baby Boomer mysteries (there are 7 planned in the series) follow the lives of typical Boomers Carol Andrews and her husband, Jim, as they navigate the rocky road toward their twilight years. The first book dealt with Jim's impending retirement and Carol's reaction to it. The second, Moving Can Be Murder, deals with downsizing and selling the family home. The third one, which I'm currently working on, is called Marriage Can Be Murder, and will feature a destination wedding on Nantucket. Each of the books also has a quiz in the back, to give readers something to think about. The first one had a retirement quiz. The second one has a moving quiz. The idea of them is to start conversation with your partner to find out what's really important to both of you, to be sure you both want the same things. Communication, and compromise, are key.

What advice do you give to other writers contemplating independent publishing?

Publishing is in such a state of flux these days. Years ago, indie authors like myself werre really looked down on by the industry. But now, the stigma is no longer there. The trick is to write the very best book you can, and have a professional editor involved in the process. And be prepared to market the heck out of it. That's often harder than writing the book in the first place.

Thanks, Susan, for sharing your expertise.

You can visit Susan on Facebook and Twitter. Her e-mail address is in the back of her books and on all the promotioinal material. She answer every e-mail as fast as she can and says, "I get them from all over the country. Two weeks ago, I got one from India. I couldn't believe it."

A Visit with Bob Sanchez

2011-08-27T02:26:00.004-06:00

Bob Sanchez and his wife retired to Las Cruces, New Mexico, from where they take frequent RV trips. The fomer Massachusetts technical writer has written five novels and had three agents. One small publisher, Fjord Press, had was interested in publishing his novel, Little Mountain, but went out of business instead. Bob then self-published three novels, When Pigs Fly, Getting Lucky, and Little Mountain. The first is a comic road trip, the others conventional murder mysteries.

Bob, why did you decide to publish independently after employing three agents?

Many people told me they were surprised my work didn’t sell to royalty publishers, and I felt confident my novels deserved publication. I became impatient with the long process involved in seeking the approval of agents and publishers who were all complete strangers. Rather than spend the rest of my life hoping to see my work in print, I decided to publish and take my chances. Given the general reputation of self-publishing, that wasn’t an easy decision at first.

Do you place your own books online or hire someone to do it for you?

When Pigs Fly went online using iUniverse as an intermediary. I e-published Getting Lucky and Little Mountain myself.

Now that indie publishing has become popular, would you accept a contract from a royalty publisher if one was offered, or do you prefer having control over your own books?

A royalty publisher won’t offer me a contract, because I won’t look for one. Should an offer fall out of the blue I’d consider it, but I do enjoy having control over the process.

How did your first novel, When Pigs Fly, come about?

I wanted to write a funny novel. My earlier efforts had been serious stories set in the mill city of Lowell, Massachusetts, but after my wife and I vacationed in Arizona a couple of times, I thought it would be fun to move my hero to the Tucson area. A couple of Arizona friends helped vet the geographical details.

What’s the most difficult aspect of self publishing?

Knowing when your book is ready. Agents and editors perform a critical service by weeding out work that isn’t ready for prime time. On the other hand, some good material gets left behind too. It’s difficult to be objective about your own work, so you have to get trustworthy and competent peer critiques. Also, you are responsible for everything from proofreading to marketing. That’s a tough range of skills to master.

I noticed that you also provide readers with print copies. Who has done your printing and have you been satisfied with your books and getting them online?

iUniverse published my first two novels, and I published Little Mountain using Amazon’s CreateSpace. I will not go back to iUniverse because they are too expensive and maintain too much control. For example, they insisted on my charging $9.99 for an e-book.

Do you promote your books in brick and mortar stores or strictly online?

Other than a few book signings, I don’t promote in bookstores. I tried that, and it took much too much time and energy. Mind you, I live in the Southwest, where everything is spread out making indie book tours unprofitable. So I am experimenting with mainly online marketing.

How much time do you spend networking and promoting your books?

So far just a few hours per week, but I plan to do more.

Tell us about your latest release and how well it has done?

Little Mountain is my most serious work yet and stars a Cambodian-American cop who must solve a vicious murder that brings back haunting memories of the Khmer Rouge genocide.

Advice to aspiring indie authors?

You are completely responsible for the quality of your work right down to the smallest detail. Ask peers to critique your work but remember that you are the final judge. Take all comments as suggestions, then you decide. Spelling, capitalization, and grammar all matter, though. Get those right. Double- and triple-check everything. Hire a reasonably priced artist to design your cover.

Thanks, Bob.

You can visit Bob at his blogsite: http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com,
His books are available at http://tinyurl.com/bobsanchezauthor.

A Visit with L.J.Sellers

2011-08-20T00:01:00.010-06:00

L.J. Sellers is an award-winning journalist and the author of the Detective Wade Jackson mystery/suspense series, The Sex Club, Secrets to Die For, Trilled to Death, Passions of the Dead and Dying For Justice. She also has three standalone thrillers, The Baby Thief, The Arranger and The Suicide Effect. When not plotting murders, she enjoys cycling, social networking, performing stand up comedy, attending mystery conferences, and editing fiction manuscripts. She's even been known to jump out of airplanes.

L.J., why did you decide to leave your royalty publishers to go the independent route?

I wasn’t making any money, my publisher couldn’t get my books into retail stores, and I had several novels ready to publish that weren’t scheduled to be released for years. It just didn’t make sense to stay when I knew I could self-publish everything I had and start to earn a living.

What are the most difficult aspects of self-publishing? Have you made any mistakes?

The hardest part of self-publishing is the same as in traditional publishing: reaching readers. No matter how you publish, you have to promote the book and find an audience. That takes a lot of time. Fortunately, with social networking, promotion is a lot more fun than it used to be. But it still takes time, patience, and tenacity. I wouldn’t say I’ve made any major mistakes. I have spent money on things that weren’t cost-effective, such as a book trailer, a publicist, and sending promotional material to bookstores, but none of that is recent. I’ve also been lucky in that I followed in the footsteps of others who blazed the trail. I like to think I widened it a little by exploring and finding new ways to promote on my own as well.

Do you contract editing, formatting, and cover services for your books or have you done the work yourself?

I hire a cover designer, an editor, and an e-book formatter. Someday I may learn to do the formatting myself, but for now, it’s cost-effective to contract the work. And I’ll always hire a cover designer and editor. Everyone needs an editor, and few authors have the skills to create a professional cover. These things are just too important to be half-assed about. Self-publishing is an investment.

Do you also provide print copies through Create Space, Lulu or another company? If so, what’s your ratio of print copies sold to ebook sales? And do you sell print copies to brick and mortar stores?

All of my books are available in print through CreateSpace, which offers extended distribution through Ingram. From there, bookstores can and do purchase my novels, but I sell 99 e-books for every print copy.

What are the best ways to promote your books and have you changed your promotional methods from when you were royalty published?

What I do differently now is to reach out to people who are reading ebooks instead of sending promotional material to bookstores. I spend time on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads, to name a few, and when I launch a book, I buy promotional spots that target e-readers. KindleNation, The Frugal Ereader, and Ereader IQ are some of the most effective. I also give away a lot of books through Goodreads and LibraryThing, and do a lot of guest blogging and Q&;As. J

How long have you been self-publishing and are you now able to earn a living with it?

I went indie a year ago in August when I withdrew from several publishing contracts and put two unpublished standalone thrillers up on Kindle. I quickly realized I needed to gain control (and profit) of all of my books if I wanted to make a living. By December, I was earning enough to quit freelancing.

Have you found that the stigma of indie publishing has been lifted, or is there still some prejudice against it?

Much of the stigma is gone because so many bestselling authors have self-published now, and readers have been exposed to a lot of terrific indie novels. But many of the old barriers are still in place because writing and publishing organizations, such as MWA, haven’t figured out how to separate the professional self-publishers from the amateurs. Some authors have suggested using sales numbers to be the new gatekeeper. For example, if an author sells a thousand copies of a book, then they should be considered professional and can join and/or submit the book for awards. Or maybe those organizations will become obsolete.

Tell us about your writing background.

I’m a career journalist who’s been writing professionally for decades. I didn’t write my first novel until I was thirty, but after writing the first one, I was hooked. I loved it and realized that storytelling would become the focus of my life.

What advice would you give writers who are considering self-publishing?

First, send your novel to other professionals for feedback. Make sure you have a marketable product. Once you’re confident that you do, invest enough money to produce a quality e-book (editing, cover, formatting). When the book is ready, make promotion a daily part of your life. Until you have several books on the market and a wide readership, you have to spend as much time marketing as you do writing. But you have to keep writing too. Expect to work 70 hours a week for years!

Tell us about your intriguing latest release.

I just released a futuristic thriller called The Arranger. It features Lara Evans from my Detective Jackson series. But the new book is set 13 years in the future, and Lara is no longer a detective and is a freelance paramedic in a bleak new world. She witnesses a crime, then goes to Washington D.C. to compete in a national endurance competition called the Gauntlet. There, she spots the shooter lurking in the arena, and soon lands in serious trouble. The early reader reviews are terrific, and I hope my Jackson fans will try the new novel.

Thanks, L.J. for sharing the secrets of your success.You can visit L .J. at her website: http://ljsellers.com/
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ljsellers
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LJSellers
at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/967226.L_J_Sellers
and Crime Spacehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/LJSellers

A Visit with Rebecca Dahlke (aka R.P. Dahlke)

2011-08-13T08:13:00.001-06:00

Rebecca Phillips Dahlke operated her father's crop dusting business in California during the early 1980s, and began writing her mystery series following the death of her son, a career aero agricultural pilot. Rebecca calls her books: murder mysteries with some laughter.

Rebecca, how did you happen to take over the family business? And was flying part of your job?.

I sort of fell into the job when my dad decided he’d rather go on a cruise than take another season of lazy pilots, missing flaggers, testy farmers and horrific hours. After two years at the helm, I handed him back the keys and fled to a city without any of the above. And no, I was never a crop-duster.

Tell us about your writing background.

A few short stories got printed in a now defunct magazine and I was hooked. They say you should write what you know and at the time, I was able to use what I’d gleaned from my own experiences along with stories my son, John, who was a career crop-duster shared with me. When he died in a work related accident in 2005, I was unable to go back to it until 2010.

How important are organizations such as Sisters in Crime to a mid-list mystery writer?

SinC is like a big fat favorite granny. She’s warm and comforting and tells you you’re wonderful when everyone else tells you your writing is crap!

What’s your writing schedule like? Do you aim for a certain amount of words per day and do you outline?

Well… if I’m very very good, I can smack out 2,000 words a day… but then life gets in the way… like the Monument Fire this last week, and we were evacuated and living in our RV with two dogs and I was eating on nerves about our home burning to the ground instead of writing. I’m happy to say that the house survived and so did we!

What’s the most important ingredient in a good amateur sleuth novel?

I’m glad you asked that question because in A DEAD RED CADILLAC & A DEAD RED HEART, I write about a tall, blond and beautiful ex-model turned crop-duster who, to quote Lalla Bains, says: “I’ve been married so many times they oughta revolk my license.” I wanted to give readers a peek at the not so-perfect -life of a beautiful blond. Lalla Bains is no Danielle Steele character, she’s not afraid of chipping her manicure. Scratch that, the girl doesn’t have time for a manicure what with herding a bunch of recalcitrant pilots and juggling work orders just to keep her father’s flagging business alive.

Between a philandering famous Puerto Rican baseball husband and her long time widowed father’s triple by-pass, Lalla is now content to run her dad’s crop-dusting business in Modesto, California and avoid the paparazzi hounds who feast on the remains of those who aren’t famous anymore.

In A DEAD RED CADILLAC Lalla is once again brought into unwanted limelight and as she sees it, the only way she’s ever going to get her life back is if she can solve the mystery . And, as luck would have it, along the way finds the man who becomes the love of her life.

How do you promote your books? And how much time to you devote to online networking?

I believe that authors MUST use as many avenues as possible to promote their work. Branding is a term that comes from major corporations, like Pepsi and Ford and these companies understand that one ad in one magazine is not necessarily going to equal one sale. Your name over and over again, along with the name of your series; like A DEAD RED CADILLAC and A DEAD RED HEART gives you an edge on that branding.

Seeing a grave disparity between what is available to Indy authors as opposed to traditionally published authors, I created All Mystery e-Newsletter. July, 2011 is our first year anniversary and I’m pleased to say this is one of the fastest growing e-newsletters in the US. It’s clean, simple and easy to navigate: 12 new books from Indy as well as NY published authors. A colorful book cover, a quick synopsis, a few reviews and a buy button to Amazon for the e-book or paper back. Each month is themed: Romantic mysteries/suspense for Valentine’s day, Paranormal mysteries, The Funny Bone issue, Historical Mysteries, Murder at Work and ending the year with Cozies for Christmas—there’s something for everyone and I make sure that the Indy authors get a chance at the same exposure as say, Catherine Coulter and her newest Sherlock book… yes! Catherine and her publicist see the advantage of fan based venues like this and so should you.

It’s been a giggle to have to squeeze my own books into the line-up, but I enjoy doing it. I’ve recently expanded All Mystery to include a yahoo group so that fans can ask questions and authors can promote themselves with news about book signings, events & new offers.

Advice to aspiring mystery writers?

Self-publish because it encourages you to write instead of pinning all your hopes on that NY publisher. Besides, the more you write the better you get. And you’re branding your name, developing a fan base. Who knows, you may get an offer from that NY publisher—which you can then accept or not. Which reminds me; I gotta get busy and finish my latest book, a romantic sailing mystery set in exotic Mexico. I hope to have A DANGEROUS HARBOR ready for publication by the end of this summer.

Thanks, Rebecca.
You can visit Rebecca at her website: http://www.rpdahlke.com/
Her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RPDahlke
Amazon page: http://tinyurl.com/6l8y7gm
B&N page: http://tinyurl.com/6bldn9u
and newsletter: http://www.allmysteryenewsletter.com/

A Visit with Marja McGraw

2011-08-06T00:01:00.001-06:00

A southern California native, Marja McGraw has worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement. As a divorced, single parent she lived in a number of locations, including Wasilla, Alaska, and northern Nevada, where she worked for the Department of Transportation. She was also employed in Oregon as well as the Jackson County sheriff's department while owning her own antique store/tea room. She's the author of the Sandi Webster and The Bogey Man mystery series.

Marja, since this is the last week of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour, what have you learned from the experience?

Several things come to mind. It’s hard work to come up with twelve blogs so close together, but it was a lot of fun. During this process, I’ve met and enjoyed coming to know some authors and readers. I’ve learned that for the most part people like blogs that are down-to-earth so they can get to know the author a little. And I’ve learned that I have no idea if a blog tour will help book sales or not. I guess it means more to me that I was able to interact with the other authors on the blog tour.

How did your Bogie Man series come about?

I’ve always been a huge Humphrey Bogart fan, and I added a man (Chris Cross) with an uncanny resemblance to him as a character in The Bogey Man, one of the Sandi Webster mysteries. He was so popular with readers that I decided to give him his own series. It’s turned out to be a lot of fun; much more so than I anticipated. He has a wife who partners with him, a stepson who wants nothing more than to be involved in one of the mysteries, and two “interesting” yellow Labrador retrievers.

By the way, the newest Sandi Webster mystery just came out in July. It’s called Old Murders Never Die, and P.I. Sandi Webster and her partner, Pete, become stranded in a ghost town thanks to a mysterious cowboy. They also discover the story of a series of murders that took place in the town in 1880, and work to determine if the crimes were ever solved. To add to the mystery of the town, several families moved away and left all of their belongings behind. Hmm. Wonder what that’s all about.

Why did you decide to set the 1940s as the backdrop for your novels?

Let me begin by saying that the stories take place today, not back in the forties. I don’t want any confusion about that. With that said, how else could I do justice to a character looking like Bogey? He needs to use the old slang, and he demonstrates some of Bogey’s mannerisms as they were in his movies. The forties were a fun time in a lot of ways, so I’m trying to keep that alive through the Bogey Man.

In what capacity did you work in law enforcement? And have you used your experiences in your novels?

I actually worked in a clerical capacity, but in “those days” there weren’t any female deputies in my department. If one was needed, we clerks filled in. Things were so different in the seventies. One time I actually searched a women’s restroom for a bomb, with no training. Thankfully, there was no bomb. Another time my life was threatened by a woman who’d applied for a job and wasn’t hired. All I’d done was administer the typing test, and that wasn’t why she was turned down. I may have been clerical, but I have lots of stories. I was very young and shy, and single at the time, and working with all those cops was a good time.

In the 1990s, I worked for a county sheriff’s office in Oregon, and that was a whole different experience. Things had changed a lot by then.

How important are quirky characters and humor in a mystery novel?

If that’s the type of novel you want to write, or read, they’re very important. A lot of the humor comes from the quirky characters and their antics. How your average person deals with them can be quite funny, too. For me, as a reader, humor and quirky characters give the story more character, and that makes them more memorable.

What’s your writing schedule like?

I work about six hours a day, seven days a week, but that includes writing, marketing and promoting. It’s hectic, but it’s the most fun I’ve ever had while doing a job.

Why is writing important to you?

I’ve always been an avid reader, beginning with Dick and Jane. When I decided to write, it was because I wanted to entertain others as I’d been entertained. There’s no sweeter music to the ears for an author than hearing a reader say they enjoyed the author’s book, and it’s even better when they say they took something away from it. It doesn’t matter if they just got a smile out of it or if the story made them view something differently, as long as it had an effect on them.

Advice to aspiring mystery novelists?

Always begin your career by letting your skin thicken. No matter how good of a writer you are, not everyone is going to like your book.

Secondly, never apologize for your early work. I’ve done that, and I shouldn’t have. Being a writer is like anything else you do in life. It’s a learning process, and the more you do it, the better writer you become. I wouldn’t have thought about that except that recently someone told me about their first book and commented that it wasn’t all that great. Guess what? I loved it! Let the reader decide for themselves. If they see promise, chances are they’ll go back and try your next book.

Last, when all else is said and done, make sure all of your periods and commas are in the right place, and that there are as few misspellings and typos as possible. Don’t submit until the book is clean enough for the public to read. Be proud of what you submit.

Which author(s) influenced your own writing?

Harper Lee more than anyone else. I’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird a number of times, and I get something new out of it with each read. Beyond her, every mystery writer I’ve ever read has had some impact on me. I especially enjoy authors who are telling a story rather than just putting the facts of a mystery on paper. That type of author makes the story come to life (even if there are a few typos).

Thanks by dropping by, Marja.

You can visit Marja at ther website: http://www.marjamcgraw.com/,
her blog site: http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/ and on Facebook where she welcomes new friends.

A Visit with Mary Martinez

2011-07-30T13:34:00.002-06:00

Mary Martinez loves to travel, especially to the Caribbean and Italy. She fills her books with colorful descriptions of cities she has visited, painting colorful backdrops for her characters. She's a member of MWA, RWA and several SinC chapters.

Mary, how did you find time to write when you had six children at home?

When I originally started writing, I was married to my first husband who gave me NO support at all. I had 3 kids and it was back in the days before computers. So it was a selectric typewriter. I would write whenever I could, research was hard because 3 children in a quiet library do not mix. I wrote 100 pages of the worst historical you’d ever want to read. I have no idea whatever happened to it. Then I decided that it was time to let the kids grow and then follow my dream. Before that happened I divorced and remarried and my husband had 3 children so we became an instant Brady Bunch. We were crammed and packed in our little house, but we had a great time. I waited until they were almost all out of school, then I’d write in the evenings or in the middle of the night. The next day at work was hard. But that’s how I wrote my first two books. And he’s the best support ever. He even reads and does edits…

Where do you like to travel for research?

There are two things everyone should know about me by now. I’m a concert and a travel HO. I pretty much want to see and do it all. I love New York City, and a lot of my stories are set there. Everywhere I go I bring home as many city maps and books of things to do as I can. My desk is jammed full of them.

Has your love of college football and tailgating crept into any of your plots?

Not yet. And I’m not sure it will. It depends on if an idea strikes me. I’ve found that if I force a subject of something I think I would like to write, I never finish it. It doesn’t flow. So, we’ll see if it every happens.

Tell us about your latest book?

The one I just completed is the first book of a series, it’s being submitted right now. It’s a contemporary women’s fiction. It has romance in it of course. It is about a bridal shop and dresses. I’m not going to say too much more, I want it to be a surprised.

What about Watching Jenny?

Known as Blade with wild pink hair, tattoos and piercings, Jenny McGregor works to keep her life private. But her self-constructed barriers are breached after she receives flowers and threatening notes signed by ‘Runner’.

Desperate to stop the threat before she goes on tour, Jenny hires hunky Detective Dan Janson for protection. Unable to catch the stalker before the tour bus leaves, Dan is forced to stifle his attraction to Jenny. They’re carried along on a dangerous game of cat and mouse from San Diego to Memphis the city of Elvis and the blues. Each day the two draw closer together. When ‘Runner’ lures Jenny away from the tour, Dan’s forced to acknowledge he’s fallen in love with the feisty singer.

Hot on Jenny’s trail, Dan soon learns ‘Runner’ is not one of the usual suspects.

Which of your characteristics have found their way into your protagonists?

I’d say in each book one or all of mine have gone into them. But what I find most is, my characters have characteristics I want to have. They do things I want to do, and they live in places I’d love to live in.

What’s your writing schedule like and do you outline your novels?

I write when I have time. I have a full time job and I’m very family involved. We have Papa and Nana night once a week. We have a lot of friends over, and so my writing? Well it gets done when I have quiet time which isn’t often. I never outline my novels, the one time I did—it is still in a drawer is all I can say. I have a general idea and a blurb. I add to my character family and friend tree as I go. When I introduce one into the story I write a blurb about their looks, characteristics and background and then move on.

Advice for aspiring novelists?

Don’t give up. Do your research. Join a writing group, whether it’s RWA or a local critique group, but you need the support.

Have blog book tours increased your book sales?

Unfortunately, it takes a few months to hit my royalty checks, so I won’t be able to answer that question until next quarter. LOL.

Who most influenced your own work and why?

Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown and James Patterson. I love to read. And I think they’re all great and different.

Thans, Mary.
You can visit Mary at her website: www.marymartinez.com and her blog: http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com/
She's also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/marylmartinez

A Visit with Jacqueline King

2011-07-23T00:01:00.004-06:00

Jacqueline King loves books, words, and writing tall tales. She especially enjoys murdering the people she dislikes on paper. King is a full time writer who sometimes teaches writing at Tulsa Community College. Her latest novel, The Inconveninet Corpse is a traditional mystery. King has also written five novellas as co-author of the Foxy Hens Series. Warm Love on Cold Streets is her latest novella and is included in the anthology The Foxy Hens Meet an Adventurer. Her only nonfiction book is Devoted to Cooking. She's a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Oklahoma Writers Federation, and Tulsa Night Writers.

Jackie, how did you conceive your novel, The Inconvenient Corpse?

Thanks Jean, for inviting me to chat with you and your readers about my mystery. Oddly enough, The Inconvenient Corpse was birthed in its setting, a charming Bed and Breakfast Inn. I plotted the book by playing every writer’s favorite game: ‘What if?’

What if I’d found a dead man in this bed? What if he were naked? What if his clothes were nowhere to be found? What if the police thought I was the killer and told me that I couldn’t leave town? And then, what if I then learned that I had no money, no available credit, and no resources at all? What if I’d been born with a silver spoon in my mouth and had previously spent my days as a Junior League member? Could I survive on just my own moxie? I felt impelled to answer these questions.

What in your background prepared you to write?

My mother was a natural born storyteller. One night (at the end of the great depression) there was nothing for supper. Mother never told us this grim fact. She smiled (bravely) and said, “Let’s have stories for supper!” My brother, sister and I clapped our hands with joy. Stories for supper? What could be more wonderful? I must have been close to three at the time. After that, I think stories (and later books) became a part of my DNA.

What’s your writing work space like?

Shabby, overflowing with papers and magazines and books, and writing supplies. Probably sounds awful, but for me it’s heaven on earth. I’m living my life’s dream and am happy beyond belief.

Do you have a regular writing schedule and do you outline your work?

I write every day that it’s humanly possible, but not on any particular schedule. I’d love to write first thing in the morning, but this goal seldom happens. I do outline my work, sort of. I start a spiral notebook for each novel and jot down anything I can think of that comes to mind about my new project. I play a lot of “what if?” as I described earlier. I’m envious of outliners who stick to their exact outline, but I seem to be totally incapable of such a plan. I’m a “panster.” (As in flying by the seat of your pants.) It requires a huge amount of rewriting, but luckily I love what I fondly call, word-smithing.

Who taught you the language of fiction?

Although I’ve had many excellent teachers of fiction (mainly Peggy Fielding) I think I absorbed the language of fiction by reading and reading and reading. Mentally inhaling other writers wonderful novels, also helps improve my own writing.

Have any of your children followed in your keystrokes?

My youngest daughter, Jennifer Sohl, coauthored my only nonfiction book, Devoted to Cooking. This is a collection of family stories and their very own special recipe. My two granddaughters Lauren Keithley and Morgan Sohl are also writers. (prepublished.)

How do you feel about the ebook revolution?

Guess I’m a book rebel, (I’m American, after all) because I love e-readers and e-books. I also love paper books. If you wrote good prose on the sidewalk in front of my house, I’d read that, too.

What’s the best way you’ve found to promote and market your work?

I love promoting my books in the CyberWorld! What a joy it is to become acquainted with readers who live all over the world. Readers are extremely smart, witty, and interesting folk and I can ‘talk’ to any of them who own a computer. Lucky me, I can promote worldwide, day and night (if I choose) in my jammies.

Advice for aspiring writers?

Don’t let anyone discourage you. I hate to go to a writer’s conference where a well-known writer tells how hard it is to get published at this time, thus intimating that those poor souls who have not yet found a publisher will probably be left out in the cold. THIS IS A LIE! You can do it if you follow the tried and true recipe of success: (1)Write every day. (2) Submit what you write. (3) Never give up.

Your social media links and bio.

I’d be thrilled to hear from readers about this post, or about what you’re thinking about today, or even your supper menu. Let’s all get acquainted so we can talk about books and writing. This has been fun, Jean. Thanks a million.

It's been great having you here, Jackie.

You can visit Jackie at her website: Website: www.jacqking.com
and her blog site: http://bnbmysteries.blogspot.com

She would like to have readers ‘friend’ on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1290204781#!/Jacqking
and her book is available at: http://amzn.to/gMv7CH and http://bit.ly/fovbLR

A Visit with Sharon Ervin

2011-07-16T00:01:00.008-06:00

Former news reporter Sharon Ervin has a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, The Harvard Review, Whispers From Heaven, Pray!, True Love, The PEO Record and Arabella magazines. She has also written a number of mystery novels, including Candlesticks.

Sharon, how has journalism helped your novel writing career?

Maybe it’s because I am a voyeur. I love nosing into other people’s lives, not necessarily to get involved, just to check them out. I love to ride through neighborhoods at dusk, after people turn on their lights and before they close their curtains. I like to see into their homes and see what they are doing. Not for any evil reason, I’m just curious. As a newspaper reporter, one gets to ask questions people might not like from other strangers, but behave as if you have a right, even a duty, to ask, and they answer.

Why do you write mainly for and about women?

Because I am a woman with two sisters and two daughters. I lived in a women’s dorm as a college freshman, then in a sorority house the next three years. And I paid attention. I like women now more than I did then. Mature women are tougher and more resilient than men.

Tell us about the Chick Lit for Foxy Hens.

Author/teacher Peggy Fielding wanted to do an anthology of five novellas, one from each of five different authors. She invited me to participate. She wanted a “Bridgette Jones Diary,” kind of thing, a chik-lit collection showing opportunities for romance are available, not just for girls, but for mature women as well. Because some of us got a little risque, one of us dropped out, after she had written her material. She had valid reasons. We had a wonderful time working together, got a couple of contract offers, enjoyed the result, and promoting together. Chik-Lit For Foxy Hens was a delightful experience.

How did your latest novel, Candlesticks, come about?

Characters from The Ribbon Murders and Murder Abroad and The Choctaw Gambler wanted new crimes to solve. Because I was familiar with the Mullendore Murder in Oklahoma in 1969, I borrowed from that case to create Candlesticks. It was released as a hardcover from Five Star/Cengage in June, 2010.

To what do you attribute your engaging dialogue?
I eavesdrop constantly, and I have a good ear.

Which three inanimate objects would you save first in the case of a fire?

Family pictures and my zip drive disks. There are more than three of each.

Are ebooks going to force print publishers and bookstore out of business?

I hope not, although I never would have foreseen the changes electronics have wrought in the last dozen years. Newspapers and magazines are shrinking and disappearing at alarming rates these days. My grandchildren run around with plugs in their ears. Only yesterday when I interrupted to ask, a thirteen-year-old granddaughter said she was listening to the last of the Harry Potter books again, before the last movie came out. These children are well-read, but much of their reading is done auditorially, if that’s a word.

What career would you have chosen, if not a writer?

I am good with children. I like them. Except for a penchant for paddling, I probably would have made a good teacher. I was a den mother for two years with each of our sons. Although I worried about getting a complaint for child abuse. I loved those boys and they liked me, but I didn’t put up with any more guff from them than from my own four children. Grown men now, they are still respectful and eye me cautiously as if they expect I might swat their legs if they don’t mind me. Even now, not one of them would run across my sofa in muddy shoes. They know better.

Which writer most influenced your own work?

Probably Dorothy Sayers. I love her humor, jabs that always catch me by surprise, and her brilliance.

Advice for fledgling writers?

Don’t expect to make money writing. Marry well. If you flipped burgers for as many hours as you spend at the keyboard writing a book, you could earn more money than most authors.

Thanks, Sharon.

You can visit Sharon at her web page: http://sharonervin.com and
her blog site: http://sharonervin.wordpress.com

A Visit with Pat Browning

2011-07-09T00:01:00.040-06:00

A veteran traveler, Pat Browning's.globetrotting of the 1970s led to her work as a travel agent and correspondent for TravelAge West, a trade journal published in San Francisco. During the 1990s, she served as a newspaper reporter and columnist. Her mystery novel, Full Circle, first of her Penny McKenzie mystery series, was later republished as Absinthe of Malice. She's currently hard at work on the second novel in the series.

Pat, when did you realize you were a writer? And when did you publish your first work?

I can’t remember when I didn’t write. Scribble would be more accurate, but from an early age I exhibited something every writer needs—unabashed confidence that people want to read what I write.

In the 5th or 6th grade, I wrote one-page, illustrated haunted house stories (in pencil, on notebook paper) and passed them around the classroom. That summer, I wrote a "book" (written in pencil in a lined school notebook), a blatant knock-off of the Bobbsey Twins, and passed it around the neighborhood. When I was about 12, I sat under a pear tree in our front yard and wrote a story about fairies living in a tree stump. I mailed it to The Kansas City Star; they printed it, and sent me a check for something like 50 cents.

I was always a writer. If you don’t count my 50 cents from The Kansas City Star, I really knew I was on to something when The Fresno Bee hired me as a stringer and began publishing my feature articles back in the ‘60s. They hired me to do routine society news, weddings and such, but I started doing features like they were going out of style and never looked back.

Tell us about the writing awards you've won.

"Got Those Ol' Call Me Fat, Diet Time Blues," a feature I wrote for the Bee in 1964, won third place in California Press Women's annual Writers Contest. I gave that up for the travel business and wrote for TravelAge West, a trade journal published in San Francisco. No awards, just some fantastic travel assignments.

I the 1990s, I signed on full time as a newspaper reporter and columnist, at the Selma (Calif.) Enterprise and the Hanford Sentinel. While at the Enterprise, my lifestyle coverage placed first two years in a row in the California Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspapers Contest. As co-writer of a feature on AIDS, I was a finalist for the 1993 George F. Gruner Award for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism. At the Sentinel, my feature story about a Hanford man who was one of the Japanese-American "Yankee Samurais" of World War II, placed second in the CNPA contest.

In 2000, the first chapter of Full Circle won Futures Magazine’s second annual Karen Besecker Memorial Award. The award was named for the late Karen Besecker of Fresno, California, who founded the San Joaquin Chapter of Sisters in Crime.

When did you decide to write your first novel, Full Circle, later reissued as Absinthe of Malice, and how did the story evolve?

While I was working for the Hanford Sentinel, the editor decided the lifestyle pages needed a book review column. I went to the library and pulled books off the shelves. They turned out to be mysteries, and I thought, how hard can it be to write one? Ten years later I can say, it’s not as easy as it looks.

It became Absinthe of Malice almost overnight when an online friend decided to start his own publishing company, read Full Circle, and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Three months later the new book was revised and reissued. It was a mad, mad, mad, mad merry-go-round and I loved every sweaty minute of it.

How did your various jobs influenced your writing?

Everything I’ve done has turned up in my writing in one form or another, especially the newspaper columns and features. My Penny Mackenzie mystery series reflects the small newspaper offices and law office where I worked, as well as the small California town where I lived for almost 50 years.

How do you feel about the current publishing downturn and do you think it will force major publishers to streamline their methods of marketing? Do you have any suggestions for them?

Major publishers seem to be turning into foreign-owned conglomerates interested in the bottom line, and it's difficult to know who's publishing what any more.

Pearson (UK) owns Penguin Putnam Inc. and its imprints. Bloomsbury (UK) owns Walker and its imprints. Holtzbrink (Germany) owns Macmillan and its imprints, and also St. Martin’s. Hachette Livre (France) owns Warner Books/Little, Brown and their Imprints. One fairly large US publisher who I think is still independent is Kensington/Zebra.

The smart ones are getting on the e-book bandwagon. HarperCollins, with numerous imprints, has a Browse Inside section on its web site (www.harpercollins.com).The blurb reads “HarperCollins Browse Inside lets you start reading books before they go on sale with Sneak Peak and offers Full Access on selected titles, where you can read the entire book for free online.”

I clicked on the cover of The Gradner Shift by Ulrich Boser, which went on sale Feb. 24 in hardcover and e-book formats. The true story of the world’s largest unsolved art theft, several chapters of the book are there to read. It certainly piqued my interest.

What's the most difficult aspect of writing for you and what do you enjoy most about the creative process?

The most difficult aspect is sitting down to do it. Once I’m into it, I lose all track of time. The creative process is like breathing to me. Couldn’t live without it.

Has blogging at Morning's at Noon helped sell your books, or do you feel that blogging only gets a writer's name before the public?

I don’t usually blog about my book(s). My blog is just a personal thing, not a marketing tool. As for other blogs I show up on, who knows? It does keep your name before the public but I can’t even guess how it relates to sales.

I understand you have a memoir, “White Petunias,” in the Red Dirt Festival Anthology. It's an intriguing title. Briefly tell us briefly about it.

Briefly? That piece is almost as old as I am. It’s basically about a summer night when a boy walked me home from church, but in a larger sense about a small rural community in Oklahoma that was changed forever by World War II. I first wrote the church scene in the 1960s, planning to turn it into a novel. Didn’t happen.

But it was near and dear to my heart, so I filed it away and got it out again about every 20 years, wondering what to do with it, rewrote it, and filed it away. A couple of years ago I rewrote it again, and it won second place in the Memoir category of the 2007 Writers Competition, Frontiers in Writing, sponsored by Panhandle Professional Writers, Amarillo, Texas. A year ago I rewrote it once more, and it was accepted for inclusion in the Red Dirt Book Festival Anthology. The anthology and festival are sponsored by the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the Pioneer Library System.

Advice for fledgling writers?

We’d need another blog for that!

Thanks, Pat.

Pat's blog site is: Morning’s At Noon: http://pbrowning.blogspot.com

She's also on Facebook and Twitter,"but mainly to keep up with friends and relatives. A lot of Central Valley people I know and/or used to work with are there and it is fun to hear what they are doing. I'm on Twitter but never go near it and will cancel it as soon as I get time.

For writing and promotion networking I prefer listservs such as DorothyL, Senior Sleuths and Sisters in Crime-Internet Chapter. I just rejoined SouthWest Writers in Albuquerque. They have a great newsletter, among other things, and I'm getting ready to rejoin Panhandle Professional Writers in Amarillo. They also have great online programs for writers."

A Visit with Beth Anderson

2011-07-02T07:22:00.000-06:00

Beth Anderson is the author of seven crime novels. Two of her books have been nominated for the International Frankfurt Award and two were EPPIE finalists in their e-book editions. Her bestselling release, Second Generation, won the AllAboutMurder Bloody Dagger Award, the Rendezvous Review Magazine Rosebud Award, and the FMAM (Futures Magazine) Fire to Fly Award.

Beth, why do you write?

I write because I’m a writer and I can’t stop for any length of time under normal circumstances. I’ve been writing stories nearly all my life and a lot of them are still only in my head.

Things come to me at odd times. People pop into my head who have something to say. I watch people in airports to see how they react to different things, and I believe everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes they don’t or can’t, and if it’s interesting enough, then I tell it for them—but my way.

A news report, a newspaper clipping from an old newspaper, a child’s cry, you hear a sound like a gunshot in the night, someone’s home is destroyed, someone disappears. Anything can trigger my imagination, and I often dream whole scenes that become a turning point or climax in a book some time later.

You’ve won a number of writing awards. Which one means the most to you?

The Bloody Dagger Award a few years back, because it was voted on by a lot of reviewers, all of whom had read my book, so I knew it was a genuine award that I had earned with my writing.

Why did you switch genres from romance to crime novels?

I didn’t. I was always a crime writer because that’s where my interest lies. My first book sold, a Harlequin Superromance, contained a corporate crime, which was the main thread of the book. The romance was a big part of it, but not all of it.

At the time, the only conferences around were Romance Writers of America yearly conferences. Since it was always my contention that good writing is good writing no matter which genre it is, I attended several of those conferences on my way to publication.

It took me a good many years to sell that first book. I had to rewrite it at Harlequin’s request before they’d go to contract because they wanted me to add a third point of view, which happened to be that of the heroine’s uncle who was accused of the crime. So from the very beginning I was a crime writer, although I probably took a slightly different path than most crime writers. I’m so grateful to Harlequin that I did, though, because I received some wonderful training on writing real human emotions in the process.

When did you actually begin writing?

My first foray into writing was when I was eight years old and was listening to my radio in my room late one night when I was supposed to be sleeping. They were having a contest to find new scripts for that program. I was absolutely sure I could do it. Typically, there was not a doubt in my mind until I actually took out my notebook and pencil and tried. I remember how angry I was with myself when I realized I didn’t have a clue how to begin. The seeds were planted in my mind, though. I knew I could do it, I just didn’t know how for a long, long time.

Tell us the story of your latest novel, Raven Talks Back.

I was offered an opportunity to go to Valdez, Alaska to do some contract work for an oil company located there almost immediately after I took an early retirement. On my first morning there I saw a brand new sight to me—fog rolling down a mountainside, not lifting, so haunting and magical. At the same time I was watching the fog, I heard a soft voice inside my head saying, “The spirits of my ancestors live in that fog. I know they are there.” My own inner voice, of course, but who was I thinking of, who would say those words? That came to me later.

I spent a lot of time after I came home just re-working that sentence. The whole first page, in fact, because I knew I was breaking a cardinal writing rule, that you should always start your book with action and just skip the weather and geography at that crucial point.

I agree. You should, most of the time. But I couldn’t let that first sentence go. It had to be there, but it had to be right. I’m sure I re-wrote that first page at least a hundred times and I’m glad I did, because although it’s unorthodox, it shoots you straight into the mind and the heart and soul of Raven, my lead character.

But Raven couldn’t tell her story, so I told it for her.

You’ve lectured at some impressive sites such as Purdue University and appeared on ABC evening news and other media outlets. What do you usually talk about?

Whatever they ask for. You should always talk ahead of time to whomever is in charge of any of those kinds of venues and find out what you can talk about that will most benefit them.

At Purdue, and Moraine Valley College in Illinois, I’ve mainly talked about writing fiction, what sort of steps it takes, and very little about my own books because I’m there to instruct, not sell books. Those students are after information, not a book purchase. I have sold books at Purdue, but that was a on special night set up by one of their faculty sororities.

On radio and television appearances, those have almost always coincided with a book release, so I’ll talk about the book and anything else the person in charge wants me to talk about. It’s always about what they need to put on a fascinating radio or TV show that will keep their listeners tuned in. If the book sells because of the show, that’s fine, but it’s important to remember that keeping the show interesting is their primary concern.

Sometimes I’ll be asked to read an excerpt, which is always my downfall, but fortunately I have, so far, been able to come up with some quotable phrases that saved my neck more than once. Being audacious helps. There’s almost nothing I won’t say, except things that would be censored. You have to be able to think fast if you don’t want any Katie Couric moments. ;-)

Are your novels always based on actual Chicago crimes?

Three of my books were based on actual Chicago crimes where I had read a short article in a newspaper and nothing more, but I got interested in the crimes and began to work out in my head how they could have happened. So while they were real crimes at one time, my interpretations in the books I wrote were strictly my own imagination run rampant.

Which of your characters is your favorite, and why?

I have my favorite in every book I’ve written, but my current favorite is Kimberley Clarke, the old woman in Raven Talks Back, who happens to be Raven’s next door neighbor. She tried very hard to take over the whole book. I had a heck of a time keeping her from doing exactly that because she’s totally uninhibited, funny, devious, rambunctious, very, very smart, AND a terrific actress. My kinda woman! I could have written a whole book about her, but alas, she’s only a secondary character, albeit one who played a big part in this book.

Do you have a regular writing schedule and are you a pantser or do you outline your novels?

I normally do have a regular writing schedule when I’m actively writing a book. I’m a morning person, so I start very early in the day, around seven or so, and I’ll write till about one or two in the afternoon, or until my eyes give out. Early on, when I was just learning how to write a publishable novel, I had a full time job, so I would start at seven in the evening, work until ten o’clock, no later, and pretty much all the time on weekends. I would tell my husband, at seven, to come get me at ten, and then I’d get mad at him when he’d come in and tell me it was ten o’clock because it always seemed to me that I’d only been working maybe a half hour or so.

I’m a combination plotter and pantser. I’ll start out with an idea, do most of my preliminary research on things I need to know more about, then I’ll pick out my characters and do full write-ups on each lead character and shorter write-ups on my secondaries. Then the hard part begins. Plotting the story.

I always know the beginning and the ending of my books before I start, but not how the lead or leads are going to get from A to Z. This, for me, is the fun part. I’ll start writing for a few chapters, maybe four or five, and then spend some time thinking about how I want them to get from A to Z. The getting there may change as I go along, in fact it always does, which provides all kinds of great entertainment for me, but A and Z never change.

My goal is to make my leads as miserable as possible and build on their misery until I get them to the end of their story. I know that without a lot of conflict and angst, you don’t have a very interesting story, so even though I love them and underneath it all want them to be happy, if I gave in to that, my books would be about one page long. Therefore, I do everything I can think of to keep them off-balance and increae their problems throughout the entire book until the final wrap-up.

Fortunately for my family, I only impose my latent mean streak on my characters. It’s a great outlet, if I do say so myself, and I just did. ;-)

Thanks, Beth.

You can visit Beth at her website: http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com/ and .
Her blog site: http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com/blog/.
She's also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1290204781#!/profile.php?id=745430010

A Visit with Anne K. Albert

2011-06-25T07:37:00.001-06:00

Winner of the 2011 Holt Medallion Award of Merit, Anne K. Albert is a former art teacher and display ad sales person. She also worked for a major water company before writing her first novel.

Anne, when and why did you decide to organize the Mystery We Write Blog Tour and is this your first tour?

After the release of my debut novel last fall, I signed on to a blog tour with 20 other writers. Unfortunately, I dropped out within a few weeks for personal reasons, but knew another blog tour would be in my future.

In March 2011 someone on the Sisters-in-crime egroup bemoaned the price advertising companies charge to arrange blog tours to promote an author’s books. I contacted the writer and asked if she’d be interested in a blog swap. She was. We sought out other mystery writers, and within days, the 2011 Mystery We Write Blog Tour was born.

Has teaching art classes and selling display advertising helped you in any way with writing fiction?

I believe everything I’ve experienced has effected my writing as well as my personality and how I choose to live each day. I’m the sum of all that’s happened to me, and would not be who or where I am today if I’d chosen a different path.

Whether teaching, selling, writing or promoting, I strive to consider the other person’s needs and wants before my own.

As a teacher, I emphasized that learning can a fun, life long activity. When selling advertising for a local newspaper, I designed ads I hoped would instantly grab the reader’s attention and promote that particular business. As a writer, I want to entertain my readers. I want to take them away from the real world for just a few hours. If I provide them with a puzzle to solve, characters to care about, as well as bringing a smile to their faces, I’ve done my job.

I love your title, Frank, Incense and Muriel. What’s the story behind it?

My goal was to write a lighthearted mystery. I knew the story would take place the week before Christmas and I wanted the title to convey that. I already had the hero’s name (Frankie Salerno), and I knew he infuriated the heroine when they were in their teens. Wth a little tweaking I changed frankincense and myrrh to Frank, Incense and Muriel.

Btw, I’m thrilled this book is the recipient of the 2011 Holt Medallion Award of Merit. (link: http://www.virginiaromancewriters.com/Contests/holtwinners.html)

What makes your protagonist special?

Muriel Reeves is the intellectual in a family of thrill seekers. They even hand out the annual D-DAY (Death Defying Act of the Year) award to prove it. Muriel’s always felt like the black sheep of the family, but in reality the majority of her family are black sheep and she’s the lone white one! Part of the fun in Frank, Incense and Muriel is watching her confidence grow as she steps out of her comfort zone and helps Frankie search for a missing woman.

Why did you decide to write mystery novels?

I grew up reading Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and the Hardy Boy books. From there I discovered Agatha Christie and other mystery writers. I’ve always loved cozy mysteries and when I decided to write a book it was a forgone conclusion it would be a whodunit.

Do you have a strict writing schedule and do you outline?

I wish I did! Unlike some writers, I can go weeks or months without actually writing a single word. The words eventually build up, however, and like a volcano I’ll burst!

As to outlining, when I began writing I was strictly a seat of the pants writer. I loved the thrill of not having a clue what would happen next. The only problem is it takes a fair amount of time to figure a story out. Now that I’m published I have deadlines and at my editor’s request, I wrote the synopsis to my next release first.

In the past, knowing all the twists and turns ruined the fun of writing for me. This time, however, I’m finding it a benefit. I no longer have to stop and think what should come next. It’s like having a road map. I know my destination, but there’s still a lot of discovery of new places and things to see along the way.

Who most influenced your own writing?

I’m unable to pick just one person, but Stephen Cannell’s fast paced writing style has always impressed me. I love it when I forget to analyze the author’s writing style and become engrossed in the story. When that happens, I know I’m in the midst of genius!

Which author, past or present, who you like to be trapped in an elevator with?

Mark Twain would be fun because of his insight and wit. I’d also like to have met Robert A. Heinlein.

Advice for aspiring mystery writers?

Write. Finish what you write. Polish it until it shines. Read, then write some more. Oh, and never, never give up.

Thank you, Anne.

You can visit Anne at her website: http://www.AnneKAlbert.com

and her blog site: http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com, http://muriel-reeves-mysteries.blogspot.com
Her book is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Incense-and-Muriel-ebook/dp/B004CLYDRO/

A Visit with Vivian Zabel

2011-06-16T00:01:00.006-06:00

Vivian Zabel is a member of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour team who will be appearing here each week until August 14. She's a writer who operates a family-owned publishing company. She also lectures, teaches about various aspects of writing and publishing, conducts readings, presentations and arranges blog tours, among other pursuits.

Vivian, why did you decide to start a small press?

The major publishing companies don't give many unknown authors a chance because they accept only agented manuscripts. Agents with access to the major publishing houses don't accept many unknown authors. The only other courses open to writers are self-publishing (which still has a bad reputation because of the poorly edited material that is out there) or independent publishers (which charge authors for publishing their books or editing or other essential services) or vanity presses (which print anything). I wanted to help fill the gap between the two wide ranging levels with a small traditional publishing company (the company takes all the risks) but that offered quality books. So, although not a gambler, I took the largest gamble of my life -- I started 4RV Publishing. Three months later the economy crashed. Great timing, huh? Of course books are low on priority lists of what people need, but I feel books are needed and keep plugging away.

Your company has an unusual name. How did that come about?

Four (4) Rs are in the family: my husband Robert, daughter Rene, son Robert Jr., and son Randy, and one V, me. Makes the company name more personal: 4RV Publishing.

Which writing subjects you usually speak about?

I can speak on writing, including grammar needs to formatting, and publishing. But I can also speak on the benefits of speech, debate, and drama in the scholastic life and in real life. I can speak on the importance of newspapers, yearbooks, and literary magazines in high schools and how to do them. I also do school in-service presentations on teaching across the curriculum and how good writing can be used in all courses.

How do you manage to accomplish all your various activities?

I’m slowing down, I’m afraid. I have to be careful how much I do without long periods of rest. Lupus does that to a person. However, since I can’t sleep some nights, I use that time for writing or on 4RV. When I have a speaking engagement or other presentation, I try not to overdo for a week before, and then I don’t do much the week after.

Since I’m a speaker/presenter at the Alaska Writing Conference in September 2012, I may have to take more time for recovery after that trip.

Mainly I manage because I’m a very determined person.

You certainly are. Tell us about your latest novel, Stolen.

My latest novel, Stolen, is a mixture of mystery, suspense, and even love, but it is not a classic mystery. Torri Adamson discovers her playboy husband has a second wife and takes her children home to Oklahoma. She rebuilds her life with her grandparents, mother’s brother and his wife, and closest friend, until her friend dies of cancer. Torri rebuilds her life again and shared grief with her friend’s widower develops into love. Then her life is torn apart when her children are stolen.

The story is one I had to write after I couldn’t find a way to deal with the pain of two grandchildren being taken by their father. When the novel was written, we didn’t know if they lived or not or where they were. I took the agony, loss, and frustration and gave them to Torri. Of course I still felt the loss, deeply, but at least could better deal with it.

Do you find it difficult to write in more than one genre?

Wearing several hats has been a habit of mine for most of my life. Therefore, writing in more than one genre isn’t that hard. When I write children’s books or for tweens or teens, I imagine myself that age again or go back to when my children or grandchildren were. I then write for myself at that age or for them at that age.

When writing for adult readers, I go into “that’s what I want to read” mode.

What are the biggest mistakes you find in submissions to your publishing company?

The biggest problem and first reason for rejection of a submission is writer’s not following submission guidelines. The next comes from submitters believing their work is so marvelous they don’t need to follow the rules.

Advice to fledgling writers?

Read, read, read. Learn, learn, learn your craft. Write, write, write. Revise, revise, revise. Then begin all over again.

How do you promote your own books?

I have a blog and a website. I participate in a writing site: Writing.Com. I’m a member of several email groups. I have blog tours. I attend book festivals. I speak and do presentations. For someone who has never been good at promoting herself, I discovered I had to learn how to do so.

Are ebooks going to revolutionize the publishing industry?

Ebooks are energizing the publishing industry, but they are not making publishing easier for publishers. As much work goes into preparing files to become electronically published as books traditionally published, except the for the printing process. Yes, it’s easier if the person uploading to reader services doesn’t care how professional the book appears on the reader. However, good quality takes time and effort, just as preparing for print versions.

I’m not sure that ebooks are improving the publishing industry, but the process is here to stay.

Thanks, Vivian.

You can visit Vivian at her website: http://vivianzabel.blogspot.com

Her publishing company site: 4RV Publishing http://4rvpublishingllc.com
Orders (other than from bookstores, online suppliers) http://4rvpublishingcatalog.yolasite.com and Stolen: http://Stolen.yolasite.com

Lawrence Block revisited

2011-06-11T00:01:00.001-06:00

Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Lawrence Block has won four Edgar and Shamus awards. The bestselling author's wide range of characters: from private investigator Mathew Scudder, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, insomniac Evan Turner to assassin Keller have made him one of the most versatile crime novelists on the planet. He's also published four how-to writing books as well as short fiction and articles in American Heritage, Redbook and The New York Times.

What in your background prepared you to write crime novels? Did you hold any writing jobs before writing fiction?

Nothing---outside of extensive reading. After two years of college, I got a summer job at a New York literary agency as an editor. I dropped out of school to keep it, and stayed for a year. Then I went back to college, but I was already writing and selling short stories and novels, and couldn't take school as seriously as it needed to be taken. I wrote full-time, until in 1964 I took a job as an editor with a numismatic magazine in Racine, Wisconsin. After a year and a half I returned to full-time free-lancing, and I haven't had honest work since.

How did your protagonist Mathew Scudder come into being?

I developed the character for a three-book paperback original series for Dell, at the suggestion of my agent. Dell didn't do much with the books, but the character remained alive for me, and a few years later I wrote a fourth book and Arbor House published it. A Drop of the Hard Stuff, coming from Little Brown in April 2011, will be the seventeenth novel about Scudder, so I've been writing about him for over 35 years, which I find astonishing when I think about it. He's older now, but who isn't?

Your gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr is an intriguing protagonist. How did you feel about Whoopi Goldberg playing the role in “The Burglar in the Closet?”

Whoopi was by no means the worst thing about that movie. The gender change was something the filmmakers had every right to make; it's not their job to reflect and reproduce the novelist's vision, but to make something that works as a film. Unfortunately, what wound upon the screen wasn't very good. Whoopi's a fine actress and could have been good if she'd had something to be good in. The writer/director is the genius who gave us the Police Academy films, so what could we expect?

How did your character Evan Michael Tanner originate and do you plan to write additional novels about him?

I wrote seven Tanner books in the 1960s, then nothing until Tanner On Ice in 1998. Tanner seems to have the life-cycle of a cicada, and I figure the next book is due in 2026. I don't think there'll be more Tanner books, but I've been wrong about this sort of thing before. I never know what the future will offer.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring mystery/crime novelists?

Write to please yourself. And don't expect too much.

What’s your writing schedule like and how has it changed over the years?

No schedule. Now and then I write something. Less now than years ago.

How many books of writing advice have you written?

There have been four: Writing the Novel from Plot to Print, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit, Spider Spin Me a Web, and Write for Your Life. I figure that's plenty.

Have you ever suffered from Writer's block?

Only in interviews.

How do you overcome it?

Doggedly.

Which writer(s) influenced your own writing and why?

I don't know. I read tons of things early on. Jazz musicians talk in terms of influences, because when they begin they try to sound like someone whom they admire. Writers try to find their own voice, which is different.

How would you like to be remembered?

I don't expect to be remembered. The world has a short memory, and that's fine. Those of us who think we're writing for posterity are deluding ourselves. And why give a rat's ass about posterity? What has posterity ever done for us?

I'm sure your work will be long remembered. Thanks for taking part in the series.

Lawrence Block's website: www.lawrenceblock.com

A Visit with Alafair Burke

2011-06-04T00:01:00.013-06:00

Alafair Burke "is a terrific web spinner" who "knows when and how to drop clues to keep readers at her mercy," according to Entertainment Weekly. Her two series feature NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. A former prosecutor in the Portland, Oregon, DA's office, she currently teaches criminal law and procedure at Hofstra Law School in New York.

How did NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher come into being as well as Portland Prosecutor Samantha Kincaid?

I was a prosecutor in Portland, Oregon, for several years. After leaving to move to New York, I missed my office. I missed Portland and my friends. And as a long-time mystery reader, I had always wanted to write a crime novel. I thought I’d finally learned enough about the world to give it a try, so I started with Samantha Kincaid, who is a prosecutor in the very office where I served.

By the time I was working on my fourth novel, I’d been living in New York for a few years. I thought the anonymity that comes only in a city this big was exciting territory for me as a writer. I was also ready to write a faster paced book with an investigator, instead of a lawyer, at the center. I had a story I wanted to tell that involved Internet dating, and I thought a young New York City detective was the perfect narrator. I actually meant for that book (Dead Connection) to be a standalone, but I knew when I wrote the final chapter that I’d still be hearing more from Ellie.

I love your Duffer Awards. What prompted them?

The only thing I love more than reading books is talking about them. Sometimes I think I only write so I’ll have a work-related reason to talk all day about mystery novels.

I’m traveling less this year for book tour, so I wanted to do some fun things online that would involve interaction with readers I might not get to see in person. A couple of months ago, I gave out some so-called “Duffer Awards” in my newsletter, and my readers thought it was a big hit. I thought it would be fun to let readers vote on a new award every day for a month. And since I don’t like real competitions like smartest sleuth, where feelings can be hurt, I decided that the awards had to be for silly stuff like Best Hat and Most Likely to be Institutionalized. I hope crime fiction readers will stop by every day to cast a vote on each category. And to sweeten the pot, anyone who posts a comment is entered to win signed books and gift certificates to booksellers. The more comments, the more chances for loot!

The awards are at www.alafairburke.com. As I type this, Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller appears to be locking in a win for Most Likely to Marry His Ex-Wife (over Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone).

How do you manage to write two crime series while serving as a Professor of Law at Hofstra University? What’s your writing schedule like?

I honestly don’t know how anything gets done. I Facebook, Tweet, and eat constantly, yet at the end of the year, I usually have a book and a couple of law review articles on my computer. I do try to write every day, and very rarely miss two days in a row. That continuity makes a big difference. Even if I only write a couple of paragraphs on a busy day, I can jump in the next day, fully aware of where I am in the story, how my characters’ voices sound, and how they feel in that moment.

Tell us about your latest release.

I’m very excited about Long Gone. It’s my first stand-alone thriller. I guess I said that about the first Ellie Hatcher book, too, but this time, I think I really mean it. And it’s the first time I’ve written about a character who is outside the criminal justice system.

After a layoff and months of struggling, Alice Humphrey finally lands what she thinks is her dream job managing a new art gallery in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Everything seems perfect until the morning Alice arrives at work to find the gallery gone—the space stripped bare as if it had never existed— with the man who hired her dead on the floor. Overnight, Alice’s dream job has vanished, and she finds herself at the center of police attention with nothing to prove her innocence. There’s also a missing girl from New Jersey, a rogue FBI agent, and Alice’s nightmare family running around the pages, but I promise it’s all one story.

This is a higher concept book than my series novels, and sometimes those don’t end as successfully as they start. I’m very proud of how all the threads come together here, though.

How much of an influence on your own writing was your father, James Lee Burke?

With a father who was writing and mother who was a librarian, we were a family that not only told stories, but thought it was perfectly natural to write them down. My mother would take me to the library every Saturday for a new stack of books. The rhythms of story telling and character creation become ingrained when you read all the time.

Advice to fledgling crime writers?

Read. Read a lot. But don’t try to copy anyone. Figure out what you can offer the genre. And then write every single day – without starting over – until you finish. Once you have a beginning, middle, and end, it is much easier to make adjustments than you’d ever believe. The hard part is getting it done.

How, in your opinion, is the ebook revolution affecting major publishing practices?

I’m a bit like the ostrich in the sand on this one. Or a kid with fingers in ears saying, “La, la, la, I’m not listening to you.” I try to focus on the books and appreciating the readers I have instead of figuring out the business. That said, my sense is that publishers were more panicked two years ago than they are now. They still believe that writers need a conduit between them and retailers (whether electronic or paper). In my case, they are really pushing the idea of growing my readership through e-books. For example, they’re currently offering Angel’s Tip for $1.99. (See how I worked in that plug. Wily, huh?)

What has brought you the most pleasure and satisfaction?

Knowing that someone is reading your work is a grand high. When I hear from readers who say they stayed up all night because they couldn’t put down one of my books, I still want to scream out loud.

Any publishing regrets?

I don’t believe in regrets. Maybe my very first book would have been better if I’d cut back on some detail, but debut novels are detailed for a reason. New writers share some of the same habits. I like to think that every book I’ve written has been better than the rest. As someone who cares more about the longevity of my publishing career than dollars and cents, that makes me pretty content.

Thank you, Alafair.

You can visit Alafair at her website: www.facebook.com/alafairburkebooks
At Twitter: www.twitter.com/alafairburke
and at: http://www.alafairburke.com/ (where Duffer voting is taking place)

Her latest novel, Long Gone, can be preordered from Harper Collins.

A Visit with Marilyn Meredith

2011-05-24T19:33:00.014-06:00

Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredith is one of my favorite authors. She's published nearly thirty novels including her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel, Angel Lost, the third of her Dark Oak mysteries from Oak Tree Press, and the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the Invisible Path from Mundania Press (writing as F. M. Meredith). Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and she's on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America.

Marilyn, why you write?

Writing is part of my life like breathing. I enjoy creating a story and seeing where it’s going to go. I love connecting with my readers either by way of the Internet or in person at promotion events.

When did you start writing and why?

I began creating stories before I could write by drawing pictures in what some might call a story board today. As soon as I began reading real stories I began writing my own. I’ve been writing ever since in one form or another.

Tell us about your latewet novel, Angel Lost.

As plans for her perfect wedding fill her mind, Officer Stacey Wilbur is sent out to trap a flasher, the new hire realizes Rocky Bluff P.D. is not the answer to his problems, Abel Navarro can’t concentrate on the job because of worry about his mother, Officer Gordon Butler has his usual upsets, the sudden appearance of an angel in the window of a furniture store captures everyone’s imagination and causes problems for RBPD, and then the worst possible happens—will Stacey and Doug’s wedding take place?

How did your Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series come about as well as the Rocky Bluff PD?

I first became interested in law enforcement when my police officer son-in-law would come to my house after work, have a cup of coffee and tell me what he’d done on his shift. I went on a ride-along with him and with other officers–including a woman who was a single mom. She poured her heart out to me about how tough it was being the only woman in her department.

I interviewed a female resident deputy who lived in the mountain area where I live and about the same time met a Native American woman who’d grown up on the reservation nearby. I sort of combined these women into Deputy Tempe Crabtree.

When we lived in Oxnard, California, which is a beach community, we had several police officers and their families as neighbors. We were all good friends and I observed how the job affected their families and what was going on with the families affected their job. From there came the birth of the Rocky Bluff P.D. located in a small beach community.

Do you feel that ebooks are the wave of the future?

I’ve been electronically published for over ten years. Most e-publishers today publish electronically and in trade-paperback. There have been e-readers around for years, and now with the Sony E-Reader and Amazon’s Kindle, ebooks have really come into their own. Even some of my older books are now on Kindle.

What’s your writing schedule like and how long does it take to write one of your novels?

My goal is to write every morning at least three or four hours. It doesn’t always work out that way because when I have things I need I know have to be done, that weighs heavy on my mind. My writing will work better if I clear my desk–or computer, as the case may be.

I don’t have too many other projects going, I can finish a book in three months. Of course that doesn’t count the rewriting. Most books I usually read to my critique group too, a chapter at a time.

Are you a seat-of-the-pants novelist or do you outline your books? And do you know the ending before you start?

I don’t outline in the true sense of the word, but I start collecting ideas first. Then I decide on characters–who will be the murder victim, if there is one, in the book I’m writing now, I don’t think anyone’s going to die, who the murder could be, usually several folks that had a motive and the opportunity. Then I write something about each of those characters so I can get to know them.

When I start writing I think I know how the book will end, usually the final climax scene, but as I write that often changes. I do keep notes along the way as I think of things I want to put in.

Have you had any strange or humorous events happen while you were researching a book, and do you visit the locations to get a feeling for your settings?

In my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I’m relying on my memories of living near the beach for twenty years. In my book, No Sanctuary, the two churches are similar to ones I’ve gone to in the past–but the ministers are totally made-up. I’ve lived a long time so I can reach back into my experiences for a lot that I write about.

For my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, I’ve done a lot of research about Native American culture and visited the reservation and the casino. My most exciting research happened when I discovered that the Tule River Indians (who I write about but call them a different name) believe in a Big Foot like creature called the Hairy Man and that there are pictographs of him and his family on the reservation. I’ve talked a couple of times to the anthropology class and when I talked to the professor about the pictographs he invited me on a college field trip to see the pictographs. What a wonderful experience! The pictographs are hidden away. To get to them you have to climb down huge slippery boulders. Fortunately, the college kids helped me get down there–and back up. The Tule River Indian who guided us told us some wonderful legends and stories of sightings of the Hairy Man. The Hairy Man is in the Tempe book that was released during the fall of 2009, called Dispel the Mist.

Who most influenced your work?

Once I joined a critique group, about 30 years ago, I met a wonderful author named Willma Gore who helped me more with my writing than any other person. Willma wrote and still writes for all sorts of publications and has had several books published, fiction and non-fiction. She taught me more than any writing class or conference I ever attended.

Favorite author and why?

I have far too many favorites to even list them. Jan Burke has always been one of my favorites. I started with her Irene Kelly series and just kept on reading. I've met her several times, and she's a sweet person as well as a good writer.

Betty Webb is another. She's tackled a social issue that has plagued Arizona and now she's changed gears a bit and started a new, lighter series. I admire her courage--and she's also a nice person.

Some men that I really like to read are William Kent Krueger and James Lee Burke, and I love the way both of them describe settings.

Advice to fledgling writers?

Read what you want to write. Learn the basics of writing. Write every single day. When you are done have someone who knows what to look for edit your book. Join a critique group. And when you have begun the submitting process, start writing another book. Do not let rejections stop you. Over the years I’ve met several gifted writers who got discouraged after one or two rejections. My first book received nearly 30 rejections before it was accepted. Over the years, most of my books have been rejected at least once, some several times. Rewrite when necessary.

Marilyn's website: http://fictionforyou.com
Her Blogs: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com
Stiletto Gang blog: http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com (every Tuesday)
Make Mine Mystery: http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)

Marilyn offers advice to fledgling writers Friday, May 27 at Murderous Musings.

Nancy Pickard Revisited

2011-05-21T07:37:00.000-06:00

Winner of the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Shamus, and Macavity awards, and 4-time Edgar finalist, Nancy Pickard's latest novel, Virgin of the Plains was the Kansas Reads selection for 2009.

Nancy, what happened to your first novel?

It was, thank the publishing gods, rejected by nine wise publishers. It got me an agent, though, so I love it anyway. It was my apprentice novel and no longer exists in any form. Heh.

What was the turning point in your career?

Funny, I've never thought about it like that in terms of my novels, only my short stories. I'm thinking of three turning points:
1. When I moved from original paperback at Avon to hardcover at Scribner, with the wonderful Susanne Kirk as my editor.
2. When Linda Marrow became my editor, first at Pocket and now at Ballantine. We're writing/editing soul mates. I'm very lucky.
3. And for short stories, when I heard a writer say that every short story needs an epiphany. Having not been classically trained as a fiction writer, I'd never heard that before. After that, my stories sold.

Sue Grafton said your nonfiction book, Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path, written with psychologist Lynn Lott, is “fresh, insightful, candid, funny, supportive, encouraging and wise." How did the book come about?

I had met many writers--especially new ones--who seemed lost and alone, sad and confused, bewildered and overwhelmed by the highs and lows of the writer's life. I felt for them, and I wanted to talk to them and let them know we all feel crazy sometimes, and then give them some ideas about how to cope with the emotional roller-coaster.

Why have you written such a variety of mystery subgenres, from cozies to private eye stories, humorous mysteries to psychological suspense?

Two reasons. One, I get bored if I do the same exact thing over and over. Two, in my life I have loved all kinds of books in the mystery world, so I am influenced by all of those kinds of novels and I like to play around with their tropes and charms and quirks.

Tell us about The Virgin of Small Plains, your multi-award winning novel. Why did you set it in Kansas?

I set it here because one day I was hit with the need to write about Kansas forever and always. It's as simple and was as career-altering, as that. I was born on the Missouri side of Kansas City, and moved to this side when I married a Kansas cattle rancher. (Hence, my two books set in the Flint Hills cattle country--Bum Steer and Virgin.) I'm still here and feel completely Kansan now. I love this state, political warts, and all.

Your work has won or been nominated for nearly every existing mystery award. Which means the most to you and have the awards translated into higher book sales?

The awards have helped a lot, I think. As for which awards mean the most, they're the ones that reinforce me after I've tried something new, as for The Whole Truth and for The Virgin of Small Plains. When you disappear for a while to take some chances with your writing, it's reassuring to come back and find that readers appreciate it. The same is true for awards for short stories. For instance, when the first and only fable I've ever written was picked for a Year's Best anthology of Fantasy and Horror stories I was thrilled by the confirmation--from people who really know the genres--that I'd done an okay job of it.

How important are organizations such as Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America to a writer’s career?

I think they're wonderful and I encourage participation. They make you feel part of something larger. They let you give back to the genre that supports you. They're not for everybody, I suppose, but for writers who like to hang out with other writers, they're pretty great.

How did the Jenny Cain series come about?

One day I was in the Asian section of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and I saw an antique Chinese bed with gauzy curtains and a little alcove with seats in it. I thought, "What a great place to find a dead body." Seriously. That's how it started. Not exactly profound, lol.

Tell us about your soon-to-be released novel.

My new “Kansas novel,” coming out in April, is called The Scent of Rain and Lightning. For this book, a different kind of landscape called to me. Instead of the rolling ranch land of the Flint Hills of east and central Kansas, where Virgin is set, now we have a flat land with astonishing stone monuments rising out of it like a natural Stonehenge, only much taller and bigger even than those formations.

On a violently stormy night, in this land of dramatic contrasts, the favorite son of the county’s wealthiest landowners is shot and killed and his young wife disappears. They leave behind a 3-year-old daughter to be raised by her grandparents and uncles. The obvious suspect is quickly caught, convicted, and sent to prison, leaving behind a wife and 7-year-old son. Twenty-three years later, he is released pending a new trial, and returns to the scene of the crimes he may not have committed. The secrets about that night of dramatic change for a family, a town, and a county, are revealed both to his son and to the daughter of the victims, as these two children of tragedy struggle to uncover dangerous truths about their families.

What is your writing schedule like?

I'm a binge writer. When I'm really going at it, it's all I do. I ignore everything else. At other times, I may do nothing writerly at all. Or I may catch up with all of the things I've neglected. Like interviews. :)

Advice to today’s novice writers?

Yes. One, be patient with yourself and your writing. Doctors aren't built in a day, neither are lawyers, neither are plumbers, neither are teachers or truck drivers, and neither are writers. It takes a long time to get good enough to be published. Give yourself that time and try to enjoy it! Two, please please please give yourself time before you start worrying about getting an agent, etc. Write first. Write second. Write third. Finish the manuscript. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Maybe send it out, or maybe start the next one. Time. It takes time Give yourself that time and please don't be so hard on yourself if things don't happen fast for you. Third, care first and always about the writing. The writing. The writing. ::steps off soapbox:: Oh, and read Annie Lamott's fabulous book about writing, Bird By Bird.

Thank you, Nancy, for taking part in the series.

Nancy's blog site is now closed and her website is being redone in preparation for her next Kansas novel, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, which is slated to appear in April, 2010. But if you're curious, she says to visit: http://sweetmysteryoflife.blogspot.com/ and http://nancypickard.com

A Visit with J. D. Webb

2011-05-14T00:01:00.000-06:00

J. D. Webb was thrilled to be included in Susan Whitfield's Killer Recipee anthology, written by fellow mystery authors. He also writes mystery dinner plays as well as his mystery novels.

Dave, tell us about your Killer Recipes and why you enjoy cooking mysterious dishes?

Anytime I can contribute to a cure cancer cause, I try and this was a great way to do it. It's also a great way to try some sumptuous recipes. I'm now learning to cook low-sodium for my wife. We want to avoid another stroke. Hard to give up some of my own concoctions. Seems everything that tastes good has high sodium.

How did your dinner mystery writing come about?

We have a favorite Bed & Breakfast The Fleur de Lys Mansion in St. Louis. The owners have become pseudo family members. When discussing my novels one night they began talking about a dinner mystery they went to. They asked if I had ever done anything like that and finally wondered if I would consider doing one for them. We worked it out and I wrote an exclusive for them, Murder at the Fleur de Lys. Our first performance, I'm narrator and the murder victim, took place in January 2010 and it was a blast. We are doing two more follow-ups and I plan to write one for other B&Bs as well.

How did your novel Smudge come about? And why a female protagonist?

I sometimes get an idea for a character or one in a short story who then demands to be put in a novel. Tish Morgan is one of those I could not resist. Her story captured my attention and I wanted to tell it. A female? Why not? Many authors write cross-gender protagonists so I didn't hesitate. I admit the challenge was daunting to try to get inside the female mind. Fortunately my writing group is populated with 5 strong-minded and competent women. I should share the authorship with them.

Who comprises the Write Stuff? And how have they helped you?

As in the previous answer they are my co-writers, my critique group. A creative writing teacher with ten published novels to her credit, a computer programmer who corrects my plot errors, a former librarian, a former editor at the newspaper, and a media communicator for a major corporation - all instructing me. Having learned the rules of English some fifty years ago, I need them to bring me into this century. I'm so comma-challenged it's pathetic, and they are excellent. My last novel was grammatically clean, I was informed. Of course, I took credit. LOL

Tell us about your writing background?

I've always written. Short stories, essays, contracts and procedures for corporate America, letters of outrage to the newspapers or other media, but never had the chance to put together a novel until "retirement" in 2002. That's when I became whole.

As a resuIt of some high school mischief in 1959 my punishment was being thrown into a creative writing class. It was the best outcome of any mischief I'd ever done and propelled me to continue mischief, seeking further rewards.

What's the best advice you can offer aspiring mystery writers?

Never stop learning your craft, seek out experts and teachers, and most of all get your butt in the chair. I maintain there is no such thing as writer's block. Only the refusal to tackle a tough situation or endure the hardship of concentration. Writing is not easy. If it were everyone would have a book out. One last thing - do not neglect to read. Find out how the great ones do it through examining their work. The lessons are all there. Plotting, character development, settings, suspense tricks, conflicts, dialog. Study them carefully.

How important is writing in your life?

Well, ask me how many times I've missed a meal due to writing - I know my belly may look like never, but trust me I have. I cannot fathom being unable to write. It frustrates me when I have to leave one of my characters in the middle of a situation. Often the dog yowls loudly to go out and I tell her, just a minute. She hates that.

How did the plot lines for your novels, Moon Over Chicago and Her Name is Mommy come about?

Moon Over Chicago was actually the first novel I wrote even though it was the second published. When Shepherd's Pie was accepted I sent my publisher Moon. They accepted it also. Lucky me!! The book is a throw-back and a kind of tribute to all the hard-boiled detective writers of the 30s to the 50s - the golden age of the noir. I put a wise-cracking, not too proficient, amateur detective in Chicago whose day job is cobbler. Fulton Moon (Full Moon for short) has his repair shop, Moonshines, in a bad area of town. And all he wants to do is help a damsel get rid of her abusive husband.

For Her Name Is Mommy, I was thinking about my next novel while sitting on a bench in a busy mall at Christmastime and saw a child on another bench across from me. What idiot would leave a child alone in a busy mall? Fortunately her mother finally appeared from the innards of a store and gathered up the youngster. I got furious and wanted to see that woman punished, so I put her in a book and had her kidnapped. It was great therapy to see her suffer in my book. So Her Name Is Mommy takes place in a Chicago mall at Christmastime. My PI spots a tiny tot sitting alone on a bench across from him, silently crying. No one is around for over 15 minutes. He finds out her mother has been kidnapped and the kidnapper did not spot the little girl. Mike's quest is to find the tot's mommy.

What's the most difficult aspect of writing for you, and the most pleasurable?

Most difficult - editing. And editing. Did I mention editing?

Most pleasurable - Hard to define the most. Absolutely when a publisher says yes I'll make your story a book is one. Or when a reader says she missed getting enough sleep because she couldn't put it down and had to finish it. Or when my fingers can't keep up with the thoughts I'm trying to capture. Or finding a twist at the end of my novel that I had not anticipated. Okay, I'll stop here and not complete the list.

Thank you, Dave.

You can learn more about Dave at his website: http://www.jdwebb.com/ where sample chapters of his novels are available. You can also visit his blog site: http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/ (the second and fourth Monday of the month).

He's also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/jdavewebb

and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdavewebb

A Visit with Barbara D'Amato

2011-05-07T00:01:00.008-06:00

Barbara D'Amato served as 1999-2000 president of Mystery Writers of America and is a past president of Sisters in Crime International. She writes a mystery series starring Chicago freelance investigative reporter Cat Marsala, a series starring Chicago patrol cops Suze Figueroa and Norm Bennis, and standalone novels. Her thriller Foolproof, co-written with Jeanne M. Dams and Mark Richard Zubro, was published in December 2009. Her latest release is Other Eyes.

Barbara, You've held a number of unusual jobs, from assistant tiger handler to teaching mystery writing to Chicago police officers. When and why did you decide to become a writer?

For years, my idea of a perfect day was work all day, make dinner, then read a mystery. Like almost all the mystery writers I know, I finally thought "This looks like fun. I should write one." It's MUCH harder than it looks.

What does the job of crime researcher entail? And how do you conduct research?

I no longer do active crime research for legal cases. Searching old paper files, interviewing police officers and running after witness, videotaping possible routes of fleeing felons--all that is a young person's job. For my fiction, though, I do visit possible crime scenes. Plus, thank goodness for the Internet and Google Earth.

What was the result of your research of the Dr. John Branion murder case?

Dr. John Branion had been convicted of the murder of his wife and was in prison in Illinois when I first met him. His second wife, Shirley, whom he had married while out on bond pending appeal, had seen an article about my husband, Northwestern law professor Tony D'Amato, securing the freedom of a man imprisoned in Mexico. But Tony is an international law specialist, not a criminal law specialist. I looked at the facts of the crime and could see no way for Dr. Branion to have gone home at lunch, shot his wife, then picked up his son at school, visited a friend, and gone back home to discover the body. Let alone the fact that the neighbor in the adjacent apartment heard shots while Dr. Branion was still at the hospital. While new appeal briefs were being written, I started working on what I thought would be a short article on a time alibi that might help the case. It turned into a book that took five years to write--The Doctor, The Murder, The Mystery, published by Noble Press. Dr. Branion was never freed by the system, but I am glad he and his family could know as a result of the research that went into the book that he was innocent.

Tell us about your latest book, Other Eyes.

Blue Eriksen is a forensic archaeologist who became famous, much to her amazement, when her book Goddess became a bestseller. It was scholarly, it had footnotes! She has recently seen evidence that the hallucinogen psilocybin can prevent or cure addiction to many illegal drugs. She is now testing ancient mummies for evidence of the use of hallucinogens in the development of religions. Other Eyes takes her to Peru and to Catalhuyuk in central Turkey, considered the first city in human history. Unknown to her, someone is following her to kill her.

Have you used the research you've conducted for law enforcement agencies as background for your books?

The research I've done on crimes, and the police officers' wonderful stories, get used in my fiction constantly. I wouldn't want to waste such riches.

Are your son and husband involved in your work?

My husband has a wealth of law tales and also keeps me from making mistakes in legal processes. My son Brian has read my stuff since he was in middle school. It was good to have somebody a generation younger to look at it. He would find phrases I thought were the latest thing and draw cornbobs in the margins, meaning "Mom, this is corny." He is now a published author-- Beauty [Delacorte] and In the Courts of the Sun [Dutton]. A wise writer friend once told me that he thought the reason children of writers often became writers was that they know it isn't easy.

How has writing changed your life?

Writing has made it possible for me to go places, meet people, and see processes I never would have otherwise. [Never would have had the nerve otherwise]. It's enriched my life.

Who most influenced your own writing?

Agatha Christie. Nobody else has plotted so cleanly, so crisply, so fairly, and yet so deceptively.

Advice to aspiring writers?

Don't try to jump on a trend. If it takes a year to write a book, then however long to find a publisher, then a year or so to go through editing, copy editing, and so on, the trend may be gone. In any case, your best asset is your own voice.

Thanks for the visit, Barbara.

You can visit Barbara at her website: http://www.barbaradamato.com/ where you can read the first chapter of Other Eyes. She doesn't Tweet but shares a blog site with other Chicago-area writers titled: The Outfit, a Collective.

Louise Penny Revisited

2011-04-30T00:01:00.003-06:00

New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny lives and writes in a small village near Montreal, not far from the U.S. border. Twice the recipient of the Agatha Award and other honors, Louise's latest novel, The Brutal Telling, has just been released and is Barnes and Noble's Main Selection in all 770 stores as well as online.
Louise, you've had a long career as a journalist and radio host in your native Canada. When and why did you decide that you would rather write novels?

Well, I've wanted to write since I was a child, and tried every decade of my life. But the sad fact was, I had nothing to say. I was way too callow and self absorbed. And while I feigned interest in others, I really wasn't listening. These are not promising traits for a writer.

There's a wonderful line from Auden's elegy to Yeats in which he writes, 'Mad Ierland hurt him into poetry.' How searing, how true must that have been? And I feel the same was true of me. Not poetry, of course, but writing. I was finally buffeted and bruised and hurt enough by life that I started to empathise with and feel the pain of others. I understood loss and sorrow and aching loneliness. What it felt like to make dreadful mistakes. And what it felt like to be forgiven. And to forgive. And to love with all my heart. How friendship really felt.

And then I was ready to write.

Your work has taken you from Toronto to Thunder Bay to Winnipeg, Quebec City and Montreal. Have any of those cities served as a backdrop for your books?

My books are actually set, for the most part, in the fictional village of Three Pines, which is south of Montreal, near the border with Vermont. It's the area of Quebec I live in, called the Eastern Townships. However, Chief Inspector Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie live in Montreal, so I'm able to use my familiarity with that gorgeous city. And my next book - out in 2010 - will be set in Quebec City.

I know that you’re a fellow dog lover. Have canines inhabited your novels?

Yes! I love writing about dogs, and have given almost every character, including Clara and the Gamaches, dogs. Clara has a Golden Retriever, like us - and the Gamaches have a German Shepherd. Both are adoption dogs. Indeed, my latest book, The Brutal Telling, is dedicated to our local no-kill shelter.

What did you find the most difficult when you made the transition from journalism to fiction?

There were actually a lot of challenges. In radio journalism I was used to a story being half a page long. Just the fact. No plot, no character development. Few adjectives. I was convinced that when I set out to write my novel it would be a page and a half long. What I found quite easy, though, was dialogue, since when I wrote for radio I wrote for the spoken word. And I had 20 years of listening closely to how people talk.

Did marrying later in life influence your work in any way?

Certainly finding love influenced it. My books are about murder and the terror that comes from a crime of such violation, but mostly they're about love. My husband is the first and only man I have loved. With all my heart. I know how Reine-Marie loves Gamache, and he her, because of how I feel. And Michael has also served as an inspiration for Gamache - a mature man, who is happy and content. Not because he's never known sorrow, but because he knows exactly how terrible the world can be, and chooses to stand in the light anyway.

What’s the best part of mystery writing and the worst? And what's your writing schedule like?

One of the great things about a career hosting a daily live radio show is I learned discipline. And perseverance. Two qualities I think are more important even than creativity. I write from January through until the book is finished...generally eight months for a first draft and re-writes. Though I am thinking of a book, and making notes, for about a year before I actually start writing.

Everyday I write at least 1,000 words. Even if they're stinkers...I can always take them out afterward. But I know myself. I can be very, very lazy. So I can't afford to even think about flagging!

In terms of mystery writing, there are so many great things beginning I think with the community of writers, editors, booksellers, bloggers like Jean and of course, readers. It is unbelievably supportive. What a relief not to be around people who smile to your face but stick a knife in when your back is turned.

And the people who read mysteries are the best! Genuinely interested in other cultures, in emotions. They're smart and thoughtful.

There really isn't a downside to writing mysteries--not that I've seen.Though the slight thorn might be when people - some other writers and some readers-look down on the books as 'simply genre' and don't see the depth and power of a well-written mystery. It saddens me a bit, and sometimes it angers me. But mostly I don't notice.

How did you celebrate your first New York bestseller?

First, I shrieked! My publisher and editor called on a conference call from New York to tell me. But Andy Martin, the great publisher at Minotaur, started by saying, 'Do you know why we're calling?'

I, of course, immediately presumed the book, A Rule Against Murder, which had just come out, was such a failure they were about to fire me. And it took two to do it.

When he said, 'You've made the New York Times Bestseller list!' I think there was a moment of silence - then a scream. Poor Michael, in another room, came running. Wow. I will never, ever forget that feeling. Then Michael took me out - we were in Quebec City researching an upcoming book--to a wonderful restaurant for dinner.

Advice to fledgling writers?

Believe in yourself. Never give up. Make sure your 'critic' isn't trying to write the first draft. And a bit of advice I got from an editor who turned down my first book. He said, 'New writers commonly make three mistakes, and you've made all three. The book is too long, too many characters and too many ideas.' I decided he was right. I'd tried to put everything I'd ever learned or thought into that first book. Every character I'd wanted to write showed up. And as a result, it was WAY too long.

But mostly, never forget what a privilege it is to write. I once heard a writer, after she'd won a huge award (not a mystery writer) say that writing is the hardest thing you can do. And I thought, Good Lord, has the woman never waited tables for minimum wages, serving people who sneer at her? Does she realize there are coal miners, daycare workers, teachers, firefighters, doctors who sit by sick children.

Writing is a blessing and a gift, and if you forget it you might win awards, but lose yourself.

Tell us about The Brutal Telling.

It's set in Three Pines. A man is found murdered in the local bistro. In the search for his killer, and the identity of the dead man, Gamache finds a cabin buried in the woods, he finds antiquities, first editions, a man presumed dead but very much alive. He travels across the continent, then finally back to where it began. In Three Pines. The book is about greed, avarice. And what we would do if offered everything we've ever wanted...and all we'd need to do is betray a friend.

What is your work in progress?

I'm writing a novella for literacy in Canada, though it'll be available in the United States and Britain.It's aimed at adult emerging readers, and is a Chief Inspector Gamache novel. It's quite challenging because while the words and wording must be clear and simple, the thoughts, emotions and ideas are complex.

Thank you for taking part in the series, Louise.

Louise's website: http://www.louisepenny.com/ and her blog site: http://www.louisepenny.blogspot.com/

A Visit with Maggie Bishop

2011-04-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

Maggie Bishop's mysteries are set in the Appalachian Mountains and revolve around hiking, skiing, horseback riding, adventure and romance.

Maggie, you’ve been touted as an Appalachian Agatha Christie and chosen as one of East Carolina University’s Incredible Women. How have the honors shaped your writing life?

Well, after the champagne celebration, I decided to concentrate on “giving back” by teaching writing workshops. When I attended workshops given by members of Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, I bought their books but couldn’t find a way to express my appreciation for the knowledge and direction given in the craft of writing. Since I could not repay the individual teachers, I’m passing on the favor with the workshops.

How did your Appalachian Mystery Series come about?

Appalachian Adventures started with romance, then turned to murder. The original concept was 4 books, 4 male cousins, 4 seasons and 4 different sports. I had to get the romance out of my system. “Appalachian Paradise” is romance and backpacking. “Emeralds in the Snow” is romance, downhill skiing and a cold case mystery. Murder at Blue Falls, my third novel (3rd male cousin, 3rd season and 3rd sport – horseback riding) changed everything. My publisher, Ingalls Publishing Group, fell in love with the two main characters and the following books are based on the fictional Blue Falls Guest Ranch in the real Triplett Valley outside the real cozy mountain town of Boone, NC.

You’ve won a number of other awards. Which means the most to you?

Being declared one of “100 Incredible ECU Women” for literature and leadership helped me acknowledge that mystery writing is a worthwhile endeavor. Making up something that others enjoy reading can be difficult, especially when that little voice says “this is awful.” I’m honored that East Carolina recognized my work.

You blog at Write Now! With Maggie and are a member of the Dames of Dialogue team. How important is blogging to a writer’s career?

It plays a strong role in keeping my name and titles in the public viral landscape. The Dames (there are five of us) of Dialogue interview authors and celebrities and host guest bloggers. It is another way we can “give back” to the writers and entertain the readers.

Have you found that online book promotions or speaking engagements are more effective when it comes to getting your name and work before the public?

Ah, Jean, wish I could pick one. My best paperback book sales are at craft fairs. I live deep in the mountains with the nearest city an hour and a half away. Since Boone is a tourist destination (skiing, hiking, biking, climbing), craft fairs are popular. The beauty of online is that potentially more people can find out about my books from the comfort of their home. My e-book sales are increasing since the price of each book is now at $2.99 (less than a latte) in anticipation of the release of my latest mystery. When another popular author interviews me (thank you, Jean), it helps sales in both categories. In today’s publishing environment, both internet and in person appearances are important.

Tell us about your soon-to-be released novel, One Shot Too Many.

This time Detective Tucker is the main character and we find out more about his past. Yesterday's regret; today's deadly fix.

Impulsive acts during emotional upheavels from the past return to haunt, ending in the death of a photo-journalist near the cozy mountain town of Boone, NC. Detective Tucker must deal with his past while investigating the secrets of suspects determined to keep from facing their own histories. Jemma Chase, trail-ride leader and CSI wannabe, follows clues, even though her interference may cost Tucker his job. “One Shot Too Many” ... suspects a-plenty for Detective Tucker when someone kills the newspaper photographer who took one too many photos. Everyone has something to hide. The nurse – too many injections. The judge -- too many attempts. The retired army man – too many guns. And then there’s the dental hygienist with too many ejac – lovers, the grandmother who loves too much, the sports medicine professor who drinks too much. When Tucker’s own past comes back to haunt, Jemma Chase, his CSI wannabe girlfriend, has to make a choice.

Advice to fledgling writers.

Just write the story and give yourself permission to be bad on the first draft. Play with it. Keep asking “what if?” Enjoy the flow and agony of the lines you create.

What would you be doing if not a writer?

See the USA! We’d like to spend a month in each state to hike and explore the National and State Parks, to eat the local favorite foods, to see how people decorate their yards, to listen to the cadence of speech, to feel how people react to strangers. I’m itching to experience other places.

The most influential writer in your life?

I come from a family of readers so picking one author is impossible. For learning the craft, I salute Romance Writers of America. The craft workshops gave me the courage to embark on a life of writing.

Thanks, Maggie, for stopping by.

You can visit Maggie at her webpage: maggiebishop1.tripod.com as well as her blogs:
Workshops Write Now! with Maggie
Blog Dames of Dialogue
Book Trailers YouTube
She's also on Facebook and Twitter