Writers in Residence

Weight Loss for Writers, or How I Trim Ugly Fat from My Manuscripts by Jackie Houchin

2010-09-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've followed up on those cool ideas for articles (part I). I've conducted my interviews, checked my facts and written my piece (part II). Now I'm ready to submit my story (along with the invoice, of course) and wait for my check to arrive, right?

Wrong!

There's one more step to take before I hit that "SEND" button. I must get out the scale and weigh my chubby little darling. What I usually discover is not pretty. My manuscript is not the lean, fit article I thought it was. There are double chins, love handles, and soft, flabby appendages. Eek! Now what?

Editing, like dieting and exercise, is not fun, but if I want a story tough enough to make it to publication, I must be ruthless.

Portion Control

The first thing I check is Word Count. Whether it's a magazine guideline or an editor stipulation, I usually know the approximate number of words I can use. Mystery Scene Magazine limits reviews to 250 words. Some newsletters want no more than 400. The local newspapers I write for stipulate 600-700 words for articles, with an occasional "feature" story at 1,000-1,500.

Microsoft Word 2007 keeps a running count at the bottom of the document window. It also gives an accurate character/word/sentence count in its "grammar check" feature. I have no excuse for word count bulge.

If I'm only slightly over, I do a quick scan for superfluous words ("tiny little" to "tiny"). If I've switched words, I make sure I've eliminated the previous one (I drove the my car). Of the 15 times I used the word "just" I take out all but one.

Hyphenations change two words into one, so do contractions if the tone of the piece allows it. This is not exactly cheating.

Sentences average about 10 words, so if I can cut one word from each sentence, I've reduced my count by 10 percent. (I usually shoot for 20 percent.)

If I'm way over count, major surgery is required. I view the piece as a whole and consider where I can condense or cut entire paragraphs. I'm always surprised when this makes my article stronger. (Imagine how great you would feel if you could loose 15 pounds of fat overnight!)

Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs

Okay, my article is now comfortably within the allowed word count. Is it ready to submit? Not quite. While I have my red pencil out (finger hovering over the DELETE key) I review it once more, this time checking the "nutritional" value of my words.

I look for cliches ("pretty as a picture"), delaying words ("It seems that..."), redundancies ("I thought to myself," "large in size"), and grand phrases (Institute of higher learning" instead of "college.")

I change empty calories into powerhouse protein; "a dead body" is upgraded to "a corpse;" "he said in a loud voice" to "he shouted;" "dark golden horse" to "Palomino;" and "really very funny" to "hilarious."

I exchange fat for fiber (the passive "was meeting" becomes the active "met"), and remove bloated descriptive words (some adjectives, most adverbs). Away with those unhealthy words and phrases! I want fat-burning, muscle-building prose!

Lean at last!

Editing is not easy. It hurts to cut away words and phrases (or paragraphs) that I thought at first were brilliant. I do it because I want my articles to be published. If I want clips, creds, and checks, I have to work (and re-work) at it. As they say, "No pain, no gain."

Wait, was that a cliche? Darn!

Interview with Author Hugo Cipriani

2010-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

We are honored to have as our final guest on Writers in Residence the indomitable Hugo Cipriani, an inspiration to us all. While many writers worry that it may be too late to start a career, Mr. Cipriani released his first book at 94 years of age, making the rest of us sound like whiners! And, yes, he does get out there and do book signings, including at the Los Angeles Time Festival of Books!

Va Fa Sa” is the name of your first book. What does this mean, and why did you choose this as the title?

The Italian words Va Fa Sa translate simply as “you go, you do, you know”. Struggling to become a student at UCLA, I realized the wisdom of You Go--Courage first, Action follows.

You Do --Confronted by new conditions, you do what you have to do to surmount all obstacles. You Know--With new confidence and knowledge you know why this proverb is true.

Would you tell us what your book is about?

The memoir explains why I left home in 1934 and had to leave again in 1938. My fateful first departure on Sunday, September 9th may strike readers with disbelief. But the second departure on Tuesday, August 2nd, was believable and more significant. My story unfolds with the fateful events that lead me to overriding truths. Infused with courage and a new confidence I surmount hardships in the Great Depression.

Can you tell us how you came to start a new career as an author so late in life?

At age 88, I was diagnosed with cardiac heart failure. My doctor had recommended open heart surgery but I hesitated due to my advanced age and diabetes. With my life ebbing I got a sudden urge to write. I wanted to explain how my leaving home led to Va Fa Sa and my happiness at UCLA.

After typing a couple pages I was rushed to the hospital for surgery -- a quadruple by-pass. While convalescing I returned to typing my first chapter, completing it in September, 2001. I was surprised when my grandson, Daniel Lowe, informed me that he put my chapter on his website and I was astonished that it made a “hit” with my family, friends and strangers. They encouraged me to continue writing. Four years later, with 18 chapters completed in 2005, it was prudent to close the memoir with my enlistment in the Navy. Still young at 29, my book’s title became “Va Fa Sa: A Young Man’s memoir”.

Personnel Addendum:

“My writing” began in 1934, after I left home. Writing letters became an obsession. In California, I had “free postage” during my stay in Camp Cummoche and in a CCC camp. I wrote profusely to family, relatives and friends and later, even more so, while at UCLA, Lockheed, and in the Navy. In writing those letters, I now realize, I began the writing of my Va Fa Sa memoir.

Note from WinR: You can find Va Fa Sa at Amazon.com, Independent Bookstores, and Barnes & Noble.

Interview with Cheryl Malandrinos of Pump Up Your Book

2010-08-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. A regular contributor to Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A member of Musing Our Children, Ms. Malandrinos is also the Editor in Chief of the group's quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens.

Cheryl is also a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book, a book reviewer, and blogger. Her first children's book will be released in 2010 by Guardian Angel Publishing. Ms. Malandrinos lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband, two children, and three cats. She also has a married son.

You can find Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.tripod.com/

Cheryl, could you tell us about yourself and what Pump Up Your Book does for authors?

Thanks for having me as a guest on your blog today. I’m honored to be here. I am a freelance writer, copy editor, and perhaps by the time this interview appears, I’ll be able to add published author to that list. My first children’s book, The Little Shepherd Boy, is due out this month.

My main source of income, however, is as a virtual book tour coordinator for Pump Up Your Book (formerly Pump Up Your Book Promotion). Authors contract us to set up blog tours to promote their books. Whether the books are new releases or the authors are looking to draw attention to an older release, they hire us to send them on a journey around the blogosphere to create an online buzz for their books.

How many blogs can an author expect to be on during a tour, and how long does the average tour last?

This differs per company, but Pump Up Your Book offers a variety of tour packages at affordable prices. Authors can tour for two-weeks, which would be stops at 10 – 12 blogs, or they can tour up to two months, which means they would appear on 30 or more blogs. The most popular package I sell is the Gold package, which is a one month tour with 20 blog stops.

At what point in the book’s publication should a writer be thinking about setting up a blog tour?

While it is an excellent idea to research virtual book tour companies months before your book’s release, approximately two months before copies of the book are available will be the time to sign up for a virtual book tour. By this time you should have an idea of who you would be most comfortable working with, what is expected of you and what the company will provide. This should also give you time for bloggers to receive copies of the book to review. It takes a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks to put together a successful virtual book tour.

What are the advantages and benefits of a blog tour as opposed to a book store tour?

I’m not an either or type of person. I feel authors need to look at their marketing budgets and decide where their money is best spent. I have three events planned within the first few months of my book’s release, and I am coordinating a virtual book tour to expand my reach.

That said, virtual book tours allow authors to easily find readers beyond their local area. In our current economic situation, one of the largest advantages of a virtual book tour is that you don’t have to spend money on gas, a new set of clothes, and hotels. No one knows if you’re checking your blog stops from your kitchen table in your robe with your hair sticking out like you just jammed a fork in an electrical outlet.

Consumers are busy people. Many people buy more products online than in stores. Amazon is my best friend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I rarely step into a mall during the holiday season. Authors need to go where the buyers are. A virtual book tour gets you and your book into search engines so potential readers can find you. Bloggers have loyal followings. If they recommend your book, it’s just as good as their next door neighbor telling them how wonderful some new product is.

The other great advantage to a virtual book tour is its longevity. Readers can find out about your book months after your virtual book tour is over. Tours are also an excellent way to network. Bloggers are some of the nicest folks out there. If they like your book, they’ll tell everybody about it!

How can an author judge a blog tour’s success?

Obviously, authors are looking at sales numbers. If I don’t sell a boatload of books while on a virtual book tour, then it can’t be a success. Right?

The objective of a virtual book tour, like any marketing tool, is to help you create a brand and let people know about your product. Virtual book tours do this by splashing your name all over the Internet, putting you in touch with markets you wouldn’t easily reach unless you’re online. If you can type your name or the book’s title into Google and have your blog stops come up within the first three pages of results—the only ones most readers look at—then your tour is a success. If you’ve gotten some reviews you can post on your website or use blurbs from in a press release, then your virtual book tour is a success. If you’ve networked with bloggers who are willing to help you promote your next release, then your tour is a success. Yes, the ultimate goal is sales, but spending time to create that brand must come first.

How can an author get in contact with your company?

Authors can visit our website at www.pumpupyourbook.com If they go to the “Book Your Tour” tab they will find our current offerings and fee schedule. There is a contact form on our website. I can be directly reached at cg20pm00(at)gmail(dot)com.

Thank you so much for taking the time!

Thanks again for letting me discuss virtual book tours with your readers. When I began working for Pump Up Your Book three years ago, virtual book tours were the wave of the future. Now, like cell phones and social media, it seems we can’t imagine life without them. Like e-Books, they aren’t half as scary as they seemed when they first came out. They help put authors in touch with readers all over the world!

Just a note: Cheryl will be on A Writer's Jumble this fall when her first children's book is released!

Interview with Author Pam Ripling

2010-08-23T04:10:00.000-07:00

Pam Ripling as Anne Carter

While romantic mystery and suspense are her favorites, Anne has written middle grade mysteries, literary shorts, poetry and non-fiction. Long a lighthouse fanatic, it was only a matter of time before her obsessions intersected and a series of lighthouse novels emerged. Paranormal elements abound in both POINT SURRENDER and CAPE SEDUCTION, where mystery, romance and troubled ghosts provide hauntingly entertaining tales set in California lighthouses. A member of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles, her short story Just Like Jay (written under author name Pam Ripling) appears in their newest anthology, MURDER IN LA LA LAND.

When she is not writing, editing or promoting, Anne enjoys time with her husband and children, two happy dogs and a psychotic cat. She is a skilled photo editor and loves restoring old snapshots and creating digital slideshows. Watch for the third paranormal lighthouse mystery, ANGEL'S GATE, coming soon!

For more about Anne Carter and to read excerpts, visit www. BeaconStreetBooks.com or write AnneCarter@BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Cape Seduction is your most recent romantic suspense released under the pseudonym of Anne Carter. Can you tell us a little about the plot?

How's this:

1948. Post war, recovery. Hollywood was wooing back the public with blockbusters like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo and The Three Musketeers. The beautiful people were “seen” at the Brown Derby and held their not-so-secret trysts at Chateau Marmont. They drove fishtail-finned Caddies and flew in the luxurious Douglas DC-6.

Darla Foster wanted to be in pictures. Just 21, she worked the circles, attached herself to the arm of any available actor with connections. On this night, March 20, 1948, one of her dreams came true as she sat at Sid Grauman’s Chinese Theatre watching Hollywood’s brightest accept their coveted Oscar statuettes. Later, at the Derby with her date, she met one of Tinsel Town’s favorite sons: the suave, slick headliner, Jordan Kent.

Darla’s life was about to take a sudden left turn as she found herself cast in Jordan’s next big film, about star-crossed lovers, a lighthouse and murder. Exciting fantasy or true life?

In 2008, photojournalist Rebecca Burke can't just walk away after experiencing the lingering pain and heartache surrounding the abandoned, off-short beacon on Dragon Rock.

In Cape Seduction, you travel back and forth between present day and 1948, and the latter includes a lot of authentic detail. Where did you go for your research on forties Hollywood?

I grew up in North Hollywood, California – just a short drive from the studios that made Hollywood famous. I hung out, with my girlfriends, anxiously hoping to glimpse a famous face now and then. So I was already a movie buff by the time I started writing books. Of course, the internet is a tremendous resource for any author. Finding out what it was like to be a person of affluence during the post-war years was lots of fun. Many, if not most, of the locales mentioned in the book are still in existence. The trick is to embed those details without committing the sin of an "info dump." The reader has to experience the era, not be inundated with impressive but useless facts. The aura of 1940's Hollywood can be subtly created through bits of character dialogue, nuances of setting, recognizable events, etc.

Once again, the story revolves around a Lighthouse. Could you give us some background on the story’s Dragon Rock Lighthouse? And what makes you choose a particular lighthouse for each book?

Dragon Rock is a fictional name, but the lighthouse that inspired the setting for CAPE SEDUCTION is St. George Reef Lighthouse, located off the coast of Crescent City, California. I could write volumes about this intriguing beacon. When I first discovered its remote, lonely existence, I immediately went into author-mode. I thought about how scary it would be out there, surrounded by angry seas, all alone and fearful that no one would ever come back. I read everything I could get my hands on, interviewing others who had actually been to St. George Reef (including one of the last Coast Guard lighthouse keepers ), hoping to authenticate my story.

My previous lighthouse story, POINT SURRENDER, deals with a completely fictional lighthouse I placed somewhere near Big Sur, California. But in my mind, I saw it as looking much like Heceta Head Lighthouse near Yachats, Oregon, a classically beautiful, cliff-hugging sentinel that has a rich history and is said to be haunted.

Were you passionate about lighthouses before you started including them in your stories?

Absolutely. In fact, I don't know why it took me so long to incorporate them into my work! I've loved them forever, visited many, and collected numerous knick-knacks and all sorts of lighthouse memorabilia. I am also a member of the United States Lighthouse Society.

Congratulations are in order! Your short story, Just Like Jay, is in the newly released Murder in La-La Land anthology by Sisters in Crime. How much time do you dedicate to short stories?

None, actually. When I heard the criteria for this submission, it sounded like fun—a murder mystery that involves nuances specific to Los Angeles. I did it as a lark, didn't really expect to be chosen, and I was. I started out writing short stories many years ago but stopped in favor of full-length fiction. The anthology has sparked new interest, however, and I'm thinking of revisiting this fun form of fiction.

You write Young Adult fiction under Pam Ripling. Do you have any new Pam Ripling books in the works?

I have one middle grade reader published, titled LOCKER SHOCK!, about a boy and the gun he finds in his middle school locker. I wrote a second, OLD ENOUGH, that involves the same group of friends. I have not submitted it, however. I've found it extremely difficult to support two personas, two very different genres, simultaneously. I'm not sure at the moment what I will do about that!

Could you tell us what’s next for Anne Carter?

I've just begun the third lighthouse mystery. This one will center on Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouse, also known as "Angel's Gate," and the portion that deals with the past will probably concern the California coast during World War II. This will be the first time I write about a real lighthouse using its real name. Angel's Gate is set to begin a $1.8 million dollar restoration project, and I'm hoping to get the opportunity to visit this not-open-to-the-public beacon that sits at the end of the breakwater in our harbor. (See my lighthouse blog for a stunning photo of this lighthouse.)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

My pleasure! Thank you for having me. I so enjoy this blog and am thrilled with the opportunity to stop over.

Note that Pam will appear on "A Writer's Jumble" on September 10th.

Interview with Robert Fate

2010-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Robert Fate has written scripts for network TV, screenplays for features, produced an indie feature, and as a sp/fx technician won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. A Marine Corps vet, he studied at the Sorbonne in France, worked as a TV cameraman and an oilfield roughneck in Oklahoma, a fashion model in NYC, a sales exec in Las Vegas, and a chef in L.A. His wife Fern is a yoga enthusiast and ceramic artist. Their fabulous daughter Jenny is a senior at USC. They live in Silver Lake in L.A., and have a dog, four cats, and a turtle named Pharrell.

Welcome, Robert!

After four Baby Shark novels, you decided to write a stand-alone with a male protagonist. Why step away from something that’s working so well? And was this a nerve-wracking decision?

You know, Jackie, it never occurred to me that I was stepping away from anything. There was a story I wanted to tell, I’d finished Jugglers at the Border, and it seemed like the right time to do it. I am already at work on the next Baby Shark, an idea I’ve had for awhile about a grass widow who needs Kristin’s help. There may be some gunplay in this one––I can’t promise, but maybe.

Your question is interesting, though. I wonder how many other readers are concerned about a two-year pause between Baby Shark books? I’m crazy about Kristin, Otis, and Henry and the rest of the gang and am really looking forward to being with them again. Something has to be done about Henry’s loneliness, something more than dogs and chickens can solve. So, I’m thinking about that. And Kristin has to shoot more pool––lots of emails about that. And Otis had some big decisions to make at the end of Jugglers––how is that going to turn out?

Anyway, so, yeah, I’ve taken a little chance here by taking some time and telling a story off to the side. Will my readers accept it? We’ll see. Perhaps this chat will draw some comments.

Was it difficult to get into the head of a new character? Did you have to keep double-checking to make sure the voice wasn’t that of Kristin Van Dijk?

You wouldn’t think that would be an issue, but you’ve hit on something, Jackie. The biggest challenge I had with Erik Lamar, the gigolo, was to keep him from becoming too tough. Kristin learned to fight in order to survive, and she came back from her training as one tough cookie. Erik is not a tough guy. He’s a smooth operator who knows how to please a woman. When ruthless thugs confront him, he has to learn on the job or die. He’s clever and resourceful, but has some weaknesses when it comes to women.

Here is copy that may end up on the book cover – whether it does or doesn’t, it can give you a quick overview right now of what’s happening in Kill the Gigolo:

Gangster Al Foley has a grudge to settle and only the head of Erik Lamar will even the score. The Irish Mob is given an assignment: kill the gigolo. When the mutilated corpse of Erik's friend, Freddy, is found dumped in the street, Erik gets the warning--what happened to Freddy is a Girl Scout demerit compared to what is planned for him. But first, they have to catch him. One step ahead of Foley's thugs, the smooth-talking ladies man flies off to Mexico, thinking he has traded terror for a life of leisure with a rich older woman who likes bad boys like Erik. But it's not so easy. Lies and deceit become his way of life in the tropics, and in no time losing his head to the mob becomes the least of his worries.

You’re moving to New York City for your new novel, a big change from Oklahoma. Can you tell us a little bit about “Kill the Gigolo”? And will it be set in present day or in the past like the Baby Shark series?

I used to live in Manhattan. I had apartments on west 8th in the village, and on 75th just off Central Park West during the sixties when I was writing stage plays and working as a fashion model to pay the rent. In the early eighties, when I was a writer for a daytime show for CBS (Search For Tomorrow), my wife and I lived in a garden apartment in Chelsea. I would love to have work that would take us back to New York. We were happy there and would return in a flash. So, setting the early portion of Kill the Gigolo in Manhattan was an easy task. After years of living there, it was a pleasure setting the scenes and creating New York characters.

Unlike the Shark series that is set in the 1950’s in Texas and Oklahoma, Gigolo is present day with cell phones and modern transportation. Writing Gigolo was a real departure from what I’ve been accustomed to writing the past five years, and yes, thinking for a man instead of a young woman was a tricky challenge. It was strange, as I mentioned before, to be writing a man who is not as tough as the woman I write for in the Shark series. But, as I also mentioned, he learns on the job.

There are scenes in New York, and in Boston, but most of the story takes place on the west coast of Mexico in a fictional location called Los Acantilados, where an enclave of wealthy ex-pats have their villas that overlook the ocean from mountainous properties carved from the jungle. It is in that environment that Erik faces his most dangerous challenges.

One of the biggest differences between Kristin, the protagonist of the Shark series, and Erik in Kill the Gigolo, is their worldview. Kristin may do some violent things––in fact, she often does violent things, but without exception, the bad things she does are against bad people and in the defense of good. Erik is a different animal. Though it is not his nature to be violent, he finds himself capable of that when it’s called for. Kristin is concerned about what she is and what she might become if she keeps killing, but Erik seldom concerns himself with the rights or wrongs of his lifestyle. He sees himself as a businessman, pure and simple. But his customers identify him in the manner most comfortable to them––as a friend, an escort, a date, or a hired lover––and the mob sees him as a target.

Here was the thing, Jackie, in order to write this character, I felt I had to understand how he operated. I wasn’t at all certain that I was so different from my readers – how many of us have met or even know that much about gigolos? My friend Bruce Cook says I should fess-up that I worked as one in my younger days. I deny that. But okay, what do we know? A gigolo is a man who is paid to please women, but besides being handsome and a good lover, what are some of the details of that occupation in a day-to-day sense? So, to deal with those unknowns, I created back-story, material that I knew would not end up in the book, but rather would paint a picture that could help me know my protagonist. Here is a tiny bit of the tons of back-story I created to help me write Erik Lamar, the gigolo:

Erik knows how to exchange glances with successful middle-aged professional women who recognize at once what he is about. Especially women flying into the city on business––brief visits that afford them little more than the time to “window shop.”

He knows where to be in order to be seen. Realists only may apply.

Most often, the ones interested in him are women accustomed to running the show. If Erik is something they want they record his number in their Blackberries.

As his database grows, calls from out of town have become routine from clients who invite him to meet them on their turf, usually at hotels near airports in their cities. Commonly, his business is conducted in an evening, and it is not unusual for him to catch the redeye home, but he never rushes. Hurrying will not gain him referrals. His clients set the pace.

“I’m a friend of…” referral phone calls invariably begin. “She says you’re sometimes over our way…” or something like that. But it never takes them long to get to the point.

There is a bravura shared by the women who come to him via referral. He is sight unseen for them. They are taking their friend’s word in reference to every aspect of the rendezvous they’re requesting, and there is no room for timidity. Arrangements and rules of play need to be spelled out and costs agreed upon.

The beginnings to the relationships with Erik, the “referrals”––as he makes note of them in his appointment book––are candid. What do they expect of him? What do they think they’re paying for? The quid pro quo nature of the deal. That is his opportunity to weed out the strange women with weird ideas. He doesn’t play games. He’s a bit old-fashioned, in that respect.

Erik is sensitive to a woman’s preferences and knows by her response when he’s pleasing her. Some are outspoken, of course, and make it clear what they desire. Those women are always the repeaters. They’re eager to get to know him better. A few back-to-back visits usually get that crazy need out of their systems, and they settle into a more rational schedule. His fees are such that unless a woman has a sizable amount of expendable income, seeing him too often can trigger the attention of their accountants. It is to everyone’s advantage for him to remain beneath the radar.

For Erik the out of town visits are bread and butter, like a doctor’s routine––see me again in six weeks or whatever, and with the repeats and the constant addition of new clients, his business is growing nicely. And, since the out of town work is virtually invisible to his Manhattan clientele, he never seems overbooked, or too busy, and remains credibly “fresh” to the more demanding.

Though this Gigolo character may not be the easiest protagonist to like, he does live an intriguing existence and his story is exciting to follow. He gets deeper and deeper into trouble in his attempt to avoid capture by the mobsters, and the people and situations he encounters while on the run are exhilarating. The story is noir in the classical sense, that is to say, the protagonist is unsavory, and those characters he takes up with along the way are not much better––in fact, most are far worse. Kill the Gigolo is crime drama.

My hope is that readers will enjoy the ride.

I understand that Baby Shark is going celluloid! Which book was optioned? Can you tell us about this process? And do you have an actress in mind for the role of Kristin? (Even though we all know that by the time Hollywood is done with it, the role will be played by Betty White.)

Baby Shark was under option to a Hollywood producer for eighteen months, beginning in the spring of 2008 and ending late in the year 2009. The producer, acting in good faith, attempted to garner financing during a very tough economic period, wasn’t successful, and decided against renewing the option. Another producer, who had shown strong interest in Baby Shark and was waiting in the wings, negotiated briefly for an option, but because of other commitments decided against going forward. So, as of this date, Baby Shark is available if the motion picture industry should come calling again. Having worked in the industry for many years, I was not surprised by any of the above. Seeing a book into film is a tough and tangled process. What a writer can hope for is the first sale. After that, things often flow with more ease for subsequent properties. However, selling to Hollywood will never be without the difficulties that define Hollywood. It’s just that it’s easier once someone has stepped up. “New” makes producers nervous––note all the sequels.

What are you working on next? And if “Kill the Gigolo” is as successful as the Baby Shark series, will you consider turning that into a series?

I believe Kill the Gigolo is a story that should stand on its own––no series is anticipated.

As mentioned above, another Kristin Van Dijk story will be next. When the widow of a long-ago friend of Otis’ shows up desperate for help, Kristin and the gang find themselves up against some heavy odds in their attempt to make something go right that has gone terribly wrong.

I have enjoyed working on a stand-alone, but I’m anxious to return to the world of Baby Shark.

Thank you for being with us.

And thank you, Jacqueline. It has been a pleasure visiting with you.

Interview with Author Darrell James

2010-08-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Darrell James is a California writer living in Pasadena. His short stories have appeared in numerous mystery magazines and book anthologies, and have garnered a number of awards. Most recently, The Art of Avarice, as appearing in the book anthology Politics Noir was a 2009 Derringer finalist. Darrell is highly visible among his peers, serving on the Board of Directors of Sisters In Crime/LA, and as an Active member of the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writer’s of America. His personal odyssey to publication appears in the Writer’s Digest book HOW I GOT PUBLISHED, along with J.A. Jance, David Morrell, Clive Cussler, and other notable authors.

Darrell, after much success with short stories (several awards and high placement in competitions, inclusion in anthologies and the release of your own collection) you signed a three book deal with Midnight Ink for a mystery series. Congratulations!

Can you tell us about your sleuth and the first book in the series?

My series centers around a very determined young female protagonist named Del Shannon who works for Desert Sands Covert in Tucson, AZ., an investigative firm that specializes in finding missing persons (some who my not want to be found). Written as thrillers, each book sends Del on a dangerous assignment, while dealing with life and love and happiness. (I try to pick intriguing themes and unusual settings for the conflict.)

In book one, having already developed a reputation as being good at finding people, Del goes in search of her own mother—a mother she’s never known. Her search leads her to the clannish community of Nazareth Church, deep in the hills of Kentucky, where she encounters the fabled faith healer Silas Rule. Dark secrets and malevolent conspiracies surround the man and her mother’s past. There’s love and some sexual intrigue along the way. But, can Del survive the ordeal and find her mother?...

I guess I’ll say here… only time (and story endings) will tell.

You are now in that waiting period between signing the contract and holding the book in your hands; your novel will come out in September of 2011. What are some ways that authors can make good use of the time leading up to the release date?

There’s a lot to do actually: Marketing and promotional campaigns plan are a major part of an author’s work. Of course, books 2, 3 and beyond also need to be written. No matter what the length of time, writing must still be a priority. I have book 2 finished and I’ve started a first book in an entirely different series with the expectation of getting it to the market as well. I also try to keep my visibility high by continuing to promote my short stories (they number close to thirty now in various anthologies and mystery magazines).

Beyond that, things will start to get exciting around November to December of this year, as my publisher begins the process of creating book one for a September 2011 release. Final edits will be completed, cover design approved, publishers catalog of 2011 fall line-up established… (I’ll note that I’ve intentionally avoided stating the title of the book as it may change between now and the publication date.)

Some might think that an author writes a book in solitude, sells it, and then steps out and introduces himself to other authors and readers. There’s actually quite a bit of groundwork that an author must lay if he wants a successful career. Can you share with us some of the steps you’ve taken to prepare for your inevitable best seller?

Well, one of the most important steps is to develop skills (experience) as a writer. I feel very strongly that, regardless of background, all fiction writers begin as inexperienced rookies and must learn the craft of both writing and storytelling before they will see success (meaning published). Almost every writer I know has at least one or more failed attempts in their drawer. I have two such novels, as well as an original screen play, that will likely never see the light of day.

I believe that short stories are also an effective way to gain experience. They teach an economy of writing that plays well in today’s genre market. They also offer you some short-run validation of your efforts. Short stories have served effectively as my training wheels. A number of them have been winners or finalists in award competitions.

In addition, I’ve learned that it takes integrating with the writing community (writers, agents, editors, reviewers, and readers) and discovering exactly what success demands. I can’t over emphasize the importance of this. And this is anything but a solitary pursuit. It takes getting out from behind the laptop and meeting people.

I currently do more than thirty organizational events, conferences, and workshops a year and my first novel isn’t out yet. I have also served on the boards of two major writing organizations—Sisters In Crime/LA and (currently) SoCal Mystery Writers of America . I expect these efforts to only increase.

Where do you see this series taking you and what are your hopes for the future?

I am totally grateful to the terrific folks at Midnight Ink, who saw value in my series and agreed to publish it. I would hope for a long and fruitful relationship with them. In the end, however, book sales dictate the longevity of a series and the longevity of the author. I’m extremely excited about Del Shannon as a character and about the direction of the series overall. I thrill to writing these stories. My hope (and maybe my belief) is that others will thrill to them as well. If so, I expect that there will be many more book contracts, and books, to come.

Could you share a piece of advice to the authors struggling to get to where you’re at?

Be patient! Nothing happens fast in this business. (Okay, I’m as impatient as the next, but persevere.) There will be many, many rejections and disappointments along the way. But to get there you have to keep going.

And write! I’ve always said “You can’t sell from and empty wagon.” You must have completed projects to offer a publisher. Finish the short story (finish dozens of them). And submit them. Finish the novel and immediately start the next. Writing is what writers do. If you’re not inspired to put words on the page and tell a great story, perhaps another career is best. (Just my honest opinion.)

Thank you so much for sharing, and we look forward to the release of the first of many Del Shannon mysteries.

Interview with WinR Jackie Houchin

2010-07-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Most people know Jackie Houchin as that lady who shows up with pen, paper and camera and churns out articles that make the rest of us look good, whether she's covering an author event or a play. She has her own blog at Jackie Houchin's News & Reviews and writes regularly for Sisters in Crime and local newspapers. Her book reviews can be see in magazines such as CrimeSpree and Mystery Scene.

Welcome, Jackie!

You’re a photojournalist, a children’s book writer, a book reviewer and a theater critic. What’s your favorite type of writing and why?

I really, really enjoyed writing the serialized stories for my three granddaughters (a different one for each of them). It was fun making up the characters, plotting the story lines, and seeing the girls eagerly awaiting the next installments. Sometimes I drew simple illustrations to make them more fun. When I wrote the two "Kinko-published" children's books for them, I also included simple line drawings in each chapter. However, my "Drawing Muse" isn't always so cooperative!

The reviews and articles I write for my "News & Reviews" website and the various local newspapers and newsletters are ways to use my "teaching gift" if you want to call it that. (Yes, I've always been sort of bossy and "know it all." Ha-ha) I enjoy meeting all the interesting people I interview. I use photography instead of drawing in this genre.

I also love seeing theatre plays (for free!) and reading books before they're published. But lately this writing angle is becoming stressful for me. Call it writer's block, but I seem to approach each new review with trepidation, even dread! Help!

How does someone with so much to do plan her writing time?

Funny you should ask! For one who enjoys everything organized and in order (some would call me OCD – ha-ha!), I don't plan my writing time well. Usually it's a looming deadline that gets me in the chair in front of the computer, frantically pounding the keys, while guzzling an entire pot of coffee.

Of course I have to be responsible about dates & times for the events I cover and the people I interview (these are faithfully marked on my calendar), but the actual writing is usually a last minute scramble. (Does it show?)

As a book reviewer, what mistakes do you find repeated, and what brings joy to your work?

Mistakes in the BOOKS, or MY mistakes? In books, I often see typos, of course. They are less evident with big-name authors and publishers. Occasionally I've seen name changes mid book, and even sex changes. (Yikes, I didn't mean it THAT way!)

As for MY reviews, sometimes when they are printed - and I cringe here - I see a typo I've forgotten to correct, or two words remaining where I changed one and forgot to take out the other. Gulp!

The joy comes from seeing my work in print, and in the feedback I sometimes get from authors (or actors in the case of theatre reviews).

What’s your favorite type of book to read?

Absolutely my favorite reads are mysteries – strongly plotted ones without too much grit, grizzle or gore. I also enjoy "adult" women's fiction (not chick lit) and historic novels. I will listen to audio books on history and biography, IF the author gives his information in "story" form. And, surprisingly, lately I've enjoyed a few Westerns. Go figure!

Christian fiction is a huge and growing market. Have you thought about writing either fiction or non-fiction for that market?

I'm a Christian, and ALL my writing is influence by that. My children's stories always have a moral to them (be it vague or bold), and often use Bible passages, proverbs, or parables as a foundation. (Don't worry! They aren't "preachy.")

I try to keep all my writing clean, and as positive as possible. (Even the newspaper events I cover.) I also won't review books or plays that are offensive to me (sacrilegious, sexually explicit, or with overt violence or language). And, while I'm no academic, I did write curriculum for a 10-year Bible study I taught.

Are there any fiction projects in the works for you?

Fiction.... hmm. Do I dare share my secret?

I have a women's fiction novel started and languishing in my files. It's an ambitious work (or so I've been told) and tracks the stories of three sisters, each in a potentially life or lifestyle-threatening dilemma. I've been told I should tell each story separately, like Nora Lofts does in her trilogy books. But these women's lives and problems are inexorably entwined, as are the eventual solutions, each dependent on what the other does.

So will "Sister Secrets" ever see the light of day and be at least "e" or self-published?

Your guess is as good as mine!

Thank you, Jackie.

Just a note: I've read Jackie's books and they are some of the most entertaining, well-written children's fiction I've ever read. Please get them published!!!

Interview with Author Marilyn Meredith

2010-07-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

We at WinR are pleased to welcome back author Marilyn Meredith!

When she last visited, Marilyn shared great information about the writing craft. This time she is generous enough to share some marketing tips as well as a peek into her recent release, "Lingering Spirit".

Welcome, Marilyn!

Marilyn, you have your finger in so many pies! You have the Rocky Bluff PD series, the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Christian horror novels, and your stand alone paranormal romance, “Lingering Spirit”, just became available.

Is it possible to market so many different series and genres at events? What is your approach?

I don’t always market all my books at every event. The Apple Festival in Springville where I live, a two-day event, I take copies of all my books and do very well. I never know which books will sell.

Recently I was invited to a Jane Austen Festival and I only took copies of my Tempe books and the two latest books in my Rocky Bluff P.D. series. I felt a bit like a fish out of water, but did surprisingly well.

The Springville Library invited me to bring my books to their celebration of 100 years of the Tulare County Library and I knew there would not be many people there, so I just took my Tempe books which are set in a place like Springville. I still managed to sell four books in a very short period of time. When I do an event over on the coast, I take more of my Rocky Bluff P.D. series since it is set on the coast.

You attend conferences, book fairs, craft fairs, and other events. Where do you have the most success selling your books?

I love conferences and conventions but I’m not a big name writer so don’t sell a lot of books, but if I can get on a panel or give a presentation, I do pretty well. Book and craft fairs work pretty well for me. Craft fairs are fun because there usually aren’t many authors and so being a “real” author is a novelty to people who don’t go to bookstores and book events. This year I’ve been to Celebration of the Whales and I’m going to be at the Fourth of July Celebration at Channel Islands Harbor. Because my Rocky Bluff P.D. books were inspired by the Oxnard P.D. they sell well there. I’m also going to the Central Coast Art and Book Festival in San Luis Obispo, which is also a good venue. I go to much smaller fairs too, heading to one at the Lompoc library in August. I’m pretty much “up” for any event like that.

I mentioned in your into that you have your finger in a lot of pies! You're latest book is an example of that.

“Lingering Spirit” is a departure from your usual writings in that it includes a paranormal element. Could you tell us about the story and the characters?

“Lingering Spirit” came about because of a tragic event that happened in our family. Though the idea developed from a real and very sad event, the story is fiction. It’s about the death of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty, leaving his young wife a widow and his two daughters fatherless. His spirit remains around for quite some time. Did that part really happen? Not as I wrote it, but there is an inkling of truth in the supernatural part.

This book began as an e-book. I parted company with the publisher and the book was unavailable. The publisher of my Rocky Bluff P.D. books asked if I had older books I’d like her to put on Kindle and I gave her “Lingering Spirit”. She loved it and it’s been available on Kindle for awhile. At the beginning of this year she asked me if I’d like to have “Lingering Spirit” as a trade paperback. Of course I said yes, and she put it on fast-track so it would be available this month.

Many of your books are available both in paper editions and as e-books. You tried e-books before they were such a hot topic. What are the pros and cons of publishing electronically over publishing in print?

I was e-pubbed before there were any e-reading devices. Didn’t work so well back then. Once the e-readers started coming on the market things changed and they keep on changing. Nearly all of my books have been published in electronic format as well as in paper. The two publishers I’m working with now always do both types of publishing.

The e-publishers know what they are doing as far as e-publishing is concerned, where the New York publishers are making all sorts of mistakes—but are slowly catching on. Most e-publishers accept queries and manuscript submission as attachments and the whole submission process is much faster and more personal. The finished product is done in a far shorter time than with a New York publisher. Most e-publishers do not give advances, but the royalties are usually a bigger percentage for either kind of book than the New York publishers give.

What are you working on next?

I have a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Invisible Path, coming out this fall. I have another that I’m finishing up the editing on now. My next Rocky Bluff P.D., Angel Lost, is ready for the first part of 2011. I’m starting another Rocky Bluff P.D. now, and have written four chapters so far. Been hard with all the promotion I’ve been doing for all my books and because I’m the program chair for the Public Safety Writers Conference, which has kept me busy too. I must confess though, I love it. I’m doing exactly what I dreamed about doing when I was younger.

Thank you, Marilyn!

Interview with Author Michael J. Manno

2010-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Mike Manno practices law in West Des Moines, Iowa. He also teaches law and political science at Upper Iowa University. An amateur ventriloquist, he has done numerous school shows and has also appeared twice at the Iowa State Fair. For nine seasons he raced Formula Vees with SCCA. Mike is the author of “Murder Most Holy”, and his new book, End of the Line, featuring former star prosecutor, Parker Noble, will be out this spring.

Welcome Mike!

Practicing attorney, race car driver, ventriloquist. What led you to add mystery writing to your resume?

Actually, I was a writer first. I always enjoyed writing and my mother tells me that even as a kid my favorite school classes were those where I had to write. My undergraduate major was journalism and I spent the better part of my first four years out of college news writing and editing. And, of course, practicing law means spending a lot of time drafting and editing legal briefs and documents.

Were there any websites or books you found especially helpful?

Yes, probably too many to list here. There is a series of books that I do recommend to budding mystery writers: The Howdunit Series by Writers Digest Books. They cover all the things you need to know to write accurately about crime, such as poisons, motives, police practices, autopsies, etc.

I realize that writers have to take some license to create a good story, but I think you should try to be as factual as you can. Avid mystery readers will be able to pick apart a writer who is writing about something he doesn’t know. I think this series will help writers keep on track. I also recommend my friend Todd Stone’s Novelist’s Boot Camp, also from Writers Digest Books, and Robert McKee’s Story.

There are also plenty of web sites out there that are writer friendly. Joe (J. A.) Konrath has a particularly good site for writers. My friend Jerry Hooton also has a great site and offers a free monthly newsletter. Jerry has given advice to many “big name” writers, such as Michael Connelly.

You also might try your favorite author’s web site. Many have great links and very valuable information for writers.

You certainly jumped into the genre with a bang—the murder of a nun! Please tell us how you came up with your first Parker Noble story.

Actually, I came up with the motive first, then created the characters around it. I don’t want to say anything more or I might give something away. The murder of a nun, however, probably came from so many years in a parochial school! No, not really. I did enjoy the nuns, but like most kids, I have a fonder memory of them than I had opinion back then.

I can’t help wondering: Did being Catholic influence your writing or your story line? (And were you waiting for the wrath of the local convent over your choice of victim?)

No, being Catholic doesn’t have an obvious influence on my writing, but it does have some subtle influences. I am Catholic, and as every writer has heard, write about what you know. So if I need a religious influence or story line I go back to my roots. I also try to write books that parents would not mind letting their teen-aged kids read, so I don’t have a lot of profanity, sex or violence in the book. Those things can all be hinted at without being too graphic.

In the first book, you paired Parker with Detective Sergeant Jerome (Stan) Stankowski, making a delightful duo who play well off each other. What does each character bring to the story?

I think they bring a great tension into the story; Parker is an attorney and thinks like one while Stan is a cop and thinks like a cop. Putting them together where people mistakenly believe that Parker is in charge sets Stan up for a lot of frustration – especially when Parker seems to come up with the solution for the crime. It’s also a challenge telling the story first person through Stan when Parker is the main character.

Will the two remain together in your series?

Yes, definitely! Both will continue, as will Buffy Coyle, the news reporter who doesn’t know what she wants more: Stan or a scoop.

You were a recent presenter at the Catholic Writers Conference*. Tell us what it’s like to prepare a class on mystery writing and what it’s like to give this class online versus the way you usually teach--in person. Any difficulties? Is it a surprisingly easy format to use?

I teach college law and political science in a regular college classroom. Obviously you can connect better with students in person and the classroom discussions are easier to follow.

On-line is more difficult as a teacher since you can’t see the students so you don’t know if you are connecting with them. You can do that in a classroom and if you see the students are not picking up on something you can change focus and approach the issue from another direction.

Classroom discussions are a bit better in person, too, since on-line there is a lag time from when a student types a comment or question and when it appears on the screen and often there is more than one at a time. However, that having been said, the on-line conferences are still a great way to pick up valuable information without the added expense of travel and lodging that you would incur in a traditional conference. And, once you get use to the on-line format it is surprisingly easy to use.

What’s the one piece of advice that you hope the attendees took away with them about writing a mystery?

Actually, three things: One is to outline your story so you know where you are going. I think that is very important when writing in any genre.

The second is to make sure your facts are correct. I’ve seen (actually read) writers who get some important facts – especially the legal ones – wrong.

Finally, lay out all the clues for your reader – they need not be obvious, but the reader will feel cheated if at the end of the book the clue that tripped up the culprit was hidden from them.

In your class (which was excellent!) you stressed the importance of outlining a mystery. Do you outline every detail or do you lay out a general path for your characters to follow?

I lay out a general path. I liken outlining to a road map. You decide where you want to go and find it on your map then sketch a route to your destination. You know where you are going to end up, but you are free to take any interesting side trips that might appeal to you on the way.

It’s the same way with my writing. I know where I’m going to end up, but along the writing “trip” I might find an interesting side trip (sub plot) to follow. You might call this “flexible certainty,” and I think it is important when writing a mystery since you will always be looking for ways to hide clues and red herrings.

“End of the Line” was just released. Was the second mystery more difficult or easier to write than the first book?

A bit easier, mainly because the characters had already been developed in my first book, Murder Most Holy. The hardest part is to keep the relationship between the characters fresh. Their relationship is like a kaleidoscope that has to give a slightly different view each time it is turned.

What can we look forward to next from you?

I’m working on the third book in the series, which is about a college dean who is shot to death at his desk during spring break. I also am working on a non-mystery about a little girl who sees a vision in a church yard.

Thank you!

You can find some tips for writers along with links on Mike’s blog, and visit his web page for upcoming events and the release date of end of the line. You can order “Murder Most Holy” and “End of the Line” from the usual online booksellers such as Amazon. We recommend you support your local independant bookstores. Find them here.

* You do not have to be Catholic to take advantage of the fabulous AND free Catholic Writers Conference Online. More info to follow when the next conference is set up.

Interview with Short Story Guru Kate Thornton

2010-06-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

With stories in three of SINC/LA's anthologies and numerous books and magazines, retired US Army officer and federal agent Kate Thornton has been writing for publication for over ten years. She teaches workshops on writing short stories and enjoys writing both mysteries and science fiction. She lives in a marvelous mid-century modern house with her husband of 30 years and their pets.

Welcome Kate!

With more than a hundred short stories in print, you are the queen. Why do you think you are so successful?

I just keep on writing – then submitting – then writing more. There are many more writers with many more stories in print than I, but there is only one way to get your stuff out there. It's persistence that makes your writing better and allows you to get your work published.

You teach a fabulous short story class. Which question are you most often asked and what is your answer?

Everyone always wants to know how to turn their idea into a story. If you break it down to a beginning, middle and some sort of satisfying ending, then you've got a story.

The first thing a writer should do is check the guidelines, but when you market your mysteries and science fiction, do you find that mainstream sites, if they don’t specifically state a preference, are receptive to genre fiction?

Yes – all good stories, regardless of genre, are about some aspect of the human condition. If your story appeals to that common thread, is well-written, and provides a satisfying experience, then genre fiction transcends its label.

How long should a writer wait for a response before she submits to another market?

If response times are not specified, I usually find out what the average is for that particular market, give them an extra couple of weeks, and then query. Sometimes, they never received the submission or lost it.

You’re going on your second mystery cruise next year. Can you tell us what that‘s like and what the cruise expects from you as an author?

Well, the first one wasn't specifically a mystery cruise, but mystery author Sue Ann Jaffarian was aboard and gave a bang up presentation in which I participated. This year's cruise, Mystery on the High Seas, is going to be quite a production. I believe I am going to speak on one of several formal panels, and the cruise is chock full of authors, agents, producers, editors and fans. Here's the site: http://www.2010mysterycruise.blogspot.com/

Tell us about the book you have coming out in November!

I am working hard, although I'm not sure I'm going to make my self-imposed deadline on this one. It's The Inhuman Condition: Tales of Mystery and Imagination and is a collection of twenty of my favorite stories.
Thank you!

Visit Kate's blog It Doesn't Take a Genius for great articles and short fiction that will entertain and move you.

Let it Rest

2010-06-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Let it rest.

We hear it again and again as writers--"Let it rest"--and each time we "let it rest" we wonder, right at the moment of completion, when we're awed by our own brilliance, if maybe, just this once, just this one time, this particular piece of writing shouldn't be on display for the world to see as soon as possible.

Hmmm. A little breathing room might have saved that first paragraph.

Last night, the hubby had to work through the night. Unable to sleep, I decided to take advantage of the extra time and write. Isn't everybody in the perfect frame of mind to pen a blog at 3 AM?

Once I finished my masterpiece, that tiny voice said, "Let it rest." Although positive my piece was ready for the send button, I took my own advice and walked away.

Things look much different at 8 AM. Last night, I was rehearsing my acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature. This morning, I saw a mess.
Are there warning signs that you should walk away and air out your writing before subjecting other people to reading it?

1. You think you've been extremely clever.
2. The subject matter rouses strong emotions.
3. Your sides still hurt from laughing over your own jokes.
4. You were in a hurry.

I had titled my wandering, blathering blog "Stick to the Point".

My subconscious was having a laugh.

Interview with WinR Bonnie Schroeder

2010-06-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to introduce you to WinR Bonnie Schroeder. An author of women's fiction and short stories, Bonnie can effortlessly move her readers from tears to spine-tingling chills. She can also make you laugh while you squirm, recognizing yourself in her characters. You can read a sample of her fiction on The Rose City Sisters blog by clicking here.

Bonnie, you are one of the most positive people I know. Good fiction includes tension, but it surprises me how well you are able to show pain and anger and frustration in your characters. How do you access these “darker” places without bringing yourself down?

Therapy, and years of practice! Seriously, it’s kind of cathartic for me, to let all that dark stuff out, transfer my own bad feelings and experiences onto the page and give them to someone else. I learned in writing classes that you have to “let your characters get dirty.” And after dragging my protagonist through the mud, I can look at my own life and think, “Heck, it’s not so bad.” And when all else fails, I hug my sweet Elvie cat; it is impossible to feel down when a cat is purring in your ear.

I’ve heard speakers dismiss writing groups as a waste of time. You belong to several as well as a book club. What would you say are the benefits offered by both types of groups?

Each has its own advantages. From my writing groups I get support, encouragement and specific suggestions on how to improve my craft. Seeing my fellow writers struggle with language, plot, characterization, internal logic, etc., is priceless reassurance that I’m not alone on this weird journey.

And I’m very blessed to have found some amazing, insightful, sensitive writers whose work I admire and who have mastered the art of the critique: first tell the writer what worked, so he or she doesn’t want to give up and knows what strengths to build on. Then move on to what didn’t work, without rewriting the story from the ground up.

There are not that many writing groups around who can pull this off. But don’t give up until you find one, or build one yourself. Trust me: it’s worth the struggle.

My book club also contains several writers – fortunately none are in direct competition! The club introduces me to work by writers I might otherwise have overlooked and suggests new directions for my own fiction. The members are all intelligent, perceptive people with strong and specific opinions on the books we read. Their comments and reactions give me a ton of insight into what appeals to readers, and what turns them off.

You read a wide range of subjects. Can you tell us what your favorite type of fiction is?

I have a lot of faves. I like well done suspense thrillers like Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, and then again I’m a sucker for anything by Alice Hoffman or Anne Tyler, those sweetly incisive, literary, relationship-type novels.

I also enjoy well-written fiction that involves animals, such as Spencer Quinn’s “Chet and Bernie” mystery series, or The Art of Racing in the Rain – a two-hankie novel if ever there was one!!!

I’m a huge fan of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.) with all its violence and gore. I know, go figure. . .

Actually, my favorite book is one that doesn’t cheat the reader, that delivers on its initial promise. I can tolerate a few technical errors if the book meets that mark.

I know how to plot a murder mystery, but how do you plot a literary novel or women’s fiction? Do you start with a character? An inciting incident? A character goal?

It’s weird, because they come to me in different ways. Sometimes it’s a “situation”: for example in my novel Remember to Breathe, it started out as an idea involving a woman whose husband had left her for another man. What if. . . . what if she learned he was dying? How would she feel? What would she do? What kind of woman would she be? And the story evolved from that.

My latest project is mostly character-driven. I started by seeing the two main characters and am in the process of following them around and trying to figure out who they are and what they want. I know the beginning and the very end, but everything in between is still a mystery to me.

Can you tell us anything about your current project?

I’m kind of superstitious in that I think telling the story dissipates its energy. . . and other such whoo-whoo beliefs. But it’s (I hope) a literary/commercial novel about a woman who marries an artist. Starts in 1966 and ends in 2000-something. Famous artists romp through the pages, along with pot-smoking hippies, corporate pirates, and a folksinger/rock star. All of which is subject to change, of course.

My main challenge is that I was actually married to an artist in the swinging 60’s, and although the story is purely the product of my imagination, I worry people will think, “Oh, that’s all about her and John.” Take my word for it: it’s not. If only my life had been that interesting!

My Tried (and sometimes True) Interview Techniques

2010-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Last time, I wrote about where I got my ideas for the articles and profiles I write. I started out by getting the assignments from my editor.

Then I began seeing possibilities for my own stories everywhere i.e. in Starbucks, at bookstores, or on the street. I followed up on referrals from friends and information I found in newspapers, newsletters, or around my neighborhood. I let my curiosity lead me to hobbyists, collectors, and folks with unusual occupations.

So many people: so many interesting stories! Next I needed to to pick their brains, pry out their deepest secrets, find out how and why they do what they do! I had to interview them.

There are three main steps (or methods to my madness) in how I interview folks.

Before the interview

I first decide why I want to interview the person, what I hope to learn, what kind of story I want to write. (A lot of this will depend on where I hope to place or sell the story.) Will it be informative, inspiring, promotional, or...simply someone I personally want to know more about. (Having my own News & Reviews website, helps with that last one.)

I contact the person (on the spot or by phone) and set up a time and date. I let them know who I am, who I write for, and the general topic I want to cover.

Then I do a little research on the person or their specialty, occupation or craft. From my "research" I make a list of questions I want to ask.

I make sure I have a notebook, pens, MY CAMERA, and a tape recorder if it's going to be a fact-heavy interview. (Fresh or recharged batteries are a given, of course)

During the Interview

I try to establish a conversational mood by commenting or complimenting (depending on where we meet) on our surroundings. I thank them for letting me interview them, tell them what I hope to write about, and get a bit of basic info from them (correct spelling of name, title if any, etc.)

Then I pick up my notebook and pen, turn on the recorder if using it, and dig right in with the first (and easiest) questions. I never stick strictly to my written questions. If something more interesting (or tantalizing) comes up in their answers, I will follow it like a vein of silver in a Colorado mine. And – confession-time here – sometimes I will ask a question I have no intention of using in my story, just because I want to know.

I mostly listen and add questions as promptings to keep them talking. I smile and encourage them with nods or soft, sympathetic sounds. I haven't mastered the "silence strategy" yet, but I'm told that if you can simply remain silent, your subject will begin to fill it with more info. It's usually too uncomfortable for me to do that.

I take "off the record" seriously and will never write something I'm asked not to. That doesn't mean I don't want to hear it, however. Secret confessions sometimes help me to understand where the person is coming from. I'll take notes, and I might use the revelation to shade or slant the story, but not even that, if it is too sensitive.

If I get behind on my note taking, I ask them to repeat, slow down, or clarify what they said, especially if I plan to quote it in the story. (Quotes must be 100% accurate!) If they are showing me objects they've collected or made, I will ask if I can photograph them. Always at the end of the interview I will get several shots of them with something meaningful to the story. (Projects, pets, creations, gardens, workplace, etc.)

When the interview is winding down, I quickly look over my questions to see if I got everything I need, then I'll ask if they want to tell me anything I didn't ask about. (Great stuff sometimes comes out this way.)

I thank them, give them my card with contact info, and offer to send them a hard copy of the finished story (or the link, if it appears in an online magazine).

After the Interview

I review my notes (it's easier to decipher my scribbling if I do this right away), underlining key words and looking for a really cool approach to the story. I also try to come up with a good strong opening statement – whether it's dramatic, provocative, humorous, or teasing. What I want is something that will suck in the reader. Wait, that's called a "hook" right?

I also look for facts that I might need clarified or explained. If I find any, I'll do a brief call-back by phone.

And, the rule is to never show the interviewee the piece before it is published. But on occasion, under special circumstances, I have been known to do that.

(I'm such a softie!)

Next time: How I Edit or "Weight-watching for Writers"

Interview with Pamela Samuels-Young

2010-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

There is a very exciting workshop coming up in July! In conjunction with Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, author/attorney Pamela Samuels-Young will present a "The Business of Books: Everything You Need to Know About Self-Publishing...And Then Some."

The details follow, and we've also re-posted our interview with Pamela so you can get reacquainted with this fabulous writer!

Date:July 17, 2010

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Place: Hill Avenue Grace Lutheran Church, 73 N. Hill Avenue, Pasadena.

Author of the edge-of-your-seat Vernetta Henderson series, Ms. Samuels-Young will focus on the economics of self-publishing and distribution channels as well as promotional opportunities for the self-published author. Most writers do a lousy job of promoting their books. So whether you're self-published or with a major publisher, this workshop will show you unique and cost-efficient ways to get your book in the hands of readers.

There will be time for lunch between the two sessions. Either bring your own lunch, or there are a few fast food places in the area. There is a refrigerator on the premises.
Cost for the workshop will be $25 for SinC members, $35 for non-members. (This might be the time to join SinC.) Checks may be sent to: SinC/LA, 1107 Fair Oaks. Ave., PMB 338, South Pasadena, CA 91030. NOTE: This workshop will fill up fast, so sign up early.
Workshops can also be paid through PayPal (if you have set up an account) by:
Going to the PayPal website: http://www.paypal.com
Clicking on: Send Money
Typing in recipient: sistersincrimela@gmail.com
Putting in dollar amount
Adding a note explaining what the payment is for; i.e. The Business of Books, July 17th
All questions should be directed to: lillianpritchard@earthlink.net

And now, for our interview with Pamela!

We are happy to have with us today author Pamela Samuels-Young, author of the Vernetta Henderson legal thrillers and a new stand-alone, Buying Time. Pamela is also an accomplished motivational speaker and corporate attorney. Welcome, Pamela!

In Murder on the Down Low, the victims are all successful African-American men who claim to be straight, but have sex with men. Your latest book, Buying Time, involves buying the life insurance policies of terminally ill patients for profit. Where do you get such unusual and interesting ideas?

I find ideas everywhere. The Oprah show gets credit for Murder on the Down Low. I can still remember the day I watched in stunned silence as Oprah interviewed JL King, the author of On the Down Low. He boldly professed to sleeping with men, but at the same time, claimed that he was heterosexual. His shocking revelations about the secret world of men on the “down low” really shook me up. The very next day while I was driving to work, the plot for Murder on the Down Low came to me: What if attractive, successful African-African men were being gunned down on the streets of L.A. and no one knew why?

The idea for Buying Time came to me while chatting with a friend at a party. I knew he was in the insurance business, but when he explained that he was a viatical broker, I started asking lots of questions because I’d never heard of the viatical industry. When he finished explaining how he brokers the insurance policies of terminally ill patients, I knew there was a thriller in there someone. On the ride home, I thought to myself: What if a disbarred lawyer stumbles into the viatical business and his clients start dying before their time and he becomes the prime murder suspect?

I’m always on the lookout for interesting stories. My background as a television news writer helps me spot a unique and compelling story when I hear one. I don’t ever foresee having a problem coming up with interesting story ideas.

You have such strong female characters in your books. They are also complex—the level-headed female cop, the fiercely loyal friend who is ruled by her emotions, and the brilliant but insecure attorney. Are these characters a compilation of people you’ve met? And did you intentionally set out to make them so diverse?

While I outline my novels before I begin writing, I don’t have all the elements of the characters nailed down at the beginning. I spend a lot time on plot and very little on the specific personality traits of my characters. When I start writing, I simply let the characters develop. It’s a lot of fun to see where they go. I’m rarely thinking of specific people when I write. I do, however, set out to create a diverse cast of characters in terms of race, sex and class. I definitely like having strong female characters.

Murder on the Down Low deals with “straight” men having sex with men. Did you encounter any resistance or criticism from readers? And are you nervous about tackling controversial subjects?

I did receive an angry email from someone who accused me of “promoting homosexuality” in Murder on the Down Low. Someone else let me know that they did not plan to read the book (even though they enjoyed my other books) because it dealt with gay men. But that did not faze me one bit. I learned a great deal about HIV and AIDS while researching the book and I made a point of passing on what I learned to readers. For instance, before writing the book, I had no idea of the high HIV infection rates among African-American and Latina women. We are only 24% of the female population in the U.S., but more than 80% of new HIV diagnoses among women. There’s a clear message in the book that women must take responsibility for their own bodies. Murder on the Down Low is entertaining people, but educating them too.

New York Times bestselling author, Sheldon Siegel, refers to your “deft plotting” in Buying Time. I know from reading Murder on the Down Low that your books are impossible to put down. Do you have any advice for authors on how to keep the reader turning the page?

Before I became a published author, I spent lot of time studying the structure of books that I thought were page turners. Two of the earlier books that I literally took apart were The Firm by John Grisham and Roses are Red by James Patterson. I actually studied the dialogue, the action, the description, the length of the chapters, how the authors opened and closed each chapter. I asked myself: Why did I race through these books at lightning speed? After structurally dissecting several books, I came up with four techniques that I apply to each of my novels: 1) begin the book with something explosive that will immediately grab readers’ attention and pull them into the story; 2) hook readers at the end of the every chapter so that they are dying to know what happens next; 3) keep the chapters short, which makes readers feel as if they’re moving through the book at a faster pace than they really are; and 4) read the finished manuscript into a tape recorder and listen to the story as if it were a book on tape (editing while listening). It’s amazing the kinds of writing flaws that you can “hear” but not “see”. These techniques have helped me create novels that I’m proud to say are consistently described as page turners.

What made a successful and busy attorney step into the role of author?

Frankly, I got tired of never seeing women or African-Americans depicted as attorneys in the legal thrillers I read. I would close the books feeling satisfied with the story, but disappointed about the lack of diversity of the characters. One day, I decided that I would write the kind of characters that I wanted to see. In the process, I discovered my passion. At the time, I was an associate at O’Melveny & Myers, a large corporate law firm. Despite the demands of my law practice, I somehow managed to get up at four in the morning to squeeze in a couple of hours of writing before work. I wrote all weekend, in hotels, in airports, whenever and wherever I could find the time. I never really had a true passion until I discovered mystery writing. I’m currently practicing law as an in-house employment attorney for Toyota, yet I’ve still managed to publish a book a year for the last four years. Nothing short of passion made that possible.

There are plenty of sites that dispute the crime solving methods that investigators use on television and in books. Are there any attorney practices in fiction today that make you roll your eyes?

I will sometimes read something in a novel that is procedurally incorrect. I do roll my eyes and wonder why they didn’t do the research. But then again, mistakes are easy to make when you don’t write what you know. So if I’m off track with some of the non-law aspects of my novels, please forgive me!

Buying Time is your fourth book and your first stand-alone novel. When you parted ways with your publisher, you chose to self-publish a couple of your books in order to keep your name and books in the public eye. How has this worked for you? And would you recommend the experience to other authors?

I would definitely recommend self-publishing. Initially, I did not want to be self-published and resisted it every step of the way. But it has turned out to be a great experience for me. I felt very strongly that Murder on the Down Low was an entertaining book that readers would enjoy. After my previous publisher rejected it and my agent was unable to sell it to another publisher, I had three options: 1) put it on the shelf; 2) continue to try to sell it; or 3) publish it myself.

After developing a fan base with my first two books, I was really concerned about staying out of the market with a new book while I hoped and prayed that Murder on the Down Low was picked up. Victoria Christopher Murray, a very successful (financially successful!) Christian fiction writer, told me that publishing a book a year was one of the keys to her success. I definitely wanted to do the same. I felt that if I stayed out of the market, I would lose the momentum created by my first two books.

After a great deal of prodding from my husband, it finally dawned on me that if I really wanted to be a writer, I would have to take charge of my own career. I thoroughly researched the various publishing options and decided to create my own publishing company and find my own printer rather than go with a print-on-demand company. The distribution deal that I signed with the Independent Publishers Group (“IPG”) was definitely a Godsend. IPG got Murder on the Down Low on store shelves nationwide and even sold book club rights. As a result, both Murder on the Down Low and Buying Time are published in both hard cover and trade paperback.

I self-published Buying Time without giving my agent a chance to sell it because I knew that even if he got me a deal, it would be more than a year before the book made it to store shelves. Wherever I go, people are always asking me when the next book will be out, so I felt it would be a mistake to sit on the sidelines and wait for a book deal.

If a publisher decides to pick up one of my self-published books, great. If not, I’ll keep writing and publishing them myself. I’m about to enter my third printing of Murder on the Down Low and have made back my investment. In fact, Murder on the Down Low made more money than my first two book advances combined. So for me, that’s success.

Booksellers have their own ideas about how to categorize books. Have you ever had a problem with a bookstore wanting to place your mysteries solely in the African-American Fiction section? Where is your preference?

I’ve gone back and forth on this issue. Borders has my books in the African-American section. Barnes & Noble has me shelved in the general fiction section. Since I don’t have name recognition, I don’t mind having my books in the African-American section because they have a special appeal to African-American readers. But store placement isn’t a major concern for me. Most people don’t buy books solely by browsing bookstore shelves. There are so many other ways to reach readers. (Thank God for the Internet!) After the release of my first book, a bookstore owner in Atlanta told me that if I focus on my core audience, “crossing over” would happen in due course. I truly believe that. Once I nail down my core audience, I know my fan base will broaden. Mystery readers don’t care what color your characters are. They just want an engaging story, and that’s what I strive to write.

You are also a motivational speaker, and your topics range from the practical (how to self-publish) and the motivational (finishing your book despite your day job) to the spiritual (using faith to pick yourself up). If you had to pick one piece of advice that would most help our readers, what would it be?

Don’t let anyone deter you from pursuing your dream. Most successful authors experienced years of rejection. John Grisham, for instance, received 45 rejection letters and self-published A Time to Kill because people told him no one wanted to read about lawyers. How wrong they were! So if you think you have a marketable book, don’t give up on your dream. My goal is to become a New York Times bestselling author and to eventually write full time. I recognize that few authors ever achieve that level of success. That fact doesn’t stop me from dreaming big. I feel very strongly that there’s a significant market for my legal thrillers and I’m confident that I’ll eventually break out of the pack. Until that happens, I plan to continue publishing a book a year and watching my fan base grow. My best quality is my ability to get back up after a fall. The publishing industry may knock me down, but I’ll keep getting back up again and again and again.

As a follow up to the previous question, how would a group go about booking you as a speaker?

I love meeting new people and I enjoy public speaking and encouraging others to pursue their passion. (Take a look at my packed tour schedule!) To schedule me for a book club meeting or speaking engagement, visit my website at www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com or email me at author@pamelasamuelsyoung.com. I’ve attended more than 100 book club meetings either in person, via speaker phone or via webcam. My goal for 2010 is to double that number. So all invitations are welcomed!

Finally, could you tell us what you’re working on now? The next Vernetta Henderson mystery? Something completely different?

The legal thriller I’m currently working on is another Vernetta Henderson mystery and will be the fourth book in the series. It’s called Attorney-Client Privilege. Vernetta squares off against an unscrupulous female attorney in an explosive gender discrimination case that could bring down a corporation. The story line involving her best friend Special will make you laugh, cry and root for her until the very end. Assuming I can continue to keep all my balls in the air, Attorney-Client Privilege will be released in November 2010.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us. Pamela has a website where you can check out her novels her audiobook Writing a Novel Despite Your Day Job, a great tip sheet 101 Essential Resources for Fiction Writers. You can order her latest book Buying Time .

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Interview with Kay Mouradian

2010-05-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Kay Mouradian, Ed.D, is an author and educator whose writing, until recently, focused primarily on yoga and meditation. When her mother, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide, predicted, “You’re going to write a book about my life,” Kay began an odyssey into her family’s past. The result was her novel, A Gift in the Sunlight.

You can find out more about Kay and her work at http://www.agiftinthesunlight.com

Welcome, Kay.

A Gift in the Sunlight was inspired by actual events that happened to your mother. How were you able to distance yourself emotionally from that traumatic history and craft a novel out of historical fact?

It was tough at times. I went through a lot of Kleenex and wrote a lot in a meditative state where the scenes would just come to me so I could write them. The driving force for me was a sense of responsibility to history. Some say I was too easy on the Turks in my novel, but that was intentional. I did not want to write something inflammatory or too painful to read. I just wanted to educate people about what really happened.

What sparked your interest in writing this book? You’ve remarked that you used to be uninterested in the story; what changed your attitude?

In the last five years of my mother’s life, she made some remarkable recoveries from death’s door, and her entire attitude and personality transformed. Her life until then had understandably been affected by the Armenian tragedy, and she held much anger and self-pity. However, in a series of miraculous physical recoveries, she also became more loving and appeared to have released her hatred of the Turks. In witnessing these changes in my mother, I became curious about the events that had shaped her life. Of course, she’d often told me stories about her childhood in Turkey, but I’d dismissed them as not relevant to me. However, my interest in my family’s history grew as I started reading about events that happened in the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and this research really opened my eyes.

You manage to avoid stereotypes in the characters of this novel; for example Captain Khourshid, who leads the Turkish soldiers enforcing the deportation order, is shown as a kind and honorable man. How did you manage to create such well-rounded characters?

Many of the characters are based on real people, so that helped. For example, the Captain really existed, and he did break his leg in my family’s village before the war. My mother’s aunt was actually the healer who treated him, but I needed to fictionalize some parts of the real story, to keep number of characters manageable, so she isn’t included. Some of the other characters were based on stories my mother told me.

Miss Webb, the missionary, was also based on a real person (in fact one of the translators I consulted regarding my family’s documents happened to know her.) I wanted readers to know she existed, as she was a very noble human being who made huge sacrifices to help the Armenians.

Your book is full of authentic details about life in that era and environment. Can you tell us a bit about how you went about your research?

There’s a saying: “If you want to know the facts, read the newspaper. If you want to know the truth, read a novel.” I kept that in mind as I became overwhelmed by the amount of material that confronted me.

I went to Turkey four times, and visited the village of Hadjin, where my family’s journey began. I followed their route into Syria, although I had to make two separates trips – you couldn’t just cross the border because of the political situation. I’d heard Hadjin described as a beautiful place, and it was – but also something of a letdown in comparison to some of the other scenery I encountered; it’s fairly isolated, as there aren’t many roads going there. In my family’s day, there were 20,000 to 30,000 people living there, but the number had dwindled to about 5,000 by the time of my visit, and these were mostly Kurds. Many Armenians, of course, didn’t survive the massacre.

I also read a lot of my family’s letters, although they were in Old Arabic and Turkish so I had to find translators.

And I did a lot of reading. I read books by diplomats, missionaries, and journalists. At Bart’s Books in Ojai, I looked at all their histories and memoirs, and if I saw “Constantinople” in the table of contents, I bought the book. At the UCLA Library, I researched Turkey during World War I. I contacted the Library of Congress and ordered ten reels of microfilmed documents written by Henry Morgenthau [who was the U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during the First World War and the most prominent American to speak out against the genocide.]

I also contacted the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and got copies of Morgenthau’s “letters to his brother” which were essentially his typewritten diaries from that era.

Overall, I spent about three years doing the research.

You faced another set of challenges in getting published. How many times did you submit the novel to agents/publishers? How did you ultimately find your publisher?

My novel was rejected by 60 agents. One told me, “Only Armenians will read it.” I then located a small London publisher who specialized in historical works and emailed him the first chapter. He called me from London and said, “I want it.” It turned out that his family came from the same town as my grandparents.

You’ve written nonfiction books on yoga and meditation, as well as newspaper and magazine articles. What prompted the move into fiction?

I would’ve been too limited if I’d stuck to just the facts. I wanted to tell the whole story, not just pieces I knew to be facts. I wanted to be able to amplify the story, make it more emotional.

Because most of my writing until then had been academic, I had to learn how to write a different way. I enrolled in a class at Pasadena City College on getting published, and it led me into library research where I studied books on how to write a novel and began to understand principles like point of view and character development.

Have you been able to incorporate any of your experiences as an educator into your writing?

Yes, since so much of the studying for my Doctorate was research-oriented. And one of the real skills I learned in the process was determination. My social life, however, has never recovered!

You’ve “taken your show on the road” with presentations at libraries and other venues to explain the background to A Gift in the Sunlight. How has that worked out for you?

I’ve had to do most of my own publicity for the book. I started by phoning libraries and asking about speaking engagements. Persistence paid off at the Pasadena Library, and they asked me to speak to one of their book groups. After I created a Power Point presentation, the head librarian gave me advice on it. One of my tennis partners belonged to a book club, so I had an “in” there.

Some recent exciting developments are that Congressman Adam’s Schiff’s Deputy Director saw my Power Point presentation and requested a copy to Fed Ex to Washington DC. I also sent copies of my book to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton; when I contacted Congressman Schiff’s office for the mailing addresses, they suggested I also send a copy to Michelle Obama – which of course I did.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you and/or your work?

My objective is to fulfill my responsibility to history. I have a strong desire to educate and a sense that there’s more for me to do. The Armenian story still feels like it hasn’t released me. Every time I think about releasing myself from it, something comes up to pull me back in. I have to see where it all leads me.

What’s up next in your writing agenda?

No more novels! You have to have a story. With A Gift in the Sunlight, I knew I had a story, and a structural understanding of how novels are written, but that’s it for me. I want to work on my yoga stuff, to rewrite my original book Reflective Meditation. It’s hard to find the time to do it all.

Hobbies, Passions, and Writing

2010-05-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

by G.B. Pool

Writing may be your obsession, but you might also have a hobby or passion that sometimes helps you over those dry times when a story isn’t quite gelling and you need to leave the keyboard.

Some “crafty” writers use their hobbies, like quilting, cooking, or bookbinding, as a launching pad for their writing. I set up a mystery panel once called “Murder on the Menu” which featured authors who write stories around cooking. Joan Del Monte (Death Has a Yellow Thumb) mentioned that for some reason, mystery writers eat a lot in their books, so writing about food is a natural. Check it out.

Dick Francis gave his heroes a hobby or profession that always played a part in the story. And frankly, it’s fun for readers to learn something new about a topic they know little about. It’s the cherry on top of the sundae.

So if you have a hobby or an interesting job, why not incorporate it into your story? You are probably an expert on the subject, and you sure know the terminology, so why not share that knowledge with the reader?

Years ago I worked for a miniature shop. We sold dollhouses, tiny furniture, and precious little knick-knacks. I made many of the things for the store. We also had a Christmas shop in the back with hundreds of ornaments, Santas, and holiday decorations. I became obsessed. I have over 3500 Santas.

As a writer, I thought of a story that would include a Santa Castle, a talking Polar bear, and of course, Santa Claus. I designed a castle on paper and eventually wrote the story. Years later, I built the castle, furnished the rooms and crafted the Polar bear and even Santa. The story hasn’t been published as yet, but the creative work is done.

I was on a jury many years ago. It wasn’t a terribly exciting case, but my imagination came up with a much better story about a former private detective who ended up on a killer jury. I used to be a P.I. myself, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to write about my heroine’s background. The book is published, Media Justice. You can even get it on Kindle.

Your hobbies and life experiences can find great places to grow in your books. At least they are a starting point for ideas. After going with my husband to the horseraces at Santa Anita Racetrack, I wrote my second Gin Caulfield novel. And remember, if you have a hobby, an interesting job, or have been to a cool place, you have firsthand knowledge. That ring of truth will add to the reality of your story and you have already done the research.

Interview with Law of Attraction Coach Jen Connon Part II

2010-05-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Connon is a Certified Law of Attraction Coach/Practitioner. She has studied Law of Attraction, Quantum Physics, New Thought, Science of Mind and Metaphysics passionately for the past few years. Jennifer enjoys teaching and coaching others on this important law of the universe.
Jennifer can be contacted via email at jenconnon@comcast.net or phone at 630-346-6650.

Continued from yesterday....

You say that we should focus on the positive. That's very difficult when we are assaulted on all sides by propaganda, negative images and sales pitches that feed off fear.

First thing I would say is stop watching the news – as much anyway. I don’t watch it at all. I scan the newspaper enough to stay informed of the world affairs and then read the articles that are positive and uplifting (sometimes I even cut them out). Some people say that you should watch all of the devastation and suffering going on in the world. I say that you can be aware of it but you don’t need to wallow in it. The more time you spend focused on suffering the more you are adding suffering to your vibration. And not just adding it to your own vibration, but the whole world. Oh we could go on and on here with Quantum Physics and how everything is connected and the studies that have been done about how when monks meditated in war zones the fighting actually ceased for the time they were meditating, etc. But I am digressing from your original question…

You can’t ward anything off. As soon as you try to resist something it gets bigger. Whatever you resist persists. I don’t remember the exact quote but consider what Mother Theresa said about war. “I won’t go to a march against war, but if you have a march for peace I’ll be there.” Don’t push against. Replace with a positive thought. You always have the choice to change your focus. It takes a little practice, but fortunately with the way LOA works, the more you do it the easier it is.

Conversely the more you look at negative media hype, the more you will find. And yes it is in large part fear-based advertising isn’t it? Here’s another trick – record everything on tv and fast forward through those ads. I won’t let my son watch anything that hasn’t been recorded first. He doesn’t need to see 15 different ads for 15 different medical conditions he could possibly get someday and then hear all of the side effects for each drug they’re recommending. I once heard about a pharmaceutical company who had extra money one year and began running lots of ads for a drug to relieve restless leg syndrome. Prior to their ads, restless leg syndrome was almost unheard of. After the ads began running, there was a huge increase of diagnosis of people with RLS. After a couple of years, the company’s ad campaign ran out and guess what – the instances of RLS dramatically decreased. Surprising? Not really.

You have to know within you that all is really well and follow your own internal guidance. Follow what feels good. If you are looking at something and it doesn’t feel good to you, then it is not good for you. Meaning, you are currently focused on something that if you continue to focus there you will attract more like it into your life. Very simply if you are feeling upbeat, light and easy then you are attracting good things into your life. If you are feeling grumpy, fearful, anxious then you are attracting those types of experiences. You are literally pre-paving your life by what you choose to focus on.

One last thing - you mentioned it’s difficult not to be cynical; it’s difficult not to look at life as ½ empty. Try to rephrase that to something positive like – I’m looking forward to finding more reasons to see life as ½ full. Remember it is totally up to you what you focus on and the way you look at it. No one can force you to see it a certain way. That’s the beauty of freedom of thought. Don’t make what “they” say so important. It’s what you think that counts.

How does this process help a person and, more specifically, how could this help writers?

Samuel Clemens once said, “What work I have done I have done because it has been play. If it had been work I shouldn't have done it.” There is quite a bit of LOA in that statement. It is easy to do anything when we are enjoying it. When a writer is completely in the moment and allowing the ideas to flow forth without worry, without struggle, then it is almost effortless. Working with the principle behind LOA, one learns to allow more good to flow into one’s life, to let go of the need to fight through it and push against. Remember, whatever you push against, pushes back with an equal and opposite force (Newton).

Also, what writer doesn’t want to be published? A LOA Coach could work with a writer on becoming more successful in that, or really any, area.

For those who are interested, how does this work? Are there classes or one-on-one sessions? Are there a minimum number of sessions required?

I do indeed offer classes on this subject. If you are interested and live in the Chicago area, let me know and I will keep you informed on when and where classes are being held. Otherwise, as a coach I offer one-on-one sessions which can be done in person but are more commonly conducted over the phone.

It is set up as a “bank” of time that I ask you to purchase (minimum: 3 hours = $180.00). There is great flexibility in how those 3 hours can be used. You can use as little as 15 minutes for a session or as much as 1.5 hrs. depending on what your needs are at that time.

Included in that price is unlimited emails in order to clarify something or answer a fairly simple question in between our sessions. The last option is coaching via email only. This includes one month of unlimited emailing – it is regular coaching but through email as some people’s preferred mode of communication is through the written word (you wouldn’t know anyone like that would you?) and would be as lengthy as needed for $180.00/mnth.

What’s one piece of advice or wisdom you’d like to leave with our readers?

If you accept the principle that we attract into our lives whatever we give our energy, attention and focus to, then it makes sense to give energy, attention and focus to the things we love in our lives.

One of the best exercises a person can do is to make time every day (preferably before bed) to write down all of the things that happened that day that were good – no matter how small. A smile from a stranger, helping someone out, a funny email, a hug from a child, an unexpected check in the mail or finding money on the ground, whatever it was that felt good and brought a smile. Write it down and give that good stuff some focus for awhile. Try that out for a couple of weeks and see what happens…

In the words of singer Jack Johnson, “Who’s to say what’s impossible and can’t be found?”

Thank you, Jennifer!

Interview with Law of Attraction Coach Jen Connon Part I

2010-05-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Writers often lead solitary work lives, and sometimes the biggest hurdle on the way to success can be ourselves. When I heard about Law of Attraction coaching, I thought it was a perfect topic to present to fellow writers--both beginners and published.

***Please note that this is the first of two parts. The second will appear tomorrow!***

A basic definition of LOA could be stated as “I attract into my life whatever I give my energy, attention and focus to (whether I want it or not).” This is because everything is vibrational – everything – including our thoughts. We are all emitting vibrations similar to a radio signal. We receive whatever we are tuned into – be it a positive vibe or a negative one. Since everything is vibrational, everything is changeable; there is no solid hard fast reality. I could spend several pages on why that is and the science behind it, but for the purposes of this interview consider these quotes from some of the aforementioned teachers:

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein

“A man is what he thinks about all day long.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24.

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” Buddha

Chances are you have heard at least some or even all of these quotes before, but did you ever stop to think about what they were really implying?

We are taught in society to look at reality and make our conclusions about our lives and what is possible based on what we see before us. The Law of Attraction states that WHATEVER I give my attention to be it in my imagination or in my reality is what I am creating more of – or bringing more of into my life.

For example, have you ever known someone who seems to go from one bad relationship to the next? He/She no sooner is out of one horrible relationship than they land in the next? or from one bad job situation? or financial situation? etc. Different places, different faces, same problems. If you understand that this is an attraction based universe, then you can see how that person is continually attracting the same problems over and over because of something they have going on in their vibration. Not only are they looking at the problem and therefore attracting more of what they’re looking at (the problem), but because of experiences they now have a belief about that subject that is keeping them from getting the relationship or whatever that they want.

My job as a LOA Coach is to help that person uncover what it is that they are thinking, feeling and believing about a particular subject that is keeping them stuck and help them to focus on what it is they are really wanting.

Could you tell us how you got into this field?

When I first heard about LOA, I was a HUGE skeptic. At the time I was focused on a health challenge that I had. I happened to turn Oprah on (something I do probably once every few months). She had on the people from the movie “The Secret”. I had never heard of the movie or LOA and only paused to watch the show for about 20 minutes. I was instantly infuriated by it because they kept mentioning that if you had a health problem it was because you had attracted it into your life. HA! I don’t think so!

I jumped on the computer, found Oprah.com and fired off an email to her. I don’t know what possessed me as I’d never done anything like that before. Immediately after that I went off to teach a fitness class (note the irony) and promptly forgot about it. The next day the phone rang. The caller ID showed Harpo, Inc. I froze. I let the phone go to voicemail, but they didn’t leave a message. Later that day they called back and this time I answered. It was one of the producers. He was interested in my point of view and invited me to come on the “Response to The Secret” show they were taping the following week. It was a fun experience but in the end I still didn’t understand what they were talking about and I left feeling frustrated.

To make a long story a little shorter – over the next 6 months various things about LOA kept popping up from many different sources. It wasn’t until I did a search for something completely unrelated (I thought) and LOA popped up in the definition that I finally said – “OK I get it, Universe, you want me to learn about LOA!!” Instantly, I felt this great joyfulness come over me and I was filled with an intense amount of energy. I was literally bouncing off the walls with joy. From that point (3 ½ years ago) on I have been studying LOA passionately and have found it to be the one thing that makes perfect sense to me. As they say, do what you love. So here I am.

What’s the difference between a Certified Law of Attraction Coach and a really upbeat friend?

A Certified LOA Coach has been trained to look at things a little differently than your average upbeat friend.

Yes, it is important to have someone there to support you and show you the silver lining, but if you’re not understanding why you’re attracting a problem into your life it can be a tiring cycle of ups and downs with no real progress towards what you’re wanting.

For example, let’s say that you are having financial difficulty. Sometimes the money is pouring in and sometimes there is barely enough to pay the bills. A LOA Coach would help you to determine where your beliefs are focused on the subject of money – chances are they are on lack. You might say – “Well, I’m focused on money so why aren’t I getting more money?” when what you are really focused on is lack of money. Every time you say, “I want more money.” What your vibration is saying is, “I don’t have enough money.”

You attract what you are vibrating not what you are saying. Not only will a LOA Coach help you to identify this, but we also have lots of really neat tricks to keep you focused on what you do want rather than what you don’t want.

If, for example, a writer wanted to get published, what would be the difference between focusing on "I would like to be published" and "I'm not published"? It sounds like a very fine line.

That is an excellent question. In the above answer, I meant to illustrate that it is not our words, but the attention, energy, belief behind the words that matter. Let’s take a more in depth look at that.

Anything that you are wanting has two ends to it. On the one end there is what you want – to be published, a better relationship, better health, more money, whatever. On the other end there is the lack of what you want – not published, a bad relationship, poor health, etc. And then there are all the points in between that come out to be a muddied combination of what you want and don’t want – a so, so relationship, pretty good health, published with extremely limited distribution, etc.

Whatever is happening in your life is a result of your mix of vibrations or in other words a result of the mix of where your attention and beliefs are on that subject. Just saying “I want to be published” means nothing. In fact it is really more focused on the fact that you are not published.

Instead, are you seeing yourself as published? Do you believe that you will be published? Are you willing to let go of the worry of whether or not you’ll get published and just enjoy the experience of writing?

Mostly we focus on ‘what is’ and so that continues to be our dominant reality. As a coach I would work with you to shift limiting beliefs and apply your focus to what you are wanting. You would begin to say (and really mean) things more like, “I am looking forward to getting published. I am a talented and relevant writer and people enjoy reading my work. I have already been published before and now have my foot in the door plus more experience to draw from.” These are positive and believable statements that help to keep you focused on where you are going.

Join us tomorrow for the conclusion of our interview with Jennifer Connon, Life Attraction Coach!

Mix Those Genres!

2010-05-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Authors are constantly being asked to classify their books. I, myself, will only read humorous-small town-old fashioned-must have a moral-with a possible Victorian twist books.

Kidding aside, how does one classify a book? I thought mine fell under cozy. The locations are usually small town, the murder happens off the page, there is little swearing and minimal violence—the kind I wouldn't mind my grandmother reading. Then an editor classified me as chick-lit.

Chick-lit makes me think of sassier-than-thou singletons who disparage men and spend evenings swilling martinis with their cool-but-obnoxious-to-anyone-who-doesn’t-really-really-know-and-love-them friends, the kind of women I would happily schedule a dental appointment to avoid. I HATE chick-lit. Or at least I thought I did. If I’m writing it, I must enjoy it.

But then I wondered if there could be a cozy/chick-lit cross. A woman who is a bit of a smart-aleck but not completely lost to cynicism. A gal who lives in the modern world but is old-fashioned enough not to find the term “gal” offensive. A feminist who avoids bashing men and actually thanks her stars when the masculine sex offers to change her flat tire. Someone who is comfortable in her female skin yet NEVER talks about her sexual needs/wants/desires. Could there be a market for such a character?

And that got me thinking about other genre mixes. How about classic/horror? Not classic as in Dracula, but classic as in THE Classics? Well, it's a reality.

I bring you “Pride and Prejudice…and Zombies”. If this book had been offered in my high-school reading program, I would have leapt for joy. There’s enough of the original text involved to allow you to experience Elizabeth Bennet’s journey to true love. The Deadly Arts are thrown in for excitement. And the theme remains the same. When Elizabeth bites the still beating heart of a recently vanquished ninja warrior, you understand that it’s a comment on class conflict, as Elizabeth is subjected to sneers because her Master hails from China and not Japan.

If our sixteenth president can become Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, are there any limits? What's next? Maritime/Native American/Romance? Religious/Lesbian/Horror?

I'd love to hear what new genre's you come up with!

Interview with Jacquee T

2010-05-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jacquée Thomas is an authoress, poetess, lyricist and columnist. Miss Thomas’s background includes extensive Western European travel, knowledge of the Spanish language and involvement in Chicago’s Rockabilly scene. She was a computer instructor at Wright College and a freelance writer for the “Chicago Sun-Times” and “New City” magazine before she became columnist for “Letter from Chicago.”

She established Detour Productions as an outlet for her published works, events, and videos.
Welcome Jacquee!

When I think of Jacquee T. and Detour Productions, I think Romance. You mastered the branding process long before writers were talking about it. How did you go about deciding on the image you wanted to project, and what steps do you take to ensure that image remains clear?

I hadn’t set out with intention to “brand” myself; I set out to build a writing career. I needed to express my passions and perspectives – through creative and expository writing. Eventually, I realized I lived life as passionately as I wrote about it.

For example my writing helped me realize how much I loved being a woman, and how much that was a part of my identity – so that, I referred to myself as an authoress instead of an author, an actress, not an actor. And, true to form, when writing poetry I was a poetess.

Over the years, I realized and asserted my feminine side, which happened to be most of me. And the fellas had no worries, because I averred that a gal could not love being a woman without loving the fellas. Out of this attitude, I believe, resonated a voice that appeals to both women and men.

In knowing myself, and allowing myself, I’d honed a voice that resounded across mediums – newspaper, books, theater and radio – and I realized that my overall message was romance.

I’d already established my image with my readership. Now I needed to guard it as I appealed to wider audiences. How would I introduce myself to them?

The biggest draw, and the biggest deterrent, was the word “romance.” Everyone had their interpretation. Folks who heard “romance” might think of steamy formula novels, or of fluffy-puffy analogies, or they might think this was something for couples only.

While here I was, knowing that romance could be earthy, gritty, profound, heavy, airy, or soaring, and that it’s a part of our nature. How could I, ‘Jacquee T.,’ communicate romance?

I founded the company Detour Productions publishing and entertainment, to represent me and my products. The company message is “Slow Down” to taste life. The Detour web site, products and events, inspire to do so.

Please tell us about your book, Growing Up (the pain, the joy, the discoveries).

This is the first book printed under Detour Productions. It’s designed as a keepsake.

Growing Up is an 7"x7" book, with a cloth hardcover and a silk screen title and spine. It has a beautiful dust jacket, and a red ribbon bookmark. It’s perfect to display on the coffee table or nightstand.

Inside is a collection of poems, quotes and essays I wrote throughout various stages of my life. The moods range from somberness to a sense of humor.

I call it “accessible poetry.” Usually when folks hear “poetry,” they anticipate needing to concentrate and de-code the meanings. With Growing Up, I’ve found that people draw their own meanings from my poetry. Both men and women respond passionately.

The retail price is $20. This is a great price for a book of this unique design and quality.

It makes an elegant gift, and adds a little romance to those who receive it.

You regularly hold events that promote your book of poetry, evoke romance, and serve as fund raisers for worthy charities. Would you share with us some of your more unique events?

Detour events promote that “romance is accessible.” The venues are carefully selected; they provide a romantic backdrop.

Two milestone events were the Detour Productions launching party, and the “unveiling” party for Growing Up (the pain, the joy, the discoveries). Both included live music, and a “romantic raffle” to benefit a select charity.

In the Detour launching party, I sang the company namesake song, “Detour Romance.” Among the “Romantic Raffle” prizes were an Odyssey dinner cruise, “Chicago Chocolate Tours” tickets, a bottle of premium champagne, and an overnight suite in Chicago’s Amalfi hotel. Proceeds benefitted Alliance for the Great Lakes

At the "Growing Up" poetry book launching party, I signed copies of the newly “unveiled” books, and read some of the poetry. The Chicago WineStyles on Belmont hosted a tasting of “wines from romantic countries.” The event was titled “Roses for Mozart,” in fond memory of my cat Mozart who had recently passed on. Organic roses were part of the decor. Among “Romantic Raffle” prizes were a Winestyles-Belmont private wine tasting, dinner for two at the famous Pump Room, and tickets for Noble Horse Theatre, Proceeds benefitted Treehouse Humane Society, a cage-less shelter for cats.

Another event was a “Pink Champagne and Poetry” book signing and celebration at the historical Chicago Drake Hotel. This was celebrated in conjunction with the Swing band, The Flat Cats. They performed the song “Pink Champagne” in honor of the occasion. I took the mic regularly during the night, spoke about romance, and read poems from Growing Up. Per the Drake, all “Pink Champagne” purchases benefitted The Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation.

Those are some of the larger events hosted under Detour, and there are more like them in the works. They will be posted on the Detour web site once the dates and details are set.

How would an author or authoress go about setting up an event in conjunction with fund raising and then publicizing that event?

If you plan to host an event, plan to work hard. You’ll need to utilize both sides of your brain to make it successful. Set it up to make money, but of course, yet also to cause a buzz about who you are and what message you offer.

Firstly, be creative in choosing a theme to your event, a select venue, and a select charity. These will help you come up with the event title.

For example, if your book is “My Ski Adventures: the Good, the Bad, and the Human Snowball,” consider a snow theme. If it’s summertime, perhaps title the event “Snowy in July: author John Smith’s ‘Ski Adventures’ will give you chills!” Select an establishment with an outdoor terrace. Bring in a snow cone vendor. What else? Popsicles®, Slushies, and for those who want a potable – ice wine.

If it’s winter, select an establishment that has a fireplace and that serves hot drinks – some of them spiked. Potential event title: “Snow Lodge at Ike’s Tavern: author John Smith tells the ‘don’ts’ of skiing.”

In selecting a charity, perhaps one that protects Polar Bears, to go with the snow theme. Or perhaps you have a personal reason for benefitting a different charity.

Secondly, now that you have a focused title and theme, approach the people who can support this event, and whom you can support per the event publicity.

For example, if you approach Ike’s Tavern about donating his fireplace room, explain why his establishment fits perfectly with the theme. Offer to find a date and time that works for both of you. If Ike passes, try Irma’s Fireside Lounge, and so on.

Be prepared to send them in writing a description of the event, the benefitting charity, how you intend to publicize the event and to publicize the supporting establishment, how you expect them to publicize the event. Also, exactly what proceeds will benefit the select charity. A percentage of book sales? A raffle drawing? Sometimes folks like Ike and Irma opt to offer a percentage of bar sales to the charity. If so, be sure to publicize their added altruism – and to announce it during the event.

More details: Provided the drinks, appetizers they provide, what’s complimentary and what’s ‘available?’ Is there a cover price for the event? If so, how would you divide it with Ike or Irma?

Make sure everything is understood and agreed verbally, iterated via e-mail, and if need be, per signed agreement. This with the select venue manager, with the charity, and anyone else contributing to the event.

Thirdly, publicize! The moment you confirmed the event date, title, and location, post a “Save the Date!” on your web site and social media profiles, and send a note to your e-mail list. Offer updates and reminders, in moderation. Once details are confirmed, submit press releases to print and radio sources. Print announcements to distribute to friends, and to people you meet at networking events.

Check with the event venue folks, and the benefitting charity folks, on how they’re publicizing – before you sign them on, and as the event draws near. Offer to deliver fliers, or to send text they could use in blast e-mails or on their web sites.

In all publicity, you need the grabber title, and to assure all is clear to potential guests. For example:

You’re invited to

‘Snow Lodge at Ike’s Tavern’

book signing and benefit for Protect Polar Bears

5 East Elm Road, Paw Paw Michigan

7 p.m. November 1, 2010

John Smith, author of My Ski Adventures: the Good, the Bad, and the Human Snowball

tells the ‘don’ts’ of skiing.

That’s an informative grabber. It also gives Ike’s Tavern and Protect Polar Bears reason to make the same announcement, or to use the announcements you send them.

For the ensuing info, provide more reasons folks would want to attend, the cover price, if any, etc.

As a poetess and authoress, how do you determine which format is best for what you want to say?

An inspiration comes to me, and I write it down. A poem comes as a poem, a song as a song. With the song, I must find a recording device to sing into to make it complete, and that’s usually via calling my own voice mail before I find a musician to transcribe the tune.

Sometimes a character’s action comes to mind, and I write it down, or their dialog with another, and I write it down. When this happens, it’s an excerpt, that may fit into a poem book. Yet later I may get another action or monolog, and realize it’s connected with something I wrote before, and I put those notes together; as notes accumulate I realize this is a short story ... (or) this is a novelette .... (or) this is a novel!

Sometimes the dialog is so dominating, I write the inspiration as a screenplay or play. The initial format I put it in remains the medium in telling the story.

Sometimes my thoughts are purely expository. They are released on my Internet outlets.

If I were to offer advice on inspiration, I’d say, allow it raw, don’t force it in any form, record it and make room for it. Do that, and the idea will manifest in its own form.

It was from your website that I discovered the recipe for perfect mashed potatoes! I’ve also read movie and wine recommendations, learned how to take care of my Shamrock plant, and through the “A Romantic in Chicago” link, vicariously enjoyed my favorite city. Where do you look for the content on your site?

Thank you. You’re referring to my Vignettes weblog, on the Detour site, and the new web site under Detour Productions, A Romantic’s Perspective.

Vignettes is a “tip of the fingers” outlet, as I may have an inspiration and be informal about sharing it. A la “Perfect Mashed Potatoes.” It’s not a recipe, it’s a depiction of my experiences that led to a Eureka! that potato lovers would appreciate – especially as they prepare to sit down for a holiday feast.

A Romantic’s Perspective (.com) has a section titled, “The Wine Corner,” where suggestions on wines and wine places are featured. The web site also has “The Green Romantic” section that covers earthy and sustainable subjects. This web site offers features by the month.

March 2010 featured Ireland, and included “wines to go with Irish fare” under “The Wine Corner,” and “Shamrocks, the Wild Irish Clover” under “The Green Romantic.”

As a former columnist for “Letter from Chicago,” it behooved me to include my knowledge about Chicago as a separate entity under A Romantic’s Perspective – “A Romantic in Chicago.” It’s a sub-site under A Romantic’s Perspective (.com), and has the same categories: “The Wine Corner,” The Green Romantic,” with Chicago-based features.

Where do I look for content? I cannot keep up with my ideas. A Romantic’s Perspective was designed to tame them – under categories like “The Wine Corner,” etc. At the same time, those categories spawned new angles.

For example, I anticipated that the March A Romantic’s Perspective to include a splash of Irish among the categories – until I attended a “Flavors of Ireland” event that I thought would merely enhance the “splash.” I left the event with more article ideas than I had categories, and ended up covering all Romantic’s categories with an Irish flair, plus adding a special “Claddagh Ring” page.

These all- Irish subjects knocked out previous features I’d planned. Not only because they were conjoining in the “St. Patrick’s” gaiety, but also because my contacts were prompt to provide requested photos, and to answer questions in rich detail.

All my contacts, I realized, were Irish, with the exception of an Irish American, a few generations removed, who hosted Ireland trips and spoke of them like poetry. It behooved me to let go my previous plans to fill the Romantic’s categories, and to take on the wild Irish subjects.

The previous plans were shelved for later months.

This process keeps me on my toes and excited. At the same time, as a professional writer, I respond to sources who are timely in responding to my information and photo requests.

Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share with our readers?

If you have a conviction for a writing career, start putting out your writing. Assure your grammar skills are intact, but of course. Yet the most important thing is giving of yourself. Spill into your writing, be it first person or third person; write from your core, not your surface. Readers will sense the difference and respond accordingly, whether or not you hear from them.

And, dress well. Dress as if you respect yourself, and your writing, and the people you meet.

Where to get Article Ideas?

2010-05-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ideas for Articles and Profiles by Jackie Houchin

I'm not a fiction writer, but I still get asked the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" Of course they mean, where do I find interesting people and events to write about, but that's okay, I know what they mean.

Editor Assignments

When I first started writing for a local newspaper, the editor sent me out on specific story assignments – a quadriplegic who'd lived 20 years on life support (that actually turned out to be his mom's story), a man who built model airplanes, a woman injured at a car repair shop, a sculptress who made marble look sensual, a market-window muralist, an orchestra conductor, a trailer park scandal, a middle school with security issues, burglaries at a church and a neighborhood market, and my recent 3-part story on Women in the LAPD.

He also assigned profiles on local businesses, including several restaurant reviews (yum and yech!), and a calendar of community events. Easy, right? Just go where I'm told. Yes, that's true, and I did get some "spin-off" stories from those assignments.

Observation

But what is interesting is that I began to "see" my own stories everywhere. A man in the Starbucks line in front of me had a crossword puzzle on his T-shirt. I commented on it and we started talking. I learned that he created personalized puzzles for businesses, individuals and magazines. (One job was for a young man who used the puzzle to propose to his girlfriend.) He and his business made a great story!

Driving from Costco one day I saw a man walking a giant Tortoise. A slammed on the brakes and pulled to the curb, utterly fascinated. I set up an interview and photo shoot and after spending a delightful morning with the two friends, wrote, "Walking Newman." It made it into the Los Angeles Daily News – front page!

Browsing in the Flintridge Bookstore one morning, I noticed their barista making a latte for a customer. He showed an unusual amount of pride as he handed over the cup. Turns out, he was a "latte artist." He (and the bookstore) allowed me to take notes (and photos) on each step of his creative process, including the foam artwork atop the brew. They still have a faded copy of the newspaper story in a frame on their counter.

While pumping gas one afternoon, I noticed a small faded sign across the boulevard that read "Adventure in Postcards". When I finished, I investigated, and found a little shop crammed full of antique and collectible postcards. Thousands of them all categorized and labeled in shoeboxes and shelves. The reclusive (for health reasons) woman gave me a fascinating interview, photo and resulting story.

Friends & Family Referrals

Friends are also great sources for story ideas. I wrote a series on a local Toastmasters chapter at one friend's suggestion; two stories on a Pet Detective who, with her bloodhounds, finds lost pets (another friend's idea), and the exciting experience of a young swimmer in the "Escape from Alcatraz" competition (my granddaughter's friend). And from the elderly neighbors of another friend, I got a tender story and some wise observations on life.

Collectors & Hobbyists

"Crafty" people always make good subjects. I discovered a woman who sews winter blanket-coats for dogs, and vintage (1920's) dresses for women. Another woman has a vast collection of Santa Claus figures.

My hubby is a hot-rod enthusiast. His contacts netted me stories about car owners and clubs (one donates to the City of Hope, another collects toys for needy kids at Christmas). A man stopped by to admire our flashy-red Roadster in the driveway and began talking about the vintage airplanes he restores. I got some terrific photos and a story about his current plane (and the ones he's crashed).

Unusual Occupations

I've written several stories on a local Alpaca rancher, one on a magician who teaches kids about books, another on a man who drives a cesspool pumper truck (oh the things they find in those portable potties!). A tour of a beachside lifeguard station - with a few true life rescue-stories - made another fine story.

A family-owned Art Glass company promised to be an interesting profile in itself, and then I heard the grandfather tell how he earned his apprenticeship restoring the ancient glass in England’s Canterbury Cathedral after WW II. (It still gives me shivers.)

My farrier (horseshoer) and my large animal vet were fodder for interesting equine stories. The artsy photo I took of the farrier ended up in Country Magazine, the equine dentistry shots on the Vet's website. Note: it helps to be able to "shoot" your subjects.)

Event Notices

Pay attention to those banners in your neighborhood announcing upcoming events or shows. I've written several stories about festivals, breakfasts, and shows at a local institution for the developmentally handicapped. The American Legion once hosted an official "flag-burning" ceremony I wrote about. An elementary school drama club and a new horse trail dedication got ink too.

I also scope the morning newspapers and group newsletters for upcoming events that sound fun or informative. (Art exhibits, author signings, workshops, expos.) From local pet announcements, I wrote stories on Pet Scanners and Protecting Pets in Hot Weather. An announcement about an FBI Agent speaking Identity Theft made another story.

Organizations

There are always things to write about the organizations you belong to. The speaker's bureau of our local Sisters in Crime has set up many author panels and workshops that I've written about (or at least blurbed). THIS Writers In Residence group has gone on "outings" that were fun to write about (A class on hand-gun safety at a local firing range, and a trip to the famous Greystone Manor for a reenactment of a murder - see them archived in this blog).

These are only some of the places you can find story ideas. Use you natural curiosity, your observation skills, your contacts, and various announcements/notices. Soon you will have more stories than you have time to write.

Next Time: My tried and (sometimes) true interview techniques.

Interview with Author Laura Levine

2010-05-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to have with us author Laura Levine. Laura is a former sitcom writer (The Bob Newhart Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Three’s Company, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) As an advertising copywriter, she created Count Chocula and Frankenberry cereals for General Mills. Her work has been published in The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. Her Jaine Austen mysteries have been published internationally. When not writing mysteries, she contributes comedy material to Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Welcome Laura!

You have experience in so many writing fields. What led you to the long narrative form and specifically, to mysteries?

What led me to mysteries was unemployment. At the ripe age of fifty, I’d been unceremoniously drummed out of show biz. (In the wacky world of sitcoms, twentysomething is ideal, thirtysomething is “getting up there,” forty is ancient, and fifty is prehistoric.) I’d always thought it would be fun to write a mystery, so I wrote one on spec. And because of my background as a sitcom writer, I decided to make it a comedy-mystery.

And PS. Getting booted out of show biz was definitely a blessing in disguise. After years of having my scripts nitpicked to death (it’s part of the “collaborative” process), at last, as a novelist, I get control over what I write.

Are there skills you learned in advertising, television, or radio writing that helped with novel writing?

Absolutely. Writing sitcoms for all those years taught me a lot about both story construction and joke writing.

I plot out my books the way I used to plot out my spec movies (only one of which ever got produced, by the way.) I put each scene on a separate index card. One color for the mystery scenes, another for the comedy scenes. Then I lay them out on my dining room table to check for pacing and an overview of the story.

Your series protagonist is Jaine Austen. Like her namesake, she’s a writer—not a novelist, but a jack-of-all-trades freelancer. What about this career makes it a good job for a mystery protagonist?

To tell the truth, when I wrote the first book in the series, I had no idea it was going to be a series, so I didn’t give that much thought to Jaine’s profession. I’d spent a few years teaching sitcom writing at UCLA extension and during that time had met another teacher, a freelance writer who lived in a charming duplex. I was fascinated by the fact that this woman was able to support herself as a freelancer (it seemed like such a precarious way to make a buck), so I decided to make Jaine a struggling freelance writer. And it’s actually turned out well. Because Jaine’s writing assignments are so varied, she gets to meet people---and solve murders---in lots of different worlds. (Fashion, showbiz, L.A. society, etc.)

What kind of writing schedule does a professional writer need to have?

Oh, lordy. I was afraid you’d ask me something like this. Highly professional goody two shoes writers get up at the crack of dawn, go racing to their computers, where they spend most of the day pounding out award-winning thrillers. I, on the other hand, stagger out of bed at the crack of nine (okay, ten), have my coffee, do the crossword puzzle and any other work-avoidance activity I can think of, and then, after wasting all that time, I goof off some more. Eventually I break down and do some writing.

I tend to be at my most shameful at the beginning of a book, but after a while, a momentum starts to build, and I find myself actually eager to get back to my story. At the beginning of a book, I may put in as little as two hours of writing in a day, and at the end, as many as seven or eight. (And although I start my day admittedly late, I will often work till ten or eleven at night.)

In my humble op, the important thing for any writer is to keep writing, and never let herself be paralyzed by self-doubt. When I first started out in show biz, I had a wonderful mentor who told me, “Laura, everything stinks at the beginning. Just keep writing. You can always come back and fix it later.” And it’s so true. Writers are often assailed with doubts at the beginning of a project, and allow their inner critic to stymie them. But if you just keep plugging ahead, the more your confidence builds and the easier the process becomes.

“Death of a Trophy Wife” came out on April 27th. Could you tell us a bit about the plot?

I’d be delighted to. In Jaine’s latest adventure, she comes to her neighbor Lance’s rescue when he’s accused of murdering one of his customers at Neiman Marcus---a venomous trophy wife with an enemies list as long as her hair extensions. While Jaine tracks down the killer, she must also fend off the advances of Vladimir Ivan Trotsky, an internet Romeo who shows up on her doorstep all the way from Uzbekistan, hoping to win her over with bad poetry and pictures of his goat Svetlana.

Does a series get easier to write as you go along, or harder?

Harder, definitely. It seems like every plot twist or gag I come up with is something I’ve already done. Arggggh!

Tell us what’s next for you.

Next October I’ve got a novella coming out in a Christmas anthology called GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER. The headlining author is the wonderful Joanne Fluke, so you know the book will include some yummy recipes. The other author is the very popular Leslie Meier.

In my story, Jaine goes to spend Christmas with her parents at their retirement community in Tampa Vistas, Florida (always good for a dose or two of aggravation), and is called into action when her mom’s best friend is accused of murdering the resident lothario, a sleazy dude who has been wooing and cheating on several of the single ladies.

And right now, I’m starting in on the tenth book in the series, where Jaine sets off for a week at a swellegant spa, little realizing that it is a strict diet joint, run by a tough cookie she will come to know as the Spa Nazi. Needless to say, one of the guests will get bumped off before the final aerobics class, and Jaine will spend the rest of the book simultaneously searching for both the killer and something decent (as in “Chunky Monkey”) to eat.

Thank you so much, Laura. You can find out more about Laura's books on her web site. I'd also like to note that her last mystery, Killer Cruise, is now out in paperback.

Interview with WinR Jacqueline Vick

2010-04-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jacqueline Vick is the author of several as-yet-unplaced mystery novels including "Family Matters" which placed in the quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Competition. Her short fiction is found online and in the "Every Day Fiction Two Anthology", and her article about pet psychics appeared in the April issue of "Fido Friendly Magazine".

What led you to write mysteries?

Well, the dark version is on my website under bio, but I grew up under the rule of a woman who read every mystery ever written. I remember looking at my mom's collection of Agatha Christie's and thinking "How boring!" Since I was a teenager, I probably added a "Duh!"

I've become much wiser in my older age. My favorites are Golden Age and British. You cannot top British humor in my book. Robert Barnard's "Death by Sheer Torture" remains one of my favorites, as is anything by Christie, James, Sayers, Mortimer etc. (I share Agatha Christie's birthdate!) I'm also discovering "new" authors such as Delano Ames.

A year or so ago, I decided that, since I'm never going to capture the voice of those oldies but goodies, I should actually start reading some of the comtemporaries. I'd tried a few authors and really didn't get into them, so I wasn't enthusiastic. Thank goodness I didn't crawl back into my cave, because I've discovered some fantastic authors since.

Do you find conventions and writers groups useful?

My first convention was Love is Murder in Chicago. I met so many fantastic authors; kind, supportive people no matter what level of success they were on. I didn't know a lot of authors at that time, and I sat next to Charlaine Harris and humiliated myself by asking her if she wrote full time. She was so humble and nice. She said, "Well, yes, honey, I do." Then she got up to give the keynote speech and they congratulated her on her series making it to television. I guess I should have read the program. Lesson learned: Know the authors in your field.

Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America are both great places to meet other writers and exchange ideas. Both offer programs with speakers that have helped my writing. I've just joined the Public Safety Writers Association which promises to be informative and fun. And my critique group (you know them as the WinRs) are intelligent, generous writers who aren't afraid to slap me upside the head when my writing stinks. (And yet they do it so nicely that I thank them every time!)

How do you balance writing mysteries, children's fiction, and whatever else?

I don't. I should be in therapy. I'll sometimes have five projects going at once and I have to step back and ask, "Would I like to do any of them well?" That usually keeps me down to two projects for a short while.

I don't understand when people say they don't have enough ideas. I have three different protagonists so far, I'm writing a pet psychic mystery, I have a Young Adult book outlines, a children's mystery series in mind, a picture book waiting for an artist, the Logical Larry series, a non-fiction book promoting local businesses in Santa Clarita, a rambo-style Father Brown series I'd like to write.... (OK. Maybe not Rambo, but he is a police chaplain and former marine who get's transferred to teach at a girls school. Talk about being unprepared. Of course a parent is murdered and things go from there.)

What else do you do to keep on top of your writing?

I am a voracious reader. On average, I read three books a week--sometimes more, sometimes less. Besides enjoying the books, I'll watch how the author handles everything from dialogue tags to description. I've even outlined the plot of books I think work especially well just to see I'll have a revelation.

Is there an essential ingredient in any fiction you read?

Humor. There are enough humorless people walking around that I'm not going to immerse myself in their company while I'm reading. One of my favorite books is "Blue Heaven" by Joe Keenan. I've read it several times and it still makes me laugh out loud. "Lamb" by Christopher Moore is genius. P.G. Wodehouse is another favorite, as are Carl Hiaasen and Neil Gaimon.

I like humor that makes fun of the human condition in a gentle way. Humor that comes from a place of superiority is only funny when the joke is on the lofty character. Otherwise, it's just a lecture. An example is how Christie makes fun of Hasting's arrogance through his inner dialogue about Poirot. He's feeling sorry for the detective, thinks the old guy is losing his abilities, but it's Hastings who can't see the forest for the trees.

What's next for you?

I'll have my books at a fundraiser at the end of May. I'm working with the SinC/LA Speaker's Bureau, putting together panels for the Burbank Library. I want to finish the pet psychic mystery, go back over my last mystery for rewrites, and write the next Logical Larry. I really need to prioritize.

Why Writers Should Join Book Clubs

2010-04-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

What inspired you to become a writer? If you’re anything like me, your love of writing has its roots in a love of reading. Some of my most treasured childhood memories are of weekend mornings curled up on the sofa with my mom while she read to me. We started with the L.A. Times comic section: Brenda Starr, Little Lulu, Nancy and Sluggo. Before long, we moved into books.

I yearned for the day I could read on my own, and once I learned to make sense of all those letters on the page, I never lost my love of reading. From Black Beauty and Jane Eyre, to Hemingway and Fitzgerald and . . . well, you get the idea.

Over the years, my taste in fiction narrowed, and I realized I was limiting myself to a couple of categories: women’s fiction, because that’s mainly what I write, and mysteries/thrillers because they’re so darn interesting and fun to read. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but a writer-reader really should diversify.

Writers need to read, not just the kind of writing they do or want to do, but all kinds of writing. Reading the work of other writers broadens your horizons and makes you think. It expands your perceptions. It feeds the muse and keeps her interested in you.

But how to choose what to read from the endless choices of good books out there? Publishers Weekly tempts me every week, and friends are always recommending their own favorites and often foisting them on me.

And that’s where the book club comes in. When I had a chance to join a local reading group, I jumped in and have not regretted it for a moment.

The “Brown Bag Book Club” (so named because it meets mid-day) is sponsored by Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse, a delightful independent bookstore in La Canada, California. We’ve read current bestsellers and lesser-known novels, and without exception they’ve been wonderful reads. Most have been books I would never have chosen on my own but am ever so glad the book club selected them. I’ve entered worlds I never imagined and discovered the work of some amazing novelists. The experience has only strengthened my commitment to my craft and left me in awe of the writing; it’s made me want to write even more, and to do it better.

It sure doesn’t hurt that Sandy Willardson, one of our book club moderators, is a fantastic cook who brings a delectable dessert to each meeting. We’ve sampled a pumpkin mousse, gingerbread, a chocolate truffle tart topped with strawberry soufflé. . . yikes, this is making me hungry. Not all book clubs are blessed with this little extra, but it sure helps break the ice!

An important side benefit of belonging to a book club: when we meet to discuss the month’s selection, and I hear the other members’ reactions, it gives me priceless insight into what they found compelling in the book, and what turned them off. It makes me think about my own values, and what I consider a successful novel. Does my writing measure up to my own standards? Probably not as much as it could, but the book club discussions are a significant wake-up call.

We live in a hectic world, and it’s usually hard to find time to work on our own projects, to write our stories and novels and to study our craft. It’s easy to forget that big old world of fiction out there, and belonging to a book club is a wonderful way of reminding oneself that writers need to be readers.

INSIDE AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE

2010-04-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

With mega-bookstores struggling for market share these days, independent bookstores have an even tougher time – and we’ve recently lost some of our favorites. Despite competition from chain stores, discounters, and e-tailers, however, some indies have managed to hang on and even thrive.

We asked two staff members at the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse for some inside information on what it takes to run a successful independent bookstore. Catherine Linka is the store’s Children's Book Buyer. Sandy Willardson is in charge of Marketing, Advertising, and Author-related events.

Catherine Linka is pictured below, left; Sandy Willardson is pictured below, right

What are the rewards and challenges of running an independent bookstore?

Sandy: The rewards: The direction you want to follow isn't dictated by a corporation. You can become much more 'intimate' with your customers - you can anticipate books they might like, events they might enjoy. And, you can take on a much larger role in the community/schools.

The challenges? Getting information out that you exist, without access to the kinds of promotional materials the chain stores have (posters, signage, etc.) You have smaller budgets to work with. You also want to make sure that your books are relevant to the community you serve.

Catherine: The best part of my job is when a parent comes in and says, "My child loved the book you helped us pick out." Connecting readers with books is a joy.

How do you compete with the behemoths like Amazon and Barnes & Noble? What do you offer readers that the mega-stores can’t?

Sandy: Our strength is in our service .... we call it “hand selling” .... we come out from behind the counter and help you find the book that suits your needs. If we don't have the book in stock, we make every effort to get it for the customer within one or two days.

Catherine: Independents can't compete on price. We don't get the same deals from publishers that the big boys do. I'm not even sure the big boys can compete on price. Borders is a mess right now.

What independents offer is a personal relationship. A living human being will help you navigate, throw out ideas for a gift, connect you to an author you would otherwise never know about. Great independents become part of the community.

This month I took a new author to meet fifth and sixth graders at Crestview Elementary, put on a Mother Daughter Book Party where the partygoers met seven authors, brought a picture book writer to an evening storytime at Paradise Canyon School, brought together book club members to hear about favorite book picks from the sales rep for Norton, led 25 elementary school children in our Junior Advisory Board and 25 teens in our Teen Advisory Board, sold Roald Dahl books at the Willy Wonka fundraiser at La Canada Preparatory, and oversaw the judging of over 200 entries in our Imagination Contest.

Independents also have a point of view. We get to choose books that interest us, not just the books that a central office got a good deal on or ones it thinks will be a blockbuster. We'll try a couple copies of something new.

What impact on your business do you foresee from e-books?

Sandy: We don't think that e-books will have a huge impact. The impact will be minimal because (1) people don't want to stare at a little screen, or for that matter a computer, for long periods of time; and (2) it's hard to snuggle up by a fire or climb in bed with an e-book. They are just not warm and cozy!

Catherine: E-books are an interesting question. We heard a lot of different opinions about them at the ABA Winter Institute last month. There's no doubt that e-books will capture a segment of the market, but most likely the segment that consists of people who read 12+ books a year. But even these readers show "hybrid usage" --they read some things on a reader, but others in what they refer to as p-books (printed books).

One thing that publishers acknowledge is that bookstores offer browsing and preview in a way that e-books don't. People do judge books by their covers and people do respond to the physical qualities of a book. The most interesting research is the stuff that says that we respond differently at a neurological level to reading on a screen--we don't go as deeply into the dream/trance; instead we skim the way we do as we read text on a computer.

How do you decide what books to carry? Do certain categories sell best? What other criteria do you use? Do local writers ever get special consideration?

Sandy: Catherine has done a fabulous job working with the schools to ensure that we carry the core books that are needed for the La Cañada Unified School District – not an easy task. We have a good give-back program and have already given the LCUSD over $5000.

Naturally, you carry all of the best sellers, you carry books that have been requested by different book groups, you carry all of the classics, you also try to carry books that pertain to your community - not just the histories of your community but also their interests: travel, art, architecture, history, and of course my favorite - cookbooks, etc. Catherine has also put together an incredible children's and young adult section. The children's section probably is the biggest earner in the store.

We really enjoy helping local authors .... we'll carry their books (if they're good!), host their signings and encourage people to read them.

Catherine: Deciding what books to carry is part science, part art. I look at daily sales reports to see what has and has not sold. Every category is reviewed semiannually to see if it is worth having. It's always a balancing act, because you need to have a variety of books for all different kinds of readers...not just the top ten best-sellers. Fiction that ranges from romance to mystery to thriller to fine literature is key. New non-fiction, especially memoir or books about human behavior and quirks, do very well. Cookbooks sell all year round.

Local writers get special consideration in that we often plan events to help promote their books if we feel the title will do well in our town. We're so lucky in having so many amazing writers in L.A.

Are you able to generate revenue beyond book sales – i.e., does the publisher/author typically provide an incentive to carry their books?

Sandy: Publishers will do what is called “co-op” where they will give you a credit if you showcase some of their books - they would like you to high-light them on your website/newsletter, have displays and have their titles “face out” so that they’re more recognizable.

Lots of bookstores make additional money selling what are called “side-lines” - toys, stationery, jewelry, journals, etc. We're working on that ... it takes time to develop the market.

Catherine: Publishers sometimes provide incentives in the form of discounts or co-op money. Bookstores struggle to be profitable, because it is a labor-intensive business and because having all that inventory is expensive. Selling gift items can really benefit the bottom line. No matter how big an independent is, I promise you the store is looking at alternative sources of income, whether it's operating a coffeebar or offering classes or selling art on consignment.

How did you get in the book business?

Sandy: I've been doing events/marketing for the last 20 years. I was in an in-between spot when this opportunity presented itself to help market the store/books/events. It was a natural for me, and I've enjoyed the challenge of taking an unknown quantity and helping build it into a successful business. For me, I find the mix of interesting authors, fabulous books and planning events a terrific spot to be in!

Catherine: I had a background in marketing, but I'd just finished an MFA in Writing for Children. I was driving down the street and saw the "Help Wanted" sign. I'd never worked in a bookstore, but I must have shown Peter and Lenora [the store’s owners] I knew how to sell, because they hired me to set up the children's area.

And last, is there anything you wish we’d asked that we didn’t, anything else you’d like readers to know about you and/or Flintridge Books?

Sandy: The big thing on the horizon is the new store, which will have 1000 more square feet and an Espresso Book Machine - that's big! .... it will print a book of 300 pages in about 4 minutes and put a cover on it! It will be great for print on demand. The future is looking good! [Note: the new store will be constructed right down the block, on the southeast corner of Foothill Blvd. and Angeles Crest Highway]

Catherine: I just want to add that independents are the best friend of a debut author. Independents can choose what they want to carry. We love to discover a new author and give them a chance. Indies have their own bestseller list that differs from the NYTimes and we get an email update weekly. A debut author can get attention from indies when the big boys are obsessed with what's going to sell 150,000 copies+.

Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse is located at 964 Foothill Blvd. in La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011. Phone: (818) 790-0717

Visit their web site for more information and event schedules.

Brainstorming Plot

2010-04-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

WinR MK Johnston talks about brainstorming plots.

Two-thirds of Writers in Residence met last Wednesday to try something new – a brainstorming session to help one of us clarify plot points in a new novel. The one was me. I’d been struggling with the outline for the sequel to my first novel, A Petal In The Wind. I knew where to start and end the book, but I had too many ideas and not enough clarity to get me there.

Since it was the first time we tried to brainstorm, we free-formed the meeting. I’d been to brainstorming groups that had limited effectiveness, but the Wednesday session was extremely helpful to me. When I returned home, I thought about how it progressed, what worked and what didn’t, and why this was more successful than past efforts. I’ll share my thoughts with you.

I don’t believe brainstorming is the most effective way to stretch a germ of an idea into a full blown story. It can work, but when you ask people to take aim at a problem, it’s much easier to hit a specific target than scatter shots at the sky and hope something falls to earth. If a writer has the basic story fleshed out but is having trouble with some aspect of it – weak ending, sagging middle, critical scene – the chances of success are more likely than if the writer is vague about the premise or the problem.

If you’re in a critique group and would like to hold a brainstorming session, begin by having the writer clarify what she hopes to achieve. If she doesn’t understand where and why her story needs help, no one else will.

Open the discussion with a free exchange of ideas. Anything goes. Sometimes you have to get past the obvious, trite and just plain bad to get the creative juices running. The writer should listen and take notes; but shouldn’t interrupt the flow if she hears something she doesn’t like unless that thread is picked up by the others. Then she can simply say, “I don’t want to take my story in that direction”. That will alert the others to drop the idea and move on.

Allow around 20 but no more than 30 minutes for this part to avoid straying too far off-topic. The writer should have enough to work with by now, so take a brief break and let her digest what’s been said. She must settle on which ideas worked best for her vision of the story.

Once she’s decided, focus the brainstorming along that narrow path. Let her direct the conversation so she can get what she needs. If anyone has ideas outside the box, no matter how brilliant, hold them until the end or email them to her later.

If the writer can’t determine a direction by now, the session wasn’t successful. It could be that she wasn’t clear about what she wanted or needed, either in her own mind or in expressing it to the group. You might be able to salvage the session by having her explain why she rejected all of the suggestions, or if there were any ideas that might hold promise with further exploration.

Ultimately the key to successful brainstorming lies in the writer. She has to have some idea of a direction. Otherwise the best suggestions won’t help. It’s one thing to ask someone to dig up a potato from your garden. It’s another to plant a seed and expect others to grow it for you.

Interview with Journalist, Editor, and Author David Vizard

2010-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

Dave Vizard is the former editor of True North Magazine. Vizard has been a journalist for more than 35 years, winning more than 100 professional awards as a newspaper editor, columnist, editorial writer and reporter. He is now a free-lance editor and magazine writer. He is also working on two murder mysteries involving the health-care industry.

Welcome, Dave!

Could you give us some background on what an editor does and if there are differences in editing for newspapers versus magazines?

For both newspapers and magazines, editors work with reporters or writers to craft articles for publication. The story can be assigned by the editor or result from a suggestion by the writer. Often times, the idea for the story is brainstormed by the reporter and the editor together. But that's pretty much where the similarities between newspaper and magazine writing end. Traditonal American newspaper writing, even when considering larger, more expansive examples of feature writing, is usually much tighter and more heavily structured than magazine writing. Magazine editors and writers typically have much more flexibility when it come to deciding the best way to tell a story. They also can do more in terms of weaving color, descriptive detail and background into the story. I had a lot more fun editing a magazine than I did editing for newspapers.

As a magazine editor, what did you look for in writers?

Three things: Creativity. Creativity. And more creativity. I always encouraged writers to come up with new and interesting ways to engage readers. I wanted reading my magazine to be a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying experience, not a challenge to get through it. I wanted reading it to be thought-provoking, friendly, funny, and, most of all, interesting.

We first met at Love is Murder a few years ago. (Has it been that long?) You had decided to take the plunge into mystery writing. What lead you to write fiction?

Several things, really. First off, I grew up reading great fiction, but never had the chance to practice it as a journalist (making shit up for newspaper articles is generally frowned upon). As I got older, I developed an affinity for mysteries, so I started reading everything I could get my hands on. Some of it was not very good, and, as I walked away from bad books, I started telling myself that I could write better than what I'd just put down. Soon, it became a personal challenge: Craft a good novel and make the story work and flow from beginning to end. I soon found out that it was not nearly as easy as I had envisioned. Then it became even more of a challenge.

Did the writing conference help you in your transition, and if so, how?

The LIM conferences, and other writing workshops I have attended, have been great for two reasons. Learning and encouragement. If you attend as many conference sessions as you can fit into the day's schedule, you can't help but learn from experienced, dedicated writers. The ideas and tips and trial-and-error stories about writing are terrific. Novices are encouraged at every turn. In some ways, conferences are kind of like pep rallies. You walk away ready to tackle the world. You also find that writers are willing to share everything, including their bar bills.

I read an early draft of your book, and it’s got the key elements of a fantastic read—deliciously sinister plot, flawed hero, a touch of romance, and a wonderful sense of humor. Is it too early to share what your first book is about?

No. Maybe talking about it will be the spark I need to finish it. My story is about an aging, drunken newspaper reporter being kicked to the curb by 20-somethings in the office. But his experience and instincts help him discover and solve the health-care mystery surrounding a plot to kill three prominent educators in a mid-sized Midwest city. In the end, he saves a life, pulls his career and reputation out of the gutter, and gets the girl while thumbing his nose at the 20-somethings. I had a blast writing the first two drafts of the story, but the final re-write - trying to make it just right - has been painstaking, with lots of stops and starts. Did I tell too much? Gosh, I hope not.

Why start a second novel before your first one is finished?

I knew you were going to ask that. Good question, and the best way I can answer it is this way. The idea for it just came to me and I had to start writing it while it was percolating. That's also thrown me off track a bit with finishing the first novel, but I did not want to suppress the new story idea.. I think it's going to be really good, maybe better than my first attempt. We'll see.

I noticed that you put together a writing critique group. What did you look for from members and how did you reach out to them?

What did I look for in members? I wanted people who could sit up straight in their chairs without drooling while they snored through the readings and critique sessions. Just kidding.

An author friend of mine, Dennis Collins (who is also an LIM alum and has published two novels), kept bringing up the idea of starting a writers group. The more we talked about it, the more interest we found among others in our rural, small-town area of Michigan. Finally, I suggested that we see if the folks running the local district library would host our group. They embraced us enthusiastically. I wrote news releases about Dennis and I forming the group. The releases were published by local newspapers and aired on local radio. About 15 people showed up for our first meeting, and the group continues to grow.

We recently wrote 1,000-word pieces of fiction from a prompt similar to the ones used in Writers Digest. The stories turned out to be much better than we'd ever envisioned. Now, we're talking about creating a blog or Web site to publish the best of our offerings online. We're also talking about traveling together across the Bluewater Bridge to a writers conference in Canada. We bring in authors to talk about writing and getting published. Plenty of other ideas in the works. I had no idea forming a writers group would turn out this well, but it's been a lot of fun.

Do you have any final thoughts you would like to share with your fellow scribes?

The same thing I used to tell my journalism students. If you want to become a better writer, then practice your craft as often as you possibly can. Read and write something every day that you breathe. And don't give up. If you've got a story to tell, find a way write it, re-write it, and then re-write it again.

Edits, Rewrites, And Selling Your Soul

2010-04-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Author G.B. Pool has plenty of experience editing her work, and with one novel and a list of anthologies under her belt, her methods must work!

Every “How to Write” book has a chapter on “Editing and Rewriting.” Whatever you write can always be improved by a careful edit, and thoughtful look-over, and a final rewrite to tweak those areas that don’t sound right. You could spend the rest of your life rewriting if you aren’t careful. Hopefully you have a friend who tells you to stop before you rewrite the life out of your work.

Over-writing is a problem we can all have when we are looking for the perfect word or phrase. Maybe you should try looking for the best word, and not worry about perfection. Perfection is stuffy. Walk away from your work, literally, go into another room, and think about what you want to say in that section. The words that come into your head, off the cuff, will be truer than the ones you agonized over. Spontaneity is always fresher. Write it down and then leave it alone.

As for basic editing like grammar, spelling, and punctuation, have someone else do it for you. Just like parents who never see flaws in their children, even the two-headed ones or the ones who wind up in jail, you will miss errors in your own work.

Join a writers’ group, ask a teacher, or pay a professional to go over your work. Even if your Aunt Mabel is a professional editor, too often a friend or relative will be too kind. (They will overlook the two-headed kid, too.) An agent or publisher won’t be kind. They will toss your error-laden manuscript in the trash and remember you the next time as the person who can’t submit a professional piece of work.

Make sure that writers’ group you join isn’t afraid to point out mistakes, holes, or continuity problems. A good teacher will know how to get out the red pencil and correct grammatical errors. And a professional editor has seen it all before and will know how to spot obvious errors. It’s worth the money.

So you rewrite, edit, polish and submit. And an agent likes your work. Hoorah! Your characters are memorable. The plot is appealing. The agent handles that genre. They know a few publishers in that genre. Everything is wonderful…but…

It’s the “but” that will have you asking yourself, “How much of my story will I change to get it published?” If the change doesn’t amount to much, I’d rewrite it in a heartbeat.

But what if your agent loves everything except one of the key points in the story around which everything revolves. Should you tell her she should really read the entire book to see how it fits together, or do you try to adjust the part she doesn’t like to suit her?

A screenwriter will tell you once you submit your script, a thousand hands will rework it, reshape it, and in the end you won’t recognize anything but the title…if they keep the title. Screenplays aren’t novels.

How much of your book are you willing to change for someone else? Granted the agent has the contacts, the clout, the name recognition that could get you published. But what will you be giving up? Your name goes on the cover. You are the one who will be explaining why the plot missed the mark…for eternity. You have to make that decision.

My advice: First, find a way to explain to the agent/publisher exactly why you can’t change that major plot point. Thank them for pointing out the fact you didn’t write that part clear enough and say that you will tweak that section. If that doesn’t work, ask yourself: What do I value most?

And remember: Your agent might be wrong.

An Interview with Author Gary Phillips

2010-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Gary Phillips writes tales of mystery and criminal behavior in various mediums. A regular contributor to Mystery Scene magazine, he authors the private eye Ivan Monk series and turned out a slew of Ivan Monk short stories like Monkology.

Born and raised in what was then called South Central Los Angeles, he's been a community organizer, union rep, and headed a nonprofit to better race relations begun after the '92 riots. Besides his many mystery novels and shorts, he's written a coming-of-age graphic novel called South Central Rhapsody as well as a graphic novel about a gangster called High Rollers, and has a prose novel about African Americans and World War II called Freedom's Fight.

You can find out more about Gary at his web site.

Welcome Gary!

Your most recent work is a change from your usual hard-boiled mysteries and edgy crime comics. Can you tell us a bit about “Freedom’s Fight” and what brought about this particular novel?

Freedom’s Fight came about as my way to tell a slice of the bigger story about black soldiers and civilians in World War II. I think I’m accurate in stating there are less than a handful of novels about black soldiers during this period – though certainly there are several informative nonfiction books such as The Invisible Soldier by Mary Penick Molley, Lasting Valor by Vern Baker (it’s his story) and Ken Olsen, and Brothers in Arms about the 761st tank battalion by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Walton.

But if you watched the other Brothers in Arms or now the Pacific mini-series, you wouldn’t have any idea that there were all-black units who fought in those theaters of conflict, but there were. My late dad Dikes was in combat at Guadalcanal, his brother, Norman, was at D-Day plus One and my mother, Leonelle, had a brother named Oscar Hutton, Jr. who was shot down and killed over Germany as a Tuskegee fighter pilot.

Because of Jim Crow policies, black troops weren’t sent into combat until end of ’43, beginning of ’44. So part of my book looks at the war on the home front through the eyes of a young woman reporter for a weekly African American newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier. The other part follows the travails of several soldiers overseas. I do want folks to know Freedom’s Fight isn’t preachy, but, hopefully, entertaining historical fiction with hard-boiled elements (a murder mystery subplot), dimensional characters and action on the battlefield.

Ivan Monk, your most well-known series character, is part PI, part avenging angel, and part family man. What type of readers make up your target audience?

Who knows? I mean, I don’t write my stories with an idea of who the target audience is per se other than I hope they enjoy the work. Isn’t the typical mystery reader a middle-aged woman? Isn’t that the case with most fiction as well? I have observed though due to my comics work I get a sprinkling of younger readers who’ve taken an interest in my prose work having first read me in sequential form.

It’s interesting though as this question is something the writer has to wrestle with in today’s publishing environment. That is, it used to be the publisher worked with you to outreach to and develop your readership through building up your audience over time. Now as we know, and this seems to be a direct result of the internet, the publisher wants you to come prepackaged with an audience. We’ve seen writers who’ve self-published in a way, via an e-book, work the social media and what have you to publicize the book, and then make a traditional hardcopy deal because they can quantify the numbers – they’ve demonstrated they have a readership they’ve built from the ground up.

I’m not knocking this state of affairs, as this genie is out of the bottle. The fact remains more and more, the pressure is on for the writer to not only be able to ply their craft and turn out a compelling yarn, but it’s on them (or a hip, totally wired pr person you hire) to be able to create a and maintain a base of readers. Just having a website is a rudimentary these days. What good is it if no body comes to the thing? Not we have to tweet, facebook and who knows what all else as these forms plateau and people simply get inundated with too much sensory bombardment.

Martha Chainey, ex-show girl and courier for the mob, is another series character you write. Recalling your own experience, would you advise writers starting a second series to look for similarities that would appeal to current fans or offer something completely different?

I’m the last guy to be advising any other writer on their career. But hey, you’re asking so I think writers have to challenge themselves. Coming up with Martha was daunting for me as it was the first time I’d written a female lead. She was different too in that she’s more of an outlaw type and not exactly on the straight-and-narrow as Monk is. Naturally the writer wants the best of both worlds – the fans you have stick with you and you get news ones with a new character. To some extent that seemed to happen with Ms. Chainey, but I can assure you it wasn’t a calculated move on my part. In this case the gauntlet was thrown down by my editor at the time at Kensington to come up with a female character and so I did.

Aside from your series characters, you have several standalone books, including “The Jook” and “The Perpetrators”. Is it more difficult to sell a standalone book than a series? And why write these stories as standalones instead of incorporating them into your existing series?

The beauty and freedom of writing a stand alone is you can do anything you want. Blow up the world, go ahead. Have mutant alligators crawl out of the sewers…sweet. Your main character loses their mind midway in the book and runs around in his birthday suit shouting ‘I am the Master of the Universe,’ no problemo. Too, in this publishing environment as we’ve discussed, it seems it’s easier to sell a standalone. If you have a series, and that series hasn’t broken the house record in sales, then publishers are dang reluctant to take a chance on another book with those same characters. Whereas a one off is often seen as new and fresh and may get an editor excited at a house and want to champion your book.

Is it the job of the writer to leave the reader with a message? If so, what do you hope your readers take away from your books?

Well, no, I think my job as a fiction writer is to entertain the reader. Having said that, there are certain realities that ground your stories and characters like the arena where the aforementioned Freedom’s Fight is set. Still, you don’t want your characters standing on soap boxes yet conversely if they are representations of real people, and going to resonate with readers, then people have opinions. More to the point, characters don’t have to go around telling you what’s on their mind but we can get a sense of who they are by what they do in a given situation or where we locate them. You can have a character at a teabaggers rally and another at a tree hugger event, and of course we’d draw certain conclusions about them – then you can switch up those allusions the further we follow those characters. My job is to give my characters dimensionality and drive. Drama is conflict…a character wants something and invariably there are obstacles in the way as other characters want the same thing or something else.

“The Underbelly” is due to release in June, 2010. This book features yet a new character, Magrady, a semi-homeless Vietnam veteran. Could you tell us about the story? And will Magrady become a series character?

A couple of years ago, Underbelly originally was written as an online serial for www.fourstory.org – a site I still write for, doing fiction (my webcomic Bicycle Cop Dave ) and nonfiction pieces. Fellow mystery writer Nathan Walpow is the site’s EiC. Back then he’d asked me if I’d be interested in doing something on the site – which began centered around housing and transportation issues -- given my background includes community organizing and my wife is an urban planner. The idea of a sometimes homeless Vietnam vet, a man who has had his ups and downs, was a way to use the recent gentrification of downtown L.A. as a backdrop to a mystery he seeks to solve.

The story is set in motion as Magrady, who suffers from flashbacks and trying to maintain his sobriety, searches for a wheelchair bound friend who disappears from Skid Row. This after a bottom feeder called Savoirfaire, who was regulated by Magrady on behalf of this friend, is found with his head bashed in while the cop on the case has a history with the main character as they’d served uneasily together in ‘Nam. Oh, and Magrady’s grown son may be involved in something shady back east, then there’s a mummified head… but that’s enough teasing, read the novella when it’s out from PM Press .

The Underbelly is published as part of the house’s Outspoken Authors series. I’ve done some rewrites and edits to the story from when it was first done in series form, and the book will include an interview/conversation between me and the lovely and talented writer Denise Hamilton. As to Magrady returning, yes, I have some notions circulating in my head about that – only after I get the next Ivan Monk book done. Monk returned as it were last year in a short story in Phoenix Noir (“Blazin’ on Broadway”), and I need to get him back in long form.

Do you have any final words for our readers?

On bookshelves now is Orange County Noir. This is a collection of 14 original gritty and darkly funny tales I edited and I contributed a story to set behind the Orange Curtain. Edgar winner Susan Straight, Nero Wolf award winner Dick Lochte and other very talented writers have contributed to the anthology – each story set in a different city in Orange County. The collection received a starred review in Publisher Weekly and we’re doing several signings and panels about the book all over the Southland. So come check us out.

Thank you, Gary, for taking the time to be with us.

Have a Holy and Happy Passover and Easter

2010-03-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Feedback on Left Coast Crime

2010-03-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

This year, Left Coast Crime was held in Los Angeles, and three of our WinRs attended

Here's what they had to say about the good, the bad, and the nefarious!

Photo: Left to Right is Rosemary Lord, GB Pool, and Jackie Houchin.

***

Rosemary Lord

I loved riding up and down on the historic Angel's Flight funicular at Michael Connelly's luncheon!

But I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting such an assortment of other writers from all over the world. Wherever they had come from (England, Canada, New York and further afield) we all had a common bond: a love of writing and mysteries - in varying degrees of immersion. From the ex-soldier, retired cop from Yorkshire (Colin Campbell) who was working during the Yorkshire Ripper's reign of terror - to the elegant New Jersey writer, Sheila York, who seems to channel Raymond Chandler via Lauren Bacall for her 1940s sleuth Lauren Atwill. And, of course, our forensic champ Doug Lyle was there guiding us through fascinating ways for our villains to kill people and almost get away with it. My head is still buzzing with all the new writers I discovered and the voices of characters yet to be written.

I can't wait for the next conference.

***

GB Pool

Left Coast Crime left me breathless, speechless, and tired. Getting downtown in early morning traffic in Los Angeles had me white-knuckled, but the hotel staff was very accommodating and I liked the venue. (Note: The Omni Hotel downtown LA)
What I liked most was seeing people I actually know, many of them friends, and meeting some really great mystery fans. They were so much fun to talk to - all of them. And then I got to be on a panel (The Art of the Short Story). I will never forget that.
I picked a variety of panels to watch, tending more toward the darker ones since my own work is less cozy and more the traditional gumshoe variety. I had heard many of these authors before, but there were still some fun stories, and a few surprises.

There was always something to do. I loved riding Angels Flight, the shortest railroad in the world, for its first run since 2001. Author Michael Connelly helped facilitate that experience.
The biggest disappointment was listening to Lee Child expounding on some half-baked idea that we all came from sea creatures living in salt water. Since no one was laughing, I guess it wasn't a joke, and the guy believed what he was saying.
One rule people should have in polite society: No Religion/No Politics. A half dozen people on various panels talked about Dick Cheney. He was mentioned more than any other single person. Go figure.
I went to the bar and had a martini and thought about what I would like to say to Dick Cheney if I ever met him.

***

Jackie Houchin

Cozies, humor, geezer lit: are these (dare I say, "frothy?") mystery sub-genres going out of style? According to the panels I attended at the recent Left Coast Crime convention, the answer is a resounding "No!"

LCC even awarded the prestigious "Lefty" to Rita Lakin (70+) for her "Geezer Lit" mystery series with a sassy (and funny) 75-year old protagonist. Go Grandma!

Look at some of the panel titles offered: "Bring Your Blankie, Let's Get Cozy!" "Die Laughing," "Cozy Up," "Geezer Lit," "Thrilling Cozies," "LOL," and "Liars."

Sure there were "hard boiled" panels, noirs, and true crime (and of course talks and interviews by stellar crime-fiction authors), but I was there for a light-hearted good time.

Earline Fowler (Benni Harper series) is one of my favorites. She's been writing good, clean, heartwarming, (and yes, suspenseful) mysteries for 17 years. She writes a book every 18 months, and says "You can push back a little" if you don't like your publisher's demands. (Oh, ho!)

Another of my favorites, Parnell Hall (Puzzle Lady series), got laughs simply by walking into a room. (No wonder they chose him for Guest of Honor at Malice Domestic!) And then there was Mike Befeler (Retirement series) whose "Geezer Lit" hat soon became recognizable everywhere in the hotel.

Annette Mahon (Quilting Bee series) writes about a group of elderly ladies who meet at church to stitch and solve mysteries. Cynthia Riggs published her first book at age 70. Her protagonist was 92. She hopes to keep her going to 99 and beyond!

Older, funny, "delicate but dangerous" protagonists are alive and well. Long may they live!

***

PS: From the silent and live auctions, over $7,000 was raised for the Los Angeles Public Library Adult Literacy Program, and over $7,500 for the Crime Lab Project. Way to go Left Coast Crime!!

Short Story "Special Delivery" Part 4

2010-03-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Continued from Wednesday....

Grady weighed his options. If he paid Tom Simms a visit, he might just spook Patty Simms back underground. At this point, Grady was ninety-nine percent sure that Patty Simms was alive. If he had to guess who died in the car fire, his first pick would be a homeless person.

Once he decided against the direct approach, the only option left to him was to watch the Simms house. It would be difficult to go unnoticed in a neighborhood that generated half of the Wilton emergency phone calls – most of them paranoid, false alarms. Grady just knew he had to make a move before that check came in. Once Tom Simms got his hands on the money, he would be gone.

He slipped on his leather jacket, the only dark jacket he owned, and decided to walk. It was only six blocks. Without a car, he wouldn’t stand out so much. At least he hoped not.

#

Roxanne flipped an evergreen branch away from her ear.

“Watch it,” Vanessa hissed.

“Quiet, both of you.” Deanna parted the bush and peered through the opening.

The women were crouched behind the neighbor’s bushes and peering into the Simms’ house. The light that shone through the kitchen window was suddenly joined by an upstairs light. The entire side yard was suddenly in the spotlight.

Deanna pushed her daughters back, warning, “Stay out of the light.”

Roxanne landed on her butt, holding the camera safely in the air.

A woman giggled from the upstairs room.

“Gross,” Vanessa said.

“I thought you were all for Tom moving ahead with his life,” Roxanne said.

“Privately. I don’t want to hear it.”

The naked torso of Tom Simms stepped in front of the window. From behind, a woman’s arms reached around his middle and began to play with his nipples.

Vanessa held her hands over her eyes. “Tell me when it’s over.”

“I can’t see her face,” Deanna said. She crawled around the bushes and into the Simms’ side yard. Roxanne and Vanessa followed.

Tom turned and embraced the woman, blocking their view of her.

Roxanne searched for something to stand on. She spotted a metal trash can and carried the empty canister over.

“Stand still,” she ordered Vanessa. Using her sister’s shoulder for leverage, Roxanne hoisted herself on top of the can.

Her sudden movement triggered a motion-sensitive security light. The three women were now backlit by the blinding light coming from the neighbor’s side porch. A dog barked.

“Crap!” Deanna crawled on hands and knees to the far edge of the yard. When Roxanne made to step down from the trash can, Deanna motioned her to stay put.

“Stay there,” she hissed. “You won’t be able to see a thing from here.”

Tom Simms chose this moment to turn toward the window to pull down the shade. His partner was exposed, and Roxanne snapped the picture.

She forgot about the flash. One bright burst dazzled Tom Simms, and he opened the window and leaned out.

“What the hell?”

Roxanne didn’t hear him. She was already on the sidewalk, running full speed, trailed closely by Vanessa.

“Where’d Mother go?” Roxanne asked, after she caught her breath.

Vanessa shrugged.

“We have to go back.”

“Back where?” said a male voice.

Both women screamed.

#

Deanna Wilder, afraid to move across the illuminated yard, opted to press herself farther back into the bushes. She squinted in an attempt to see, but the security light still blinded her.

She felt something against the back of her head and reached back to swat away another branch. Her hand grasped something hard and cold.

“I don’t think you want to jostle that.”

“Crap,” she said. “Can you at least help me up?”

A strong hand grasped her elbow and pulled her to her feet. Spots danced in front of her eyes, but she could make out the shape of Tom Simms.

He sighed, sounding disappointed. “Lead the way.”

He jabbed her with the butt of the revolver, so she did as instructed.

#

“It’s this button.” Vanessa reached over Roxanne’s shoulder and pressed. The word erase flashed across the screen.

“You’ll have to trust me,” Roxanne told Grady. “We had a picture.”

“You’re sure it was Patty Simms?”

Vanessa and Roxanne exchanged looks.

“We’re sure it’s not a blonde.”

Roxanne craned her neck to see down the street. Her rush to freedom had brought her three houses down from the Simms’ place.

“My mother was right behind us…I thought.”

Grady scratched his neck. A hostage. Not his specialty.

“You girls stay here. I’ll –“ He struggled to think of some brilliant plan of action. “Do something,” he finished.

“That sounds promising,” Vanessa said, but not as if she meant it.

Grady took the camera from Roxanne, hunched his shoulders and headed toward the Simms house. He was impressed that the women had come to the same conclusion as he and just as fast. He was not impressed by their actions tonight – invasion of privacy, throwing a potential hostage to the criminal, and possibly spooking his suspect. At least he now had a good reason to visit Tom Simms. That thought cheered him.

He passed the row of hedges separating the Simms’ residence from their security conscious neighbors. The bushes were broken on the Simms’ side, and an empty trash can lay on its side in the yard. The only lights on in the house came from somewhere downstairs, toward the back of the house.

A harried-looking young man answered the door. He was fully dressed, and did not strike Grady as being in an amorous mood.

“I’m looking for a missing woman,” he said. Grady figured the direct approach was his only option.

“Pardon me?”

Grady reached into his pocket and pulled out his identification. “I have a report of a missing woman. She disappeared in your yard.”

Tom’s face took on a look that said, Oh. That woman. “I heard what I thought were prowlers, but they were gone by the time I got outside.”

He started to close the door. Grady shoved his foot inside.

“I’d like to take a look around, if that’s alright with you.”

Tom started to protest, but Grady interrupted.

“She’s been known to break into people’s homes. Very unstable.”

Tom’s face paled. He licked his lips and looked over his shoulder.

“Maybe you could ask your wife if she’s seen anyone creeping around.”

“My wife?” Tom’s voice cracked. Grady liked that.

When Tom Simms made a break for the back door, it was an unwelcome move but not a surprise. Grady’s primary concern was Deanna Wilder’s safety, so he let him go.

“Anybody home?” he called out.

As he passed the hall closet, the door bulged out with a thump. He remained behind the door as he turned the knob, and Deanna Wilder, bound and gagged, tumbled out. A brown-haired woman in a negligee landed on top of her. Grady helped her to her feet.

“Detective Sean Grady.” He smiled and grabbed the young woman’s hand, admiring her wedding band. “I’m glad to see you’re no worse for wear. That car fire was a doozey.”

#

“So, who died in the fire?”

Grady allowed Vanessa to refill his beer and nodded his thanks. “That would be some unfortunate street kid.” He stopped, his glass midway to his lips. “They didn’t even bother to get her name before they killed her.”

Deanna tapped her empty glass on the table, waiting for Vanessa to tend to her. “I’m parched. Being gagged will do that for you.”

“That was three days ago, Mother,” Roxanne said. “Give it a rest.” Her voice betrayed her. It was distinctly missing signs of irritation. She slid her glass across the table to Vanessa.

“Can I get a drink, too?” Vanessa snapped. Grady held a ten dollar bill in the air, and a waitress hustled over with another pitcher of beer and cleared away the empty pizza pan.

“We’re all agreed that they did it for the money?” Deanna said.

“Duh,” Vanessa said. “For one million dollars I’d set you on fire.”

“With the signed receipt that Regina collected, we’ve got them on insurance fraud.” Grady ran his thumb around the top of his glass. “You know, I never would have figured out the meaning behind the scented paper.”

“You mean the perfume?” Roxanne asked. “Didn’t you smell it that night in Abigail’s house? It reeked.”

“I thought that was –“Grady stopped short, as if suddenly aware he was in mixed company. “Never mind.”

Ida and Mabel entered the pizza parlor, and Deanna waived them over.

“Is everyone here?” Ida asked.

Deanna pulled out her silver briefcase and flipped the latches. As she tossed a deck of cards to Grady, she asked, “You are going to show me how to cheat, aren’t you?”

The End

Short Story "Special Delivery" Part 3

2010-03-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Continued from Monday...

“Tom Simms has a girlfriend.” Deanna made this pronouncement while slapping a wad of mashed potatoes onto Vanessa’s plate.

“I saw her,” Roxanne said. “At least I assume I did. Is her name Daliah?”

“How would I know? I only heard from Regina -”

“Can’t anyone keep their privacy in this town?” Vanessa said, stabbing at her pork roast.

Roxanne blushed. “I’m not judging him. I only said I saw him with a blonde woman today.”

“It seems soon,” Deanna said. “His wife’s only been gone a short time. Still, he is a young man.”

“You think Abigail was referring to Tom?”

Vanessa looked confused. “Abigail’s dead.”

“The day she died, Mother heard her make an odd comment.” Roxanne searched Deanna’s face. “You think the comment had something to do with her death.”

“It’s pretty far fetched,” Deanna said. “However, Tom’s been getting perfumed letters at the post office.”

“How in God’s name would you know that?” Vanessa demanded.

“Maybe it’s the same woman,” Roxanne said. “I don’t remember seeing her in Wilton before. One thing that is odd… I saw the couple leave Pepe’s Restaurant, so I went in and asked the hostess about them. They came in together.”

“You spied on them?” Vanessa threw down her fork. “I’d expect that from her,” she said, jabbing a finger in at Deanna.

Roxanne ignored the comment and instead asked Vanessa, “Do you remember a certain smell at Abigail’s house that night? Sweet?”

“I’m going to be sick.” Vanessa pushed her plate away.

“I mean like bad perfume.”

This caught Deanna’s attention. “Abigail Watts never wore perfume. She was allergic.”

“When I walked in, the restaurant had that same smell up by the hostess station. Tom and the Daliah had just passed through. I found out the scent is called Halo. They carry it at Bently’s, where they kept it in stock…for the late Patty Simms.”

“That’s a coincidence.” It was clear from her tone that Deanna did not approve of coincidences.

“Especially when the scent is so…” Roxanne struggled to find the right word, “Unique. Marla, the sales clerk, told me that Tom Simms bought a bottle last week.”

“That’s creepy,” Vanessa said. “If I was his girlfriend, I’d demand my own perfume.”

“The smell connects Tom, or at least his girlfriend, to the murder scene. And Tom was in line that day.” Deanna’s voice trailed off as she considered the possibility.

“But that’s ridiculous,” said Roxanne. “People don’t get murdered because they disapprove of the length of your mourning period.”

Vanessa grabbed the coffee urn off the countertop. “Don’t you think you should share your theory with Detective Grady?”

Roxanne stammered. “It’s hardly a theory.”

Deanna smiled. “I’m sure Detective Grady has his own theories to keep him occupied.”

#

Grady was stumped. He had an unpleasant, generally disliked dead woman who was celebrating an expected income. There were no recent deposits in her bank account, no recently deceased relative who might have left her money, and little possibility of a sudden career change. If Grady considered Abigail Watts’ character, blackmail seemed likely.

Since she had yet to receive a payment, Grady assumed the target must be recent. Unfortunately, a search of her personal papers left him without any clues. Of course, if the blackmail victim had killed her, he or she would hardly have left the evidence behind. Who in Wilton had undergone a recent change in fortunes? Was there any place he hadn’t looked? Some secret place that Abigail might use to hide information?

On a hunch, Grady grabbed his jacket and headed for the post office.

#

Regina Potter held the envelope up to the light and gasped. That is a lot of zeros, she thought. The envelope, addressed to Tom Simms, bore the return address of Travelot Insurance Carrier. Regina had an inkling the envelope contained the insurance payout for his wife’s death. Good thing she had peeked. Only a personal delivery would do for a check in this amount.

The envelope was marked return receipt requested, signature required, and she could collect that signature and see the look of pleasure on the young man’s face for herself. How fortuitous of Tom to insure his wife so well, she thought, especially considering they were newlyweds. One hardly thought about the possibility of bad things so early in life. Unless, of course, you were a pragmatist, like Tom Simms.

#

When asked, Leonard Miles confirmed that employees received a free box as part of their benefits package. He didn’t recall Abigail ever putting hers to use. Fortunately, Leonard was wrong.

Grady dumped the former box contents onto his desktop and studied them. There was a blank sheet of pink paper, scented. His eyes watered from the smell. He slipped this piece of evidence back into the envelope and slid it into a drawer.

On an unscented, white sheet of paper, an eight hundred number was scratched in pencil alongside the name Barnaby. He dialed an outside line.

“Travelot Insurance,” said the perky voice that answered.

“I’d like to speak to Barnaby.”

“Which one?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Grady rubbed his temple. “What kind of insurance do you sell at Travelot?”

The receptionist recited the company line. “We service the personal needs of average Americans. We offer life, health, disability –“

“Which department do the Barnaby’s work in?”

“Which –“

“One.” He completed the sentence for her. “Just transfer me to anyone named Barnaby.”

On the second ring, a young man answered the phone. “Barnaby Miller.”

“This is Detective Grady from the Wilton police force.”

“Where?”

“Wilton. As in Wilton, Illinois?”

“Never heard of it. I handle the East Coast.”

Grady had a glimmer of hope. “Is there a Barnaby who handles the Midwest?”

“Barnaby Taylor. I’ll transfer you.”

Barnaby Taylor was a busy man. Grady went directly into his voice mail. He left a message and made sure to add that his enquiry was regarding murder with the hope that this would expedite the return call. By two o’clock, the insurance man had not touched base. Grady left another message, this time including his home phone number, and went in search of a late lunch.

#

Regina Potter peered through the screen door of Twenty-five Minnow Lane. A woman’s soft laughter drifted through the house from a back room. Regina struggled to hold onto her confidence and push away the voice in her head that berated her.

Interloper. Intruder. You’re a chip off the ol’ Abigail block, aren’t you?

A handsome face, vaguely familiar, appeared in response to her knock. Over his shoulder, Regina saw a dark haired woman wrapped in a towel dart up the stairs. She pulled her eyes back at the sharp tone of his voice.

“Yes?”

The grand pronouncement she had practiced on her walk up the driveway abandoned her.

“I’ve come from the post office.” She stuck out the hand holding the check.

Tom Simms opened the screen door and leaned against the frame. He took the envelope, raising a brow after reading the return address.

“Harvey’s already been by,” he said, referring to the mail carrier.

Regina blushed. “This came after the mail had been sorted and it seemed kind of important. It needs a signature.” She stumbled along, unable to stop herself. “I assumed, with the death of your wife and all…a tragedy. You have my heartfelt sympathy.”

Regina relaxed when Tom offered her a boyish smile.

“I hope my sister didn’t shock you. She’s visiting.” He glanced back at the stairway and rolled his eyes. “I told her she should get a robe. It’s not decent, even if I am her brother.”

Regina, emboldened by this confidence, smiled and told Tom not to worry. All girls grow out of it. “How old is she?”

Tom replied, “Teenager,” and the two shared an understanding chuckle. Then he grew serious.

“Thanks. For what you said about my wife. I still miss her.”

Regina jumped at the chance to offer consolation and left him with a few words of advice about mending hearts and life marching on. When she walked away from the Simms house, it was with a light step and Tom Simm’s signature.

#

The phone rang just as Grady peeled the lid from the top of a microwave dinner. He tossed the hot plastic between his fingers and dumped it in the sink, managing to answer on the fourth ring.

The caller was Barnaby Taylor.

“I was concerned by your message, naturally. Didn’t get it until five minutes ago. So are you saying a client of mine was murdered?”

“Not unless Abigail Watts was a client.”

“Doesn’t sound familiar.” Grady heard typing. “No. Good thing, too. Our policies don’t pay out on murder, as you’d imagine.”

“Mr. Taylor,” Grady asked, “do you have any clients in Wilton?”

Barnaby Traylor paused a moment. “Hard to say. What’s the zip code?”

Grady supplied it and Barnaby typed it into the system.

“I got one hit,” Barnaby said. “And you’re lucky I got it. That policy was purchased seven months ago, but not in Wilton. We’ve only just updated our system search to include a change of address. Tom and Patty Simms.” Barnaby grunted. “Seems there’s been a payout recently.”

Grady waited while Barnaby compiled his information.

“That’s too bad. Looks like the wife died in a car accident a couple of months after they were married. I hate that.”

Barnaby sounded devastated.

“Can you tell me when that check paid out?”

“The check was cut two weeks ago. Then it would have been routed for signature and mailed. We send payouts return receipt requested, and we need a signature as well. Haven’t gotten anything back, so the check is probably in the mail.” Barnaby laughed at his own joke.

Grady thanked him for the information.

“Hold on,” Barnaby said. “What does this have to do with murder?”

“Can you tell me how much the check was for?”

Barnaby paused. “One million dollars.”

Bingo, thought Grady.

#

This time, Roxanne accompanied Deanna into the post office. She worried that Regina might not be forthcoming in her presence, but Roxanne wanted to make sure she got the facts directly from the woman. She needn’t have worried.

Regina was bursting to set the record straight.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said to Deanna, with a nod to Roxanne.

“I feel I’ve done a bad thing.” Regina administered her own version of corporal punishment, slapping her left hand with her right. “Shame on me, maligning that young man’s character.”

She explained about her duty to deliver the check from the insurance company in person.

“And then I met his sister, a sweet young thing. She must have been the one writing the letters. So you see? It was all so innocent. I feel terrible for making a fuss.”

“Was she a blonde?” Roxanne asked.

“Brunette.” Regina frowned. “Why?”

“Did you get her name?”

Regina stammered. “I didn’t think to ask. Does it matter?”

“What did she look like?”

Regina blushed. “I didn’t get a good look. You see, she was running up the stairs in a towel and –“

This time Deanna spoke up. “She was running around in front of her brother in a towel?”

“She’s only a teenager and…” Regina frowned. “I believe he gave her a talking to.”

Roxanne asked, “Did you smell anything peculiar?”

Regina gasped. “You mean like drugs?”

“No. Like bad perfume.”

Regina narrowed her eyes and clutched the top of her blouse closed. It was clear she thought Roxanne was making fun of her. For the second time in her short career, Regina put up the closed sign and took an unscheduled break.

#

Grady held the line for the Dane County Coroner. It took three transfers, but he finally hooked up with a doctor who remembered the accident. Dr. Kohler had been on duty the night that Patty Simms died.

“It’s pretty straight forward, Detective Grady.” Dr. Kohler explained how the body had been burned beyond recognition after the engine caught fire and the gas tank exploded. “It was labeled a freak accident by the fire department. She lost control of the car. Although, come to think of it, they were never sure why. Route Fourteen is a straight shot at that point, and the night was clear. It’s possible a stray deer wandered into her path but there were no skid marks.”

“Who identified the body? And how?”

Dr. Kohler shuffled through his report.

“The husband was forced to do it, poor sod. Identification came from the wedding ring she was wearing.”

“What happened to the ring?”

Dr. Kohler seemed surprised by the question. “It was an accidental death. I suppose it was returned to him with…well, there really wasn’t anything else to return.”

Grady thanked the man and settled down to a luke-warm meal.

#

“What are we going to do?”

When Deanna spoke, she had a glazed look in her eyes that worried Roxanne.

“Mother, define “do”?”

“About the woman who is obviously not Tom Simms’ sister!” Deanna practically screamed.

Vanessa stuffed a handful of chips into her mouth. “Who cares? So he has a date. Lucky him.”

Roxanne kept her focus on her mother. “I agree that something doesn’t smell right.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes.

“Sorry. It slipped. Anyway, I’m saying that, whatever is going on, it doesn’t mean murder.”

Deanna waived her hands in the air. “Do the math. First, Abigail says someone’s looking better than they have a right to.”

“Tom Simms.” Vanessa snapped open a can of cola and took a long slug. “Because he’s happy?”

“Or was she talking about someone else?” Deanna looked so pleased with herself that Roxanne shivered.

“Who else could she have meant?” Roxanne asked.

Deanna looked back and forth between her daughters, coaxing them to say the right answer. Finally, she shook her fist in the air. “Did I raise a couple of morons?”

Vanessa reached for the chips again. “Obviously, because I have no idea what you’re going on about.”

“I know where you’re headed with this,” Roxanne said. “You think the girlfriend is really Patty Simms. Tom’s wife looks better than she has a right to, because she’s supposed to be dead.”

“Bingo.”

Vanessa’s jaw dropped.

“I don’t even remember what his wife looked like,” Roxanne said, pointedly. “You would need an old picture of her –“

“I can get that from the news story about her death,” Deanna said. “Or even from their wedding photos. The news office should have something. Then we can compare that photograph to a new picture of this alleged Daliah person.”

Vanessa blustered and then demanded that Deanna take this information to Detective Grady.

“Not without proof.”

“And how do you get proof?” Roxanne asked, edging toward the door.

Deanna pulled out a digital camera.

“Do you even know how to use that thing?” Vanessa asked.

“No,” Deanna answered, as she turned to leer at Roxanne. “But she does.”

To be Continued...

Short Story "Special Delivery" Part 2

2010-03-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Continued from Monday, Part II of "Special Delivery"

The following morning, Roxanne brought pastries and coffee to her mother’s house. She felt bad about the failed poker night. From what she could see, her mother needed the practice.

Deanna scribbled away on a pad of paper and looked up only after Roxanne emptied the donuts onto a plate and slid them in front of her.

“What’s that?” Roxanne asked. “Cheat sheet for the test?”

“I’m trying to remember who was in line at the post office, yesterday. I went to pick up a package and overheard Abigail make an odd comment about someone in line.”

Roxanne shrugged. “Abigail Watts had a comment for everyone.”

“Whoever this person was, seeing them was enough to distract her from hassling me.”

“That is a big deal,” Roxanne agreed. “So who have you come up with?”

“Annie Jibbs stood right behind me.”

“Ginny Jibbs?” Roxanne referred to the woman’s unhealthy fondness for liquor.

“But that’s nothing new,” Deanna said. “Abigail had been passing her temperance flyers for years.” She went back to the list.

“Tom Simms was next in line.”

Roxanne made a sympathetic noise. “Didn’t he lose his wife a few months ago?”

Deanna nodded. “Car accident. It happened on a trip up North, in Wisconsin. I think she was visiting relatives.”

“They were married less than a year, weren’t they?” Roxanne asked. “I can hardly remember what she looked like.”

“That’s not surprising,” Deanna said. “She died a few weeks after they moved here.”

The women shared a minute of respectful silence.

“I think the next in line was Old Homer.”

Roxanne figured if anyone could intimidate Abigail Watts it would be Homer Tidwall. A prominent member of the Wilton City Counsel, he was impervious to ill will, as he possessed so much of it himself.

“I also saw that young woman with the twins, the one who’s always falling over things.”

“Carrie Hall. It must be hard to keep your balance with two three year olds hanging on you,” Roxanne said.

Deanna tossed down her pen. “I can’t remember anyone else.”

“What exactly did Abigail say?”

“Something about the person’s looks – they were too lively, or something. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Did Ginny look too healthy for a drunk?”

“I thought she looked pasty.”

“What about Homer? Was he looking satisfied? Have there been any recent City Counsel decisions that might make him happy and tick off Abigail at the same time?”

“The City Counsel doesn’t meet until the end of the month. Besides,” Deanna added, “Homer was looking glum, as usual.”

“How did Carrie look?”

“Frazzled.”

“Was she wearing new clothes? Spending outside her budget? According to Abigail, that is.”

Deanna wrinkled her nose. “Carrie smelled like poop and there was something crusty on the front of her shirt.”

“That leaves us with Tom.” This conclusion angered Roxanne. “What did Abigail expect him to do? Cry in public? Mope for the rest of his life? There is such a thing as bearing up with dignity.”

Deanna agreed. “None of the options make any sense. But there may be someone who can give us some inside information.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Abigail’s replacement.”

#

Mrs. Regina Potter stepped into her predecessor’s shoes with a refreshing professionalism. She retrieved packages promptly and without hassle, she greeted the public without rancor or derision, and the general fears over privacy from the post office box holders seemed to evaporate the moment she agreed to take on the job.

Deanna counted on this efficiency being a front. She waited for a lull in business and made her move. She approached the window under the pretense of asking Regina to be the sixth player in the card game next Monday night.

Regina’s response was a look of horror.

“Gambling?” The word echoed in the empty room.

“We don’t play for money,” Deanna said, trying to sooth the woman back onto friendlier ground. “It’s for practice. For my test. I’m taking a class –“

Regina waived an impatient hand. “I know all about what goes on at WACKED - card playing and astrology and Taro classes… an invitation to devilry of all kinds.” She narrowed her eyes. “People shouldn’t tempt fate.”

“It’s all for fun,” Deanna said, embarrassed.

“Fun.” Regina snorted. “There’s all sorts of fun going on in this town.” She leaned across the counter, eyes gleaming. “The stories I could tell you.” She caught herself and stood upright. “But that would be gossiping.”

Deanna held back her excitement and hoped that Regina might loosen up if she was offered a bit of information first. “I heard…” Deanna looked over her shoulder, unnecessarily as the room was still empty. “I heard that somebody is looking better than they have a right to.”

Regina narrowed her eyes. “How do you mean?”

Oh, hell, Deanna thought. She picked the most obvious interpretation. “Happier.” It came out as more of a question, but Regina nodded in agreement.

“I think that with someone’s wife just dead, it would be nice to at least pretend to be in mourning.” She shook her head. “Of course, I didn’t know Patty Simms that well. Maybe she was lacking as a wife.”

“Have you seen Tom with his new lady friend?” Deanna posed the question as if she, herself, had witnessed a public groping.

Regina looked disappointed. “No. But his post office box reeks of perfume.” Regina sounded as if she was seeking approval when she explained, “I thought, it being my first day on the job, I should familiarize myself with everything.”

Deanna agreed that this was Regina’s duty.

Unfortunately, this praise caused Regina to switch on her professional persona. When Deanna asked who might be sending Tom Simms scented letters, she placed the closed sign in her window and said, “I’m sure I don’t know.”

#

Detective Grady sat across from Henrietta Pilfridge and waited for her to rouse herself. Again. For the last half hour, the old woman had alternated between animated stories about her beloved dog and deep sleep. Grady eyed the curly mop of fur stretched out in a patch of sunlight; it’s plump, white belly looked ready to pop. Henrietta’s last period of dozing started four minutes ago, and Grady was uncertain as to whether he should show himself out or if he should give the old gal a light shake. Henrietta was his final interview, and Grady hated to give up. He opted for a loud, throat-clearing cough.

Henrietta’s head jerked up and she picked up the conversation without pause.

“Maxamillion never has to tinkle at night. At least, not before I put him in the bathtub for the evening, with newspapers, of course.”

Grady covered his gag with a faked sneeze.

“So when he scratched at the door, I became concerned. That’s usually the first sign of aging, the need to tinkle all the time.” She nodded. “In people, too.”

Grady’s gaze wandered back to the regally named pooch. Maxamillion was probably closer to the last signs of aging. As if reading his mind, the dog raised his head and flapped his lips in an attempted “Woof”.

“Did you hear anything outside?” he asked. “Anything that might have caught Maxamillion’s attention?”

“I fastened the security chain and left everything in God’s hands.”

“Maybe you peeked out the window?” he prodded.

Henrietta looked offended, so he hastened to add, “I would have.”

She relented. “Maybe I did see the light from Abigail’s front door.”

“What time was this?”

She tapped her chin with her index finger. “The street lamps weren’t on but it was very near dark. This time of year…that would make it…seven forty. Give or take five minutes.”

Her specificity surprised him, and he said so.

She flushed with pleasure.

“I’ve lived here all my life. Raised three children in this house. You get to know these things, even if it’s not in a conscious way. I’ve always used the streetlights to measure the time. When the lights went on, it was time for homework.”

Grady finished his tea, pat Maxamillion on the snout and let himself out. He had confirmation that Abigail Watts’ front door was open around twenty minutes to eight. The killer could have been coming or going. This new information wasn’t much help.

#

Roxanne stepped out of the convenience store and checked the next item on her shopping list. As she opened her car door, she caught a glimpse of Tom Simms leaving Pepe’s, the Mexican restaurant next door, with a blonde woman on his arm. She closed the car door and went into the restaurant. The smell of garlic and cilantro was strong, but there was another odor, too, sickly sweet and familiar.

The hostess, a young girl in an off-the-shoulder dress of vibrant colors, grabbed a menu and greeted Roxanne.

“I’m afraid I just missed some friends of mine,” Roxanne said.

The girl toyed with the giant gardenia stuck behind her left ear.

“What’s their name?”

Roxanne thought about using Tom’s name and changed her mind. The hostess might be more interested than she looked.

“It’s embarrassing,” Roxanne said with a laugh. “She’s recently married and I don’t know her new name. She’s blonde,” Roxanne held out her hand, “about this tall. Did you see her come in with a tall, young gentleman?”

“I remember her. She came in here with Tom Simms. Daliah was her name.

Roxanne nodded encouragement.

“You just missed them.” The hostess scrunched up her nose. “It still stinks in here. Can’t you smell it?”

“I wonder what brand of perfume that is.” Roxanne said, letting her gaze rest hopefully on the girl. Off the hostess’s offended look, she added, “Like you, I want to avoid it.”

“It’s one of those crap celebrity scents. Halo.”

The hostess held up the menu. “So, are you going to eat, or what?”

Roxanne declined.

Her next stop was Bently’s Drug Store. She waited at the perfume counter while an elderly woman with pinkish-orange hair bartered extra samples out of a bored-looking employee. The old lady walked away victorious, clutching three. The sales woman sauntered over to Roxanne, mumbling under her breath.

“She comes in constantly for samples but never buys a thing.”

She threw back her head and adjusted her spectacles, trying to place a name with Roxanne’s face.

“Can I help you?”

The employee name tag, clipped to a white jacket identical to the one worn by the pharmacist, identified the woman as Marla.

“Do you ever carry Halo? It’s a celebrity perfume, although I don’t know which celebrity.”

Marla raised her brows, distinctly questioning Roxanne’s taste. “I know what it is.” She held out a bottle shaped like a woman’s bottom. “This is the last bottle, thank goodness. Please take it outside if you’re going to try it on. It gives me a headache.”

The price tag read sixty dollars.

“Pretty expensive.” Roxanne’s glance took in her surroundings.

“You mean for this place?” Marla nodded. “We had one customer who loved the stuff. That’s the only reason we have this bottle.”

Roxanne handed the perfume back. “If she’s expecting you to have it in stock, you had better keep this one”

Marla gave the bottle a shake. “Don’t worry. She’s dead.”

Roxanne opened her eyes in mock surprise. “You don’t mean the late Mrs. Simms?”

“That’s the one. She seemed to have good taste, from what I can remember, so it ran my nylons when she requested this junk.”

Roxanne agreed that it was quite shocking.

“I don’t want to talk dirt about the dead, but she was a plain girl. Maybe she was trying to make a statement.”

“Has any one else been asking after this particular perfume?”

Marla recognized an opportunity. Before answering, she asked her own question. “Do want this wrapped as a gift?”

#

Walt’s Grocery Store was Wilton’s final holdout against the giant conglomerates that threatened to do away with local butchers and bakeries. Walt’s was the kind of place where the customers knew the owner as Chuck and he, in turn, asked after their children, remembering at least their ages if not their names.

Shirley Jakious entered the work force twenty years ago as a bagger. In two years, she made checker. Now she was the head checker and one of the only original employees remaining, which made her a valuable ally to regular customers. She knew their preferences, alerted them to sales, and shook her head discretely when the quality of fresh chickens wasn’t up to her standards.

“Yeah, I remember.” Shirley snapped her gum as if it aided her concentration. “She bought Starbuck’s coffee and lamb chops. The chops weren’t even on sale.”

“Was Abigail a frugal shopper?” Grady asked.

Shirley barked out a laugh. “G&C. Generics and coupons. And her usual shopping day is Wednesday, after the sales flyers are out.”

“How was her mood?” Grady asked. “Anything unusual?”

Shirley didn’t blush, but she hesitated long enough to validate her reputation – tough on the outside, a softie on the inside. “Let’s say she was unusually smug.”

“About what?”

Shirley smacked Grady on the arm. “You know how she was, Sean. Full of hints without saying anything. I asked her if she’d won the lottery. She smirked with those little puckered lips of hers and said her salad days were over.”

Grady didn’t like the feeling that settled into the pit of his stomach. He doubted Abigail was referring to a hefty raise from the U.S. government.

Shirley wrinkled her brow and sadness settled over her features. She even stopped snapping her gum. “The thing is, instead of being happy for her, I found it kind of repulsive.”

Grady reassured her. “Abigail Watts had that effect on most people.” He added to himself, one in particular.

Short Story "Special Delivery"

2010-03-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

This short story by Jacqueline Vick first appeared in "Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine".

"Special Delivery"

Deanna Wilder clutched her delivery notice--by now a crumpled wad--and leaned forward onto the balls of her sneakers like a sprinter preparing for takeoff. After waiting in line for twenty minutes, she now looked on the postal window as an unclaimed prize.
Behind the counter, Abigail Watts puttered about: straightening the supply of stamps in her drawer, adjusting the tape in her adding machine, recapping her rubber stamps. Her position as the lone counter clerk of the Wilton Post Office gave Abigail power, a power she delighted in and exercised with impunity. Birthday gifts from distant relatives, anticipated catalogue orders, private correspondence intended for the post office box, the fate of these lie entirely with Abigail. And so the people of Wilton put up with her probing questions, her disapproving clucks, and her malicious gossip.

When she finally called out, “Next!” her tone suggested that it was she who had been kept waiting.

Deanna slapped her notice on the counter and, with a look that threatened violence, said, “I’ve come for my package.”

Abigail leaned forward on plump arms and gave the paper a poke. “Where were we on Saturday that we couldn’t accept delivery?”

Deanna clamped down on a retort and feigned a polite laugh. “We were running errands.”

The interrogation had only begun.

“I understand you interviewed a contractor to put in your new pool.”

Abigail said the word contractor as if the man’s qualifications were suspect. “Betsy Riven saw you having lunch with him at the Main Street Café.”

Deanna, assuming the woman had been coerced into offering up this tidbit in exchange for Abigail’s services, forgave Betsy immediately. She tapped the receipt. “My package?”

Abigail continued as if Deanna had not spoken. “Mulrony’s has the best reputation in town.” This was her nephew’s construction firm. She sighed loudly. “But, I expect you know what’s best, being the one with money to throw around.”

Deanna sniffed. “It is my house,” she said, but Abigail was no longer listening. Her black eyes beaded in on a new target in the long line behind Deanna.

Abigail pursed her small lips in disapproval. “Some people are looking better than they have a right to. Much too lively for what’s right, if you know what I mean,” she muttered. Deanna turned her head. Blank looks stared back.

Abigail toddled to the back room and returned with a medium sized box.

“Buying bras through the mail again?” Abigail referred to the return label, Silky Comfort. “I’d have thought you’d want to try them on first. A woman’s shape changes after gravity sets in.”

Deanna blushed and grabbed the box. Abigail called out after her retreating form.

“See you at seven!”

Deanna ignored the raspy laughter that followed her out the door.

As she adjusted her seatbelt, Deanna decided to make a concerted effort to find somebody else, anybody else in Wilton, who knew how to play Texas Hold Em. Doing Vegas in Style was Deanna’s latest class at the Wilton Adult Center for Knowledge and Education, known to the locals as WACKED. The final exam, a Texas Hold Em tournament, was less than three weeks away. Deanna had arranged a weekly Monday night game for practice. Not wanting to give an advantage to any of her classmates, she had scrounged up five satisfactory players to join her. But Abigail was wearing on Deanna’s last nerve. As she turned the key in the ignition, Deanna Wilder decided that tonight’s game would be Abigail’s last.

#

Harmony Drive was a short, dead end extension off Edinburgh Road. It ended abruptly in a small thatch of thorn bushes that separated the residential area from the lawn that surrounded Champs Middle School. The people who occupied the small, ranch houses that lined the drive felt no resentment over their limited options for escape; most of them had no place to go. The majority of residents had retired years ago, and their infrequent social visits, mainly grandchildren, came to them.

Midway down the block, at a shabby white house in need of care, Abigail Watts answered her doorbell. Her large frame, illuminated by the light from her living room, filled the entryway as she peered out at her visitor.

“I’m not surprised you came,” she said, her tiny lips puckering into what could pass for a smile. She stepped aside to allow the visitor entry into her home.

She leaned out onto the porch and searched the street. Although evening had progressed to the later hours of dusk, the streetlamps remained unlit. Shadowy mounds of hedges blocked her view.

“You’ve come alone?” She turned in time to see the visitor nod. “That’s a disappointment,” she said, closing the door and leaving the street in darkness. Anyone within hearing distance would have witnessed Abigail Watts’ final words.

“Now about that letter…”

#

Deanna Wilder nudged her daughter, Vanessa, with a sharp elbow to the rig-cage.

“Stop squirming.”

Vanessa glared at the grandfather clock and said, “You promised I’d be home in time for CSI: Miami. If we start playing now, we have time for a couple of hands.”

“It’s a re-run, for God’s sake.”

Ida Nichols, Deanna’s sister-in-law, shuffled a deck of cards with the skill of a Vegas dealer. “Young people aren’t the only ones with lives. Maybe we should call her again.”

“Maybe we should.” The woman mimicking Ida was her fraternal twin, Mabel. Mabel entered the world twenty minutes after her sister, left to scrounge up whatever attributes Ida had seen fit to leave behind. Mabel stood two inches shorter than her twin, was less striking in appearance and manner, and lacked a mind of her own.

“Abigail didn’t pick up the last three times I called,” Deanna said. “What makes you think four is the magic number?”

Roxanne, Deanna’s youngest daughter, had until now suffered the evening in silence. She set down her poker chips and said, “I’m driving over to see what’s keeping her.”

As the evening’s host, Deanna opted to remain behind in case Abigail showed up. She convinced Ida and Mabel to stay, primarily because she couldn’t trust the twins to return. Roxanne was stuck with Vanessa.

The drive across town took ten minutes, ten minutes filled with Vanessa’s complaints about her wasted evening.

“Just because Mother thinks I don’t have a life…” Vanessa fingered her curls and sniffed. “Well, if I don’t, it’s her fault. Every time she takes a class, I wind up as her guinea pig. Today it’s poker. You watch. Tomorrow it will be mind reading and I won’t have any secrets left.”

“I don’t know why you bother to argue,” Roxanne said. “I just agree with her and do what I want.”

“Then why are you spending Monday night running around town looking for some old hag?”

“You mean instead of learning the finer points of forensic science from David Caruso?” Roxanne referred to the red-headed star of CSI: Miami.

She turned the Chrysler New Yorker into the driveway of Fourteen Harmony Street and left the car idling. The windows of the house were dark.

“We probably just missed her.” She instructed Vanessa to wait and ran up to the front door.

Roxanne might have knocked harder than she intended because the door creaked open after the first hit. She leaned her head in.

“Abigail?”

There was no response.

The car headlamps cast a dim light over the living room, and Roxanne could make out the outline of a large lump in the middle of the rug. She felt along the entry wall for a switch.

Blazing light filled the room and exaggerated the purple, bloated features of Abigail Watts. Her large arms lay thrown over her head, the hem of her housedress rested in a position to expose the varicose veins threading up her plump thighs. A sickeningly sweet odor hung over the room.

Vanessa appeared at Roxanne’s side.

“What’s taking so long?” she asked. Then her eyes followed to where Roxanne pointed.

“I’m going to miss my show, aren’t I?”

#

Detective Sean Grady had a face like a bull and a body to match. Men who now resided at Joliet State Penitentary had mistaken his blank expression for a lack of intelligence. Others thought his shock of red hair might indicate a quick temper, but no one had ever witnessed him lose it. He sat at a small, square table opposite the Wilder sisters in Interview Room A.

“Tell me again what time you arrived at the victim’s home.”

Roxanne opened her mouth to speak, but Vanessa cut in.

“We already said. Ten minutes to eight.”

“And you’re sure of the exact time because –“

“I was watching the minutes tick away until my favorite show started.” Vanessa snorted. “Don’t worry yourself. It’s over now.”

Grady ignored her outburst and addressed Roxanne.

“You said the door wasn’t locked?”

Roxanne shifted in her seat, her rump sore after an hour on the cold, hard metal. “I only knocked once. The door opened on its own.”

“Abigail Watts was late for a poker game at your mother’s house.” Grady read from their statement. “Your mother, Deanna Wilder, tried phoning Ms. Watts three times, starting at twenty minutes after seven.”

“The game was set to start at seven,” Roxanne explained, shooting her sister a look. “Vanessa was impatient and insisted we call.”

Vanessa leaned toward the detective. “I do have better things to do than sit around playing cards with my mother.”

“I’m sure you do, Miss Wilder,” he said with practiced neutrality. He closed the file and folded his hands on the table. “I think that’s all for now.” He added the perfunctory, “Please be available for further questioning.”

Roxanne agreed for them both as Vanessa disappeared out the door.

#

Grady’s desk was one of several in a large open room that made up the Wilton Detective Squad Headquarters. It was now eleven o’clock at night; he had the room to himself. He scribbled notes in a manila folder that bore a handwritten label – Abigail Watts.

He considered the facts he had gathered so far.

Abigail Watts left her job at the Wilton Post Office at five-thirty in the evening, the usual time for her departure according to her boss, Leonard Miles. Leonard Miles’s reaction to the death of his long time employee was gratitude at having enough notice to find a replacement.

Abigail then proceeded to Walt’s Grocery store where she purchased a can of gourmet coffee beans and a package of lamb chops. He knew this from the dated receipt on her kitchen counter, verified by the pile of chop bones in her trash bin. The can of coffee, Starbuck’s, remained unopened at the time of her death. Walt’s had been closed since nine but Grady knew that Shirley Jakious worked the evening shift. He could question her tomorrow.

Grady reasoned that Abigail’s errand would have placed her back at home by six fifteen at the latest. Then she took the time to cook her dinner and eat it. That would place the time of death between a quarter to seven and eight o’clock at night. There were no signs of forced entry; Abigail Watts allowed her killer entry into her home.

First thing tomorrow, he would interview the neighbors. If he was lucky, someone would admit to poking their nose through their blinds around the same time that Abigail Watts received her visitor.

To be continued....

The Challenges of Putting on a Children's Literacy Presentation

2010-03-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked by a school administrator to put on an Author Presentation for Children's Literacy Day. Having written an early middle reader, a talk to third through fifth graders sounded like an excellent opportunity. What a learning experience!

Fight to Get the Details

As the first Literacy Day this school had ever put on, the details about what the organizer needed and wanted were hazy, and they kept changing. I assumed the woman in charge would let me know what she finally decided on once she figured it all out, but we all know what Felix Unger said about ass-u-me. Mistake. Even as the day approached, the emails I received were few and lacking detail.

If the school is unclear about what they want, take charge and tell them what you're willing to do. You may help them come to a decision. At the very least, if what you are willing to do and what they want are two different things, telling them may force out additional details they "thought" they had already given you.

At first I was one of several authors giving a half an hour presentation. A week before the event, that changed. I was the only author giving a forty-five minute presentation twice the same evening to two different groups of students. When I arrived, I discovered I was one of four choices that the students would be assigned and was assured that, however long my presentation was, it would be fine and I could dismiss the students when I finished. Then the administrator told me I needed to fill an hour and a half!

Prepare More Than You Need

Before the event, I worked to fill the original half hour and then quickly added a few thoughts for the extra fifteen minutes. When I discovered upon arrival that I had to fill an additional foty-five minutes, I had to wing it. Not a pretty site.

Even Young Audiences Need A Warm Up

When the kids took their seats, I jumped right in. I had arranged an interactive presentation and was surprised by how shy the kids were when it came to participating. They finally got into it at the very end of my original presentation, which, due to a lack of participation, only filled ten minutes! Had I warmed them up with questions and jokes and stories, they would have been ready to jump in and enjoy by the time I started asking for volunteers.

Understand How Kids Learn

I thought that an interactive presentation would keep the children from getting bored, but jumping around and shouting in the classroom was foreign to them, and it took the kids a while to get used to the idea. When I ran out of content, the school administrator rustled up paper and pencils and we asked the children to use the information I'd given them to write their own story. Writing an assignment and then reading it aloud was something they understood! I like to think they enjoyed my original presentation, but like good little students, they were comfortable with familiar "homework".

Literacy Day was a fun experience, and I hope to do more Author Presentations for other schools. Next time I'll come prepared. I'll take control by telling the school what I'm willing to do. I'll prepare extra content for last minute surprises. Warming my audience up will take priority, and I'll be sure to include some traditional methods of learning.

Does anyone have experience with these types of presentations? I'd love to hear about what you did to ensure a fun and educational time for the kids.

Interview with Author/Artist Gay Degani

2010-03-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Gay Degani writes surrounded by the frantic chortles of parrots. She has published in journals and anthologies including The Best of Every Day Fiction 2008 and TWO (2009). Her stories online can be read at The Battered Suitcase, Night Train, 10 Flash, 3 A.M. Magazine, as well as other publications. Pomegranate Stories is a collection of eight stories by Gay. She is the editor of EDF’s Flash Fiction Chronicles and all her online fiction can be accessed from her blog. Welcome Gay!

Gay, you have an impressive list of short story credits. What attracted you to fiction in small packages?

Gay: Two reasons are at the bottom of my adventure into short stories. The first was to use short stories to help me learn the craft of fiction writing and the second was to actually publish something. I love movies, so when I started writing “with intent,” I wrote screenplays. I live in LA, what can I say?

I worked hard to learn the basic format—this in the old days with no Final Draft—and to write dialogue and lean narrative, and to master structure. Eventually, I decided to shift to novelizing a couple of my scripts, but I had trouble keeping track of the plot, the characters, the structure, and the language. Although screenwriting taught me some skills, I didn’t really know how to apply all of them to one integrated piece of work.

Solution: write short so I could practice using content, language, structure, and purpose all together in a manageable length. Also with the advent of online e-zines, short stories began to have real market value (if not monetary) and I was dying for a publishing credit. Not just so my family and friends would take me seriously, but so I would take me seriously.

What should a writer keep in mind when writing short stories versus longer narrative form?

Gay: The basics of short or long fiction writing are the same: tell a good story. The difference is that language, while always important, becomes uber-important in a short piece. There can be no wasted words. Vigor in verbs and specificity in nouns are essential to short fiction.

In a novel, a writer may get away with calling a tree, a tree, but in short fiction, not only does the tree have to be specific, it must do more in the story than offer the information that a character happens to be outside. It must set up a specific outside and be a tree that will suggest something else in the story, add another level, or give the reader symbolic visual. This something else may not be picked up by the reader on a conscious level, but on a sub-conscious level. A palm tree suggests California. A naked stick of a palm tree suggests something that has lost its beauty; it provides a more powerful image and therefore, does double-duty for the writer.

How long, on average, does it take to complete a short story? And do you adhere to a writing schedule?

Gay: Each story is different in its development cycle. Sometimes, but rarely, something will be fairly complete in an afternoon, but most of the time stories go through a slower writing with me.

For the last two or three years I have written something most days, either a free write from a prompt, or a piece for an e-zine I would like to get into, or because there’s some phrase or image or structure I want to play with. A part of my day is spent revising. And of course, there is the “novel” which I have written, but can’t bring myself to finish the editing process.

I go into my office in the garage around 6:30 and stay out most of the day, coming in for meals and breaks. I waste time out there too, occasionally painting or dare I admit it, napping.

Do you have several stories in play at one time or do you take one piece through the final editing process before beginning another?

Gay: As a devotee to the idea of process, I always have stories at different stages of the writing process. My first step with any story is to take whatever inspiration I have and draft a fast draft to discover where exactly it will take me. Ron Carlson’s little book Ron Carlson Writes a Story helped me to embrace this idea. Unlike Ron, however, my initial draft is never good-to-go. My work is strongest when I let something rest for a couple hours or days and then go back to it.

This second stage is when I discover what the story is really about, its purpose. This can be a single moment in a flash fiction piece, what that moment means to my character, good or bad. Or in a longer work, that purpose is what gives me the story arc. Once I know that, I can rewrite and edit so that everything in the story serves the story arc. This idea of serving the story is at the bottom of most strong short writing: no extra sentences can be kept because they are pretty, all unnecessary words are edited out, and a steady focus is maintained to achieve the impact the writer wants to leave with the reader.

In my short collection Pomegranate, the story, “Pomegranate,” is served by the story question, “Will this girl ever find her way home again and more importantly, will she be satisfied with her fate?” I didn’t know this when I started the story, especially the second part of the question. I only knew when I’d finished the first couple drafts.

The third step is to work toward the right language and tone, to make certain all aspects work, at least to me. This is the editing, revising, polishing, proof-reading stage that might take two drafts or even ten drafts.
At different stages of each story, however, I don’t count just on my own impressions. I have “designated readers” to help me see a piece the way the reader will see it and make any needed changes. Many online writing friends from communities such as Every Day Fiction, Facebook, Zoetrope, and Fictionaut have become my DRs.

Pomegranate is a compilation of short stories released in 2009. Could you tell us about your decision to put this book together and what steps you took?

Gay: Many publishers in the online writing community have chapbook contests and after entering a couple (and not winning), I decided sending off 50 pages of stories to various publishers and getting selected seemed to be a roundabout way to do this with sites like Lulu.com out there. Most convincing for me was that print publishers are even less likely to publish a collection of short fiction than online publishers because collections are less saleable unless the author is already an established novelist.

Could you elaborate on the theme of Pomegranate?

Gay: I wanted a theme for my chapbook contest entries because I thought I’d have a better shot at getting selected if I did. The most common thread seemed to be “ mother-daughters.” This made me think of Demeter and Persephone and if I wrote a story with this classic myth in mind, I would have something to tie everything together. I’d earn both my title and my theme. I made this decision at the same time that Jaycee Dugard was found. Something gelled for me and out came “Pomegranate.”

As an artist, you also did the artwork for the cover of Pomegranate. How do you turn a painting into a book cover?

Gay: I’m an abstract painter working in metallic acrylics, so I took about 20 photos of pomegranates and ran my favorite through Photoshop using several different filters. Part of this was because of time constraints since I wanted the book printed for Christmas of 2009. but also because I have less confidence creating representational art than abstract. Self-publishing, if you are cheap like me and you don’t want to hire one of the publishers’ consultants, is very demanding. I didn’t really have the time to stress about whether I could come up with a painting that would be graphically eye-catching.

Do painting and writing complement each other, or does each offer a different release?

Gay: The two arts offer me different experiences. They are a wonderful combination for me. I have no angst about painting whatsoever (unless it’s going to appear on the cover of my book!) I paint to please myself, but my ego is all wrapped up in writing. I have a desire to be good and continue to strive toward that goal.

What’s next for you?

Gay: I plan on continuing to write short fiction. It’s so much fun to experiment with different structures and subject matter that I can’t really see giving it up, but my major goal this year is to finish my novel. I’ve worked on it for a long time and I feel it can be good if I can force myself stay focused on it long enough to get it revised and polished. If anyone would like to read a version of the first chapter, I adapted it to flash form at Every Day Fiction. It’s called Stranger on the Porch.

Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today!

Enjoy!

2010-03-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone at Left Coast Crime a pleasant and fruitful conference!

Writers in Residence

Ladies Man - A Short Story in Four Parts - Part Four

2010-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Continued from yesterday...

Ladies Man
Part Four

by G.B.Pool

Now, I’m in L.A. Opportunity beckons.

Whataya know. The brown guy came back. He’s got a plate of food. For me? Hot dog. I found another friend.

I limped toward him. Sympathy never hurts. Unless they throw another rock. He set down the plate and pointed to it. I gave him a good long stare just to let him know I’m proud. I can take it or leave it. See?

He left it. Good. I’m starved.

I ambled over to the plate and darn near licked the restaurant’s name off the china. That’ll hold me for another day. I wished the brown guy would step back outside so I could let him know how much I appreciated the meal. But, hey, I’m really not the sentimental type.

Now let’s see what L.A. has to offer a guy like me. I’m resourceful. I sauntered down the street, feeling pretty sure of myself. The street was crowded. This time of day in Las Vegas, I’d be chillin’ somewhere until nightfall.

That’s when I saw him. He ran out of an alley and made a grab for some old broad’s purse. The woman tried holding on, but she was no match for the thug. He pushed her to the pavement and ran back down the alley.

I was after him in a flash. I could outrun the bum without breaking a sweat and was crawling up his back before he knew what hit him. I landed a few good swipes across his neck and he shrieked like a girl. The purse fell from his hand as he tried to stop the bleeding. I gave him a few more whacks and then got off him, snatched the purse, and dashed back up the alley.

People were helping the old woman off the sidewalk. She was pretty shaken, but when she saw the purse sitting at her feet and me smiling at her, she looked a whole lot better.

“My hero,” she said in a soft voice. “Wanna come home with me, big guy?”

It must be my face that gets ’em. She reached over and scratched under my chin. I swished my long, black tail and gave her a deep, sexy “meow.”

I followed her home.

I might stay a little longer this time.

I’m gettin’ old.

Ladies Man - A Short Story in Four Parts - Part Three

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Continued from yesterday...

Ladies Man

Part Three

by G.B.Pool

I high-tailed it around the back of a restaurant, and then put on the breaks. Somethin’ smelled awful good, and I hadn’t eaten in a day. My mouth watered as I watched a short, brown man toss plastic bags into a dumpster. If the lid didn’t shut all the way, I could get in there, rip open one of those bags, and look for something to eat.

Ever since the car accident, I can’t ease under those heavy lids. But I could sure make short work of a plastic bag.

The brown guy was lookin’ at me. He said something I didn’t understand, but the expression on his face said he just might turn out to be a friend.

He got rid of the garbage, slammed the lid shut, and went back inside the diner.

Oh, well. I’ll find somebody else.

I remembered the middle-aged lady who took pity on me after the car hit me. It wasn’t her fault. She was a witness. The driver didn’t even stop. The lady shook her fist at the car and yelled a few choice words I didn’t think ladies used, while I was licking my wounds.

“You poor fella,” she said. “You hungry? I just might have something in the icebox for a good-looking guy like you. Want to come to my house?”

I could tell by the tone of her voice, she’d made the offer before. As for me, I’ve accepted before.

Sometimes I start out on the couch, but after a while, I’m making myself at home in the lady’s bed. And sometimes, if I’m lucky, I get more out of it than just a back rub.

I got my dark, good looks from my old man. The rest of the brood took after Mom, kinda puny with a standoffish attitude. I heard tell Mom had a reputation for sleepin’ around. I guess you could say the same for Pop. But he had class. Breeding, some said. He taught me the ropes, but when he split, I didn’t have any good reason for staying around.

Lucky for me, the ladies like me. I fancy them myself. They usually treat me good, and I try to repay the kindness, while I’m around. I clean up after myself and don’t snore. But when they start thinking they can tie me down, they got another thing comin’. I’m Splits Ville.

Ladies Man - A Short Story in Four Parts - Part Two

2010-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Continued from yesterday...

Ladies Man

Part Two

by G.B.Pool

Barstow and I parted company one night when I nearly got caught heisting a few tasty tidbits from an all-night grocery store. I had wandered in behind another late night customer and made my way to the rear. The morning staff was long gone, so I could graze through the crates of day-old bread, or week-old whatever, and dine in style.

I was wiping the last of a moldy meatloaf from my face when I heard running. I turned in time to see a broom aimed at my head. I ducked and ran. The guy in the white apron took another swing, but I was racing down the cookie isle before he could get past the sinks. I spotted a man making for the doors and sailed through after him. I was in the shadows, catching my breath, by the time “apron boy” made it outside.

It was time to move on.

I strolled over to my favorite diner at the crack of dawn and spotted an eighteen-wheeler loaded with wooden pallets idling in the parking lot. I ambled aboard right before it rumbled onto the street and headed south. The sun was getting hot. Before I turned into beef jerky, I wedged myself down between two piles of splintery wood and fell asleep.

After a while, the steady hum of the road turned into the roar of the city. I opened my eyes. The flat and endless desert had morphed into a mountainous terrain of concrete and steel.

So, this is L.A.

I hang around truckers because those guys know where to eat. “Pallet man” pulled into a local eatery and I decided this was the end of the line. I emerged from my hiding place and dropped lightly to the pavement.

A guy wearing a funny pair of rubber shorts and a cockroach-shaped hat careened through the parking lot on a bicycle and nearly ran me over. As I jumped out of the way, I had to dodge a kid on an oversize roller skate as he raced past me. Sheesh!

Ladies Man - A Short Story in Four Parts - Part One

2010-03-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

As a special treat this week, G.B. Pool will share her short story, Ladies Man, in four parts. Gayle teaches short story construction seminars and on Saturday, April 10th, she will be on a panel of short story authors at the Burbank Library, Buena Vista Branch.

Ladies Man - Part One
by G.B.Pool

Call me Sly. That’s short for Sylvester. I started using the name after I snuck into a movie theater running old Stallone movies. It was just me and a bunch of strays with no place to go. I curled up on a seat and tried to catch forty. Gunshots jolted me from my nap and I decided to watch the flick. Boy, that Stallone could take care of himself. If I could have tied a red rag around my head, I would have called myself Rambo, but Sly’s good enough.

You see, I ran away from home when I was a punk. The mean streets have been my address, on and off, ever since. It’s rough out there. I’ve got the scars to prove it. But I’m tough.

It wasn’t all bad. I lived with this gorgeous showgirl in Las Vegas when I was younger. We both kept late hours, but she never asked me any questions. And I never asked her what she did between shows, so we got along great. I always had enough chow to eat at her place, but I didn’t like being tied down. So one night when she was takin’ out the garbage, I slipped out the back door, snuck aboard a southbound truck, and kissed Vegas goodbye.

I slept most of the way, not really knowing where I’d end up. The driver stopped at a diner somewhere along the freeway. I heard another trucker mention Barstow. That’s when my “chauffer” saw me stretched out in the back of his flatbed and started yelling.

“Hey! Get outta there you no good…”

He threw a rock at me. I’ve had worse. Remember the scars?

I ran down the dusty street, checking out my new digs. If times got lean, I could do some second story work. An open window on a hot night was easy. I’d sneak in, grab a few things, and scat before the owners or their dogs picked up the scent.

Dogs and I don’t get along. I tolerate them… from a distance.

Tune in tomorrow for Part Two!

Test the Integrity of Your Mystery - Part 4

2010-03-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Continued from last week.

This final blog involves the fourth column of your worksheet. You already know from the first three parts where your seen takes place, who's involved in the scene, and what action takes place in those scenes. Now it's time for:

Unanswered Questions.

Unanswered questions must be addressed. Remember the old adage about the gun on the mantle? To paraphrase, if the gun is there in ACT I, someone had better shoot something before the end of the story.

At the end of each scene, list the questions raised during the scene.

Let's say that your slueth discovers a scrap of paper in the victim's fireplace. The questions this raises in the reader's mind are "What was written on the paper?" "Who tried to burn the paper?" "Is it relevant to the mystery?" List all three in the Unanswered Questions column.

When all of your columns are complete, scan down the Information column until you find the answer to each of your questions. It helps to place a checkmark next to both the Information and the corresponding Question. By the end of your story, everything in both of these columns should have a checkmark.

If Aunt Gertrude wonders aloud what ever happened to her diary, the reader will carry that question to the end of the story. Left unanswered, it won’t matter that the murderer has been caught and that the sleuth survives to solve his next case. The reader will want to know why no one ever found the diary and what information it contained.

Even if a piece of Information provided is a Red Herring, it will still raise questions. It doesn't matter if the answer is "Aunt Gertrude's diary has nothing to do with the murder." As the author, you need to make sure that the slueth recognizes that the Question asked has been answered. If you leave anything hanging, you risk irritating your reader.

I hope that using this chart will ease the way to a balanced mystery with a tight plot. You should wind up with a story that makes sense and, as a result, satisfied readers.

Interview with Western author Will Davis

2010-02-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

Will Davis is an award-winning author of Westerns. Living in the west for over fifty years, Will became interested in the region and its history. The books he writes are based on real historical events, which he researches to assure that they describe what they were like in the 1800’s. Parts are drawn from his experiences with wilderness horse pack trips, cattle drives, and rodeos. He also draws upon his studies of the Indians of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and often includes them in his tales of the West.

His first novel, Bell Country Bushwhackers, was published in 2007; his latest, Six Points of Death, in 2008, both by Outskirts Press. His third novel, The Ring, is due out this fall. Welcome, Will!

Writing westerns involves more than putting a cowboy hat and boots on your protagonist. Can you describe what elements make a novel a Western? What is unique to that genre?

The genre is unique because the early West was unique. There were no states, there were no laws and most of the southwest weather and terrain was not kind to its invaders. The men of the early west had to have physical and mental fortitude. They were constantly defending themselves and their families from outlaws, Indians, unprincipled business men and scoundrels in general.

The Westerner, (Cowboy, Cowgirl), had to have strong survival skills. Their horsemanship was often a matter of life or death. If they were going to survive, they had to be proficient with firearms and had to know when to use them and when to refrain.

They followed an unwritten “code of the west” and those that failed to followed it often found themselves hanging from the end of a rope.

What is the special appeal that Westerns hold for their readers? How do you bring out those qualities in your books?

The technology revolution is fast causing the demise of the Westerner of the past. Novels of the early west help the upcoming generation understand and appreciate those that settled the West. There is a special appeal to the reader when they learn about the courage and the daily challenges of the early Westerner. Many of the man and women of the west would provide outstanding role models when it comes to “do what you believe in, and believe in what you do”

Your novels require a lot of research to get the details right. Can you tell us more about your research process? Any tips on how to successfully blend fact with fiction?

Research is by far the most difficult part of writing historical fiction. The stories must be believable and the locations and characters must closely represent the men and women of the times.

I visit the locations I write about. I spend time at their libraries and talking to families that have lived there for generations. I photograph the terrain and any of the original buildings still standing. I spend much of my time reading about the area and those that lived there. I decided to focus on the Apache tribe and I read any books I can find that describes their beliefs, rituals, wars, and social activities. I am careful that I blend the fact and fiction in such a way that I have famous (real) characters in my books in a place they could have been at the time. I also slightly change the names of some of the characters to make sure I am not reflecting badly on their descendents.

You are also an avid and talented photographer. Writers, like photographers, need to create three-dimensional images with a two-dimensional medium. Has your skill with the camera helped make your writing more visual?

My photography background helps me to get visuals of the areas I write about. I am able to select the best perspective that will help me describe the movements of my characters through the region.

There are many ways to publish today. Which method did you choose for your books, and what factors led you to make that choice?

I talked with many published authors and they all agreed the most difficult task of writing was getting their works published. In many cases, it took years. I am not known for my patience and I decided I didn’t want to wait years to see my work in print.

I looked into several self-publishers and decided on using Outskirts Press of Parker Colorado. I have been very happy with them and plan to have my third novel published by them. Once I have three books out, I plan to look into getting an agent to go to a more universal approach to publishing.

What are some of the pluses and minuses to self publishing? What should writers consider when they're contemplating the self publishing route?

As in most things, there are pluses and minuses to self-publishing. First the pluses; it’s quick, you can have a book on the market in sixty to ninety days, you work directly with the publisher, no agents or promoters, you can customize your book size, print and cover and finally, you can maintain the rights to the work and move it to any publisher you like at any time you like.

Now the minuses; there are up-front cost, there are no agents to promote your work, and there is a requirement on the authors part to get their work in front of the public. The authors must do their own marketing to get the work in the chain bookstores. It is a challenge these days to convince the larger bookstores to carry your work.

The author of your books is Will Davis, which is not your real name. Why did you decide to publish under a pen name?

When I searched the book selves, I noticed that many of the authors had very western sounding names, i.e. Luke Short, Jack Slade, etc. I decided my German name was not a convincing western author’s name. My full name is David William Bushmire. I took my first two names, reversed them and came up with Will Davis. So far it has served me well.

Any last words?

My advice to any would-be authors of historical fiction is:

1. Know your subject

2. Write from experience when possible

3. Do research to make your story believable

4. Pay for a professional editor

5. Read other’s work on similar subjects

Visit Will at his website or purchase his books from Barnes and Noble online, Amazon, or online at the independent Page One Bookstore.

Test the Integrity of Your Mystery - Part 3

2010-02-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

Continued from last Friday.

Now that your Scene column is filled with the various locations and the action that takes place in each scene and your Character column lists every character who appears or is referenced in those scenes, let's move on to the facts.

Information.

In this column, you will note the clues and pertinent information passed on to the reader during the scene.

Avoid Ommisions

Once this column is complete, omissions stand out. In Agatha Christie's "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", Hercule Poirot notices that the shoe on a battered corpse is old and worn, whereas the same exact shoe was new and shiny when he saw it on the woman shorty before--suggesting that the woman he saw alive was an imposter. If Christie had not included a scene allowing Poirot to get a good look at the imposter's shoe, then the detective's discovery would have seemed omniscient, rather than logical.

If you have a scene at the end of your story where the sleuth tells all, you can make a list of her summation in the information column and cross reference it with earlier information given just to make sure you're playing fair. For example:

"I noticed a hidiously large footprint in the begonias which could only have belonged to Gregor the Giant who worked with the traveling circus."

Did you give the reader these clues ahead of time?
Is there a scene where you show the discovery of the footprint?
Is there a scene where you let the reader know the circus is in town? Maybe a character is perusing the local paper and saw an advertisement.
Is there a scene where the slueth at lease sees mention of Gregor the Giant, if not the giant himself?

Create Balance

Once you see all of the information as it is relayed to the reader, you may also find that you could time a revelation to better advantage. If all of the clues cluster around the beginning or end of the story, the middle will drag.

It's especially disheartening to read an entire story where not much happens only to have the clues pop up on the final pages. (Trust me. I just read a book like this. I loved the characters, loved the dialogue, but by the last quarter of the story, I didn't care. Where was the detection? This was supposed to be a mystery!)

It feels as if the writer is saying, "Oh! I forgot to tell you." and "Let me get this bit in here because the ending doesn't make any sense as it stands now!"

In Plain Site

When you look over the information imparted, you might find that you tell too much, or tell it too early. It's not very satisfying to read a mystery when you know who the murderer is by page twenty-five. Maybe the clue could be sublter. A giant footprint outside the library window when there is a giant in town is not very subtle. What about two narrow, deep holes? What could have made these? If your references to the circus aren't over the (big) top, it may come as a surprise to find that the holes were made by Sammy the Stilt-walking Man.

When I first began reading Agatha Chrisie, I found myself crying, "Cheat!" at the end of her books. Then I would page back through and find that the clues were all there! But they were subtle. I highly recommend writers read her books to discover how to lay a path of clues without using neon signs.

That's it for Information. Next week I'll show how Questions Asked can ensure there aren't any loose ends.

Interview with Author Hannah Dennison

2010-02-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hannah Dennison is the author of the Vicky Hill mystery series. Like Vicky, Hannah was an obituary writer for a small English newspaper before crossing the pond to try her hand at screenwriting. Fortunately for us, she switched to long-form narrative and a mystery writer was born!
Welcome Hannah!

Now that your third book is in print, does the writing process come easier to you, or is it more difficult to keep a series fresh?

I love this question. It couldn’t be more timely! For me, it is just as hard meeting a deadline with my fourth book—due mid March—as it was my first. If anything, the pressure is worse because I want the book to be better than the last one! Keeping the series fresh is always a challenge but having a “season long mystery” (to borrow a TV phrase) is a useful. Vicky’s ongoing story arc is how to deal with her criminal parents who are increasingly encroaching on her life. Having Vicky gradually mature as a young woman also helps. She starts off being somewhat “naive” in the romantic department but as time moves on, Vicky starts to grow up.

Your books each revolve around an eccentric English event—snail racing and hedge jumping to name two. Were these sports popular when you lived in England, or have you had to dig to find these gems?

I came across hedge jumping completely by accident. I overheard a conversation in a restaurant between a couple that was fighting over “Charlie’s ridiculous hobby.” Eavesdropping – which is what we writers do best—I learned that Charlie had an obsession for jumping over hedges. His enthusiasm was so great that weekends were spent scouring the English countryside for suitable specimens—a neat, box privet, a comfortable, springy laurel or the deadly blackthorn for Charlie to leap over. My editor liked the idea so much, I thought, well, I’m English (and eccentric by default) so I wondered what other sports American readers would not know about. Once I started digging, I was stunned by the unusual sports my fellow countrymen enjoyed—hedge cutting, Naked Farmer competitions, worm charming, bog snorkeling, flaming Tar Barrel racing and Morris dancing. The list is endless. These plot backdrops inadvertently provide my series with a “hook.” A sort of … good grief, let’s see what she’s writing about this time.

Each book adds new depth to your protagonist, Vicky Hill, as she learns about betrayal and disappointment. How do you keep developing her character and yet retain the naivety and optimism that makes Vicky so loveable?

I’m happy you feel she is developing. Walking that fine line between naivety and being TSTL – (too stupid to live) is a constant challenge for me. But like everyone, Vicky has to grow up at some point. I hint at the battles she faces ahead on dealing with her father’s criminal activities but most of all, each book does bring her nearer to the Great Seduction scene that I am very excited about writing. I’ve even thought about conducting a reader survey to see who that lucky man might be!

Gipping-on-Plym is the village where Vicky currently resides. A product of your imagination or based on someplace you know?

I lived and worked in the real town of Tiverton as an obit writer for the Tiverton Gazette—no surprises there—so yes, it is an amalgamation of Tiverton in East Devon and Totnes in South Devon (an area that has taken recycling to a new level). I have included a few places that do exist. How could I not set a scene at The Nobody Inn pub in Doddiscombleigh. They have a delicious menu for anyone who might find themselves in Devon.

I love how you bring forward minor characters from previous stories and spotlight them in later books. How do you determine which minor characters are worth expanding on?

To add to your earlier question, expanding some of the minor characters really helps keep the series fresh though I don’t know which ones will make the cut ahead of time. They tend to tell me. They also don’t do as they’re told. I have a loveable paramedic called Sexpot Steve who is infatuated with Vicky Hill and who I have tried to kill off in both Scoop! and Expose! … but he just won’t listen!

The “Cabot Cove Syndrome” says that if you have a small village and you keep killing the residents off or jailing them for murder, soon the village will be empty. On the other hand, you don’t want the new guy in town to be the killer or victim every time. How do you avoid this writing pitfall?

Yes. That’s a hard one. One thing I’ve learned about human nature is that everyone has some kind of skeleton in the closet. As my plots are character driven, it is immensely satisfying to exploit those skeletons. I’ve always given every one of my characters – major or minor – a secret. It can be as small as being an obsessive collector of vinyl records to someone who has an unreasonable dislike of hedge jumpers. Sometimes a newcomer can survive but simply act as a catalyst. I feel that making the familiar characters fascinating can at least help soften the inevitable.

Tell us what’s next for you.

My fourth book—THIEVES!—will be out January 2011. I will be submitting a proposal to my publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, for two more in the series. I’d love to see our Vicky through her first real romantic encounter especially as one of her greatest fears is dying an old maid, “pure and unsullied.” I am determined to do everything in my power to make sure that won’t happen!

Thanks so much for having me today Jackie.

Vicly's latest exploits can be found in "Expose!" at bookstores and online, and a review of the book is at Jackie Houchin's New & Reviews. If you'd like to know more about Hanhah, visit her website.

Test the Ingegrity of Your Mystery - Part 2

2010-02-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

Continued from last week.

Now that you've listed all of the scenes including where they take place and what action occurs, move on to the second column of your chart.

Characters.

The point of listing the characters is to help you keep track of everyone who makes an appearance in your story. List every character who appears in each scene. This includes characters who are not physically present but come up indirectly in conversation. Also, if Mr. X speaks to Ms. Y on the phone, add Ms. Y to the list.

This serves a few purposes.

Avoid Irritating Surprises

If your victim has an identical twin sister and that fact is crucial to the plot, it's not really fair to the reader if no sister has been mentioned until the crucial moment when she pops up. By all means keep the fact that she's a twin under your hat, but even a casual mention of a sibling earlier in the story will keep your reader from throwing the book across the room when one conveniently shows up. Put twin sister in the character column of the scene where "siblings" are mentioned.

If you want to make her appearance a complete surprise, there must be a hint that this unknown person exists, such as a conversation the victim has with her over the phone or a letter signed with her initials. The reader gets enough hints from the conversation or letter that the person involved is important even if the reader doesn't know exactly who it is. Even an ambiguous mention by the detective that "there must have been someone else in that room the night so-and-so died" will do. If the twin sister is on the other end of the phone, has written the letter, or is the unknown someone who must have been in the room, put twin sister on your character list for the scene.

I also list characters who I assume are involved in the story but aren't specifically mentioned. For instance, if the victim's will comes up in a scene, put (attorney) in the character column. The parenthesis show that you haven't decided how to introduce the character, but that he should exist. Consider it a reminder that your sleuth wants to talk to the attorney. If the will has nothing to do with the murder, it would still be the natural inclination of the police to investigate the angle, even if it's a dead end. You may decide to handle the will in a clever manner that won't involve an attorney at all, but it will have been a deliberate move, not an omission.

Keep Suspects on Even Ground

Tracking the number of times a character receives mention will also ensure that the detective gives the suspect proper consideration. If Harry Cheese is the killer, but the sleuth only discusses him once during the course of the investigation, the reader will feel cheated. Conversely, if every chapter includes Harry Cheese, Harry Cheese, Harry Cheese, you might as well light a neon sign flashing Killer over his head.

Balance the Investigation

Listing the characters will also show if your story lacks character balance. Some writers have amateur detectives who assist the police. Stephanie Plum exchanges information with Joe Morelli, Cora Felton has Chief Harper, and Hercule Peroit has Chief Inspector Japp. If your sleuth and the police share an equal number of scenes, ask yourself if you want them to be co-protagonists. If your intention is to include the police officer only as a supporting character, you will have to either condense his scenes or find a way for your sleuth to uncover the same information.

Next week I'll discuss how to avoid the bad joke syndrome. You know. You get to the punch line and say, "Wait! I forgot to tell you____!"

Interview with J. Michael Orenduff

2010-02-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

J. Michael Orenduff's website claims that the award-winning author "grew up in a house so close to the Rio Grande he could Frisbee a tortilla into Mexico from his back yard, a practice frowned upon by his mother." That must be how he makes Albuquerque, New Mexico come alive in his Pot Thief series. Orenduff also writes for the stage, and his play, The Christmas Visitor, has garnered several awards--including first prize in the Jewel Box Playwriting Contest--and was selected as one of the “Top 100” by Writer’s Digest in 2008. Welcome Michael!

According to the Archeological Resources Protection Act, your protagonist, Hubert “Hubie” Schuze, is a pot thief. Did the ARPA really put treasure hunters out of business?

Almost. The only place it is now legal to dig for artifacts is on private land, but getting permission to do so is difficult. Most known sites are on public land. You can fish, graze cattle, cut firewood, and mine for gold on public land, but if you happen to kick up an arrowhead while hiking, you better leave it where it falls.

Hubie resides in New Mexico and studied anthropology. J. Michael Orenduff lived in New Mexico and studied anthropology. What else do you and Hubie have in common?

Almost nothing. He’s short, single, and has a full head of hair. I’m tall, bald, and happily married with two children and a grandson. Hubie hates travel and martinis. I love both.

You’ve lived in so many interesting places—Texas, Maine, Bulgaria, Chile, Bermuda. What made you place your mysteries in New Mexico?

I wanted the protagonist to have some moral ambiguity, so I made him a treasure hunter, and New Mexico is the perfect place for that.

In The Pot Thief books, Albuquerque comes to life. You convey a deep sense of the scenery and people in the details, all the way down to the food. Since you no longer live in New Mexico, how do you corroborate the details?

I spent much of my childhood in New Mexico, and the memories are as fresh as the desert air. Maybe that’s why they call them the “formative years.” New Mexico is in my blood. I have many family members and friends all over New Mexico, and I visit there every chance I get.

Your books involve scientific theories and manage to make them entertaining! The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras delves into math, and The Pot Thief who Studied Ptolemy reflects on astronomy. Why this added layer? And were you worried the titles might intimidate readers?

I think the “Pot Thief” part of the title actually added a few sales to young people who thought it referred to a different kind of pot! Seriously, I believe a good book should entertain and enlighten. I spent most of my life as a teacher, so I enjoy the challenge of trying to make theories understandable and interesting. I try to work them into the story in such as way that they don’t sound like textbooks or lectures. I also get help from experts in the various disciplines. The next one in the series is The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein, so that should be a real challenge.

As someone who's read both books, I can attest to the fact that the science fits the mystery and is offered in an enlightening manner. I wish my high school science teacher had made class as understandable and enjoyable!

When you write your mysteries, which do you focus on first—the crime, the scientific theory, or the antagonist?

I tried focusing on the antagonist, but in each of the first three books, a strange thing happened. I decided about halfway into the story to change who did it! Of course that required considerable re-writing, but I enjoy the process, and it makes for better ‘aha’ moments because the final story is more ingenious than the one I thought up before starting to write. I guess I have to be immersed in the book before the creative juices flow.

I understand that you recently sold out of books at the launch of The Pot Thief who studied Ptolemy. What have you done to build up a following of readers?

The successful launch of The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy was due in large part to a great article in the Albuquerque Journal just days before the launch, to the hard work of the bookstore owner who publicized the event, and to the fact that it was held on the evening of the annual Holiday Stroll in Old Town where people come out to shop and watch the lighting of the Christmas tree. There were a lot of Pot Thief books under Christmas trees in Albuquerque.

I think the two main keys to building a following of readers is to be in touch with as many of them as possible and to have a new book out at least every year.

Your wife is noted art historian Lai Chew Orenduff. Have you ever thought about teaming up with her to write an art mystery?

Absolutely. She is too busy with her day job at this point, but when she retires, we definitely want to write such a book

That's something I look forward to. Until then, what’s next on your agenda?

As mentioned above, The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein will be out later this year. It’s complete, so I’m working on the next one and trying to find a theater company to produce one of my plays. The play, The Christmas Visitor, has won four awards from various playwriting contests and was going to be produced by a theater in Norfolk, Virginia, but they went broke last month, another victim of the economy. We give government money to banks who pay their executives billions in bonuses, but there was no stimulus money for the arts. I’ll step down from my soap box now. Thanks for the interview.

Thank you, Michael.

You can find out much more about Michael and The Pot Thief series by visiting his web site and blog and in this recent interview with author Marilyn Meredith on her blog, Marilyn's Musings. His books can be found in many bookstores--both in store and online--and you can check your local independant bookstore as well. Michael and his wife Lai will present "A Good Cover is Worth a Thousand Words"at this June's Public Safety Writer's Conference in Las Vegas.

Finally, you can find a review of the first Pot Thief book (with the second soon to follow) at Jackie Houchin's News and Reviews .

Testing the Integrity of Your Mystery - Part 1

2010-02-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

WinR Jacqueline Vick shares a writing tool she uses when reviewing her mysteries.

Some writers thrive on it. Some writers dread it. All writers do it.

Rewrites.

Mystery rewrites involve an extra step because the story depends on logic. If there are misplaced clues, forgotten hints, or unexplained details, the climatic moment (and the murderer is…) will result in an unsatisfying "Huh?" Unfortunately, by the third pass through your manuscript, your subconscious has a tendency to fill in the missing information, because you know what should happen. This makes it difficult to catch mistakes.

One way to test the integrity of your mystery is make four columns in a notebook (electronic or paper) and then break the story into four parts: Scene, Characters, Information, and Unresolved Questions.

Scene

A scene tells its own story; it has a beginning, middle, and end. It may take place over more than one location. For instance, the conversation may start in the drawing room and then move out onto the lawn. The purpose of every scene is to reveal character and/or (but hopefully and) to move the plot forward.

In the Scene column, give a brief description including Action and Location:

Discussing clues in the Garden.

Location is important.

Everytime a new location comes up, the writer must give enough description to convey a sense of place to the reader. An author once said that if it wasn't necessary for a scene to take place at a particular location, get rid of that location. I think the author's point was that new locations shouldn't appear randomly. If deadly nightshade is the weapon of choice, then it would make sense to have a scene in a the woods where the slueth could discover a ready supply of the plant. If she's simply contemplating the appearance of a new suspect, there's no need to describe the lovely fauna. If possible, move her to the setting of the next scene--have her ponder this new suspect while climbing the porch steps to her next interview.

And make the location fit in with your character. Poirot disliked the untidy nature of the wilderness. He wouldn't have gone for a relaxing stroll through the woods, though he might have unwillingly traversed a path if he suspected the existence of a clue.

Action keeps the story moving.

By listing the Action, you'll notice where the story stagnates. The detective needs to regroup and lay out the information gathered so far and readers appreciate these recaps. However, if you have ten scene descriptions in a row that read "thinks about...", you might want to reorganize or add some action. Otherwise you're in danger of the dreaded "talking head" syndrome.

Laying out your scenes will also make it obvious if there are bits that should either be cut or combined. The sleuth spots a clue in the drawing room fireplace. Later, he runs into the maid and discovers the butler was suspiciously missing from his duties during the critical hours. Why go back to the drawing room twice if you can take care of it all during one visit? The sleuth follows the maid into the drawing room to ask her a question and notices the clue in the fireplace. And if there's a dangly scene that doesn't serve a purpose, off with its head! Let's say the sleuth looks for the maid in the drawing room but doesn't find her. He comes back later. Why, why, oh why would you waste space on that first trip?

Next week, find out how listing the characters in each scene can help you avoid embarrassing mistakes.