Suspense Novelist

What's Next? And Thanks.

2012-03-12T18:26:00.002-06:00

Some people have asked me what's next.

One thing at a time. First, I need to get Red Tide released. (Oh man, you authors will understand the awesome moment I just had putting my title in italics.) Assuming my editor's comments involve easily implemented changes I agree with, Red Tide should be available in a few weeks. As of this moment, I'm considering make Red Tide available exclusively through Amazon, but Red Tide will be in both print and ebook formats.

Enough already!

I have a second manuscript ready for the editing process. For me what seems to work is one or two self-edits, a couple of beta readers, and then a professional edit. This new book will reflect some old friends to people who read about them in a previous incarnation, but in some very different roles. It was the one I thought would be an easy rewrite, but ended up being a completely new story.

The last couple of days (in between swooning over the awesome cover designed by Patty Henderson) I've been getting a little more detail down on a third manuscript that I hope to begin writing soon. The insides of my elbows are itching to get going and that's a good sign.

Before any of this goes one more step, I need to say something.

What began as a dream headed in one direction—traditional publication—shifted. But the people who held me up then continue to do so today. The acknowledgement section in Red Tide is likely to be extensive. I have so many people to name. This book absolutely did not happen because of me. It happened because of a whole lot of people. And you humble me.

CR: The same book. I'm just so danged slow.

It's all better with friends.

RED TIDE Cover

2012-03-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the cover for Red Tide. Patty did an amazing job. I knew it was the right one when I realized I smiled every time I opened the email.

I'm not sure what's next but I'm guessing as far as the cover is concerned, it's the back copy. I might let my husband chose the author photo. He has some very definite ideas. As long as it's not one from when I was twenty I'll probably let him make that selection.

CR: Darkness at the Edge of Town by J. Carson Black. (I'm such a slow reader.)

It's all better with friends.

Why I've Done What I've Done—And How

2012-03-05T20:04:00.002-07:00

I was asked recently how I chose an editor, and why I made the decision to go indie. Here's pretty much the verbatim email I sent:

I approached a few editors, got some sample edits, and tried to get a feel of whether or not we might be a good fit. That's my best advice. It's a little bit of a crapshoot, but at least it's not like being "assigned" an editor when you're with a publisher. You may or may not know this, but I have met and become friends with a few editors. I elected not to pursue a working relationship with them simply because of our friendship. I ended up choosing Harvey Stanbrough. I was totally impressed with his few-page sample edit and believe I'll be able to learn a lot from him.

Why I decided to go indie: There are a few reasons. On one hand there were those hoops you're required to go through on the traditional side. I began to wonder what those "hoop-masters" knew that I didn't, and just who gave them the power to decide. And began to realize that I would be at the whim of both a publisher and an agent—not to mention the tremendous changes occurring in the industry. I've known more than one author who has been "laid off" even in the middle of a contract with a publisher. On the other hand, a year ago this month, I shared a room with L.J. Sellers at the Left Coast Crime conference in Santa Fe. At that time, I'd gone from having my nose in the air about becoming an indie to sitting on the fence. After listening to L.J.'s experience, and learning that she's able to make an actual living off of her writing now, without dealing with any of the traditional middle men, I decided I'd rather take my chances more "face-to-face" with readers. I know some will not like my writing, but I'm hoping others will. There is no gatekeeper. I like that. The readers get to decide. Not some person who has to figure out how to "sell" my story.

There was never any doubt in my mind that I'd want to hire a professional editor—one who can evaluate characterization and plot and any other areas I'm weak in, not just grammar and punctuation. I believe Harvey will fill that bill. Even editors need editors, and writers who think they can just throw something up for sale (even if they think it's perfect) won't succeed in the long run.

With respect to a cover . . . you and I have both seen the homemade covers. They scream amateur and lack of editing. A cover, in the little tiny thumbnail picture that Amazon provides, can make the difference between someone checking out your description or moving on. That's our shelf space. Some people are able to create their own covers, and that's great. I'm creative enough that maybe I could figure things out at some point, but not without a lot of time, effort and potential disaster. So I hired Patty Henderson, at Boulevard Photografica, who has designed some absolutely compelling covers. She's also an author (as is Harvey), and designed both of Andrew E. Kaufman's covers and I fell in love with both of them. Oops . . . all THREE of Drew's covers. He just came out with a short story that I'm betting Patty designed as well. Check out Drew's website at http://www.andrewekaufman.com/ I'm over-the-top excited to see what Patty will come up with for RED TIDE.

One more thing, while I've got your attention. Make your book available in trade paperback. I'm told, but can't confirm it yet, that it's pretty easy through CreateSpace. L.J. tells me that she sells one paperback for every hundred ebooks she sells, but it's still the reader who matters. Through CreateSpace, once she's set up, it doesn't cost her anything additional to sell a book, although her royalties are much less. Still, there are readers who either can't afford an e-reader, don't like reading on their computer, or insist the only way to hold a book is to turn the physical pages.

CR: Darkness on the Edge of Town by J. Carson Black.

It's all better with friends.

Do You Need an Editor?

2012-03-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes. You do.

And today at Crime Fiction Collective, I've listed a few things to consider.

Comma Cop

2012-02-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm slaying commas. That tiny little squiggle is making my shoulders ache.

Once upon a time I was quite judicious about my commas. I would argue with anyone about natural cadence and pacing. Commas were often either irrelevant or downright detrimental.

And then I began to learn Comma Rules. About how a comma is needed to separate thought, to separate action, to separate subjects, to connect a sentence, to look good on the line. Forget the pattern that flows naturally with the words. Forget pacing. Commas are Necessary to Make Readers Read Each Word.

I learned the rules.

And I caved to them.

So today I fight back. I'll reclaim the pace a good crime fiction story should have.

Historically, authors have almost come to blows with editors who tried to enforce the Comma Rules. I've determined that this is one more Really Good Reason for going indie.

How about you? Do you love commas or avoid them whenever possible?

CR: Darkness on The Edge of Town by J. Carson Black.

It's all better with friends.

Elizabeth George Interview

2012-02-19T12:58:00.001-07:00

One of the very best books about the process of writing I have read is Elizabeth George's Write Away. To my delight I found this wonderful interview from William Kenower at Author Magazine.

Enjoy!

CR: Darkness on The Edge of Town by J. Carson Black (and the cool thing is, I happen to be in Tucson at the moment, where the story is based).

It's all better with friends.

When Something Doesn't Feel Quite Right

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished my first draft of the new manuscript on Thursday. I posted a little about the emotional aspects on Crime Fiction Collective today. I'd love for you to pop in and comment.

But here, at Suspense Novelist, I'd like to focus a little bit on how I got there. How I was able to finish it in the first place. What my process was.

Writing the last few scenes sat in front of me for days. I didn't exactly ignore them, but I wasn't completely on board with a couple of the aspects I'd carried over from the original manuscript to try and use again with the new one. I didn't really know I felt this way until I realized there was something making me reticent to keep writing. Something felt off.

As writers, we need to pay attention to our instincts. To our own bodies. When we feel uncomfortable, we're probably on to something important. Rather than muddle through and end up with something I hated (and readers would hate at least as much), I took a little time and tried to figure out what felt "icky."

Most of my ending felt great. It hummed. It connected. But one little element felt contrived and totally amateur. Something my husband would hate. With the help of my morning pages brainstorming session, I came up with an alternative. Not nearly as melodramatic, but equally absorbing. At least I hope so.

The take-away here is to have a plan, but be willing to veer from that plan when necessary. Pay attention to whatever reluctance you might have about a part of your plot, or a character, or a setting. Examine it. Decide whether it even merits a place in your story. When you are fighting something, there's probably a very good reason.

CR: California Fire and Life by Don Winslow.

It's all better with friends.

The List is Out - Edgar Nominees

2012-01-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce on the 203rd anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, its Nominees for the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2011. The Edgar® Awards will be presented to the winners at our 66th Gala Banquet, April 26, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York, New York.

BEST NOVEL

The Ranger by Ace Atkins (Penguin Group USA ˆ G.P. Putnam‚s Sons)
Gone by Mo Hayder (Grove/Atlantic ˆ Atlantic Monthly Press)
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Minotaur Books)
1222 by Anne Holt (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)
Field Gray by Philip Kerr (Penguin Group USA - G.P. Putnam‚s Sons ˆ Marion Wood Books)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Red on Red by Edward Conlon (Random House Publishing Group ˆ Spiegel & Grau)
Last to Fold by David Duffy (Thomas Dunne Books)
All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen (The Permanent Press)
Bent Road by Lori Roy (Penguin Group USA - Dutton)
Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder (Minotaur Books ˆ Thomas Dunne Books)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (Hachette Book Group ˆ Orbit Books)
The Faces of Angels by Lucretia Grindle (Felony & Mayhem Press)
The Dog Sox by Russell Hill (Pleasure Boat Studio ˆ Caravel Mystery Books)
Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley (HarperCollins Publishers ˆ Harper Paperbacks)
Vienna Twilight by Frank Tallis (Random House Trade Paperbacks)

BEST FACT CRIME

The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins (Crown Publishing)
The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge by T.J. English (HarperCollins ˆ William Morrow)
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard (Random House - Doubleday)
Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender by Steve Miller (Penguin Group USA - Berkley)
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter by Mark Seal (Penguin Group USA - Viking)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of our Time by Dan Burstein, Arne de Keijzer & John-Henri Holmberg (St. Martin‚s Griffin)
Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making by John Curran (HarperCollins)
On Conan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda (Princeton University Press)
Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film by Philippa Gates (SUNY Press)
Scripting Hitchcock: Psycho, The Birds and Marnie by Walter Raubicheck and Walter Srebnick (University of Illinois Press)

BEST SHORT STORY

"Marley‚s Revolution" ˆ Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by John C. Boland (Dell Magazines)
"Tomorrow‚s Dead" ˆ Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by David Dean (Dell Magazines)
"The Adakian Eagle" ˆ Down These Strange Streets by Bradley Denton (Penguin Group USA ˆ Ace Books)
"Lord John and the Plague of Zombies" ˆ Down These Strange Streets by Diana Gabaldon (Penguin Group USA ˆ Ace Books)
"The Case of Death and Honey" ˆ A Study in Sherlock by Neil Gaiman (Random House Publishing Group ˆ Bantam Books)
"The Man Who Took His Hat Off to the Driver of the Train" ˆ Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Peter Turnbull (Dell Magazines)

BEST JUVENILE

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger (Abrams ˆ Amulet Books)
It Happened on a Train by Mac Barnett (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Vanished by Sheela Chari (Disney Book Group ˆ Disney Hyperion)
Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press)
The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (Egmont USA)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Shelter by Harlan Coben (Penguin Young Readers Group ˆ G.P. Putnam‚s Sons)
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Penguin Young Readers Group ˆ G.P. Putnam‚s Sons)
The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall (Random House Children‚s Books ˆ Knopf BFYR)
The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines (Macmillan Children‚s Publishing Group ˆ Roaring Creek Press)
Kill You Last by Todd Strasser (Egmont USA)

BEST PLAY

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club by Jeffrey Hatcher (Arizona Theatre Company, Phoenix, AZ)
The Game‚s Afoot by Ken Ludwig (Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland, OH)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

"Innocence" ˆ Blue Bloods, Teleplay by Siobhan Byrne O‚Connor (CBS Productions)
"The Life Inside" ˆ Justified, Teleplay by Benjamin Cavell(FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television)
"Part 1" ˆ Whitechapel, Teleplay by Ben Court & Caroline Ip (BBC America)
"Pilot" ˆ Homeland, Teleplay by Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff (Showtime)
"Mask" ˆ Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Speed Weed (Wolf Films/Universal Media Studios)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

"A Good Man of Business" ˆ Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by David Ingram (Dell Magazines)

GRAND MASTER

Martha Grimes

RAVEN AWARDS

M is for Mystery Bookstore, San Mateo, CA
Molly Weston, Meritorious Mysteries

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Joe Meyers of the Connecticut Post/Hearst Media News Group

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER - MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
(Presented at MWA‚s Agents & Editors Party on Wednesday, April 25, 2012)

Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton (Minotaur Books)
Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron (HarperCollins Publishers ˆ William Morrow)
Death on Tour by Janice Hamrick (Minotaur Books)
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Crown Publishing Group)
Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely (Minotaur Books ˆ Thomas Dunne Books)

# # # #

The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

It's all better with friends.

Tattered Cover's Espresso Machine

2012-01-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've heard about this, but not yet seen it.

The Tattered Cover Bookstore has three locations in the Denver area, and this one isn't very convenient to me, but I might just have to take the trip. TC is dedicated to readers and very author-friendly. It's easily one of the best bookstores in America today.

Here is what one independent bookstore is doing to stay viable in a wildly changing environment:

CR: Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter.

It's all better with friends.

Stinkers and Gold, Stinkers and Gold

2012-01-03T17:09:00.001-07:00

At this very second, I'm reading through the last sixty-five or seventy pages of the manuscript I'm in the middle of writing to try and get back in the flow of the story. Literally, I have them sitting right next to my hands as I write this post.

I may have toasted during the holidays, but they made toast out of me as far as my work is concerned, and this is the best and quickest way I can think of to get back on track.

The point of this exercise is not to edit, but to get caught back up in the plot and the characters. And it's working. But here's what's weird: some of these scenes are in dire need of editing, which doesn't surprise me too much, other than wondering how I wrote such drivel. Others, even though this is the shitty first draft stage, don't need touched. (Well, a caveat here: no one else has seen them, so there is probably something that needs fixin'. Just nowhere near some others I'm reading.)

Why are some of them stinkers and the others gold? And how can I make sure, when I'm committed to bichok, that I'm in the gold mode?

Writers, do you have control over this? Please share.
Readers, have you ever read a published book and been aware that certain scenes needed work?

CR: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

It's all better with friends.

Dream a Little for 2012

2011-12-30T14:10:00.003-07:00

This post originally appeared at Meanderings and Muses, the wonderful blog of Kaye Barley. Because it's almost 2012, and a lot of people are thinking about what they want to accomplish next year, I thought I'd re-post it here.

Happy New Year.

DREAM A LITTLE

Oneday, I quit dreaming—and it took me over forty years to figure it out.

At some point, it becameeasier to turn my back on a dream, to let it fade, then to not be perfect eachstep on the way toward making that dream a reality. (Perfection is really astupid concept, but that’s another topic.)

What I had, when I quitdreaming, were flat goals. Goals that belonged to other people. Goals Icommitted to for some reason: to keep my job; to make a loved one happy;because everyone else had a similar goal. They weren’t wrong, they just weren’t mine.

A few weeks ago, whilewriting my morning pages (if you haven’t read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, what are you waiting for?), Irecognized the little girl who used to dream (with a certain amount offearlessness) had stopped, and I began work to get her back.

I heard this as recently aslast week: “Unless it’s specific, with a timeline, it’s not a goal. It’s just adream.”

Just a dream.

A little belittling todreams, if you ask me.

I’m not saying my life forforty years consisted of dull days and a series of tasks. Far from it. But I amsaying I missed the richness—the possibility—dreams provide.

Howdo you keep a soul in your goals? Inspiration in your perspiration?

Dream.

I’ve decided a dream is alittle like a new idea for a novel. I toss it around for a while. Turn it over.Is it something I can build a whole story around—a life around? If it feelsgood, grabs me, then I begin to plot it out. Or, for those of you are more of a“live life by the seat of your pants” kind of person, dive in until your dreambegins to take shape. If the idea has staying power, it’s full speed ahead.

The best goals begin asdreams. The best dreams are yourdreams. Dreams that fill your soul. They demand you go after them. It’s yourpursuit that makes the dream stronger and turns it into (gasp!) a goal.

Before you kick yourself fornot accomplishing everything on your list in 2011, consider whether thosethings were your goals or someone else’s. And before you begin to contemplatewhat you would like to have happen in 2012, dream a little.

CR: Just finished reading an ARC from Debbi Mack. It was terrific. Be looking for Riptide in February!

It's all better with friends.

An Invitation

2011-12-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today is "my" day at Crime Fiction Collective. I'm talking about keeping track of all of those details, especially those details crime writers have to deal with.

Actually, I'm asking for help.

Got any?

CR: Incinerator by Tim Hallinan

It's all better with friends.

OT: Crockpot Dressing

2011-11-22T17:06:00.001-07:00

To be honest, I found a picture of a cuter dog, but this one seemed to epitomize everything we have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Never Dry Crockpot Dressing

1 cup butter or margarine, melted (You can get away with using a little less, but heck, it's Thanksgiving!)

2 cups chopped onion (I usually add a tad more, but then we love onion in our food.)

2 cups chopped celery

1/4 cup parsley (fresh or dried)

2 cups canned mushrooms, drained (I use fresh sliced.)

2 eggs, beaten

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or enough to moisten well

13 cups dry bread, cubed (I can never find unseasoned, so it takes about two of the Italian loaves from the bakery.)

1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp marjoram

Melt butter or margarine in LARGE fry pan and saute onion and celery until soft. Mix with remaining ingredients and toss well. Pack in large crockpot. Cover. Cook on high for 45 minutes, then turn to low and continue cooking for 6-8 hours.

Oh . . . the aroma!!!!!

CR: Incinerator by Tim Hallinan

It's all better with friends.

1940's Noir, Kelli Stanley Style

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Read and write about the 1940s? Whatever your answer, you'll enjoy this interview with Kelli Stanley.

CR: I'll make a decision about a new read tonight. I love the anticipation.

It's all better with friends.

Self-Editing, Elizabeth George Style

2011-11-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Self-editing.

Are you shaking in your boots?

One of my all-time favorite writing books is Write Away by Elizabeth George. If you're looking for a craft book where the author lays out her process in a clear and easy way, I recommend George's work. Of course, it could be I love it because it's similar to what I have bumblingly put together on my own. However, because I want you to get something out of this post, I'll go with George's detail, not mine. She's much clearer because she's done it some twenty-five times. Me? Um . . . twice.

George does an incredible amount of prep work before she begins. Because of the preliminary work, when she's finally ready to settle down and create her first draft, she doesn't have to worry about what's going to happen next or how her characters should respond. She's able to focus on the best words and use them to create a compelling story.

That doesn't mean things don't change and new ideas don't surface, it just means she's free to allow them to do so without concern about how they fit into the story she is telling.

When she's finished with her first draft, she prints out a hard copy and tries to read it through in a couple of days. She makes no changes to the book. Let me repeat that, because—at least for me—this is the hardest thing to do. She makes no changes to the book during this read through. On a separate piece of paper, she makes notes of where the story needs some kind of work: clarification; delete areas of repetition; delete purple-prose; improve sub-plots; etc. She's simply looking for ways to make the story better, in an editorly way.

Then she writes herself an editorial letter as a guide for her second draft. She doesn't say this in Write Away, but I hope she gives herself a few pats on the back while she points out the weaknesses of the manuscript.

Her second draft is done pen-to-that-untouched hard copy. She goes through and deletes, adds and moves things around with the real cut and paste concept. If she needs to create something longer than three handwritten pages, she'll consider typing it up. Otherwise, this is where she literally gets her hands dirty, uses a bright red pen to slash through paragraphs, and scissors and tape to move paragraphs or scenes around.

This second draft is done at the rate of about fifty pages per day. When she's finished with her marked-up, cut-up and pasted draft, she types all of the changes into the computer, prints out a new copy and gives it to one cold reader. She includes two documents. The first one contains questions her reader should know about prior to the cold read, the second one is sealed and contains questions George didn't want her reader to be influenced by beforehand.

If there are further changes that need to be made, she makes them. Then it's off to her editor.

Have you read Write Away? Does this process appeal to you?

CR: Seed by Ania Ahlborn.

It's all better with friends.

Meandering and Muses

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm guest blogging today at Meanderings and Muses, the most wonderful blog of Kaye Barley.

If you have the opportunity, I'd love it if you could come by and cheer me on. My subject is dreams and how they relate to goals.

It's all better with friends.

Words, Words and More Words

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

I feel as if I've discovered The Secret.

Many of my writer friends regularly write 2,000 words a day. Some as many as 8,000 words. I know of one man who can belt out 10,000, and one particularly prolific woman who I've heard can slam out 20,000 when she gets a full head of steam.

These are multi-published authors, not someone racing down one rabbit hole after another. These are people who know words, which ones work and which ones don't. (They probably never, ever use "was" in a sentence.)

For the longest time I decided the difference between their output and mine belonged solely to the concept of deadlines. Commitments. A responsibility to produce. They had real deadlines. Mine were only pretend.

But last week I tried something. And it worked. I hit my word count for the day. A fluke?

So, I tried it again the next day. Bingo.

On the third day I really gave it a test, and upped the word count I wanted by the end of the day. Ta-dah!

Do you want to know what I did?

Before I tell you, you need to understand I am not writing (yet) 20,000 or 8,000 or even 2,000 words a day, every day. But I have been successful at hitting between 800 and 1,000, which for me is like opening a whole new world of wonders.

I did not get my rough draft completed by the end of October, but heck . . . I didn't know this secret until a few days ago. Now that I'm pumping, it should come sooner rather than later.

Are you ready? It's ridiculously simple. On my To Do List, I write down how many words I want my manuscript to contain by the end of the day. Once I hit that number, I can play. I can veg with my husband in front of the television, or read, or paint my toenails, or go for a long walk. I can "close up shop."

I'm not naive enough to believe this will work every day, but I can tell you, I have a lot better chance at upping my word count doing this than just wishing it so.

So now I'm off to get those words in.

Do you have something that's been difficult for you to accomplish with your writing? Have you figured out the secret that works for you?

CR: The Charlestown Connection by Tom MacDonald. I'm pretty sure this is his debut novel, and dang . . . it's pretty good.

It's all better with friends.

The Juggling Pins of Suspense, a Guest Post

2011-11-05T05:00:00.004-06:00

by Lise McClendon, author

I started outas a mystery writer, cutting my teeth on Marcia Muller and Sue Grafton. I wrotemy first books in first person, the way of tradition. The detective asks you totag along on her case; you as the reader see what she sees, know what sheknows. The clues are fair, the world is -- mostly -- rational and sensible (andviolent.) There is a strong attraction to this type of novel. It appeals tothose of us seeking justice in an unfair world, for ourselves, for others. Andespecially for the detective, and whoever she is working for in the mystery.

Suspense,like the rich, is different. I found that out when I started to write morecomplex novels with multiple points of view. A variety of characters is notreally what makes the suspense novel different from the mystery. It’s thedifference between the rational and the emotional. But it’s not that simpleeither.

When I firststarted to write, expressing the emotions I felt into words was one of thehardest things. I would be sitting at my computer, crying my eyes out becausewhat I wrote moved me. (Yeah, I know! We all love our own words, right?) Butdid anybody else feel the same emotion when they read what I’d written? Tofigure out what moved me, how I felt, was one of my main motivators to write. Iwas, and still am, a completely intuitive writer. (This means I usually have noidea what my book is truly “about” until I write it. I can outline and plot --and must for thrillers -- but the underlying theme is often revealed en route.)And I am emotional. My friends will tell you that I cry during Hallmarkcommercials. But transferring that feeling inside me to the written page wasdifficult. It still is.

But the coolthing about writing suspense is that creating feeling -- emotion -- is whatit’s all about. According to Wikipedia suspense is “a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most oftenreferring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work... may operate in anysituation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic moment, with tension being a primary emotion felt as part of thesituation.” In the thriller suspense becomes the main narrative thrust. (I lovethat term: narrative thrust! I thinkit means, um, suspense.) What willhappen to the protagonist? Will the bomb go off? Will the city be saved?Usually there are a number of unanswered questions, possibilities, mysteries.The writer must juggle them all to keep suspense going strong.

Organizingthe suspense thriller is challenging. Where to stop a scene for maximum effect?When to show the point of view of the antagonist? In my new novel, JUMP CUT, one of my main challenges waskeeping the threads of two seemingly separate criminal cases and one terroristaction from fragmenting the suspense. Plus keeping the focus on the maincharacter, a television reporter in Seattle, who is not actually aninvestigator but is a seeker of truth. The other (sort of) main character is anarcotics detective who the reporter meets when three prostitutes overdose ontainted heroin. Between their personal career implosions they have to saveSeattle from a terrorist attack. Just a few things going on.

It’stough keeping those balls in the air. But man, I love to juggle. Good thing,right?

--------

JUMP CUT is the debut thriller by Rory Tate.As Lise McClendon the author haswritten seven crime novels, including Blackbird Fly, a suspense novel. Both of themlive out where the deer and the antelope play in Montana. For more about JUMPCUT, and to read a sample, visit the website.JUMP CUT is available in electronic and trade paperback through all majorbookstores, including Barnes and Noble; Amazon Books; and Amazon Kindle Store. Goodreads.com is currently holding a contest for free copies ofJUMP CUT. Enter and win! Rory Tate is featured on the Thalia Press Authors Co-op.

FUZZY WAS-Y

2011-10-23T19:44:00.000-06:00

One of the first things a new writer learns is that the word "was" does not belong in her story in any kind of large quantity. I learned that the other words to avoid can include "that" and "just" and well . . . about any other word we tend to overuse.

But "was" is a biggie.

Awareness kept my wazzes to a minimum, as did my critique partners. Fast forward to no cps and a natural tendency toward laziness. Of the 15,000 or so words I sent out to be read by other authors to make sure I had a grip on the story I'm writing, "was" made up about 18,000 of them. At least that's how it felt when I went through and made revisions.

I think I'm cured. My manuscript is not was-less, but it is less was-y. My plan is to finish this story with a minimum of wazzes.

How about you? Have you ever known better? Let a bad habit infiltrate your work?

CR: The Baby Thief by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

What I Think Donald Maass Said

2011-10-14T07:29:00.008-06:00

I attended a workshop a couple of years ago conducted by Donald Maass (author of Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction and "more than sixteen novels" which he's rumored to have written using a pseudonym). I took pages and pages of notes, mostly exercises using the manuscript I'd completed at the time.

Looking through those notes this morning, I couldn't actually find this, but I swear he said it:

"If it isn't on the page, it doesn't exist."

So, I've decided he said it. And since this is my blog, I've decided he said it more than once.

Apparently, for me, it might have been a good idea to say it One. More. Time.

A few wonderful authors reviewed my First Fifty pages recently, and one catch (among many great catches) revolved around my minimal use of physical description and other personal detail. Wow. True.

I know my characters so well, see them in such a highlighted and defined way when I tell their stories, that I made the fatal assumption everyone else could see them as well. I neglected to put their descriptions on the page.

The trick is to find a balance. I do not want to become the Tom Clancy of characterization. I want to give just enough detail that my readers can take it from there, and enjoy their own mental images of my characters.

Have you ever read a book and half-way through you're told the brown-haired protagonist is blonde? Not only does it take me out of the story, it kind of ticks me off.

I recently read a wonderful series of books featuring the same protagonist. Unless I missed it, no description appeared in the first few books. So, in my mind, he bore a strong resemblance to Brian Dennehy—a kind of gentle giant. Imagine my shock when I read that he was small and wiry? I shook my head and decided to stick with Brian.

So, part of my First Fifty revisions include a bit more description. Hopefully, just enough.

For those of you who are much like me, here it is, One. More. Time:

"If it isn't on the page, it doesn't exist."

Today is also my blogging day at Crime Fiction Collective. I'm tackling my need to be perfect and would love you to stop by there as well.

CR: You're Next by Gregg Hurwitz. I'm loving this book and at about half-way through, feel like I can highly recommend it. It's such a pleasure to be reading something I enjoy.

It's all better with friends.

A Little About Scrivener

2011-09-27T11:50:00.001-06:00

There are a lot of software programs out there for writers. I selected Scrivener because I'd heard nothing but raves about the program. In fact, one of the primary reasons I stepped over to the dark side and became a Mac user was to get Scrivener. There is now a beta program available for Windows.

I use Scrivener to write novels, but it includes all kinds of writing assistance, including screenwriting.

I am hardly an expert on Scrivener, but here's a snapshot of what I work with:

On the left, the Binder reflects each scene, and the POV of that character's scene is color coded. I give each scene a description so I know what it's about.

Below the color-coded scenes, I have each of my character studies, and several other folders, including Places, Research (where you can import Internet pages with your information—but I'm old school enough I still print it out), and whatever other folder you want to create. I have three for this manuscript: NOTES/BLURB/PLOT; SOC (Stream of Consciousness) Plot Concept; and STEP OUTLINE which is more of a scene by scene synopsis I work with to get more detailed. By the way, the program also has a synopsis piece that can help.

The center area is where the magic happens, and all of the hard work to make sure it does.

On the right is what Scrivener calls Inspector. It's where I create cards for my cork board, and make any notes I want to make for that scene, or the project.

Scrivener has many more facets than I've figure out how to use. In fact, I have two books that supposedly will enlighten me and provide an even greater experience. As anal as I am, I don't have the patience (at least not yet) to work through them. BUT, their support team has been magnificent.

One thing I love is the easy way it works with Dropbox, so I can seamlessly transfer my work from my iMac to my MacBook Pro.

Here are the links:

For Mac Users: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php

For PC Users (remember, this is beta): http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivenerforwindows/

CR: The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose

It's all better with friends.

My Bad

2011-09-25T14:48:00.004-06:00

Okay, maybe writing out of sequence isn't all it's cracked up to be. At least all I cracked it up to be.

After making this big wahoo-discovery (last post) and thinking I'd latched on to something pretty spectacular, well . . . mea culpa.

To be honest, I find myself in a place where I need—desperately need—to know what happens next. And because I've not written sequentially, I'm all discombobulated about what has already happened. So now, I'm reading through the scenes that are linked. Scenes that are in order. Scenes I'd written before my Great Discovery.

Ugh.

I still think, when supremely stuck, or when a certain scene falls into your head fully formed, non-sequential writing is okay. But I took a good thing and, as I often do with chocolate and peanut butter, I overindulged, resulting in an upset stomach. For me, moderation is the key.

Some people may be able to put a jigsaw puzzle together willy-nilly. I need to frame it first.

CR: The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose

It's all better with friends.

Three Reasons to Cut the Chapter Cords That Bind You

2011-09-19T16:01:00.006-06:00

I used to write chapter by chapter, scene by scene. A sequential recording of events. Chapter One was always followed by Chapter Two, followed by Chapter Three. It was unimaginable for me to write Chapter Eighteen because I wouldn't even know for sure it was Chapter Eighteen, and what about everything else?

And heaven help my mental state when I decided that Chapter Four and Chapter Twenty-Two needed to be switched.

I now write using Scrivener, and love it beyond reason. But the first manuscript I wrote using Scrivener, I wrote the same old way. Chapter by chapter, scene by scene. Scrivener makes it easy to move scenes around, but they still needed to be renumbered and it was tedious.

By not writing chapter by chapter, I am finally free!

I can moves scenes around and when they're moved, I'm done;
I can add scenes in between scenes, and when I do, I'm done;
When I'm not quite sure what comes next, I can write what comes later.

If you have a plot concept, you are wildly ahead of most other writers, and can fill the story in as you go. I have found it immensely freeing.

Today, I'm writing a scene and the only thing I know is that it's important to the story. Where it finally gets placed is irrelevant, and I love it.

What about you? Have you tried this?

CR: The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose.

It's all better with friends.

Perfection Perspective

2011-09-01T11:55:00.022-06:00

We have all seen a perfectionist at work. Someone who dots and crosses all the right letters and always leaves a room tidier than when she walked in.

The psycho serial killer on television who always lines his pencils up just so on the desk and considers everything in his bizarre and whacked world to be squared and precise. In control. Perfect.

As a former Weight Watcher's Leader, I know that another form of perfectionism relates to body image. "If I can't be perfect, why bother?"

But none of these describe Peg Brantley. Even though I learned as a child that if I was going to do something, I'd better do it right. And even though I was told that while babysitting the neighbor's kids, I'd better clean the kitchen and dust and vacuum and do whatever else needed doing in the house (and do it right), I felt I had a good handle on the difference between doing something right and being a perfectionist.

So I thought.

When my friend, Kel, and I had lunch yesterday, I realized that releasing a book by the end of the year just wasn't possible. I mean, it's September. So I told her next spring.

And then, this morning, while writing my morning pages, it occurred to me that not only was I doubting myself, I was doubting God (who I love to believe is my partner and makes things go well) not to shoot for the end of the year.

Naturally, I felt bad, but that's an entirely different discussion.

I decided to challenge myself, wrote that I needed to finish the first draft of Rough Waters (the story I'm working on now) before I began editing Irrefutable Proof—just to make sure I had a handle on RW before setting it aside for a bit.

I decided I wanted to have the first draft finished by the end of the month. All systems were green. I got that goose-bumpy feeling we all get when we've made a decision and are ready to charge, full-steam ahead.

I wrote these thoughts down and then said something to the effect that it had become important to me that my first drafts not be, as Anne Lamott calls them, "shitty first drafts", because then it's almost like writing from scratch when I go back to edit. (It isn't of course, but hey . . . my rationalizatin is able to twist things up just as well as the next guy's.) I was telling myself that I needed to do it right, completely negating the fact that it is after all, a first draft.

Does "getting it right" mean it has to be perfect?

After writing this bold new plan down (and almost sabotaging it in the same breath) I opened up The Artist's Way (which I highly recommend) to read.

One of the things that TAW has taught me to be open to is the wonder of synchronicity. These are all from Week 7 (highlights are mine):

Perfectionism has nothing to do with getting it right. It has nothing to do with fixing things. It has nothing to do with standards. Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead.

We correct our originality into a uniformity that lacks passion and spontaneity. "Do not fear mistakes," Miles Davis told us. "There are none."

Instead of enjoying the process, the perfectionist is constantly grading the results.

To the perfectionist, there is always room for improvement. The perfectionist calls this humility. In reality, it is egotism.

Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough—that we should try again.

"A painting is never finished. It simply stops in interesting places," said Paul Gardner.

If you want to know how messed up I can get if I don't pay attention, my post for Friday on Crime Fiction Collective is about procrastination.

Go figure.

It's all better with friends.

Human Remains Detection Dogs

2011-08-25T18:20:00.004-06:00

A lot of you know one of my primary manuscripts—that I'm working to finalize—involves an HRD dog. The video I'm sharing is a little long, but consider the implications while you watch it. It's training, but in real life it could mean the difference between closure for a family, evidence for a conviction and assurance that we will always take care of our own and ultimately track down the bad guys.

To me, this profiles man's ability to recognize his limitations, and work with another species to overcome said limitations. Together.

Search and Rescue dogs, Human Remans Detection dogs are heroes. Partly because that's what they do, and partly because that's what we've asked them to do. It's one of the best partnerships in the world, in my opinion.

Here's a basic description for this video:

Uneditted. Dog working Independently.
Cloudy. Winds variable 8-13mph WNW swirling. Blood and Tissue scent transfer to gauze pad covered by grass. 30 minute rise time. general location known by handler. A little bustin' treadmill action at the end.

It's all better with friends.

OT: What Are You Complaining About?

2011-08-22T22:18:00.003-06:00

This man humbles me.

It's all better with friends.

When Research Gets Uncomfortable

2011-08-17T21:10:00.005-06:00

I've just spent most of the afternoon researching really ugly things. Horrible things. The occult and various religions. Human sacrifices to protect a drug cartel. Innuendo regarding musicians and Hollywood celebrities.

Things I've read about in novels and seen in movies. Fiction.

But there's something about a website that looks just like any other website that made everything real to me. I didn't dwell in these places, but I understand that others must. And they aren't reading a bit of fiction, or watching a movie for a good scare. They're not even writers who are trying to get a few things right. People like me who pop in and pop out and thank God for their lives, and that they are writing fiction.

A lot of the people visiting these websites are not anyone I ever want to meet.

But I might have to write about them.

CR: Snake Skin by CJ Lyons.

It's all better with friends.

When to Play 'em, When to Hold 'em

2011-08-13T16:09:00.006-06:00

I've been writing a new story—a police procedural—and really think this one has some potential. The main idea continues to center around the importance of organ donation (my old manuscript), with a new strong sub-plot of illegal immigration and racial prejudice. I hope I can craft it well enough to give everyone things to think about after they close the cover on a satisfying story.

Today, I read the first thirty pages and realized I'm trying to give readers too much too fast. Just because I know the primary characters really well doesn't mean my readers do. I need to give them the time and space to get to know them. That means that several of the scenes I've written will be held back for now.

And hopefully, I won't have to Fold 'em. (But I will if that's what the story needs.)

As writers, have you ever piled it on too quick? What made you discover you needed to slow down?

As readers, have you ever been frustrated by being jerked around from here to there and back again at the beginning of a story?

CR: Snake Skin by C.J. Lyons

It's all better with friends.

1950's Forensics

2011-08-10T08:10:00.003-06:00

My thanks to Tom Adair and his terrific blog, Forensics For Fiction, for bringing this movie to my attention. I may not watch the movie (probably won't), but this clip is terrific.

It highlights the science of the day, with an acknowledgment at the end.

Character Studies

2011-08-05T15:13:00.004-06:00

Some writers always begin with a character, then when they fully understand the person who has been following them around, they see the story that character is leading them to.

For me, I usually begin with the idea of a story. And when it expands and feels large enough to move to the next step, I take a look at the people who would live that story—who are the ones to make it come to life.

When I get to know my characters, the story blossoms. If I don't get to know them, the story falters. When my words feel flat, that's a signal for me to look at a few things, chief among them my character studies.

I have a three-page list of things I use to develop the people who populate my manuscript. It's a compilation of several, plus things I've considered on my own. I'm happy to email it to you if you'd like.

What's important to any character study, or list of traits you use, is that you don't go down the list and answer each question. Yuck. Talk about boring. What I suggest you do is have the list out and handy while you practice writing about your character in a stream-of-consciousness style.

To further understand the character you're getting to know, write some of that character study in first person. It's amazing what you'll learn, and the subplots that will become possibilities.

What about you? What things do you like to do to get to know your characters? Do you get to know them before you begin writing, or do they get more fully formed as you go?

CR: Snake Skin by CJ Lyons.

It's all better with friends.

TOTALLY TERRIFYING

2011-08-01T12:17:00.003-06:00

I'm getting ready to send my First Fifty Pages to a few readers for their input. Am I going in the right direction? Does the story flow? Are you interested? What bad habits do I need to change now before I make a mess of the entire project?

Some of these readers are people I've worked with in the past. They already know my strengths and weaknesses. But there are a couple, who are amazing writers well-affirmed with their legions of fans, that I'm sort of hoping are too busy.

I should have my First Fifty readable by mid-week. Or maybe mid-2012.

Sheesh.

It's all better with friends.

Writing a Novel by James Andrew Wilson

2011-07-31T20:13:00.005-06:00

I admit, I wanted to see how he depicted the next stage—letting it go. Actually letting others see the creation.

I'm in EDITING. You'll know when you see this video that I hope and pray there is something beyond the editing stage.

Or . . . am I in a Stephen King novel, perpetually stuck in the middle of the forest with nowhere to turn?

Please, no.

A Rewrite? What was I Thinking?

2011-07-28T11:15:00.008-06:00

Through the wonder of morning pages, I became convinced that the manuscript I completed about a year ago would be better as a police procedural. It needed some rewrites anyway, so I figured this wouldn't be much more involved.

Yeah, right.

Don't get me wrong. This is still the best way to go—and I'm oh-so-much-more excited about this story—but it is requiring some careful crafting and so many changed scenes/new scenes/deleted scenes it's almost like writing from scratch. Sheesh.

So, Rough Waters continues to be about black market organs and the importance of organ donation, but with a competent detective in charge rather than a distraught father.

Have you ever changed the direction of a manuscript you're writing? Or have written?

As a reader, have you ever read a book that felt like it was missing something? That if the writer would have taken just a bit more time and fleshed it out, she would have really had a winner?

CR: I confess I'm currently reading a book that's interesting, but not engaging. It's The Apostle by Brad Thor. Kind of a military thriller. I think my husband will enjoy it a lot more.

It's all better with friends.

Crazy Gratitude

2011-07-15T21:08:00.006-06:00

I'm grateful tonight for so many things, and I need to express that feeling. (It's my blog and I'll do what I want.)

In no particular order:

I'm grateful for having a husband and soul-mate who indulges me in every way he knows how. He has seen passed the 19 year-old fresh-faced, semi-firm-bodied girl he met more than thirty-six years ago. His desire for me is to see a manuscript of mine turned into a book, and read by people I've never met. Can there be anything better than that?

I'm grateful for Cedric. Our wounded deer who I pray for every day (well, two so far), and wonder at the way God works. We've had an array of odd animals at our home over the years. From lost dogs and cats to snapping turtles to foxes to mallard ducks to peacocks . . . what's the big deal about a deer? Except for right now, God has placed him—at least partly—in our care.

I'm grateful for the friends I've met, both online and in person, who are part of the structure that supports who I am, and the dreams I have. Some of these friends I've know for decades, some only days. But I'm grateful for each one of you. You bless me.

I'm grateful for the familiy that extends beyond my husband. My sister, my nephews, my mom and dad and all of the bonus-people in my life. That's Paula and Cameron and Tyler and Jason, Shirley and Bud and Judy, Darla and Jeff and Krysta and Akila. Kel and Sheila and Joni and Gin and Ginny. And more. Way more. Okay, to be real here . . . my sister Paula weighs in heavy as a primary person. I'm just sayin'.

And, the idea that spurred this post? That's actually writing related? I'm grateful for finding the exact right name for a new minor character in the manuscript I'm rewriting. In case you're curious, his name is Efraím Tómas Hanks Madrigal. I'm thinking he might turn out to be a little bigger character than I had planned.

The thing I notice is . . . not one thing I'm grateful for involves a bank account or a flat screen TV.

So for today, I invite each of you to indulge in some Crazy Gratitude and the counting of blessings.

CR: The Apostle by Brad Thor.

It's all better (way better) with friends.

A Writing Distraction

2011-07-15T09:24:00.002-06:00

If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a good chance this would be my Crime Fiction Collective partner, Andrew E. Kaufman, working hard on his next novel.

But it really isn't about him . . .

2011-07-12T19:33:00.007-06:00

A lot of you know that my most recent manuscript involves what I call "Hero Dogs". To me, Hero Dogs include Search and Rescue, Human Remains Detection and Therapy dogs. They all give back to us in ways we can only hope to match. And yet, I think all these dogs want is our love.

The following picture shows you that S&R dogs are not only discerning, but even they have lines they will not cross.

Not For Publication—Until Now

2011-07-11T17:15:00.000-06:00

One question I get asked a lot is how and when I decided I wanted to write.

As a student in a writing class, we were told to write a story that might be selected to appear in print in a special publication, either by the school or the district, I don't remember which. At the top of my story, I wrote "Not For Publication." The instructor gave me an A, but wanted to know why she couldn't submit it.

I didn't have an answer for her.

I don't remember the story I wrote then, but I do know this. If I'm moved by something, I write. If I'm angered by something, I write. But those are words for me. They're private. They're "Not For Publication."

I was involved in what was (in those days) a very hip journalism class. We were the cool kids who knew how to make things happen via our school newspaper. Journalism was okay, but I found it restrictive—that truth thing, I think. And almost everything I wrote for the newspaper was flat. Without magic. It may have been interesting, even controversial. But to me, because there were no private bits of me tossed in the mix, it was all finally forgettable.

People who loved me encouraged me to chose something more predictable in terms of income and stability. If writing had happened to be on my list, it quickly disappeared. I created a passable success in Corporate America and enjoyed, for the most part, both income and stability.

Decades passed, and I found myself caring for a family member requiring additional attention while he rehabbed from a stroke. He'd been with us for almost two years when it suddenly hit me . . . I may have been home all day, but I was not focused on the post-stroke exercises all day.

Duh.

Today, I try to put just enough of me into every scene I write to bump up the magic. I'm old enough to know that whatever private thoughts or secrets I have, they're not unshared by others. It makes publication okay. Probably.

So, what about you? How did you get serious about this business?

CR: The Apostle by Brad Thor.

It's all better with friends.

When The End Isn't

2011-07-05T15:51:00.006-06:00

I wrote my ending the other day. Relief flooded me. I had struggled and fought and avoided and did all of those clever things writers do when what we need to do is sit our butts down in the chair and press a few keys. And then a few more.

Don't confuse my having written the ending with actually finishing the first draft. I'm now facing the stickies on my computer reminding me about the threads that need to be pulled and tied up, but Irrefutable Proof is one step closer to the next phase.

And, just so you know, I now have two additional stickies related to the ending thanks to thoughts from my go-to guy for all things law enforcement. If this thing ends up working, it's thanks to Denny. If it doesn't, no one will ever know because it will be in a very dark (and deep) drawer.

For a manuscript that began by almost writing itself, it sure didn't turn out that way.

CR: Just finished Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline. It really held my attention, moved fast, and I love, love, love short chapters. There were over one hundred chapters in this book, so you know there were some teensy ones. I'm thinking about either a Brad Thor or an oldie . . . This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart. I loved it once. Will I again?

It's all better with friends.

Naming Characters

2011-06-29T17:26:00.006-06:00

This morning I was brainstorming the name of the sheriff in my current manuscript. I'd called him "the sheriff" too many times. Obviously, naming this minor character (who somehow appeared in more scenes than I'd thought), was in line.

I wanted to find someone who was a reader and who I knew, well, at least kinda knew, in that strange new Internet way of knowing people to name him after.

John Bohnert was already taken, showing up as a detective in L.J. Seller's Jackson series . . . so who?

The sweet name who came to mind first, who has a Sweet Wife, I had to let go. The name Jack Quick sounded a whole lot more like the bad guy, in spite of the fact that I could imagine some terrific campaign slogans. Even though I won't be using him for the name of my sheriff, I'll file him somewhere for something far more nefarious. Something, I'm sure, Jack would like.

So the big news for the day (other than the fact that I wrote my Bound-To-Be-Changed ending) is that I've decided to name the sheriff after an Assistant Fire Marshall who gave me some terrific help to formulate my ending. I hope Jerry Coble doesn't mind crossing over to the dark side from fire to law enforcement. *wink*

CR: I just finished reading a most amazing story that should be available in September. Be looking for a very different novel from L.J. Sellers called The Arranger. It's a futuristic thriller that isn't so far in the future that we can pretend this kind of world won't happen while we're alive.

It's all better with friends.

Oh, my. Oh, my.

2011-06-25T18:19:00.003-06:00

This is a post that originally appeared on Theresa Rizzo's website. I liked it so much, I asked her if I could reprint it here.

And she said yes. So without wasting another moment, please welcome Theresa to Suspense Novelist.

The publishing industry is really tough to break into. In the USA alone, in 2010 there were ~ 51,156 new fiction books published. As few as 2,500 fiction writers can make a living at writing. The odds of breaking in and being able to make a living at writing fiction aren't good, so why try? What's the point?

I've been writing for almost 13 years now and though I've accumulated over 400 rejections and spent a lot of money, I am still unpublished. But it hasn't been time and money wasted. I've recently had an epiphany that success truly is the journey - not the destination. Cliche as that might seem, it's true for me.

So I made this video to celebrate my writer's journey. It's tempting to dwell on the negatives when trying to get published, however there are so many blessings.

I've finaled in many writing contests and even won a few. I've been privileged to travel to wonderful, interesting places like Maui, Seattle, San Diego, Crested Butte, Nashville, and more to attend writing conferences. I've met and befriended many charming best-selling authors such as Susan Wiggs, Jodi Picoult, Terry Brooks, William Bernhardt, Don Maass, David Morell, Catherine Coulter, Joan Johnston, James Scott Bell . . . and the list goes on...

And then the best blessing being, not just my supportive family but, all my writing pals and agent/editor friends I've made --all because of the journey. THAT'S the true brass ring.

Sure it'll be great to see my book in print one day, however people will love it, some will not, I'll have other headaches, insecurities and worries, but my friends will remain a constant joy and blessing. And I wanted to get that message out before I got published 'cause it's easy to claim that, once you have the perceived "brass ring", but I don't have that yet and I'm still loving the journey.

And it's those blessings that keep me coordinating The Sandy writing contest and co-coordinating the Crested Butte Writers Conference.

I get huge joy from writing. I'm proud of my rejections. They signify effort and time put into my career. While this video shares the tough aspect of the business, it's meant to be an inspiration and celebration. An entertaining way to remind me of all the blessings writing has brought me.

My fondest gratitude to my family and friends - old and new - those I have pictures of and those I don't. Thank you, all.

Theresa

CR: I took a couple of hours off this afternoon to finish L.J. Seller's Dying for Justice. If you haven't read her Detective Jackson series, you really should. Not sure where I'll head next.

It's all better with friends.

The Artist's Way

2011-06-24T05:00:00.002-06:00

You know I'm appreciating this book more and more. If you don't have The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron sitting on your shelf as I did, put this on your list of books to check into.

Here are two bits I've read this week I especially loved:

I like to think of the mind as a room. In that room, we keep all of our usual ideas about life, God, what's possible and what's not. The room has a door. That door is ever so slightly ajar, and outside we can see a great deal of dazzling light. Out there in the dazzling light are a lot of new ideas that we consider too far-out for us, and so we keep them there. The ideas we are comfortable with are in the room with us. The other ideas are out, and we keep them out.

And this:

My grandmother knew what a painful life had taught her: success or failure, the truth of a life really has little to do with its quality. The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.

This morning, in my morning pages, I brainstormed some ways to bring the book I'm writing to a more satisfying ending than what I've managed to come up with so far. I think I may have done just that. And, I also had the most amazing moment related to a completed manuscript I have that will make it oh-so-much better. Of course, it will require a complete re-write, but I was sort of looking at that probability anyway.

OT (but not so much): Because of a sore ankle, I've been trying a little yoga in the morning. Trust me, I'm horrible at yoga. I can't get through (yet) an entire session, and the moves I do get through are horrible imitations of what the instructor is doing. But still, I work at it a little. And even with my feeble attempts, I've noticed I'm a bit more limber each time, and I'm sitting up a little more straight at my desk. I might have to practice my poor yoga moves in the middle of the day!

CR: Dying for Justice by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

Morning Rituals

2011-06-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

At the moment—this moment—I love my morning time. Well, mostly. Except when it's hard.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been faithful at one thing for sure. My morning pages. The Artist's Way encourages even the busiest among us to get up twenty minutes early (for me it would take thirty minutes. Just sayin'.) and write out three full pages, long-hand, in a pretty much stream-of-consciousness style. The idea is to begin to identify your Censor and kick it to the curb. And at the same time, connect with the huge and immense creative center so many of us block. It's not always easy, but it's never wrong. Week Two gave me a big clue, but I needed to get through Week One to understand.

The processes and background in TAW keep me filled with trust that it will ultimately yield to good things. So I'm plugging along, sometimes getting an aha moment, sometimes just glad to finish the three pages. Trust really is a big part of this.

Thus far, I think I've uncovered that I'm a little leery of uncovering anything that might release my driven side, and well, there's always the comfort in the status-quo, even if it means staying in that stuck spot I've been comfortable in for so long. If you've done the work in TAW, maybe you know what I'm talking about.

Aside from TAW, I'm LOVING, LOVING, LOVING Elizabeth George's Write Away. Her process gives me so much hope. I guess, in the end, there's a part of me that craves a certain amount of structure. And her stream-of-consciousness plotting had me practically jumping up and down in our courtyard this morning. She gives insight to a process that doesn't seem stifling.

In the meantime, LoML is putting together an amazing road trip for us. Can I just say I love his wanderlust? His romanticism? His never ending interest in the world around him?

CR: Dying for Justice by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

A Crime Fiction Writer Who Keeps Getting Better

2011-06-20T20:09:00.003-06:00

I've always figured that even a favorite author can't hit a home run every time they're at bat. I forgive them and look forward to their next book. It's just the way it is. And a miss to me will be a hit to someone else.

It is really a rare thing to find a writer who doesn't disappoint. I have to tell you, that writer for me has been L.J. Sellers. Beginning with The Sex Club (the title of which has always been a great debate, originating with L.J. herself), and ending with the current book in the series I'm reading, Dying for Justice, Sellers has simply gotten better at her craft.

I've wanted to mention this for a while now, but have hesitated because we're now partners in a blog aimed primarily at readers, Crime Fiction Collective, and I didn't want there to be any appearance of conflict. But I finally decided I needed to let you know about this most excellent writer.

Check her out. Read her books (the order isn't that important, except to see the growth of Sellers as a writer) and let me know what you think.

CR: Dying for Justice by L.J. Sellers

It's all better with friends.

My Date With ???

2011-06-17T18:05:00.008-06:00

So, did that get your attention? You know I'm totally and completely in love with my husband. You're wondering . . . "What the . . . ?"

Here's your answer.

I'm working through The Artist's Way. I've been doing my Morning Pages (designed to put my Censor Snake in its place) faithfully.

Morning Pages are a daily event, but there's another assignment. You must take your inner artist on a date once a week. Before I proceed (and OT), I was reminded of the weekly dates LoML and I had back when he was still working. I want to engage those again as well. A special time when it was just the two of us. A special few moments every week.

My planned date for today got squeezed a little bit. But because it got squeezed, it actually expanded. I needed a haircut. Because of my hair stylist's schedule, it was either get there today or wait for six weeks to get in to see her. I'm not stupid. I opted for today.

My planned date was to a wonderful Asian market known locally as H-Mart. I love walking into that space. If you want the suburban grocery shopping experience, you will be disappointed. When you walk through those doors, you walk into a different culture. I love it.

Here's a little list I made today of some of the 'different' things I found and would love to know how to prepare: Lotus root; Pepino melon; Dragon Fruit; Rambutan; Sesame Leaves; Bacha; Nagaimo; Dried persimmon; Mugroot (I so flashed on to Harry Potter); Bellflower; King Trumpet Mushrooms; Enoki Mushrooms; Indian Bitter melon; Whole Kimchi; Acorn pudding; Yellow croaker; Dried octopus; Salmon heads; Snail meat; Sweet Fish Roe; Dried cuttlefish; Dried squid; Beef Blood; Pheasant; Frog legs; Tube squid and Squid Flower. For things LoML and I love—fried Calamari for way more than two people for $2.99, and Wild Caught Sea bass for $2.99/pound.

I was early to my hair appointment by a good 45 minutes (this is where the expanded date begins). And the shop (which had moved since the last time I'd been there) was right next to a little restaurant, the Monaco Inn, which had a delightful patio. I had my Kindle (loaded with an L.J. Sellers book), and opted to have a light lunch, a glass of wine . . . and L.J.

To round it out, I was talking about TAW to my stylist, and lo-and-behold, she's been giving that book away to people for years, but never studied it on her own.

I love when this happens.

CR: Dying for Justice by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

Pffft!

2011-06-09T17:33:00.002-06:00

Okay, six days ago I marched out my smart self and told you about four books for writers I was going to read my way through.

Yesterday, I parked two of them back on my shelf. Not because they aren't wonderful, but because The Artist's Way was clearly going to demand a little bit more of me than to simply read my way through it. And the third book . . . well, if it doesn't hit the shelf soon, it will at least be read in even smaller bites.

I think I'm going to gain a lot from working through TAW. Of course, at this point, there's a lot of trust involved. And patience. Kind of like when I broke my ankle in two places. I was just this side of surgery. While my head heard what the orthopedic surgeon was telling me, my heart just knew I was gonna set all kinds of healing records. They'd be writing about me for years in JAMA.

Not.

Trust and patience.

Are any of you familiar with TAW? Please someone, say yes. I hate the idea of hanging out there all on my own. It's freaky.

CR: The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

By the way . . . I almost made this a seperate post. If you're looking for a terrific police procedural series, you can't go wrong with L.J. Seller's Detective Jackson. Seriously. I have yet to be disappointed.

It's all better with friends.

Books on Writing

2011-06-03T12:25:00.005-06:00

I don't know about you, but I have shelves of books on the craft of writing. Some are terrific, some not so much.

What's important to remember when you buy a book on the craft of writing, is that it won't do you any good if it just sits on your shelf looking good. I know this from personal experience.

So, as a kind of accountability, here are the craft books I'm reading bits from every morning (beginning this morning) while I sit outside in the Colorado sunshine:

The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. As opposed to craft, this is more about the writing life, and how we can get through it. I'd begun reading it ages ago, but for some reason (probably the need to organize my desk), I shelved it.

The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass. I don't always agree with him, but I always learn from him. Again, I'd started reading this one a long time ago and had to pull it off the shelf this morning.

Write Away by Elizabeth George. This one has been untouched on my shelf, but not for very long. George is going to walk me through her process, and I have the feeling she'll hold my hand if I need it.

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I confess that this book has been in my home longer than I can remember. Even before I seriously considered writing a novel. Unread. I think because I thought it might be a lot of psycho-babble. But, along with Write Away, it's probably the book I'm most excited to read now. She teaches us how to unblock our creativity. I'm willing to give that a shot.

What books on craft are you committed to reading right now?

CR: Passions of the Dead by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

With Much Gratitude and Respect

2011-05-30T07:45:00.003-06:00

Thank you.

The Perfect Timing of James Scott Bell—and Frustration

2011-05-27T19:30:00.006-06:00

A lot of you know I've been struggling with the ending for my manuscript. Endings are at least as important as begininings, and I want to do this right.

I also want it to be memorable. I have a terrible time remembering endings . . . movies or books. It's critical, to me, to write one that fits this terrific story and sticks with readers who are like me.

So, the battle rages. I've squeezed out only a few hundred words a day (I haven't hit 800 a day since I can't remember when) and frustration is building.

Because I've read both his fiction and non-fiction, seen him at writer conferences, kept him in my "Must Read" tweet column on Tweetdeck and occaisionally pop into Kill Zone, I feel like Jim Bell and I have been friends for years. And this morning, he did what any good friend would do.

He kicked me in the butt.

NOTE: Through the Memorial Day Weekend, my published partners at Crime Fiction Collective are donating their profits to a family in Joplin, Missouri who lost everything. One of my other partners is splitting hers, to include victims of the same rash of tornadoes in Minnesota. And, another author has joined us, offering his profits as well. Please, please, please . . . if you're looking for a good read, consider buying either a download or a paper book. To learn more about the books, and the family, see Crime Fiction Collective.

CR: Alone by Lisa Gardner.

It's all better with friends.

Amazon Tips

2011-05-26T09:35:00.002-06:00

A lot of people elect to go the independent route for a variety of reasons. Amazon is a key component. Eddie Jones recently offered a one-hour online seminar covering ways he feels you can obtain amazing results on Amazon.

Here are a few of things worth mulling over:

1. Short non-fiction can help pay the bills. Brevity sells. Understand where your background and experience can translate into a platform for non-fiction. Consider putting together an incredibly easy, short, book to sell on Amazon. Or, if you have more than 200 pages for one of these, consider a series. $$$

2. Optimize your title. Has anyone ever seen a sub-title applied to fiction before? That's my question. It didn't come up in the class, but it could catch some attention. On Amazon, your title is 'shelf space', and the longer the title is, the more shelf space and attention you get. You have 200 characters. Use all of them.

3. Cover. You can do the typical, or you can do the a-typical. A square cover. Square is good because square is different. Different gets noticed. Since there is no hand-selling on Amazon, your cover is very important.

4. The Search Inside feature can be wonderful because the entire book is searched for key words/phrases. (Probably more important for non-fiction.)

5. Ranking. Although this is changing based on the sheer volume of new books, a ranking of 50k - 200k is not quite hot. 50k-10k is a fairly good performer. Better than 10k and you have a winner over time.

6. Customer reviews are key. The more the better. Even if some of them aren't that great. The more reviews you have, the higher your book will appear in the 'relevant' search rankings. 10 reviews or less = not so much. 100 reviews? Way cool, even if some of them are poor. Having a neutral or even a negative review actually increases the credibility overall.

7. Tags. Tags (via votes) will increase your presence in search results. (One online loop in particular had a HUGE push for tagging amongst its authors.) I find that to be one of the cheating/unethical things LJ Sellers referred to on a recent post on Crime Fiction Collective.

8. Author page. KEEP IT CURRENT. Duh. Make sure it reflects not just your bio, but a passion for your subjects and books. Plug your blog with an RSS Feed. Video/Trailer . . . you can ask customers to drop trailers into their reviews, but keep it real. If the trailer was an instigating 'buy' for the customer, cool.

Okay, you guys have the benefit of an hour of my time. I hope there's at least one thing in here that can inspire you and move you forward.

Do you have any tips to add?

NOTE: Through the Memorial Day Weekend, my partners at Crime Fiction Collective are donating their profits to a family in Joplin, Missouri who lost everything. One of my other partners is splitting hers, to include victims of the same rash of tornadoes in Minnesota. Please, please, please . . . if you're looking for a good read (and I can recommend all of them), consider buying either a download or a paper book. Crime Fiction Collective.

CR: Alone by Lisa Gardner.

It's all better with friends.

Special Fundraiser for Joplin Family

2011-05-24T13:19:00.001-06:00

Please let me direct you to Crime Fiction Collective for a special announcement.

Fact in Fiction: Research Ain't What it Used to Be by LAUREN CARR

2011-05-23T06:00:00.001-06:00

Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award. A Reunion to Die For was released in hardback in June 2007. Both of these books are in re-release.

Last year, the first installment of her new series, It’s Murder, My Son was released. It has received only rave reviews from both reviewers and readers. The Mac Faraday Mysteries take place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, where Lauren and her family vacation. The second installment is entitled Old Loves Die Hard.

She lives with her husband, son, and two dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

(Lauren tells me that the beautiful canine balancing out her headshot is Ziggy. And the one who is keeping her company while she writes in her office is Beagle Bailey.)

Last year, when It’s Murder, My Son was released, I received a phone call from a reader. In the first installment of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, bankrupt homicide detective Mac inherits an undreamed of fortune and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. The reader hunted me down to discuss a scene in which Mac and Archie are served a bottle of champagne at his five-star inn.

The former wine steward told me that I had written the scene wrong. When I explained that I had modeled that scene from numerous personal occasions at many fine restaurants, he replied, “Well, those weren’t five-star restaurants.”

Maybe a hundred years ago, before the information age of the Internet put all of the facts right at the readers’ fingertips, writers could get away with fudging on the facts. Not so today. Readers are much more savvy.

Back in the 1940’s, movies showed police interrogations with them locking suspects in bare room with nothing but naked light bulbs glaring in the suspects’ face to force a confession, and private eyes investigating murders on a regular basis. Most of the population, having never met P.I.’s or encountering the police trusted what they saw on the silver screen to be the truth.

Then came cable television and networks like the TruCrime channel, Discovery, and A&E with shows like Cold Case, Forensics Files, 48-Hours, or American Justice to give readers a glimpse into how criminal investigation and the justice system really works.

As a result, much of the mystique behind all of these genres has dissolved away. The facts are now common knowledge. A fourth grader knows that a homicide detective is not allowed to smoke a cigarette over a dead body and then toss the butt to the ground and grind it into the dirt with his heel because he will be contaminating the crime scene.

Research. The word creates flashbacks from my first research paper in college. The topic was on the playwright Henrik Ibsen. Before the Internet, I had been sentenced to spend hours in the library reading the driest material you could ever imagine. I almost dropped out of college because I thought I was going to die of boredom. If this was what writing was about I didn’t want to do it.

When I first started writing fiction, I considered research a fence around my imagination of where I was prohibited to go, but I have discovered that the opposite is true.

Research for fiction is actually more fun! In the last year, I took a gun class in the name of research. I’ve been on ride-alongs with real police officers. This September, I’m going to the Writer’s Police Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina, to train with the pros! All this in the name of research.

Consider research an opportunity. If you jump into writing a book based purely on your imagination with nothing else, then you have a limited number of ways to go with the plot. But if you do your research, talk to people within that profession, gather stories, then you will find other avenues that can lead your story in interesting and unexpected directions.
Remember the saying, “Fact is stranger than fiction.”

For example, in the gun class I took last summer, a classmate brought in her Smith and Wesson revolver. It was pink. Not painted pink. It was made of pink metal. Before that class, I never knew they made pink hand guns. I held it. Fired it.
Now, Archie Monday carries a pink Smith and Wesson in her purse. That piece of reality added an interesting little detail that helps to bring the character of Archie to life for the reader that I never would have thought of if I hadn’t taken that class.
The murders in Old Loves Die Hard are committed in Mac Faraday’s private penthouse suite on the top floor of the Spencer Inn. As I had planned the scene, the hot water is on, but after running all night it is cold. However, the bath room is not flooded because of the overflow in the tub.

As I was writing that scene, the question crossed my mind: Do hotels run out of hot water?

This is a five-star hotel. If they run out of hot water, guests will complain, the hotel management will investigate, and the murders will be discovered sooner than I wanted for my storyline. (They may not know how to serve champagne, but they aren’t going to let their guests complain about having no hot water without investigating the matter.)

With a half hour of research on the Internet, I discovered that most suites in many top hotels and resorts have their own hot water heaters. So, if the hot water ran out in that suite, only the murder victims would have been affected and they weren’t going to be complaining.

I did not expect to discover that, in recent years, a lot of hotels, in going green, and as a safeguard, have put timers in their units. If the water runs too long, either because it has been left on or a leak in the plumbing, then it will automatically shut off in order to save water and prevent flooding and water damage not just to the suite but the floors below it.

With the use of this research, I was able to have the body of Mac Faraday’s ex-wife found in the tub, the faucet is turned on, but the water is not running because it had been shut off by the timer.

Look at research as a way to build content for your novel instead of thinking of it as a boundary or chore you have to do.
While the word "research" may bring back those images of a boring night spent in the library feeling like your eyes are going to bleed if you have to read one more dry word, research for your fiction can actually be a fun process, especially when you’re holding a pink handgun imagining yourself as a character in one of your books brought to life.

Lauren has her books priced at a fantastic $3.99 on Amazon for Kindle. Check 'em out and make sure she has her facts straight.

CR: While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew E. Kaufman

It's all better with friends.

Introducing . . .

2011-05-19T09:51:00.003-06:00

The Book.

This is old, but still funny.

I'm so focused on trying to finish up the last few scenes of Irrefutable Proof, it's hard to do anything else.

If you know what I'm talking about, take a break and enjoy.

CR: While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew E. Kaufman.

It's all better with friends.

Some Thoughts from Independent E-Author, Colette Duke

2011-05-16T06:00:00.002-06:00

Please welcome Colette Duke to Suspense Novelist. Colette's focus (well, sorta—read the post) is science fiction, but we all know the very best science fiction has a lot of suspense going on.

SPECIAL NOTE: Even though the bones of the story are available for free on Colette's website (she's way too generous, but she and I haven't had a chance to talk about that), she's agreed to provide a FREE download that unveils deeper characterization to one lucky person who makes a comment to her post on Suspense Novelist.

Science-fiction romance writer Colette Duke has been a sci-fi fan all her life and considers the countless years she's spent watching Star Trek in all its forms Very Important Research. She prefers Picard and Data over Kirk and Spock, and Lieutenant Worf will always hold a special place in her heart. She doesn't care if that gives away her age.

Colette's books explore the dangers and pleasures of romance in other galaxies, and sometimes the dangers and pleasures of falling in love on an Earth colonized by alien races. Because love can happen anywhere.

She loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her at her website: www.ColetteDuke.com.

SN: Self-publication used to mean the writer wasn’t good enough to be published traditionally. Has that changed?

DUKE: It’s changed completely. You see plenty of successful traditionally published authors releasing backlist titles as self-published e-books. They’ve certainly proven they’re “good enough.” For new writers who choose to bypass traditional publishing completely, the issue of quality depends on the writer. There are some stars of self-publishing who’ve rocketed to success on a combination of good storytelling, good covers, good networking skills . . . I don’t know about the actual statistics, but I’d guess the percentage of mega successes in the self-publishing industry might be about the same as the percentage of mega successes in the traditional publishing industry. You hear about the ones who make it big. The rest, not so much. There are literally hundreds of thousands of books on Amazon that are selling pretty much zero copies.

SN: What do you see as the major differences between the traditional and independent publishing?

Duke: The big difference is who pays for and performs the work that goes into turning a manuscript into a book.

Traditional publishing: The publishing house pays for multiple editors, cover art, interior layout/design, formatting, marketing, (OK, maybe not so much in this department unless the author is Dean Koontz), advertising, and more.

Self-publishing: The author either pays professionals to do some/all of the above or learns to do it herself (or himself, but I’m a girl so I’ll say herself). It’s tremendously time consuming.

Either way, the author is expected to handle most, if not all, of her marketing.

SN: What about the quality of e-books?

Duke: Some are fantastic. Some suck. It depends on the writer and her ability to either wear a lot of hats (and look good doing it) or hire competent people to take care of all the things that go into making a great e-book.

SN: Don’t most writer organizations have certain publisher requirements in order for books to be considered for contests?

Duke: Yes, but they’re gradually changing their guidelines and requirements. Writers are the lifeblood of every writers’ organization. The organizations have to evolve along with publishing, or they’ll have no one to pay their annual dues. Oh, woe, right?

SN: What was the hardest part of the process?

Duke: What part of the process wasn’t hard? Writing is hard. Learning enough HTML to create a cleanly formatted e-book was hard (you should have seen the little piles of my hair scattered around my computer). Learning to use graphics software was hard. And try setting up publisher accounts and online payments with Amazon, PubIt!, and All Romance EBooks as a non-American—it’s a wonder I have any hair left at all. But to answer your question: for me the hardest part was stepping forward as a self-published author in a publishing climate that’s traditionally frowned on self-publishing.

SN: How will you know if you’re successful?

Duke: I will sell enough copies of my books that self-publishing is my sole income (a scenario that doesn’t involve eating only generic mac and cheese, by the way). I’m a long way from that point right now, but I’m in it for the long haul. I have plans to publish in several genres rather than putting all my eggs in the science-fiction-romance basket, though I heard recently that a major publisher has picked up a fair number of SFR titles recently—which is very cool if you write SFR. Which I do. ☺

SN: Will you continue to seek traditional publication?

Duke: Yes. 1. I like validation (some people think a publisher’s validation isn’t worth much, but hey, they can think what they want and I’ll think what I want). 2. I know how much time and energy goes into publishing a book, and it’s OK with me if a publisher wants to share that. 3. Self-publishing and traditional publishing can complement each other very well; while I think self-publishing offers a lot of creative freedoms and opportunities, I’m not going to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

SN: What would you like everyone to know about self-publishing?

Duke: I’m doing it! Buy my book on Amazon! Buy my book on Barnes & Noble! Buy my book on All Romance eBooks! Tweet @ColetteDuke! Like me on Facebook!

Seriously, though: The publishing industry is changing. Change can be good. But writers, we need to keep our heads on straight. Don’t just barge forward and neglect to learn the skills that will enable you to self-publish well. Realize it’s like anything else worth doing: it’s a lot of work, and there’s a steep learning curve (think Everest). We need to take the time to get the details right.

SN: What question should I ask that I haven’t?

Duke: Who is the lovely couple in the photo of my work area, you ask? They’re my grandparents. Of all the people I’ve ever known, they had the happiest, longest marriage. A good source of inspiration for a romance writer!

Thanks a bunch for having me on your blog, Peg.

CR: While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew E. Kaufman.

It's all better with friends.

Writing the Legal Thriller - by DOUGLAS CORLEONE

2011-05-11T08:00:00.005-06:00

Please welcome Douglas Corleone to Suspense Novelist. I'm pleased beyond words to host him, and encourage you all to check out his work.

Douglas Corleone is the author of the Kevin Corvelli crime series published by St. Martin's Minotaur. His debut novel, One Man's Paradise, won the 2009 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Douglas Corleone now resides in the Hawaiian Islands with his wife and son. Night on Fire is his second novel.

Writing the Legal Thriller

The dust jacket for my latest novel Night on Fire reads “A Kevin Corvelli Mystery.” Indeed, the story is a mystery. But it’s also a legal thriller. The protagonist Kevin Corvelli is a hotshot Honolulu criminal defense lawyer who is tasked with defending a stunning but troubled young newlywed accused of killing her husband and committing arson at a popular Hawaiian beach resort. Technically, Kevin’s goal is not to solve the mystery, but to do everything in his power to have his client acquitted, regardless of whether she’s guilty or innocent. It begs the question: how does a legal thriller differ from a traditional mystery, and what must a writer take into account when constructing a legal thriller?

Most legal thrillers feature an attorney protagonist. (There are exceptions, including David Ellis’s Edgar Award-winning debut Line of Vision, in which the accused, an investment banker, is the hero and narrator of the story.) Often the lawyer protagonist is a criminal defense attorney, which means, unlike a police detective, his duty isn’t to identify and capture the killer, but to defend his client, the accused, to the best of his ability. Fortunately for authors, finding the real killer is often the key to creating reasonable doubt. At least it is in fiction; in real life, a defense lawyer creates reasonable doubt by impeaching the prosecution’s witnesses and undermining physical and circumstantial evidence. As any decent defense lawyer will tell you, criminal trials are not about getting to the truth, but rather about what the prosecution can or cannot prove.

Legal thrillers often include courtroom drama. Which means an author must construct both sides of the case. The hero must therefore view clues much differently than he would in a traditional mystery. He must consider each fingerprint, each weapon, each witness statement, not only as a clue but as a piece of evidence. He must determine what to introduce at trial and what not to. And the writer, acting as judge, must decide what’s admissible at trial and what must be suppressed. The rigid rules of criminal procedure must be followed, creating obstacles for the hero that otherwise would not exist.

The verdict sometimes serves as the climax of the legal thriller. Other times, the climax occurs when the intrepid attorney finally confronts the real killer. In either case, the ending must be emotionally satisfying for the reader. That generally means that the good guys have prevailed, regardless of which side of the aisle they stood on for the duration of the story. But getting to that climax, the reader is often taken on a much different journey, as the lawyer makes questionable decisions, unsure of whether he is on the side of right or wrong. That internal moral conflict adds a dimension to legal thrillers that isn’t often found in traditional mysteries. And it is what I enjoy most about constructing Kevin Corvelli’s courtroom dramas.

Praise for One Man’s Paradise

“Fans of John Grisham, Lisa Scottoline, and other legal thriller authors will enjoy this for the sheer pleasure of seeing a master defense attorney at work in the courtroom.”
---Library Journal

“This novel won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, and it’s no wonder. Former defense lawyer Corleone has created a crafty and memorable character and placed him in a suspenseful and layered story. . . . A sequel to this fine debut would seem almost mandatory.”
---Booklist

Kevin Corvelli---a hotshot New York defense attorney who packed up his bags and hung his shingle in Hawaii to dodge the spotlight---is deep in his mai tais at a resort when an argument erupts down at the other end of the bar. It’s a pair of newlyweds, married that very day on the beach. And since Corvelli doesn’t do divorces, he all but dismisses the argument.

That’s at least until the fire breaks out later that night, and he barely escapes his hotel room. Most weren’t so lucky, including the new husband. His wife, Erin, becomes not only the police’s prime suspect for arson and murder but also Corvelli’s newest client, and she has a lot working against her, like motive and opportunity, not to mention a history of starting fires.

The heat gets turned all the way up in Douglas Corleone’s scorching legal thriller Night on Fire, his second following the MWA’s/MB First Crime Novel Competition winner, One Man’s Paradise.

OT: Perfect Timing and Character Development

2011-05-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

You're saying that timing and character development are all part of the writing process.

You're wondering what's Off Topic about those things?

You're about to find out.

Take a minute and enjoy the angst one man creates in um . . . man's best friend.

CR: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

It's all better with friends.

Choose Your Beta Readers Carefully

2011-05-05T13:50:00.011-06:00

When the St. Paul Pioneer Press refused to pay for her little red convertible that was fire bombed while she covered a riot, Judith Yates Borger decided it was time to get a new gig. She began writing fiction and hasn't looked back.

Borger draws on her 30 years experience as a journalist to chronicle the escapades of her protagonist Skeeter Hughes, wife, mom and reporter.
In real life, Borger is passionate about her work, her children, her grandchildren, and her marriage. In her reporting days she would never have taken the risks that come naturally to protagonist Skeeter. She lives with her husband, John, and her dog, Honey, in downtown Minneapolis on the Mississippi River, where she rows crew with the Minneapolis Rowing Club.

Her short story, Hunter's Lodge, is included in Resort to Murder, Thirteen More Tales of Mystery by Minnesota's Premier Writers. Where's Billie? is her first novel published by Nodin Press, which will publish The Skeeter Hughes sequel, Whose Hand? in fall 2011. Both are available on Kindle and Nook for under $3.

Judy's website

Website written by protagonist Skeeter Hughes

Please join me in welcoming Judith Yates Borger to Suspense Novelist.

Choose your beta readers carefully

Before I wrote my first book I asked Larry Millett, who had about a dozen Sherlock Holmes books to his credit, for advice. "Be careful whose advice you seek," he said. It was probably the best advice I've gotten so far. But choosing your advisors is difficult business. I've made a few mistakes along the way. Mistakes I'd like to spare you. So here's my advice when it come to choosing advisors.

1. Choose people who know your genre.
Everybody's got an opinion on how to write a book. You just sit down and type, right? Most people think they "have a book inside" just waiting to burst out when the moment is right like a chrysalis waiting to be a monarch butterfly. Eliminate from consideration people who say anything even remotely like this. They're clueless.

Instead, look for people who enjoy reading the type of book what you want to do, or something similar. Get to know them. Find out why they care about, what scares them, what makes them happy. If you're a mystery writer don't get a beta reader who only likes nonfiction.

2. Choose somebody who has time.
This is tricky. More than once I have given a manuscript to people who never got around to reading it. Very frustrating, and, frankly, a waste of paper. Choose somebody who really wants to read your work, not someone who thinks it's just cool to be able to say they did after it's published.

3. Get investment from your beta readers.
I find that the best way to do that is promise to include your beta readers in the acknowledgement, with some title, like Queen of Commas, or Forward Fashionista. Then chat them up after they're done. If they tell their friends about your book you've made some advanced sales.

4. Rotate beta readers.
This is probably the toughest part, especially after you've gone to all that trouble to choose the right readers, but I think it's important, especially if you're writing a series. You want someone with fresh eyes to comment on your work.

5. Apply a skin-thickener liberally.
Comments are made with the idea of improving your work. You're beta readers aren't going to circle the entire book and shout "Brilliant." Remember that in the end, it's your book. You don't have to change anything a beta reader recommends. I have an author friend who listens to the first comment about a particular passage, takes note when a second person mentions the same thing, then changes the suspect passage when she hears about it the third time. I think that's good advice.

CR: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.

It's all better with friends.

Just a Little Rant

2011-05-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

When I first began this writing quest thing, one of the admonitions I heard was that your manuscript had to be better than good. It had to be better than very good. It even had to be better than great. It had to be powerful. Magic. Inspired.

Who said these things? Agents. Publishers. Editors. They said these things at writers conferences, workshops, online, in rejection letters. The word definitely got out.

It seemed quite clear to me that the vanguard were intent on upping the game. They would publish only the best of the best. Ensure that not one substandard novel would take up space either on my nightstand or a bookstore shelf.

C'mon. I know you know exactly what I'm talking about.

So here's my problem. Assuming this all began seven or eight years ago (and not before, which I'm pretty sure it did), why are bookstores still filled with piles and piles of mediocre (at best) books? Why aren't we bowled over with phenomenal choices? Why is the lousiest manuscript in my drawer as good as something with a cover on it?

Did publisher's cave? Were they aware they were publishing books that weren't powerful? Or magic? Or inspired?

Or did they get to a point where they would take any old thing because they knew exactly how to sell it?

Aha . . . maybe lazy and a lie.

What do readers have to say about this? Shouldn't their minds be boggled by all of the brilliant choices?

Just askin'.

CR: Just finished Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger. A wonderful debut novel written by a former journalist about a journalist. Well done!

I'll make a new selection either tonight or tomorrow, depending.

It's all better with friends.

Harlan Coben Should Be Writing

2011-04-27T14:46:00.002-06:00

"You should be writing."

If you're a writer, and reading this blog post, is there a little voice in your head telling you what you should be doing instead of this?

Harlan Coben gets it.

If you're a reader of suspense, and haven't read Coben, get your hands on his books. You won't be disappointed.

In addition to his comments about his muse, I love his advice regarding marketing: just "write a better book."

Sit back, get motivated, then . . . write.

CR: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger.

It's all better with friends.

Twelve Independent Author Steps—As I See Them

2011-04-25T06:00:00.004-06:00

Everyone has to admit that this is a new walk to walk. There are no gatekeepers. Rather than working for a publisher and paying an agent because they landed you that gig (like an employment agency), you're working for yourself. And your readers.

Here's how I line up those steps right now, thanks in large part to advice from LJ Sellers. I invite discussion from everyone, and enlightenment from those that have gone before me. But this is what I think a writer has to do to do it right:

1. Write your manuscript.
2. Rewrite and edit as many times as necessary until you think it's as good as you can write it. For now. This would include getting feedback from critique partners as applicable. At this stage, your manuscript is still green. Young. Kind of stupid.
3. Find a few readers you trust. Provide them with the full manuscript and a list of things you want them to keep an eye on. I'm talking between three and five people. Two readers are simply not enough. Fifteen and your goose will be cooked. Guaranteed. UPDATE: Check out today's blog post at Crime Fiction Collective regarding beta readers.
4. Rewrite again based on the feedback (qualified by you) that comes in. Your manuscript has just gone through another critical stage. It truly is the best it can be without professional intervention.
5. Get professional intervention. Pay an editor to go through the entire manuscript. Argue with said editor. They will make you prove your position; make them prove theirs. They will usually be right.
6. Hire a formatter. You could probably learn to do this yourself, but wouldn't you really rather be working on your next manuscript? You will want something that will be beautiful in numerous formats. You want your novel to be perfect whether someone buys it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
7. Unless you have amazing graphic art skills (some do, most don't), you'll want to hire someone to design your cover. "What? It's an e-book." Well, yeah. But the eye still buys. Well, maybe not buy exactly, but a great cover will get someone to at least take a closer look.
8. Now it's time to proof-read the final product from your formatter. Do not skimp at this point in the game. And don't believe for one minute that you can catch everything. Even if it was perfect when it went to the formatter, strange things can happen. Have your manuscript proofread. By more than one other person.

1-8 are things you need to do at a minimum. The rest are things I think you need to do to get your novel to the highest level possible.

9. Form a publishing company. You are the owner. You are the publisher. You will probably be the only author. But, pick a cool name, and maybe even a logo.
10. Go to CreateSpace (or something similar) and make arrangements to provide print copies of your book. There will be some readers who do not have access to e -readers. Even some who have dug in their heels and refuse to consider them as options. Make sure your book is available to as wide an audience as possible.
11. Look at your distribution options. You will probably want to handle Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but what about all the other small players out there? For them, you want someone else dealing with the nuances. Again, your want to make sure your book is available to everyone.
12. Don't forget audio. It's not a huge market, but it is a market. Don't neglect it. It might take awhile (and here, you'll be dealing with gatekeepers again), but don't write this one off.

Anything you disagree with? I need to expand on? Add?

CR: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger.

It's all better with friends.

Vintage Video on Book Making

2011-04-22T07:12:00.003-06:00

Oh, my.

So many things have changed—are changing.

What do you think about this 1940's video?

Please check out my post today at Crime Fiction Collective. It's an exciting time to be a writer.

CR: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger and Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent

It's all better with friends.

Life Happens

2011-04-19T16:47:00.006-06:00

I love my life. I love my husband. Our home. The independence we afford one another, and the joy we share when we spend time together. I like the occasional respite when we go to a movie or take a drive. These happen infrequently and are spurty. They don't last for ever. I can usually adapt.

I'm also a dog. I love routine. Granted, there are different kinds of routine . . . At Home Routine, On the Road Routine . . . but routine nonetheless. Dog owners, have you ever tried to do just one little thing different? Repositioning a favorite ottoman is akin to packing everything up in boxes and putting booby-traps everywhere.

"Plumber? We need a plumber? A stranger in our home? Right by my desk?" My heart speed revved up and it became hard to breathe.

And then it got worse.

Not only did I watch in horror as Christmas tree stands, power washers, and what? . . . encyclopedias? . . . a trash can, and a wet vac made their way into 'my' space—I helped commit the crime. A green metal rolling thing with items on it that have no meaning for me also crawled out of the equipment room.

And now they sit. Making me thoroughly appreciate doors that keep these things out of my mind, even though they were always there. I can only hope that when this plumbing event is over, and these things go back into the dark places of storage, I'll be able to forget they exist. They're all feeling a little Stephen King-y to me at the moment.

It's time for me to rise about this upheaval and be brave. Professional. Able to go on. Write. Edit. Do what I need to do.

I feel brave and my chin lifts . . . and then I remember Japan. And Haiti. Australia and the Carolinas. . . .

I'm good.

Really.

CR: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger, and Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent, and couldn't be more pleased with both.

It's all better with friends.

Lisa Gardner

2011-04-17T20:15:00.000-06:00

Another excellent interview from Author Magazine.

Enjoy this one. Lisa Gardner shares some things that certainly resonated with me.

In the meantime, picture me trying to learn how to edit one manuscript while writing another one. Remember now, I'm one of those readers who only reads one book at a time. This is all new territory for me.

(And um, OT . . . Go Nuggets!)

CR: Thrilled to Death by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

The Art of Audio Editing

2011-04-15T18:25:00.001-06:00

Please join me in a warm welcome for my good friend, Kelly Irvin. Kelly has a new book that we'll hear more about coming out later this year, but I'm here to tell you, it's fantastic. Just take a look at the cover, and story information.

No Child of Mine
Release: September 2011
Five Star Gale
$25.95

The day Daniel Martinez’s foster son Benny Garza is kidnapped at a wedding reception, Homicide Detectives Deborah Smith and Alex Luna find the bones of a little girl not far from Benny’s abduction site. Determined to save Benny and solve a five-year-old murder, the team of investigators travel from the seamy underside of San Antonio’s drug-dealing gang territory to the back roads of rural America where secrets fester in simple country homes. Their investigation rips off the Band-aid that covers the cracks in an overburdened, understaffed foster care system and reveals the painful reality that children are all too often battered, terrified victims of the people who should love them the most. Torn between salvaging his marriage and trying to save a child he’s grown to love, Daniel fears both are slipping beyond his grasp. Deborah struggles to hang on to her new found sobriety in the face of the pressure of her job and her past, while Alex fights to get a foothold in the life of a woman who refuses to trust him or any other man. As the two investigations become more and more entwined, Deborah, Alex, and Daniel risk everything—even their lives—to bring a little boy home and unmask a child’s murderer. This fast-paced follow-up to Irvin’s debut romantic suspense novel, A Deadly Wilderness, will keep readers turning the pages long after it’s time to turn out the lights.

A native of Kansas, Kelly Irvin moved to the Texas-Mexico border town of Laredo to work as a journalist after graduating from the University of Kansas. A stint in El Paso garnered her the love of her life—photographer Tim Irvin—and more border fodder for her fiction. They now make their home with their two children, three cats, and a tank full of fish, in San Antonio. In 2010, Kelly published her first novel, A Deadly Wilderness. To learn more about Kelly’s books, go to http://www.kellyirvin.com.

The Art of Audio Editing

Stuck in San Antonio traffic each day, I listens to audio books to pass the time in my car. Hearing the written words instead of seeing them on the page led me to reflect on the importance of reading manuscripts aloud before they make into print.

I read aloud to catch typos and to make sure the dialogue rings true. It also helps me hear repetitious wording and awkward phrasing. Audio books have made me realize this practice also has value for plotting. Recently, I enjoyed a book about a small town sheriff investigating a murder. A long passage describes his search of every room in the victim’s house. About halfway through, I posed this question to my imaginary passenger: what do we care what the dead man’s bathroom looks like? My interest waned further, and I found myself thinking about what cardboard meal I would microwave for supper when I arrived home.

Yes, setting is important. In my first novel, A Deadly Wilderness, the murderer deposits the victim’s body in a park ravine where Detective Ray Johnson then falls on it. The murderer and Johnson later play a cat-and-mouse game in another park. But my audio author never links the description of the victim’s house back to the crime. Or at least I don’t think she did. After all, I’d stopped listening. If I’d been reading the book, I would’ve skipped that part.

So the critical question we have to ask ourselves is this: do the words propel the plot forward? If they don’t, chop them out. Otherwise my growling stomach may drown them out.

Have you found yourself checking out of a story recently and why? How would you fix the problem?

*************************

An idyllic hike in a wilderness park turns deadly when Homicide Detective Ray Johnson tumbles into a ravine and lands on a corpse The victim’s ring finger has been severed, turning Ray’s misstep into a murder investigation. Ray’s determination to find the man’s killer leads him to the wealthiest enclaves in San Antonio. From there, it’s a surprisingly short trip to the city’s dark underbelly inhabited by drug cartel lieutenants and paid assassins and, ultimately, to death’s wide open doors.

The case becomes a political hot potato after the victim is identified as the son of one of the city’s wealthiest residents. Ray teams up with his partner Deborah Smith and their boss Sergeant Samuel Martinez in an attempt to solve the murder before political pressure forces city leaders to remove them from the case. The twins alcohol and lust combine to set up roadblocks that could end at least one cop’s career—and a marriage.

Susana Martinez-Acosta’s work at a crisis hotline center is the first step toward a new life for her and her son Marco. The death of her husband in a car accident still haunts her even as she tries to ignore her attraction to Ray Johnson. With a police officer for a brother, she knows how dangerous the job is and she’s had more than enough loss.

Then comes the frantic anonymous hotline call from a woman who’s positive her in-laws killed her missing husband.

A Deadly Wilderness is a romantic suspense novel that will take the reader along on a tumultuous journey as the consuming need for material wealth drives a deadly wedge among family members who haven’t learned when enough really is enough.

The journey ends where it began—in a deadly wilderness. Not everyone will survive the trip.

CR: Thrilled to Death by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

Steve Berry Interview

2011-04-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite interviews. Steve Berry is honest and direct.

Take a few minutes and see if he doesn't have something to say you can use today.

CR: Thrilled to Death by LJ Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

Crime Fiction, Anyone?

2011-04-12T07:43:00.003-06:00

Don't wait until April 18th to sign up at our new collaborative blog. It goes live on the 18th, and I think you're gonna love it. As a writer, as a reader . . . and as someone who likes crime fiction.

Check it out: http://www.crimefictioncollective.blogspot.com .

Suspense Novelist isn't going away, just spreading the love.

It's all better with friends.

When a Secondary Character Gets Pushy

2011-04-10T08:43:00.003-06:00

I have a secondary character who is acting up. Like she wants the story to be about her. No, not like she wants the story to be about her. She does want the story to be about her.

We fought about it.

I won. But I had to promise I'd consider her for the next one.

CR: While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew E. Kaufman.

It's all better with friends.

Reality vs. Fiction

2011-04-06T06:45:00.001-06:00

I'd reached a point where my Medical Examiner needed to get some information in order to move the plot forward. The only problem was that the information she needed to get could not come from any tests she would have ordered.

At one time, the only thing I could think of was a big cheat. "Oh, my. We goofed and accidentally tested for that rare and basically unbelievable thing, and guess what?" Ugh. Way more possible in reality than fiction.

Finally, after supposedly wasting time on FB and who knows what else, it hit me. And although it's a bit of a stretch, it's a helluva lot more interesting and fictionally plausible.

1,749 words popped as a result. Suh-weet.

No one will ever convince me that Facebook is a total time waster.

CR: Top Suspense by a group of authors who know what they're doing. If you get this book, I'm betting you'll find a new author you want to read more of.

It's all better with friends.

Reading Aloud

2011-04-03T20:41:00.004-06:00

I have some bookends on my desk that I love. They hold up two of my most used books . . . Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale. On the top of one bookend are my reading glasses (bright green), and a wooden Christmas ornament—a mouse/nutcracker in the uniform of a band conductor. On top of the other one is a beanbag butterfly in hues of purple and blue I got at the Butterfly Pavilion with my aunt shortly after my mom died.

Did I mention I love these bookends?

The bookend that faces me the most has this quote from Maya Angelou:

Do read to someone. When words are infused by the human voice, they come alive.

Who do you read to?

Do you read your words aloud when you edit?

CR: Top Suspense by Top Suspense Group.

It's all better with friends.

Left Coast Crime Spawns Creativity

2011-04-02T18:05:00.005-06:00

After LCC, held in Santa Fe this year, I had a much needed visit with my sister in Tucson. This is an emotional time of year for us. Today, April 2nd, is my mom's birthday. I was with her to celebrate her 75th, three years ago. She died three days later. Pictures from LCC and Tucson are on my Facebook page.

But the LoML made this message for me, and when we pulled into our garage I knew I was in a good place. I particularly love the image of him cutting the letters out and putting them on the door.

But I digress.

In Santa Fe, strange things can happen. My hotel was haunted (and a Roman Catholic archbishop knew it). Let me tell you a bit about Sister George. She was rather fond of cigars when she was alive. I didn't know about any of this until I was on the shuttle for Albuquerque, but my roommate and I had spent some time trying to figure out where the smell of tobacco was coming from in our room.

But even more strange . . . a few of us got together and decided it would be fun to do a blog with several contributors. Of course, we did this pretty much in a bar over drinks.

And even more strange . . . we've followed through. I'll be announcing a new blog loud and clear, but you guys get a heads-up. It should be awesome. We have a name . . . Crime Fiction Collective.

LJ Sellers, who was my roommate at LCC and made the decision to become self-employed as an independent author even though she'd been traditionally published, is our headliner. (Other than me, of course. LOL). Judy Borger writes mysteries geared toward providing an escape for manic moms; Andrew Kaufman swears his current book is not horror, but since it began hitting the high notes among the horror fans he decided to go with it; Marlyn Beebe is a librarian and our resident reviewer; and Jodie Renner is LJ's editor and will fill that slot. In addition, we'll have guest bloggers with related topics. ie: technology; screenwriting; audio book production; cover design; formatting; etc.

We've targeted April 18th as Opening Day, and plan on having two weeks of giveaways to celebrate.

This could be a real hoot, and hopefully our fragile new friendships will be able to weather whatever comes down the pike.

CR: Top Suspense by Top Suspense Group, a truly wonderful collection of short stories. If you get this book, I'm sure you'll be introduced to at least one new author you'll enjoy.

It's all better with friends.

Candles vs. Electric Lights

2011-03-23T11:36:00.001-06:00

In his March 19th post, Joe Konrath interviews Barry Eisler who tells why he turned down a $500,000 2-book deal to self-pub. I loved this:

Joe: We’ve discussed this before. Paper won’t disappear, but that’s not the point. The point is, paper will become a niche while digital will become the norm.

Barry: Agreed. Lots of people, and I’m one of them, love the way a book feels. I used to like the way books smelled, too, before publishers started using cheap paper. And you can see books on your shelf, etc... those are real advantages, but they’re only niche advantages. Think candles vs electric lights. There are still people making a living today selling candles, and that’s because there’s nothing like candlelight--but what matters is that the advent of the electric light changed the candle business into a niche. Originally, candlemakers were in the lighting business; today, they’re in the candlelight business. The latter is tiny by comparison to the former. Similarly, today publishers are in the book business; tomorrow, they’ll be in the paper book business. The difference is the difference between a mass market and a niche.

CR: Absinthe of Malice, by Pat Browning, the 'electric light' way—on my Kindle. However, I have a candle lit on my desk right now.

It's all better with friends.

Writing Another Gender AND Another Culture — John Desjarlais

2011-03-21T06:45:00.009-06:00

John Desjarlais is my guest today at Suspense Novelist. I found his desk photo very intriguing. He did, however, acknowledge that it isn't always this clean.

Enjoy his column.

A former producer with Wisconsin Public Radio, John Desjarlais teaches journalism and English at Kishwaukee College in northern Illinois. His first novel, The Throne of Tara (Crossway 1990, re-released 2000), was a Christianity Today Readers Choice Award nominee, and his medieval thriller, Relics (Thomas Nelson 1993, re-released 2009) was a Doubleday Book Club Selection. Bleeder and Viper (Sophia Institute Press, 2009 and 2011 respectively) are the first two entries in a contemporary mystery series. A member of The Academy of American Poets and Mystery Writers of America, he is listed in Who's Who in Entertainment and Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Viper is coming March 25

When insurance agent Selena De La Cruz walked onto the stage of my first mystery Bleeder in those cherry high heels, with that feisty attitude and driving that fast car, I knew she had a story of her own. For the moment, however, I only needed her to handle the insurance problems of my protagonist, Reed Stubblefield. And I wanted a positive portrayal of an educated Latin character, since the story had a background involving the flood of illegal Mexican immigrants in rural areas. That’s all I wanted from this minor character. But Selena insisted on having a larger role than I’d anticipated.

The sequel, Viper, began with the idea that a Catholic church’s “Book of the Deceased,” the ledger of the parish’s dearly departed put on display on All Souls’ Day, would have names of people still alive – but getting killed in the order in which they were listed. I learned early that Mexicans celebrate a holiday nearly concurrent with this, called “The Day of the Dead,” a fiesta with flower garlands, sweet breads and home altars to honor deceased relatives, candy skulls for the kids, and family picnics in cemeteries. It was obvious that Selena’s name would be on that list (the last name, I decided), and that she would be the protagonist.

This frightened me half to death. How could I, an Anglo guy in his 50s, presume to present a 30-something second-generation Mexican-American woman?

It wasn’t that I hadn’t written from a woman’s point-of-view before. I had done so a few times in earlier novels, but in shorter scenes. This called for a sustained, novel-length treatment of a major character that was credible and compelling. I wanted to be sure I got all the cultural material right and I was respectful with it. So much could go wrong.

So for nearly two years I became a second-generation Mexican-American woman.

Well, not literally. Vicariously, I guess you’d say. I immersed myself in many books written by Latinas about coming to terms with Old-World expectations placed upon women while trying to fit into New-World American society (there are quite a few books out there on this subject, reflecting the growth of this population). I took careful notes, as with any other research I had to do for VIPER -- DEA undercover operations, police interrogation techniques, snake handling, Aztec religion and so on. I subscribed to Latina magazine for fashion, beauty, relationship and lifestyle issues. I paid attention to any news related to this community, especially immigration issues. I browsed Latinas’ blogs and web sites to see what everyone talked about, especially with regard to living with a bi-cultural identity. Just like the Dad says in the movie Selena, “We've gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans both at the same time. It's exhausting!"

I interviewed Latinas and I noticed things that were common to them all that I could easily adapt and make my own – well, Selena’s own. I built a very thorough backstory – life story – for her based on all this research. I had pages of notes and stacks of cards that I browsed through obsessively to remind myself of small details that were of possible use as ‘bits’ in the story or for possible flashback scenes, as in this childhood memory:

In high school Selena brought home an Anglo boy, Jerry, to meet the family. She feared Papá would interrogate him like a cop drilling a suspect and the family, one by one, would corner him with stories of Mexico even if they couldn’t speak English and Mamí would serve tripe soup with chiles colorados to test his mettle – but she brought home the Anglo boy anyway. A crowd of Mamí, Papá, her three brothers, all her cousins, uncles and aunts, including Comadre María with all the curious, chattering neighbors greeted him. Jerry shook hands with Papá and her three brothers and smiled at everyone else – not knowing he was expected to meet everyone personally with a handshake and a warm verbal greeting. She should have told him. Later, Mamí called him muy frío, very cold, mal educado, ill mannered. Is this how we raised you – to find a gringo for a boyfriend who is so bent on dishonoring us, who has no respeto for our familia?

He doesn’t know our ways, Selena cried. He is Americano.

And what are you? Mamí asked.

And Selena realized fully for the first time she was in two worlds at once.

Or this memory from her Chicago neighborhood:

When Selena wheeled the Charger onto 18th Street in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, the throaty rumble of the big engine turned the heads of young men in tilted White Sox caps. In the air, Norteño bands playing plaintive corridos on button accordions competed with the thump-thump of quebradita, a blend of North Mexican banda and Aztec punk rockers singing in Spanglish. Selena felt her Spanish blood beating.

She crossed herself and kissed her thumb and forefinger held together when she passed Saint Adalbert’s Elementary in the shadow of the church’s skyline-dominating steeple. In the sixth grade, Sister Mary Beatrice -- who every kid called Sister Mary BattleAxe -- caught Selena speaking Spanish in the back row. She was asking Gloria García for an eraser. Sister pulled Selena by the ear into the corner.

“You’re in America now,” the Polish nun had reprimanded, her milky finger in Selena’s mocha face. “We speak English here. If you want to be an American, speak American. If you want to speak Spanish, then go back to Mexico.”

Selena asked if there was a difference between speaking English and speaking American.

Sister Beatrice kept her after school for talking back.

“Ay, you don’t talk back,” her mother chided her when she got home. Mamí’s high Zapotec cheekbones colored like the red hot lava of Mount Popocatépetl and the obsidian-black bun on top of her head, Selena could have sworn, was spinning.

“Muchachitas bien criadas, girls brought up well, don’t mouth off,” her mother said, wringing the dishtowel. “Do you want to called habladora? A big mouth that talks too much? Is that what you want?”

“Mamí, all I did was ask a question.”

“En boca cerrada no entran moscas,” her mother said, tapping her lips with a finger. Flies cannot enter a closed mouth. “You must be quiet, and keep your eyes low in respeto, like La Virgen de Guadalupe.”

Or this (edited) scene where Selena is at a DEA/FBI Christmas office dinner-party, mistaken for a server and then "dissed" by one of the servers:

Selena sat at a round table with other women from the Money Laundering Unit, checking her silver Seiko wrist watch way too often. Andy Pratt from Accounting sat next to her, trying to pick her up. His deodorant had given up hours ago. There were damp circles under his arms.

He bit into a tortilla chip and grinned, chipotle mashed between his caps. “Hey, Selena, have you tried this dip? It’s spicy, like you.”

Selena sipped from her glass of ice water and thought about splashing him in the face with it. “Sorry, I haven’t,” she said.

A cinnamon-skinned waitress dropped a plate of chopped iceburg lettuce and tomatoes in front of her.

“Salads?” Andy spat. “That’s girly food. Where’s the meat?”

“Excuse me,” Selena said, bunching her napkin and throwing it on the table.

“Hey, aren’tcha hungry?”

She didn’t answer. She grasped her clutch purse and weaved around tables toward the cash bar. On the way, a seated silver-haired woman in ruffles grabbed her arm.

“Pardon me, miss,” she said, wiggling a mug, “but when you get the time, could you bring me more coffee?”

Selena pulled away without a word.

“Maybe she doesn’t speak English…” a voice behind her trailed.

She stood in a short line at the bar, arms crossed, tapping her black patent leather Sergio Rossis. She made a face. Could you bring me more coffee? she mouthed. The nerve.

“What was that, miss?” asked the Latino barkeep.

“A screwdriver, por favor, y va fácil en el hielo porque duele los dientes.”

“Ho-kay, not much ice,” he said. The pinched lips and the glint in his eye said you’re not really one of us. He reached down for a glass and muttered pocha.

“What was that?” she fired back.

“Six dollar, please.”

“Míreme, look at me in the eye. That’s not what you said.” It was an insult, as bad as agringada, so Americanized no longer truly Mexicana, a sell-out.

“Six dollar,” he repeated.

A Latina translator who helped me with the Spanish and reviewed the work-in-progress said at one point, “I am SO into Selena!” That was such a relief to hear.

John Desjarlais

Viper (Sophia Institute Press, ISBN 978-1-933184-80-7, 256 pp., $14.95) isn’t out yet, but it will be available through Amazon.com and can be ordered through bookstores sometime later this Spring. Bleeder and Relics and The Throne of Tara are at Amazon, too. Bleeder is also available in the UK.

CR: Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning.

It's all better with friends.

Focus

2011-03-17T17:41:00.008-06:00

As good as I think the story I'm writing is, there are moments of murkiness. Uncertainty. Sometimes the horrible knowledge I'm going to take a great idea and make it mediocre.

So, when I'm feeling that way how do I get back to the place where I've got all of my crayons spread out on the desk and can create with abandon? Where I believe I can color outside of the lines and it will be beautiful?

Where I can simply get started?

I have a candle on my desk. That helps.

I listen to The Writers Mind CD. That helps. Or I listen to another CD of my choice. That also helps.

I start typing away until something good happens. That sort of helps.

Now, I have a fire going. That helps.

I also play Free Cell. Yep. There. I said it.

When I begin a game of Free Cell, with the intent of moving on, I tell myself what the plan is when I bring the game up on my computer screen. And at the end? It's like flipping a switch. Peg is on. Focused. Ready.

What do you do? C'mon. You can be honest here.

CR: Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning.

It's all better with friends.

OT: Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T16:08:00.003-06:00

Relax for a moment and look at these photos. Even if you're not part Irish, you'll feel like you are.

Danny Boy - Best Choral Arrangement

CR: Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning.

It's all better with friends.

Dana Stabenow Interview

2011-03-15T15:16:00.001-06:00

There are some terrific things in this brief interview.

Here are a couple:

"Surprises are always the best stuff."

"Wrtie every day. Move forward."

Enjoy!

CR: Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning.

It's all better with friends.

Get Your Hands Dirty

2011-03-07T09:44:00.003-07:00

Some days, when I feel like my story is muddled, the best thing I can do is take a break and hop on the treadmill where I can think without looking at a computer screen.

Some days, when I feel like my story is muddled, the best thing I can do is dive right in, put some words down and hope they lead to something productive. I need to stick my hands into the mud and clay and see what shape emerges.

Today, I think I'll tread first then stick my hands into the clay. It's a seriously muddled kind of day.

What about you? Do you ever feel like you're flailing about?

CR: Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning.

It's all better with friends.

Write What You WANT to Know

2011-03-04T17:38:00.003-07:00

I was talking to someone the other day (a small press publisher) about my mss. She wanted to know what the complete was about, and what the one I'm working on is about. It was just a general getting-to-know-you talk, not business related at all (at least on the surface). The conversation went something like this:

Me: The first one's tagline is 'Money may not be able to buy love, but enough of it can buy a new heart.' It's about the black market for organ and tissue needs.

Pub: Interesting. And the other one?

Me: This one's tagline is 'Sometimes the dead shouldn't stay buried.' I'm writing about Human Remains Detection dogs (PC for Cadaver Dogs), and how a dead serial killer unwittingly helped to expose a current maniac.

Pub: Do you have to do much research?

Me: (I took a quick moment, but should have taken two). . . . No. I rely on personal experience.

I'm sorry, but I thought that was funny at the time. Still do.

At some point in all of our lives, we're told to write what we know. Can I just say . . . BORING? I say, write what you want to know more about. Yes, you can write what you have a passion for, but usually, that involves a soapbox, and soapboxes don't translate to fiction very well. Write what you're curious about, and do the research to make it work.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

What's yours?

CR: The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill.

It's all better with friends.

Leave Rabbits and Top Hats to Magicians

2011-03-02T11:19:00.007-07:00

Don't you want to scream when you're reading a terrific, suspenseful, well-written and well-edited book, and the characters get into an impossible situation, and you can't wait to see what the author came up with, and (take a breath) . . . voila! . . . magic! Suddenly, out of nowhere, they are saved. By something utterly unbelievable.

(Castle fans will know what I'm talking about, if they watched the other night.)

This contrived plot device is known as deus ex machina. And it's something to be avoided, unless you're a fantasy writer and then I think you can pretty much get away with anything.

Research in to autopsies and toxicology screens tore a hole in an important part of my plot, requiring re-thinking (and I'm not always good at thinking in the first place) and re-twisting (ditto). While Stephen King may be able to do all of his research after he's written the book, I find I need to get the big stuff taken care of early.

So I've spent the last few days working on a scene where two of my characters come to a conclusion based on events and information that occur in previous chapters. Although nothing was contrived, it was important to me that their conclusion be logical and not merely a plot device. My thanks to my trusted writing friends who pushed and punched me into giving the scene the meat it needed, hopefully without creating a boring information dump. I'm pretty sure it's a lot closer now than when I first asked them to take a look.

What about you? Have you ever been tempted to employ a deus ex machina? Do you remember the last one you read?

CR: The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill.

It's all better with friends.

Oak Tree Press--A publisher looking for authors

2011-02-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Refreshing!

CR: The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill.

It's all better with friends.

On Critique Groups, a guest post by Stephen Brayton

2011-02-20T08:00:00.008-07:00

Please join me in a warm welcome for Stephen Brayton, whose first novel has just been released through Echelon Press. During our preliminary discussions, Stephen has been nothing less than uber-polite. I kind of like being referred to as "Ms. Brantley."

When I asked Stephen to include a photo of his work area, he loved the idea. Here's what he had to say about it:

Let me give you a guided tour. Of course you can see a little bit of the computer with the drink nearby. The popcorn container at the far end holds years and years worth of monitor background pictures. I have a small alligator head. In the foreground there is a candle creation I keep reforming. To the right is a jackalope head I picked up in South Dakota. I keep a Christmas stocking hung on one of the antlers. Too bad my cat wouldn’t stick around for the picture, but that’s just his way sometimes.

I've written stories for many years, but started seriously while working at a radio station in Kewanee, Illinois. After I moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, I started attending a writers' group in Des Moines. So much knowledge about writing and critique came out of that group and the others I've enjoyed.

I attended my first conference in 2007, Love Is Murder, In Chicago. Mike Manno introduced me to 'pitches' and we discussed writing and history and law while sharing the drive.

In 2009, while attending the Killer Nashville conference I was fortunate enough to meet Mary Welk of Echelon Press. Subsequent to the conference I submitted two novels to Echelon and in October, they BOTH were accepted for E-publication in 2011.

I'm a reader; a writer; an instructor; a graphic designer; a lover of books, movies, wine, women, music, fine food, good humor, sunny summer days spent hiking or fishing; and I'm a catnip drug dealer to my fifteen pound cat, Thomas.

On Critique Groups

A little over ten years ago I learned about a writers’ group that met every Tuesday from 7-9 at a large book store. Since I had been writing mysteries and short stories, I thought this would be an interesting place to learn more about writing and to share material. The group, as I understand it, had once been so large not everybody had a chance to read every week. During the time I attended the attendance numbers ebbed and flowed but ultimately dropped to a core of about ten. Because of my martial arts schedule, I was unable to attend for a few years, but finally I was able to rearrange things where I could once again share my work. Unfortunately, the dynamics of the group had changed and I soon stopped going. I’ve been a member of two other groups that have since dissolved and am currently looking for another group.

Let me discuss some of the experiences I’ve had with critique groups because there are benefits to be gained and pitfalls to be avoided. First, I love critique groups. The friendships built, the connections made, the insights given and received. You may think your story is the next War and Peace, but when you read it to others, their perspectives may relegate it to the bottom of the bird cage. You need that critique, though. You need the fresh ears to hear your mistakes, to catch errors. You’ll enjoy the praise of a chapter well done, but you also want the ‘clunks’ mentioned. Critique groups also push you to keep writing. I attended only a few times when I didn’t have something to present, and I felt guilty. I WANTED to write. I WANTED to share and learn. Critique groups led me to writers’ conferences and ultimately to getting published.

However, the road hasn’t been easy. Critique groups have to be about critiquing the writing, not the writer. Yes, I’ve run into a jerk or two who would rather insult either the person or the material being presented instead of offering a helpful suggestion. Another thing: ideas are fine, but the written word is key. Anybody can have ideas, but you need to get busy and write. One of the reasons I stopped attending my first group was because, as I said, attendance had dropped to a core, but out of that core of ten, maybe three or four read every week. Three things about this. One: I can accept a few excuses for not writing. Busy, sick, travel. Fine, but when the excuses keep coming, I have to conclude you aren’t serious about writing and you’re not keeping up with the practice of writing. Two: If you’re not serious, why are you in the group? To socialize? Socializing is okay, but after business is completed. Three: If you haven’t written anything in months, but keep attending the group, I stop listening to your critiques because I don’t feel you’re justified in commenting about my stuff if you aren’t presenting yours. I’m not talking about a quid pro quo type of deal, but you have to stay with it.

Another trap writers fall into when attending a group is they continue writing the rest of the story. If you present chapter one and get a critique, don’t tinker with chapter one and present it again, then tinker with it again, and so on. Where’s chapter 2? You aren’t going to perfect your story by attending weekly meetings. You have to finish the story. I’ve seen so many fall into this rut, get frustrated, and either stop writing or start another story and continue to have the same problems.

The critique group needs to stay focused. Draw up some guidelines for members to follow. Set goals. Don’t worry about perfection, worry about completion. Then go back and polish. Keep your eyes on the prize. Seek out other authors for advice. Schedule time to attend writers’ conferences. Killer Nashville is a great one for whatever stage you’re at in your story. Stay impersonal in the critiques. Keep in mind the old saying, “If you have nothing good to say, keep your mouth shut.” Critique is about perpetuating strengths and overcoming weaknesses through support.

Ultimately, a critique group has to be beneficial to the members, otherwise, it’s just a bunch of people meeting on a regular basis with no purpose.

Des Moines Homicide detective Harry Reznik and F.B.I. agent, Lori Campisi, have their hands more than a little full when they team up to investigate a series of gruesome murders.

With life throwing them one obstacle after another, the unlikely pair has no choice but to put their personal issues aside as they battle malevolent creatures from another dimension. With everything to lose, they have no one but each other to count on in a wicked game of survival.

Night Shadows is available through OmniLit, the bookstore on the corner of your digital neighborhood.

Agatha Nominees

2011-02-19T07:32:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to every author on this list. You are amazing!

2010 Agatha Award Nominees

Best Novel:
Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews (Minotaur)
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard (Ballantine)
Drive Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Mira)
Truly, Madly by Heather Webber (St. Martin's Paperbacks)

Best First Novel:
The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames (Berkley)
Murder at the PTA by Laura Alden (Signet)
Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower (Five Star/Gale)
Full Mortality by Sasscer Hill (Wildside Press)
Diamonds for the Dead by Alan Orloff (Midnight Ink)

Best Non-fiction:
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum (Penguin)
Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: 50 Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran (Harper)
Sherlock Holmes for Dummies by Stephen Doyle & David A. Crowder (For Dummies)
Have Faith in Your Kitchen by Katherine Hall Page (Orchises Press)
Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang (W.W. Norton & Co.)

Best Short Story:
"Swing Shift" by Dana Cameron, Crimes by Moonlight (Berkley)
"Size Matters" by Sheila Connolly, Thin Ice (Level Best Books)
"Volunteer of the Year" by Barb Goffman, Chesapeake Crimes: They Had it Comin' (Wildside Press)
"So Much in Common" by Mary Jane Maffini, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - Sept./Oct. 2010
"The Green Cross" by Liz Zelvin, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - August 2010

Best Children's/Young Adult:
Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (Dutton Children's)
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R. L. LaFevers (Houghton Mifflin)
The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee (Candlewick)
Virals by Kathy Reichs (Razorbill)
The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith (Atheneum)

CR: Crashed by Timothy Hallinan.

It's all better with friends.

Forensic Pathology

2011-02-18T07:00:00.002-07:00

I spent yesterday trying to pin down a few details and plot points for my manuscript involving Human Remains Detection dogs, a mountain meadow that's a dump site for bodies, and a megalomaniac intent on meeting his own needs.

Today's quandary revolved around autopsies and toxicology tests and well . . . stuff I don't know very much about.

(OT: This is kind of funny. I was talking to a woman awhile ago about my completed manuscript about black market body parts with a tagline of "Money may not be able to buy love, but enough can buy a new heart", and my current manuscript with a tagline of "Sometimes the dead shouldn't stay buried." She asked me if I had to do a lot of research. After the silent "Duh!" in my head, I told her I relied on personal experience. Was that mean?)

Last September, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Writers' Police Academy. If you're a crime writer who is interested in the detail, the feel, the smell, the attitude, then you can't not go to this conference. Put it on your "A" list.

One of the presenters was Dr. Jonathan Hayes, the Senior Medical Examiner for New York City. Late this afternoon I had an 'aha' moment, and dug out my notes from his all-too-short presentation. Here are some tidbits just for you. Hopefully, you'll be able to tell what I've added from my own brain cells:

Television, and many novels, play into what Dr. Hayes calls "the distraction of the dramatic." Kind of like the old axiom, "If it bleeds, it leads", I think.

Pathologists perform:
-Autopsies - sudden death issues
-Evaluations of injuries
-Occasional live patient evaluations

Be careful not to confuse a coroner with a medical examiner.

-In the UK, a coroner must hold both MD and JD qualifications.

-In the US, a coroner is simply an elected official.

-In rural areas of the US, a coroner may have minimal training. He/she may be the person who has a truck and can transport bodies.

-Medical examiners are MDs who are pathologists with forensic training. This, thankfully, is the trend.

A good ME's office wants to keep a low profile. Jonathan's boss, the Chief Medical Examiner is especially proud that his (her?) name is not widely known.

More women than men are MEs. "Gore Hounds" is a common term. I'm thinking "Gore Whores."

CR: Crashed by Timothy Hallinan.

It's all better with friends.

The Possessive Problem - A Guest Post by Peg Herring

2011-02-17T08:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Peg for letting another Peg visit your blog!

Yesterday’s post, “Portmanteau Words”, is up at http://www.midlistlife.wordpress.com.

The Possessive Problem

How did The Possessive Problem arise? Probably, the Congress, Parliament, or Whatever of Language got together to make decisions on the English language. I imagine that it went something like this.

His Honor, Lord Pedant: (After much clearing of the throat and bowing) Gentlemen, we are here to decide on a better way of showing ownership. This phrasing, “The pants of Peter” is too cumbersome.

Sir Sycophant: Hear, hear! Just so!

The Earl of Reason: I have heard in the general populace that they simply put the owner’s name before the item, Your Worship: Peter pants.

Baron Bore: (Pounding the table) Ridiculous! Who ever heard of such a thing? The people know NOTHING! Peter pants? Bah! It sounds like a fairy boy, flitting in some land where one never grows up.

Sycophant: Hear, hear! Ridiculous!

Reason: I suppose an additional sound might be added to indicate that the noun has become a modifier.

Lord Confused: (Waking from a short nap) What? What did he say? What, pray, is a modifier?

Reason: A modifier is a word that—

Pedant: Don’t try to explain, Reason. It will only make him worse. (Shouting) We’ll fix it, Connie!

Confused: All right, then. (Drifts back to sleep.)

Pedant: So we put something on the word to show that it indicates possession. I suggest an “s”.

Reason: Oh, Your Worship. I don’t think that is a good idea. We’ve already used the “s” for plurals.

Pedant: All the more reason to use it again. Get some value out of it, what?

Sycophant: Hear, hear! Put it to work, I say.

Reason: But people won’t know a plural from a possessive!

Bore: Then we’ll add something to it. How about an apostrophe?

Sycophant: Just so! An apostrophe!

Reason: But we’ve got apostrophes in contractions already. How will they know the difference?

Bore: Let ’em work it out. Lazy buggers need something to do.

Sycophant: Brilliant! Give the lazy buggers a real test, eh, what?

Pedant: (Making notes on his parchment scroll) Here’s how I envision it. If a word is singular, we’ll add an apostrophe and an “s”
to show ownership. If it’s plural, we’ll put the apostrophe after the “s”.

Confused: (Waking with a snort) What if the word already ends in “s”?

Pedant: (A little cranky) They’ll have to work it out for themselves, won’t they?

Reason: I must say, this system is unworkable, but let’s make it as simple as possible. (Considers) Take our original example, “the pants of Peter”. There is no “s” on the last word, so one would add an apostrophe and an “s” to make it “Peter’s pants”. If it were “the pants of the soldiers”, the “s” is already there, so when we move the modifier, we would add only an apostrophe: “the soldiers’ pants”. By taking the possessive word and putting it behind the word it modifies, one can tell where the apostrophe goes.

Confused: And if the word already ends in “s”?

Reason: Follow the rule. It is simple and effective.

Pedant: It doesn’t work! What about “the soldiers ran” or “the rats nibbled”?

Sycophant: There, you see? It doesn’t work. I said it wouldn’t.

Reason: If one cannot make the phrase reverse, then there is no possessive and we need no apostrophe. “The ran of the soldiers” makes no sense, so it is not possessive. But “the time of two hours” or “the cry of the babies”—you see? (Sighs) That’s as simple as I can make it, given what the committee proposes.

Bore: Simplicity is not our goal, Reason! Rules must perplex people so that we can be their guides and advisers. Your proposals make things too easy, and Sir, you disgust me. A man of the people! Bah!

Reason: That would be “the people’s man”, Your Lordship, using our new system. And thank you. I consider it a compliment.

The Poser: Name a series/novel where the sleuth is a senior citizen.

The Prizes:Weekly prizes (your choice of THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY in e- or print format) drawn from the names of those who comment on the blogs as we go. Comment once/day, but the first commenter each day gets entered twice in Saturday’s drawing!

The Pitch: THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY, First in The Dead Detective Mysteries, paranormal mystery. Tori Van Camp wakes in a stateroom on a cruise ship with no memory of booking a cruise, but she does have a vivid recollection of being shot in the chest. Determined to find out what happened and why, Tori enlists the help of an odd detective named Seamus. Together they embark on an investigation like nothing she’s ever experienced. Death is all around her, and unless they act quickly, two people she cares about are prime candidates for murder. Read more about this book and the author at http://www.pegherring.com or buy the book at http://www.ll-publications.com/deaddetectiveagency.html.

The Perpetrator: Peg Herring writes historical and contemporary mysteries. She loves everything about publishing, even editing (most days). Peg’s historical series, The Simon and Elizabeth Mysteries, debuted in 2010 to great reviews. The second in the series will be available in November from Five Star.

The Pathway: The next entry , “Read It Aloud” and the answers/comments to the Poser will be up at http://www.cobbledstones.com.

Valentine's Day Playlist

2011-02-14T15:28:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Jane Bishop and 4MA's Moldy Cockroach.

Happy Valentine's Day.

It's all better with friends.

Oxymorons

2011-02-14T05:45:00.001-07:00

Need to get jazzed?

With a little help from The Brothers Winn (you can check them out here) my week is off to a good start.

Be sure and watch it to the very end.

CR: Crashed by Timothy Hallinan, available on Kindle (and other e-readers) for $2.99.

It's all better with friends.

One Author's Decision to E-Publish

2011-02-10T08:00:00.003-07:00

Please welcome Geraldine Evans as my guest today at Suspense Novelist. When Geraldine sent me the photo of her work area, she explained that it's downstairs in the living room as it's warmer and nearer the kettle for tea.

Geraldine Evans has been writing since her twenties, though only began to get novels published halfway through her thirties. As well as her popular Rafferty & Llewellyn crime series, she has a second crime series, Casey & Catt and has also had published an historical, a romance and articles on a variety of subjects, including, Historical Biography, Writing, Astrology, Palmistry and other New Age subjects. She has also written a dramatization of Dead Before Morning, the first book in her Rafferty series.

She is a Londoner, but now lives in Norfolk England where she moved, with her husband George, in 2000.

Deadly Reunion is her eighteenth novel and fourteenth in the humorous Rafferty & Llewellyn crime series. She is currently working on the next in the series.

My epublishing Experiences
By
Geraldine Evans, author of the Rafferty & Llewellyn and Casey & Catt crime series

It’s not so long (latter quarter of 2010) since I had my first ebook publishing experience, so it’s still fresh in my mind. It took a while to bring me round to the idea, but it was the members of Yahoo Group MurderMustAdvertise whose emails about it that convinced me I could do it. And they were right. So far, I’ve published two ebooks, both crime novels, my out-of-print debut Dead Before Morning and its follow-up, Down Among the Dead Men, both part of my humorous, fourteen-strong, Rafferty & Llewellyn crime series. I’m no longer a technological virgin when it comes to ebooks. Is it time to lose your techie cherry? Go on. You’ll be glad you did. The MMA group will hold your hand every step of the way. Ask whatever questions you like on the list. No one will think you’re stupid if there’s something (everything, in my case!) that you don’t understand.

The first thing to do is to make sure you have got back your rights from your publisher if it’s a book that has already been published once. This shouldn’t be too difficult if it was published some years ago, as you’ll want to be able to offer it to the widest readership possible. But this can sometimes take a little while so start a few months before you intend to go the epublishing route. That done, it’s all systems go!

You might have your backlist on old Amstrad or other out dated discs. Don’t worry as these can be converted and put on CD or the converted docs sent to you via email. I used a firm called Luxsoft in Cornwall in the UK for the conversion. Each disc conversion cost me £5 plus post and packing (sorry, I don’t know how much that is in Dollars, but it’s not much), but if you go online, you’ll soon find firms who offer a similar service in your country. And even if you don’t, the old floppies aren’t going to cost you that much to post to the UK. You don’t even have to pay for the postage for their return if you prefer not to as the conversions can be sent to you by email. Once you have your converted files you’ll have a little bit of work to do to tidy them up as the conversion can alter formats and so on. In my experience, the conversion is very good and there isn’t a lot of cleaning up to do so don’t worry about that side of things.

Next, you’ll have to decide whether you’re going to go the epublishing route on your own or employ a specialist. If you think you’re brave enough or know enough, go to this Amazon address (wouldn’t you know it – they’ve changed the name. It’s now called KDP for Kindle Direct Publishing, but the DTP address will get you there just the same) and follow the instructions on the site. For the rest of you, feel free to find your own expert to get your work ready for kindle, iPad, nook, sobo, etc, but I’m more than happy to recommend Kimberly Hitchens (hitch at Q dot com), who made the experience painless for me. She’s a hard taskmaster, don’t get me wrong; she wanted me to proofread three times! Hell, my hardback publisher only expects one proofread. We compromised on two. To be honest, by this time, what with proofing the Amstrad conversion as well, I was getting sick of the sight of my blasted book. But do take great care when you proofread. The book is representing you and if you’re slapdash with your paragraphing, line-spacing, etc, readers might be put off and less inclined to read your next. Just because it’s ‘only’ an ebook is no reason to lower your standards. I have to say that I’ve read a few ebooks where the author hadn’t taken the required amount of trouble and it really put me off. And these were authors I had previously respected as being total professionals.

Anyway, before you start with Kimberly or some other expert, you’ll need to download Mozilla Firefox, plus their epub software, which is what your expert will use both to work with you and to prepare your work for epublishing. Don’t worry, they’re both free.

Your expert will not only prepare your work for publishing to kindle, they should also prepare it for publishing to other ebook publishing formats, Mine was prepared for kindle, iPad, iPhone, nook, sobo, iBookstore, android and several others whose names escape me. Kimberly also has a deal with an American firm called InGrooves, whereby they will not only put your book up on an amazing number of ebook sites, they will also supply you with an ISBN. And all for $50 or thereabouts.

To finish your book off and give it that professional polish, you’ll want to choose a cover. Admittedly, this part is not essential, but I think it’s worth the extra time and money. This is the fun part. You can go for a more expensive graphic artist or you can go the cheap route. I did the latter. Kimberly Hitchens knew a student who liked to eat occasionally and he designed both my covers. Take a look at them and see what you think. I’m pleased with my covers. I think they’re quite striking. But it’s up to you. Each cover cost me $75 and I paid for everything via Paypal. It’s easy enough to set up an account; just go to Paypal and follow the instructions.

Once you have your proofreading done and your cover chosen, you’ll need to upload the book to kindle and decide on a price. Most people on the MMA list seem to agree that $2.99 is the most effective price: not too low to make potential buyers think your product is going to be low quality, but not expensive enough to make people put their credit card back in their wallet. Its reasonably simple to complete amazon’s form on their DTP site, but if you have problems, don’t hesitate to ask your expert’s advice. When it comes to uploading to sites other than kindle, I chickened out and got Kimberly to do it for me. Hey, who says you’ve got to be brave all the time?! It’s not as if it cost me any more money to have Kimberly do it. When you’re uploading to amazon, make sure you opt for the 70% royalty option. From what I’ve read about this, there seems no reason to opt for the lower percentage and every reason not to. But don’t forget, whatever you decide on, be it the price or the royalty percentage, you can always go back in and change things at a later date.

Altogether, taking the original disc conversion into account, I suppose it took me around three or four weeks to get my first ebook up on kindle et al. And Kimberly’s services cost me $100. Altogether, including the artwork, disc conversion and InGrooves’ work and provision of the ISBN, it cost me less than $230. Pretty good value, I thought. I’m not selling in huge numbers, but they’re steady and require no more work from me, so I regard them as a bonus. I’m waiting to see if my sales figures rise during and after this blog tour. I’ll post on my blog either way.

Don’t forget, once your book’s up, to check out your ebook’s sales position. Just type 'novelrank' into the search bar and click on Sales Rank Tracking for Author Sales on Amazon. But before you do this, you need to get your book’s amazon URL. So go to amazon, get on your book’s page on the site and copy the URL at the top, this can then be pasted into amazon’s Sales Rank site which will bring up your book. Click on this and your sales and ranking will come up on screen.

As for me, would I epub again? You bet. I found epublishing a blast. Why not give it a try? What have you got to lose? Your backlist’s probably earning you nothing if you’re a midlister like me. Your out-of-print books could be bringing you in an income again and they’ll be given a new lease of life. Maybe you will be, too.

LINK TO MY PAGE WITH THE BLOG TOUR DATES

Deadly Reunion
A Rafferty & Llewellyn crime novel by Geraldine Evans
Publication: 24 February 2011 (UK) 1 June 2011 (US)

Detective Inspector Joe Rafferty is barely back from his honeymoon before he has two unpleasant surprises. Not only has he another murder investigation - a poisoning courtesy of a school reunion, he also has four new lodgers, courtesy of his Ma, Kitty Rafferty. Ma is organising her own reunion and since getting on the Internet, the number of Rafferty and Kelly family attendees has grown, like Topsy. In his murder investigation, Rafferty has to go back in time to learn of all the likely motives of the victim's fellow reunees. But it is only when he is reconciled to his unwanted lodgers, that Rafferty finds the answers to his most important questions.

Links:
amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

ebooks on amazon.com

Geraldine Evans’s website

Geraldine Evans’s blog

PRIZES

The draw of all the comments throughout the Tour will take place at the end of the Tour (end-Feb). There will only be three winners, each of whom wins one signed copy of Deadly Reunion, my latest hardback (fourteenth in my Rafferty & Llewellyn crime series), one copy of each of two ebooks that are the first and second novels in my Rafferty & Llewellyn crime series, that is, one of Dead Before Morning and one of Down Among the Dead Men. They will also receive a subscription to my blog (which they can let lapse when it runs out).

CR: Crashed by Timothy Hallinan

It's all better with friends.

Robert Crais talks about CHASING DARKNESS

2011-02-07T07:20:00.002-07:00

"When you look at the book, it actually is not a completed piece of art. The art isn't completed until the reader reads it." - Robert Crais

If you're looking for some motivation, this might just do the trick.

CR: Crashed by Timothy Hallinan

It's all better with friends.

More Thoughts on Resistance

2011-01-31T11:45:00.006-07:00

I'm making my way—slowly—through The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

It's actually a very quick read if all you want to do is finish it and mark it off your list. But I suggest you get yourself a copy of this book, read a page or two, and let some of the things he has to say sink in.

The relevance of his words are not just for writers, or 'artists', but for anyone who has a dream.

Here he's talking about Resistance:

The danger is greatest when the finish line is in sight. At this point, Resistance knows we're about to beat it. It hits the panic button. It marshals one last assault and slams us with everything it's got.

When I near the actual end of a writing project, especially one I've spent months on, I can feel the battle. There's an undercurrent that pulls at my excitement and questions my sureness of the ending. One that feeds my doubts by telling me that once the last page is finished, no one will like it. Once I've completed the manuscript, there's no more keeping it to myself, and no more pretending I'm a writer.

Resistance by definition is self-sabotage. But there's a parallel peril that must also be guarded against: sabotage by others. . . . They may become moody or sullen, they may get sick; they may accuse the writer of 'changing,' of 'not being the person she was.'"

I remember years ago when I joined Weight Watchers to lose some weight, the meeting leader told us we might find some of our friends would become unhappy with us. Especially those friends who we used to eat with on a regular basis. I thought she didn't know my friends. Turns out, she was right. As Pressfield goes on to say,

The reason is that they are struggling, consciously or unconsciously, against their own Resistance.

Have you experienced either of these in your life, writing or otherwise?

CR: Everything but the Squeal by Timothy Hallinan.

It's all better with friends.

OT: Love Reflection

2011-01-28T06:00:00.001-07:00

I am not an American Idol fan. But after looking at this clip, I might have to at least peek in from time to time to see how Chris Medina is doing and give him a thumbs up.

I've also considered how many people truly operate out of love. Faced with enormous challenges and life-disruptions, how many times does love win? And I thought about how many of those people (where love does win) we never see on television. People who just move quietly through their days being honorable, and fully knowing what it means to love.

Grab a tissue. Appreciate what you have.

CR: Everything but the Squeal by Timothy Hallinan. I was going to read something else, The Help, which has been in my TBR pile for ages. But I've learned something. If I have an unread Hallinan, nothing else will do.

It's all better with friends.

The Wisdom of Ralph

2011-01-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

"The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes, when you're all-in, with no more chips in front of you, amazing things happen. When your brain is sufficiently enough on auto-pilot your fingers fly along of their own accord, connected somehow to that place where you stopped trying. Just beyond the place where your ego fell to the ground, dried out and useless.

I love that place.

Anyone else?

CR: I'm on the very last bit of The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan, Edgar nominee for the amazing The Queen of Patpong. If you want to see what I thought of this book, read here.

It's all better with friends.

Action Scenes

2011-01-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers sponsored a presentation last Saturday by Ian Thomas Healy.

There are a lot of elements to writing a compelling action scene, but here are a couple to consider:

Building Blocks of an Action Scene

An action scene is a series of stunts. When you're writing, consider each stunt as a single camera shot.

The engagement in an action scene is when multiple stunts take the reader to a plot point.

And finally, the sequence occurs when multiple engagements lead to a major conflict resolution.

A sequence has more than one type of action scene. (fight, shoot out, chase, battle)

And finally, remember learning that short sentences increase the tension and speed in an action scene? If you're like me, you've read some action scenes that read like a To Do List. Short and choppy. Yuck. Glad they weren't mine. *wink* I was glad to hear some corroboration of something I've felt for some time.

Readers will read a longer compound sentence faster than they will read a short sentence. That pesky little period at the end does what it's supposed to do—it stops them. So . . . when you're looking for speed, write longer, compound sentences. When you want to make sure your reader gets a particular detail, write short. A blend is always best, in my opinion.

For the full presentation, with detail, visit Ian's website (different from the blog linked above).

CR: The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan.

It's all better with friends.