I'm perfect, it's just...

Yesterday I thought of a comment that Sarah Durand, a Senior Editor at Atria Books, made in April during an Edgars Symposium panel. (The topic was the state of the market, and--as I'm sure will come as no surprise--we learned that vampire fiction and big scale thrillers are selling well.) She said that she always knows by the end of the first page whether a book will interest her.

The importance of that first page came to mind when I realized—while watching the last mail truck of the day disappear down the highway—that I’d used a semicolon instead of a colon on a page that mattered. Despite the fact that friends and family kindly refer to me as anal, this particular sort of imperfection plagues me. Inevitably, I notice too late. Occasionally this occurs after a document has gone to print.

Do you ever find ten things wrong with what you’ve written just after you submit it to an agent, a small press, or for publication in a corporate brochure? An error in web text may initially embarrass, but since it can be fixed it is far less critical than, say, gigantic and graphically impressive text scrawled across the largest panel of a client’s trade show booth.

In fact, the first time I noticed this problem was when I took up calligraphy, and later did typeset layout for a commercial printer. A sort of shift occurs in my brain, and the words on a page become a work of art instead of plain text. The words look lovely, so a sort of creative pride allows my brain to miss slight imperfections. It must be similar to small flaws on a painter’s canvas. In light of the whole, these are easy to overlook.

Any bloopers you’re willing to confess? Surely I’m not alone....

— Lois

Friday Fun - May 29, 2009

May is ending. School's out soon. If the joke fits, laugh!

Five year old Little Johnny was lost, so he went up to a policeman and said, "I've lost my dad!"

The policeman said, "What's he like?"

Little Johnny replied, "Beer and women!"

Thanks to http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/scanner/jokes/police/cops.html
Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!
Thaaaaat’s all, pals!

Thanks for stopping by!
Nan

Thursday Thoughts: When I Was a Kid

Last night, my daughter, Miranda, was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. When I thought about how different the world was when I was inducted thirty-five years ago, it reminded me of an essay I submitted to the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition in 2008 (now hosted every other year by the Washington-Centerville Public Library and the University of Dayton).

Here’s my essay, "When I Was a Kid":

We’ve all heard stories from our parents and grandparents about how they had to walk for miles in the snow uphill both ways to attend school. Lately, I find myself reminiscing with my own children about how school used to be when I was a kid and how different it was.

When I started school in the late 1960s, I took a bus; my kids ride a bus. That’s where our similarities end – unless you include our mutual regard for Pop Tarts.

On a typical school morning, as my mother cooked Cream of Wheat over a gas stove, I turned the knob on the eight-channel black and white television to watch The Little Rascals. My couch potatoes can flip through 300 channels on a plasma TV that cost more than my first used car. Meanwhile, I make instant Cream of Wheat in the microwave in less than two minutes.

I proudly toted a metal Lost in Space lunch box; my kids enjoy a delicious hot entree by using a PIN number from an account I set up online with a credit card.

I covered my textbooks with brown supermarket bags and carried them using a rubber strap; my kids use Book Sox and have backpacks equipped with luggage wheels that a seasoned traveler would envy.

I schlepped to the library and spent hours researching an assignment; my pajama-clad kids Google a topic and the world is their oyster.

I gave up ballet lessons because I was missing The Monkees; my kids TiVo their favorite shows and watch them whenever the mood strikes.

My mother created a Sunday night ritual which remains a cherished memory. Freshly bathed and in our pajamas, my siblings and I would settle down in front of the television with our parents to watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom followed by The Wonderful World of Disney. Mom served hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and warm Pillsbury apple turnovers covered with vanilla icing. We were ready to face another week of school.

Those precious moments inspired me to start our own family tradition on Sunday nights. I put away my laptop, pry the remote from my husband’s grip, and ask the kids to turn off their video games. We gather to play a board game while we sip hot chocolate, savor a tasty treat and chat about life. Suddenly, our family battery has been recharged.

I envision my future grandchildren complaining about standing in the snow as they wait for a Jetsons-like space mobile to transport them to school; I imagine their parents recalling, "When we were kids we took a big yellow school bus – but then again, we used to have something called a snow day."

What about when you were a kid? What memories do you treasure that the kids of today will never experience?

Review: The Prosecution Rests

So, a while ago I told you how happy I was to receive my copy of Mystery Writers of America Presents the Prosecution Rests: New Stories About Courtrooms, Criminals and the Law. And I bragged about the friends of the Women of Mystery blog who contributed stories to the anthology.

Than I announced the book launch, a gala event that was a linchpin of Edgar Week here in New York.

At long last I am ready to tell you all about the book itself, without giving away any plot twists, of course.

The lead story in this superb collection was written by the late Ed Hoch, a short story master whose work I have been reading for at least thirty or so years. While I am addicted to a number of Ed’s short story series, (Dr. Sam Hawthorne is my absolute favorite.) I enjoy Ed’s stand alones because I have to get to know the characters and location while ferreting out the solution. “The Secret Session” is an excellent example of how Ed Hoch includes the setting as a part of each story. The aura of the Court of Appeals covers every action even when the story moves to a former judge’s front lawn.

The final story of the volume is written by anthology editor Linda Fairstein, well known for her mystery novel series starring New York Sex Crimes Prosecutor Alex Cooper. We don't meet Alex in “Going Under,” but her colleague, police detective Mike Chapman, persuades a female police officer to do an unusual bit of under cover work.

In between these two very excellent stories, we have an eclectic collection of tightly written stories, with original plots and satisfying endings. Red Dog, written by our great friend and Sister in Crime, Anita Page sets the reader down in the middle of the old time Catskill Mountains and delivers a “he had it coming” story that will stay with you, as will our Criminal Brief pal Leigh Lundin’s examination of lasting love and dementia in “Quality of Mercy.”

S. J.Rozan expands our definition of “Night Court,” and believe me, her story is nothing like the old television show of the same name. “Custom Sets” by Joseph Wallace addresses a chilling topic that will give you the shivers even on a day when its eighty five degrees and sunny.

Former Criminal Briefer Angela Zeman’s story “Bang” winds suspense around a death caused by radiation poisoning. “Knife Fight” by Joel Goldman shows a non-traditional view of the relationship between defendant and defense counsel. And “Mom is My Co-Counsel” by Paul Levine ends with a tricky “who’s who.”

Every story in this anthology has a unique style. The variety of characters, and settings adds to the readers pleasure at each turn of the page. And with vacation season upon us, an anthology can be a wonderful beach book. The reader can laze through it, one story at a time, cat napping in between.

So here’s what we're going to do. The nice people at Little, Brown and Company, part of the Hachette Book Group, are kind enough to allow the Women of Mystery to raffle off a few copies of The Prosecution Rests.

Not so fast. We aren’t raffling today. But watch this space because some time during the week of June 1st we will shout, “let the raffle begin.” Don’t worry. You can’t miss it. We'll give lots of notice and ample time for all to participate. See you there.

Terrie

Two For Tuesday

Here we are again, believe it or not! I actually wrote a couple of pages on my WIP this week, though it's still going appallingly slowly. Last night I began the eminently creepy (at least so far) Dead Before Dark by Wendy Corsi Staub. Here are the first few sentences:

They called him the Night Watchman.

Back in the late sixties, he stole into women's homes after dark on nights when the moon was full and they were alone. He slaughtered them--and always left an eerie calling card at the crime scene.

The authorities never publicly revealed what it was.

I seem to be having a hard time holding thoughts/characters/events in my head, so a lot of this past week has been spent gathering notes on the stuff I've already written so I have it in one spot for when I need it later. You know--what's this guy's brother's name, where does he work, etc. More on that in a later post.

But here are a few sentences I did manage to write:

Cal Wilkes looked painfully young, probably no more than twenty-five or twenty-six, with tousled blond hair and wide gray eyes. He’d have to take the role of “good cop” in any interrogation.

And you? How's your writing going? Your reading? Let us know where to find your two sentences and we'll edit this post throughout the day.

• Leah J. Utas has more characters I'd like to meet on her blog.
• Barbara Martin has mysterious men on her blog.
  

MTM: Arlington National Cemetery

For many years before the Civil War, a house sat atop a hill in the beautiful countryside of Virginia. Known as Arlington House, the Custis-Lee Mansion was owned by the Custis Family, descendants of Martha Washington and relatives of Robert E. Lee’s wife, Mary Anna Custis Lee.

On June 15, 1864, United States Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton designated Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it as a military cemetery. The first soldier to be buried in Arlington, Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania, had been interred a few weeks earlier on May 13, 1864.

Private Christman was the first of a long line of those who proudly served their country to be buried in this hallowed ground.

Some, like Audie Murphy, World War Two hero and subsequent movie legend were famous to their own generation and perhaps one more half generation before becoming another white headstone important only to family.

Some, like Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, an American Army corporal who died in Iraq in 2007 at the age of twenty, became famous for the fact that the religious symbol on his headstone is the crescent and star symbol of Islam. As if that should matter in this time and place.

Some lie in honor in the Tomb of the Unknowns, and are watched over for twenty four hours each day by sentinels selected from the 3rd U.S. Infantry known as The Old Guard.

Welcome to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.


Trace Adkins sings about Arlington here with some terrific video footage.

Nearly four million people visit Arlington each year. They come for many reasons. Some want to steep themselves in the history. Some visit loved ones. Some come to visit the Eternal Flame that burns beside the grave of President John F. Kennedy. And I’m sure that many history buffs visit the grave-site of the only other U.S. President to be buried there, William Howard Taft. Taft also holds the distinction of being one of only four Chief Justices of the Supreme Court to be buried at Arlington.

I will admit to being a little more than surprised to find out that among the women buried in Arlington, is one who was dubbed “Mistress of Mystery” in the early 1920’s for her prowess at bringing together ordinary people and murder in short stories, novels and plays. She was often called the American Agatha Christie. Buried in Section 3, Site 4269-B N is Mary Roberts Rinehart, author of such classics as The Circular Staircase, The Double Alibi and The State vs Elinor Norton. She is interred with her husband, retired Major of the US Army Medical Corps, Stanley Rinehart, M. D.

Of course she had widow’s rights to the spot, but Mary Roberts Rinehart earned her place in Arlington back in 1915, when the Saturday Evening Post asked the then thirty-eight year old mother of three to go to Europe to write about the Great War. And go she did, becoming the first female war correspondent in American history. She toured the English and French battle lines, spent time in Belgium, and interviewed Winston Churchill and Queen Mary in England.

So, as I proudly wear my poppy, which has been tied to my pocketbook for weeks now so it doesn’t look as good as the one pictured here, I will think about the 300,000 buried in Arlington and know that they served in many valiant ways. I am proud that there is a renowned female mystery writer among them. Oh, and all you mystery fans should know that Dashiell Hammett is there too.

Stop in to visit our fearless leader Travis Erwin, who keeps track of the My Town Monday posts each week.

Terrie

Quick and Dirty Post?

Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs (reality TV on Discovery about truly dirty, disgusting gigs), says in USA Today that "follow your passion" is the worst life advice he ever got. His evidence was accrued from his stint at the Baltimore opera. He says:

"If you bring your passion with you, you can apply it to anything that makes sense. If you follow it, you're going to be miserable until X, Y, Z happens, which might be never."

On its face, it's kind of a controversial statement, but I think it may be true for me. I've found that fixating on one possible solution works worse for me than concentrating on how I want to feel about something in the end or the circumstances in which I hope to find myself at the outcome. I spend less time now on the route particulars and more time checking my internal compass for adjustments, focused on the distant horizon, letting the specific path and decisions unfold in front as they will. (I'm starting to write this way, too) So, I'd say that following a single passion without being open to exploring all the different ways a creative itch might be scratched can be limiting, but what have you found?

Memorial Daze

Since the WoM allow me to use weekends as a catch-all for miscellaneous flotsam, I'm warning that I've got weird junk to dole out in increments. Let's begin with something almost appropriate for Memorial Day weekend.

Okay, I know he's not technically a veteran, but he is, undoubtedly a fallen warrior, and Bruce Lee's playing ping pong with nunchuks, for BBQ's sake!

Friday Fun - May 22, 2009

If you're heading out on the highway (or even if you're not), consider the following scene:

A rookie patrol officer stopped a car for speeding.

The driver asked, "Gee officer can't you just give me a warning"?

The officer said,"Sure".

The patrol officer stepped back, drew his .357 magnum and fired a shot across the hood of the car.

"Anything else?" he asked.

~ 'Nuf said.

Thanks to http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/scanner/jokes/police/cops.html
Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!

Thaaaaat’s all, pals!
Thanks for stopping by!
Nan

June Is A-bloom with Classes

Last month, I wrote about online writing classes and offered a list of some being given in May by a few of the more popular venues. I also said in a comment to the post that I'd try to give a list in May of some of the classes being given in June.

Writers Online Classes has two full-month classes and one two-week class on its June schedule, plus it has a second two-week class starting at the very end of the month and extending into July. These classes are:

• "Advanced DSM (Discovering Story Magic) Class," Robin Perini and Laura Baker, June 1-30, $60. Enrollment in this follow-up to the popular "Discovering Story Magic" class is limited to students who have taken "Introduction to Discovering Story Magic," attended an in-person presentation, or purchased an introductory packet from Robin and Laura's website.
• "Fast Draft Class," Candy Havens, June 1-30, $30. This class combines Candy's "Fast Draft" and "Revision Hell" classes.
• "Powering Up Body Language in Real Life: Projecting a Professional Persona When Pitching and Presenting," Margie Lawson, June 14-27, $30. A psychotherapist discusses how to turn your anxiety from debilitating to beneficial, analyze and use body language to your advantage, and appear poised and professional.
• "Building Cohesiveness into Your Novel" (first week) and "From First Draft to Finished Novel: A Writer's Guide to Cohesive Story" (second week), Karen Wiesener, June 29-July 11, $30. This course is based on Karen's follow-up to her popular writing guide First Draft in 30 Days.

The Kiss of Death Chapter of Romance Writers of America is again offering two classes through its College of Felony and Intrigue (COFFIN). They are:

• "Running with Vampires: Surviving the Paranormal Investigation," a "Murder One" class, Katherine Ramsland, June 1-30, $15 for chapter members and $30 for nonmembers. Learn about the many procedures and implements utilized for hunting down elusive entities.
• "8 Steps to Murdering a Manuscript," a "Killer Instincts" class, John Foxjohn, June 1-30, $15 for chapter members and $30 for nonmembers. A best-selling author discusses the eight major categories of gaffs that lead to rejection.

Writer University has just one class on its schedule for June, but it's a good one.

• "Creating Your Hero's Fatal Flaw," Laurie Schnebly Campbell, June 1-26, $30. Learn how to use Enneagrams to give your characters flaws.

For additional information and registration information, click on the names of the venues and follow the links.

B:TS otherwise known as Book: The Sequel

Since Kathleen introduced us to the uber-tiny Hint Fiction (and excels at it herself), my interest has been piqued by another micro-fiction contest. In honor of Book Expo America, happening right here in NYC, Perseus Books has announced a quickie contest.

Book: The Sequel wants you to take a famous book and write the first sentence of the sequel along with its title. Here are examples to get you inspired:

See, I was right. —From Das Kapital 2 (sequel to Das Kapital by Karl Marx)

HappyMeals are all alike; each unhappy meal is unhappy in its own way. —From Anna McKarenina (sequel to Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy)

Bob Marley was dead, to begin with. —From Kwanzaa Tunes (sequel to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

All animals are equal, except those with swine flu. —From Mexican Animal Farm (sequel to Animal Farm by George Orwell)

Read all the rules and more submissions at the link. The winners will be "published", whatever that means for a sentence-long sequel. But fun will be had. Hurry, though. The deadline approaches and the decision will be announced May 30th!

I'm AFRAID We Have Winners!

Thanks to everyone who posted their Wednesday the 13th frights last week and made our first WoM giveaway such fun. From shrimp grits to missed birthdays and multiple in-law scares, plus creeping existential dread of all kinds, you spilled your chills. We are amused and grateful.

Pulling the winners from a hat was too ordinary for this contest, so instead, we had the names plucked at random from this crystal skull. I shuddered to mix the paper slips between draws.

And here are the still a-tremble winners of free copies of Jack Kilbourn's new horror novel AFRAID:

Laura Hartman
Mary Ellen Carmody
Helen K.
Leah J. Utas and
Hope Clark

Congratulations, blogpals! May you sleep with the lights on.

P.S. If you haven't yet supplied me with a mailing address for your booty, my notification e-mail may be stuck in your spam filter. Contact me at clare2e -(AT)- womenofmystery -(dot)- net with your particulars.

Two Sentence Tuesday

A couple of weeks ago, I won the book Darling Jim by Christian Moerk in a giveaway from Girls Just Reading (thanks, GJR!), so that's where this week's sentences come from. This is a weird and dark book, but it's absolutely fabulous. Part horror, part fantasy, part mystery, part thriller, it would appeal to anyone with a taste for the macabre.

The book starts with death, and large chunks of the text are from diaries of the dead, so you know something about the end of the story, or at least the end of some of the stories, before you begin. But that won't stop you being sucked in, I promise. So to titillate you just a tad, here are three sentences:

If my aunt was suffering from cancer, then I was Madame fucking Curie. This was about revenge, pure and simple. And we would never leave this house alive.

And two from my own WIP this week:

Bob Redmond owned Redmond’s Hardware and Housewares and came across as a decent enough sort of guy if a bit brusque. You could get him going if you asked about plumbing supplies or do-it-yourself projects, but he didn’t have a truly social bone in his body.

What are you reading? Anything good? And how's your writing going? Post your two sentences here, or just tell us where to find you and we'll update this post with a link!

• I do have to wonder about the hamster in Leah J. Utas' sentences this week.
• Crystal Phares' sentences this week illustrate a feeling familiar to many of us.
• Scott Parker gives us two full paragraphs this week. Lucky us!
• Linda McLaughlin has a glimpse into a world of magic for us.
  

MTM: New York City: Linda Fairstein's Milieu

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

Throughout her adolescence, Linda Fairstein dreamed of becoming a writer. Her adoring father said, “You don’t have anything to write about.” A successful thirty-year career in the New York City District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor and Chief of the Sex Crime Prosecution Unit certainly changed that.  

Linda Fairstein is a best-selling crime novelist whose books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. 

The New York/Tri-State area chapter of Sisters in Crime (SinC) welcomed Linda as their guest speaker at a meeting held at the Amber Restaurant, 381 3rd Avenue, New York City, on Thursday evening, May 14, 2009.  Several MWA (Mystery Writers of America) members were also in attendance. 

Linda, a graduate of Vassar and the University of Virginia School of Law, spoke about her career in the NYC D.A.’s Office and as a novelist.

We learned that several Hollywood actresses have sought Linda’s expertise, experience and insight for their roles, including Greta Scacchi for Presumed Innocent and Kelly McGillis for The Accused. 

Linda enjoys writing books that entertain but also educate. Her latest novel --LETHAL LEGACY -- the eleventh in her series featuring young prosecutor Alexandra Cooper -- explores the mysteries that lurk beneath the New York Public Library. Linda likes to “get at the underbelly” of  iconic New York City locales for her settings. She is a dedicated researcher who loves the “on-site touch and feel,” of the environments she writes about. 

Linda took several questions from the audience, including:

What is her writing schedule like? 

• Linda is a morning person who starts her day enjoying a cup of coffee while reading newspapers, then it’s time to write for as many hours as possible; she stops for lunch and exercise and then writes again until 4 or 5 p.m. She says, “the first hundred pages are like root canal.” However, once she gets into the first 100-150 pages, creating the characters, basic plot line and clues, she’s off and running. For years, she’d stop working after ending a chapter or a scene, until she learned of Ernest Hemingway’s advice to stop in the middle, which makes it easier to pick it up during the next writing session.

What does she like to read?

• Linda likes reading "everyone," but finds she can’t read while in the heart of writing her own manuscripts. The minute she turns in her manuscript, she enjoys reading the classics; historical biographies, and procedurals. Among many authors, she likes reading Michael Connelly, Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell, Kelli Stanley, and she mentioned Susan Isaac’s MAGIC HOUR as one of her favorite novels. 

Does she draw from true crime cases for inspiration? 

• Linda says that similar motives of true crime cases have “shown up as cameos” in her stories. 

The evening wrapped up with some raffles. 

The New York/Tri-State SinC chapter sponsored a gift basket featuring several of Linda's novels (including LETHAL LEGACY; BAD BLOOD: KILLER HEAT, and the recently released mystery short story anthology edited by Linda: MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PRESENTS THE PROSECUTION RESTS: NEW STORIES ABOUT COURTROOMS, CRIMINALS, AND THE LAW. You can read Terrie Farley Moran’s post about the anthology here). 

I had the honor of assembling the basket. I reviewed Linda’s novels and chose specific items mentioned in the novels (such as: white wine, red wine, breadsticks, ziti, white clam sauce, Tylenol, Life Savers, Tic-Tacs, a bag of chips, a clipboard, dental floss, etc.) and included them in the basket. I even used police crime scene tape as ribbons. 

Novelist Persia Walker was the lucky winner. 

The President of the NY/Tri-State chapter of SinC, Gammy Singer, had asked me to prepare the basket after I surprised the chapter at the December holiday party with a similar basket, filled with items from each of the 21 stories in the anthology, MURDER NY STYLE, written by several chapter members. 

For additional raffles, Linda generously donated many of her novels. 

For my basket-making efforts, Linda surprised me with a copy of LETHAL LEGACY and a beautiful LL Bean tote bag, embroidered with the title, "Lethal Legacy" and the head of a lion. I will treasure both -- many thanks, Linda!

After the meeting ended, Linda so kindly signed books. 

Throughout her adolescence, her college years, and her job as a prosecutor, Linda said she never gave up her hope of writing -- and we, her readers, are so glad she followed her dream.  

For more My Town Monday posts, visit Travis Erwin's blog.

Reading, Writing and Rehab.

I read something today that shocked me. And it takes something to shock me these days because I am something of a cynic. But here's the sentence (and that term is not used lightly) that did it:
"In LA County there is no library for the teens held in the juvenile system."

Wait...there's no library? You have to believe that a lot of the kids in there ended up behind bars because of a lack of appropriate stimuli, right? You have to believe there's a better chance of rehabilitating these kids if you give them better models, better ways to spend their time, better...well...stimuli. But apparently, according to InsideOUT Writers, which conducts weekly writing classes within the Los Angeles County Juvenile Hall System, athough the boys are allowed to read as much as they want, someone has to give them the books.

Well, GuysLitWire didn't find that acceptable, and they've started the Book Fair For Boys. In partnership with InsideOut, they're putting together a library of books. They've started a wish list over at Powell's (because they wanted to use an independent bookstore), and if you want to support them, take a look at the post and see how to participate.

Is it ridiculous that private individuals have to do this? Yep. Same way I felt about the DonorsChoose projects I supported--public school teachers should not have to be begging for money for educational projects--but that's the current state of things. So if you have a few bucks (not that many of us do these days), it's something to think about.

Friday Fun - May 15, 2009

Today's Special: TWO for the price of ONE!

The Judge said to the defendant. "I thought I told you I never wanted to see you in here again."
"Your Honor," the criminal said, "that's what I tried to tell the police, but they wouldn't listen."

and, Second slow smile:

NOTICE: A hole has appeared in the ladies changing rooms at the sports club.

Police are looking into it.

Thanks to http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/scanner/jokes/police/cops.html
Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!
Thaaaaat’s all, pals!

Thanks for stopping by!
Nan

Impatience

[Picture of impatiens via the National Garden Bureau, Inc.]

As anyone can tell you, we writers are an impatient lot. It's not a good quality in any industry, but particularly in one where there's a great deal of "hurry up and wait" at the beginning of your career. You send out your queries and wait for replies. If you get a partial request, you send out your partial and wait. Then the full request and wait. Wait, wait, wait!

Most of us (and here I am generalizing, assuming that most authors without agents are the same as I was before I signed with Jessica) don't really think beyond that first, glorious phone call. We're pretty sure the agent will sell our work and things will roll merrily along. This idea is perpetuated--unintentionally, of course--by authors talking about the press of their schedules, the grind of producing a book every X number of months, etc. We think "well, that's what will happen."

But it doesn't. Or at least, it doesn't always, for everyone. I remember right after I signed with Jessica, I met another woman who was with BookEnds (though a different agent) and she said she had six books with them...none of which had yet been published. A couple of years later, and I think she has four out.

Well, I wasn't one of those people it happens for right away. I waited to hear from the publishers, and when I did, it appeared the timing wasn't right for that particular book. While we were waiting (and I say we because I know Jessica was waiting right along with me), I started working on other projects.

And now, I am waiting again. This time, it's because I've sent Jessica my latest manuscript and I am waiting for her comments. I have been trying really hard to write in the meantime, but it's hard to get my head out of this manuscript. I don't feel as if it's finished, but I don't know what to do with it, so the waiting is far worse for me this time than it has been previously. I am finding it very difficult to move on.

(If you haven't done so yet, don't forget to comment on Clare's post from yesterday to be entered in the contest to win a copy of AFRAID!)

Where Are You???

We are giving away five copies of the scary book, Afraid, written by Jack Kilbourn. (You may know him as JA Konrath.) We also have a link to free copies of the e-book.

So why aren’t you scrolling down to Clare’s post, or clicking here to get in on the action?

Hurry. Time runs out on Friday.

Terrie

A New 13th of Spookiness with Horrific Freebies

Image via The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

*Eerie organ music swells*

Wednesday the 13th!

Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

Here's why I'm scared: For one thing, I don't trust the word Wednesday. The second 'e' is almost silent-- very sneaky-- and the 'd' and 'n' are pronounced in opposite places, like decoy assassins. Plus, the recycling truck comes. Nuff said.

But aside from my personal issues, this date is hereby and forever dedicated to The New Spookiness, because the Women of Mystery are able to offer you exclusive access to a free, horror e-book! (Follow preceding link and look for Book Extras section in lower right corner.)

SERIAL is written by blogpal Jack Kilbourn/J.A. Konrath (interviewed by us in March here) with co-author Blake Crouch. About this novella, they say: Like a deeply twisted version of an “After School Special,” it is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides.

If you also enjoy having hardcopy pulp to soak the sweat of fear from your clammy mitts, we have yet another opportunity. Five of our readers will be sent fresh-as-panic copies of Joe Konrath's latest horror novel AFRAID!

To enter, simply comment as to why Wednesday the 13th is bringin' Spooky back for you. Winners will be chosen at random and may have books sent to the U.S. or Canada (yay!). Do make sure we can find some link or e-mail from your comment to notify you if you've won. You have until 5pm this Friday.

Whether it's kebab surprise at the school luncheteria or double-coupon day where you work, something's making your Wednesday the 13th a scary one. Share the fear and get AFRAID.

An Extra Two

Over on edittorrent, they're discussion "revise and resubmit" letters, and Alicia posted something that struck me as something most writers might not think about. So I wanted to post it before next week, when I will doubtless have forgotten it again! (Besides, I am reading a really excellent book and you'll get two sentences from that next Tuesday.)

And I must remember, I'm employed by my publisher, not by the submitter, and my job is to bring to contract only manuscripts she'll want to publish-- not to reward writers for their hard work with a contract. We can both work very hard on a manuscript and it's still not going to be ready for our contract (though of course, another publisher might be happy with it).

As writers, of course we feel that if we work desperately hard, sometimes for years, we should be able to get our work published. It's hard to remember there's another side of the process, and that agents and editors can't afford to think about all the work that goes into the manuscripts that land on their desks.

Two-Fer Tuesday

I don't belong to book clubs. I don't have anything against them, I've just never had the yen. You'd think I'd be the type, given that in grad school my social life consisted of a bridge club and a sewing circle, but it's never come up. I also don't usually participate in the more formalized book discussions that take place on the readers boards I frequent, but that's usually because the books they're discussing aren't ones I want to read.

This week, however, the book for discussion in one of the forums was Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins. I really enjoyed her book Just One Of The Guys, so I thought I'd give this one a shot. I have to say, I didn't think it was nearly as good as the one I'd read before, but there are some very funny scenes. The two sentences below are from one of them.

Jonah, furthest from me, was laughing that awful, unstoppable church laugh full of wheezes and the occasional squeak, and if he’d been closer to me, maybe I would have laughed, too. Or perhaps disemboweled him with my car keys.

I've gotten very little done this week. I don't seem to have the energy. But I forced myself to write some sentences so I could post them. Which is good--it means Two Sentence Tuesday is doing its job for me!

No known snake collectors in the area. Of course not, that would have been too easy. She'd found a couple places online that sold the deadly critters--Ethan shook his head over that. Who wanted a rattler or cobra as a pet?--and promised to check into whether ayone had purchased one.

How about you? Read anything interesting? Written two sentences or more? Let us know and we'll update the blog with a link to your work!

• Barbara Martin has more of her dark travelogue up.
• Leah J. Utas has sentences guaranteed to give you a giggle.
• Scott Parker has peculiar babysitting reasoning over on his blog.
  

MTM: Rye-iversary at Oakland Beach

When I checked my old My Town Playland post, I realized I discussed the amusement park on May 12th, 2008. Something about this precise time of year must turn my mind to Rye, because last Friday, the first fine day we've had in weeks of rainy spring, I found myself again at the town's coastline enjoying the breezes and views.

At Oakland Beach there is a seasonal restaurant called Seaside Johnny's, and we swung by on our drive to see if they were open and serving. Yes, oh yes. The clam strips were quite good, and the crunchy shrimp sushi roll's not bad either. A lovely early happy hour with my first outdoor sangria.

At least until Memorial Day, it's a still-uncrowded scene. More than a few people were enjoying the burst of vitamin D, pushing their winter-pale toes through the sand, but the water's still a little nippy for extended plashing without a wet suit. Here's more about the history of Rye (especially if you want to rent a condo), but it's also where I got the cool postcard image from around just a century ago for my Rye thematic Centennial-versary. Some things do stay great.

UPDATE: Totally forgot to mention that My Town Monday is the creation of Travis Erwin, who wrangles a zoo-ful of nifty MTM links at his blog weekly. D'oh!

Thoughts on Journaling: Mother's Day Edition

I enjoy writing in journals -- preferably wirebound ones with hard covers. For the countless times I’ve waited for medical appointments, a journal is a necessity. If I know I will have some “down” time (translation: a sitting duck), I cannot be without paper and pen. You never know when inspiration might strike. 

I’m forever writing to-do lists. I jot down my favorite quotes from books. I scribble down overheard snippets of conversations. I record the titles of books, audiobooks, and movies I wish to borrow from the library. Last but not least, I write reflections of events and experiences.

These journals serve as an external hard drive for my memory. 

I recently unearthed a journal I kept in 2004 - the year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The artwork on the front and back covers of the Galison notebook is “Chrysanthemums,” 1897, oil on canvas, by Claude Monet. 

Stuffed inside the journal I found encouraging notecards from my aunts; yellow “patient-copy” receipts for co-pays; and a business card from a nurse practitioner.

I leafed through the pages of entries, which included: questions for my oncologist; shopping lists; gifts received and thank you notes sent; journal entries during chemotherapy, and genealogy research notes.

Among the pages, I discovered precious notations from my son, who was six years old at the time of my diagnosis.  

On a page beneath my scribbles, he wrote: “I love Mommy.” On another page, my son drew a picture of a monkey (fortunately, he labeled it, otherwise I would never have known) with a dedication: To Mommy, from PJ.” 

It was an unexpected pleasure to find his drawing and notes -- preserved in his first-grade handwriting -- just in time for Mother’s Day. 

May your Mother’s Day bring you unexpected pleasures. 

Write-a-thon

As Spring marches on, sign-ups for various fundraising Walk-a-thons abound. 

How about collecting pledges to participate in a Write-a-thon? 

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, the New York Writers Coalition will host their Fourth Annual Write-a-thon from 10:30 AM to 6 PM at the NY Center for Independent Publishing, 20 West 44th Street, NYC. 

You can write on your own or receive prompts at “prompt stations.” 

A light breakfast and free lunch will be served. 

Writers are asked to raise a minimum of $150 in pledges to participate.

Funds benefit the the NYWC’s free creative writing programs for the formerly homeless, at-risk youth, seniors, and many others. 

Novelist Jennifer Belle will give a lunch-time craft talk. 

You can create your own personal Write-a-thon pledge page and ask family and friends for support. 

Click here to register. 

DRAFTED !

Dennis Cieri has a wide-ranging professional biography. He has acted in a number of indie films, including Greetings From The Internet, a peculiar chat-room journey, which he wrote and directed. He also co-authored and directed the indie film, Three Deaths and a Date, a comedy/drama. Dennis is also a prolific painter with an impressive arsenal of modern expressionistic works. In addition, Dennis has published The Media Showcase and Literary New York magazines.

As I see it, the most important of Dennis’s accomplishments is that he managed to persuade my dear friend and fellow writer, Lina Zeldovich to marry him. You my have read Lina’s story, Murder in the Aladdin’s Cave, which is one of the highlights of the Murder New York Style anthology. Next month, the latest Deadly Ink anthology will be released and you can look for another dazzler written by Lina. Her story placed number one in the Deadly Ink short story contest that resulted in this year’s anthology.

But, let's get back to Dennis. Here is the product description of his latest project, a one-man play available in book form, called DRAFTED. “The year was 1971, Richard Nixon was president, Attica was a chant, The Weather Men blew things up, Alan Shepard hit a golf ball miles on the moon and Hamburgers got a helper! Let s see... We also had the Pentagon Papers, we were All in the Family and I was a meathead, Woody made us all Bananas, Lennon asked us to Imagine, a fiddler fiddled on a roof, the Vietnam war raged and I was drafted.”

Dennis invites us all to be good citizens and join the fun-filled riot at the US Army Induction Center. As part of his book release party, Dennis will perform DRAFTED at 6 PM on Tuesday May 12th at The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street in New York City. A copy of the book is included in the price of admission to the show.

If the trip to The Producers Club is impossible on a Tuesday night, you can order a copy of DRAFTED from Amazon.


Terrie

Friday Fun - May 8, 2009

Feeling Frisky? Here's a chuckle just for you.

A policeman sees a car weaving all over the road and hits his flashing lights.
He walks up to the driver's window and sees a good looking woman behind the wheel.

There is a strong smell liquor on her breath.
He says, "I'm going to give you a breathalyzer test to determine if you are under the influence of alcohol."

She blows the into the breathalyzer. He walks it back to his patrol unit. After a couple of minutes, he returns to her car and says, "It looks like you've had a couple of stiff ones."

She replies, "You mean it shows that, too?"


Thanks to http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/scanner/jokes/police/cops.html
Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!

Thaaaaat’s all, pals!
Thanks for stopping by!
Nan

Torture Porn

A few days ago, Clare asked, "How responsible do you feel an author needs to be, if at all, to those moral concerns? How far can we leave them behind before the resulting work doesn't feel like crime fiction anymore?" It reminded me of something I have been considering posting about for a while now, which is the proliferation of what I have seen referred to as "torture porn" in thrillers. The term refers to scenes I tend to skip.

Not just skim, but skip entirely.

You can tell when these scenes are coming. A new character is introduced, and the introduction screams "victim." She (yes, it's usually a woman, though not always) is walking alone somewhere. You can almost hear the soundtrack ramping up in the background. You know what comes next. The killer takes her, tortures her, and kills her. She plays no other role in the story. You have to watch her die a painful death, pages and pages long, for no apparent reason. Sure, you occasionally find out a bit about the killer, but do you really need it? Do you want it? Frequently, this happens several times over the course of a novel.

One of the great advantages to first person narratives is that you don't have to worry about this. If your novel is told from the perspective of your sleuth, you don't have to write the murders from either the victims' or the killer's point of view. But first person isn't always appropriate, and sometimes you do want readers to get a look at what makes a killer tick. It can help ramp up tension if, for example, you show the killer sneaking around in your protagonist's home, setting up cameras to watch him/her.

I have a couple of scenes from the killer's POV in my most recent manuscript. In one, you watch him handle the body of a woman he's killed. In another, you get a chance to look over his shoulder at his diary, where he mentions the death of another. But that's about it. I don't want my readers to know the dead women, to get emotionally involved with them, only to see them die.

How do you feel about scenes from the killer's POV? Scenes wherein the reader actually watches a murder take place? If you feel they're necessary, how far do you think they should go?

The Writer's Journey Journal

Earlier in the week, I got an enticing email from Tony Burton. I sent a check in response and in today's mail I received the latest release from Tony Burton's Wolfmont Press, The Writer's Journey Journal.

From the back cover: "Thirteen experienced writers share ideas to encourage, inspire, help, and motivate you along your journey. And of course since this is a journal, there is space to write."

Take a look at this list of contributors. Not only are they highly respected writers, many are good friends of the Women of Mystery blog.

Austin S. Camacho, Beth Groundwater, Bill Crider, Carola Dunn, Carolyn Hart, Chris Roerden, Dorothy Francis, Evelyn David, John M. Floyd, Robert W. Walker, Radine Trees Nehring, L. Diane Wolfe, and Tony Burton.

The book is available from Wolfmont or through any of the contributing authors for $9.95 plus shipping. HOWEVER, if you pre-order from Wolfmont by May 15th, there will be no shipping charge. Here is the link.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to make a cup of tea and visit my friends in the Writer's Journal Journey.

Terrie

Fact vs. Fiction: An Author's View

I've just begun watching my recorded episodes of HBO's The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency starring Jill Scott. So far, so good, but they've definitely assembled a powerhouse of talent behind the screen as well as in front, so my expectations are high. If you've seen a few, tell me how you feel they match (or do not) the feel of the novels and whether you're in love.

Alexander McCall Smith, the author of the novel series inspiring the above, writes for the Wall Street Journal about the porousness between fact and fiction for readers and also about the moral universe, and its specific permutations within crime fiction, that readers need to find in operation. (excerpts mine)"

..."But I thought it was going rather well," I protested.

Again my reader lost no time in replying. "No, it isn't," she said emphatically.

That was me put in my place. After all, I was merely the author... This, and many other similar experiences, has made me think about the whole issue of the novelist's freedom -- and responsibility. The conclusion that I am increasingly drawn to is that the world of fiction and the world of real flesh-and-blood people are not quite as separate as one might imagine. Writing is a moral act: What you write has a real effect on others, often to a rather surprising extent...

For the author, this sense that the reader has of the reality of the story has serious implications for how characters are treated in novels. It is one of the jobs of fiction to report on the sorrows and tragedies of this world. This must be done, though, from a morally acceptable standpoint. A writer who told a story of, say, rape or genocide but did so from a neutral or, worse still, complicit position would be given very short shrift indeed. Readers and critics would be on to him in no time at all; indeed a book like that would be unlikely to be published at all. Why? If it is only a story, where is the harm?...

How responsible do you feel an author needs to be, if at all, to those moral concerns? How far can we leave them behind before the resulting work doesn't feel like crime fiction anymore?

Clare2e