Two Sentence Tuesday - Vacation Edition

I must admit, I didn't read much this past week, being on vacation with all six of my nieces and nephews who range in age from two to eight, which doesn't leave a lot of downtime. I did take with me one book I hadn't read in a while, however, that I've been wanting to re-read, John D. MacDonald's Bright Orange for the Shroud. I love Travis McGee. He was the first detective I ever read (even before Nancy Drew) because I found the entire series on my father's bookshelves when I was a kid, and they were slim enough not to be too intimidating. Here's a paragraph from the beginning part of the book:

I needed a slob summer. The machine was abused. Softness at the waist. Tremor of the hands. Bad tastes in the mornings. A heaviness of muscle and bone, a tendency to sigh. Each time you wonder, can you get it back? The good toughness and bounce and tirelessness, the weight down to a rawhide two oh five, a nasty tendency to sing during the morning shower, the conviction each day will contain wondrous things?

If I didn't read a lot, you know I didn't write much! I got back and forced myself to put something on paper, though, so here's a paragraph from me:

“I think the second body is female,” she said when she’d caught them up, “because when Billy came back into the living room, he really went after Alicia. He pushed her hard on whether Drew might have been having an affair, what kind of relationships he had with women, things like that. And, given her Viagra comment, I can only assume their sex life wasn’t much fun.”

What about you? Did you read or write this week? Let us know!

• Barbara Martin has a herd of sentences this week.
• Scott Parker has a a steampunk cell on display this week.
• The inimitable Mrs. Ingletuckle is back on Leah J Utas' blog.
  

MTM: Las Vegas, Nevada

photo taken by Joe Ryan, February 2007
For several days last week, my town was Las Vegas, Nevada. I had the privilege of attending the Public Safety Writers Conference, held at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino from June 18 through June 21, 2009.

Besides writers who are members of the public safety field (active or retired), PSWA also welcomes those who write about the public safety field, such as mystery writers, journalists, magazine writers, as well as publishers, editors, and agents who help writers achieve their goals. There are many benefits to joining PSWA, including a one-time manuscript review by a professional editor. You can check out their website here.

I was in awe of the talent amassed in one room.

Our "emcee" for the event was A.J. Farrar (a PSWA board member), who has thirty years experience in military, state and and local law enforcement. He kept us informed (and entertained) each morning and in between each presentation.

Welcoming us to the conference was the president of PSWA, Marilyn Olsen, who has been a writer, editor, and magazine publisher for more than thirty years.

group photo taken by Sherman Lee

The program was chock full of interesting topics and experienced professionals, including:

"The Deadly Writing Sins," by Betty Webb. She presented an overview of the "red flag" writing weaknesses that lead to rejection slips. Betty was a journalist for many years (who has interviewed U.S. presidents, astronauts, and Nobel-prize winners) before writing mysteries full-time. She spoke about the all-important "Arc of Action" in a story; how the first page must include a promise to the reader about the story they are reading; and if you include backstory to do so subtly, and not all at once (avoid that "info-dump"). Betty was one of our key-note speakers.

"Turning Your Book into Celluloid" by Joyce Spizer-Foy. Joyce, our other key-note speaker, enjoyed a thirty-seven year career as a P.I. before writing full time. She has eight books in print; her company has a film in development; she is scheduled to meet with a network television development producer regarding her life story; and has recently been asked to join a Midwest print publishing house as editor for a new mystery imprint. She advised when writing a screenplay to "write it for the actor," and "write like you've arrived." She also advises not to write to a trend. Her website includes tips on writing query letters.

"Forensic Handwriting Examination and Motivation," by Sheila Lowe. I saw Sheila on Dateline NBC just before attending the conference, when she was interviewed concerning the Clark Rockefeller case. Her presentation provided insight into such a fascinating field. She writes the Forensic Handwriting Mystery series, featuring handwriting expert, Claudia Rose. Sheila said that "handwriting is brainwriting," and handwriting reveals the building blocks of personality.

"Logistics of Writing," by Sarah Cortez. The multi-talented Ms. Cortez, a police officer since 1993, is the winner of the 1999 PEN Texas Literary award in Poetry and other juried designations. She has edited, "Urban-Speak: Poetry of the City," and "Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives." She has also co-edited with Liz Martinez, two fiction anthologies: "Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery," and for Akashic Press, "Indian Country Noir." Sarah spoke about managing your workload by separating projects into tasks; creating a master list of due dates and time needed for completion. To keep focused when juggling several writing projects, Sarah recommends keeping an index card next to your computer with a list of projects according to due date.

"Fact to Fiction," by Sunny Frazier. Sunny worked with an undercover narcotics team in Fresno County, CA, before publishing mysteries. She has 30 awards for her short mystery fiction, published in numerous mystery magazines. Sunny shared many tips when taking a real life story and turning it into a fictional one, for instance: when a true story is told from a law enforcement viewpoint, sometimes a story is better told from another angle - i.e., the victim, the criminal, or a secondary character.

"Writing Forensics Right," by Steve Scarborough. Steve is a Forensic Scientist with over thirty years experience in law enforcement, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Steve spoke about fingerprints, ballistics, DNA, and the "CSI Effect." Steve said, "You can lead a jury to the truth, but you can't make them believe it. Jurors want to see forensic evidence at every trial, even when none can be produced." He said that readers are more sophisticated and can pick up inaccuracies in your writing if you don't do your research.

"Writing for the New Media," by Tim Dees. Tim is the Editor-in-chief of LawOfficer.com. He was a law enforcement officer in Nevada from 1979 to 1994, and later became a criminal justice instructor at several colleges. Tim has been published in nearly every major law enforcement magazine. Tim spoke about the decline of newspapers and magazines, and how many are resorting to online editions; electronic publishing; blogs; and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

"Wave of the Future? Electronic Publishing," by Marilyn Meredith (who appears seated in the photo, right, with me, taken by Sherman Lee). Marilyn is the published author of over twenty books, most of them also available in electronic format, including Kindle. Marilyn has so many ideas when it comes to electronic publishing and promotion. She reviewed the advantages of E-publishing (such as: higher royalties than regular publishing; publishers are more willing to work with new authors) and disadvantages (such as: slow acceptance among readers; lower sales), as well as notes on submission, market research, querying, and what's next in E-publishing.

There were panel presentations, including:

"Mistakes that Make Us Cringe in Books, TV, and Movies"- panelists with law enforcement backgrounds

"Writing for Trade Publications (Paper and on the 'Net)"

"Promotion: Old & New: In Person & On the 'Net"

"Character Building"

"Publishing and Editing"

"Where Are We? How Important is Setting?"

"Putting Comedy in Your Mysteries (Can Murder be Funny?)"

Books written by panelists, presenters, and attendees were available for purchase, and authors conducted book-signings throughout the conference.

An Awards Luncheon was held on the last day. The winners are posted on the PSWA website. Congratulations to all the winners (I'm honored to be among them; my essay, "The Watcher" placed third in the Creative Nonfiction category).

After the conference ended, several members conducted a book signing at the Maui-Wowi Coffee Shop in Las Vegas.

A special thanks to Marilyn Meredith for organizing the conference; Keith Bettinger for arranging the hotel accommodations and book-signing at Maui-Wowi; Michelle Perin, for her efforts in coordinating the writing competition; Sherman Lee and Lawson Lew, for taking photographs and video of the conference; to all of the PSWA members and board members who volunteered their time to create such a successful conference. Thanks, Sherman, for posting a short video of the Awards Ceremony on YouTube.

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

Friday Fun - June 26, 2009

The raw recruit stood nervously before the police chief - uniform starched, boots shined, hair trimmed, knees wobbling. Exactly what the chief wanted to see. Give the kid time, and he'd probably do just fine.

The recruit cleared his throat. "Any more questions, chief?"

The chief scribbled something onto his clip board. "Just one more."

"Yes sir!"

"As a recruit, you'll be faced with some difficult issues. What would you do if you had to arrest your mother?"

The lad swallowed hard and shook his head. "Call for backup, sir."

Thaaaaaat's all, folks!

Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!

Hot July Classes

I can't believe it's almost July! Of course, here in the New York City metro area, that means we've now had almost a whole month straight of rain. Many writers take advantage of rainy days to get some solid work done. If you're like that but are ready for a break, here are some online classes to help you switch gears for a while.

Writer University will kick off its summer semester with three classes in July.

• "Knock 'Em Dead: Writing Mystery and Suspense," Stephen D. Rogers, July 6-31, $30. A Derringer winner and duMaurier contest judge will discuss the different mystery and suspense subgenres; the story tripod; how to develop a cast of characters; how to describe settings (macro and micro); clues and red herrings; research; how to handle sex, language, and violence; and endings that sell the next manuscript.
• "Magic, Monsters and Amour: Creating a Believable Paranormal, Fantasy or SF World," Marilynn Byerly, July 6-31, $30. This course will show how to develop a fantasy, science fiction, or paranormal world from scratch, how to invent creatures to populate it, and how to make your novel utterly believable. It will also cover the ins and outs of research, fresh ways to use creatures such as vampires, and how to avoid the various traps that many authors fall in to.
• "Powering Up Your Pivotal Scenes," Alicia Rasley, July 20-31, $55. A popular online instructor will explain how to determine your pivotal scenes, structure a scene for drama, build toward disaster, confront your characters with conflict, and create emotion through setting and point of view. This is a master class, with enrollment limited to 30 students.

The RWA's Kiss of Death Chapter will heat up July with two classes on hot topics.

• "Crime Scene Investigation and Fingerprints," a "Murder One" class, Phyllis Middleton, July 1-31, $15 for chapter members and $30 for nonmembers. Part one of this two-part class on what to expect at a crime scene will be an interactive workshop giving scenarios of crimes and how they would/should/could be handled. Part two will focus on fingerprints, including the correct terminology and the preferred procedures used at the crime scene and in the lab.
• "Writing Romantic Suspense That Works," a "Killer Instinct" class, Leslie Wainger, $15 for chapter members and $30 for nonmembers. This class will cover the basics, from making your suspense plotting impeccable and your romantic development emotionally grabbing, to how to stand out in a marketplace already crowded with bestselling authors, talented newcomers, and everyone in between.

Writers Online Classes will offer two courses in July, one a month long and the other two weeks long.

• "Keeping the Reader Reading the First Chapter," Marilynn Byerly, July 1-31, $30. Drawing readers into the first chapter of a novel takes more than an exciting beginning, a "cute meet," or a sexy hero and feisty heroine. This class will teach the craft needed to draw readers into your novel and make them eager to keep reading the first chapter and then beyond. It will also show how to set goals for the main characters and for the novel. Included with the course will be several critiques of your first chapter. To get the most out of this course, you should already have a good idea of your novel's plot and characters.
• "Advanced Freelance Writing," Diana Rowe, July 6-25, $50. This class on the how-to's of freelance writing will include material on breaking into travel writing.

For an quick intro to online writing classes, click here. For additional information on the above classes and to register, click on the names of the venues and follow the links.

Ebooks, Print Books, Quality, Quantity, Poll Data

Lately, everywhere I look people seem to be taking the temperature of the digital publishing world. The questions range from the very straightforward "do you read ebooks" to the more complicated questions of when you read them, why you read them, what types of things you would and would not read on them, whether you see a qualitative difference between books that are published *only* in e form vs. traditional print form...

A couple of publishers have asked whether people would want a coupon in the print book for money off the e version of the same book. If I haven't mentioned it before, that seems backwards to me. If I buy the ebook and like it, I might want to pick up the print version. That's how the coupon should work, it seems to me. After all, ebooks, generally, aren't going to be the "keepers."

(NB: I only buy fiction for my Kindle--non-fiction I need to pore over with a pencil. [Sorry, librarians, but I buy research books so I can mark them up.])

That said, this is how I buy books:

I rarely buy anything that's only published in e form. Partially, that's just because I don't read much of the genres that are published that way, but it's also true that I've found a distinct quality difference when I try the e-publishers. A certain percentage of what's out there in any form is drek, but that percentage is higher in the e-pubs I've tried than in the print pubs I've tried. I'd love to see that change in the future, since buying ebooks is so easy and inexpensive, but at the moment the quality just isn't there.

Right now, there are only two authors I buy in hardcover. It takes me a while to get through them, because hardcovers just aren't that portable. But they're keeper books.

There are a few authors whose books I buy for my Kindle when they come out in hardcover. I don't feel like waiting, but I also won't pay hardcover pricing, nor do I want to carry the hardcovers around. And they're not keeper books, so I don't care about the format.

Mass market paperback releases I would rather read in print. Generally, if I know an author's work, and like it enough to buy it, I will buy the mass market paperback because that's by far my preferred reading medium.

However, if I don't know an author's work, or if I am not sure how I am going to feel about a particular book for some reason, I will download it. The ebook version is cheaper and if I am going to throw the book away because it's awful (which does sometimes happen), at least I haven't killed any trees.

What about you, dear readers? Obviously, since you're here, you have some electronic capability. Do you have an ereader, or read things on your computer? Are there differences in genres in what you read on screen vs in print?

Two for Tuesday: Short Stories

I've been indifferent, in the past, to short stories of whatever ilk. I've always preferred the meat of a full length novel. But I've become enamored, having read some recent mystery anthologies and web publishers who provide works I might otherwise have overlooked.

I’m rereading some of the stories in The Prosecution Rests (which Terrie reviewed and which was snapped up in our raffle here on Women of Mystery.) And I felt a chill, once again, at the opening lines of Anita Page’s Red Dog:

“It was cold as misery in the shed, but that wasn’t why I was shivering. Mr. Davis lay dead on the floor and my mama was sharpening her ax. I had just turned fourteen that winter of 1910 and I was scared to think what would become of me.”

It’s a grisly tale, told from a child’s point of view. Her vulnerability played against the bleak mountain landscape tugs at the reader from the start.

Not so my own beginnings, so I’m giving you a line from the middle of this new thing that I’m writing, about an equally bleak character. I’m determined to shape it into a story.

“Back home after the cold and silence, she set down her sign and peeled off the candle wax that had burned her hand. Then her black coat, pants and shawl; all the layers of protest, though not her own silent scream. The words on the sign that she marched with on Saturday mornings were as useless as writing one hundred times, across her fourth grade teacher's blackboard, “I will not talk in class.” The chalk carefully chosen, her fastidious lettering washed away the same night by the school custodian.”

Send us links to your own 2-fers so we can post them here:

Travis Erwin has his 2 for Tuesday up on One Word, One Rung, One Day.

Barbara Martin's are up at Barbara Martin.

Leah Utis' at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Crystal Phares' at Everything and Nothing at All

MTM: The Statue of Liberty

Here in New York City we are still getting physical things back to the way they were before 9/11. Emotional things are another story entirely. Every time someone says we are back to normal, someone else says things won’t be normal until we can climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty once more.

Well, by that criterion, we are moving toward normal. On July 4, 2009, the crown of the Statue of Liberty will be opened for all those brave enough to climb the open circular staircase of 162 steps from the pedestal to the top of her crown. In my younger days, I’ve done it a few times and the climb is not for the faint of heart or for the infirm. For the young and healthy, the crown affords a grand and glorious view.

Click here for a YouTube of the inside of the Statue. It is from a local news show broadcast shortly before the reopening of the crown was announced.

Here is the official National Park Service website for Lady Liberty, where you can learn everything you should remember from grammar school about the Statue. (Our friends from other countries are welcome to pick up the facts for what may well be the first time.)


And finally, everyone has heard, countless times, the famous ending of this poem, written by Emma Lazarus to welcome New Americans as they sailed into New York harbor. Here is the poem in its entirety:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

by Emma Lazarus, New York City, 1883

For My Town Monday posts from far flung corners of the globe, please visit MTM founder Travis Erwin for links a-plenty.

*********************NEWS FLASH!*******************

Travis Erwin's excellent story "Y Not" is this weeks great read over on David Cranmer's Beat to a Pulp. Click here to take a look.


Terrie

This Father's Day, Keep Your Spirit Level

I saw a topical article at Popular Mechanics about the four things editor Jim Meigs learned from his dad, a man whose own father worked on the Panama Canal. Sure, one of the tips was about using screws rather than nails, but what struck home for me particularly was in the 4th item (emphasis mine):

...Having been raised in the tropics, my dad didn't see snow or ice until he was almost 30 and moved to the States. Nonetheless, he taught himself to ice skate and took to it with a vengeance. So when he planned to build a patio behind our home he decreed that it would double as a skating rink in the winter. He spent days stringing level-lines across the worksite and checking and rechecking the elevation of the raised redwood lip that encircled it. That patio was as flat as a griddle. And sure enough, lined with polyethylene it held just enough water to make a flawless skating surface.

My dad would have made that patio dead level even if we'd lived in Florida. To him, doing work precisely and with care is an end in itself. He often told me about the men he grew up with, fellow machinists and mechanics. To them, doing a job well–better than it needed to be done–was a core ethical principal. He took pride in his craftsmanship. "The best thing you could say about a man," my dad often recalls, "is that he was a good mechanic." And that was all you needed to say. But my dad also taught me that craftsmanship isn't just about how you build things. He brought that quality to everything: working in the business world, writing books, raising kids, grilling steaks. Craftsmanship is the respect we pay to ourselves, to the people around us, and to the material world we try to shape and improve.

I think about this idea in my writing as I tweak and tweak, because I know part of that may be unhealthy obsession. But part of it springs from an honest desire to do fundamentally sound work, a credit to myself and the people who believe in me, even if no one but my closet hangers see it. I feel better connecting with that pride in workmanship when I relate it to other, more material trades. How about you? Artist, craftsperson? Neither? Both?

Whether you're a father, a father figure, or can appreciate now the things they've taught you, have a great one!

Decisions Decisions: An Update

I promised to speak up when I'd made my decision about an eReader. Yesterday I ordered the 6" Kindle 2. I decided the portability and one-handed read were a major plus. I had also learned that PDF files on the DX cannot be adjusted in size without switching to landscape mode, and I hate reading a single column across a wide page. Frankly, the price differential between the 2 and the DX made the decision a no brainer, and I don't know why it took me so long to make up my mind.

Two minutes ago I became quite smug about my decision. My son, who was a contributor to the birthday eReader fund and aware of my dilemma, sent me this link to a review of the DX.

My Kindle 2 will arrive on Monday. My only problem now is that - paper or digital - I'll have little time to read for pleasure for a long while. Once again I'm drowning in work, and then there's my daughter's upcoming wedding....

- Lois

Friday Fun - June 19, 2009

This one might require additional thought, even though it's a stupid criminal joke. Apologies to those whose brains are already fried. May next week be better!

Tennessee: A man successfully broke into a bank after hours and stole the bank's video camera while the camera was remotely recording.

Thanks to www.legal-forms-kit.com
Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!

Thaaaaat’s all, pals!

Occasional e-Clare: Alternate History for Young Adults

Back in April, I linked to a very funny piece by once-ghostwriter Scott Westerfeld, who, through the magic of dyslexia, I've been reading and thinking of as Mr. Westerfield until this week. It's wrong in every previous post where I mentioned him. I'll go back and correct for search integrity, but I admit the wire-crossed idiocy here for posterity. Anyway, Westerfeld writes terrific young adult novels, as does Holly Black of Spiderwick Chronicles fame, and Cassandra Clare, too, whose last name I'd have worse trouble if I forgot how to spell.

At the recent BookExpo America, these three met on a panel to discuss their latest projects, all of which include the element of alternate history. If you enjoy these authors, young adult titles, or this kind of reinterpretation of reality, my full panel write-up is at BookSpot Central, now BSCreview.

Our very own Clare-ion

Congratulations, President Clare!

The annual changing of the guard puts our own Clare Toohey at the helm of the NY/Tristate chapter of Sisters in Crime. Here she is in tiara and matching earrings.

As our Nan said, we're expecting a whiz bang year.

Hint Fiction: Update

On April 22, 2009, I posted an announcement about a “Hint Fiction” contest, sponsored by writer Robert Swartwood, who had coined the term that refers to a story of 25 words or less, not including the title. I had learned about the contest on mediabistro.com, which also mentioned that novelist Stewart O’Nan would judge the final entries. The grand prize winner was to receive a $25.00 gift card to Amazon.

Writers could submit up to two entries. I thought it was an intriguing challenge, so I worked on two and sent them in.

Over 200 entries were received. On May 18, 2009, Robert Swartwood announced the top 20 finalists, which I’m very happy to say included one of my stories, “Playing with Matches.”

Swartwood revealed some exciting news: publisher W.W. Norton approached him and his agent about publishing a Hint Fiction anthology in the fall of 2010, which Swartwood will edit. You can read how swiftly this came about on Swartwood’s “Anatomy of a book deal” here.

Swartwood, a Pennsylvania resident, was interviewed for Lancaster Online; he announced that Joyce Carol Oates, James Frey, and Pulitzer prize-winning poet Stephen Dunn have submitted stories for the Hint Fiction anthology.

Sometime this summer, Swartwood will open up the submission process to the public once again in search of about 100 - 150 stories to supplement the twenty that will appear in the Hint Fiction anthology.

I entered this contest as a challenge, knowing the gift card to Amazon was a long-shot. I would never have dreamed that this would lead to publication, but what an awesome surprise. I am thrilled to be a part of this project.

I’ll monitor the process for our blog readers/writers and post submission information when it becomes available. In the meantime, why not consider creating a 25 word story to submit?

Two for Tuesday 6/16/09

I've long been fascinated by things Japanese and was delighted to discover Sujata Massey's THE SAMURAI'S DAUGHTER a few years back. Since that first novel her mysteries have never failed to keep me panting for her next mystery. I shook her hand and got her autograph at Malice Domestic a couple years back. She wished me well with my writing. I'm still smiling!

Here's a bit more than two sentences from her novel, THE PEARL DIVER:

"As my aunt's hand slowly warmed my cold one, I thought about how every Japanese town seemed to have at least one temple with a special garden that held small statues of Jizo-sama, the Buddhist guardian of children who die too early. Women would buy a small stone statue, and then dress it in hand-sewn or knitted or crocheted jackets and hats. ...The mothers visited their child-guardians as long as they needed to, sometimes until a second child was born, in other cases, for the rest of their lives."

And, here's my couple lines worth:

"It was a gift,” Jimmy said as he pocketed the tool in his skinny jeans. “Got it from the old man when he died. Had to pry it out of his hand,” he shrugged, “but far as I know, you can’t pick your way past them pearly gates.”

Leave us a note of your own readings and writings, and we'll be glad you did!

Write On!
Nan

• Barbara Martin has a dreamy image on her blog.
• Mmmm...deliciousness on Leah J Utas' blog.
• Linda McLaughlin gives us dawn on her blog.

MTM: FDR's Library, Hyde Park, NY

We drove up to the Presidential Library and Museum on Memorial Day weekend. You can just see, in the right side of the picture above, some of the WWII ordinance and transport that collectors brought to the grounds for the holiday. They'd set up bivouacs and furnished them with uniformed people and materiels. There was also a very fine German Shepherd officer and a sidecar motorcycle named Anna who I may share with you someday, but I'm already condensing a ton.

First, assume that this museum has all the usual cases of political swag and fancy multimedia about the challenging times and events within the presidency. That's all there and nicely done-- worth a visit alone-- but here are some other bits on display that also interested yours truly.

This is the reproduction of the oval office during his tenure. There are books flanking the display with flipcharts of guides to all the knick knacks on his desk. A little ceramic rooster remains a mystery. I liked that.

This room isn't a reproduction, since the library and museum are on the grounds of one of his homes. This was his actual, personal presidential library, the only one used in office by the president whom it later honored, not constructed for the purpose.

This is FDR's baby curl, from an era when little boys and girls both wore long dresses, and locks were allowed to grow out until the kids got their first school hair cuts.

FDR was a shutterbug and inveterate collector his whole life. I hadn't known that, but many of his interesting acquisitions and family photos are on display here.

As a boy, he did this fine naturalist's drawing of a crab. Nice penmanship, too.

This is the 1953 Ford Phaeton Roosevelt had outfitted with all sorts of cool levers and gadgets so he could pilot it after his polio. There's a cigarette dispenser in the steering wheel that dispensed pre-lit smokes. He helped found the organization to help infantile paralysis now called the March of Dimes, and it's one of the reasons he's commemorated on the ten-cent piece.

There is a large section in the museum also devoted to the life and works of Franklin Delano Rooselvelt's wife, Eleanor. The picture above is a recreation of her own desk and work space in their Manhattan apartment, from which she continued to operate after FDR's death and until her own.

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a huge number of books on many topics, both international and domestic, with an emphasis on positive living, especially for women and children. One of these, from 1962, was Eleanor Roosevelt's Book of Common Sense Etiquette. I leave you with a quote from it which reminded me of what was impressed upon me, since childhood, as the essential responsibility of hospitality.

"The basis of all good human behavior is kindness. If you ever find yourself in a situation in which following a formal rule would be manifestly unkind, forget it, and be kind instead."

Public Safety Writers Association Conference

I'm heading out west soon to attend the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA) Conference from June 18-21, 2009, which will be held at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A description of PSWA, as found on their web site:

Founded in 1997 as the Police Writers Club, the Public Safety Writers Association is open to both new and experienced, published and not yet published writers. Members include police officers, civilian police personnel, firefighters, fire support personnel, emergency personnel, security personnel and others in the public safety field. Also represented are those who write about public safety including mystery writers, magazine writers, journalists and those who are simply interested in the genre. The association also welcomes publishers, editors, agents and others who help writers realize their writing goals.

I look forward to meeting members of the Association, and catching up with Keith Bettinger, the author of FIGHTING CRIME WITH “SOME” DAY AND LENNY: OR WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DRAGNET MEETS CAR 54? Keith is a fellow retired Suffolk County Police Officer whom I worked with in the Second Precinct in Huntington.

President of the PSWA, Marilyn Olsen, will welcome the attendees and speakers. Some of the panelists will include: Joyce Spizer Foy; Sheila Lowe; Steve Scarborough; Betty Webb; Marilyn Meredith; Tim Dees; Sunny Frazier; and Sarah Cortez.

I will serve on two panels: Mistakes that Make Us [Cops] Cringe in Books, TV, and Movies (moderated by John Schembra) and Writing for Trade Publications (moderated by Keith Bettinger).

There's been so much rain lately in New York, I can't wait for the Las Vegas sunshine!

Friday Fun - June 12, 2009

Here's a possible grin for the start of your day:

Stupid Car Jacker

Some time back, a harried woman hustled through the doors at a local police station, calling for help – she had been stopped at a light, then was torn from her car. The thief jumped in, spun around the corner and disappeared into traffic.

Soon a fine older officer came to her aid. While going through the routine questions, the woman mentioned that she’d left her cell phone on the front passenger’s seat of the car, adding that to the list of items stolen.

The officer took a step back, then smiled as he grabbed a nearby phone.

"What's the phone's number?" he asked.

She gave it to him.

Moments later a guy answered. The officer said that he had spotted the guy's sweet ride and wanted to buy the car.

Without thinking any further, the thief bickered over the price with the cop. In the end they made an arrangement to meet.

The meeting went as planned, except for the part when the thief walked away wearing handcuffs and the car was returned to the rightful owner.

Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!

Thaaaaat’s all, pals!

Something that has stayed with me

I went to see the Dalai Lama give a public talk last month at Town Hall. He was with with Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

I've gone to a few of his Holiness Dalai Lama's 3 day teachings, usually held at Radio City Music Hall, and thought this time I would skip the lectures there, (He's quite the philosopher and can really chew the fat over the meaning of one word and even though I study Buddhism, parts of his lectures have been frustratingly way over my head) and treat myself to something much more accessible.

I know that being in his presence gives a nice contact high that can last a few days, so I took my husband, who I thought would be charmed by his humor and warmth. To hear the Dalai Lama laugh is to hear song. Joyous song. The kind that tickles your heart.

Anyway, the subject they were discussing was Wisdom & Compassion for Challenging Times and after much give and take on many subjects, Ms. Robinson asked him one of those questions where within the question itself is 2-3 very intelligent answers you can pick out and do a ref on.

After what seemed like five long minutes she finally wrapped the question up. "So what do you think we should do about the current economic mess the world is in?"

The Dalai Lama paused and then said with complete humility, "I don't know." And laughed at himself. A real big, belly laugh.

She was appalled to say the least, after all, she had worked really hard at feeding him many choices of answers, and she blurted out, "What do you mean, you don't know!"

And he replied, seriously, soberly, "It is my freedom." (not to know) "It is my freedom."

This has stayed with me for over a month now. Is there anything that has stayed with you?

Happy 50,000 to Us with Thanks to You!!

Image borrowed from a blog that got there first.

Sometime today, at least according to sitemeter (which doesn't capture everybody, but it's what we've got handiest) we got our 50,000th visitor to Women of Mystery.
Thanks for coming, and we hope to see you again soon!

Call For Holiday Short Submissions- Toys for Tots

Ally Benbrook's Sleigh Bells available.

As you may recall, our own Terrie had a nifty crime yarn published in last year's Toys for Tots anthology: Wolfmont Publishing's Dying in a Winter Wonderland. (You can explore it by scrolling down our sidebar.)

Last year's collection sold wonderfully, garnering award nominations for its stories and design as well as recognition from independent booksellers--all of which helped it do nice things for the kids.

This year, the anthology will be edited by John Floyd, a fine short story author you may know from the terrific Criminal Brief blog. Here are salient details from the 2009 Call for Submissions:

...We are now looking for contributors for the fourth anthology, The Gift of Murder, scheduled for release October 1, 2009. Stories should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words in length and should focus on a crime that occurs during the winter holiday season. Those wintertime holidays include Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and we encourage you to submit a story themed with any of those holidays in mind! The story may occur in the present day or in a historical setting. It may be serious or humorous, mystical or down-to-earth...

There's more guidance at the link, but hurry! The deadline is July 15th and it approaches apace. I can almost hear the growing tinkle of sleighbells. Can't you hear them?! Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, until I can't hear anything else--like Quasimodo chained inside the Bells of St. Mary! Sleighbells, I tell you! And they all called me mad back at the asylum.

eReader Heaven

I daren’t snag an image of this week’s futuristic New Yorker cover, but I sure wish I could paste it here. In case this link to the cover fails (to see it fast, close the annoying registration prompt and then don't forget to come right back) let me describe it: On the west bank of the Hudson River we see the skyline of a deserted and moldering New York City. Leaning against the crumbling wall of an electronics graveyard filled with cracked keyboards, some dead smartphones, and a mess of shattered eReaders, sits a Martian enjoying a ratty-but-intact paperback book. (!!?)

I saw the cover a day before my birthday checks arrived—the ones from family members whom I had touched for my digital reader fund. The picture has given me pause.

The only gift I wanted was Amazon’s “latest generation” 6" Kindle ($359.00). A couple of months before my birthday rolled around, I lost confidence in my decision; Amazon had announced the mid-June rollout of the 9.7" inch Kindle DX, with double the storage and a rotating display ($489.00). Which did I prefer, my relatives asked; the convenience of a purse-sized reader or the flexibility of one that would allow me to upload technical manuals in PDF format and read newspapers sideways?

I’m all for increasing the odds for newspapers' survival. But it’s getting confusing now that news organizations are joining the fray. Plus, rumors are spreading that Apple will maybe most likely for sure announce a standalone reader any day now. Most bewildering of all is Google’s announcement last week that it will go into direct sales of eBooks. Says Forrester Research...“This move directly threatens Amazon as an eBook seller, but more importantly, it challenges Amazon's whole proprietary approach to the eBook market. Google eBooks will use open standards and can be used on any reader, unlike Amazon's Kindle format. Google will also let publishers set their own pricing, unlike Amazon.”

I suppose that a little competition is a good thing. A Wall Street Journal article is touchy about the price of Kindles when compared to the iPhone enhanced by its latest eBook software. (The iPhone can do a lot more tricks than the Kindle.) And consider this: the new Kindle is a mere $40 less than the temporarily discounted price (with e-coupon) of a Lenovo ThinkPad with the same specs as the one that I drive among my techno clients (which, for the record, two years back cost me something like $2200).

What’s a girl to do? That smashed digital reader, front left on the New Yorker’s cover, looks suspiciously like the yet-to-be-launched Kindle DX. Guess I'll be depositing those checks in an old fashioned savings account.

Two For Tuesday - Super Secret Edition

Today's quote comes James Banford's The Puzzle Palace, A Report On NSA, America's Most Secret Agency. It's hard to imagine how someone might write a book--and a very big, long book at that--about something so secret, but this book, which came out in 1982 (or, actually, the softcover which has a slightly different title: The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization) is still in print more than 25 years after the original publication. I don't know how much of it I will be able to slog through, considering the sheer number of acronyms and names of various people will need tracking, but I am going to give it a shot.

Here's the first paragraph:

At 12:01 on the morning of November 4, 1952, a new federal agency was born. Unlike other such bureaucratic births, however, this one arrived in silence. No news coverage, no congressional debate, no press announcement, not even the whisper of a rumor. Nor could any mention of the new organization be found in the Government Organization Manual or the Federal Register or the Congressional Record. Equally invisible were the new agency's director, its numerous buildings, and its ten thousand employees.

And a few words about my current WIP. It's the story of a woman who comes home after a bad day at school as a teenager and finds her mother murdered. Scared for her own life, she grabs her younger brother and flees. Years later, having become a true crime writer, she goes home to see what she can find out about the case. The chapter headings for this book all come from the draft of the book she is planning to write about her mother's murder. So this, which is from my WIP, is actually from the WIP inside my WIP. If that makes sense.

Momma used to tell me, “better safe than sorry.” She also warned me never to trust a man. Like so many people, however, she was better at giving advice than at taking it.

So what about you? What are you reading? What are you writing? Anything fun? Anything grim? Let us know where to find you and we'll update this post with links to your writing, or you can just post directly in the comments!

• David Cranmer has a couple of wild, wild sentences from a western short.
• Leah J. Utas has a great giggle on her blog.
• Scott Parker has a marathon-running gorilla on his blog. (Ignore that teaser, I dare ya!)
  

And don't forget to look in the comments for more great sentences!

MTM Memories: Out-Houses I Have Known

Welcome to this week's My Town Monday. Hope you'll forgive this rather unusual look at my old home town, in WAY upstate New York. What lies ahead is based on my squirrelly-headed memories from my childhood. Hope it gets your week off with a fresh look at indoor plumbing!

If you ask me, outhouses are woefully underused in novels. Especially murder mysteries. Too bad those reliable outdoor potties are nearly obsolete. Talk about your great settings! Colonel Mustard might have done it in the library with a candlestick, but I'd like to know who's been killed in an outhouse lately.

When I was a kid, my best friend's family had a weather beaten outhouse standing ragged sentry in their back yard. It sagged to the left and looked like it would soon need a cane to stay upright. The old one-holer was a dark and scary place to hide during a hot game of Tag. It offered a happy place for spiders to dine. I couldn't imagine using the one holer in the middle of the night, even if the moon was full. Later I found out that my pal's father insisted that she use the old outhouse whenever it was "her time of the month." That barb stung deep. One of these days I'll plot my revenge on that churlish old man and carry it out in print.

On the other side, an outhouse always offers the criminal mischief option to ensuing stories. For example: Rumor has it that (once upon a time) my sister helped move an outhouse onto the roof of our old two-room schoolhouse. It was a high school graduation prank, or a Halloween escapade, something country kids did while not tipping cows. Outhouses, after all, were built to be moved. When your outhouse latrine got its fill you'd dig another hole close-by. Dirt from the new excavation filled the old. A tractor, lots of ropes, and a bit of engineering luck made it possible to pulley the entire outhouse up and over to wherever you needed it - or wherever your or creative mind desired. Here's a thought: could that prank be a convenient alibi for a whole lot of usual suspects?

One of the best gathering places back in my upstate New York home town was our local swimming hole. It offered a fully functioning, dignified outhouse for five lucky females at a sitting. Slim curtains separated each hole in fine fashion. It wasn't a place to fret about privacy, and there were unstated rules of etiquette. Women were generally tight lipped. Gossip was exchanged solely by pubescent females, and only so long as the reigning matriarch tolerated it. Urchins chattered ceaselessly. It was muggy in there. Lazy flies wandered in and got confused about their exit strategy. A liberal use of lime kept the odors at a tolerable level. While I was in college the town up-graded our communal facilities. The women now had toilet seats to rest their laurels upon. No more splinters threatening their bottom sides! Those toilet seats probably even caused a drop in the number of little kids who fell in! Wouldn't this be a great setting during off-season? A great place for kids to disappear in the dead of winter so they can plan their next nefarious deed, don'tcha think?

When it comes to potential settings for a wintry murder, I'd recommend a two-story outhouse in the Rocky Mountains. A few years ago I spent a week roughing it in the wilds of Colorado where outhouses were the ONLY toilets available. In winter, an especially long season in those elevations, those two-story outhouses proved to be most welcomed "sites." When the snow buries the first floor of the structure, the upper chamber offers a spectacular view. Not that many folk spend much time wandering from outhouse to outhouse in the mountains, in the winter. I agree, it's not exactly a warm spot to drop your drawers, but what an interesting setting for a murder!

So, there you have it: my ode to the outhouse. Hope you also stop in to check out Travis's website, Travis Erwin and see what he's got cooking. He's the guy who started this My Town Monday topic, and has kept us well entertained, through good times and bad.

As the week wears on, you might find yourself pondering the out-house's potential in a novel setting. Remember, for humor's sake you can add a stupid criminal or two wandering around an ancient out-house. Who knows? You might come up with some "dark" humor before you have to get back to work, n'est pas?

Avoiding Ebooks...

Have you been avoiding ebooks because the experience of reading them lacks that certain je ne sais quoi? Perhaps it's the dust from the stacks in the library. That's easy enough to fix...I can give you some of the dustbunnies from under my couch. But if what you crave is that "new book smell," you need more than dust. You need Smell of Books!

It comes in New Book Smell, of course, but also in Scent of Sensibility, Classic Musty, Eau, You Have Cats, and, for some odd reason, Crunchy Bacon Scent. Of course, The Authors Guild doesn't like it.

Giggles this evening provided by DuroSport, one of the most elaborate hoax sites I have ever had the great pleasure to visit.

Friday Fun - July 24, 2009

Did you hear the one about the petty thief who broke into an apartment and found a jug full of coins worth heisting?

He might have gotten away with it scot-free, if only the guy had not used his driver's license to get past the lock, then tossed it aside once he got in the room.

Wonder if he realized that his driver's license wouldn't work on the next locked door he found - the lock-up in the jail.

Thaaaat's all folks!

Thanks for the laugh, Uncle Jim!

Friday Fun - July 17, 2009

Surely you heard this one:

A man was made the police chief in a nudist colony.

He liked the job, but putting on the badge was murder!

Bada- Bing, Bada-Bang!

Thaaaaat’s all, pals!

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

Friday Fun - July 3, 2009

Happy Independence Day - almost! Something quick to get you on your way:

This hillbilly is traveling across Texas when a state policeman pulls him over.

"You got any I.D.?" the patrolman asked.

The hillbilly looked stunned. "'Bout what?" he asked.

Ba-da-dumb! Thaaaaaat's all, folks!

Thanks for the laughs, Uncle Jimmy!

(Thanks also to http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/scanner/jokes/police/cops.html)

And the Winners Are . . .

What a grand response we've had to the Women of Mystery giveaway of The Mystery Writers of America presents The Prosecution Rests.

When I asked you to tell me about raffles, I had no idea that you all had such varied experiences from winning a slinky to winning concert tickets from a radio station, to winning a prize when you never actually entered--and that happened to two people!

I am pleased to announce the following five readers and writers will receive a copy of The Prosecution Rests very shortly:

1. Jillian Abbott
2. David Cranmer
3. Tamara Cravit
4. Kim M. Hammond
5. Mack

Congratulations to you all. If you haven't heard from me via email, please go to the sidebar of the Women of Mystery blog and click on my name under the "about us" banner. Then send a note through the email link on my bio page. Please put The Prosecution Rests in the email title. I want to make sure the books will get to their new homes with a minimum of fuss.

The Women of Mystery really had a lot of fun with this giveaway and we hope you did, too. Stop back and visit once in a while because I have a feeling that there will be another book giveaway or two in the coming months

Terrie

Forgotten Book Friday: Fatal Vision

During childhood visits to my armchair detective grandmother’s home in East Northport, Long Island, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I listened intently when she offered theories for such high profile cases as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the Alice Crimmins case. She often mentioned an unsolved taxi driver murder that occurred in Northport in 1955; for me, it sparked a lifelong fascination. I grew up to become a Suffolk County Police Officer. After twenty-one years on the job, and having survived breast cancer, I recently retired to spend more time with my family and work on a book about the very case my grandmother inspired me to pursue.

So, it wasn’t unusual for me, at such a young age, to begin following a crime that received nationwide attention in February 1970: the murder of 26-year-old pregnant Colette MacDonald and her two young daughters. Although the brutal crime -- which had echoes of the Manson-family killings just six months earlier -- occurred at a military base at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, there was a local angle: Colette and her husband, U.S. Army Captain and surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald, were high school sweethearts from Patchogue, Long Island, and Colette’s parents lived in Suffolk County at the time of the murder; this meant the local papers closely monitored the case -- and so did I.

Years later, due to the persistent efforts of Colette’s stepfather, Freddy Kassab (once a staunch supporter of his son-in-law, until he gained access to documents and discovered inconsistencies), Jeffrey MacDonald was brought to trial for murdering his own family. 

MacDonald, who maintained that a group of drug-crazed “hippies” were responsible for slaughtering his family and stabbing him with an ice pick, had hoped that working closely with journalist/author Joe McGinniss would result in his innocence being revealed to prosecutors. MacDonald allowed McGinniss full access to his legal team. 

MacDonald was convicted of murder and received three life sentences. 

I bought Fatal Vision when it was released in 1983; I was eager to read the story-behind-the story of the case I had followed for so long. The book was quite an experience, one that has stayed with me all these years later. I remember being led down a garden path, thinking MacDonald might be innocent, as McGinniss must have first believed; but as I continued reading, McGinniss revealed how he became convinced of the former Green Beret doctor’s guilt -- which convinced me, too. The physical evidence was overwhelming, and the insight provided by the author about a man convicted of killing his family was absolutely chilling.

In November 1984, a two-part adaptation of Fatal Vision aired on television (see a clip on YouTube describing the pajama top evidence here). Karl Malden's portrayal of Freddy Kassab was brilliant. 

Jeffrey MacDonald brought a lawsuit against Joe McGinniss for fraud and breach of contract, which was settled out of court, reportedly for $325,000, after a mistrial. McGinniss had stayed in MacDonald’s good graces while writing the book, even after he made the realization that MacDonald was guilty -- he just withheld that detail as he continued to pursue the story. 

Janet Malcolm’s book, The Journalist and the Murderer, expanded on her essays that first appeared in the New Yorker in 1989 that explored journalistic ethics as a result of the lawsuit Jeffrey MacDonald brought against Joe McGinniss. 

In 1995, a book written by Jerry Allen Potter and Fred Bost, Fatal Justice: Reinvestigating the MacDonald Murders, presents an opposing argument to Fatal Vision.

Fatal Vision remains one of my favorite true-crime books; I think it's time to revisit this “forgotten” book.

For links to other Forgotten Books, visit Patti Abbott’s blog.

[P.S. If you haven't gotten around to leaving a comment about your experience with raffles, you have until noon on Saturday, June 6th, to be in the running to receive a free copy of the MWA anthology, THE PROSECUTION RESTS, edited by Linda Fairstein. Click here. You may be one of five lucky winners. Good luck!]