Women of Mystery

A Creative Kind of Killer by Sandra Scoppettone

2012-02-18T14:14:00.004-05:00

Many years ago, I first discovered Sandra Scoppettone as the writer of the Lauren Laurano books, great P.I. stories set in the heart of Manhattan. As I wandered through Scoppottone’s bibliography, I found that she is also the author of books originally published as written by Jack Early, including the Shamus Award winner, A Creative Kind of Killer, featuring P.I. Fortune Fanelli. Wonder of Wonders, A Creative Kind of Killer has been re-released as a Kindle book and on Monday, February 20th will be available free to one and all. Mark the calendar now and make sure this download is the first thing you do on Monday morning. You won't regret it.

Terrie

Donald Westlake Day

2012-02-17T07:03:00.003-05:00

You can read reviews of some of Donald Westlake's books at Patti Abbott's place today. Patti has dedicated this Forgotten Book Friday to Westlake, in celebration of Hard Case Crime's publication of his last book, The Comedy is Finished. Westlake, who died in 2008, wrote more than 100 books. Included in Patti's roundup is an expanded version of the review I did here of Trust Me On This.

21st Century Conversation Hearts- Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T05:51:00.003-05:00

Okay, so they've officially made conversation hearts taste different. I've had batches from a few different places, which I'm convinced all come from the same one place, like fortune cookies. Anyway, they used to be bland sugar pastels, and every color tasted the same. Now, it seems like they're crossed with Sweet Tarts (even the non-officially S.T. kinds), are trying to have a different flavor per color. Instead of being fruity or sweet, they now taste to me like chalky orange baby aspirins or Di-Gel, if you remember that antacid.

But that's not all that's novel--now they come with modern entreaties, without the old curved letters pressed into the surface, but "computer looking" ones sprayed onto the surface to look like old, pixelated inkjet fonts. Of course, text messaging is made-to-order for the tiny amount of printable space on candy hearts the size of my fingernail, and here's the new version of Valentine's Day sweetness:

If you can't read them very well, here are the messages, L 2 R, as the kids say.

U-R GR8, HOT MAIL, CRAZY 4 U, EZ 2 PLZ, HIGH 5,
U-GO GIRL, TWEET ME, PLEZ DO, U-R CUTE, E-MAIL, ME 4U
MAD4 YOU, TEXT ME, JUST 4-U
MEGA KISS, U-R SURE, CHAT ME, GR8 DATE, U-R HOT

Is your sentimental heart pitty-patting faster?
Screw sonnets--Have a GR8 V-DAY!

Ink

2012-02-13T19:08:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned before that I write with a fountain pen. This necessitates fountain pen ink which I use in cartridge form. Most of my pens take standard European/International cartridges, though my oft-used Namiki Vanishing Point takes Pilot special cartridges, necessitated by the weird makeup that allows you to have a clickable fountain pen. Yep, push the button the nib comes out, push it again, the nib retracts.

Anyway, the other day, I was writing along with my Namiki and green ink and my hand started to hurt, so I switched to my Waterman, which has a wider barrel and allows my fingers to relax a bit. (The tradeoff is that the Waterman is heavier because of its solid brass barrel--never buy a fountain pen without seeing how it feels in your hand, because everyone will have different taste in what feels right.) When I started with the Waterman, I expected the color to change and I was intensely disappointed that I also had green ink in the Waterman. I know that sometimes I am in the mood for a certain color, but that made me wonder...

With new eReaders like the Nook Color and the Kindle Fire, what would happen if you changed the color of the text as you read? What would you think if an author wrote a book and hard-coded color changes into the text?

Talk Talk

2012-02-11T07:59:00.001-05:00

I’ve long admired T.C. Boyle’s short stories, but hadn’t read any of his novels until I picked up Talk Talk, originally published in 2006, when I was browsing in the library a week or so ago. He hooked me with the opening:

“She was running late, always running late, a failing of hers, she knew it, but then she couldn’t find her purse and once she did manage to locate it (underneath her blue corduroy jacket on the coat tree in the front hall), she couldn’t find her keys. They should have been in her purse, but they weren’t, and so she’d made a circuit of the apartment—two circuits, three—before she thought to look through the pockets of the jeans she’d worn the day before, but where were they?”

Here’s the set up. Dana Halter, a thirty-three year old deaf teacher, late for work, sails through a stop sign and is pulled over by a cop. After running her information through the computer and learning she’s a wanted felon, he orders her out of the car, cuffs her, and takes her in. Dana can’t believe this is happening, and neither can the reader. We’re sure she’s not a criminal, and figure out before the cops do that her identity has been stolen. When she's finally released, Dana is determined to find the thief. With the help of her boyfriend, special effects designer Bridger Martin, she tracks down the man passing as Dana Halter—William “Peck” Wilson, a rage-driven narcissist who discards identities like used tissues—and pursues him across the country.

In an interview at Penguin.com, Boyle seemed to bristle when Talk Talk was described as a thriller, a designation, he thinks, that “limits the reader’s expectations.” A pompous response, maybe, but I understand his disclaimer. Character, in this book, drives the plot. When Boyle shifts points of view, as many thriller writers do, between the pursuer and the pursued, tension builds in part because we know Peck Wilson’s capacity for violence, but more because we feel so intensely Dana’s need to make him pay for what he’s put her through. Living in her skin, we’ve gotten a glimmer, at least, of what it feels like not only to have your identity stolen, but to be a deaf person in a hearing world. We feel Bridger’s conflict as well, wanting to support Dana, but wishing she could let it go so that he could resume his life. As for Wilson, we don’t empathize with him for a second, but we know him and understand what drives him.

Thriller or not, doesn’t matter. I say forget the labels and get your hands on this very suspenseful book.

Short Story Contest: Legal Fiction

2012-02-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

If you happen to have an unpublished short story related to law school or the practice of law, this is your lucky day.

The Association of American Law Schools' Journal of Legal Education (JLE) and Southwestern Law School have announced the first JLE Legal Fiction Contest. The winning entries will be published in a future issue of the JLE.

The distinguished panel of judges will include Michae l Connelly, Denise Hamilton, Marshall Goldberg, and Charles Rosenberg.

Submissions must be in prose form, previously unpublished, under 5,000 words, and submitted by March 15, 2012. The fictitious story should be in a legal setting (law school, law firm, courtroom, legislature, judge's chambers, etc.) or focusing on a law-related character (lawyer, law professor, judicial clerk, etc.).

Entries will be reviewed anonymously and judged on originality, quality of writing and depth of character. Ten winners will be announced in June 2012, and their stories will be

published in the Journal of Legal Education: The Fiction Issue in early 2013.

Additionally, the ten winners and ten runner-up entries will be posted online. Authors will retain copyright ownership. For further details, check out the submission requirements.

Do you have a legal fiction tale ready to go? One to polish and submit? Tempted to draft and work on a submission? Let us know ~ and good luck!

Come follow me on Twitter @katcop13.

Postagram

2012-02-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

Flipping through the latest issue of Family Circle, I spotted an interesting item featured in the "Inner Circle" section ("A roundup of smart talk, hot trends and cool stuff"); a free app called "Postagram." Snap a photo with your iPhone or Android (or choose one from your library or Facebook), add a message (up to 140 characters) and a real postcard (personalized with a profile photo of the sender) will be snail-mailed to family or friends anywhere in the world for 99 cents (U.S. delivery takes 2-5 days, international delivery, a bit longer). A 3x3 inch photo even pops out of the postcard.

Postagram is one of the products available from Sincerely, Inc. They also offer: Pop Booth (an app for iPhone and iPad that turns 4 photos into a photo strip); Sincerely Ink (create & mail cards from your iPhone, iPad, or Android ~ very convenient for Valentine's Day) and Dotti (a disposable camera app for iPhone and Android).

I've always been an avid postcard-sender. Before traveling, I routinely pick up postage stamps so I don't have to hunt for them after buying postcards. The use of this nifty service saves the steps of buying postcards and postage stamps ~ and talk about personalization ~ all for 99 cents! Amazing.

On the Importance of the Appropriate Comma

2012-02-08T11:26:00.001-05:00

That is all.

[Hat tip: @Vickie_Motter]

Tuesday Twosome

2012-02-07T13:54:00.002-05:00

My heroine is a reluctant psychic so I keep The Everything Psychic Book by Michael R. Hathaway, DCH, on my desk so I can refer to it when she needs some psychic advice. Knowing what your characters need to know is the first element of a good story. Nothing aggravates me more than seeing something about newspaper reporter that's completely because that was my job for many years. And trust me, whether you're writing an article or a book, readers will let you know if you get something wrong.

Here's a bit of psychic information from my reference:

Random psychic intuition happens when you are in a light trance state. It occurs when your conscious or critical mind is open to the images that are sent up from your unconscious and your Universal Mind.

Who knew?

A quote from my psychic heroine:

I could feel him moving through the forest. I saw him, his body sleek and black, golden-green eyes glowing. He wasn’t running as he had last night, but prowling through the undergrowth, twining around trees, huddling at the base of rocks. Often, he stopped to sniff the air. A low growl rumbled in his throat. The forest was deeply shadowed and growing darker by the moment. Was this happening now or was it a future event? I had no idea. My mind was spinning, hundreds of miles from this quiet church. All I knew for certain is that my spirit was with Hunter, and he was stalking something.

What reference to you keep close at hand when you're writing?

How to Write Great Fiction

2012-02-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon a web site called "Big Think," and discovered a section on Arts & Culture. They ran a special series, "How to Write Great Fiction," featuring 13 storytellers sharing their wisdom and ideas. The writers were videotaped discussing their sage advice.

Some of the writers who participated in this series includes: Walter Mosley, Anne Lamott, Margaret Atwood, Isabel Allende, John Irving, Salman Rushdie, and many more. Check it out!

Follow @bigthink on Twitter. Come follow me @katcop13.

Gadgets vs Tools

2012-02-04T04:31:00.001-05:00

I totally want this.

My name is Laura and I am a gadget-a-holic. I am also a tool-a-holic, but that's another story. To me, the difference between the two is that a gadget makes things more fun while a tool makes them easier--or even possible.
For example, my laptop is definitely a tool. It goes to work with me. I write on it. Without it, my ability to live the life I do would be severely impaired. (I don't have a desktop computer.)

My Kindle falls somewhere in the middle. I could definitely function without it, but the difference is so big that it almost brings the Kindle up to the level of a tool.

My iPod, well, that's a gadget. Yeah, I enjoy listening to music on the train, etc, but face it, I could live without it.

When I first got my iPad, people asked me whether it it would replace my laptop. After about a month, I decided that it was never going to reach tool status. It was a gadget--a fun gadget, a useful gadget, not something I regretted having, but still...a gadget.

Mostly, it stayed in whatever bag I was carrying around. Then the day before I started my new job, for which I have to leave my house at the ungodly hour of 6:30 am, my alarm clock died. My husband said "use the alarm on your phone." Well, anyone who knows me knows that won't work--I don't do well with phones. They die at crucial moments, I lose them, I don't hear them ring, I can't figure out how to answer them without hanging up on people... relying on it to get me up was just not going to happen.

But, as the ads say, "there's an app for that."

I downloaded an alarm clock app and plugged the iPad into the outlet next to the bed. Worked, if you don't mind the pun and cliché at the same time, like a dream.

And for a while I had the world's most expensive alarm clock (well, maybe not, given some of the ones on this site).

But having that iPad next to my bed changed some other things, too. See, I am an insomniac with an anxiety disorder. I'm given to being awake at 2 in the morning worrying about things I can do absolutely nothing about. For a while, I had a recorder next to the bed so I could speak into it when I came up with scene ideas, but the sound of my own voice is too distracting and annoying and I just couldn't do it.

A couple of months ago, however, I thought of something as I was lying there in bed and I grabbed the iPad and started typing. It's not a perfect writing machine by any stretch of the imagination, which is one reason it's never replaced a laptop, but it's fine for late night scenes you need to get down. That went on for a while, and I've managed to spit out about three full scenes in the middle of the night since then.

But the other night I discovered something else. As I was having my monthly freak-out about bills and what was coming automatically out of my bank account and whether there was enough to cover it and what was on the credit cards and...you get the idea...instead of lying there freaking out, or getting up and disturbing the dogs as I went downstairs to look it all up on my computer and take notes and transfer anything that needed transferring, I just picked up the iPad. My bank has a mobile app. My credit cards all have mobile sites. Half an hour later, I was far more relaxed. I went to sleep.

And so my gadget became a tool.

What tools and gadgets do you rely on?

Book Battle, Lee County Florida Schools

2012-02-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

Okay so who has the coolest grandkids in the world? Why that would be me of course. My oldest grandson (he of cinquain fame, see the link) is now in the third grade in the Lee County Florida public school system.

Each year there is a countywide book battle in the elementary, middle and high schools. The program is optional but the kids are encouraged to all read the same fifteen books, some funny, some sad, some fantasy, some mystery, all challenging. You can see the elementary school list here. If a child finishes the books by January and scores an average of 85% on his reading tests for each of them, he or she is eligible to compete against his schoolmates for a spot on the school team, which will compete against the other elementary schools in the district. There will be a candy party for EVERY child who read all fifteen books by May 2012.

Here is the information about the project form the school's website.

Mission: To encourage the reading and comprehension of quality literature in our district's students.
Students, regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints by prominent authors in the area of young adult literature. The game format creates interest and excitement in reading. Through the fun and excitement of the competition, students improve reading skills, mature in their choices of reading materials, and acquire a broader knowledge base. Even during the height of the competition, students and coaches should remember that the goal is to READ, not necessarily to win!

Literary Reading Terms Addressed: Character Analysis, Author's Purpose and Point of View, Setting and Plot, Elements of Story Structure, Author's Theme, Making Connections Text to Text - Text to Self-Text to World, Text Features/Text Structure, Making Inferences, Literary Forms, and Descriptive - Idiomatic and Figurative Language. (Literary Reading Terms contributed by Christine Busenbark, LCSD Elementary Reading Coordinator)

And, TADA, wait for it, Cinquain Grandson is the only third grader to get one of the nine spots on the school team. Hooray for him! And how happy am I that he is in a school that focuses so heavily on reading for fun?

Terrie

Tuesday Twosome

2012-02-02T06:53:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I'm struggling this week. I'm packing for a move and working on an article and trying to get involved in my book. I'm so distracted by all the outside stuff I can't seem to get my writing going. Do you ever have days like that? Days where you find yourself writing the same sentence three times? Or days where you write one sentence in a thirty-minute period? It's driving me crazy!

Here's something I've read this week that I thought was really good. I discovered Virginia Rich while doing research for an article. This is from The Cooking School Murders:

This must have been the same teacher who silenced and embarrassed the young Eugenia by saying, "Surely, dear, you don't call it dried beef gravy. You must learn to say creamed chipped beef."

Here's something I've written this week:

I sat in the corner watching him and still clutching Meagan’s locket. The connection made me feel a little nauseous, but I’d been trying to give Taylor some insight on what Meagan was feeling. When he finished, he took the bathing supplies out of the room and I finally dropped the locket into my coat pocket, leaned my head back on the chair, and closed my eyes.

It took me two hours to get through that paragraph. How's your work going this week?

TA DA!

2012-02-01T08:00:00.011-05:00

I'm delighted to announce the publication of my novel, Damned If You Don't. This traditional mystery set in the Catskills features community activist Hannah Fox, raised in the sixties on picket lines and peace marches and unable to turn her back when corruption threatens her small town.

Hannah and her women's action group take on the power brokers behind an eminent domain scam that ends in murder. With a friend under suspicion, Hannah is drawn into the police case led by senior investigator Jack Grundy—a relationship that complicates her already shaky marriage. As she probes the dead man's shameful past, Hannah becomes convinced the murder was a heroic act, even when it's clear she may be the killer’s next victim.

So what’s it like, you may ask, sending your first-born out into the world? For me, it brings to mind the first day of kindergarten. It’s an exciting milestone when your child takes that step toward independence, but there are separation issues. Yours, not hers. No more tweaking or polishing, no more re-write. Off they go, on their own, Hannah and Jack and the Women of Action gang. I hope they’ve learned to work and play well with others.

Damned If You Don’t (L&L Dreamspell) is available in paperback from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The eBook is now available on Kindle, and will soon be available for other eReaders, including Nook and iBook. You can preview the first two chapters at Criminal Element, and find short story links at anitapagewriter.blogspot.com.

MTM: Occupy Fort Myers

2012-01-30T08:07:00.008-05:00

Fort Myers was one of the first forts built by the United States Government along the Caloosahatchee River in southwest Florida to be used as a base of operations against the Seminoles in the early1840’s. In the late 1850’s the fort was abandoned, but it was reactivated in 1863 by the United States government, which I have always found remarkable since Florida was one of the earliest states to secede and was long a member of the Confederacy by the time the fort reopened.

Today it is a city with a population of about seventy thousand and is the county seat of Lee County. Now there are lots of things for tourists to want to see or do Fort Myers, visit the summer homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, catch a Red Sox game at their spring training facility in City of Palms Park, or visit the Caloosa Nature Center and Planetarium. As for me, my idea of a good time in Fort Myers is to hang out with the good folks who Occupy Fort Myers.

Without making this a political post, suffice it to say that I attended an Occupy Fort Myers open mic rally by the old Federal Courthouse on January 20, 2012 to protest the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling commonly called Citizens United. If you are interested in learning more about the ruling, you can read about it on the Cornell University Law School website if you like a lot of “section this” and “whereas that” in your reading or you can go to the Wikipedia link which is much easier to digest.

I'm not here to talk about the reason for the rally, I want to tell you about the people who attended it. In spite of everything said about Occupiers in general. I want you to know that it was evident that probably all of us had showered, and in conversations here and there, I learned that most of us have jobs, or families or volunteer in a nursing home or in an environmental group. Apparently, Occupiers do have lives and manage to occupy anyway.

Early in the rally, one of the organizers used his mic time to remind us of the code of behavior we should try to maintain. If someone disagrees with our position on an issue, we should listen to their opinion and speak cordially. The police have worked cooperatively with us and we should respect their person and the job they have to do. And so on. Basically it was a reminder of good civics and good manners.

We did accost passersby and ask them to sign petitions. And if they said no, we wished them a good day and moved on to the next person walking down the street.

A few days later one of our number got locked up at a political function. He has been released awaiting trial and I saw him Saturday. Folks are chipping in for his defense fund and we are all praying the felony counts get reduced.

Well, Tuesday, January 31 is Primary Day in Florida and although I’m a registered Independent, lots of my neighbors are Republicans and they’ll have the opportunity to vote.

Thia week to celebrate Primary Day, the Occupiers will be protesting Florida’s brand new third party voter registration law. We are going to do that by registering people to vote. I know it sounds like a pretty radical rebellion. Helping Americans to exercise their right to vote is something I have been doing routinely for forty years, as evidenced by this post from several years ago. I don't think the Florida state legislature has the right to stop me. And why am I sure the law is ridiculous? The League of Women Voters has announced that for the first time in seventy-two years, they have suspended registering new voters in Florida. The League also is party to a law suit against the state of Florida because the new registration and voting laws are so egregious.

Shortly after I wrote this, the city of Oakland and its Occupiers had a major clash. It's not the first. May it be the last. I assure you that in General Assemblies throughout the Occupy movement, there will be much conversation and a sharpening of divergent opinions. In the end, may it lead to peaceful change.

For more My Town Monday posts click here.

Terrie

Discovery Mystery Award

2012-01-29T12:01:00.006-05:00

The first annual Discovery Mystery Award, a first book contest for unpublished writers trying to break into the mystery genre, has been announced by Poisoned Pen Press.

Mystery manuscripts, between 60,000-90,000 words, will be considered for a $1,000 prize, the Discover Mystery title, and a publishing contract from Poisoned Pen Press. Entry fee is $20.00. Entries are due by 11:59 pm (Pacific), April 30, 2012. A winner will be announced by May 31, 2012.

Dana Stabenow will serve as judge.

Come follow me on Twitter @katcop13.

Have I Got a Bargain for You!

2012-01-28T08:32:00.003-05:00

Every now and again the Women of Mystery get a nice heads up from the Hatchette Group about something interesting going on in the world of books. And this one is really great for all the George Pelecanos fans among you. That's everybody, right?

Derek Strange is back in the novel What it Was, released on January 23rd.

It’s Washington, D.C. in 1972 and Strange has left the police department and set up shop as a private investigator. His former partner, Frank "Hound Dog" Vaughn, is still on the force. When a young woman comes to Strange asking for his help recovering a cheap ring she claims has sentimental value, the case leads him onto Vaughn's turf, where a local drug addict has been murdered, shot point-blank in his apartment. Soon both men are on the trail of a ruthless killer: Red Fury, so called for his looks and the car his girlfriend drives, but a name that fits his personality all too well. Red Fury doesn't have a retirement plan, as Vaughn points out - he doesn't care who he has to cross, or kill, to get what he wants. As the violence escalates and the stakes get higher, Strange and Vaughn know the only way to catch their man is to do it their own way. Rich with details of place and time - the cars, the music, the clothes - and fueled by non-stop action.

And the really good news is that the e-book is on sale for only ninety nine cents for the first month after publication. Here is the Kindle link and the NOOK link. In a couple of weeks the e-book will be 4.99, so if you think you will ever purchase What It Was in e-book format, do it now.

Terrie

Friday Fun: Final Nazis, this time in Space!

2012-01-27T08:19:00.013-05:00

Okay, not to make this the 24/7 improbable conditions for Nazis blog, but I just saw a movie trailer to round out our frozen-zi and zombie-zi offerings. Yes, indeed, space Nazis. And this stylish, irreverent film looks like a heckuva good time, but there is some swearing in the trailer. (And that's what I'd do, too, upon learning the 3rd Reich was on the dark side of the moon.)

So here's the trailer from IRON SKY, which will premiere in about two weeks at the Berlin Film Festival. (not kidding)

Short Story Confusion/Question/Bleg

2012-01-26T07:01:00.002-05:00

(A bleg is when you beg for something on a blog.) Since I'm incredibly fortunate to share WoM with such talented authors, not to mention our blogpals and commenters, I'm sharing my current confusion to get your opinions.

Our own Anita Page once said wisely--I think, like many good authors she might have restated wisdom she'd picked up from another writer, but I don't recall whom--in a short story, you have time to handle in-depth any 2 among your plot, character, or setting. (There was also a nifty comparison to taking a hot air balloon ride that I can't quite flesh out from memory, but maybe she'll help with that.)

Anyway, I'm working on a short story that will likely end up around 5k. My plot isn't complicated, and setting is minimally described, but the character revelation is crucial. Here's where I'm getting worried. I'm using a less-linear structure, revealing the characters and the truth of their underlying relationship in slices. These slices are exposed through 3 alternating POVs:

Present day, experienced in first person (Guy1 decides, then tries, to steal something from Guy2.)
Their past, limited 3rd person (When Guy1 met Guy2 in their youth.)
Documentary (The quoted Q&A from a contemporary magazine interview, answers given by Guy2 which Guy1 reads)

I hope I'll avoid confusion, because the story stays centered on these 2 guys. The only other serious speaking part is a woman, and she's subsidiary. Now, I think that may be heavy enough for my story's balloon, but I have another opportunity that I seem to have written in unconsciously, and it leads to my question.

I could easily allow Guy1 and Guy2's identity to be confused with each other's until the end of the first act--around the 1,500 word point--once readers got a dose of each of the POVs above. In this case, discovering who's really in what position to whom would provide the Act I's hook.

In principle, would that irritate the crap out of you as a reader? Having read 4-5 pages and then having your preconception upended (might not even happen, since crime readers are innately suspicious of making assumptions) or perhaps having your vague suspicions confirmed, would that be satisfying and enticing?

Keeping in mind that the relationship and power between the two men IS the story, is that a strong enough reason to try to execute this triple toe-loop? Am I making too much trouble for myself in a way that's likely to diminish the final product? Do you find linearity and immediate clarity is a clear preference of short crime readers? How well do you think such maneuvers work short?

That's my bleg! All feedback gratefully encouraged.

Culture Shock

2012-01-25T12:39:00.004-05:00

We interrupted our at-home Western film festival this week for a nice fat dose of Lord Peter Wimsey. Talk about culture shock.

This adaptation of Dorothy Sayers’ The Nine Taylors, part of the 1970s series starring Ian Carmichael, opens with the theft of an emerald necklace at a house party at which Wimsey is a guest. The thieves flee; Wimsey unsuccessfully pursues. Fast forward to the trenches of World War I, and the rescue of Wimsey by the man we’ll come to know as Bunter—a scene that I don’t think occurs in the book (correct me if I’m wrong), though we learn about it in retrospect. Fast forward again. Wimsey and Bunter find themselves with a flat tire in the very village where the theft took place many years earlier. (Speaking of coincidence, Leigh!) Now comes the mystery: the reappearance of one of the thieves, the still-missing necklace, a mutilated body in the wrong grave. Here, too, comes our education in the change ringing of church bells, and the meaning of the title. The Nine Taylors refers to the nine strokes of the tenor bell, called Tailor Paul, that announce the death of a man.

Watching The Nine Taylors reminded me how much I loved Sayers, and Wimsey and Harriet Vane (this book predates her appearance in the series), and how pleasurable it was to be drawn into a world of afternoon tea and butlers, and a gentleman detective who sets the world right after it’s been disrupted by murder.

Tuesday Twosome

2012-01-24T02:35:00.000-05:00

I've been reading D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods this week and found he used coincidences at several points to move the story along. Most editors say that a no-no for novels, but I disagree. They happen in real life, and we should be able to use them in stories.

As an example, there was a story in the news about a family vacationing in Honduras and their sightseeing plane crashed. It went down beside a leisure boat and the passengers dove in to help rescue the plane's occupants. They needed immediate medical attention and another boat came by that happened to have two doctors on board, and they began treating the victims immediately, saving their lives. Coincidence, maybe; a miracle, yes!

Here's one of Stuart's scenes. Stone Barrington and Dino Bacchetti are in D.C. to investigate a murder at the behest of the president and his wife. They're examining the year-old crime scene for the first time:
Stone followed her gaze. Dino was standing next to a flower bed, holding a flat piece of granite. "What have you got there, Dino?"

"The murder weapon, I think." He walked over to where Stone and Fair stood. "It's an edging rock, and it was out of line with the others. It appears to have blood and hair on it and what looks like a lipstick smudge." He pointed to the smear of pink. "And it was still there after a year? And with blood, hair, and lipstick on it?" "It was stuck in the ground," Dino said, "under a bush. Evidence can sometimes last like that."

Later in the story, they take a break to visit the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian when they're interrupted by a call informing them a murder victim's cell phone is live:

"Let's see. It's moving right past the Smithsonian Institution right now. Seems to be stuck in traffic outside the Air and Space wing." "Holy shit! That's where we are!" Stone grabbed Dino's arm and ran for the door. "Come on!"

Highly unlikely? Sure. Believable? Absolutely.

What do you think about coincidence in a story? Do you use it? Do you dislike it?

It's A Mystery

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

This week’s New York Times Sunday Book Review had a short article at TBR: Inside the List by Gregory Cowles noting that 13 out of the 16 books on the list were mysteries or thrillers—headed by Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. It went on to state that thirty years ago, just 2 books on that week’s list could be considered mysteries: Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris while the majority were travelogues and epics such as Nobel House by James Clavell.

As a mystery writer, I was delighted to see that the genre I love was flourishing and it gave me a little extra hope that one day even I might see my name on the list. It got me wondering if readers were choosing mysteries not just for the thrills and chills they provide, but also for the quality of the writing. Do mysteries now compete more favorably against and sell better—unlike thirty years ago—than literally fiction? Do readers recognize and appreciate that it takes the same, if not more, work and thought to write a well-crafted whodunit as it does a work of literary fiction? Or, have tastes merely changed?

Let me know what you think because honestly, it’s a mystery to me.

Visit me at www.cathistoler.com to read an excerpt of my novel, TELLING LIES and check in on my latest news and events.

The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award

2012-01-21T20:06:00.007-05:00

The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award is accepting submissions for short fiction and memoir (up to 2,000 words), with a deadline of February 15, 2012. The first place winner's story will be considered for publication in the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC's upcoming anthology, Seasonal Pursuits: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales, and will be awarded $200. There will be prizes for Second and Third Place, and Honorable Mentions.

Final selection of winners will be done by The New York Times best-selling author, Jonathan Maberry. Finalists will be notified by March 15, 2012.

Stories must be previously unpublished. Multiple entries may be submitted. The entry fee is $10 per story. For further details, visit here. You can find @BethelemWriter on Twitter and Facebook. Jonathan is on Twitter -- @JonathanMaberry.

Come follow me on Twitter @katcop13.

All I Need While I Read: My Own Frozen Nazi Zombie!

2012-01-20T10:57:00.001-05:00

I, too, enjoy a variety of reading material, from fully-realized, complex tapestries of characters and language to frank trash. It depends upon what else I'm doing in life, what else I'm writing of my own, and the vagaries of my mood. So sue me. Building off the commentary in Laura's post about what she wants in a book--sentiments to which I wholeheartedly ascribe--I want also to suggest that during those times when ~~your~~ my reading material is unabashedly ~~rotting~~ rotten, it might be cool to have this commanding little friend and his ice-bound coffin at ~~your~~ my side.

But not too close to my marshmallow cocoa, because this incredibly detailed figurine from the ZomBee Toy Company comes with "Exclusive Artificial Zombie Sented Smell Odor !!" Mmmm, whiff that awesome literature!

What I Am Looking For In A Book

2012-01-19T01:47:00.001-05:00

I was having a conversation with our own Clare2e the other day, and I decided I didn't need much out of a book.

Deep characterization
Cryogenically preserved Nazis

Now, it's rare to find these in the same book. In fact, I'll go so far as to say they've never appeared in a book together. I dare you to prove me wrong. But here's the thing. If you can't give me a well-written book with characters I get to know intimately and come to feel strongly about, you had darn well better give me a dazzling plot that has ups and downs and, preferably, some things so outrageous I can't help reading more.

It doesn't have to be Nazis. They only come to mind because of James Rollins's ridiculous books, which take no time to read but are thoroughly enjoyable. The characters have the average depth of a raindrop, but they're always moving around, doing things, uncovering long-buried secrets, and...defrosting Nazis.

So maybe it makes me shallow that I can be entertained by such things, but I grew up on Han Solo frozen in Carbonite, so I figure that explains a lot.

PS: for great characters *and* high action, I direct you to our own Leigh Neely's post comparing the original Mission: Impossible series to today's Leverage.