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Clicking Our Heels: What is the Dream Book You Always Wanted to Write?

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Clicking Our Heels – What is the Dream Book You Always Wanted to Write?

Authors dream of the day their work will be published and hopefully, read. There is nothing as exciting as holding that first published piece, but sometimes it isn’t the writer’s dream book. In fact, the second and later published works may also not be the one the author hopes to someday write. Today, the gang talks about the dream book each always wanted to write. Maybe one response will become a New Year’s resolution.

Saralyn Richard – The story of my grandparents and the 1900 Storm.

T.K. Thorne – I’ve never obeyed the “rule” of choosing one genre and have always written whatever I’ve wanted, which has resulted in an eclectic set of books from the ancient past to the 20th Century civil rights struggles to a magical current day, to the distant future. Perhaps I could have sold more books had I obeyed the rule, but I don’t regret it. I’ve learned so much from each of them.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – I have three memoir topics I want to write. My army wife stories, my nurse stories and what I call the pie project which is about the year I baked 60 pies while teaching myself to make pies.

Lois Winston – The next NY Times bestseller.

Gay Yellen – I’ve been doing research for a historical fiction on a subject that grabbed me almost a decade ago and won’t let go. It centers on a critical point in history that has been underrepresented in literature but has affected greatly world cultures around the world.

Donnell Ann Bell – The one that is in mothballs right now. It’s so hard when it’s in my head and begging me to tell the story!

Debra H. Goldstein – A woman’s fiction book.

Debra Sennefelder – An epic fantasy.

Mary Lee Ashford – I’ve always wanted to write a big bold women’s fiction book. You know the type. Women overcoming big obstacles with grit and humor. And friends. I’ve got notes…maybe someday.

Donalee Moulton – Whatever one I am working on at the moment. Sadly (or gloriously) the moment passes, and there is another dream book waiting in the wings.

Dru Ann Love – I have none.

Anita Carter – A suspense heavy book with a complex plot. Maybe someday…

Bethany Maines – A high fantasy novel. I’ve been poking at one for several years. It’s not my genre, but it’s one that I love. Maybe one day I’ll move it to the front burner.

 

 

 

Clicking Our Heels – Wardrobes and Our Novels and Characters

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Clicking Our Heels – Wardrobes and Our Novels and Characters

When one thinks of the elements that go into a book, one thinks about things like characters, setting, voice, but the Gang members recently had a discussion about how wardrobe plays a role in our books and how we dress our characters. We thought we’d share our thoughts about wardrobe with you.

Lois Winston – Anastasia is too busy paying off the enormous debt her first husband saddled her with when he dropped dead at a casino in Las Vegas. Clothes shopping is the furthest thing from her mind these days. She’s most comfortable wearing her old Defy Gravity or NY Mets sweatshirts.

Saralyn Richard – I loved dressing Margo in Murder in the One Percent. She makes an entrance into the dining room for dinner in a smashingly elegant dress. I shopped for days online to find the perfect one!

Gay Yellen – One of the challenges Samantha Newman faces in my latest release, The Body in the News, is the “uniform” that her new employers force her to wear. The wardrobe directive inflames her natural rebelliousness and makes for a bit of humor as well.

Mary Lee Ashford – Fashion isn’t a big part of my current series, but in the Pampered Pets books Caro and Mel’s designer wardrobes were a big part of their characters. Because I’m not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, dressing Caro required a lot of fun research.

Donalee Moulton – One of the characters in the book I’m working on now, Bind, is a little out there, wonderfully so. She practices reflexology, is a certified yoga instructor, and may get messages from those in the great beyond. Dressing her — without making her a stereotype — is a challenge.

Debra Sennefelder – In my Resale Boutique Mystery series, Kelly Quinn is a fashionista and the backdrop of the series is her consignment shop, so I do pay attention to how the characters dress. Some are trendy, so I search online and follow fashion influencers and other characters really don’t care about fashion.

Anita Carter – In the Pampered Pets series, clothes play a large part in the characters. I’m not big into designer brands so had a subscription to Vogue, watched a lot of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and window-shopped the Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s websites.

Bethany Maines – Pinterest! Once I establish my character’s background the look becomes important and if I don’t already have something picked out Pinterest will ALWAYS be able to find me just the right outfit.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – Amanda moved from the city to a farm and I used her wardrobe to show how she is a fish out of water in the beginning. As she slowly gets accustomed to her new surroundings her wardrobe changes become an important indicator of how she’s trying to fit in. But I let her keep her stilettos because she’ll need them at the end.

T.K. Thorne – In my urban fantasy, House of Rose, Becca is always dressed well, in opposition to Rose, whose idea of fashion is a clean tee shirt and jeans. It was a fun way for the very different characters to express themselves, learn to love their differences and to recognize the deeper values that bind them.

Donnell Ann Bell – I think I’ve answered this question before. My characters are not clothes horses at this point. I garb them to suit the character. However, I occasionally write a secondary character that is well off and I describe that on the page.

Debra H. Goldstein – Wardrobe is more important for my secondary characters than for my major characters because it helps define their roles.

Dru Ann Love – No.

 

 

Clicking Our Heels – Challenges Being a Female Writer

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Clicking Our Heels – Challenges Being a Female Writer

Sisters in Crime was founded when Sara Paretsky and other female mystery writers saw a lack of parity between male and female authors. A later advertising slogan claims: “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby.” But let’s look at reality. What has been one of your challenges in being a female mystery writer, and how have you dealt with it?

Donalee Moulton – Ironically, perhaps, the challenge I find we face as female mystery writers is convincing agents and publishers we are not all the same. As writers, we bring our own voice to the conversation and that voice is singular regardless of our gender, our age, our place of residence.

Mary Lee Ashford – One of the challenges with being a female mystery writer (and especially an older female) is that you are constantly dealing with assumptions. I have to say that I think it’s gotten better and organizations like Sisters in Crime have helped. But it’s often still a challenge to be taken seriously.

Anita Carter – Balancing the day job, family, marriage and writing. There are many times I feel pulled in all directions. I’m sure that’s not only indicative of female mystery writers, but probably just writers in general.

Debra Sennefelder – Honestly, I’ve dealt with challenges so many other authors have dealt with like getting an agent, getting an editor to fall in love with my book idea. I kept working hard. I don’t recall a situation where being a female was an added challenge to my pursuit of writing. Thanks to all those who have come before me for that.

Donnell Ann Bell – Because I’m a woman I have a tendency to put other people’s needs before my own. If I am to grow this career, I need to develop a bit of selfishness. Not rudeness or lack of consideration, you understand, but an ability to know my own limits and to realize I can’t help everybody as much as I want to.

Gay Yellen – When my first book was published, a few acquaintances confessed they wouldn’t be reading it because they were only interested in reading non-fiction or “literary” fiction. Their genre prejudice was a shock I soon got over. As for being female, I’m aware of the historic bias of mainstream publishers which made it difficult for women writers to achieve contract parity. Change is slow, but it’s happening, I hope. The antidote is to write the best book I can and, hopefully, earn validation that my work is worthy.

Debra H. Goldstein – Breaking out of being stereotyped in my work.

Lois Winston – Trust me, it was worse being a female romance author, especially when my husband’s male coworkers would ask how I research my sex scenes. (This occurred every year at the company holiday party after they’d downed one too many egg nogs!) Now I worry the FBI will come knocking because I’m researching different ways to kill people. I employed sarcasm to deal with the former, and I keep my fingers crossed to deal with the latter.

T.K. Thorne – Women writers in the genre struggle to get equal recognition, reviews, etc. as documented by groups like Sisters in Crime. When I started writing (several decades ago) I was keenly aware of this, and I think it fed into my decision to write under my initials (T.K).

Dru Ann Love – So far I have not experienced any challenges.

Bethany Maines – I think there are loads of female mystery writers and in general no one even blinks. I think it’s when the genre starts to skew more toward thriller or crime and away from cozy that readers might start to think “those are masculine!” But I think that the rise of indie publishing has sort of stomped down a lot of the genre/gender barriers. It’s one of the great benefits of indie publishing that I don’t think enough people are looking at.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – I’m still working full time so always my biggest challenge is carving out time. Not just for the writing but also the agent search, finding first readers and follow up on so many little things.

Saralyn Richard – Ironically, I detest violence of any sort and faint at the sight of blood, yet I love mysteries. Sometimes my characters put me in uncomfortable situations, and I have to write my way through.

 

 

 

 

 

Clicking Our Heels – Where We Would Live if Money Was No Object

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If Money Was No Object – Where Would We Live?

Have you ever wondered what you would do if a fortune fell into your lap? Today, we share where in the world, if money was no object, each of us would live in the world?

Barbara J. Eikmeier – I’m pretty happy living right where I am in Kansas. However, I’d love living in a charming little craftsman style home with a big front porch. I have a floor plan I’ve kept for over 35 years and every time I come across it, I still think I could totally live in that house!

Saralyn Richard – Possibly New Zealand? But I already live in paradise.

Dru Ann Love – Paris, France.

T.K. Thorne – In a warm land with a small garden surrounded by trees on a mountain overlooking the ocean … with no mosquitoes. (Let me know if you find such a place.)

Lois Winston – Manhattan! That was the plan. It never happened. And now I’m living in Tennessee!

Gay Yellen – I’d have three houses: one on a lovely beach somewhere, one near Glacier National Park, and for the third, a cozy pied-à-terre in Paris.

Donnell Ann Bell – Oooh, I’m finding I really like warm weather. I’d probably stay where I am part of the time, and when the weather wasn’t cold, live in Colorado closer to my kids and grandbabies.

Debra H. Goldstein – The beach! I’d like an air-conditioned place big enough for guests that overlooks the water so that I could stare at the waves for hours without sweating.

Debra Sennefelder – Such an interesting question. I think I’d stay in the town where I am. I love it here. But I would love to have a summer house in Wyoming or Montana.

Anita Carter – I’d love to live in Australia! If for some reason if that couldn’t work out, I’d consider Portugal.

Mary Lee Ashford – If money were no object, I’d move nearer to the beach. I would need a lot of money though, as I’d have to move the whole family. Because though a lovely beachside home would be perfect. I couldn’t be that far away from my grandchildren.

Donalee Moulton – Nova Scotia will always be home. But a villa in Tuscany sounds wonderful. I would be okay with Portugal. Or Hawaii.

Bethany Maines – Hm… I really like where I’m at, but I guess I would like to try living in Greece for awhile.

Clicking Our Heels – If We Could Be Any of Our Characters

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If We Could Be Any of Our Characters

When you read a book, do you ever imagine what it would be like if you could be one of the characters, even for a day? We thought it would be interesting to see, if given the opportunity, which of our characters we would each switch with.

Bethany Maines – Uh… eeek. My heroines have a lot of adventures. I’m not sure I’m cut out for some of that. This is a bit of a deep cut, but I’ll go with Ariana Grace from my short story anthology “Tales from the City of Destiny.” Ariana is a half-fae antique dealer who lives in Tacoma who also solves a few problems and mysteries. That way I would still be a small business owner and still live in Tacoma, but I would have a bit of magic and mystery.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – Julia. She’s so confident and fun.

Saralyn Richard – Nana, the sheepdog pup, who just wants to have fun!

Dru Ann Love – Lizzie.

T.K. Thorne – That’s a difficult question because they have all had really tough times that I would not want to go through! Perhaps Adira from my second historical novel, Angels at the Gate, the story of Lot’s wife. I love the romance between her and one of the “angels” and her bond with her desert dog, Nami.

Debra H. Goldstein – Mama Maybelle so I could say “Bless Your Heart” to people with a straight face and get away with it.

Lois Winston – This is a loaded question. My characters all deal with problems I’d never want—like constant dead bodies. However, if I could switch places without the dead bodies and other baggage I’ve dumped on her, I’d opt for Anastasia Pollack, my reluctant amateur sleuth, because of her strength, courage, and resilience.

Gay Yellen – It wouldn’t be Samantha, because she finds herself in trouble much too often. I’d choose her friend, Gertie, who has waited a long time for happiness and has finally found it.

Donnell Ann Bell – I’d switch places with any of my female protagonists AFTER the case was solved. 😊

Debra Sennefelder – Kelly Quinn from my Resale Boutique Mystery series. I’m so jealous she’s surrounded by clothes all day.

Anita Carter – Honestly, probably not a single one. They’re all very flawed, find too many dead bodies, and have more issues than I do. Ha!

Mary Lee Ashford – Oh, it would definitely be Caro Lamont from the Pampered Pets series. Who wouldn’t want to live in Laguna Beach and spend their days with cute cats and dogs?

Donalee Moulton – Riel Brava, the main character in my book Hung Out to Die, is a psychopath. Not the Hannibal Lecter kind of psychopath, the other kind — those who live and work among us without violence or animus. I’d like to step into Riel’s world for a few days.

 

 

 

Clicking Our Heels – Gluttony and Our Just Desserts

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Clicking Our Heels – Gluttony and Our Just Desserts

Sometimes, in a restaurant, have you ever found yourself too full for dessert, but you eat one anyway? What would it be? These are the just desserts that Stiletto Members can’t live without.

 T.K. Thorne – If tiramisu or cream brûlée is offered, I am lost….

Donnell Ann Bell – Pecan pie 😊

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – If I’m sharing with my husband, it’s always Crème Brûlée, that’s his favorite. Otherwise, it might be something with lemon. I love lemon cake and lemon bars.

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – It sounds cliché but if it’s chocolate, I’m in. In fact, I’ll forgo parts of the other courses just to make sure there’s room for the chocolate.

Gay Yellen – My husband it the dessert eater, so I usually take a bite of whatever he’s ordered, which is usually something chocolate. On the rare occasion when I order dessert, it’s bread pudding, or a fruit tarte or cobbler.

Debra Sennefelder – Anything chocolate.

Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Any fresh baked good. I love them all.

Lois Winston – Crème Brûlée.

Dru Ann Love – Ice cream.

Saralyn Richard – I can’t think of any, but my characters really love chocolate mousse cake with ganache.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – Crème brûlée.

Bethany Maines – The one that’s on the dessert menu.  I will eat that one.

Debra H. Goldstein – Any mini-treat that comes in a tiny glass like those at Seasons 52.

Clicking Our Heels: Hobbies that De-Stress and Fill Our Wells

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Clicking Our Heels: Hobbies that De-Stress and Fill Our Wells

Have you ever felt super stressed? Blocked from doing anything? Do you have a hobby or other activity that de-stresses you and fill your well? Here’s what works for the different Stiletto Gang members.

Bethany Maines – My daughter and I had a standing date last summer for Fridays so that we could do art.  I took half days on Friday and we would pick a project and try it out.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – Hands down working in my sewing room. If I can sew for an hour, I can feel my stress level drop.

Saralyn Richard – Gardening, cooking, being out in nature.

Dru Ann Love – Quilting and reading and watching Sci-fi movies

T.K. Thorne – Tending my little pond and brushing my horses. Combing tangles out of their tails, in particular, calms me. I can’t explain why, but it is a semi-mindless process that gives me satisfaction, even when I know that the next day it will all be a mess again.

Debra H. Goldstein – Reading for pleasure or soaking in a hot tub with a gossipy magazine.

Lois Winston – Other than wine? Listening to Rhapsody in Blue while taking a long walk.

Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Walking the dog. Nothing beats it.

Gay Yellen – Reading is my #1 go-to when I need to relax or spark my writing brain. If I’m too stressed to read, I work the hardest crossword puzzles I can find. As I concentrate on something so completely mundane, it works to tune out the emotional noise.

Donnell Ann Bell – I am playing pickleball often these days and learned it is a perfect de-stresser.

Debra Sennefelder – I enjoy counted cross stitch.

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey)- When I get stressed or need to think something through, I’ll clean my office or a closet and organize everything.

Mary Lee Ashford  (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – I wish I had some hobbies, but I don’t really have any unless you count reading. For me, refilling the creative well is a book on the beach, or a favorite coffee shop with a book and a latte. Sometimes wandering the library will do it or browsing a bookshop.

Clicking Our Heels: Our Secret Passions

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Clicking Our Heels: Our Secret Passions

 How many of us have ever had a secret passion? Did you act on it or do you keep it buried within yourself? We thought it would be fun this month to delve into the secret passions of the Stiletto Gang members and whether they ever acted on them.

 Lois Winston – I have two. I wanted to be an astronaut, but NASA wasn’t interested in vertically challenged candidates prone to motion sickness. I also wanted to be on Broadway, but Broadway wasn’t interested in singers who can’t sing, actors who can’t act, and dancers who can’t dance. Go figure!

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 Sparkle Abbey) – My passion has always been writing so that’s not much of a secret. I will say, however, as a recent retiree that I’ve discovered an interest in history and genealogy that I just never had the time to pursue when I was working full time. It has led to some fun discoveries!

Barbara J. Eikmeier – I’d love to draw. I took informal lessons at one time and think I can draw if only I’d apply myself.

Dru Ann Love – No.

Debra H. Goldstein – For years, I wanted to be a comedian (and I can still be pretty funny once I have a microphone in my hands), a politician, or a writer. One out of the three isn’t bad.

Donnell Ann Bell – Probably my deep-seated wish for all people to find justice, forgive one another, and not turn to violence when they can’t have it. That’s why I write to release my passion to right this crazy world.

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – It’s not a secret, but I’m passionate about the beach! Living in Iowa, beach life couldn’t be more dormant!

Gay Yellen – Even before I could read, I was making up my own poems. I wrote for a living (for magazines and businesses) beginning in my late twenties. Books were my passion from childhood, so as a published author, I suppose you could say I’m living the dream.

Saralyn Richard – I yearned to be a writer for many decades before I arrived at the place and time where I could fulfill the dream.

Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Improv. Just started taking classes and I love it!

T.K. Thorne – I always wanted to be an artist and paint. During Covid, I started playing with it and to my surprise, I wasn’t as awful as I thought I would be. It has given me many hours of joy.

Bethany Maines – Nope. I pretty much try to do all my passions.  You only get one shot at this life—do it while you can.

Debra Sennefelder – I don’t think so.

 

Clicking Our Heels – Our Writing Kryptonites

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Clicking Our Heels – Our Writing Kryptonites

Everyone thinks of writers as being focused and driven to write a specific number of words a day. The truth is writers can be distracted. Here are some of the things that make it difficult for each of us to write.

Bethany Maines – Interesting conversations happening in my vicinity (even when I don’t know the people involved).

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – Wow, just one. There are so many distractions! I’m generally pretty good at pushing aside the noise and focusing, but family worries make it impossible and any looming deadlines in other areas of my life make focusing difficult.

Debra Sennefelder – Connie, my Shih Tzu. She’s always looking for a play session.

Donnell Ann Bell – During 2022 and 23, I was traveling back and forth a great deal to take care of my mom. Kryptonite was an apt term when you’re afraid to start anything because you’re likely to be called away at any minute. (Mindset was a problem). Mom passed November 2023 and just as I was outlining where I left off in working title Manhunt, my social media account was hacked. I am on the verge of getting that resolved, I think, but it’s been a process. It’s hard to write when worry consumes you.

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – I cannot write if someone is standing behind me, or watching me. That’s the worst!

Gay Yellen – What can throw me off is distressing news, or often, real life obligations, some of which are not only necessary, but also enriching.

Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Dog eyes. When my dog stares at me waiting to play, eat, or walk. Not that she ever lacks any of the above LOL.

Debra H. Goldstein – Almost anything. Unless I’m feeling motivated or under a time deadline, I’m not very disciplined.

Lois Winston – {{{Stress!!!}}}

T.K. Thorne – I fall down multiple rabbit holes trying stay up with email and the news. There is so much going on in the world, it’s difficult to focus.

Dru Ann Love – Coming up with an idea or plot.

Saralyn Richard – House guests!

Barbara J. Eikmeier – My dog bumping my arm for attention while I’m typing.

Clicking Our Heels – Our Favorite Lines from Books

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Clicking Our Heels – Our Favorite Lines from Books

The words authors write are often called “Darlings.” Most of the members of the Stiletto Gang have written several books, stories, or reviews. Have you ever wondered what line we’ve written that is our favorite or what line we’ve read that we wished we wrote? We’re letting you in on our secret favorites:

 Lois Winston – A first line should be a tease that makes the reader want to continue reading the first paragraph, which for me is more important than the first line. One of my favorites is from A Stitch to Die For, the fifth book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series:

Two weeks ago my mother, Flora Sudberry Periwinkle Ramirez Scoffield Goldberg O’Keefe, took her sixth trip down the aisle to become Flora Sudberry Periwinkle Ramirez Scoffield Goldberg O’Keefe Tuttnauer. The groom’s daughter was a no-show. At the time of the ceremony her body was being fished out of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in Lambertville, New Jersey.

Gay Yellen – The current favorite is in my newest release, The Body in the News, when Samantha Newman says, “There’s a big difference between working in the news business and being in the news, and right now I wouldn’t give a dime for either one.”

Donnell Ann Bell – What a timely question. I read two great lines today from The Forgotten Man: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel.  One scene involves fourteen-year-old runaway Elvis Cole, who is hellbent on finding his father. The lines that struck me are: “Parents should come with a license.” Then one with stellar foreshadowing: “You have a knack for this, I gotta give you that. Here you are, a kid, and you track these bastards down like a professional. You’d make a helluva detective.”

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey)- This was a hard question, but I’m going to go with the first line from Desperate Housedogs. “I don’t normally break into people’s home, but today I was making an exception.”  It will come as no surprise to my fellow writers that this wasn’t the original first line, but one that came after many passes through the story.

Debra Sennefelder – My favorite line so far is from my newest release, A CORPSE AT THE WITCHING HOUR, when Drew sees Hope’s ugly Halloween sweater.

“Oh. My. Ghouls.”

T.K. Thorne – I actually have two favorite lines, both from Na’amah, a young girl in my historical novel, Noah’s Wife. She is on the spectrum and wants only to be a shepherdess in her beloved hills. She begins her story with this: “My name, Na’amah, means beautiful or pleasant. I am not always beautiful, but I am pleasant.”

Na’amah was amazing with her sheep, but very bad at traditional women’s work. After an intense scene and having sex for the first time, she made a comment to herself that was true to her character but one I wasn’t expecting: “Maybe I will be better at this than sewing.”

Dru Ann Love – “And there she is,” I say, a moment later, “the Cyclone, standing tall for ninety-five years. Isn’t she majestic?” From “Ticket To Ride” from the Happiness Is a Warm Gun-Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles anthology.

Saralyn Richard – Quinn’s family always joked about death, but that summer death stopped being funny. —from Bad Blood Sisters.

Bethany Maines – Well, I find myself hilarious, so that’s a tough call.  I’ve had some lines that I love, but oddly I’m probably most proud when I really get it right on my marketing materials.  Writing in a novel, while difficult, is like painting a wall sized mural –there’s a lot of space to work. Getting a line write in a marketing piece where you get maybe 5 seconds to catch someone’s attention is a lot more difficult to do.  So probably, I’m most proud of the line from my San Juan Island Mystery Series, “This island is full of private little wars. And murder.”

Barbara J. Eikmeier – It’s so hard to choose, so I’ll just say that I always love the line, in any book, that explains the title of the book.

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – I can’t think of a specific line, but there have been times when I’ve reread a passage during edits and I’ve thought, hey that was pretty good.

Debra H. Goldstein – “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” (Rebecca)