donalee Moulton

The 30,000-foot view of writing

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We’ve been talking about editing, an essential element in the writing process that writers relish. 

When you’re creating characters, polishing plot, and tossing red herrings around to mystify readers, it can be easy to lose sight of the book as a whole, to remember what happened in chapter four when you’re on chapter fourteen.

Writers also get close to their work, sometimes too close. We spend time, often at 4 a.m., thinking about the novel, the action, the actors, the unfolding of the story. It’s hard to see the whole when you’re immersed in the parts.

That’s where editing comes in. But we’ve been talking about editing as if it’s one thing. It isn’t. There are several kinds of editing, and they take place at different points in the writing process.

Substantive Editing

This is where the high-level work begins, the 30,000-foot view before we delve into the weeds. It involves rethinking and rewriting. This may mean rewriting whole paragraphs or the entire document. It may involve restructuring or reorganizing parts of the text. It may include identifying where new information is required or existing information should be deleted.

Editors Canada has this to say about substantive editing, which is also called structural or developmental editing.

Structural editing
Assessing and shaping draft material to improve its organization and content. Changes may be suggested to or drafted for the writer. Structural editing may include:

  • revising, reordering, cutting, or expanding material

  • writing original material

  • determining whether permissions are necessary for third-party material

  • recasting material that would be better presented in another form, or revising material for a different medium (such as revising print copy for web copy)

  • clarifying plot, characterization, or thematic elements

Substantive editing is major surgery. It is about ensuring the medical team is ready to operate. Blood work has been analyzed, the plan for the procedure reviewed, the instruments lined up neatly, everything and everyone sterilized. The goal: to ensure a successful outcome.

That’s what writers want for their readers. Substantive editing helps them do that. Editors Canada notes that this type of editing supports writers as they define their goals, identify their readers, and shape the manuscript in the best possible way. It enables writers to clarify the argument, fix the pacing, suggest improvements, and draw missing pieces from the author.

It makes the view from 30,000 feet truly spectacular.

Learn More

You can learn more about this in donalee’s book The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say.

Photo of Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter

Spring Into Meeting Readers

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by Sparkle Abbey

spring flowers with blue sky in background

As we dig out from winter here in the Midwest, our thoughts turn to spring. And for us spring brings not only spring flowers and much nicer weather (we hope) but also great opportunities to get out to book events.

It kicks off the season for mystery conferences, such as Left Coast Crime, Malice Domestic, Sleuthfest, and more. And starts out the year’s book festivals like, DSM Book Festival, Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival, Tucson Festival of Books, the LA Times Festival of  Books. As well as many wonderful smaller festivals and events around the country as well as other parts of the world. And those are just the spring get-togethers!

There are so many wonderful book events with chances for us. as authors. to connect with each other. And to meet in person the most important book people. The people who keep us in the business of telling stories – readers.

Sadly, we can’t attend them all and so we have to choose. A choice that can be so difficult. Each one has its own flavor and unique opportunities to connect. Sometimes scheduling makes the decision for us. Other times deadlines or book release dates may be a factor. And at times, the location may impact which ones we can attend.

As we line up our 2025 spring events as well as plan out the rest of 2025, we’d love to hear from you. How do you choose which in-person book events to attend? And what things factor into those decisions?

Photo of Mary Lee Ashford and Anita CarterPlease let us know your thoughts. And, of course, we look forward to seeing you at some of the book events this year!

Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don’t tell the other neighbors.)

They love to hear from readers and can be found on Facebook and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites. Also, if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website

 

Clicking Our Heels – Our Personal Favorites – Police, Investigators, or Researchers

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Clicking Our Heels Featured ImageClicking Our Heels – Our Personal Favorites – Police,  Investigator, or Researchers

Crime fiction writers often depend upon others to make sure our stories are accurate. Today, we talk about police, investigators, or researchers we have encountered who are our favorites – whether real or fictional.

Barbara J. Eikmeier – A conversation with a forensic anthropologist. She knows a lot about markers in bones!

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 Sparkle Abbey) – The investigator/researcher that I find fascinating is the forensic anthropologist who uses their scientific knowledge to reveal the human side of a victim. It’s fascinating to me that the sum of hard data about a victim can be translated to a more complete picture. And how that can result in perhaps identifying the person.

Judy Penz Sheluk – I love Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, but I grew up reading Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series. In my opinion, he set the gold standard.

Gay Yellen – Hmm… Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski comes to mind, because she was an early kickass female private investigator that caught on with a legion of fans.

Donalee Moulton – Right now, and in keeping with the times, it would be AI and how AI can be used to provide information about a crime scene. I understand this is the tip of a very big iceberg.

Paula G. Benson – An assistant coroner came to speak to our local SinC chapter. While giving his talk, He received a call about a human skeleton that had been located and needed to be identified. He showed us the photos he was receiving by text and allowed us to determine gender and other factors with him.

Bethany Maines – I don’t write a lot of procedurals, but I’m fascinated by genealogy and I love Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. I’d love to work a genealogist crime solver into one of my stories.

Debra H. Goldstein – Because I am a Perry Mason fan, it would be Paul Drake.

Donnell Ann Bell – Oh, gosh what a tough question. Steven Kerry Brown, John J. Robinson, Steve Pease, writing as Michael Chandos, Wally Lind, Wesley Harris, Lee Lofland, Kathy Bennett, Robin, Burcell, Brooke Terpening, Katherine Ramsland, Dr. Fred Collins, Chris Herndon, Pete Klismet …I could go on and on…

Saralyn Richard – I write police procedurals, and my investigator is Detective Oliver Parrott. After four novels in the series, Parrott continues to fascinate me. When I first met him, he reminded me of Connolly’s Harry Bosch and Patterson’s Alex Cross. I named him Parrott as a nod to Christie’s Hercule Poirot.

T.K. Thorne – D.P.Lyle is a cardiologist who writes forensic books (as well as his own fiction) to guide writers. He is full of the most interesting information!

Lois Winston – I belong to CrimeSceneWriter. There are experts in every field who answer authors’ questions whether medical, forensic, legal, or technical. I’ve learned quite a bit from these experts, and they’ve kept me from making huge mistakes in my books. It would be impossible to pick just one of them because they’re all such fabulous sources.

Anita Clark (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – Well, about 20 years ago we moved into our new house and found a pipe bomb in our backyard. After the bomb squad detonated it, I chatted up the sergeant and invited him to speak at my local writing group. He was a great resource for years until he moved on.

 

 

 

Author Lois Winston on Cozy Mystery Books vs. the Mind-boggling World of Minecraft

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By Lois Winston

Image by InoxyBuild from Pixabay

There was a time when I enjoyed fantasy, science fiction, and even some horror. The summer before ninth grade, I discovered The Lord of the Rings trilogy and read all three books within a few weeks. The books of Ira Levin, Arthur C. Clarke, and Tom Tryon filled my spare time throughout high school and into college, in-between assigned literary works like Moby Dick and The Bell Jar.

I also like to think that I have a decent knowledge of current events and trends, although I have no interest in following most of those trends. I can still kill it on Jeopardy most nights, though I’ll admit, the answers aren’t coming at the same rapid speed they once did. The brain is a muscle, and with the inevitability of growing old, all muscles, no matter how much you exercise them, start slowing down with age.

But then there’s Minecraft. My eight and ten-year-old grandsons are obsessed with it. They play it as much as they’re allowed, and when they’ve used up their screen time for the day, they either read Minecraft books or talk about Minecraft incessantly.

And I just don’t get it. Not their obsession. I get obsessions. I had plenty of my own throughout childhood and even into adulthood. My obsessions haven’t ceased. I recently became obsessed with West Wing, a show I had never watched back in the day, but I spent hours binge-watching the entire seven seasons in the autumn and early winter of 2024.

What I don’t get is Minecraft. I’ve tried. I’ve watched my grandsons play and listened to their explanation of the rules. I’ve read aloud chapters in their Minecraft books. But try as I might, I can’t wrap my brain around what strikes me as very random and odd rules concerning assorted worlds, cauldrons, emeralds, ores, ender dragons, wizards, witches, elder guardians, blocky animals, trees that don’t look like trees, and mining fatigue. And those are just a few of the oddities. It’s enough to make my head spin. It really bothers me that I seem completely incapable, even after hours of tutelage, of grasping the most rudimentary aspects of Minecraft. 😵‍💫

Perhaps Minecraft makes perfect sense to the pre-pubescent brain because they’re more open to wonderous possibilities. After all, they still believe in Santa Claus. It’s probably best that I stick to my own imaginary world of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. The murder and mayhem I throw at my reluctant amateur sleuth in my cozy mystery books makes far more sense to me than the pixelated world of Minecraft ever will.

What about you? Is there something about modern culture or trends that leaves you stymied and scratching your head? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free download of any of the currently available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery audiobooks.

~*~

USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Lois Winston began her award-winning writing career with Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous fish-out-of-water novel about a small-town girl going off to the big city and the mother determined to bring her home to marry the boy next door. That was followed by the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception.

Then Lois’s writing segued unexpectedly into the world of humorous amateur sleuth mysteries, thanks to a conversation her agent had with an editor looking for craft-themed mysteries. In her day job, Lois was an award-winning craft and needlework designer, and although she’d never written a mystery—or had even thought about writing a mystery—her agent decided she was the perfect person to pen a series for this editor.

Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes fourteen novels and three novellas. Lois also writes the Empty Nest Mysteries and has written several standalone mystery novellas. Other publishing credits include romance, chick lit, and romantic suspense novels, a series of romance short stories, a children’s chapter book, and a nonfiction book on writing, inspired by her twelve years working as an associate at a literary agency. Her latest release is Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery.

Learn more about Lois and her books at www.loiswinston.com where you can find links for her other social media sites and sign up for her newsletter to receive a free download of an Anastasia Pollack Mini-Mystery.

donalee Moulton

Editing Essentials: Revising, Reworking, Revitalizing

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Great writers don’t need an editor. They demand one. What first-rate writers understand is that another pair of eyes or a fresh pair of eyes are essential to successful communication. This second looks brings a new perspective, the distance that only time (even a little time) can offer, and renewed energy to improve content.

Let’s try this exercise. You’ll need a piece of paper, 8.5” x 11” if possible.

1. Transform that flat piece of paper into the world’s most wonderful flying machine. The goal is to fly as far as possible.

2. Take a few minutes to play with different designs, then stand up and launch your creation. How far did it go?

3.  Now let’s rethink, or edit, the exercise. What did your flying machine look like? Something similar to a paper airplane?

4.  Now let’s review the instructions, the language. Nowhere did it say to build a paper airplane. It said a flying machine. The goal was distance.

What would be an easier way to build a flying machine? What would get us great distance? Crumpling the paper into a ball would.

That’s what editing does. As we write, whether for a reader or a listener, we dive in. Ideas flow. We create content. We think about our audience. We identify important points to make. We’re in the midst of our content, our characters, and our creativity.

When we edit, we take a step back. We come up for air. We have a different perspective – and a draft on which to overlay a fresh set of eyes. Even short pieces of writing should be edited. We need to think before we walk away. We need to give ourselves time to review and revise. To take one last read through (or think through). You’ll be surprised at what you missed or decide to revise.

Editing is essential to clear, concise, compelling writing. But editing isn’t just one thing. Just as pizza isn’t just one thing. There is deep dish pizza with red carnival spinach. Thin crust pepperoni and Bloomsdale spinach. New York-style pizza with Tyee spinach. Notice though that although the type of pizza is different there are common elements.

That’s also true when it comes to editing. There are three broad types: substantive editing, stylistic editing, and copyediting.

I thought we could spend a little time exploring these different types of editing in future blogs. Until then, I’d love to hear from you about your editing process, what drives you nuts, what makes your heart soar sing.

Learn More.

You can learn more about this in donalee’s book The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say.

 

About donalee

donalee is a professional writer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her byline has appeared in over 100 publications across North America. Her most recent book Conflagration!  won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Historical Mystery Suspense. Her other books include a murder mystery based in Nova Scotia and a non-fiction book about effective communications, and she has more coming out this year. She is a longtime educator and currently offers a variety of editorial services and workshops to help authors hone their writing and get it published. 

You can catch up with her on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Clicking Our Heels – Crimes We’ve Avoided Writing About

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Clicking Our Heels Featured ImageClicking Our Heels – Crime We’ve Avoided Writing About

Each member of the Stiletto Gang has dragged their heels in the dirt rather than write about certain types of crime, but if we did, we’d have to develop a special protagonist or antagonist.

T.K. Thorne – Murder has been my go-to crime, although I have written about others in the course of telling stories—rape, theft, and some crimes that have no name have found their way in there! I have a very competent police officer, who is also a witch, to deal with them. (House of Rose, House of Stone, and House of Iron.)

Lois Winston – Because I write humorous cozy mysteries, I don’t write about certain crimes, especially ones involving children. I won’t read about them, either. They give me nightmares. I’d never want to get into the mind of someone so depraved as to commit such crimes.

Saralyn Richard– One of my novels deals with sex trafficking, but I’ve stayed away from sex crimes like rape. A novel about rape would require a different protagonist, antagonist, AND author.

Donnell Ann Bell – I am not a fan of sexual or physical abuse or writing about it. As a former volunteer victims’ advocate, I know what victims endure. If abuse is part of a character’s backstory, I do my best to place it off scene. I’m not a fan of gratuitous anything in any form.

Bethany Maines – I recently wrote a short romance story and had the hardest time not having any crime. Crime makes everything fun. So let’s run through the list… murder (solved by an ex-CIA agent and his granddaughter), criminal organization with all the drug dealing and trafficking that goes with it (mob enforcer and the high school’s fixer go toe to toe with a mob boss), diamond smuggling (struggling dog walker and TV news cameraman catch feelings and the bad guys), murder and white collar crime (the Deveraux cousins all take a swing at this Big Pharma baddie) and of course there are the paranormal shenanigans that require some witches, wolves, and selkies to keep the world from disaster.

Paula G. Benson – Suffocation. I wonder about a protagonist and antagonist who have been co-workers on an auto assembly line as the air bag was being developed. Why would one focus on it as lifesaving and the other see its deadly potential?

Debra H. Goldstein – I’m an equal opportunity crime user, but I prefer not to write about children or animals being injured or killed. If I did, I would have to give my protagonist a good reason to save the day and my antagonist a better reason for being deviant.

Donalee Moulton – I don’t do gruesome, at least I haven’t to date. That is partly because I dread having to do research into some of these topics. It’s also because would prefer not to dwell on the dark underbelly. That said, I can see I time coming when the underbelly may demand a scratch or two.

Gay Yellen – My novels deal mainly with homicides, but the tone is ultimately light-hearted, so Samantha Newman is an amateur sleuth and the killers often multi-task with fraud, petty theft, and plain old fibbing.

Judy Penz Sheluk – I’ve never included a cat burglar, but if I were to do it, I’d like to emulate something along the lines of the very clever 1960s Robert Wagner /Fred Astaire TV series, It Takes a Thief.

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 Sparkle Abbey) – Although I spent the last several years of my public service career in IT, I’ve not tackled a cybercrime in any of my stories. It could be an interesting premise, right. There are so many possibilities. But I’d need a super smart villain and a tech savvy protagonist with mad skills to set up the story. Still thinking on this one…

Barbara J. Eikmeier – Something on a farm that seems like part of the daily operation but over time could become toxic. A death could easily look accidental.

Anita Clark (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – I haven’t dealt with crimes that involve children. I just can’t go there and can’t imagine I ever will.

 

 

 

Writing Life and Inspiration: Strangers + “What if?” = Plots and Characters in Fiction

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By Lois Winston

Whenever I hear a writer complain that she can’t come up with an idea for a plot or character, I offer this advice: “Get off your phone and keep your eyes and ears open.” No matter where I go—from the supermarket to a doctor’s appointment to the line at the DMV—I see people with their noses buried in their phones. I’m the outlier. As an author, part of my writing life is spent eavesdropping on conversations and observing the behaviors of those around me. That’s where I get much of my writing inspiration. For me, strangers + “what if?” = plots and characters in many of my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

Ideas for plots and characters are all around us if we just take the time to look and listen. Neighbors, friends, relatives, strangers, and the daily news provide constant sources of ideas for plots and characters. All you need to do is channel your inner snoop gene while pretending not to pay attention.

I’ve been privy to the most sensitive of conversations while sitting on a commuter train, in a department store dressing room, and even while doing the necessary in a mall ladies’ room stall. Sometimes, I’ve even heard both ends of the conversation, thanks to the person on the train or in the dressing room or lavatory having placed the call on speaker. Those lavatory experiences became the source of a scene in Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.

The world is full of interesting and odd individuals, and I came across some of the oddest back in 1998 when my husband and I moved to a new house. These people and their strange habits have stuck with me over the years. With the encouragement of some of my readers to whom I told about these former neighbors, I incorporated them into my latest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery. To my knowledge, none of the real people were ever murdered or committed murder, but the traits I observed did make their way into Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in my series, currently up for preorder with a release date of February 2, 2025.

Seams Like the Perfect Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14

When staffing shortages continue to hamper the Union County homicide squad, Detective Sam Spader once again turns to his secret weapon, reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. How can she and husband Zack Barnes refuse when the victim is their new neighbor?

Revolutionary War reenactor Barry Sumner had the odd habit of spending hours mowing a small patch of packed dirt and weeds until his mower ran out of gas. He’d then guzzle beer on his front porch until he passed out. That’s where Anastasia’s son Nick discovers his body three days after the victim and his family moved into the newly built mini-McMansion across the street.

After a melee breaks out at the viewing, Spader zeroes in on the widow as his prime suspect. However, Anastasia has her doubts. There are other possible suspects, including a woman who’d had an affair with the victim, his ex-wife, the man overseeing the widow’s trust fund, a drug dealer, and the reenactors who were blackmailing the widow and victim.

When another reenactor is murdered, Spader suspects they’re dealing with a serial killer, but Anastasia wonders if the killer is attempting to misdirect the investigation. As she narrows down the suspects, will she jeopardize her own life to learn the truth?

Craft projects included.

Preorder now. Available 2/4/25

P.S.: On Monday evening, January 27th at 7pm ET (6pm CT, 5pm MT, and 4pm PT), I’ll be the guest of the Cozy Mystery Party Facebook Group, hosted by Heather Harrisson and Shawn Stevens. If you’d like to join in for a fun hour + of all things murder, mayhem, and cozy mysteries (there will be prizes and surprises!), join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozymysteryparty. 

Hope to see you there! 

~*~

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, and children’s chapter books. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.

donalee Moulton

In summary

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When I completed my first mystery novel, Hung Out to Die, I quickly discovered that the novel would not stand alone. A synopsis was required.

As a freelance journalist and communications specialist, I’ve put together a lifetime of pitches and proposals. Still, I spent some time reading up on what makes a successful synopsis. Then I wrote my own.

My synopsis does not follow the traditional pattern, but most of the required elements are there. I wondered if this would pass muster. Overall, the people I shared the synopsis with liked it. One person didn’t like it at all and said it would never pass muster with publishers. I took a long hard look and, respectfully, disagreed.

This was nerve-wracking. I knew it would be easier to simply follow the path well taken, but I felt I needed to branch out. I entered a shorter version of my synopsis in the Synopsis Skirmish contest – and won. The judge (one of my favorite people) had this to say: The author’s handling of voice in this synopsis is so powerful, it made me want to read the novel right away. The synopsis is unusual and intriguing—a winning combination.

When the acquisitions editor at BWL (another of my favorite people) reached out to me requesting a full copy of my manuscript, she noted, “We were quite taken with your synopsis.”

The synopsis issue has driven home to me the need to listen to yourself, that inner voice that knows you better than anyone. At the same time, it has taught me more about flexibility and being open to feedback. There is nothing as helpful as constructive criticism (whether accepted or not) and editors are worth their weight in gold.

I thought I’d share my synopsis – my very first – with you. I’d love to know what you think.

Synopsis

Hung Out to Die: A Riel Brava Mystery
By donalee Moulton

Hung Out To Die Book CoverLet’s start with the obvious.

Meet Riel Brava. Attractive. Razor-sharp. Ambitious.

Riel, born and bred in Santa Barbara, California, has been transplanted to Nova Scotia where he is CEO of the Canadian Cannabis Corporation (CCC). It’s business as usual until Riel finds the company’s comptroller hanging by a thread. Actually, several threads. It doesn’t take the police long to determine all is not as it appears.

Let’s dive beneath the surface.

Meet Riel Brava. Observant. Cautious. Psychopathic.

Not the Dexter-Hannibal Lecter-Norman Bates kind of psychopath. The kind who live and work among us, mostly unnoticed, often successful, always on full alert their differences will be uncovered. Riel is personable, even charming. He’s keen to understand how the human mind works, so he’ll blend in. After all, his goal is to be president of the United States. (An aspiration that will feature in future books.)

Let’s talk plot.

So Norm Bedwell has apparently hanged himself in his office at CCC. Emphasis on apparently. It takes Detective Lin Raynes mere minutes to suspect the obvious is deceiving and what appears to be death by suicide is actually a murder. Over the course of 13 chapters (there is also an introductory chapter), he works to uncover and discover who would want Bedwell dead and how they could have pulled the murder off.

He’s not alone. In an unusual pairing, Raynes and Riel work together to chase down leads – the bully who tortured Bedwell’s son at school, the mysterious orange truck that belongs to no CCC employee but was parked in the company lot the night Bedwell was murdered, the employee, who despite stringent security measures, has managed to steal weed from CCC and start a healthy little illegal business.

Raynes manages to engage Riel, albeit reluctantly, in the hunt for Bedwell’s killer, and in the process, the seeds of an unexpected and unusual friendship are sown. (These seeds will blossom in subsequent books.)

Various motives are explored through a number of suspects – revenge, fear, greed – but ultimately, it’s love that becomes the reason Norm Bedwell no longer lives. Unfortunately, the evidence is circumstantial. Raynes and Riel concoct a scheme to draw a confession out of the killer, but that plan is never put into place. Instead, Riel finds himself on the receiving end of a rifle in the ribs and a long drive to the middle of Nowhere, Nova Scotia.

Let’s look at the core cast of returning characters. You’ll like them all.

Tiffany Brava. Riel’s wife and loyal supporter. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Tiffany knows Riel is not quite like everyone else – and why. For now, that door is closed. What’s openly obvious is her affection for her husband, her loyalty, and her acumen. Don’t count Tiffany out as the dumb blonde. Oh yes, she’s vegan.

Franklin Raynes. The Halifax Police Department’s lead detective on this case is Black, quintessentially Nova Scotian, and a consummate charmer. He can read the room and respond accordingly. He takes a shine to Riel, and also realizes how helpful the psychopath can be in solving this case. (Yes, Lin Raynes is privy to Riel’s deepest secret, but he doesn’t admit it to his new friend – just yet.) Oh yeah, Raynes also does this thing with his left eyebrow.

Senator John Williams. Tiffany’s dad | Riel’s father-in-law is the Democratic Senator for District 19. A seasoned and senior politician, Williams is a co-owner of CCC, although it’s not an asset he talks about with constituents. He’s brusque, except where his daughter is concerned, and well connected, even in Canada.

Zahra Bashir. A practising Muslim and savvy TV reporter who’s always on the lookout for the inside scoop. Bashir makes many of the other characters very nervous despite her friendly demeanor.

David Clements. The recreational cannabis sector in Canada is heavily regulated. Clements is the federal DOJ’s contact for Riel. Their relationship is one of power and powerful expectations. Clements holds that power. A minor character, Clements plays an important role. He’s the first person to use a special word.

There are other characters introduced in this book who will also return but play a smaller role in this mystery.

Let’s look at the cast of characters in the book. You won’t like them all.

–  Faye Bedwell, distraught and disrespected wife of Norm Bedwell.
–  Bran Bedwell, the Bedwell’s 12-year-old son who takes a liking to Riel. Good grief.
–  Thorne, media consultant and very protective of Riel.
–  The bully and his parents.
–  The poor sod who owns the orange truck.
–  The killer.

What’s familiar about Hung Out to Die to make mystery fans feel at home.

–  It’s fast-paced.
–  It lays out a path of breadcrumbs that lead, ultimately, to the killer. First, of course, the path branches off in several misdirections.
–  It creates suspense.
–  It builds understanding and affection for key characters.
–  It leaves readers wanting more.

What’s novel about the book to make the mystery stand apart and readers turning pages.

–  It introduces a unique character that, ironically, we empathize with
–  It’s funny as hell
–   It’s written by an award-winning journalist who knows both how to tell a story and how to use words to maximum effect

Riel Brava: Vital Statistics.

Height: 6’1
Weight: 165 pounds
Waist: 35 inches
Age: 37
Spouse: Tiffany, the vegan
Job: CEO, Canadian Cannabis Corp.
Location: Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, Canada
Ambition: President of the United States of America
Favorite food: Donairs (definitely not vegan)
Top personality trait:  Psychopath
Burning question: What the hell’s a chunderf**k

 

Synopsis Workshop

If you’d like to learn how to craft a successful synopsis, sign up for donalee’s online workshop on February 11 & 18, 2025.

This workshop will explore:
* what should go in a synopsis and why
* why and how to break the rules with care (and flair)

https://donaleemoulton.com/crafting-a-synopsis 

About donalee

donalee is a professional writer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her byline has appeared in over 100 publications across North America. Her most recent book Conflagration!  won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Historical Mystery Suspense. Her other books include a murder mystery based in Nova Scotia and a non-fiction book about effective communications, and she has more coming out this year. She is a longtime educator and currently offers a variety of editorial services and workshops to help authors hone their writing and get it published. 

You can catch up with her on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

What to Do When a Genie Sits on the Edge of Your Bed

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This is the time of year to wish peace on Earth, a goal and prayer that seems always before us, and “When will we ever learn?” echoes in our minds.

But what if you had a magical chance to change things….?

 

I pondered this question many years ago and was recently asked it again in an interview. As a child, my answer was always simple and the same: I’d wish for a horse.

As I grew older and more sophisticated, I started appreciating the entanglement of the question: What kind of horse? Do I need to use my remaining two wishes for funds to maintain the horse and keep it healthy? How much do I wish for? What if someone I loved got sick, and I had to use a wish to make them well?

In fairy tales, I noted that the first two wishes, though well-intentioned, got the protagonist into hot water of some sort, and the third wish invariably had to be spent rectifying the situation. Very poor decision-making, in my opinion. The same is true in writing, a decision by the characters often takes the story in another direction entirely.

I pondered the problem (because you never know when you might find a genie on the edge of your bed, right?) When the solution came, I was very relieved. I had the answer. I was prepared. The resolution was beautiful in its simplicity and legal soundness: My first wish would be—to be granted three more wishes whenever I used up the other two! Clever, right?

As an adult, I realized that the real lesson of fairy tales was not how to use one’s wishes wisely but that there are always unintended consequences.

Creating more food with less work and loss is a worthy goal, and we have accomplished it. It came about through the use of pesticides that, indeed, resulted in fewer insects but also killed off the beneficial insects along with the pests and introduced sneaky carcinogens into our food chain that, in turn, raised health care costs and cut short the lives that “more food” was supposed to support.

China tried to control its population growth with a one-child limit, which resulted in a significant reduction of female babies (which were seen as less desirable than male children), and now, the country has negative population growth and a problem with too few women available for marriages.

In New Zealand, rabbits were introduced and became a problem, so they brought in stouts (a type of weasel) to eat the rabbits. However, now, the stouts are a threat to the bird population.

In the American South, we are “blessed” with kudzu, a prolific Asian vine imported for cattle grazing. Unfortunately, cattle don’t like it. It will eventually consume the world.

Even wishing for “peace on Earth” could have unintended horrific consequences. Hitler wanted a reign of peace. He just needed to conquer a few countries and wipe out a few peoples first.

This is one of the problems we would/will face if Artificial Intelligence (AI) were tasked with such a goal and could make real-world changes. Imagine what lengths it would go to ensure “peace!” We might be stripped of the ability to speak freely or even interact or force-fed the “blue pills” [The Matrix] to remain in contented ignorance. Freedom and safety have always been a matter of delicate balance.

That said, I admit I would be sorely tempted to use a wish to bring about peace on Earth. But it would require a well-thought-out document with a team of lawyers and futurists! Even then, we know what happens to the best-laid plans of mice and men….

Happy Holidays to All!

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Happy Holidays!

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