Lessons From Live Theatre

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I had the privilege of going to see a fun new play called “The Shark is Broken,” written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon. The play details the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the filming of the 1975 blockbuster movie, Jaws. The play was short (90-minutes) and anything but sweet, but overall a funny, very enjoyable show for any die-hard fan. There were only three actors on stage and a pretty basic set, serving as a great reminder of how to nail a story, be it a play, a movie, or a book.

  1. Character is key! Plot is important in any story, but to grab the reader, the author must have a great set of characters. From the second the first actor entered the stage during the play, I had no doubt he was playing Richard Dreyfuss, based on mannerisms alone. Each character should possess distinct traits that make it easy not only easy to identify, but to create and add conflict to a play or a book. A rollercoaster of emotion keeps a story fun, and nothing is better than the tension felt between opposing characters.
  2. Action Needs Reaction! “The Shark is Broken” took place entirely on a small set, without any big action scenes. But it kept my attention because of the dynamics created by the characters. The myth
    surrounding the filming of Jaws is all about the tension between the actors on set. The verbal tug-of-war between Richard Dreyfuss (played by Liam Murray Scott) and Robert Shaw (played by real-life son, Ian Shaw), had the viewer fully engaged from start to finish. There was no shark needed to heighten the tension on set between these two!
  3. Real Life Inspiration! It’s been so long since I’ve been to a city (Toronto, in my case) to see a play, I’d almost forgotten how much fun it can be to leave home. From the train ride to the pre-dinner grub, nothing beats character building than going out and watching people in action. For me it was the restaurant staff, the sports fans roaming about (The Toronto Maple Leafs had just won a hockey game in over-time), and even the people passing me on the sidewalk. Everyone is unique, just like each character in a story. Subtle details like the scent of someone’s perfume, the slow-gait of a two lovers holding hands, even the feel of the wind tunnel created from nearby skyscrapers. All these details matter. Don’t even get me started on snippets of conversations overheard at nearby tables or close-by theatre goers… There’s always something to see, hear, smell, or feel.

Where do you find inspiration? Any other Jaws fans out there?

The Cheese Guy by Lynn Chandler Willis

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Several years ago, i was invited to participate in a book festival sponsored by a local, glossy magazine named after O’Henry. The festival was being held at a high-dollar, swanky hotel, also named after the famous writer.

I was still riding pretty high with my win for Best First Private Eye Novel given by St. Martin’s Press and the Private Eye Writers of America. I was super excited to participate and still a little unbelieving that my work had won a major contest.

I happily accepted the invitation and got busy ordering bookmarks, and postcards, and posters for the big day. I worked with the publisher to make sure I had copies to sell. I sent out all kinds of announcements to my growing list of newsletter subscribers. I emailed cousins and uncles and aunts and friends from elementary school to high school.

When the big day finally came, I loaded my books into my rolling purple suitcase––which by the way, I still use––and headed to the premiere hotel in the area. When I got there, I was shown by a guy in a tux to the room where we’d be set up. The guy probably had some kind of title I couldn’t pronounce anyway so I just referred to him as the guy in the tux.

The room was filled with other authors and for a moment I felt right at home. And then I noticed I was the only one who wrote mysteries. In fact, me, a children’s book author, and guy who wrote fantasy were the only three authors present who didn’t write literary. I’m talking Faulkner literary, or better yet, O’Henry literary.

I knew the guy who wrote fantasy. And I knew his work. We had belonged to the same local writing organization and were members of the same critique group. Fantasy guy wrote about dragons. Thirty of them to be exact. All with names containing 20-plus letters no one could pronounce. And they were all introduced in the first chapter of the 300 thousand words book. That’s right. Three. Hundred. Thousand. Words. It was the first book in a trilogy.

He was notoriously smug about his work and wouldn’t accept constructive criticism no matter how gentle it was given. I don’t think he would have accepted it if a gang of 30 dragons held him down and blew fire in his face. He published his book himself back before any kind of standards existed. He worked the crowd and arm-wrestled a few into buying his book which they needed a hand cart to get it to their car.

Aside from him, the day was pleasant enough. I sold quite a few books. I chatted with lots of people who tended to gravitate toward my table for some good ‘ol genre fiction. The day wasn’t bad at all, until the cheese guy dropped by.

At book festivals, signings, readings, and any other type of event, it’s common practice for the author to have a bottle of water, maybe a bag of Skittles, tucked behind their table display. Out of sight of those in attendance. My publisher just happened to have sent along two table posters on foam board which was perfect for concealing a drink and maybe a snack. I had them on either end of the table while I stood in the middle.

I had a bottle of water tucked behind one but no snacks. Then I noticed uniformed waitresses delivering wood platters filled with nuts, and fruit, and mounds of different cheeses to the other authors. I quietly asked one of the waitresses if I could order one. She was happy to bring me what could only be described as a magnificent charcuterie board before they became a thing.

Toasted almonds rolled in sugar? Oh my word. I was living the dream!

I slipped the board behind the other table poster and continued chatting with eager readers, taking a quick sample of the deliciousness in between. And then some guy, a well dressed guy at that, comes up, steps behind my table and whips out a pocket knife and proceeds to cut off a hunk of my cheese. He shoves a few green grapes into his mouth then grabs a handful of my toasted almonds and goes on about his merry way.

I was too stunned to protest or even ask him what the h%$* he was doing.

We all have that one book event that left a lasting impression. What about you? What’s yours?

Lynn Chandler Willis comes from a journalism background as the former owner/publisher of a small town newspaper and prefers to make stuff up. She now writes mystery/thriller/suspense and crime novels along with the occasional snarky comment on social media. She’s the current President of SEMWA, the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, a member of International Thriller Writers (ITW), and a past-president of Sisters in Crime––Murder We Write chapter. She’s a Shamus Award finalist, A Grace Award Winner for Excellence in Faith-based Fiction, and the winner of the St. Martin’s Press/PWA’s Best 1st PI Novel — the first woman in a decade to win the award. She has a new series debuting in November 2022 and another in May 2023 with Level Best Books.

Road Research

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By Barbara J. Eikmeier

My favorite place to find details for a story is on a road trip.

My regular job is presenting programs about quilts to small and regional quilt guilds. Bookings take me off the main highways to “Blue Roads”, through tiny communities and sometimes even down dirt roads. Ninety percent of the time I travel alone.

Once my GPS is set for my destination and snacks and water bottle are within easy reach, there is one last item to put in place before hitting the road – my notebook.

Over the years I have filled great piles of these notebooks with lecture notes, story starters, to-do lists, quilt patterns, rough drafts and travel notes. I don’t journal daily, although I admire those of you who do. I just make notes. My notebooks are sloppy. I seldom keep the script on the line but if I’m striving to hit the line, I prefer wide-rule over college rule so I have plenty of space for the letters that loop below the line. I really love letters that loop below the line. I have a memory from kindergarten of writing my name in the proper upper right hand corner of the paper. I started with a B and ended with an A but in between I used all sorts of letters – especially g and j because they looped below the line. My teacher didn’t think I knew how to write my name. I did. It’s just that it was so long and only used three letters repeated over and over, yet there were so many fantastic letters to choose from on the ABC chart that wrapped around the classroom. As an adult I opted for Barbara J. Eikmeier as my legal name because with all those letters in my long name, only my middle initial loops below the line!

When heading out on a trip, my notebook, wide rule or college rule, it doesn’t matter because I won’t be using the lines, is positioned on the passenger seat. As I drive I notice landmarks, brown sign historical markers, the names of rivers and creeks: Bee Creek, Wolf Creek, The Mississippi River!

Keeping my eyes on the road, I write without looking: Kalona Creamery, MO mile marker 48 – look up round barn.

My notes include clever place names that I can use in my stories: The name a of a beauty shop in western Kansas became the name of the diner in my current novel.

When I stop to rest or get fuel I take my notebook inside with me. I’ve sat in McDonald’s, Subway restaurants and  truck stops making notes about the man with snow white hair cut as if a bowl had been place on his head, the young kid behind the counter who was overly friendly – acting as if I liked him enough I might take him with me, and the trucker with the huge tattoos up and down his muscular arms that spelled out PUGSLEY in great Gothic lettering. What does Pugsley mean? It doesn’t matter – I can make something up as long as I have a note to jog my memory.

I record snippets of conversations, especially local dialects and topics like the old guys discussing the price of beans over coffee and a breakfast burrito at their local gas station where three cafe tables line the wall along the windows – the only breakfast eatery for miles. And I’m a huge fan of local bulletin boards with notifications of missing pets or persons, items for sale, local fundraisers, estate sales and funeral announcements. A writer can extract a lot of interesting details from a bulletin board in a gas station!

Periodically I will skim through a notebook or two and re-write or type an entry. I usually remember what I’ve written about, (and where it was and when) when re-reading my scribbling that either runs sideways in bold print, or neat script with lovely loopy letters. A psychologist in a writing class once said it was a hand/brain correlation that helps us remember things we’ve written.

The back to school supplies are dwindling. Soon the notebooks, folders and 12 packs of #2 pencils will be relegated to the office supply aisle until next year. It’s my reminder to stock up on another stack of spiral bound notebooks.

How do you keep track of tidbits you notice on a road trip? Do you also love spiral bound notebooks?

Barbara J. Eikmeier is a quilter, writer, student of quilt history, and lover of small-town America. Raised on a dairy farm in California, she enjoys placing her characters in rural communities.

“Thrilling and Unpredictable” – Where a Writer Got His Ideas

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I’m delighted to welcome author Terry Ambrose as my guest to discuss his new series in the blog “Thrilling and Unpredictable” – Where a Writer Got His Ideas. I’ll be back next month – Debra 

Readers often ask writers where their ideas come from. In my case, the ideas are usually driven by a confluence of events. The Beachtown Detective Agency series idea was different in that the series concept came to me while we were on a weekend getaway to photograph two San Diego area piers.

My interest in piers started when my wife gave me a copy of Piers of the California Coast. After discovering San Diego had several piers, we decided to stay near Pacific Beach. It was a centralized destination with a nice B&B. It seemed like the perfect spot to stay because I was just starting the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery series, and that made the B&B location a double win.

We walked into Pacific Beach the first night, wending our way through residential streets until we found ourselves approaching a funky little town with a boardwalk. This was in the days prior to Covid-19, so we didn’t worry about crowds or getting close to strangers. It was nearing 5PM as we made our way along Pacific Beach’s boardwalk. The place wasn’t just alive; it was positively chaotic!

People of all ages were everywhere. From kids to seniors, joggers and walkers to small groups hanging out. From the smell of coconut oil to marijuana, the energy consumed my attention. It reached out, grabbed me by the muse, and shook me with a fervor that demanded I write about it.

Almost on the spot, I began crafting a character who eventually became Jade Cavendish. Jade is twenty-six years old, spunky, and not quite ready to become an adult. She’s also forced to take over the family business when her father announces his sudden retirement.

I eventually moved the location of the series to Carlsbad, which is much closer to home. Carlsbad has a different energy. Where Pacific Beach is constant chaos and manic, the Village in Carlsbad is laid-back and quirky. But, as I integrated the change in location into the book, I realized that energy fit perfectly with my long-term goals for the series. The result was a book that Kirkus Reviews called, “…thrilling and unpredictable.”

Gay Yellen: Great Balls of… Ice?

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Warning: the writer is grouchy today because the old refrigerator died.

Great Balls of Ice

It was a 1983-vintage custom-designed fridge that we inherited when we bought our home thirty years ago. It was sleek, streamlined and fit in seamlessly with the cabinetry. But it was too old to be repaired, so the search was on for a new one. My husband hoped it would make crushed ice.

The first model we chose had a delivery window of 4-6 weeks, minimum. No fridge for a month or more? Cancel that.

Moving down the row, we noticed a different brand’s floor model with a big SALE tag on it. It could be delivered immediately, and it made crushed ice. We grabbed it.

The dispenser options on the door display are Cubed/Water/Crushed. Hubby seems satisfied with the crushed. On the other hand, I have a problem with the so-called “cubed.”

Does this look like a cube to you? No. It’s a rectangular pyramid with a rounded-off top, kind of like a mini lump of half-spent charcoal. Those smart fridge engineers had to know it wasn’t a cube. Maybe “lump” was too down-scale a word for the marketing team. Sure, the pieces chill like a cube, but still… it rankled the editor in me.

For a visual reference, here’s a cabochon amethyst cut in a shape called “sugar loaf” that’s almost identical to our lumps. Obviously, gemologists are way more careful with their language.

Anyhoo, back to the new fridge, where we discovered that it also makes a third kind of ice, described in the 67-page owner’s manual as “Craft.” To our amazement, there’s a bonus shaping device that lurks inside the bowels of the freezer compartment that is more special and even craftier than your everyday two-way ice dispenser.

It makes balls of ice as big as billiard balls, and they are so extra super-duper that only three per day can be “crafted” to become the crystal wonders pictured in the photo at the top of this post. New ones announce themselves with a kerplunk, plunk, plunk that emanates from the deep.

Why are we engineering such useless gizmos for our over-pampered selves? Is there a big demand for a perfectly round chunk of ice so heavy it could tumble from your Scotch-on-the-rocks and knock out your front teeth?

This new whiz-bang appliance is too busy and bulky and bossy to love. You barely touch a door and it smugly announces that it’s keeping everything at a perfect temperature. Leave a door open longer than it “thinks” you should, and it sends out an annoying series of beeps. As if we didn’t already have more than enough things to beep at us. And did I mention that it looks like the backside of an elephant?

Truth is, I miss our old machine. I’m still trying to chill out about its replacement. Wish me luck.

Do you have an emotional relationship with an inanimate object? Love it, or hate it?

Gay Yellen is the award-winning author of the Samantha Newman Mystery Series, including The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and the upcoming Body in the News.

How I Met the Coroner

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by Donnell Ann Bell

You’ve heard of How I Met your Mother?  Well, today I’d like to talk about How I Met the Coroner.  If you’re a mystery writer, chances are you need knowledge of bodies now and then, or perhaps you need to know how to bump somebody off.  When I began my fiction career, I wasn’t particularly versed in either.  I thought experts such as coroners, police lieutenants, and FBI profilers were akin to God.

What I learned later is that they’re just people and some actually like to talk to writers.  But stuck in that I-could never-contact-an-expert mentality I started off by annoying my pharmacist – actually he was quite nice.  It’s the customers around us who were rather shocked. They seemed to take exception to my questions like how do I get my hands on a controlled substance? or I need something that would trigger a heart attack but don’t want it to show up in an autopsy.

I wasn’t having any luck.  One day I picked up the phone and dialed the El Paso County (Colorado) Coroner’s office, and a booming – and I mean booming — female voice answered.  I, on the other hand, did a fine imitation of a mouse.  “I’m a writer,” I squeaked.  “I wonder if you could answer a few questions.”

I’ll never forget her response.  “You’re who?  You want to do what?”  But when she finally answered my question, I thought, oh, my gosh, this woman knows EVERYTHING. Still, she had a job to do and I didn’t want to make a pest of myself.  I went back to writing, and because the pharmacist had not put out a restraining order on me, I decided to not overdo it with my new contact.  I would only ask questions that I absolutely couldn’t find out on my own.

Every once in a while, though, I was stuck and I called her.  After all, I was completely anonymous, and once you realize that these coroners (and experts) possess the knowledge of the world, you can’t go back.  You realize things on CSI or Criminal Minds aren’t accurate.  You take on a zombie-like persona with arms outstretched, mumbling . . . must get it right.

The addiction wasn’t going away.  In fact it became stronger.  So, I enrolled in my first Citizens Academy. (I’ve completed three, including The Writers Police Academy)  But I loved my first two so much, and appreciated what these people do for a living, that I volunteered.  Then one day, our coordinator announced, “Today, our speaker is Chris Herndon, Deputy Coroner for the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.”

I slumped in my chair.  This was the woman.  It was fine as long as she didn’t know who I was.  But what if she recognized me? What if she put two and two together that I was that crazy writer?

My curious nature isn’t always my friend, and as she talked, I naturally had questions.  The moment I asked, however, she zeroed in on me like a torpedo from a destroyer.  Her eyes narrowed and she knew.  And later when she asked, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” I had to tell her the truth.

Turns out, she didn’t think I was that strange.  In fact, we’ve become good friends.  But I couldn’t keep a goldmine like Chris to myself. Soon, I invited her to talk to my writers’ groups.  She and I wrote a mock coroner’s inquest, presented by my local Sisters in Crime.

A few years ago, Chris and her husband Karl (a former deputy sheriff) and CSI expert Tom Adair presented a workshop for Pikes Peak Writers Conference on how to process a crime scene.

If you’re looking for accurate research, don’t be afraid to contact a professional.  What’s the worst that can happen?  They’re too busy?  They’ll hang up?  Since I began my fiction career, very few people have hung up on me.  Most enjoy helping writers.  As for me, I’m still hooked on getting it right.  That’s why I co-own Crimescenewriters with Veteran police officer Wally Lind (retired), a Groups.io forum dedicated to writers who love to ask as many questions as I do.

Have questions for an expert?  Pick up the phone, volunteer, and get involved.  When it comes to getting it right, you’ll never go wrong by going to the source or better yet getting hands-on training.

About the Author:  Donnell Ann Bell is a muti-published author of four bestselling romantic suspense novels and two books in a cold case suspense series, Black Pearl, and her latest release Until Dead. to learn more about her visit www.donnellannbell.com

 

 

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month–Message from a Survivor

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by Linda Rodriguez

 

October is my birthday month, which makes it quite an important month to me. It’s also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a topic about which I, unfortunately, have a great deal of experiential knowledge from my childhood. Most well-known, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’d like to talk about breast cancer for a few moments today, since I am a survivor and getting every woman out there into her doctor’s office for mammograms and other breast check-ups to get the drop on this disease is something that is dear to my heart. 

In 2014, I developed odd symptoms in my right breast. My most recent mammogram had shown no problems, several specialized mammograms and ultrasounds showed nothing now, and the most common advice was to simply keep an eye on it. Fortunately for me, my primary care physician took the conservative view and wanted me to see a surgeon. The surgeon took down a detailed family history and, at the mention of my younger brother’s death from familial kidney cancer, mentioned that this type of cancer that runs in families often shows up in the women in breasts and ovaries. I was a little peeved that no one had seen fit to tell me or my younger sister about this problem leaving us at higher risk for these common female cancers. My wonderful female surgeon said, “Let’s go take a look around and see what we’re dealing with.” So we scheduled exploratory surgery of that right breast in a little over a week’s time.

The problem turned out to be nothing more than a benign cyst, as expected, but in the taking of a lump of tissue to learn that, my surgeon discovered a malignancy on the margins. Suddenly, there were more tests that showed nothing. Then, a week later, there was another surgery. The first surgery had been a lumpectomy, but my surgeon laughed and called the second surgery a “chunkectomy” and wound up taking half of my right breast. They found a number of malignancies in this chunk of tissue, including right along the margins, once again. By this time, I had acquired an oncologist and an oncology radiologist, in addition to my surgeon. They were a very puzzled team. In the pathology report, they could see all of these malignancies, but in all of the diagnostic imaging reports, nothing showed up. At this time, a regional conference, dealing with this issue in all of these fields, brought specialists from five different states right here to Kansas City, so my team took my case to the conference, and the entire conference consulted on my weird case, only to decide that they could not see anything, even knowing where to look. Therefore, we were on to another surgery, the third in the same month, the pain and stress of which was wearing me down. 

Two days before the surgery, they sent me in for a breast MRI, and for the first time, they had images of the malignancies in the piece of my breast that remained–many, many of them. Suddenly, we knew we were looking at a radical mastectomy. We didn’t know what we might be faced with beyond that, and the prospect was frightening.

The surgeon found even more malignancies than she was expecting, and the lymph glands she found were so disrupted and tangled that day that she feared the malignancies had metastasized, so she sent them to a specialized pathology lab several states away. They took several weeks to send the report back to us, weeks in which fear only grew of what that report would be.

All of this happened as my third novel was released, so I was a frantic patient in more ways than usual. Finally, we had the blessed news that we had caught this before the cancer had spread out of the breast, and it was merely to be a painful process of various treatments and recovery, we hoped. We still had no clear idea what was going on over in the left breast. It was a long, miserable process, but eventually, with the help of a wonderful team of health professionals, I am a successful survivor, and I’m grateful.

Consequently, I want to share a warning with all of my readers out there and a poem. Visit your doctor regularly for breast exams and mammograms. Take the threat of breast cancer seriously, but don’t let the fear of it keep you from actually doing the things you need to do to prevent it or to take care of it. Even if you have a weird or advanced case, as I did, your chances of survival are good, and the better you are about taking precautions and following your doctor’s advice, the better your chances of surviving and thriving will always be.

 

WRESTLING THE BODY,

this old bear

made clumsy and slow

by years,

battles lost and won,

scars, stiffnesses,

incisions,

I envy those girls

in bathing suits

and tennis shorts,

flexible, strong,

with no idea

their own breasts,

prized, displayed

with pride as they run

into and out of summer,

could kill them.

 

Linda Rodriguez’s fourth Skeet Bannion mystery, Every Family Doubt, the follow-up to Plotting the Character-Driven Novel, Revising the Character-Driven Novel, and her co-edited anthology, Unpapered: Writers Consider Native American Identity and Cultural Belonging, will publish in 2023. Her novels—Every Hidden Fear, Every Broken Trust, Every Last Secret—and books of poetry— Dark Sister, Heart’s Migration, and Skin Hunger—have received critical recognition and awards, such as St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Best First Novel, International Latino Book Award, Latina Book Club Best Book, Midwest Voices & Visions, and Ragdale and Macondo fellowships.

Rodriguez is past chair of AWP Indigenous Writer’s Caucus and Border Crimes chapter of Sisters in Crime, founding board member of Latino Writers Collective and The Writers Place, and member of Native Writers Circle of the Americas, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, and Kansas City Cherokee Community. http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com.

So You Want to Write a Book Part 6: First Draft Complete – Now what?

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by Sparkle Abbey

paper pages with notes

“It’s never too late in fiction or in life to revise.” 

-Nancy Thayer

Welcome back to another chapter of So You Want to Write a Book!

If you’ve finished that first draft, you’ve got words on the page and you’re ready for the next step.

If you’re still working on your first draft, that’s okay. Save this for later. Once you’re ready for the next stage you’ll move to – Revision.

What is revision?

  • Revision is not editing.  Editing is a very important part of the writing process, but that’s a different step.
  • Revision literally means to “re-vision” or see again. To look at something with a new perspective.
  • When you revise you look at what you’ve writing from a reader’s perspective.
  • Revising means taking a step back and looking at your writing at a high level and making sure you told the story you set out to tell.
  • Revising can include cutting scenes, adding scenes, moving scenes or even chapters to make sure the story is unfolding in the best possible way.
  • Revision is fun. (No, really it is.) And revision can often be the most creative part of the writing process.

How do I get started?

There is no one way to revise a first draft, but here are our tips:

  • Set aside your first draft for a week. Longer if you can. Your brain needs a break from the story world in order to view it from the reader’s perspective.
  • Read the draft completely through taking notes as you go. Here are some things to watch for:
    • Tone
    • Timeline
    • Point of View
    • Issues with Characterization and Character Motivation
    • Pacing and Action Gaps
    • Genre Expectations
  • Also watch for excess scenes. These are scenes where nothing is happening that moves the story forward.
  • Next, review your notes and begin the rewriting process. We’d recommend saving a new copy of your first draft and working solely on that new copy.

Here are some other great articles with information on revision.

How to Revise a Novel: 6 Steps to a Smooth Revision

8 Awesome Steps to Revising Your Novel

How to Revise a First Draft

Side Note: If you’re writing a series, make a list of anything you might need to keep track of such as minor character names, places mentioned,  and other details that will need to remain consistent.

How long does the revision process take?

A rough draft can take weeks or months depending on what you find as you read through. And the good news is that you’ll get better and better at revision the more you do it.  The average for most fiction writers seems to be 30-60 days but, of course, it depends on the size of the manuscript.

We’ll leave you with this thought.

“Rewriting is the essence of writing well – where the game is won or lost.”

  • William Zinsser

Next month, we’ll discuss “Editing Your Manuscript.”  Until then, happy writing!

Photo of authors and pets

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, Twitter, 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 – Fall is Here!

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Clicking Our Heels – Fall is Here!!!

Fall is here! It should be no surprise that each member of the Gang has a different thought about Fall.

Debra H. Goldstein – Although I hate to see the leaves drop, Fall means I don’t have to worry about keeping my white pants clean.

Shari Randall/Meri Allen – Fall has the most beautiful weather, yes? I love the changing leaves and swishing through piles of fallen ones.

Kathryn Lane – The turning of the aspen in the mountains of New Mexico.

T.K. Thorne – In addition to escape from the Alabama summer heat, I love the colors, goldenrod abloom in the fields, and riding my horse in the woods. Fall was my mother’s favorite season and I try to inhale it for her.

Mary Lee Ashford – I absolutely love fall! It’s my favorite season. I love the brisk temps, the gorgeous fall colors, and all the fall activities. When I was younger fall also always meant back-to-school and unlike some kids I looked forward to returning to school. To this day, I still get excited when they start advertising school supplies. So, give me a steaming cup of cider, a thick cozy sweater, and a bonfire and I’m content. Oh, and a book, of course!

Lynn McPherson – I love the colors and the weather. Time for hot chocolate, fireplaces, and a good book.

Debra Sennefelder – Where should I start? Fall is my favorite season. Boots. Sweaters. Pumpkin everything. Halloween-themed mysteries. I could go on.
Lois Winston – The cooler temperatures, especially since I’m now living in the south. And I thought August in New Jersey was bad!

Linda Rodriguez – Fall is my favorite season. I don’t know if it’s because my birthday is in fall, or because school starts in fall, and in my childhood, school was a sanctuary and a blessed place. I love the colorful leaves, the cooler temperatures, the crisp air, the beautiful skies, and the sense of being on the cusp of something brand new and exciting that fall always brings. Fall is the traditional New Year time for the Cherokee.

Saralyn Richard – When I was teaching in the Midwest, I used to love the crisp chill in the air and the crunching of leaves underfoot, the sweet, juicy apples, and the anticipation of new relationships and experiences that come with another year back at school.

Dru Ann Love – Get to wear a coat and can use staying indoors as an excuse.

Donnell Ann Bell – Cooler weather. I live in the Southwest. Our falls are gorgeous and so are the sunsets.

How To Read in the Fall

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Autumn has always been my most favorite season. When I was little, I looked forward to back-to-school shopping (I loved getting a new school bag) and I was so excited about the new TV season (remember when shows only had one season?). Then as I got older, I started getting excited about all the new fall fashions (bring on the sweaters!) and then as I became a baker I dreamed all summer of all the pumpkin things I bake (there’s never enough pumpkin spice). The one thing I’ve enjoyed throughout my life has been reading and reading in the fall has always been special. There’s just something about the cool weather, shorter days and cozying up with a good book.

Today I thought I’d share some ideas for reading in the fall with you.

Take it outside.

The crisp days are perfect for us to take our reading outdoors. I love the sound of crunching leaves as squirrels scamper throughout the yard with their nuts. Sure, they’ll a little distracting but it’s okay.

Curl up with a cozy in a comfy chair.

When the weather is too stormy or you can’t get to your reading until later in the night, a perfect spot to curl up with a book is in a comfortable chair. Because of the shift in dynamics within my household, I’ve rediscovered my beloved winged-back chair with ottoman in the family room. Before this month, I honestly can’t recall the last time I settled there to read. Now, you’ll find me there in the evenings after dinner.

Books and sweaters.

Nothing says cozy like a big, chunky sweater and a good book in my hands. When I take my reading outside to the patio, I’ll have on a warm sweater. Whether it’s a pullover or my Aran cardigan, I’ll be toasty and entertained. A perfect combo.

Reading in bed.

Once the weather starts turning cold, I find myself wanting to read more in bed before I go to sleep. Snuggled under my covers and my head resting against fluffy pillows is so appealing on cooler nights.

Books and snacks.

As fall sweeps in, I’m excited that I can leisurely sip a hot cup of tea as I read. I also love knowing that I can bake a treat, like cookies or brownies or pies. Not only will  I have a snack while I read, my home smells so amazing!

I hope you found some inspiration here today for your fall reading. I’d love to know where your favorite spot is to read.

 

 

After trading her Manhattan digs for her upstate hometown, fashionista Kelly Quinn has big plans for her grandmother’s consignment shop. But this All Hallow’s Eve someone is already dressed to kill . . .

A socialite’s missing dog has made front page news in Lucky Cove—complete with a hefty reward. But between renovating the consignment shop, planning her costume for a 1970s themed Halloween party, and scouting a location for a fashion shoot, Kelly doesn’t have time to search. Yet a visit to the local colonial-era cemetery—ideal for the moody atmosphere she’s after—soon turns up the precious pooch. Kelly’s looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through the heart.Kelly can’t help wondering why Constance Lane was traipsing around the farmhouse in stilettos. But as Kelly gets decked out in a vintage disco caftan, that isn’t the only fashion misstatement spooking her. Hidden in the dead woman’s past is a secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as the Halloween party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means her last dance . . .

 

Debra Sennefelder is the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series. She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking, exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.