The Red Penguin Collection

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

Red Penguin Books, a small publishing company based in New York and headed by Stephanie Larkin, began an imprint to showcase new and established writers of shorter works. Its Red Penguin Collection currently has twenty-eight volumes of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, monologues, and short plays. The editor is J.K. Larkin, Stephanie’s son, who has published his own autobiography, not kidding.

The collection first drew my attention when I noticed that John Floyd had been published in one of its romance volumes, A Heart Full of Love, and two of its mystery anthologies, Behind Closed Doors, and the recently released, Pets on the Prowl.

I decided to check out submissions opportunities and was fortunate enough to have my own work included in An Empty Stage: A Collection of Monologues and Once Upon a Time, fairy tales written for adults.

I received an even bigger thrill when my “A Fairy Godmother’s Christmas” was selected for a second publication in Stand Out: The Best of the Red Penguin Collection, Volume 2, which also contains two of John Floyd’s stories.

If you write short fiction, poetry, essays, or plays, you definitely should check out the submission opportunities at this link. While many of the anthologies are non-paying, an upcoming humor short story contest offers monetary prizes for first, second, and third place.

Additionally, Red Penguin has encouraged its authors to participate in marketing efforts, join in group meetings, and learn from virtual programs. It offers an excellent chance for authors to see their work in print, have a publisher that supports them, and become part of a writing community.

Red Letter Days for Writers — and a Cover Reveal for Murder in the Mountains

/in /by

by Shari Randall

There are many special moments in the life of a book that are worth celebrating. Of course, publication day, the “book birthday,” is the day to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne. But there are other days that feel equally special to writers:

The day you type “The End” and finish your draft. Every writer knows that it’s really the beginning – second and third drafts, edits, editor’s letter, and copy edits are coming. It’s a hard won milestone. I don’t know any writers who celebrate this moment with champagne — we’re too exhausted.

Unboxing day: the day you receive the box of author copies and hold a book in your hands for the first time. Bliss!

And my favorite – seeing a book cover for the first time. For me, this is the moment a book feels real for the first time. I was thrilled when I saw the cover for my next project, a group cozy mystery story collection titled Murder in the Mountains. It’s part of the Destination Murders series. The first in series was Murder on the Beach and further adventures in exciting locations are planned.

This collection will include stories by Gretchen Archer, Leslie Budewitz, Karen Cantwell, Barb Goffman, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Tina Kashian, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Cathy Wiley, and I. There’s a special ebook preorder price of only 99 cents for a limited time. The book will be published February 1, 2022 and I hope you’ll plan to take a trip to the mountains with us! 

From Stage to Page with Barbara Kyle

/in /by

I’m
often asked if my previous career as an actor helped my writing.

 

Yes, it
certainly did.

 

Acting gave me a deep appreciation of strong story structure,
because it’s hard to act in a script that has weaknesses like unfocused
conflict or unmotivated turning points or a feeble climax. That stayed with me in writing my eleven novels.


Photo: With crew members (me in 19th-century bonnet) on the set of the TV series “The Campbells”


And, of course, it helped me in crafting a novel’s dialogue. I
often advise emerging writers to develop an “actor’s ear” by listening
carefully to how people talk. For a writer, eavesdropping is good!

 

Parallel Arts

 

There are also parallels between rehearsing a play and writing a novel. An acting
company often gets just four weeks’ rehearsal. That’s not much time to get a
play up “on the boards,” so each week has definite goals. 

Photo: Me (standing) and Dawn Wells (“Marianne” of “Gilligan’s Island” TV series ) in the play “Vanities.”

 

The
first week is spent just on “blocking,” working out which characters
move where and when. The next couple of weeks are dedicated to detailed scene
development, working on individual scenes and delving for motivation and
pacing. Not until the final week does the cast do run-throughs of the whole
play, followed by technical rehearsals (sound cues and light cues) and finally
the full, dress rehearsal.

 

If, instead,
the company plunged from day one into running through the whole play over and
over with full cast and tech effects, the result would be weeks of chaos, and
the final product a mess. The rehearsal process has to be done in manageable
segments.

 

So it is
with writing a novel. No writer would be so foolish as to expect “perfection” in a
first draft. It takes several, and each draft has a function: from the creation
of the raw plot, to drafts that deepen characters’ relationships, enrich
pivotal scenes, and hone dialogue, to the final draft for polishing.

 

Coming Full
Circle

 

Speaking
of the acting/writing connection, here’s a bit of sweet serendipity. Not long
ago I got a note from a writer who told me he was at work on his first novel
and subscribed to my News for Writers emails.

 

He said
that after enjoying my writing advice emails for many months, it suddenly
struck him that he knew me from years ago: that the author Barbara Kyle
was the actor Barbara Kyle he’d worked with when I appeared in several
episodes of the TV series The Littlest Hobo. 

 

Imagine my delight when I read the signature: the note was from Christopher Dew who’d created and produced that very successful TV series.

 

I’ve so
enjoyed reconnecting with Christopher. His debut novel, Ulysses-Comin’ Home, has just been published.
Here is its beautiful cover.

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 Barbara Kyle is the author of the bestselling
Thornleigh Saga series of historical novels and of
acclaimed thrillers. Her latest novel of suspense is The Man from Spirit Creek. Over half a million
copies of her books have been sold. Barbara has taught
hundreds of writers in her online masterclasses and many have become
award-winning authors. Visit Barbara at https://www.barbarakyle.com/  

 

 

Untitled Post

/in /by

 


’Tis the Season for Food, Food, Food

by Saralyn Richard

Holidays
and food have a symbiotic relationship. You can’t have one without the other.
The same can be said for mysteries and food, at least in the two Detective
Parrott mysteries, Murder in the One Percent and A Palette for Love
and Murder.

 

The former
begins with a December birthday weekend retreat at a country mansion in the
lush Brandywine Valley. The guests indulge in a gourmet dinner consisting of
nine courses and wine pairings. The menu for this elegant party is stunning. It’s
one of the elements readers remember most about the book, and several book
clubs have replicated the menu to add authenticity to their book discussions.




A Palette
for Love and Murder is set on and around Thanksgiving. Local favorites are
included on the menu, and throughout the book. All of the characters, whether
they are part of the wealthiest one percent or the people who serve them, consume
interesting and delicious meals. To give you a hint, do mushroom-barley soup or
pumpple cake from the Flying Monkey Bakery tickle your fancy?

 

If you’re
watching your diet, don’t worry. Reading mysteries burns calories. Sitting on
the edge of your seat and reading those heart-thumping scenes will take care of
whatever snacking you might do while reading. And turning pages into the night
helps, too.

 

The
Detective Parrott mysteries are temporarily unavailable on Amazon, but can be
purchased online at http://murderintheonepercent.com
on the bookstore page.



Saralyn Richard is the
author of the Detective Parrott Mystery Series, as well as A Murder of
Principal and the upcoming release, Bad Blood Sisters. A
member of the Author Talk Network, Saralyn enjoys meeting with readers through
book clubs, organization meetings, and other speaking engagements. Join her
next Tuesday at 5 pm Central for the Facebook Live event, Cooking with
Blackbirds. And if cooking is your thing, grab the pdf booklet, Epicurean
Feasts, featuring the dishes from the gourmet dinner party in Murder in
the One Percent. All you need to do is sign up for Saralyn’s monthly
newsletter to receive this and other special offers. Subscribe at http://saralynrichard.com.

 

Elizabeth “Betty” Wason: Journalist and Cook Book Author

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

While doing some research on the history of cooking, I came across foodtimeline.org, created in 1999 by reference librarian and food lover Lynne Oliver and meticulously maintained by Lynne until her death in 2015. The site now is updated by the Virginia Tech Library system, which has a special collection on cooking history, including many volumes contributed by Lynne.

Food Timeline Library

The timeline indicated that the first recorded menu was from ancient Sumeria. The source for that information was a few paragraphs from Betty Wason’s Cooks, Gluttons & Gourmets: A History of Cookery (1962). The site indicated that Wason’s book had an extensive bibliography, but this point was not footnoted.

I’m not in the habit of investigating unfootnoted documents, but Wason’s paragraphs were so intriguing, I purchased the book. I found it absolutely delightful. She began each chapter with a description of the culture or time (including one chapter about cannibals), then followed that with a list of possible recipes.

Indiana University Archives

Upon further research, I found out that Betty Wason had authored 24 books, most on cooking. Her The Everything Cookbook (1970) received rave reviews as a comprehensive guide. I ordered it and found it to be on a par with Betty Crocker or Julia Child. In addition, Wason had authored accounts based on her life like Ellen: A Mother’s Story of Her Runaway Daughter (1976) and Macular Degeneration: Living Positively with Vision Loss (1998). Perhaps most astonishing was her first hand story of the Axis invasion of Greece, Miracle in Hellas.

Who was Betty Wason?

I returned to the Internet and learned that Elizabeth “Betty” Wason (1912-2001) was born in Delphi, Indiana, the daughter of a judge, and the graduate of Purdue University. Her first ambition was to be a dress designer, but after participating in a broadcast about cooking, she realized that journalism might be a way to see the world. She went to New York City and visited news organizations, telling them she was going to Europe and offering to be their correspondent. Transradio Press Service gave her a chance, then later she worked for CBS News, chronicling the events of World War II.

While CBS respected her reporting, its executives preferred a male voice on air. Phil Brown, a secretary at the American Embassy in Greece, read her copy with the introduction, “This is Phil Brown in Athens, speaking for Betty Wason.”

After World War II, Betty returned to the United States, acclaimed for her work, but still unable to serve on air at CBS. She found other broadcast opportunities and pursued her passions of traveling and cooking.

Her books are well written, as if she is taking readers along on the journey. And, the recipes sound delicious. You may want to try some for the holidays. Maybe just not those from the cannibal chapter!

Three Things with Lynn McPherson

/in /by

Three Things with Lynn McPherson
– by Debra H. Goldstein

I had so much fun playing the Three Things Game when
Shari Randall interviewed me last month, that I decided to pass it forward by
playing the game with Stiletto Gang member Lynn McPherson. Lots of good answers
and some I didn’t expect!


Three favorite foods: 
Pizza, tacos, cupcakes

Three places I’ve lived: Toronto, London, Vancouver

Three jobs I’ve had: Golf range owner, waitress, ESL teacher in Seoul

Three things I can’t do without: my family, my dog, books

Three books I love (or three
authors): Rita Mae Brown, Liane Moriarty, Vivien Chien

Three favorite places:
Thailand, New England, Paris

Three favorite hobbies: Reading, walking, watching movies

Three things I’m looking forward to: Halloween, the first
snowfall, Christmas



How about you, readers? What
are three things about you that you’d like to share?


Oh, and one of my (Debra’s) favorite things: The Girls Dressed for
Murder – An Izzy Walsh mystery written by none other than Lynn McPherson.

 

 

An Exercise in Motivation

/in /by


An Exercise in Motivation by Debra H. Goldstein

People who exercise have always fascinated me. One of my
friends thinks she’s in heaven if she gets two long walks in during a day;
another one can’t survive without at least four yoga classes a week; one installed
a dance bar and mirror in her home because ballet moves make her happy; and,
then there’s the one who doesn’t feel satisfied unless he does an equipment
circuit followed by at least a mile of laps in the pool. Although I like these
people, I don’t understand them.

Exercise does not send little happy messages to my brain. It
doesn’t make my aches and pains of aging go away. Rather, it usually increases
them – like the time I raised my arm over my head and tore my rotator cuff.
Despite various promises to myself that I will exercise, I usually can find an
excuse to avoid it.

The pandemic proved to be a great excuse. After all, we were
told to stay out of crowded places where people touched everything. That took
care of the gym. We were told to wear masks. A bathing cap is one thing, but
the thought of breathing through a soggy mask in the pool was too gross to even
try. Rain and cold weather precluded outdoor walking (at least for me – you
should have seen my diehard neighbor in her Northern long winter coat,
earmuffs, and gloves breaking a sweat). But, I knew I had to make an effort.

So, after much TV watching of people sitting on a couch and
peddling what looked like an elliptical that lost its top, I ordered one. It is
cute and neither it nor the pad to keep it from sliding on the floor take up
much room in my office. To motivate myself, I said I could watch a show with
talking heads (and the time in the corner of the screen) only if I was
peddling. It worked until the night I was too tired to do anything except watch
from the comfort of my oversized large chair.

Eventually (several days later), I forced myself to go back
to my routine. Things seemed to be going reasonably well with my modified
exercise program (it wasn’t daily because, as I told myself, my body needed to
only be stressed alternate days), until disaster struck. I went to move my
Cubii Jr and somehow I picked up the slip pad, the telephone rang, I dropped
the pad, and when I came back, I discovered the pad had dropped draping the machine
like a shroud. I haven’t had the heart to move it.

There are times that my motivation to write is like my
desire to exercise – shrouded. All the carrots I dangle in front of myself – I
have a good idea, it’s nice to see a piece accepted, this is why you left your
day job, so you really should put some effort into it, are meaningless. The
adage of just putting my bottom in my chair and writing only works as far as
where I place my derriere.

I tell myself that not writing, like not exercising, is bad
for me. My mind counters that by noting I’m still alive, so not exercising
hasn’t compromised me too much. But then, I realize it has. I weigh more and
lack the stamina for going up hills or walking long distances that I had a few
years ago. I understand that if I don’t start moving, there won’t be as many
options for me to move in the future. It’s the same with my writing. If I don’t
do it, the momentum I’ve started building will die and the ideas will shrivel
in my brain. Not a pleasant thought.

It’s time to start writing and then to uncover my Cubii Jr.
What about you? What writing or reading goal is it time for you to uncover (and
how do you feel about exercise?)?

Interview with Kathryn Lane

/in /by

 by Bethany Maines

Today I’m interviewing fellow Stiletto Gang member Kathryn Lane. Kathryn enjoyed a two-decade career in international finance with Johnson & Johnson before taking an early retirement from corporate life to follow her passion to write fiction. So today we’re finding out more about her writing and what inspires her.  From growing up in Mexico to traveling the globe, and splitting time between Texas and New Mexico Kathryn’s journey into writing has been unique.  

Q: What do you write?

I’m enamored with the mystery genre.
During my corporate career, I traveled all over the world. Before a long flight
to Japan, I purchased a Harlan Coben paperback at the JFK airport in New York. The
twists and turns in the story slapped me around like a go-kart on uneven
terrain. I was instantly smitten. Now that I’m a novelist, I write mystery and suspense.

Q: What got you excited and started
you on your writing journey?

During my two decades in the corporate world, I always
thought someday I’d return to painting, the object of my natural abilities. Growing
up in Mexico, a country with an abundance of talented singers, I always felt left
out since I could not even carry a tune.

Yet I could draw. And I could paint. By age ten, I sketched
portraits and painted landscapes. Naturally, I thought I’d grow up to be an
artist. Life, or perhaps destiny, had other plans. I had to earn a living, so I
became a CPA and specialized in international finance. Hence my corporate
travels.

Before leaving the corporate world,
I analyzed what I really wanted to do. After all the countries I’d visited, it
quickly became obvious I should write rather than paint. It’s exciting to pen
stories set in other lands.

Q: Are you a Plotter or Pantser?

Since I’d written strategic plans, I
thought I’d complete an outline for each story my brain conjured up. After all,
wasn’t it like analyzing the steps in a product launch?

It didn’t work that way – my right
brain took over. As much as I’ve tried to plot, my stories grow organically
every day while I pound away at the keyboard. Even after deliberate attempts to
speed up my writing, I struggle to plot anything. It’s normal for me not to
know from one paragraph to the next what I’ll compose. Stories unfold magically
in my mind like a movie reel.

Q: Who encouraged you to write?

I’m so fortunate, friends, family, and
my husband are all incredibly supportive. I could not do it without the help of
my husband who manages the back office details and takes on household tasks, except
for cooking, to give me time to write.

Q: What secret skill do you have
that our readers might not know about?

I can kill snakes. I’ve lived in
places with deadly snakes, like the Inland Taipan of the Northern Territory of
Australia, considered the most dangerous in the world. (One 100mg dose of Inland Taipan venom is enough to kill 100 adult humans). I’ve encountered corals and rattlesnakes of the Chihuahua
desert and mountainous terrain, and now the copperheads and cottonmouths of Texas.
Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t like killing snakes, but when it comes to
either them or me, it’s an easy choice.

At our summer cabin in northern New
Mexico, we don’t have snakes. Only bear and mountain lions and I leave them
alone!

Q: And of course, I would be remiss
if I didn’t ask… what are your favorite shoes?

Knee-high leather boots with
stiletto heels!

Connect with Kathryn!


 

Snatch up one of the globe-trotting Nikki Garcia Mysteries:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B08C7V2675/ref=dp_st_1942428944

**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Gay Yellen: Rubber Duckies

/in /by

 Ever been to a duck race? It’s fun and inspiring.

Last weekend, thousands of rubber duckies were dumped off a downtown bridge into Buffalo Bayou, the main waterway that flows eastward through the Port of Houston to the Gulf of Mexico.

…and they’re off!
What’s more fun on a sunny day than a family-friendly outing that’s also a fundraiser for a good cause? This year, all proceeds for the event went to the Play it Forward Fund at AFAtexas.org. This marvelous group touches the lives of thousands of kids during the school year and in summer by providing music education for those who might otherwise have none, given our tight public school budgets these days.
Everyone near and far was invited to “adopt” a duck for $5, or simply come to the race and enjoy the music performed by AFA students, whose outstanding musicianship at such young ages is truly remarkable.
From the moment the ducks hit the water, the suspense built as the crowd tracked their progress downstream to the finish line. Adopters whose ducks finished ahead of the flock won great prizes that were donated by generous sponsors. The luckiest duck won $2,500 cash from a local bank. 
The Master of Ceremonies was Len Cannon, a very popular news anchor here. I had the pleasure of assisting him as he called the race, charmed the crowd, and interviewed delightful young AFA musicians.
Those who’ve read The Body Next Door, Book 2 in my Samantha Newman Mystery Series, may recognize AFA’s Play it Forward Fund. It was the inspiration for Let the Children Play, the fictional foundation created by Carter Chapman, Samantha’s mysterious love interest. It’s one of several scenes in my books where fiction meets real life.
This particular real-life group inspires me beyond my writing. It’s a reminder that there are infinite ways we each can help enrich the lives of children. Houston’s Bayou City Duck Race is just one of them. Here’s hoping you’ve found a worthy cause or two in your own hometown to support.
Best of wishes to each and every one of you for
a Very Ducky Thanksgiving!
       
Gay Yellen writes the award-winning Samantha Newman Mysteries, including
The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and the soon to be released Body in the News.
 


Do You Have What It Takes to be a Cheese Whiz? Archaic Words

/in /by

By Kathleen Kaska 
When I worked at Cave Art Press, a small publishing company in Anacortes, one of my tasks was to write the weekly blog posts. It had to address writing styles, grammar and punctuation rules, and the down and dirty of publishing and marketing—and it had to be funny. These blog posts eventually became a tongue-in-cheek book entitled, “Do You Have a Catharsis Handy? Five Minute-Writer Tips.” Here’s one about archaic words and my own take on them.

Thanks to Google, I stumble upon many of my Writing
Tips topics by accident. Here are some archaic (did they
ever really exist?) but entertaining words and phrases
that I discovered while I was researching other topics,
along with some neologisms of my own:

With Squirrel: If you were a woman who lived in the
Ozarks many moons ago and you found yourself “with
squirrel,” then you were expecting a child. (Vance
Randolph’s Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk
Speech, 1953). I would call such a woman Squirrely.

Lunting: I suspect that Sherlock Holmes was into
lunting—i.e., walking while smoking a pipe. (John
Mactaggart’s Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia, 1824). I would call people who do this lunters.

The following are from The Word Museum: The Most
Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten, by Jeffrey
Kacirk:

Spermologer: It doesn’t mean what you think. A
spermologer is a columnist! Three of my favorites are
Father Ron Rolheiser; Austin native, John Kelso; and
funny-lady, Lisa Scottoline. In my world I’d refer to them as wittyosophers.

Queerplungers: An English term for a scam in which an
individual jumped into water, was “rescued” by
accomplices, and was subsequently taken in by rehab
houses that cared for people who tried to commit suicide.
In the benevolent society of the time, the rescuers were
rewarded with a guinea each, while the person who
“attempted suicide” was sent away with a monetary
donation to make his life less depressing. Maybe a better word for these folks would be Scam Dunkers. 

Finally, my favorite:

Tyromancy: If you can’t find a crystal ball, use cheese!
One of my Cave Art Press colleagues thought tyromancy
sounds like “a Jurassic love story.” In fact, it is the act of
predicting birth, love, and death by reading the
appearance of a piece of cheese. It is also the act of using
cheese to answer questions: the most obvious answers to
a question are written on pieces of cheese (one answer
per piece). The pieces of cheese are fed to a rat.
Whichever piece is eaten first is the answer to the
question.

I suspect a person who engaged in this method of
prediction and became notable would have been called a
tyromaniac. I would call him a cheez-whiz. 

This is my last post as a member of the Stiletto Gang, but I will stay in touch and follow you wonderfully, creative authors. 

Best always,

Kathleen









Kathleen is a Texas gal. Except for an eighteen-month hiatus
living in New York City after college, she continuously lived in the Lone Star
State for fifty years. Since then, Texas has been hit and miss—a little hit,
but a hell of a lot of miss. There was a time when she thought she would
happily die in Austin, Texas. But circumstances
and weather—especially weather—changed that. Now she spends most of the year on
Fidalgo Island in Washington State with a view of the bay and the mountains.
When she gets homesick, she and her husband plug in the iPhone to Willie—as in
Nelson. Soon they are dancing the two-step, imagining they are at our favorite
honky-tonk in Tokio, Texas, where the mayor is believed to be a dog. Who
wouldn’t miss that?

Kathleen writes mysteries. She blogs about writing,
publishing, marketing, animal rights, birding, and quirky things that come to
mind. Go to her website: Kathleen Kaska and check out her latest blog series, “Growing Up Catholic in a Small Texas Town.”