Tag Archive for: Art Taylor

B.K. “Bonnie” Stevens, True Friend and Good Writer

/in /by
My first panel at Malice with Sally Goldenbaum, Liz Stauffer, Bonnie, me, and Wendy Tyson

by Paula Gail Benson


“It
is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.”
― E.B. White,
Charlotte’s Web
When
we learned last week about B.K. “Bonnie” Stevens passing, Shari Randall
(writer, librarian, blogging partner, and friend) reminded me of E.B. White’s
novel and his description of the barn spider Charlotte who, by weaving
carefully chosen words into her web, saved Wilbur the pig’s life.
Bonnie
embodied the phrase, “true friend and good writer.” Her life was a testament
to the importance of constantly reaching out to others, eagerly opening your
mind to learn, and joyously communicating.
Like
Charlotte, Bonnie spoke truthfully, honestly, and with respect for the
complexities of the world. She also understood the power and wonder of
individuals sharing their lives with each other.
Chronologically,
I did not know Bonnie for a long period of time, but our connection and friendship
is enduring. I know that her inspiration, advice, and encouragement are part of
my life forever.
Maybe
one thing that drew us together, besides my great admiration for her prose, was
our backgrounds in and appreciation of education. Bonnie spent a good portion
of her life as an instructor and I came from a family of teachers. From that environment,
you realize how delightful discovering new facts and information can be.
As
I read Bonnie’s longer biography on her website, I realized that her philosophy
of remaining open to whatever life brought her continued to enrich her own experience.
Through her fiction and nonfiction, she passed that joy along to her readers.
While
reading Bonnie’s stories or being able to discuss writing with her were
incredible treats, experiencing her generosity of spirit was truly humbling. I
once got up the nerve to ask if she would read one of my stories and give me
feedback. She did so promptly with excellent suggestions, but also asked what
others had told me about the story. All perspectives of the writing process
were fascinating to her. Later, she asked me to read and react to a play she
had written. I hesitated, wondering if my comments possibly could be of any
help to her. After all, she had won an award for this play. She assured me that
she wanted to hear from me because I wrote plays and directed them for a drama
ministry, and my view, as someone who had staged a play, would give her
valuable insight.
One
of the kindest and most incredible gifts that Bonnie and her husband Dennis
gave me was a phenomenal birthday celebration during Bouchercon in New Orleans.
In advance, Bonnie sent me a list of possible venues, each sounding more
wonderful than the last, and asked me to pick the location. She gathered good
friends Art Taylor, Debra Goldstein, and Riley Miller to join us. By the end of
the blissful evening, we had a table full of desserts (including the most
delicious jalapeno lime cheesecake as well as an Almond Joy chocolate cake) and
the great satisfaction of an unforgettable time spent in lovely conversation. [Please
look for Art Taylor’s “Remembering Bonnie Stevens” message and other tributes by fellow bloggers on SleuthSayers.org
and Debra Goldstein’s “In Memory of Bonnie (B.K.) Stevens” to be posted on
Friday, August 25, 2017, here on The Stiletto Gang.]
Bonnie
gave selflessly to so many. Just recently, I saw Kaye George’s remembrance of
meeting Bonnie when she came to Kaye’s book signing at Malice Domestic. Kaye
asked, “Are you the B.K.
Stevens?” Bonnie said she was and asked Kaye, then President of the Guppies,
the online chapter for Sisters in Crime, how she could join. From the time she
became a member, Bonnie was constantly sending out words of welcome and
congratulations.
When
she began her blog “The First Two Pages,” Bonnie set out to highlight other
writers’ work by allowing them to analyze the beginning of a short story or
novel. Her initial post came from Kaye George and the latest messages are from
the contributors to Kaye’s anthology to celebrate the solar eclipse, Day of the Dark (Wildside Press), some
of whom are making their debut publication.
As
I prepare to post these words on Monday, August 21, 2017, the day our country
experiences the eclipse from coast to coast, I’m reminded of a special theatre tradition
to recognize the passing of well known members of the Broadway community — the simultaneous
dimming of all the marquee lights for one minute at the 8:00 pm curtain hour.
When the lights come back up, the shows go on.

While I experience
this solar eclipse, I’ll remember Bonnie, my true friend and good writer, and
think about all that she has done for the many lives she has touched. Thank you
Dennis and daughters Sarah and Rachel for sharing her with us.

My New Orleans Bouchercon Birthday

The End and Beginning of a Journey: Five Questions (and a Bonus) for Life and Writing

/in /by


by Paula Gail Benson
During the month of May, numerous commencement speeches have been
featured on social media sites. I feel for the persons selected for this “honor.”
In a matter of a relatively few minutes, these folks are expected to be
inspirational, reflective, humorous, wise, and memorable. It’s a tough gig.
My friend Art Taylor, a Yale alumnus and Associate
Professor at George Mason University, faced the challenge when asked to address
his son’s preschool graduation. He writes about his experience in his “Graduation Day!” post on SleuthSayers.org.

Art Taylor

Initially, Art had questions about the relevance of
a preschool graduation, but after evaluating all he had seen his son learn,
considering the relationships developed that might not continue as students went to different
kindergartens, and watching the joy the graduates expressed about celebrating their
milestone and preparing for their transitions, he realized that the occasion very
much deserved its own recognition and struggled to keep his remarks within the
allotted time frame.

As I viewed recent videos of commencement addresses, I came across a
speech that I found particularly meaningful on two levels: first, for its perspective on the
human experience and life lessons, and second, probably unintended by the
speaker, for its applicability to writing fiction.
Dean James Ryan

The speech was given by Dean James Ryan (another
Yale alum) to the Harvard Graduate School of Education on May 29, 2016. Dean
Ryan, who has been described in a Harvard press release as “a scholar at
the crossroads of education, law, and policy,” received his A.B., summa cum
laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia,
which he attended on a full scholarship and from which he graduated first in
his class. He clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist
before teaching law at the University of Virginia. He became dean of the Harvard
Graduate School of Education on September 1, 2013.

In his speech, Dean Ryan addressed the five
essential questions to be asked in life along with a bonus question. [Here’s a link so you can read and watch the entire speech. I hope you will. It’s very inspirational.] The
questions Dean Ryan recommended were:
(1)       “Wait,
what?” According to Dean Ryan, this question indicates that the audience has focused its attention on a
particular subject. Dean Ryan’s example was asking his children to clean their
rooms. He said what they heard him say was: “blah, blah, blah, and I’d like for
you to clean your room.” Their “Wait, what?” signaled that they were not really
listening closely, then suddenly heard something that applied directly to them,
and needed him to repeat it for clarity.
In fiction, this is what we call the hook, the
reason why a reader chooses one story over any other, the personal, emotional
connection that convinces the reader, I want to spend my time with this author
and what he or she has to tell me.
(2)       “I
wonder, either why or if?” Dean Ryan characterizes this question as demonstrating curiosity and shows that a person is interested in learning more. The person has become
engaged with the subject.
For fiction writers, the “I wonder” often leads to
the germ of the story they decide to tell. By pondering, what would happen
under certain circumstances, they come up with characters and a plot.
Similarly, seeking the why or what if often is the
catalyst for a protagonist, in Christopher Vogler’s A Hero’s Journey parlance, to leave his “ordinary world” and consider “the call to adventure.” What might be possible? Is this a challenge I
should accept or decline? Where will it take me?
(3)       “Couldn’t
we at least . . .?” Dean Ryan says this question shows progress. Not only has the person
become engaged, but he’s beginning to care about the people and process
involved.
At this point in a story, the protagonist has
crossed the threshold. He may not be all in and he may have obstacles to face,
but he’s not going to retrace his steps back to the beginning. He’s signed on
for the journey.
(4)       “How
can I help?” For Dean Ryan, this question indicates the person has developed a relationship with the subject. Even
more important, the person’s beginning to insert himself into the mix.
In a story, this question pervades during the midpoint through the
climax. The protagonist is committed; he knows the goal and he’s going to help
obtain it. He’s preparing to face the ultimate struggle.
(5)       “What
truly matters (to me)?” For an individual, this is the answer to the “why” or “what
if?” Dean Ryan says it explains the purpose in life and reveals the person’s heart.
For the protagonist, this is the reason the story
began, the true basis for his existence, the challenge he must face.
(6)       The
bonus question: “Did I get what I wanted out of life even so?” For Dean Ryan, this is the evaluation. In essence, was
it worth it?
Whether the protagonist wins or loses, was the
struggle a significant and valiant effort?
No matter how a story might be perceived, a writer
can only hope the reader can find some level of appreciation and meaning in the outcome.
So graduates and writers, as you go forth into the
world after reading this post (and hopefully the two referenced links), take these questions with you, seek out your path and that of your characters, and I hope you
find the most satisfying answers possible. Thanks, Art Taylor and Dean James
Ryan, for the inspiration!

Celebrating the Short Story: the 2016 Agatha Short Story Nominees

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

Malice Domestic has become a wonderful homecoming for me each
year. Held in late April or early May near Washington, D.C. (for the last
several years in Bethesda, Maryland), it celebrates the best in the “traditional
mystery,” written in the style of Agatha Christie, where the emphasis is on
resolving the puzzle of the crime rather than delving into the more gruesome
aspects of the deed.

Excellence is recognized at Malice Domestic by the annual Agatha
Awards, given to living authors for works published during the previous
calendar year. Short stories are included in the nominated categories and this
year’s group of nominees features a group of outstanding writers. Not only are
the authors well-respected and prolific, but also the publications demonstrate
how short fiction is experiencing a new golden age for mystery readers’
enjoyment.

Following are the nominees and links where you may read the
short stories:

Best Short Story:
“Double Jinx: A Bellissimo Casino Crime Caper Short
Story” by Gretchen Archer (Henery Press)
“The Best-Laid Plans” by Barb Goffman
in Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional (Wildside Press)
“The Mayor and the Midwife” by
Edith Maxwell in Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016 (Down & Out
Books)
“The Last Blue Glass” by
B.K. Stevens in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
“Parallel Play” by Art Taylor in
Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning (Wildside Press)

Gretchen Archer, who writes the Davis Way Crime Caper series for Henery Press,
uses the setting for her novels, the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in
Biloxi, Mississippi, for her short story about a holiday host investigating the
death of a slot machine tournament player. Henery Press issued the story in
electronic format on Amazon. Gretchen is a Tennessee housewife, who lives on
Lookout Mountain with her husband, son, and a Yorkie named Bently. Her first
Davis Way Crime Caper, Double Whammy, was a finalist
for the Daphne du Maurier Award and appeared on the USA TODAY Bestsellers List.

Barb
Goffman has won the Agatha, Macavity, and Silver Falchion awards for her
mystery short stories. She received the Silver
Falchion was for her collection, Don’t Get Mad, Get Even. She also has
been nominated for the Anthony and Derringer. Her nominated story was
published in  Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most
Conventional. It’s a great joy to see Malice Domestic resume its
practice of issuing short story anthologies, particularly this volume that
concentrates on mysteries at conventions. Barb’s story reveals how the best
laid plans of two honored guests at Malice Domestic can take a bad turn for the
worse.

Edith Maxwell, an Agatha nominated and Amazon bestselling author,
writes two series under her own name (the Quaker Midwife and Local Foods
Mysteries), two under the name Maddie Day, and previously wrote the Lauren
Rousseau mysteries as Tace Baker. Her nominated short story appeared in the
Bouchercon anthology, Blood on the Bayou:
Bouchercon Anthology 2016 edited by Greg Herren (Down
& Out Books), and featured her Quaker midwife protagonist, who must solve
the mystery of a death in a New Orleans’ family that has come to Amesbury in
1888.

B.K.
Stevens has published over fifty short stories, most appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and eleven of which have been collected in Her Infinite
Variety: Tales of Women and Crime, published by Wildside Press. In
addition, she has written a novel featuring a deaf interpreter, Interpretation
of Murder (Black Opal Books), and a young adult martial arts mystery, Fighting
Chance (Poisoned Pen Press). She has won a Derringer and has been nominated
for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Her nominated story, published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, was
described by editor Linda Landrigan as: “A young wife finds her life’s
disappointments measured in broken glass.”

Art Taylor, associate professor of English at George Mason
University and frequent contributor to the Washington Post, the Washington
Independent Review of Books, and Mystery Scene Magazine, won the
Agatha Award for Best First Novel for On the Road with Del & Louise: A
Novel in Stories. For his short stories, he has won two Agatha Awards, two
Anthony Awards (one for his own short fiction and the other for editing Murder Under the Oaks: Bouchercon Anthology 2015),
a Macavity Award, and three consecutive Derringer Awards. His nominated story,
about a parent’s efforts to protect her child, was published in Chesapeake
Crimes: Storm Warning.

If
you haven’t already discovered these extraordinary authors, I hope you’ll take
this opportunity to read their nominated work. And, if you already love their
writing, as I do, enjoy these wonderful nominated selections!

Summertime and the reading is . . . WONDERFUL!

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

A significant part
of my vacations as I grew up was participating in the library summer reading
program. Now, that I work for a state legislature with a session ending in
early June, the summer months still mean a time of less activity so I can catch
up on all those lovely books on my TBR pile. If you’re looking for some
terrific summer reads, here are my recommendations, in two categories. First,
short story collections, which are great travel companions, and, second, academic
mysteries, in case you crave a vicarious trip back to school.
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS:
K.
B. Inglee’s The Case Book of Emily
Lawrence (Wildside Books 2016)
K.B.
writes historical mysteries and learns about the time periods in her stories by being a
reenactor and living interpreter. Her Case
Book features intrepid Emily Lothrop Lawrence, whose professor father
characterized as “intelligent” while calling her older sisters “beautiful” and “talented.”
Emily, with her husband Charles, operate a Pinkerton style detective agency in
post-Civil War Washington, DC. Reading about their investigations and
techniques is both a journey back in time and an appreciation for how
technology has influenced detection.
B.K.
Stevens’ Her Infinite Variety (Wildside
Books 2016).
 
B.K.’s
(or Bonnie’s) stories have frequently found a home in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. In this fascinating volume,
they’ve been collected, so you can enjoy four that feature her series
detectives, Iphigenia Wodehouse and Leah Abrams, and seven of her “stand-alones,”
including one of my favorites “Thea’s First Husband.” For excellent writing, intriguing
situations, and clever deductions, this collection is a true reader’s delight.
Art
Taylor’s On the Road with Del and Louise:
a Novel in Stories (Henery Press 2015).
Winner
of two Agatha Awards, the Anthony Award, the Macavity Award, and three
consecutive Derringer Awards for his short fiction, Art uses a series of
stories to tell the adventures of two intricate and compelling characters.
Louise, a Southern girl working in a New Mexico 7-Eleven, is held up by the
ski-masked Del, a frugal man seeking enough to meet his “academic” expenses,
and gives him her telephone number because she thinks he has nice eyes. She
finds it exciting when he calls, then sets out with him on what becomes a cross
country journey with stops at such diverse locations as Southern California,
Napa Valley, Las Vegas, North Dakota, and Louise’s North Carolina hometown. At
first, I wasn’t sure I could like either of these complex characters, but after
following them through traditional crime stories and hilarious capers, I had to
wait as long as I could to finish the last installment so I didn’t have to say
goodbye. Winner of the Agatha Award for
Best First Novel and finalist for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, this
novel in stories is an engaging read.
ACADEMIC MYSTERIES:
Cynthia
Kuhn’s The Semester of Our Discontent
(Henery Press 2016).

The first book in a new series,
Cynthia’s novel features English professor Lila Maclean, who in her first year
at a prestigious university finds herself as involved in solving murders as
she is in steering clear of academic intrigue. Unfortunately, she keeps turning up on the
scene where her colleagues are being murdered. When her cousin becomes the
chief suspect, Lila has to find a way to clear her name. A fast-paced whodunit
with lots of quirky, yet familiar characters from higher education, which
received the William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant.

Lori
Rader-Day’s The Black Hour (Seventh
Street Books 2014).
Lori’s
suspenseful novel alternates between two narrators: (1) sociology professor
Amelia Emmet, who is returning to the campus where a student with whom she had
no apparent connection shot her, then killed himself, and (2) Amelia’s new
graduate assistant, Nathaniel Barber, who came to the college not just to earn
a degree, but to study her attack. As they each investigate separately, then in
tandem, the reader is plunged through every emotion watching the fascinating plot
unfold. Winner of the Anthony Award, Lovey
Award, and Silver Falchion for Best First Novel, this is truly superb reading!
I
want to assure you that you can’t go wrong with any of these books. So stay out
of the pool, pour yourself a tall glass of lemonade, and settle down for some
fabulous summer reading!

The Year of the Short Story

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

From right, Art Taylor, Debra Goldstein, Cathy Pickens and husband Bob, and me.

Like
Debra Goldstein, I’m a writing conference junkie. I completely understand the
attraction that compels so many sci fi and graphic novel enthusiasts to flock
to cons. First, you’re surrounded by people who have as great a love of the
subject as you do, and second, you draw inspiration from proximity to the
practitioners.

I’ll
never forget my first visit to Malice Domestic about fifteen years ago. Everything about it seemed to
spell impossible expectation. The time of year. The distance to travel. Getting
leave from work. Arranging for my mother to travel with me. Yet, Mary Higgins
Clark would be there, and I was obsessed with her books. When I imagined my
future, it was writing novels like Mary Higgins Clark’s.

Somehow,
all the pieces came together. Impossibility became reality. I went. Standing in
line to get my picture with Mary Higgins Clark, I met Dana Cameron, who has
become a wonderful, supportive friend. The photo with Mary Higgins Clark and
her daughter Carol Higgins Clark has become a talisman for me, a symbol of what
I can achieve. When one of my relatives asked who those people were (not
recognizing me), I convinced myself I looked enough like an author to be
mistaken for one. I’ve continued that happy delusion ever since.

I
dub this year’s Malice “a celebration of the short story.” Malice revived its
tradition of publishing anthologies with Malice Domestic’s Murder Most
Conventional, with twenty two original stories and one reprint all set at
conventions. (Another anthology is planned for next year featuring historicals.)
While I missed lunch with the Guppies, I had a wonderful time with Debra Goldstein, Barb
Goffman, and others. Barb won her first Agatha this year for “A Year Without
Santa Claus,” her first publication in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
At
the SinC Breakfast, the announcement of a new initiative, “We Love Short
Stories,” organized by Debra Goldstein, was met with applause and great expectations.
I thoroughly enjoyed being on a short story panel with James Lincoln Warren (a first class moderator who brought his panelists California wine), Teresa Inge, K.B. Inglee, and Jayne Ormerod. We missed being with Eleanor Cawood Jones, a contributor to the new Malice anthology, who had became ill. During our discussion time, we explored the diverse themes, characters, and settings for mystery short stories. Jim kindly read selections from each panelist’s stories to the audience.  
At the banquet, so many attending had backgrounds as both short story writers and novelists. Terrie Farley Moran, who won an Agatha for best first novel last year, was nominated in the short story category this year. B.K. Stevens, who broke her arm and sadly could not be there, had a table full of supporters, cheering her nominations for short story and young adult novel. (Notice in the photo below that B.K.’s daughter Rachel and publisher Carla Coupe are holding up Her Infinite Variety, a new collection of B.K.’s short stories.) I had the pleasure of celebrating with Art Taylor when his novel in short stories, On the Road with Del and Louise, received the teapot as best first novel.
Hurray for another wonderful Malice and double hurray for the recognition of the importance of the mystery short story. It’s going to be a wonderful year for reading! 

Meet the Authors of the 2015 Agatha Best First Novel Nominees!

/in /by




Each
year at Malice Domestic, writing excellence is recognized by the Agatha awards.
This year’s nominees for Best First Novel are (in alphabetical order by first
name):
On the Road with Del and Louise, Art Taylor
(Henery Press)
Macdeath, Cindy Brown (Henery Press)
Plantation Shudders, Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane Books)
Just Killing Time, Julianne Holmes (Berkley)
Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman, Tessa Arlen (Minotaur Books)

Today,
the Stiletto Gang welcomes Art Taylor, Cindy Brown, Ellen Byron, Julianne
Holmes, and Tessa Arlen. All are not only skilled and talented writers, but
also charming and caring people. Thanks, Art, Cindy, Ellen, Julianne, and Tessa,
for stopping by to share your work and thoughts with us!—Paula Gail Benson

What
writing habits enabled you to complete a novel?
ART TAYLOR: I’m not a person who sets daily word quotas or
time quotas, but instead try to have staged goals for my writing: complete
such-and-such a scene this day, for example, or revise a specific chunk of
prose, or maybe just brainstorm how to fix a troubled turn of plot. Setting and
keeping such goals is easier during the summer when I’m not juggling the
demands of teaching: piles of reading and lesson prep in advance of each class,
piles of grading added to the burden. But I try to touch base as regularly as
possible with the project at hand; forward progress of any kind is better than
no progress, and regularity keeps my brain working on a project whether I’m actively
writing or not.
CINDY BROWN: I am dogged. Not good at sticking to a routine,
necessarily, but good about finishing what I begin. I do try to stick to
a routine and can sometimes manage it (I almost always work on my fiction first
thing in the morning), but typically instead I have to create little incentives
for myself, e.g. “No more coffee until you’ve finished this scene.” I am also
the wrold’s worst typisy (see?), which really slows me down. Luckily, I have
discovered that using voice dictation really helps when translating the mess
that is my first draft. As I speak the correct words into the computer, I also
get a chance to hear them out loud. Very helpful.
ELLEN BYRON: When you write for television like I do, there’s
no such thing as writer’s block. That’s also true for the magazine articles I’m
assigned. I have deadlines to meet. Not only that, since I hate having work
hang over me, my goal is to always beat a deadline. That one habit has
enabled me to complete three novels in the last three years. (One of which, sad
to say, is collecting e-dust in my computer.)
JULIANNE HOLMES: There is nothing like a deadline to get me
moving! I am a plotter, so I have scene cards with objectives lined up. I find
that really helpful when I try and grab time to write during the day, or in the
evening. I can catch myself up fairly easily. I also try and write every day,
but that doesn’t always happen. The other writing habits that help?
Accountability with others. I blog with the Wicked Cozy Authors, and we talk
one another through Book Jail, i.e. time at the computer when you are up
against a deadline. And Fritoes. Fritoes have magical writing powers.
TESSA ARLEN: I am a very energetic person, so I am happiest
when I am doing something. I write first thing in the morning, the moment after
I have taken the dog out, and had a cup of tea. I love winter, because it
doesn’t get light in the Northwest until about half past eight in the morning,
so there are no distractions. I sit down and write and don’t lift my head until
mid-day…and then I take a shower!
 
Is
your debut novel part of a series or a stand alone?
ART TAYLOR: On the Road with Del & Louise is a
standalone novel. However, when I wrote the first story here (it’s a novel in
stories), I hadn’t planned for it even to become a book—and yet look
where it ended up. Never say never, I guess. And, in fact, the ending of the
book does leave open the possibility of returning to these characters again
some time.

 
CINDY BROWN: Macdeath is the first in the
Ivy Meadows series–madcap mysteries set in the off, off, off Broadway
world of theater. The Sound of Murder (Book 2) came out in October, and Oliver
Twisted (Book 3) will be out June 21st.
ELLEN BYRON: It’s the first in my Cajun Country Mysteries
series, brought to you by Crooked Lane Books! The second book in the series, Body
on the Bayou, launches on September 13th. I now have a four-book deal for
the series, so look for future installs in the coming years.
JULIANNE HOLMES: Just Killing Time is the first in the
Clock Shop Mystery series by Berkley Prime Crime. Clock and Dagger comes
out in August, and I am working on Chime and Punishment (working title)
now.
TESSA ARLEN: It is the first book in what Minotaur books call
the Lady Montfort series. The second book: Death Sits Down to Dinner will
be published March 29, this year. And I have just turned in Death by Any
Other Name.
What
shoes would you, your protagonist, or another character from your novel wear to
the Agathas banquet?
ART TAYLOR: Footwear is an important decision come banquet
time—and sharp apparel generally. Two years ago, I wore brown-on-brown saddle
shoes, and last year was white bucks—with a seersucker suit! (I was told by one
friend I had rushed the season, but I count Easter and not Memorial Day as the
go-ahead to break out some spring/summer duds.) This year, I’m planning either
bucks again—classic tan this time—or a pair of olive-over-cream saddle shoes
that I always want to wear and that my wife always talks me out of it. (She
won’t be there this year, so maybe I’ll be daring.) As for Del and Louise:
comfort first, always—though Del is more of a loner and likely wouldn’t feel
comfortable anyway with the crowds and the socializing.
CINDY BROWN: I found a nice pair of black patent leather
flats. As a mostly-broke actress, Ivy would probably employ a costumer’s trick:
she’d find a pair of inexpensive vintage pumps, spray them silver, and hot glue
her grandma rhinestone earrings to them. Très chic (as long as you don’t look too closely)!
ELLEN BYRON: After many years spent in Skechers Go-Walks, I
made the mistake of wearing two-inch pumps to last year’s Agatha Awards
banquet. If you were there and saw a short brunette grimacing as she limped
around the place, that was me. So this year, I’ll be wearing black ankle boots
that have served me well at other conventions. You hardly notice them under my
palazzo pants, and they’re super comfy. By the way, my protagonist Magnolia
“Maggie” Crozat, also ranks comfort over style—unless she’s trying to turn up
the heat with the handsome and mysterious new detective in town, Bo Durand.
JULIANNE HOLMES: What a good question! Usually I go for
comfort over style, but this year I may need to step it up a bit. That said,
don’t expect to see me in heels. I’m already 5’ 10”, so I’ve never been
comfortable in heels. But I do like platforms.
TESSA ARLEN: Haha! At last
year’s Malice I turned my ankle on Thursday evening and spent the rest of the
night at the local hospital (there is one just up the road by the way -quite
handy). For the rest of the convention I hobbled around in a cast, wearing one
flat shoe on the other foot. My two sleuths would only wear shoes appropriate
to their station to a banquet. Mrs. Jackson is a housekeeper so she is on her
feet all day, but she is an elegant individual as are her black ankle boots
with all those nice shiny little boot buttons down the outside. Whereas,
Clementine Talbot the Countess of Montfort would have a pair of shoes—most
probably designed by Paul Poiret—for every evening dress with what we English
call a ‘lavatory pan’ heel and a pointy toe.
Thank you all for taking the time
to stop by the Stiletto Gang. Best wishes!
These Agatha Award finalists also
are answering questions at a number of mystery-themed blogs in the lead-up to
Malice Domestic. Find them next at Criminal Minds on Friday, April 22; and at
Chicks on the Case on Monday, April 25!
Here’s some additional information about them:

Art Taylor is the author of On
the Road with Del & Louise: A Novel in Stories. He has won two Agatha
Awards, the Anthony Award, the Macavity Award, and three consecutive Derringer
Awards for his short fiction, and a selection from On the Road with Del
& Louise was chosen for the forthcoming Best American Mystery
Stories anthology. He is an associate professor of English at George Mason
University, and he contributes frequently to the Washington Post, the Washington
Independent Review of Books, and Mystery Scene Magazine. www.arttaylorwriter.com
Cindy Brown is a theater geek, mystery lover, and
award-winning writer who recently combined her passions to produce madcap
mysteries set in the off, off, off Broadway world of theater. Her books
star Ivy Meadows, actress and part-time PI, and are published by Henery
Press. They include Macdeath, The Sound of Murder (3rd place in
the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by
Sue Grafton), and Oliver Twisted (coming June 2016). Check out
Cindy’s slightly silly look at mystery, writing, and drama at cindybrownwriter.com.
Ellen Byron’s debut novel, Plantation Shudders, was
nominated for a Best Humorous Mystery Lefty Award, as well as being chosen by
the Library Journal as a Debut Mystery of the Month. Body on the Bayou,
the second in Ellen’s Cajun Country Mystery series, launches in September. Her
television credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me and Still Standing, as well as
pilots for most of the major networks; she’s written over 200 magazine
articles; her published plays include the award-winning Graceland and Asleep
on the Wind. Ellen is a recipient of a William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic
Grant for mystery writers. http://www.ellenbyron.com/
Julianne Holmes writes the Clock Shop Mysteries for Berkley
Prime Crime. The first in the series, Just Killing Time, debuted in October.
Clock and Dagger comes out in August. As J.A. Hennrikus, she has short
stories in three Level Best anthologies, Thin Ice, Dead Calm and Blood
Moon. She is on the board of Sisters in Crime, and Sisters in Crime New
England and is a member of MWA. She blogs with the Wicked Cozy Authors. http://JulianneHolmes.com @JulieHennrikus
Tessa Arlen, the daughter of a British diplomat, had lived in
or visited her parents in Singapore, Cairo, Berlin, the Persian Gulf, Beijing,
Delhi and Warsaw by the time she was sixteen. Tessa’s first novel is Death
of a Dishonorable Gentleman. She lives with her family on an island in the
Puget Sound. http://www.tessaarlen.com/

An Interview with TWO Best American Mystery Story Authors

/in /by


Short
story writers always rejoice in any publication of their work, but to be included
in Otto Penzler’s Best American Mystery
Stories (this year selected by Elizabeth George) is a special honor and
distinction. I was thrilled and delighted to hear two good friends and
excellent authors had received that distinction. Art Taylor’s “Rearview Mirror”
was the first adventure in his novel told in short stories On the Road with Deal and Louise (Henery Press). Georgia Ruth’s “On
the Mountaintop” was the first tale in the third Sisters in Crime Guppy Chapter
anthology, Fish or Cut Bait (Wildside
Press). Thanks to them both for telling us about themselves, their work, and
this extraordinary shared experience.—Paula Gail Benson
How
did you learn that your story would be included in the anthology?
Art Taylor
Art:     I was on the road
from Virginia to North Carolina for an event at N.C. State University, and I’d
stopped for a quick lunch at a Chick-Fil-A—so, of course, was scrolling through
email. When I saw one with Best American
Mystery Stories in the subject line, I did a double-take, and then had to
read it several times before I believed it was real! I sent my wife a text
message with about a dozen exclamation points in it—and needless to say, I won’t
pass that Chick-Fil-A again without fond memories. It was a great day all
around, and the event that evening at N.C. State was much fun too; having
graduated from there with a master’s degree in creative writing, I’d been in
the audience for their reading series many times before—and such a thrill
to be on the other side of the podium this time and to chat with the current
students about their work.



Georgia Ruth
Georgia:         When I heard the news, I was in Florida with a daughter
recovering from surgery. I was checking email and saw a message from an
unfamiliar name and almost deleted it before I noticed the subject was Best American Mystery Stories. I held my
breath and clicked. And screamed, disturbing my daughter’s nap. She kept asking
“What’s wrong?” but I was speed reading and stuttering. When I gained control
of my tongue, I read the letter to her twice, and cautiously whispered, “This
is huge.” She texted her siblings, while I went into denial. For two days, I
expected a hook from the wings to jerk me off stage, or a second letter
advising me of a mistake, or a request for money and my social security number.
Then I read in an online group where I lurk that talented Art Taylor and Rob
Lopresti had also received this letter sent out to twenty writers. That’s when
I celebrated!
Tell
us about your story and what compelled you to write it.
Art:     “Rearview Mirror”
was originally written as a dare—my wife Tara Laskowski, who’s also a
writer, challenging each of us to write a story for a fiction contest hosted by
the Washington Post. The contest used a photograph as a prompt, and a
description of that photograph is basically embedded in the 12th paragraph of
the story, and then I also drew on a trip to New Mexico that Tara and
I had taken the year before, so there were a couple of factors that spurred me
on and influenced the shape of the story…though I have to stress that Tara and
I got along much better than Del and Louise, and neither of us committed any
crimes during our time in the Southwest!
Georgia:         It was this
same daughter’s deployment to Iraq that put into motion my thoughts for this
speculative story, “The Mountain Top.” I kept her two sons, and I also kept my
job selling diamond engagement rings. She returned safely to continue a
traditional American lifestyle, but mine was permanently askew. With the
bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the skyrocketing national debt, and
rumors that social security could no longer be funded, I was fearful for the
future. When I retired to a log cabin in the North Carolina foothills, my
characters came to life. Their story is about fear and greed, handled with
a fierce devotion to family.
Why
do you write short stories?
Art:     Even since I
subscribed to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine when I was about 10 years
old or so, I’ve loved the form of the short story—and particularly the mystery
short story—and because the short story is at the core of the workshop-model
that drove the creative writing programs where I studied, I’ve devoted more
time and attention to honing my craft in that direction. On the Road with
Del & Louise is a hybrid of sorts—a novel in stories that at once
capitalizes on the pleasures of the short story (and on what I hope are
the strengths I’ve developed as a short story writer) but also builds
those stories together into a longer story, an overarching narrative, in which
the whole is ultimately greater even than the sum of those parts. That was my
goal, and the fear has been that it would fail on both counts—working
neither way. With those fears in mind, it’s been a joy this month to have the
overall book named a finalist for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel and to
have this individual story as published in the book singled out as one of the
best short stories of the year—dreams come true in each case, absolutely.
Georgia:         I write
stories of all lengths, and I have seven shorts published. If I can express
my theme in 5000 words, I am thrilled but often I have to write the story
to identify the theme, a whydunit rather than whodunit. I have a short
story of 15,000 words that I submitted for publication. In my heart, I
know it deserves a more satisfying ending. Three years ago I awoke with a
vision for a historical suspense story of 10,000 words, but it was not
completed until recently. Now it has 89,000 words. The story itself
determines the stopping point. My goal is to layer each story with
subplots that will generate discussion among characters and readers. When
I mumbled “This is huge,” I was referring to the honor that my story was
chosen by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George. She is the queen
of psychological suspense.
Congratulations,
Art and Georgia! Looking forward to reading your wonderful stories in a new
venue!

Meet the Authors of the 2014 Agatha Best Short Story Nominees!

/in /by


Each
year at Malice Domestic, writing excellence is recognized by the Agatha awards.
This year’s nominees for Best Short Story are:
“The Blessing
Witch” (PDF)
by Kathy Lynn Emerson, Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave
(Level Best Books)
“Just
Desserts for Johnny” (PDF) by Edith Maxwell (Kings River Life Magazine)
“The
Shadow Knows” by Barb Goffman, Chesapeake Crimes Homicidal Holidays
(Wildside Press)
“The
Odds are Against Us” (PDF) by Art Taylor, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov.
2014
“Premonition” by Art Taylor,
Chesapeake Crimes Homicidal Holidays (Wildside Press)
Please
enjoy the opportunity to read these stories, if you haven’t already. We are so
fortunate to have with us today Kathy Lynn Emerson, Edith Maxwell, Barb Goffman, and Art Taylor. All are not
only fabulous writers, but also delightful people. Thanks, Kathy, Edith, Barb,
and Art, for stopping by to share your work and thoughts with us!
How do you compare short story writing with
novel writing?
KATHY:
Writing short stories is much
harder. In quite a few cases, it took me longer to finish a short story than it
did to write an entire 80,000 word novel. With at least one story, it took me
years to get it right. When I write novels, they get longer with each revision.
When I revise a short story, it almost always ends up even shorter.
EDITH:
A heck of a lot shorter, for one thing!
When I had two-thirds of a novel in the drawer twenty years ago and then
reentered the paid work force while raising two sons, there was no way I could
carry the plot and characters of a book around in my head and fit them into the
tiny snatches of time I had available to writer. But I could manage a short
story, and wrote nearly a dozen, five of which were eventually published in
juried anthologies. Short stories are simpler. They’re not necessarily easier,
but they don’t take as much time or brain space to complete.
BARB:
For me, writing a novel is like the
long con. I start in one place, and I know that eventually I’ll bring the
reader to another place. But in the middle there will be detours and red
herrings and subplots. I want to keep readers from seeing where we’re going. I
want to fool them. To surprise them. I might set something up in chapter two
that will pay benefits three hundred pages later. That’s the long con.
With a short story, there’s no space
for the long con. I’m writing the equivalent of a bank robbery. I get in, get
the cash, and get out. No detours. No subplots. It’s a quick ride. Sure, short
stories and novels both should have a great beginning and ending and hopefully
a surprise or two, but the way I approach the middle is different.
ART:
Each time I’ve tried to write a full
novel, I’ve struggled with structure and pacing to the point that the results
have always been bumpy at best, dismal at worst—and none of them has seen the
light of day. With my upcoming novel-in-stories, On the Road with Del and
Louise (coming out this September from Henery Press), I’ve tried to
capitalize on what I think I do well: manage the narrative arc—the structure
and pacing—of a short story, and link those stories together in contribution to
a larger narrative arc featuring the bigger story of these characters. To some
degree, I think I just understand short stories better, for better or worse.
What advice would you give to short story
writers?
KATHY:
Keep it simple. In a short
story there is no room for subplots, information dumps, or complicated
relationships. I’d say limit the number of characters, but that would be a tad
hypocritical since I’ve never managed to follow that piece of advice myself.
EDITH:
Don’t send it in too early. Get the
first draft done and let it stew for a while. Then work to eliminate everything
unnecessary, whether a description that doesn’t move the story forward or a character
you can do without. And then work it over again, polishing, trimming. I’ve seen
a couple of beginning writers dash off a short and send it in (well, I did the
same myself when I was starting out) when it wasn’t quite ready.
BARB:
Read. Read novels. Read short stories.
Read, read, read. It gets your brain moving. It teaches you technique, even if
you don’t realize it as it’s happening. It helps you learn what works and what
doesn’t.
And when you write, keep two things in
mind: (1) Everything in the story should move the plot forward. If a scene or
character can come out without affecting the plot, it doesn’t belong in the
story. (2) But don’t make your plot move so quickly that your main character
doesn’t have the time to react to what’s happening. Reactions are interesting.
They bring the character to life and add richness to the story. So show us her
thoughts, and then move that plot along.
ART:
Write the biggest story you can and
then cut and fold, cut and fold, cut and fold until the only words left are
those that are key to the story—that’s the ideal for me, even I personally feel
like I’m always falling short of that goal. The novelist’s art strikes
me generally as one of accumulation, where the short story writer should
ideally focus on subtraction—the most effect in the fewest words—and training
yourself to see where to cut and combine and condense is a challenge. Beyond
that, read widely in the short story form. There are so so many great
short story writers out there, each of them with different stylistic and
structural approaches, and there’s so much to learn from them and then maybe
apply in your own way to your own craft.
For the Agatha banquet, what kind of shoes would you (or if
you prefer, your protagonist, a character from your story, or your spouse)
wear? [This is, after all, The Stiletto Gang!]
KATHY:
The same ones I wear every
year—black SAS sandals with one-inch heels. Definitely no stilettos. I have
trouble enough walking in the sandals. By rights I should be wearing old-lady-with-arthritis
orthopedic lace-ups!
EDITH:
I’m so shoe impaired in terms of what’s
conventional. I’m trying to come up with a pair of party shoes that aren’t
either stilettos or some version of little-girl shoes. I have short wide feet
and refuse to wear heels, so it isn’t easy! You’re going to have to wait and
see what I find. Maybe we can do a follow up post with a picture of all our
Agatha banquet shoes…
[Edith sent her picture early, so I
wanted to share it. I’ll see if I can get shots of the shoes actually worn at
the banquet!—Paula]
BARB:
Gus, my main character from my
Agatha-nominated story “The Shadow Knows,” wouldn’t go to a banquet. It’s way
too fancy for him. But if he were forced, Gus would wear plain, comfortable
shoes. I’m similar in that respect. My shoes will be black and nearly flat and
above all else, comfortable. I want to enjoy the evening, which means doing
what I can to avoid aching feet.
ART:
I’ve got a pair of suede saddle shoes that
I regularly want to wear (khaki green panel over off-white), but my wife Tara
says they don’t ever match what I put them with, so…. We’ll see if I can ever
come up with a good combination! [Here are Art’s shoes for your viewing pleasure!—Paula]