Tag Archive for: Kay Kendall author

Mystery Writers Who Inspired Me—Part 2

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By Kay Kendall


Donna Leon is the
author of 24 books in her mysteries series set in Venice, Italy. They feature
an Italian policeman, Commissario Guido Brunetti , as he maneuvers among
governmental corruption on all sides and tries to bring justice to a land where
few people expect it. Although Leon is American by birth, she has lived in
Venice for decades and knows the city well. Her books are especially popular in
Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Although translated into 20 languages, her
work is not available in Italian
because, she says, she dislikes being recognized when she is in public and
considers it an intrusion.


 
The Grand Canal in Venice

Much of the charm of reading Leon’s police procedurals comes from immersion
in another world so different in small ways from American or British policing. Brunetti
is of a philosophical bent, returning home to read the classical greats of
Roman literature to soothe his soul after viewing the worst that human
nature can do. At his apartment on Calle Tiepolo in the San Polo
district of Venice, he holds long discussions about life, literature, and various absurdities
of the modern world with his wife Paolo, a professor of literature at the local
university, and their two teenaged children, Raffi and Chiara. None of these
reoccurring characters age in these books. The first was published in 1992, Death at La Fenice, and the most recent
was published this year, Falling in Love.

Fans of slam bang thrillers may find these mysteries a bit languid.
For me, however, they offer a visit to a charming city that reeks of art and
antiquity. Brunetti understands human nature and is often sorrowful when he
uncovers the motives of killers. He dislikes the moneyed elite that has run
Venice for centuries, even though his wife Paolo is a daughter of Count Falier,
who lives in an elegant historic palazzo on the Grand Canal. Paolo would like nothing better than to sit all day reading and rereading the tomes of Henry James. Occasionally she too goes on a rampage for justice. She is no spoiled rich daughter, despite her being from ancient aristocracy.
Mystery author Donna Leon

I was once blessed to meet with Donna Leon when she visited
Houston for a book talk. Sitting by her side at lunch, I was delighted to soak
up her upbeat spirit she maintains despite the gloomy view of human nature evident
in her books. When asked about how she displays justice in her mysteries,
she stated that she believes Italians have no illusions, that they expect all politicians
to be corrupt. That given of Italian life she believes is “refreshing.”

The interplay among the big personalities in Guido Brunetti’s office is
fascinating. His boss Vice-Questore Patta dresses in Armani, hails from the
crooked and Mafia-ridden south, and lunches daily with Venetian bigwigs.  He may be shallow, vain, and a climber, yet he
is not all bad, nor is he evil. Patta’s secretary Signorina Elettra left a
lucrative financial job to employ her computer wizardry for serving justice,
and Brunetti never hesitates to ask her to hack into someone’s bank records.
The morals in these books are a little slippery, yet there is a consistent
decency to the actions of Brunetti, his family, secretary Signorina Elettra,
and Brunetti’s friend on the police force, Vianello. An air of sad resignation and
melancholy resides in the pages of these unique mysteries.
If you have not yet discovered the books of Donna Leon, I
recommend them to you. You will learn much about the fascinating and labyrinthine
world of Venice, both the high life and the low, and of human nature and all its dark foibles. Her books have inspired my writing because they delve into
philosophical and moral questions as well as present a richly detailed account
of a famous city. When I finally visited Venice three years ago, I felt I
understood it better because of Donna Leon’s writing. I have read all 24 books to date and look forward to the next in 2016. The only thing that makes me turn green with envy is when Donna Leon says she never does rewrites.
~~~~~~~

Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of
historical novels and writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit
and turbulence of the sixties. She is a reformed PR executive who lives in
Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly
allergic to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a
Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY WOMEN published on July 7. It is the
second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The audio-book will debut
soon. 
http://www.amazon.com/Rainy-Day-Women-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W2X5SCS

 
 

Mystery Writers Who Inspired Me—Part 1

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By Kay Kendall

Jacqueline Winspear is a marvelous author whose books have been
inspiring me for more than a decade. Most of the stories in her Maisie Dobbs
mystery series are set in England, and the series begins after the War to End
All Wars, which is alas now called World War One. The eleventh book in the
series came out this year.

Maisie Dobbs was a young nurse at the front, and her fiancé was
wounded in the fighting. In the first book, he is a hopeless invalid, unable to
speak and suffering from the gas attacks that occurred during the infamous
trench warfare. The initial offering—simply titled Maisie Dobbs—won many prizes for first novel and wide spread praise
from both reviewers and readers alike.

Author Jacqueline Winspear
What drew me into this mystery series was the depiction of
the ravages of war on those who did not fight. Winspear describes long-lasting
horrors that saddled a whole society after the war was won by the British and
their allies, the Americans, French and Russians. Calamitous events arose from
that disastrous war—the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, and Hitler’s
rise.

Maisie becomes a private investigator and is taught how to
approach her cases from a psychological perspective by a wise, older male
mentor. The first books are set in the late 1920s and then carry into  the 1930s. We readers know that Europe is crawling
steadily toward another world war, and we see how Maisie adapts to changing
conditions and threats. Although several young men wish to wed her, she shies
away from commitment and maintains her independence steadfastly.  She helps others find happiness but doesn’t
seem able to do that for herself, at least in the area of romance.

I began reading these fine, unique mysteries by Jacqueline
Winspear before I began writing my own mysteries, and the more I read, the more
they inspired me. I wanted to develop my own tales to show another young woman
challenged by her own era’s battles—of war, politics, and changing values. It
is no exaggeration to say that without reading about Maisie Dobbs, I might
never have written about my own female amateur sleuth, Austin Starr.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to hear Jacqueline
Winspear speak several times about the genesis of her series, how her own
grandfather survived his participation in World War One and how his military
service deeply affected her family. Plus, one of her grandmothers worked in a munitions
arsenal during the war and was partially blinded in an explosion. To commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of
the war, Winspear published a standalone novel last year set during the cataclysm.
Her historical research is personal and impeccable.

Recently, a funny thing happened. I believed that I had read
all the volumes in order and that I was totally up to date with Maisie’s doings—with
the exception of the eleventh escapade. I bought it and added it to my
to-be-read pile—the enormous stack at my bedside. Yet, one thing had always
puzzled me. There was a jump in Winspear’s storytelling. A squabble between
Maisie and her mentor was referenced, and I didn’t know what to make of it or
where it came from. There was also the introduction in the middle books of a
character treated as continuing but one I had not been introduced to before. I double-checked
to ensure I had read all the books in order and kept on reading them.

And then last week, a sale grabbed me. The audiobook version
of the third mystery, Pardonable Lies,
was offered at a deep discount. Since it had been about a decade since I first
read that book—or so I believed—I bought the CD and popped it into my car’s
audio disc player. Imagine my surprise—no, my shock!—when the plot was new. I
had never read Pardonable Lies. In it
Maisie and her mentor quarrel over national security matters and she reconnects
with an old friend from college. No wonder I didn’t know about those threads in
Maisie’s story. I had missed them entirely.

This is delightful serendipity, stumbling upon a lost
treasure that I didn’t even know I had misplaced. Now when I get into the car
and face Houston’s clogged traffic, I enjoy the ride. Perhaps I will reread all
the books, or listen to them in traffic.   

I heartily recommend this series to you. Find Maisie’s
stories listed in order here: http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com/novels.php
~~~~~~~
Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of
historical novels and writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit
and turbulence of the sixties. She is a reformed PR executive who lives in
Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic
to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan
buff too. RAINY DAY WOMEN published in July. It is the second
in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The audiobook debuts soon. 
http://www.amazon.com/Rainy-Day-Women-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W2X5SCS

Why Reading Is Good for Us

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By Kay Kendall

This is the
second of two installments about reading. Previously I described how much I
enjoy reading and tried to figure out how that came to pass. I am guessing most
of you also feel reading is enjoyable. For many people, however, reading is not
a pleasurable pastime.

Reading is
similar to chocolate. It tastes luscious to most people, but not to all. These
days, however, we know through research that chocolate is a healthy thing to
eat.

Scientific
researchers have likewise come up with reasons why we should read. Here is a curated list of reasons scientists say
reading should be done—not only for our enjoyment and increased knowledge, but
for our mental and physical well-being.

 1.
Reading is an effective way to overcome stress.
Researchers at the University of Sussex found that reading relaxed the heart
rate and muscle tension faster than other activities often said to be
de-stressors—for example taking a walk, listening to music, and drinking tea.
Note that the research was done in England, a bastion of tea drinkers, so this
is really saying something shocking.

 2. Reading exercises our
brains. As our bodies need movement to be strong, our brains need a
work out too. Reading is a more complex activity than watching television and
actually helps establish new neural pathways.

 3.
Reading helps maintain our brains’ sharpness. Neurologists
who studied brains of those who died around age 89 saw signs of a third less
decline among those who stayed mentally active with reading, writing, and other
modes of mental stimulation like puzzles, as compared to those who did little
or none of those activities.

 4. Reading may even ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Adults who pursue activities like reading or puzzles that involve the brain
are less likely to have Alzheimer’s disease. Intellectual activity not only
grows our brain power but also strengthens brain against disease.

5. Reading may help us sleep better. Reading before bed is a good
de-stressing habit, unlike watching flashing electronic devices or television
that cue the brain to wake up.

6. Reading self-help books can ease
depression. Reading
books that encourage people to take charge of their own lives can promote the
idea that positive change is possible. A control group that had “bibliotherapy”
combined with talk therapy was less depressed than another group that did not
read self-help literature.

7. Reading helps people become more empathetic.
Spending time exploring an author’s imagination helps people understand other
people’s points of view and problems. Researchers in the Netherlands performed
experiments showing that people who were “emotionally transported” by
a work of fiction experienced boosts in empathy.

8.
Reading can develop and improve a good self-image. Poor readers or non-readers often have
low opinions of themselves and their abilities. Reading helps people understand
their own strength and abilities, hence growing better self-images.

So next time you feel remorse when
you’ve spent all day reading a new book, just remember these eight
reasons–and then your guilt should vanish. Getting swept away by a compelling
story line or character in a wonderful book is not only entertaining but also
is actually good for you.

Which of these reasons resonates
most with you? From the list above, I picked two favorites. I’ll tell
you mine if you’ll tell me yours! How about it?

*******


Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of historical novels and writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the sixties. She is a reformed PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY WOMEN published on July 7–the second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The audio-book will debut soon. 

http://www.amazon.com/Rainy-Day-Women-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W2X5SCS

Why I Love to Read

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By Kay Kendall

I can’t recall a time when I didn’t love to lose myself in
books. Reading is so much a part of me that I take it for granted—like breathing,
sleeping, eating.

If you take something for granted, then you usually never
stop to question why you are doing that activity. Certainly that was true for
me and my passion for books for the longest time. Lately, however, I’ve
wondered why I developed this habit of avid reading. Why books and not
something else? And to say merely that I ENJOY books and that’s why I read begs
the question.
Then the question becomes this instead: Why do I enjoy
reading?
Some people have calm, placid minds. I do not. My mind hops
around from subject to subject, questioning what it notices, absorbing everything
and wanting to learn more. When nothing is going on around me, then I spin
stories. This also was true for me as long as I can remember.
I was an only child and had to run outside to find
playmates. As a member of the baby boom generation, I had plenty of other children
nearby and was fortunate in that regard. However, when I was forced to take an
hour-long nap every afternoon during the summer, I never slept. I was always so
bored and entertained myself making up stories to while away the time.
Compared with diversions available to children these days, I
didn’t have many. My home lacked a television set until I was eight years old.
However, there were plenty of books. My parents read constantly and gave me books to
read. I suppose my mother must have read to me initially, but I must confess
that I can’t recall back that far. Both sets of my grandparents gave me books,
but as to which came first, those gifts or being given books because I showed
interest in them, I cannot say. The Carnegie Library was my home away from home.
What I do recall is escaping into other worlds
when I read. I consumed books like candy. I was hungry for escape and
entertainment and learning. I have always loved learning new things—mostly about
people, not so much about science and technical things. I wanted to learn about
all the people in the world and how they differed and what made them so.
My Kansas hometown of 12,000 people was too small for me. I
wanted to learn about the whole wide world. By default, Dallas, Texas, became my
mecca as we motored there several times a year to see my paternal grandparents.
They were also keen readers. Perhaps reading was a part of my DNA. My Texas grandparents kept every issue of The National Geographic that entered their home over the course of many decades, and their set of Harvard Classics lives today in my own living room.
Some of my childhood friends still love to read too, but others
never did and don’t now. This difference puzzled me for some time, but these
days, when I look at next-door neighbors and see how little the parents read, I
surmise that their children won’t become readers either. I don’t see magazines
or books in their home, and I’ve been going over there for more than a decade,
so I should know. The two children appear to read only when they’re doing their
homework or playing games on iPods. They get lost in their digital world the
way I used to get lost in my literary one and still do.
Maybe that is the reason for the big difference right there.
What your parents do informs who you are. For example, my son and his wife (an
English major in college and now a technical editor) are raising my two
grandchildren in a home stuffed with books. My daughter-in-law read to their
first child almost from the moment he was born. He taught himself to read by
the age of four and now at age seven tears through at least three books a week.
To protect the family budget, an E-reader was purchased in order to keep the
costs down of supplying my grandson with books to read. His online wish list
always holds at least twenty books.
In the end, I am not sure I have answered my own question—why
I love to read—but I am sure of one thing. This love of mine has already gone
on to the next two generations. And I am content.
(In my next piece on the Stiletto Gang blog, I will consider
why “experts say” reading is good for us.)

*******
Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of historical novels and writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the sixties. She is a reformed PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY WOMEN published on July 7–the second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The audio-book will be out soon. 
http://www.amazon.com/Rainy-Day-Women-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W2X5SCS

 

 

Conferences for Writers—Part II, ThrillerFest

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By Kay Kendall

Many
differences make ThrillerFest stand out from other conferences that are offered
to crime authors. This annual conference of International Thriller Writers is
held at the same time every year and in the same hotel. It begins right after
Independence Day at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City and includes a full
six days of activities, each one priced separately. If you attend everything
that is offered, then your conference fee will be much higher than any other in
your whole year.
Rambo’s creator, David Morrell

While
ThrillerFest stands out because of its cost, it is also worth every one of your
hard-earned dollars. You will see more star power on one stage or at just one
of the many cocktail parties than you will ever hope to see in your whole life.
The literary energy and brilliance just zing. What’s more, all those big-name
authors are helpful and supportive to hopeful writers.
If you
are a debut author and get published by a press on the approved list, then you
can join the ITW Debut Author program in that year and receive even more
support and applause. I was urged to participate in 2013 when my first book Desolation Row launched. I figured I’d
go once and be done with such a pricey gathering. I was wrong. I returned in
2014 and again this year. Here are just a few of the reasons why—bestselling
authors who participated in this year’s programs.

Spy novelist Gayle Lynds

  • 2015 ThrillerMaster Nelson DeMille plus
    2015 Silver Bullet Recipient     Kathy Reichs
  • 2015 Spotlight Guests Mark Billingham, Charlaine Harris, and Greg Iles
  • 2014 ThrillerMaster Scott Turow and
    2014 Silver Bullet Award recipient     Brenda Novak
  •  Lee Child interviewed Billingham–they both grew up in Birmingham, England.
  • Rambo’s creator David Morrell interviewed DeMille—they
    both have long and stellar careers.
  • Gayle Lynds introduced her newest thriller THE ASSASSINS
  • Anne Perry flew over from the UK to talk about her historical mysteries.
  • Steve Berry moderated several panels.

Other favorites were Catherine Coulter, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Deaver, Joseph Finder, Heather
Graham, Laurie R. King,  CJ Lyons, Daniel Palmer, Chris Pavone, Hank
Phillippi Ryan, MJ Rose, Karin Slaughter, and RL Stine. Each has at least one huge bestseller, and most have many more.
This conference is only ten years old. The genesis came from successful authors
who wanted to help budding writers learn the ropes and get ahead. Co-founders David
Morrell and Gayle Lynds both attended this year as usual and remain always
supportive to other writers. The learning opportunities at ThrillerFest are
endless. If you are an aspiring or newly published crime writer and have not
yet attended this magnificent event, I encourage you to save up so that you too
can attend in 2016. I hope to see you there!

*******

Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of historical novels and writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the sixties. She is a reformed PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY WOMEN published on July 7–the second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The audio-book will be out soon. 

http://www.amazon.com/Rainy-Day-Women-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W2X5SCS
*******

Conferences for Writers and for Readers—Part I

/in /by
By Kay Kendall


Today I’m sitting in for Stiletto Gang colleague and friend, Marjorie Brody. A
sudden death in her family has left her with an unbearable list of things to
do. Pinch-hitting for Marjorie gives me the chance to make back-to-back posts
exploring the burgeoning phenomenon of conferences designed both for readers
and for writers. 
 

Have suitcase…Will Travel!

Back in the days before I
was a published author, when I contemplated a writing career, I had no idea
that there would be so many opportunities to hobnob with other writers—and with
readers too. I had always thought that the life of a writer was a solitary one.
Then I discovered the wealth of conferences that blanket this continent. The
list of seminars for aspiring writers is long, and almost as long is the list
of conferences for both readers and authors. I swear you could spend your life
going from meeting to meeting. That is, if you had the money to do so.
I have ended up loving
the networking and marketing and meeting readers and other writers so much that
it’s easy to forget about the writing at the core of it all…which remains
sitting alone in that room and facing an empty screen and throwing type up on
it. For me, that is torture. Once I get past the first draft, then the rest is
glorious.
Starting in 2004, I began
attending one regional writing conference per year. Then, beginning in 2011, I
started attending Bouchercon. It must be the world’s largest con aimed at fans
of mystery authors. Then in 2013, the year my first book was published, I
attended three conferences in one calendar year, and that has remained my
standard to this very day. If my budget and my writing calendar allowed,
however, I would do even more. The most marvelous part of these gatherings is
meeting many people who were Facebook friends and now have turned into real
ones, not just virtual.
Three days ago I returned
home from the annual ThrillerFest in New York City, sponsored by International
Thriller Writers. ITW celebrates its tenth anniversary this year so the
conference was even more star-studded than usual. I participated in an authors’
round table, renewed old acquaintances, made new ones, sold some books, and
networked like crazy. In tomorrow’s post I will talk in detail about some of
the famous writers who spoke at ThrillerFest.
The month of October will
begin with Bouchercon in Raleigh, North Carolina, and end with Killer Nashville
in Tennessee. Half the size of ThrillerFest and Bouchercon, Killer Nashville is
an exceptionally supportive and friendly gathering. My more introverted author
pals are drawn to smaller conferences like this one. At each event I’ve
attended, one of these introverts confides to me how difficult it is to endure
so many people at once.
But now I am back in my
author’s lair, facing that empty PC screen. The nasty thing keeps whispering to
me that I must start writing my third mystery featuring my amateur sleuth,
Austin Starr. Tentatively titled Tombstone
Blues, this will be Austin’s most dangerous adventure yet when she and her
husband David tangle with Russian spies in Cold War-era Vienna. It opens only a
month after the conclusion of Rainy Day
Women, and David is still mad at her. Because she . . . but wait! I’m about
to give away too much. I must stop. I want this to be a spoiler-free zone!
*******
Kay
Kendall is a long-time fan of historical novels and writes
atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the
sixties. She is a reformed PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband,
three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to her bunnies, she
loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY
WOMEN published on July 7–the second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The
audio-book will be out soon. 

http://www.amazon.com/Rainy-Day-Women-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W2X5SCS

*******

Motherhood and Murder

/in /by
By Kay Kendall
Author Kay Kendall and bunny Dusty

When
I conceived of my mystery series featuring Austin Starr, amateur sleuth, I knew
she would become a mother by book two. My heroine would have the temperament of
Nancy Drew, if only she had grown up, gotten married, and—wait for it—had a
baby. And so it came to pass. That book launches next week on July 7. In Rainy Day Women, Wyatt Starr makes his
first fictional appearance. He is three months old.
Sad
to say, his gestation and birth were not easy. Even though I tried to make him
an integral part of the story, when I took new pages to writing group on Wednesday
nights, one member invariably asked, “Where’s Wyatt?” Sometimes the woman said,
“Doesn’t Wyatt need a clean diaper now?” I admitted it was difficult caring for
a child—even a fictional one—while solving the murders of  women’s liberation activists. Eventually after
many sessions like this, I internalized the voice of that group member. She
seemed to sit beside me as I typed on my PC. “What’s Wyatt doing now?” she
whispered in my ear.
A
man in our group once pounded his fist and asked, “Can’t you get rid of Wyatt?
Austin Starr doesn’t need to be a mother.” I replied, “Yes, she does. Her
pregnancy is announced at the end of book one, and she will not miscarry.” All
group members agreed we had come to comprehend more fully why so few children are found running through
murder mysteries.  
Determined
to retain baby Wyatt, I needed to ensure I didn’t make any missteps about him on the page. After all, my own child was now in his forties. What did I recall
about the day-to-day care of an infant? Visits with my two darling
grandchildren weren’t enough to refresh my mind sufficiently.
Houston writers Cathy (l.) and Emily
That’s
where two budding novelists came into the picture.  I met Cathy and Emily at a
previous writing group I attended. Cathy was married and had children who were
four and seven years old, and Emily’s children were even younger. As we all
became good friends, I saw how much they had to juggle in their lives. Viewing
their unending childcare duties refreshed my memories of how my own life had
once been that hectic too, when my son was small. Both women were kind enough
to read through my manuscript before I sent it to my editor and found a few details
to tweak that related to Austin Starr’s baby. For their diligence, Cathy and
Emily earned hearty thanks in the acknowledgement section of my book.
But
one last read-through was required. My college friend Regina had earned

Dr. Regina Miller

her
Ph.D. in child psychology, and she agreed to read my manuscript looking for
missteps too. In fact, she did triple duty. Her command of the Russian language
is better than mine so she checked my occasional uses of Russian. Similarly,
being of Jewish faith, she reviewed my references to several characters who
were Holocaust survivors. Regina is also gratefully thanked in my
acknowledgements section.

I
encourage you to read Rainy Day Women
and decide for yourself if Wyatt’s welfare is adequately tended to. Just keep this in
mind. The mystery takes place in August 1969—so long ago that no laws existed
to require the use of car seats for children. Austin Starr was following the
custom of the day—and would not have been considered negligent—when she cuddles
her son while she is a passenger in a car. Children have come a long way, baby!
*******
Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of historical novels and writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the sixties. She is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY WOMEN publishes on July 7–the second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The E-book and paperback are available for pre-order now–for purchase on July 7th. The audio-book will be soon. 

Multi-tasking at Its Finest

/in /by

By Kay Kendall 

By the time you
are reading this posting, I will be busily multi-tasking in Vienna, Austria. This
two-week trip with my husband combines a boatload of pleasures and missions. First, it
marks our fortieth wedding anniversary and also the completion of Bruce’s
arduous treatments for neck cancer only four months ago. So what if our pace
will be slower than on previous journeys? We will be there and thankful. Many
years ago we spent three days in Vienna and always vowed to return. This is our
time.

We will return
to places we enjoyed before and see others we missed—like the museum located in
Sigmund Freud’s old apartment and office, where psychoanalysis was born. There
is a famous coffeehouse I want to return to, Café Sperl, and of course we will
return—perhaps even daily—to the Sacher

SACHER TORTE!

Hotel to partake of its stupendous
culinary creation, the Sacher torte. Then there will be the museums and palaces
of the old Hapsburg Empire and the Mozart concerts in old churches.

So much for
frivolity! In addition, I will be researching some of these locations and many
more for inspiration for my third mystery in the Austin Starr series. I know, I
know. The second one, RAINY DAY WOMEN, isn’t even published officially until
July 7, but I am keen to begin my next writing project.
In this new book
my amateur sleuth Austin Starr will get ensnared in an East-West spy plot when
she accompanies her husband David to an academic conference in Vienna. As I’ve often
stated, I’m a student of the Cold War years—a fan, sort of—and Vienna was the
epicenter for spying during many of those years.

If you’ve seen
the beloved classic film THE THIN MAN, then you have some idea of what I’m
talking about. After World War II, the victorious Allied powers divided control
of Austria and its capital city, Vienna. This stage lasted from 1945 to 1955 as
the Western powers (the U.S., Great Britain, and France) confronted their
previous ally, the Soviet Union. As a consequence, both sides—West as well as
East—had their spies entrenched and embattled in Vienna for a decade. 

The
problems caused by divided control of Berlin culminated in the building of the
Berlin Wall in 1961 and then ultimately its tearing down in 1989. The historic
period of a divided Vienna is less well known, and Austria’s geographic
location—providing a nexus between East and West—ensured that tensions would
remain high even after Austria gained self-government in 1955. Fourteen years
after that, I will plunk my poor unsuspecting amateur sleuth into a hornet’s
nest of spies.
 All that political
turmoil lends itself to drama, intrigue, and murder. So you bet I can hardly
wait to dig into Vienna. While Austin Starr will come along for the ride—at least
in my brain—my three house rabbits have to stay home with the dog. But don’t
worry about them too much. The live-in pet sitter we hire spoils them rotten
while we are away.
~~~~~~~



Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of
historical mysteries and now writes atmospheric mysteries that  capture the
spirit and turbulence of the sixties. She is also an award-winning
international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house
rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them
anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. RAINY DAY
WOMEN publishes on July 7 and is the second in her Austin Starr mystery series.
The E-book version is available for pre-order now and the trade paperback will
be soon. 

Treat Yourself for Mother’s Day!

/in /by

By Kay Kendall

In celebration of my second mystery coming out in July, my publisher is offering through Mother’s Day my first mystery at 99 cents on Amazon. Imagine–the Kindle version of Desolation Row, for less than a dollar. 

I have officially hit the fun stage for the new book, It is edited
within an inch of its “life,” and proof read backwards and forwards. Eight authors read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) and wrote fantastic blurbs for Rainy
Day Women. I’m excited and eager for its birth.

All of a sudden, I’m in a very different life. I had become
accustomed to sitting holed up in my (messy) writer’s lair, composing in
solitude. Those early drafts are sheer terror. That blank computer screen, waits impatiently to be filled with thousands of words. Sometimes when I’ve written a
few paragraphs that are really tough to pull out of my teeming brain, I
stagger to the door out of my cell—er, I mean, writer’s lair—and clutch the
frame, stopping to catch my breath. This doesn’t happen often, but it does
occur. I am astonished at how difficult the early drafts are, and I don’t enjoy them. This alone stage lasts a very long time, like forever!

Obviously, this is a stage I must burst through in order
to get to the good stuff. I love editing and can do it for hours on end. I love
playing with words, choosing just the right ones. I adore working with my
editor, and we have conversations back and forth about points I might never
have pondered without her questions. This is stage two—with a partner for
company, my editor. It lasts only a few months.
Then there is the stage I’ve just entered now—the third
and highly public part. I get to introduce my new baby to the world. Talking
about what I put into my mystery is a treat. After all, I wouldn’t have written what I did if I weren’t eager to share my thoughts with the world. When someone
wants to talk about my writing, my goodness, there is nothing better. Ever
since I took three years of debate in high school, I have loved public
speaking.

Since I already have one book published, I know better
what lies ahead for this second one. I am surprised that I am as excited with the
new book, however, as I was with the first. With luck, this excitement will
never go away for any future books. I never want to grow jaded with the
process.

Stage three lasts six to nine months, while the book is
new. I go to mystery conferences and meet readers, hold events at bookstores,
and generally have a whale of a great time. I came late in the day to my career
as a writer, but thank heavens I got here. Better late than never!
Speaking of better late than never, if you’ve never read Desolation Row, and take advantage of the Amazon Kindle special pricing, then you will be ready when the
sequel, Rainy Day Women, launches on July 7.
In the second book, intrepid amateur sleuth Austin Starr
searches for a killer of female activists in 1969, a year after Desolation Row took place. A murderer
stalks the members of women’s consciousness raising groups at the University of
Washington and the University of British Columbia.
During the week of the Manson murders and
Woodstock, new mother Austin bundles up her infant son Wyatt—just three months
old—and flies with him across the continent to help her dear friend Larissa during
her personal crisis. The Mounties have fingered her as their chief suspect in
at least one of the murders. More trouble
ensues. 
=======================
                                                                                                                                  

 Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of historical mysteries and now writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the
sixties. She is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in
Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly
allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a
Bob Dylan buff too. 

The Sixties as Background for Murder

/in /by
By Kay Kendall
T. Jefferson Parker, the bestselling author of 20 crime
novels, once confided to me that his two mysteries that touched on the Vietnam
War had “my readers staying away in droves.” He explained, “Needless to say, I
never mentioned the war again.” Our paths intersected two years ago at a
thriller writers’ conference, shortly after the publication of my debut
mystery,Desolation Row. He believed
that his readers avoided the subject of a war that Americans know we didn’t
win. Were the sacrifices worth it? Let’s just not think about it.

T. Jefferson Parker and me

I knew the subject matter wasn’t popular, but it was a
book I had to write. I had to get that one out of my system so I could work on
the next subject I felt “called” to discuss, the women’s liberation movement of
the late sixties and early seventies. So, the bottom line for me is that even
if T. Jefferson Parker had warned me ahead of time to stay clear of the war
that many have compared to a quagmire, I would not have paid his advice any
heed. The story of Desolation Row had to come to light. I had to write that book
so that the others that were waiting in line behind it, more or less patiently,
could have their turn too.
The British statesman and philosopher Edmond Burke wrote,
“Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it.” As well, how can you
hope to understand how we got where we are now when you don’t understand where
we came from? Events that happened in the sixties and early seventies still
echo down the decades today. Just as some describe America’s battles in the
Middle East as “the Vietnam War in the sand,” the upheavals of women’s
liberation have not ended. If anything, the subject of women’s place in society
is even timelier than ever.

Rainy Day Women launches on July 7, and I can hardly wait. In book two of her saga, this time intrepid
amateur sleuth Austin Starr searches for a killer of female activists in 1969,
a year after the first mystery took place. A murderer stalks the members of women’s
consciousness raising groups at the University of Washington and the University
of British Columbia. During the week of the Manson murders and
Woodstock, new mother Austin bundles up her infant son Wyatt—just three months
old—and flies with him across the continent to help her dear friend Larissa
during her personal crisis. The Mounties have fingered her as their chief suspect
in at least one of the murders. More trouble ensues.  
I have waited decades to write this book. The women’s
movement played an enormous role in my life, and it’s not an exaggeration to
say that it underlines everything I do to this very day. Getting the fervor and
excitement of the time period right is important. Showing the raw sexism that
was exhibited by many men without any hesitation is also vital. Clearly I believe
in serving up a little history with my murder and mayhem. Just think–no VCRs, let alone DVRs, no cell phones or personal computers, no Kardashians! A long ago time indeed. 
I wonder if any of the other writers in the Stiletto Gang
(those of the right age, that is) participated in women’s liberation groups. Did
any of you readers? If so, I hope you will leave comments here about your experiences.
 I’d love to know how they compare with
mine.
 *******   
Kay Kendall set her debut novel, DESOLATION ROW–AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving her best friend didn’t murder women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical mysteries, Kay does for the 1960s what novelist Jacqueline Winspear accomplishes for England in the 1930s–present atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age. Kay is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too.