Tag Archive for: Mission to Murder

The Idea Store by Lynn Cahoon

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Last summer, before my life turned upside down, I committed to joining Toastmasters at my workplace. Since August, I’ve given one speech.

This month, I’ll be giving two, one in a competition. Crazy, right?

The good news is I’ve been speaking in public since my first job where I was the radio girl who listed off the new, hot job opportunities available at your local unemployment office.  Then I spent over ten years training the regional staff at Idaho’s Health and Welfare department. Want to know how to deal with computer issues, or what assets count against Medicaid? I’m your girl.

But the speeches I’m giving this month are more personal. And I’m hoping I can keep my emotions in check while I’m talking. The first speech talks about where the ideas come from for my books. My mother asked me the same question. “How do you come up with all these ideas?”

The answer I gave her was kind of broad, but I’ll tell you the true writer secret. We’re magpies. We take bits and pieces of everything we’ve ever did, seen, or heard for our stories.  We’re taught to write what we know, so my first published book was The Bull Rider’s Brother.

No, I’m not a bull rider expert. But I love cowboys. Especially those in tight fitting jeans and a pearl snap western shirt? Add in a hat and boots, and I’m gone. The book’s first line tells you a lot about my main character Lizzie, but also, a lot about the author – me.

Cowboys aren’t easy to love, but they sure are easy on the eyes.

Then I mixed three or four of my favorites sites in the Idaho mountains and imagined the new town of Shawnee Idaho. I added in two brothers, the older being way too protective of the younger, to the point it affected his own happiness, threw in a too cute kid and a main character who’s been burned by love, one too many times.

All things I know about.

There’s a saying that authors pass around that says use your life history to season your writing. If  the people you know wanted to be painted in a positive light, they should have been nicer to you on the way.

I love this.

So where is your idea store?

 
If you’re interested in starting the Tourist Trap series before Dressed to Kill launches in June and Killer Run, in August, eKensington has Guidebook to Murder on sale for the month of March – digital $1.99. Check out the story that started it all….
 

Mystery She Read by Lynn Cahoon

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I’m in a reading mood. I adore getting lost in a story, reading through the hours until my body is stiff and my dogs are chewing on my leg, trying to get me to let them out….

Okay, maybe not that.

I’ve been working on a presentation for my RWA chapter (go MoRWA) on Killer First Lines. Authors are warned away from several starts, one is this classic Snoopy line, “It was a dark and stormy night.” We’re told not to use it. It’s weather and setting and boring.

Except, if you’re Madeleine L’Engle and writing A Wrinkle in Time. I loved that book growing up. As a fatherless child, myself, this story gave me hope that my dad too, was just on another planet, waiting to be magically pulled back to my life.

Yes, there are reasons I’m an author. Like my mom asked, “How do you make up all these stories?” I would have thought she knew I’d been doing it all my life.

Authors don’t give up their imaginary friends, we just give them lives in our books.

Another book I loved as a kid was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I loved the story of a little boy driving through the fantasy world through a tollbooth that showed up in his room, just because he was bored.

Boredom doesn’t happen for authors as we’re off imagining a new world. And it that gets boring, I need to change up the story.

So what was your favorite book as a kid? Was it mystery related?

Lynn

Oh, and if you want a bit of romance for your Valentine’s Day, I have a novella in My Sexy Valentine. My story, The Twelve Days of Valentines, twists the classic Christmas song into a how to win your love in 12 days.

Magna Cum Murder – a visitor report By Lynn Cahoon

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Last weekend I drove to Indianapolis, Indiana for a my first mystery conference, Magna Cum Murder, sponsored by Ball State.

The weekend was beautiful, both outside and in the historic Columbia Club where the conference was held. According to the valet, the Club was built in 1924. The great lobby was filled with dark wood and a stone fireplace, perfect for burning clues in a pinch. The place was soaked in history.

Friday I attended a fascinating presentation by Karen Cooper, a retired CSI from Florida, on how to find a burial site in the wild.  From finding the grave, including pointing out disturbances on the soil, to excavating, Karen gave us a real life look into how law enforcement handles buried victims. We even talked about the most likely suspects based on body positioning.

Then we had an speaker who wanted to talk about the workings of arson investigation and the use of science in criminal cases.

That evening, we were on our own for dinner, but the conference had set up a screening of an old noir movie for later. I spent the time preparing for the panel I was moderating on Sunday.

Saturday morning I had my first panel talking about twists in mysteries. Although we all could point to twists in books and movies, talking about adding them into our writing process was difficult. Mainly we agreed that we hope for a twist, but just write the plot we’d planned.

Sunday’s panel was on the topic of romance in mysteries. Some of my panelists but one wrote romantic suspense and the other two, like me were cozy writers. We had a spirited discussion on the increase in sex in current day stories, and the change over time on what a ‘normal’ woman as your amateur sleuth could get away with and still be seen as a creditable investigator.

Between panels, book signings, and chatting up readers and other authors, my weekend was filled with mysterious goings on.

Have you attended a mystery conference?  

Lynn
www.lynncahoon.com

Squee — IF THE SHOE KILLS is out in print now and the digital release is a week away – November 10th!!!!

The tourist town of South Cove, California, is a
lovely place to spend the holidays. But this year, shop owner Jill Gardner
discovers there’s no place like home for homicide. . .

As owner of Coffee, Books, and More, Jill Gardner
looks forward to the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. But when the mayor
ropes her into being liaison for a new work program, ’tis the season to be
wary. Local businesses are afraid the interns will be delinquents, punks, or
worse. For Jill, nothing’s worse than Ted Hendricks–the jerk who runs the
program. After a few run-ins, Jill’s ready to kill the guy. That, however,
turns out to be unnecessary when she finds Ted in his car–dead as a doornail. Officer
Greg assumes it’s a suicide. Jill thinks it’s murder. And if the holidays
weren’t stressful enough, a spoiled blonde wants to sue the city for breaking
her heel. Jill has to act fast to solve this mess–before the other shoe drops.
. .

Virtual friends

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Welcome to the new age….

Did you have a pen pal as a teenager? Someone you wrote long, emotion filled letters about your life, your hopes, your dreams that lived far enough away to keep your secrets?

I loved getting and sending my letters. Until real life stepped in and we lost touch.

Now, I have virtual friends. People who live across the world that I keep in touch with, hope for, dream with.  Some I’ve met, some I might never meet in person.

But whenever we do, it’s like old friend reunion time.

Like last month when I got to meet our Stiletto Gang member, Dru Ann Love.  She’s as charming and bubbly as her Facebook posts show her to be.

I’m also friends with fellow Stiletto Gang member – Laura Bradford.

I’ve met a lot of my friends on line and now, in person. I love having that feeling of meeting old friends even though we may have only met once in person.  Now that I’m starting to attend more mystery conferences, I may be running into you soon. 🙂

Tell me about your virtual friendships? Are they as good or better than old fashion pen pals?

Lynn

FYI – to (celebrate my birthday month) prepare for the release of IF THE SHOE KILLS November 10th, Kensington has put the digital version of MISSION TO MURDER on sale for #99cents all of October. Don’t miss the second book in the Tourist Trap Mysteries.

Buy at Amazon/Nook 

Visiting the Scene of the Crime

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Last month I went home to Idaho for a few weeks. We visited family and spent some quality time sitting around a campfire making s’mores and talking about the old days with friends.

On our way home, we decided to take the scenic route back. Our first afternoon took us past the road to Sun Valley. The area is know for it’s amazing skiing and celebrity visitors, but for me, it’s the fictional home of an unpublished manuscript my agent has been shopping. I love the small town feel of the area and the easy access to outdoor activities, although I’m more of a cross-country skier than downhill.

We passed a gas station that used its small advertising area to proudly proclaim they carried the largest selection of grasshoppers in the area. You know you’re in prime fishing country with that type of sign. 🙂

Great trip and lots of pictures to remind me why I love this story so much.

What’s your favorite place to visit?

Release week – Mission to Murder!

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Hi guys!

It’s been a little crazy over at Casa Cahoon.  I had a jam packed RWA conference running from 7 in the morning to after 10 at night. (Don’t worry, I did get down to the Riverwalk and enjoyed some Tex Mex at a couple of spots.

I remembered why I loved fish tacos.

And of course a good Texas beer.

Then I came home to release week for MISSION TO MURDER. This is the second in the series and Jill is in deep hot water this time.

In the California coastal town of South Cove,
history is one of its many tourist attractions—until it becomes deadly…

Jill Gardner, proprietor of Coffee, Books, and More,
has discovered that the old stone wall on her property might be a centuries-old
mission worthy of being declared a landmark. But Craig Morgan, the obnoxious
owner of South Cove’s most popular tourist spot, The Castle, makes it his
business to contest her claim. When Morgan is found murdered at The Castle
shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even her detective boyfriend has to
ask her for an alibi. Jill decides she must find the real murderer to clear her
name. But when the killer comes for her, she’ll need to jump from historic
preservation to self-preservation …

If you haven’t started the series yet, GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER is still on sale for $2.  Less than what I paid for coffee at the restaurant. 

Lynn

San Antonio Bound….

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Each summer, 2000 romance writers invade a different city, a different hotel chain.  This year, our annual get together is on the River Walk in San Antonio.

I’ve been to 2 Nat’ls. The last one being held in NYC. I loved the energy of being in the city. Since my friend and I stayed off site, we road the subway. Once I navigated it on my own and felt like Mary Tyler Moore in the opening credits when I emerged in the middle of Times Square, totally lost, but loving it.

This year, I’ve been invited to a dinner, two parties, and a lunch for one of my on line groups. And I’m having breakfast with my editor. The last time I went to a conference, I snuck into my one and only party as a plus one.

Stiletto Gang at NYC – me and Laura Bradford

But it’s not all party time. I’ll be signing at the Literary Signing and signing MISSION TO MURDER at the Kensington signing. Must order signed by author stickers.

And there’s the workshops. And I’ll have to hit a few of the signings and drag a new bunch of books home to share with my MIL. And see a few local sites, like the Alamo.

The Dakota

I’ll be home soon, tired and back at the day job. But the memories from Nat’ls will bode me over until my next conference in October.

Lynn

11 days away from release date for the digital version of MISSION TO MURDER! Can’t wait? Buy your paper copy here.

Cause of death – Researching?

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So, yeah, I’m writing a new mystery for the Tourist Trap
series.  And I’ve got this dead guy in
the middle of the floor, playing, no being, dead.
I know who kills Kent. I know why he has to die.
It’s the how.
I had a great idea that I started researching and ran into
some controversy over whether or not a stun gun can kill someone.  So now I’m mulling over the but what if…
additions.
I’m trying to make the story interesting without delving
into the world of science fiction or fantasy. 
My Google search history would make a serial killer proud.
Meanwhile, I’ve got a dead guy in the middle of the stage.
Literally. 
So this question is for the cozy mystery reader – How
realistic do you like your murder facts? 
I don’t want to make people throw the book across the room. (grin)
To gather more information, I’ve joined a crime writer yahoo
group and am busy searching the files for relevant entries. I’ve searched out
blogs from former police officers where they post about the effects of
different weapons.
In the past, I met two guys who owned a lot of guns (prior
military dudes) in a bar. When I said I’d never shot a gun before, they offered
to take me to the desert and teach me to shoot.
I went.
Luckily, I also came home, but I started to get a little
nervous when I thought about how isolated the spot they’d chosen for the
shooting lesson. 
When we were driving to our favorite ATV riding site with my
husband’s best friend, I brought up the question of guns. I think the friend
thought I was a bit off, or at least until my husband asked if this was for one
of my books.
So writers, what have you done in the name of research?  Know any great murder sites you’d like to
share?
Lynn
If you like your mysteries in paper format, MISSION TO MURDER is now available -e-book July 31st.

What did you give up for Lent?

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Do you participate in the Lent practice of giving up
something? I’m not Catholic, but my denomination followed this practice. My
first year, I remember giving up Coke. I’m a real Coke addict. (The drink, not
the drug.) I was at work, and had just taken a sip of my ritual mid-afternoon
treat when I remembered my promise.
I couldn’t believe I’d slipped so fast. First day and I’m a
failure.

Yes, I am literal in my interpretations. No grey, just black
or white. And that’s something I’m trying to correct in my personal life as
well as my writing.
When I first started submitting, if the guidelines said A. I
gave them A. If the guidelines were vague, I’d ask questions until I understood
the process and what they were looking for. After being in the game for almost
five years now, I’m a bit more relaxed in my interpretations. I’ve heard from
countless agents and editors they want a good story well told. And if they list
off what they’re looking for, they might miss out on a manuscript that will
blow them away.
Having faith in your work will move you forward. Knowing
that you’ve written the best book you can at the time, should be enough. If all
you do is polish, you’ll never be told no. You’ll also never get constructive
feedback from the people who could have bought your book.
Last year when I was negotiating my contract with my editor
(I don’t have an agent), I fell into that black or white mentality. Kicking
myself during the long weekend after asking for a change in the
options clause, I drove myself and my friend crazy with second guessing.
This is probably the reason agents earn their 15%.
As the hours passed without a response, I’d gone from
confident in my request to convinced I’d phrased the email wrong and had
offended her.
When Monday came and the editor agreed to my request, I was
over the moon. I’d almost given up faith.
So this year, I’m giving up sugar. I may be a basket case by
the time this blog posts. I’m sure I’ll fail at least once. But I know I’ll get
back up and try again.
And that’s all that matters.

What are you giving up for Lent?
Lynn
Mission to Murder is up for pre-order (coming July 31st) so I thought I’d share the cover. Don’t you just want to go inside and see what’s on sale?