Tag Archive for: mystery

Love Letters

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Love at first sight. It happens. It happened to me. I fell
in love with New Orleans almost as soon as the plane landed at Louis Armstrong
Airport. I fell in love the moment I spotted someone walking through the
terminal with a hurricane.
Laissez les bons temps
rouler!
Then came Jackson Square and Royal Street and the food and
the Garden District and Audubon Park. Then came beignets at Café du Monde and
shopping on Magazine Street. Then came the busker, who upon learning I was from
Kansas City, effortlessly shifted the style of jazz he played to make me feel
at home. Anyone would be head over heels…
New Orleans charmed me. It’s good at that. But even I, in
the throes of falling in love, could see there were problems. New Orleans is a
southern lady of a certain age, still lovely, but her slip is showing, and
there’s a run in her stocking, and it’s possible she’s had one too many Pimm’s
cups. She’s a character.
Perhaps that’s why I wrote two books about her.
The second book, Bayou Nights released this July. I had the
opportunity to research everything from Jean Lafitte’s pirate crew to Absinthe
House. Obviously, first-hand research is the best! I penned lines at the Hotel
Monteleone, tasted beignets at Café du Monde (because what’s a trip to NOLA
without them?), meandered down Pirates Alley, and studied the altar at St.
Louis Cathedral.
One reviewer noted, “I absolutely love how Mulhern brings
the richly atmospheric world of 1903 New Orleans to life in this tale. The
world draws you in from the start and you feel like you’re walking alongside
Christine and Drake as they encounter the most incredibly vibrant spirits, both
living and dead.” I’ll cherish those words because I want everyone who reads
Bayou Nights to fall as in love with New Orleans as I am.
That said, a city is not a plot. I needed one. One filled with mystery and atmosphere. I also needed characters.
I created Drake, a man who does not fall in love with New Orleans on sight. Drake
sees the city’s slip showing, the run in the stocking…he complains about the humidity
and life’s languid pace. Yet, slowly, he is seduced. As he comes to understand
New Orleans, he falls in love with the heroine, Christine Lambert, a woman as
complicated as the city where she lives.
Because I’d researched pirates, I needed a swashbuckling
plot—one filled with lost treasure, voodoo, and danger.
The result is my love letter to New Orleans. Even if you’ve
not yet been to the Crescent City, I hope you fall in love too!


Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders. 

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is–she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. 

7 Questions Turn a Pink Bicycle into a Mystery

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by AB Plum

Walking alone, because I lope rather than walk, before breakfast offers a chance to think. Or let my mind wander. Birds and trees and pots of flowering plants brighten my route in a nearby church parking lot. Two weeks ago shortly before sunrise, the pink bicycle surprised me.

  1. What was going on?
  2. Why was a pink bike padlocked to a tree standing among well-manicured shrubs?
  3. What was inside the fancy saddlebags?
  4. Was the rider of the bubble-gum pink bicycle an adult?
  5. Would an adult choose neon-yellow-rimmed tires?
  6. Had Google started issuing mono-chromatic bikes instead of their signature multi-colored ones to their employees?
  7. Why would a Google bike be three miles from the Googleplex?

Questions—without answers—hip-hopped in my head as I walked on. A large trash container loomed at the bend of the parking lot. Suddenly, my route felt very deserted. It WAS deserted. The mystery writer in me imagined an arm extending from behind the walled trash cans. I locked my jaw.
Like any good accidental sleuth, I swore I wouldn’t scream. I fumbled for my cell phone and picked up my pace.

Okay, I admit my heart was thumping as I approached the trash cans. Whether from fear or embarrassment I wasn’t sure. A quick search—a half- second glance—revealed an intact lock on the
sturdy wooden doors. My heart slowed, but my face burned a little. Done in by my own imagination.
Laughing, I took three more turns around the parking lot. I breezed past the pink bicycle. Didn’t miss a step trotting past the trash container. My mind, though, churned.

Would the bike still be there as I took my pre-dinner walk? What if it was? Should I check the saddlebags? Should I report my find to the church secretary? Should I accept that the pink bicycle might belong there after all? Should I stop obsessing?

The bike stood in the same place that evening, the next morning, and for fifteen days afterwards. It soon faded into the background. Story questions for my psychological suspense series, Silicon Valley Murders, tumbled in my head like clothes in the dryer. Strategies for the book launch of the prequel, The MisFit, took over. I walked faster and faster until I reached a Zen-like mountaintop several times.
Two weeks after first spotting the mysterious pink bicycle, though, it disappeared. No sign on my morning or evening walk. The minister who often parked near the same tree looked at me askance (that means as if I’d gone off my meds). Dusk was falling. He hurried to his car, calling over his shoulder he was late for dinner.

My husband listened to the disappearance-twist, but the Warriors’ game claimed his attention. He long ago gave up understanding where ideas for my stories start. He definitely never caught my interest about a parked bike. What was the big deal?

Admittedly, I don’t foresee a pink bicycle in any of my upcoming novels about a psychopathic killer . . . though he does grow up in Denmark, where bicycling is almost as ubiquitous as it is in Holland . . .
What about you? What kinds of ordinary objects kick start your writer’s imagination?

AB Plum was born reading—according to her mother.  She started writing shortly thereafter. Careers in teaching, public libraries, and high-tech in Silicon Valley ate into her writing, but she kept a journal of ideas for future novels. She reads widely and writes across the genres of romantic comedy, romantic suspense, and now psychological suspense. She went from publication with a traditional NY publisher to an E-publisher and now is jumping into self-publishing with her upcoming novella, The MisFit. When she’s not reading or writing, she hikes just off the fast lane in Silicon Valley. 

Clouds in my Coffee

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I
planned to write a Malice Domestic recap, filled with insights from a Malice
newbie. But the sad truth is I have a cold that leaves me with a tissue
permanently clasped in my hand and a cough that makes typos likely. Instead, I
offer you a quick peek at Clouds in my Coffee which will release on Tuesday, May 10th.

Max took off at a run. I followed more
slowly. Aunt Sis must truly be driving Mother nuts if Daddy had bundled her out
of the house and delivered her to me in less than fifteen minutes.
            I donned a
welcoming expression and opened the door.
            Marjorie
stood on the other side.
            My smile
morphed into slack-jawed shock.
Max whined softly.
            “What are
you doing here?”
            “Is that
any way to greet your sister?” She bent, picked up a Gucci suitcase, and
brushed past me, stopping in the front hall to assess my house. “Did you paint?
Is this the same color as the last time I was here?”
            “No. I mean,
yes. I mean, no, I didn’t paint. It’s the same color.” Surprise had rendered me
witless. “Mother said you couldn’t come.” Yet Marjorie was here, flawlessly
made up and dressed as if she’d stepped off the pages of Vogue in a pair of decadent wool slacks and a silk shirt far too
fashionable (unbuttoned) for my foyer. I suppose when you’re married to the
condom king of Cleveland, looking more chic than Halston’s muse is probably the
strongest armor available. My armor is designed by Diane von Furstenberg.
            My sister
dropped her expensive suitcase but kept her Hermes handbag hooked in the crook
of her elbow. “I changed my mind.”
            “Does
Mother know you’re coming?”
            “I thought
I’d surprise her.”
            I gaped.
Mother liked surprises the way Nixon liked Woodward and Bernstein.
            Marjorie
stepped forward and kissed the air next to my cheek. “It’s lovely to see you.”
            “You too.”
I returned her air kiss and upped the ante with a half-hug.
            “I can’t
wait to hear all the things you’ve been up to. Mother says you’re dating Hunter
Tafft.”
            Typical.
Marjorie skipped right over multiple murders to ask about a man. “Not exactly.”
            A slight
furrow appeared between her brows. “But Mother said—”
            “Mother is
wrong.”
            She tilted
her head and smiled the superior smile of an older sister—one who was prettier,
more experienced, more popular, and certainly better dressed. “Who’s taking you
to Mother’s gala?”
            My fingers
smoothed the wales of my corduroys. “Hunter Tafft.” His name somehow slipped
through the tightly barred gate of my teeth.
            “There you
have it! You are dating Hunter.”
            “A date and
dating are not the same thing.” Why did I sound like my teenage self?
            She lifted
her gaze to the ceiling and shook her head slightly. “When it’s a date to Mother’s
gala, they are.”

            I had a
sneaking suspicion she might be right.


And, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that book two in the Country Club Murders,
Guaranteed to Bleed, is on sale this week for 99 cents!


Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders. 

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is–she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. 

How We Spend Our Time

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Sparkle Abbey welcomes Lori Rader-Day

Today we’re thrilled to welcome our friend, the brilliant, talented, and award-winning author, Lori Rader-Day who shares her thoughts on how we spend our time. 


Take it away, Lori…

Big news. I have all the time there is. I’m newly out on my own as a full-time writer for a while and now I’m considering the ways in which a break from the 9-to-5 grind might be used to its fullest potential.

Do I set off on a multi-state bookstore tour?

Do I offer to visit every library in the state?

Do I visit all the friends I haven’t seen in two or more years, ever since I’ve had to start using all my day-job vacation time for book conferences and such?

*deep breath*

There’s a certain itching panic involved in realizing you could do WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT. That you have, for possibly the first time ever, the time to focus on making your dreams come true.

I should be doing. I should be going. I should teach here, speak there, offer this, volunteer that.

And yet—what did I want from this time so much that I made the leap in the first place? What was so important to me?

I wanted the time from my time. And not time for more promotions or more blog posts (with apologies to Sparkle Abbey, for hosting me today). Time for writing.

So. Writers retreats. Should I apply for a two-week residency somewhere? I’ve never had two weeks to rub together before. It’s attractive—coming off two years without a vacation, though, I wonder if I would panic at that vast amount of alone time.

A few of my friends have taken mini-retreats to write. Book a hotel room, get away for a day or two, scribble. That sounds pretty good, too, and less of a commitment. But am I the only person who’s stayed in a hotel recently? They don’t exactly inspire me, and sometimes you get neighbors who have booked a hotel room for distinctly different pleasures than silence. Ahem.

What I want to do is create a daily retreat practice at home, based in reality and therefore perhaps more sustainable over the time I have off work and into whatever I do in the future. I know it’s crazy, but I like my husband and dog. I don’t want to spend two weeks away from them. I want to do the morning dog walk and then take my husband away from his desk for dinner. Instead of escaping from my life, what I want to do is escape into it—live it deeply and with an attention that I haven’t had in a while. Instead of retreating, actually, I want to charge forward.

So? No solutions here. Only thoughts that haven’t quite coalesced into a plan. If anyone has ideas on how to make the best use of time—golden, precious time—leave a comment. I’d love to know how you used your time best or would spend a few months of freedom if you got the chance.

By the way, thanks for spending the time you have on this post. Anne Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” We all just want to spend our days, our hours, our minutes on things that matter. I wish that for everyone.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Lori. And readers, please be sure to check out Lori’s latest book Little Pretty Things. Kirkus Reviews says: “Rader-Day…writes absorbingly.” 


We agree!

Lori Rader-Day’s debut mystery, The Black Hour (Seventh Street Books, 2014), received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal and was a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her second mystery, Little Pretty Things, is out now. Her short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Time Out Chicago, Good Housekeeping, and others. She lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled dog and is active in the Mystery Writers of America Midwest Chapter and a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

Anyone for tea and crumpets…and murder?

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by Sparkle Abbey

We’re so excited about our new book, Downton Tabby, which is due out in June. Our fab publisher, Bell Bridge Books, is doing some fun promo with a cover reveal at Goodreads on May 15th, a blog tour, special pricing on our backlist, and the placement of a short, featuring Toria, the feline star of Downton Tabby.

We thought you might enjoy reading the short so here goes…

Cats dressed in period clothing

The Pawleys 
A brief episode in the British family history of Lady Toria Cash, the feline fatale of Downton Tabby

“Can you believe that alley cat?” Lady Meow Grandcatham lifted her whiskers in disdain. “Thinking I’d simply fall under the spell of his gorgeous green eyes.”

I shook my head. “He does seem rather cheeky.” I’m Annakatrina, Lady’s Meow’s lady’s maid, and the alley cat she was referring to was Alexander Kittingham who’d apparently made a play for Lady Meow in a big way.

I carefully folded the lace frill she’d worn to dinner and reached for the brush I used every night on her silky black fur. Though I would never bring it up to Lady Meow, talk below stairs was that Alexander Kittingham was not actually a purebred British shorthair. He was often referred to as “Alley” in a disparaging tone, by Thomas Cat, Lord Grandcatham’s valet. Alexander was quite a handsome fellow and a favorite of the ladies around the dinner bowl.

He was nice looking with dark brown fur and deep green eyes, but I was not impressed. You see I’m madly in love with Mr. Bait. Poor Mr. Bait is currently locked up in the pound, but I had no doubt he would soon be freed.

“Beyond cheeky, I’d say.” Lady Meow lifted her paw to her neck. “Would you help me get out of this collar?”

I pulled on the diamond collar with my teeth and it snapped off easily. Carefully placing it in the ornate trinket box, I picked up the brush again.

Suddenly, there was a scratch at the door and I moved quickly to open it.  Lady Vi, Meow’s grandmother, stepped into the room. She was a formidable feline and referred to as the Dogwagger Countess because even the dogs at the neighboring estates were afraid of her. I don’t believe she’d ever actually bitten anyone, canine or otherwise, but all it took was a hiss and the very slight unsheathing of her claws and it was clear she meant business.

“Grandmother.” Lady Meow purred. “What a surprise.”

cat in straw hat“Not an unpleasant one, I hope.” The older feline stepped closer so Lady Meow could bump noses with her.

“I’ll leave you.” I moved quietly on soft paws toward the door.

“No, please stay.” The Dogwagger waved her tail in my direction. “I know Meow trusts you.”

“What is it, Grandmama?” Lady Meow dropped on her haunches. “Is something wrong?”

“What is wrong is my sources tell me someone is publishing a catty tell all tome about the Britain’s aristocats. I am told there’s a whole chapter devoted to the Grandcatham Family.” She leaned on the edge of Lady’s Meow’s bed and smoothed her fur.

Lady Meow began to pace. “Have you told Pappa’?

The Dogwagger shook her head. “No, nor your mother. It will be up to us to sort this out.” She gave a deep sigh and tipped her head to look at me. “We must find out who this low-life is and stop him or her before our good name is dragged through the litter box.” Sharp blue eyes pinned me in place.

“What can I do to help, M ‘lady?”

“My dear, you must be our eyes and ears.” The Dogwagger put her paws together as if it were all settled. “You can go places we must not and you will never be noticed.”

I had the thought that not being noticed was hardly complimentary, but knew she was right.

“You will help us, won’t you, Anna?” Lady Meow crossed the room in a single smooth leap to stand in front of me. Her golden eyes searched my face.

“Of course, I will.” I bowed my head.

And thus began my new career as Annakatrina, Cat Sleuth.

What would Mr. Bait think?

Downton Tabby, book seven in The Pampered Pets Mysteries by Sparkle Abbey, is now available for pre-order at Amazon. Pre-order now and send us an email with “Downton Tabby Pre-Order” in the subject line and you’ll be entered in the drawing for this adorable Andrew Cardew teapot and a canister of special blend, Downton Abbey tea.

Also, if you’re missing any of our backlist this is a great time to grab them. Details here.

And if you want to make sure you’re up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by our website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.

Art credits: 
Siamese Cat in a straw hat © Nizhava1956 | Dreamstime.com 
Loving cats in 1900 © Lestoquoy Véronique | Dreamstime.com

Character vs Real Life

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Sparkle Abbey is hosting guest blogger, Shannon Baker


Today we’re joined by our good friend, Shannon Baker. She’s graciously offered to give away a copy of her latest novel Tattered Legacy. Just leave a comment to be entered to win. (U.S only.) Take it away Shannon!

I never start off a novel to work out my life
issues. I don’t create characters as some form of self-therapy. (Although I
used to have fantasies of torturing a barrel racer and leaving her unable to
speak. But I’m much better now.) Writers come to their books differently, but
for me, I generally find WHAT I want to write about and then populate it with
the most interesting WHO I can make up.

Recently, I got to thinking about my
protagonists, which to this point have all been women. I hate to reveal too
much about my personality, but when I match up what people say about those
characters and what was going on in my life at the time, I can’t help but see
how my sneaky subconscious was working overtime.

A reviewer for my first published book, Ashes of the Red Heifer (gratefully out
of print now) commented, “…unnecessarily stubborn
and foul mouthed…” and an  “…overbearing,
stronger willed woman than I’ve ever met.” (Yes, I know, most writers use pull-lines that
say nice things about the book. I have those, too, but I’m trying to make a
point here.) At a book club one woman, trying to be as gentle as possible,
described her as, “prickly and bossy and not very nice.”

Despite
my trying to soften Annie up in revisions, she always kept that hard shell. So,
here’s what was happening in my life: My husband of 15 years was having an
affair (remember that barrel racer I mentioned earlier?) and I had two
daughters in school, in this tiny town, and I was holding every emotion so
tight no one would see me crack. That probably translated to the page, making
Annie tough and hard as granite.

I
wrote the next book after my family life had substantially improved. My kids
were on their own and I’d found the love of my life. Personally, I felt secure
and happy. But professionally, I was teetering. We’d just moved to Flagstaff
and it took me over a year to find a job. When I did, instead of being in
charge, as I was previously, I had no clout. While I loved the people I worked
with, I felt undervalued by the management.


In Tainted Mountain, the first in the Nora
Abbott mystery series, Nora is all kinds of conflicted. She gives the world the
face of a competent business woman and she’s smart and hard working. Inside,
she’s riddled with insecurities. She waffles back and forth between “hear me
roar” and squeaking in the corner.

In Broken Trust, book two, while I’d taken
a risky job at a start-up, Nora is struggling to take command of her life. By
book three, Tattered Legacy, written
after I’d survived menopause, Nora is full of confidence and action.

I’m
not Annie or Nora or any of the other protagonists that came before them. But I
can see where some of my real life transfers to their characters.

There
are far less subtle ways my real life infiltrates my books. For instance, how
often I kill a philandering husband. And just how many of protagonists wrestle
with mother relationships. Dogs, cats, and even horses find their way onto my
pages. Any aspect of my real life can seep onto the page. But not the sex
scenes. Those are totally made up or derived by watching movies.

When
you read a novel, do you wonder how much of the story or characters come
straight from the author’s life? 

Remember, Shannon is giving away a copy of Tattered Legacy. For a chance to win, just leave a comment below. Make sure you include your email address.

Shannon Baker is the
author of the Nora Abbott mystery series from 
Midnight Ink. A
fast-paced mix of Hopi Indian mysticism, environmental issues, and murder.
Shannon is an itinerant writer, which is a nice way of saying she’s confused.
She never knows what time zone she’s in, Timbuck-Three, Nebraska, or
 Denver, or Tucson. Nora Abbott has picked up that location schizophrenia
and travels from Flagstaff in Tainted Mountain, to Boulder in Broken
Trust and then to Moab in Tattered Legacy.  Shannon
is proud to have been chosen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2014 Writer of the
Year. Visit Shannon at www.Shannon-Baker.comWhile Tattered Legacy
is available from your favorite online or bookstore, if you’d like to support
indie bookstores, you’re welcome to contact Who Else Books at www.BroadwayBookMall.com. Ron and Nina are the
best! And they might have a signed copy to send.

Circling Back to the Beginning

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By Evelyn David
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost seven years since
we began The Stiletto Gang. In Evelyn David mystery terms, that’s four books
and eleven novellas. Hard to find the words to say how important it’s been to
us to be in such a warm, supportive community of mystery lovers: authors and
readers. You’ve cheered for us when we’ve had good news to share, listened to
us when we felt the need to rant, and been there when the going got tough. But
the press of family and day jobs has seriously cut into our writing time, so we
made the painful decision to cut down on some of our obligations. This is our
last regularly scheduled blog for The Stiletto Gang.
In that first blog, we drew upon the wisdom of Carolyn Hart,
mystery writer extraordinaire. As she explained, “In my books, the good
guys always win.” So true for us too. Perhaps more than ever, in the
craziness of the real world, we need a space where we know that good triumphs
over evil. So we end as we began. Our wish for you all: a world where the men
are good looking; the women are brilliant and beautiful; the dogs are loyal and
loving … and where the good guys always win.
With much gratitude,
Marian and Rhonda, the collective Evelyn David

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Fireworks – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Leaving Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah – trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 – A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Book 3 – Lottawatah Fireworks (includes the 8th, 9th, and 10th Brianna e-books)
Book 4 – Leaving Lottawatah (includes the 11th Brianna e-book and some special features.)

Sullivan Investigations Mystery series
Murder Off the Books Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback 
Murder Doubles Back Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords



Mind Over Murder – Kindle – Trade Paperback


Zoned for Murder – Kindle – Trade Paperback


Audiobooks 
I TRY NOT TO DRIVE PAST CEMETERIES

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER IN LOTTAWATAH
THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT(S) OF LOTTAWATAH
UNDYING LOVE IN LOTTAWATAH
A HAUNTING IN LOTTAWATAH
MURDER OFF THE BOOKS
MURDER DOUBLES BACK

How do you write a mystery?

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by Bethany Maines
As I approach the end of my third Carrie Mae Mystery
manuscript (60,000 words and climbing!), I find myself more impressed now by a
basic Nancy Drew, than I was when I was ten. 
My characters are better than when I started writing.  My plotting is infinitely stronger. My grasp
of grammar, may actually have gotten worse, but I do use less adverbs (and I
actually know what they are), but it’s this business of “mystery” that still
perplexes me.  Clues? There should be
some.  But how many? How obvious should
be?  Is that too obvious? Too subtle? How
many suspects are required? Is there a manual somewhere? I could really use a
manual.
Partially, I’ve been avoiding this trouble by not
writing standard mysteries.  I call them
women’s action adventure because I think more mysteries could use a good car
chase.  If you’ve seen Bullitt then you
know that’s a movie that is holding onto its classic status simply on the
strength of its car chase.  (It’s
certainly not the strength of the jazz flute scene.)  But in April my first regular mystery, A
Yearly Murder (working title), will be released and I find myself nervous that
all the mystery aficionados will judge me. 
What if I didn’t put in enough clues?  What if the bad guy is too obvious?  What if I didn’t kill of Reginald creatively
enough?  Serial killers and mystery
writers – the only people who worry about being judged by their dead bodies.
And I would worry about the psychological implications of that if I weren’t too
busy worrying about whether or not I got my forensic research right. 

I hope that you’ll check out A Yearly Murder in April,
and let me know if I got the clue quotient right!



Bethany Maines is the
author of the Carrie Mae Mystery series and Tales from the City of Destiny. You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube
video or catch up with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Confessions of a Research Slut

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By guest Shannon Baker

Not
everything about writing novels is great. It takes lots of time I could spend
outside playing. I have to deal with the ugly face of rejection—more frequently
than I’d like to admit. Trying to work out complicated plots hurts my head.
Getting the words right with all the craft and expert writing advice swirling
around my brain is enough to make me crazy(er).

One
thing that is great about writing novels, though, aside from getting to play
god to a world of my imagination, is research.

My
plots and characters are often a product of the really cool stuff I learn while
researching. For instance, when I moved to Flagstaff and found out about the
controversy surrounding Snowbowl Ski area and man-made snow on a mountain peak
sacred to thirteen tribes, I got curious. Off I traipsed with my brand new
Flagstaff library card.

I
stumbled across several books about the Hopi tribe. I was immediately hooked. This
tiny tribe, destitute and insular, believes it is responsible for the balance
of the world. The Whole World.

I
did some in person research. One summer morning I drove a few hours to the
Homolovi ruins north of Winslow. Along with a tour of the dwellings and ruins,
a few Hopi tribal members talked about their farming technics and their
reliance on native plants. One generous young man took the time to explain to
me why the Hopi corn is planted in disarray instead of nice neat rows and why his
corn grows green and strong in the arid climate. Let me give you a hint, it has
little to do with fertilizer, barometric pressure and high and low fronts.
Hopi corn field
 Another
day I ventured even further to a public dance at Second Mesa in Shipolovi. I
was an obvious outsider. The Hopi haven’t been treated well by white folks in
the past. Their sacred relics have been stolen, outsiders broadcast their
secrets, and overall treated them with very little respect. The Hopi now have
some pretty strict rules, such as no photography, no sketching, and they frown
on note taking.

Their
dance was amazing. I was so nervous I’d do something offensive, I stood as
still and silent as possible and watched. But they wouldn’t let me be a fly on
the wall. During one break, when the kachinas filed out of the plaza, the Hopi
clowns gathered up all the white folks and sat us in the middle of the plaza.
They had some good-natured fun with us and in the end, piled many gifts into
our hands.
Because I don’t want to show actual photos from the mesas, I’m using this picture of kachina dolls to give you an idea of what a dance is like. Picture these as living beings and desert setting and pueblos.
My
Hopi research turned up so many intriguing details of their history, culture,
and beliefs I couldn’t address even a fraction in one book. So I was excited
when Midnight Ink offered me a three-book deal. Tainted Mountain delves into the Hopi prophesies, explains a little
bit about their ceremonies. It introduces kachinas and their role in Hopi
lives.

For
Broken Trust, I wanted to focus on a
different aspect of Hopi’s connection with the world. According to Hopi
beliefs, we now live in the fourth world and we’ve just about messed it up so
badly we’re approaching the end of this world and emergence to the fifth world.
Sad news for most of us, because not very many will survive to start the fifth
world.

Since
Hopi believe they hold the key to the Earth’s balance, they are concerned over
climate change and extreme weather, and think these occurrences are due to
their failure to perform all of the ceremonies. So many youth are draining from
the three mesas they aren’t able to keep all of the clans vibrant. Every clan
has specific duties to perform, so when one dwindles another clan must step in
to perform duties not historically their own. 

Hand
in hand with climate change is a shift in the Earth’s poles. The Hopi also have prophesied that “Turtle Island
could turn over two or three times and the oceans could join hands and meet the
sky.” This seems to be a prophecy of a pole shift–a flipping, of the
planet on its axis. The Hopi call this imminent condition Koyaanisqatsi, which means world out of balance, a state of life
that calls for another way.

Hadn’t
I heard of the Earth shifting on its axis? A little dive into that led me to Tesla,
which led to incredible tales of limitless, cheap energy. Following that track
took me to HAARP (the old Star Wars technology of the Cold War) and conspiracy
theories about using weather as a weapon of mass destruction, and mind control.
Which naturally took me to Jessie Ventura, as it would.
The
most frustrating thing about the research is not being able to use all the neat
stuff I learn. I guess it makes me a more well-rounded and informed person. I
figure if I write enough books I’ll be the perfect dinner party guest.

Have
any of you ever researched a topic just for fun?

Read more

Much Ado About Something

/in /by

by Sparkle Abbey

When we attend conferences, besides meeting readers (our favorite part of cons and the biggest reason we attend) we’re often on panels with fellow authors, and we also try to attend as many of the other panels as we can. We admit we’re sometimes (okay, frequently) distracted by catching up with friends and finding out what’s going on in this crazy world of publishing. And margaritas.

But we do attend panels.

Often these panels are so great that a panelist says something and we go away and need to think about it. It may be just a snippet but there are times when the “something” hangs with us long after the plane ride home. After the unpacking. After the laundry’s all been done. After we’re back to the routine of the day job. It often pops back into our heads the next time we sit down to write.

Lee Goldberg said one of those “somethings” in a panel we attended. At this point, we’re not even sure of the topic of the panel, but in any case, Lee said, “No one remembers the mystery plot of a Monk episode.” We shared a shocked look, sure that wasn’t true. Lee must be wrong. However, he went on to explain that mostly when fans of the series talk about a storyline, they say ‘the one where there the trash collection workers were on strike’ or ‘the one where Monk had a look-alike who was a crime boss.’

His point was that as writers we often think that the backdrop of the story is secondary, but really it’s vitally important to the story as a whole. If plot is “what” the book is about, the backdrop or sub-plot is tightly hooked into “who” the book is about. And together the what and who make the why, and that’s the trifecta that creates the richness in a series. It’s what makes us remember a book and come back to a character. As a reader, you’ve now lived through an experience with Monk. (Or in our case, Caro and Mel.)

That’s a very cool something.

We belong to an online book discussion group and recently everyone was sharing their all time favorite book(s). Wow, what a wide variety of novels were noted as favorites.

We were again reminded of Lee’s statement.

Fiction books are read for entertainment. We don’t read fiction for knowledge – though it’s very cool when we learn new things as part of the experience. We’ve tried to sprinkle in a few of things we learned about Greyhound rescue in our latest book, Fifty Shades of Greyhound. But when readers talk about the book we hope what they remember is the unique adventure Caro had as she worked to solve this whodunnit.

Because when we discuss our favorite books we talk about the people in the books and all that was happening to them while the story was going on. We share their experience. And that’s the magic of a memorable book.

Now, it’s your turn to think about Lee’s “something”

How about you? When you talk about you favorite books what do you remember?
(Oh and thanks, Lee.)

Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of mystery authors Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter who write the Pampered Pets mystery series for Bell Bridge Books. They are friends as well as neighbors so you’ll often find them writing at ML’s dining room table or at their local Starbucks. They live in the Midwest, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.

They love to hear from readers and you can find them online at:
Website: www.SparkleAbbey.com
Facebook:  facebook.com/sparkleabbey  
Twitter: @sparkleabbey
Goodreads: goodreads/sparkleabbey