Tag Archive for: Shari Randall

A Favorite Fall Treat – One Bowl Pumpkin Bread

/in /by

by Shari Randall

Yes, I need to work on my food styling.

The joys of fall are many – the blaze of crimson and orange leaves and the satisfying crunch of walking through them on a country lane. Apple picking and corn mazes. The cooler weather, making it a perfect time to wear cozy, soft woolen sweaters.
But pumpkin spice everything? Blech.
There’s only one pumpkin flavored fall treat I do love: pumpkin bread.
I’ve seen many recipes but this version is one I’ve stuck with for years – the holiday spice aroma and one bowl easy clean up make it a winner. Whip up some up and let me know what you think. You can make two loaves from this recipe or a few more than two dozen generously sized muffins. Bon appetit!


2 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. oil
2/3 c. cold water
1 lb. can pumpkin

Mix all ingredients together with electric mixer.  Grease 2 loaf pans (do not flour). Bake at 350 for one hour.  If you do muffins, they’ll take 18-22 minutes. Check doneness with a tester inserted into the middle. Enjoy!

Shari is the author of Against the Claw, the latest in the Lobster Shack Mystery series. Check out her Facebook Author Page for giveaways, appearances, and more. https://www.facebook.com/sharirandallauthor/

The Red Shoes

/in /by

by Shari Randall

You may have noticed that the Stiletto Gang has an updated look. We’re celebrating our new logo with a giveaway! Readers who comment on one of the Red Shoes blogs in September and October are entered to win either an Amazon or Starbucks $10 gift card. Join in the fun! The winner will be announced on our November Clicking Our Heels blog.


As a dance lover with a former ballerina as a main character, for me there is only one pair of red shoes that matters – The Red Shoes, a classic British film starring Moira Shearer.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about the film but a recent viewing revealed how well the film has aged. The Red Shoes has even more to say now than when it was first released to great acclaim, two Oscar wins, and several nominations in 1948. Directors as different as Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma have named the film one of their favorites. If these directors of some of the grittiest, hardest hitting films of all time declare a ballet movie one of their favorites, there must be something more to it than a simple backstage drama.
The film is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fable about a girl who yearns for dazzling red shoes she sees in a shop window. The shopkeeper gives them to her, but they are no ordinary shoes. She begins to dance, but discovers that she cannot stop dancing. The girl dances across fields, across cities, for days, exhausted, bruised, terrified by what’s happening because no matter how she tries, she cannot take off the enchanted shoes, cannot stop dancing. She begs a woodcutter to cut off her feet. He complies and she’s finally freed of the cursed shoes but at a terrible cost.
The directors of The Red Shoes used the fable as a springboard to an emotionally sophisticated and rich story. By setting the fable in the world of theater, the film’s central motif, the shoes, become a symbol for the artist’s gift.
The film centers around Vicky Page, a gifted young dancer. When she meets charismatic Boris Lermontov, a dictatorial ballet impresario, he asks her why she dances.
“Why do you live?” she responds.
We meet Julian, a young musician whose music has been plagiarized by his music professor. Boris asks Julian to compose music for a ballet version of The Red Shoes. With Vicky in the starring role the ballet is a sensation and Vicky is hailed as a great new talent at each stop on a glamorous European tour.
Two beautiful young people, each gifted artists, each passionate about their art – you can guess what happens next. Vicky and Julian fall in love. 
Against the pleadings of Lermontov, Vicky marries Julian and returns to England, leaving her career behind while Julian’s star rises.
But the pull of dance is too great. Vicky goes to visit her aunt in Monte Carlo, just as the ballet pulls into town. Lermontov begs her to return to the stage. She does. Did Vicky really simply wish to visit her aunt or did she intend to meet Lermontov? The film suggests but does not tell.
Just as she is preparing to take the stage for a revival of The Red Shoes, Julian storms in, begging her to return to England with him. Lermontov offers a counter argument, begging her to see that she is an artist, that she is born to dance. Vicky, forced to choose  between the man she loves and the art that keeps her alive, is torn from reality. As if her own red shoes are enchanted, she begins to dance, and….
I don’t want to give away the ending, because this film is so enjoyable on so many levels. The directors hired a painter to be in charge of art direction – it’s one of the most gorgeous, color drenched, Technicolor films ever. The costumes by French house of Fath are spectacular. But most importantly, the film has surprisingly modern things to say about art, artists, and relationships. 
Do yourself a favor and rent it. The Red Shoes raises so many issues about the nature of art and the sacrifices artists must make to honor their gift. It’s the perfect film, and the perfect shoes, for a group of writers who understand Vicky’s answer to Lermontov’s question.
Why do you write?
Why do you live?
Have you seen The Red Shoes? What do you think of Vicky’s situation? And what about those costumes?
Remember, if you comment, you are entered to win a gift card.

Shari Randall is the author of the Lobster Shack Mysteries from St. Martin’s Press. Book One, Curses, Boiled Again, has been called “Delightful! A fun whodunit full of New England coastal charm and characters who feel like friends. Warm humor, a delectable plot, and clever sleuthing will keep you turning the pages.”

From the Keyboard to the Kitchen

/in /by
by Shari Randall
I have to admit that my favorite cooking utensils are the take-out menu and the phone. I do occasionally enjoy baking and I can follow a recipe like nobody’s business. That’s why I’ve been surprised to discover that some folks have categorized my mystery series as a “culinary cozy.” 
Cue laughter from my husband and kids.
I write a series set at the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack in mythical Mystic Bay, Connecticut. The Mermaid is owned by Gina “Aunt Gully” Fontana, a woman who has finally achieved her dream of owning a lobster shack. Lobsters are her life and foodies travel miles to eat one of her award winning lobster rolls, which are served topped with Lobster Love sauce. This sauce is basically lobster bisque. Yes, Aunt Gully pours lobster plus butter and heavy cream on lobster.
In the name of research, I’ve visited many lobster shacks and enjoyed the delicious treats they prepare.
But I’ve never cooked a lobster myself. This past weekend I decided to change that and tackle not just cooking a lobster, but also creating the delicious Lobster Love sauce that lures lobster lovers to the Lazy Mermaid lobster shack.
Could writing a character who is an excellent cook help me in the kitchen? I decided to channel Aunt Gully’s expertise and cook a lobster.
(Full disclosure: All this cooking took a village, including my husband and fabulous sister-in-law, who is an even better cook than Aunt Gully.)
It started with steaming some lobsters, which we had to eat with clams casino, corn on the cob, and a lovely a bean salad my husband made because sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your art. 
If you’ve read the books, you know that Aunt Gully sings to her lobsters as they make the ultimate sacrifice, so I hummed her signature tune (“Get Happy” from Summer Stock) as I put the lobsters in the pot. 
Of course, the key to lobster bisque is the lobster flavor – and butter and heavy cream. Lots of butter and heavy cream.
How to get the lobster flavor? For my bisque recipe, we used the leftover lobster carcasses.
Preparing the carcasses is as much fun as it sounds – removing the “yucky stuff” (the intestinal tract and the sac behind the head), breaking up the shells, and sauteeing them in butter. This created a low-tide odor in the house that took two days to dissipate. Take my advice and always cook your lobsters outside on your grill.
From this…

To bisque!
We combined the carcasses with garlic, onion, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, and stock, simmered the resulting mixture, removed the shells, ran the mixture through a food processor, strained it, simmered it some more, added a lot of butter and cream, tasted the soup, added salt and pepper, and there it was. Aunt Gully’s Lobster Love sauce.
Whew!
It took hours to prepare, but the end result was worth it. I not only gained a beautiful bowl of bisque, I gained a whole new appreciation for Aunt Gully.
Have you ever tried to channel one of your characters?  What are some of the things you’ve done in the name of research for your writing?
Shari Randall’s latest Lobster Shack Mystery, AGAINST THE CLAW, will be published by St. Martin’s Press on July 31.

Happy Thoughts for Memorial Day

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

Good morning and best wishes for a happy Memorial Day!

Hopefully, you can enjoy this day with some good reading. I’m going to recommend that you consider some offerings from my blogging partners here at The Stiletto Gang.

If you haven’t already begun Shari Randall’s Curses, Boiled Again!, check it out. It features injured ballerina Allie Larkin who is assisting her Aunt Gully with a lobster roll competition on Memorial Day when the judges are poisoned. Allie is spunky and delightful. The action is fast paced and the food descriptions will make you hungry!

Two of our blogging partners are celebrating Anthony nominations.The Anthony Awards, named for Anthony Boucher,
are presented each year at Bouchercon, and recognize excellence for novels, short fiction, nonfiction, and online presence. Congratulations to Dru Ann Love for her nomination for Dru’s Book Musings and to Debra H. Goldstein for her short story nomination.

Because the Anthonys have nominations for both individual and collected
short stories, they introduce readers to a variety of wonderful short fiction. Following are this year’s nominees, who will be celebrated in
St. Petersburg, Florida, this fall:
BEST SHORT STORY
·      
The Trial of Madame
Pelletier by Susanna Calkins from Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most
Historical [Wildside Press]
·      
God’s Gonna Cut You
Down by Jen Conley from Just to Watch Them Die: Crime Fiction Inspired by the
Songs of Johnny Cash [Gutter Books LLC]
·      
My Side of the Matter
by Hilary Davidson from Killing Malmon [Down & Out Books]
·      
Whose Wine Is It
Anyway by Barb Goffman from 50 Shades of Cabernet [Koehler Books]
·      
The Night They Burned
Ms. Dixie’s Place by Debra H. Goldstein from Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery
Magazine, May/June 2017 [Dell]
·      
A Necessary Ingredient
by Art Taylor from Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining
Sea [Down & Out Books]
BEST ANTHOLOGY     
·      
Just to Watch Them
Die: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Johnny Cash, Joe Clifford,
editor [Gutter Books LLC]
·      
Killing Malmon, Dan
& Kate Malmon, editors [Down & Out Books]
·      
Coast to Coast:
Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea, Andrew McAleer & Paul D. Marks,
editors [Down & Out Books]
·      
Passport to Murder,
Bouchercon Anthology 2017, John McFetridge, editor [Down & Out Books]
·      
The Obama Inheritance:
Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir, Gary Phillips, editor [Three Rooms
Press]
Read and enjoy!



Getting the Setting Right

/in /by

by Shari Randall

Shari here, taking a bit of a break from writing Book Three in my Lobster Shack Mystery series. I just mailed in copy edits on Book Two, Against the Claw, which will be published on July 31. My kids love the fact that it comes out on Harry Potter’s birthday!
When I started writing the first book in my series, I thought about the ingredients I wanted to add to the story. What do I like in a mystery? I definitely wanted a play-fair puzzle with lots of possible culprits. I like a fast pace, in the snappy style of Murder, She Wrote. I love a fish out of water story, so I landed Allegra Larkin, my ballerina protagonist, in a lobster shack. Most especially, I wanted the setting to make the reader feel like they were taking a New England vacation.
Actually, of all the ingredients, the setting worried me the most. Even though I live in the area where my series is set – the Connecticut shoreline and I am just minutes from some great lobster shacks – I was concerned about doing justice to the feel, details, and history that make this such a great place to visit.
My fictional Lazy Mermaid lobster shack is a combination of several shacks that I visited when I did my Lobster Shack Tour last summer. From Connecticut to the Cape to Maine there are lots of lobster shacks. What do they have in common?  The sunburned diners at splintery picnic tables, the dive-bombing gulls, blue sky and blue water, the briny sweet taste of lobster, the long lines and jammed parking lots.
What does my fictional Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack have that they don’t? For a start: 
A cook who serenades the lobster with Broadway show tunes.
Walls decorated with not just the typical fishing nets and wooden lobster traps, but also shelf after shelf of a mermaid collection called “mermaidabilia.”
A shack set in a little village where the buildings are unchanged from the time they were built in the mid 1800s.
A couple of weeks ago, I received a note from a reader who told me that my book made her feel like she was a little girl again, right back in the seaside cottage her family rented on the Connecticut shore not far from New Haven. It was her family’s tradition to visit a lobster shack and get lobster rolls once every summer. She was sure that the shack in my book was the one that her family had visited all those years ago. She even sent me a picture of her family at the shack.
Well, I was thrilled that I’d captured the feeling of this reader’s childhood New England vacations, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that my lobster shack was fictional.
But the lovely fan letter has given me some hope that I’m getting the setting right. I hope if you’re in the mood for a New England vacation, you’ll visit the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack in my fictional Mystic Bay, Connecticut. Let me know if you have a good time, okay?
Shari Randall is the author of Curses, Boiled Again, Book One of the new Lobster Shack Mystery series from St. Martin’s Press. Book Two, Against the Claw, will be published July 31, 2018. You can see what’s new with her at https://us.macmillan.com/author/sharirandall/.

 

Visiting With The Killer Coffee Club

/in /by

by Shari Randall

One of the
biggest perks of being an author is getting to spend time talking with readers.
Because I’m a writer, reader, and former librarian, I love talking books! I
feel torn while writing because I stay away from the type of books I love
reading most – mysteries. I’m afraid I’ll unconsciously pick up another
author’s voice or plot point. While writing a
first draft, I switch to nonfiction, biographies, or craft books, or delve into
whatever I’m researching for the work in progress.

So I was
especially thrilled when I received an invitation to visit the Killer Coffee Club to talk to readers about my new mystery, Curses, Boiled Again!
The Club is run by Nikki Bonnani, a college instructor, personal trainer, and
writer who moderates this long-running book group. Nikki is high energy – she reminds
me of an Energizer Bunny. I think she’s met every author out there. The
authors who have visited the Killer Coffee Club – in person or via Skype – are a Who’s Who of the mystery
world: Brad Parks, Donna Andrews, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rosemary Harris, Edith
Maxwell, Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, Lee Child…. I could go on. The Club has
been meeting at the Barnes and Noble in Ithaca, New York since 2009 when they
discussed Louise Penny’s Still Life.
The fact that Nikki chose that book tells you about her excellent taste in
books and I’m not just saying that because she invited me.

I was
thrilled to be invited, but also a bit terrified. I couldn’t make the trip to
Ithaca, so I’d be doing the visit via Skype.
Not
familiar with Skype? Wikipedia says Skype is “a
telecommunications application software product that specializes in providing
video chat and voice calls between computers.” In plain English, Skype lets you
video chat on your computer.
I love what Skype does but
I’m not keen on how Skype makes me look – like my passport photo. Still I was
happy to do it. By the way, Nikki looks great on camera. She’s been doing Skype
for a long time and is a pro. I noticed a few things that she did and that I
didn’t do which might help you if you ever get to do a Skype interview:
1.    
Check
the position of your screen. Nikki had her computer camera set in one
stationary spot. I Skyped on my laptop, while I was curled up on the couch. Not
a good idea. After a while I noticed that I was veering in and out of the frame
as I shifted position. If you Skype, set your computer in one spot, preferably
in a way that makes you lift your chin while you talk. Not only was I looking
down at my laptop, I realized that particular posture muffled my voice.

2.    
Practice
ahead of time. I Skyped my older daughter, who was bemused to be using this, to
her, antiquated technology. We worked out a couple of kinks, most especially
something I’d never thought would be an issue – lighting. I’d planned to sit on
the couch with a floor lamp beside me, but I ended up looking a mobster in
witness protection being interviewed on Dateline,
all shadowy and obscured. Overhead lighting will make you more visible, but may be harsh. Be sure to experiment.

3.    
Test
your link. I had the link to Skype, which I confirmed with Nikki before the
meeting, ready to go at interview time so I could simply click a button to connect.
The bottom line? I had such a
good time talking and laughing with the Club I forgot to be nervous. Because
Nikki is a writer, she asks thoughtful questions that spark great discussion.
Her group also asked great questions, and an hour flew by.
I hope these tips are helpful
for your Skype visits. If you have any tips on using Skype or on author visits
to book clubs in general, please share them in the comments.

Shari Randall is the author of Curses, Boiled Again, Book One of the new Lobster Shack Mystery series from St. Martin’s Press. RT Book Reviews called Curses, “a delicious cozy with deadly outcomes and plenty of probable culprits.”

W. C. Fields Was Right

/in /by

by Shari Randall

Last weekend, I attended my first writers’ festival – the Local
Authors Fair at the New London (CT) Public Library. To clarify, I attended for
the first time as an author. I met lots of great folks, fellow authors, and
dedicated librarians. And I learned the secret to sales at writers’ events:
Adorable dogs and cookies.
It’s been a month of firsts – my first novel, my first book
signing, my first blog interviews. In each, I’ve had fun, but I know I’ve made
rookie mistakes. For example, at the authors’ festival appearance I showed up
with books. Just books. No cookies. No candy. No dog.
Bottom line? I sold two books. The author with the adorable
dog? She had a constant line of buyers!
Don’t let this happen to you.
If you haven’t written an uplifting story of a dog that
beats the odds, or don’t have an adorable dog to accompany you to events, here
are some out of the box ideas for selling books at signings and fairs from my
favorite writers, the Sisters in Crime of the Chesapeake Chapter.
Sherry Harris swears by a basket of chocolates to “lure
people in. Even though that sounds creepy.”
Barb Goffman suggested that authors offer to take off an
article of clothing for every book sold.
Maya Corrigan warned that this might work best only during
the warmer months. Libby Klein disagreed, saying that this strategy might work
better if the author offered to put on an article of clothing for every book
sold.
Donna Andrews suggested that you have stuffed animals do the
talking. During one Barnes and Noble group book signing, where customers either avoided
making eye contact or asked the authors where to find the bathroom, Donna liberated some stuffed reptiles from the
children’s department and used them to entice, er sorry, entisssse, customers
to visit the authorssss. The result? The rest of the signing was a resounding
successssss.
Other advice? Grace Topping said don’t sit down – remaining
standing is more welcoming.
Alan Orloff said something about offering to wrestle an alligator, but
then, that’s Alan Orloff.

Do you have any advice for author events?

Shari Randall is the author of CURSES, BOILED AGAIN, the
first of the new Lobster Shack Mystery series from St. Martin’s Press. At her
next signing, she’ll be the one standing at the signing table with a basket of
chocolates, fully clothed, thank you very much.

Five Tips for Debut Authors

/in /by
by Shari Randall
I just debuted my first novel, Curses, Boiled Again! It’s the first of the Lobster Shack Mystery
Series from St. Martin’s Press. Yes, there is an exclamation point in the
title. That’s how my publisher rolls.
As any author who is lucky enough to hold a copy of their
book in their hands can tell you, the debut experience has been exciting,
wonderful, mystifying, and exhausting. I thought I’d prepared by reading blog after book after blog, and still I went into the whole thing feeling like that
toddler at the beach who rushes down the sand to the water and gets knocked
down by the wave. It’s fun but, whoa! What just happened?
So, I’m sharing a bit of my experience here to help any
other authors anticipating their debut, and I hope other experienced authors
will offer advice in the comments. Because I can sure use it.
Some things I learned, from big picture to small, and Why
Didn’t I Think of That?
1. Pace yourself. Juggling a signing, a library panel, a Facebook
party, and a bunch of blogs in one week taught me my limits. Maybe I’d
overestimated my energy level a teensy bit. Especially when I noticed I was
doing everything except writing. Schedule lots of fun, but make sure to
schedule quiet moments, too.

Donna Andrews, lucky debut author, Sherry Harris

2. Be meticulous about your calendar so nothing falls through the cracks. Nobody warned me that there could be – and there was – a writer’s perfect storm. I was doing promo for Book One, edits on Book Two, and writing,
sort of, Book Three. Having a calendar devoted just to writing goals and events was a life-saver.
3. Ellen Crosby shared that at a book signing, it’s a good idea
to have readers write down on a Post it note the name of the person they want
the book inscribed to – that way you avoid potential Kathy, Cathy, Cathie mix
ups. She also provided the Post its. Thank you, Ellen!
4. Do not look at your reviews. Well, do what I did and
designate a Review Reviewer or Review Buddy. This person (thank you, Charlotte!)
scans Goodreads and all those other sites and reports back on when it’s safe to
take a look.
5. Two quotes became my mantras. One is from Elizabeth Harris
about reviews. “You can have the sweetest peaches in the world, but if someone
doesn’t like peaches, they won’t like yours.” My book won’t be everyone’s cup
of tea. And that’s okay.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” This quote from Theodore
Roosevelt is my mantra as I learn about other author’s sales and reviews. I’m
lucky enough to have published a book and held it in my hands, and I’ve received great reviews and kindnesses from fellow authors. For all that I am so grateful and I can’t wait to pay it forward.
Authors, any advice to share for newly published authors?

Full Circle for a Debut Author

/in /by
by Shari Randall

Many thanks to the Stiletto Gang for inviting me to be part of the, well, gang. This year marks my debut as a novelist with the January 30 publication of the first in my new Lobster Shack Mystery series, Curses, Boiled Again! I’ll be sharing the debut author journey with you here on the third Friday of the month.

As I gear up for my first author panel as a novelist, I
can’t keep a verse from the Talking Heads song “Once in a Lifetime” from going
through my mind: “How did I get here?”
The panel will be held at the same library in Virginia where
I was a children’s librarian for more than 12 years. We’ll sit in chairs in the
same room where I sang “We’re Going On A Bear Hunt” for toddlers, introduced
The Reptile Lady, and dressed up as Professor McGonagle for a Harry Potter
birthday celebration. Talk about a crazy journey!
Fast forward to my panel. I’m thrilled that two of my
favorite authors and friends will be with me, Donna Andrews and Sherry Harris.
How did I get here?
Many writers can point to the moment they started on the
road to becoming a writer – a prize for an elementary school poem, a spot on
the high school yearbook, a sale to a magazine.
My road started as a voracious reader in the library of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel School in Meriden, CT. The librarian, Mrs. Macri, was an
energetic lady who wasn’t much taller than her students but tried to gain a few
inches on us with very high stiletto heels. How I marveled at those heels. (And
how I still marvel at those who can wear them!)
One day in fourth grade, a thick book on a high shelf caught
my eye. Mrs. Macri saw me looking and pulled it down for me. “Oh, you’ll like
this,” she said as she put the book into my hands. She didn’t say, “Oh, that’s
too old for you” or “Try something easier.” The book was The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
I didn’t just like it, dear reader. I devoured it and
started trying to write my own stories.
That started my lifelong love of mysteries.
Fast forward through unfortunate high school poetry, an English
degree, work at my hometown newspaper, editing for a Boston publisher,
freelancing, teaching, doing a masters in library and information science, to
my job in a mid-sized library in the lower level of a shopping mall in a county
of almost a million people near Washington, DC.

Deep into years of budget cuts, our teen section was looking
particularly tired. I was searching for grant money to buy fresh copies of
books when I came across the We Love Libraries program from a writers group
called the Sisters in Crime. I did some research, got my boss’s okay, and
applied for the grant.

We won! One thousand dollars with no string attached. Let me
tell you, ain’t no party like a librarian party where you can buy books with
somebody else’s money!
Four Sisters came to the check presentation ceremony: GM
Malliet, C. Ellett Logan, Terri Bishop, and Ellen Byerrum. They told me about
the local Chesapeake chapter, the Chessies, and the yearly short story
anthology. Did I write? Did I know anyone who had a short story to enter?
Did I ever! Me.
The thrill of having that first short story published, and
holding that book in my hands, is something I’ll never forget. I thought it would be different with this novel, but the thrill is the same with Curses,
Boiled Again!

Eight years, two short stories, four novels (one published,
one ready for submission, one in pieces, one in a drawer awaiting the light of
day) and scores of blog posts have been part of my journey from that grant and
inspirational meeting with the sisters of the Chessie Chapter.
Am I grateful? You bet. As the Sisters say, you write alone,
but you’re never truly alone with sisters. My novel wouldn’t have happened without them. Thank you,
always, Chessies and Sisters in Crime.
I’ll send a copy of Curses, Boiled Again to one commenter – please share something that makes you feel grateful. Thank you for stopping by!

When she’s not committing murder (on
the page, of course), Shari enjoys walking the beach near her house, traveling
and eating the local cuisine, reading, and dancing. She’s currently trying to
talk her husband into a tango class.

She’s had two short stories published
in the Chesapeake Crimes anthology series: “Disco Donna” in Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays
and “Keep It Simple” in Chesapeake
Crimes: This Job Is Murder.  A third,
“Pet,” will be published in Chesapeake
Crimes: Fur, Feathers, and Felonies in spring 2018. You can see what’s new with
her at https://us.macmillan.com/author/sharirandall and check out her mermaid
obsession on Instagram @sharirandallauthor.

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

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

by Paula Gail Benson


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

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

My New Orleans Bouchercon Birthday