(This is Memorial Day when we all should be thinking about and thanking those who sacrificed their lives for us and our freedom in many wars. Photo is of hubby, a Vietnam Vet.)

Many authors are off on tours, visiting various book stores in their general area or some of the big names are heading around the country.  I’ve never done that, nor will I in the future. Two reasons, I only visit some favorite book stores for signings, and I don’t travel as far as I once did.

My first book event this spring was giving a talk to the nearest chapter of Sister in Crime that I belong to about where I got the ideas for some of my books. It was great fun and well received.

(A tip about book talks–if you can make your audience laugh, you’ll sell books.)

Next was participating on a panel at a one day writing conference put on by the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime—the panel topic, Finding Time to Write. I love going to the coast and seeing my friends over there, so it was a good time.

(Authors are usually readers too. )

I was asked to give a short talk about my books at a local women’s club. A small group but they were a great audience.

(Yes, I made them laugh, and they did buy books. )

Two events are scheduled for June. The first, I’m going to give a talk about the importance of editing to the Tulare-Kings writers group, and I am heading back to the coast to participate in the Cambria Book Fair. This will be my second book fair this year. I love them.

(With talks to writers, give them something they need to hear. Believe it or not, there are some self-pubbed authors out there who aren’t getting their books edited.)

In July, I’ll be Las Vegas for the Public Safety Writers Conference—which is my favorite. In some ways it’s like a big family reunion, except the family consists of mystery writers, people in all sorts of law enforcement, fire fighters, EMTs and other public safety professions.

I’ll be speaking to the Nightwriters in San Luis Obispo in August and I’m going to give the presentation about where I got my ideas for my books.

In October it’s the Great Valley Bookfest in Manteca and in November, a boutique in Yosemite in Coarsegold.

(Tip about any kind of book or craft fair. You can’t just sit behind your table and expect people to rush up an buy your books. You need to get on your feet, smile at folks, and engage them in conversation.)

That’s it so far, but I’m sure other events will trickle in.

Do I sell a lot of books at these events? It depends, and you never know. But I always love meeting people and talking about my books with them.

Fellow authors, what are you favorite type of events?

Readers, do you attend many of these kind of events, and if so which ones do you enjoy?

Marilyn

 

I’ve told you all this before, but I am not a plotter. I have an idea, and I follow it, hoping that the story will make sense as it develops. But I’ve fallen into an abyss, unable to figure my way out. My story has hit a wall, and I can’t find my way through. I keep gnawing on the problem, but so far, no answers.

I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t plot—and probably not the only one who falls into an abyss. But recently I’ve found support, at least for the nonplotters.. Just in the last month, the New York Times Book Review has had comments by two writers of mystery fiction indicating they aren’t plotters either.

Chris Bohjalian, author of THE FLIGHT ATTENDENT, which has made it to the Times best seller list, says in the “Inside the List” column, “I’m in awe of writers who outline—or even those writers who know how a book is going to end when they begin . . .I never have even the slightest clue. I depend upon my characters to take me by the hand and lead me through the dark of the story.”

And in the April 29^th edition of the Book Review, in the same column , Lisa Scottoline, the best-selling author who writes three books a year, says, “I plan absolutely nothing.. . .  It’s not in my nature. I write a book in an organic way, asking myself after each chapter what the characters would do next. I never know what the story is until I tell it to myself. Not only don’t I know how it ends, I don’t know how it middles!” Scottoline goes on to say, “. . . the surprise ending always comes as a surprise to me!”

So, I’m not the only one with a problem. But I’m an amateur compared to those guys. How shall I fix my problem? My murderer is apparently unbelievable, and the story has great, big plot holes. Do I need another character? Maybe that would help with the problem. Maybe I don’t want to kill one guy too early in the story. If I keep him alive, he might be the murderer.

Now that’s an idea! Maybe the murderee should be the murderer. I’ll play with that for a while. I need a reason for that, though, and right now my mind is blank. I do have a sense, however, that I killed off the first victim too soon, that I should let him live a bit more and develop more of a story.

I remember attending a writing panel where two writers were non-plotters and one, who wrote for television, was emphatically a plotter. One of the non-plotters told us that when she got to the end of her novel, she liked the person she had made the murderer too much to cast him in that role, so she went back and added another character. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one with these problems.

Do any of you ever get yourselves into this kind of mess? Let me know. It’ll make me feel better, just like Bohjalian and Scottoline did.