Category: mystery

Hook, Line and Sinker – The Problem with First Lines

~ janispattersonmysteries ~ 4 Comments

by Janis Patterson

Unfortunately we live in a sound bite age – if you don’t get their attention in X amount of seconds you don’t get it. Time was when authors were advised that you had the first chapter to hook the reader (agent, editor or customer). Then it went down to the first five pages. Then the first page. Then the first paragraph. Now people are leaning toward the first line. Logic would dictate that it would stop there, but in this crazy publishing world I wouldn’t bet on it. With a sad fatalism I’m waiting for a list of sure-fire attention-getting first words. Where things will go after that I don’t even dare speculate.

So what do you do? You grab their attention from the first. Now I’m generous, so I personally work under the three sentence rule. You have three sentences to intrigue them enough to read on. Almost every classic novel violates this rule… some of them adhere to the old ‘first couple of chapters’ convention, which means many if not all would never make it to the shelf today. Of course, novels, conventions and writing styles have changed over the years; what was loved and lionized years – decades – centuries – ago is dead weight today. After all, how many modern people read really old books today for pleasure? (I know some do, and good on them, but we’re talking about modern, short-attentioned modern genre readers.)

So what is it about first lines? People say, you have your cover blurb – why won’t that make them read the book? Well, sometimes it will. It and the cover will usually get the reader to look and pick up the book, but the first sentence(s) will make them want to read the rest. (And like all other things in this more than slightly mad business, this is a generalization. Nothing is ever absolutely certain!)

How? is usually the first question. What do you do to hook the reader? What formula is there to make sure that first line makes them want to continue reading?

The first thing you do not do is start off boring. Don’t talk about the weather, or the pretty scenery, or how much you like your new red dress… unless of course, this is so strange or so much of a clue or whatever that it almost turns out to be the turning point/crux of the story. That’s an individual story call.

Some people just start writing and eventually go back to edit; others end up cutting the first thousand or so words to get a good beginning. Every writer at one time or another has been told “Your story starts in the middle of the second chapter – cut everything before that and lard the information into the story later on.” Other writers can craft a winning first line almost from the get-go. Still other writers come up with a sterling first sentence and then create a story to support it. Even other writers… well, you get the idea. Writing is a highly individualistic enterprise and everyone’s process is different. There are requirements about the finished product, but the process is up to the individual writer.

Back to first lines. Do start off in the middle of something exciting. The hero is caught in the middle of a wildfire or is being stalked by a hungry tiger or is hiding from a gunman – or is being made love to by the most beautiful woman in the world whom he has never seen before. Make his emotions your own. Make the reader wonder (1) how did he get into such a situation and (2) how is he going to get out so much that he has to keep reading.

Once the reader is engaged you can tell the rest of the story – either from that point on or going back to the beginning to tell how he got there or whatever timeline the story demands.

Let’s face it – it doesn’t matter how good and outstanding your story is, or how you present it, the reader is not going to read it unless you hook their interest, and one of the primary tools for that is the first line.

Why I Read and Write Crime Fiction

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 6 Comments

By Margaret Lucke

Why is it that, when crime is so appalling, crime fiction is so appealing?

Both as a reader and a writer, I’ve always been drawn to mysteries and tales of suspense, and I suspect that most of my fellow Ladies of Mystery would agree. We’re not alone. Reliable stats are hard to come by, but I’ve from what I can find, mysteries and thrillers account for almost a third of all fiction sales. They’re entertaining to read and rewarding to write.

Here are some the reasons why I’m a fan and why I choose to write these kinds of tales.

1. Crime fiction offers great storytelling. I’m not a fan of fiction where a character, lost in thought, takes 200 pages to pour a cup of coffee. I want books where something happens, preferably something of significance to the characters involved. Crime novels satisfy because they have a plot and a purpose, a beginning, middle and end. They resonate with storytelling traditions that have captivated listeners and readers for thousands of years. What makes me happy is a good story well told. 

2. Crime fiction brings order from chaos. Mysteries comfort me with the illusion that there is order and logic in what is really a disorderly and confusing world. (As evidence of this, I offer you the year 2024.) Real life is filled with loose ends, unresolved problems, capricious twists of fate, and wrongs that go unrighted. In crime fiction I have the satisfaction of seeing order restored and justice prevail.  

3. Crime fiction answers the question: Why? One thing that distinguishes humans from other animals is the ability, and the compulsion, to ask why? Too often real life fails to provide the answers we crave, but as a fiction writer I must come up with explanations for what happens in my story. As I do, I sometimes gain insights that help me make better sense of the world and the people who share it with me.

4. Crime fiction imposes few boundaries. Crime fiction grabs people because it deals with life-and-death matters—the kinds of fundamental issues everyone must wrestle with. But life and death are such vast subjects that the genre offers an unlimited canvas. As a crime writer I can create intimate, personal stories or ones that are global in scope. I can examine the nature of people’s relationships with themselves, with each other, and with society. I can probe the depths of goodness and evil. I can set my stories against whatever background I choose and populate them with characters from any walk of life. Crime fiction is a framework that accommodates any theme, subject, or question a writer might want to explore.   

5. Crime fiction lets me taste the lives I’d like to lead. Who doesn’t sometimes long for a life that’s a little more exciting or colorful or adventurous than the one we actually lead? Through our heroes and heroines, crime writers get to experience those lives. When I’m writing, I can be a younger, thinner, braver person. I can travel to new locales, fall in love with ideal companions, and take revenge—on paper, of course—on the kid who snubbed me in junior high or the boss who fired me without cause. I can explore the dark side I normally keep hidden. I can take risks I never would in real life. I can rescue other people, maybe even save the world.

6. Crime fiction is challenging and fun. For me, mysteries and thrillers are reliably fun to read. But fun to write? Okay, not always—some days I’m blocked and frustrated, ready to tear out my hair. But I love the way writing crime fiction lets me be creative. It challenges my cleverness, wit, and problem-solving skills. Instead of solving a puzzle, I get construct ones that will, I hope, baffle readers. I dream up characters and have the thrill of watching them come to life on the page. I can’t think of anything I’d rather spend my days doing than write.

Those are my reasons. Why does reading or writing crime fiction appeal to you?

Launching a New Book by Heather Haven

~ Heather Haven ~ 8 Comments

Launching a new book is exciting, scary, and uncheap. Uncheap is not supposed to be a word but I hesitate to write that launching a new book is expensive. So I invented the word uncheap. Same amount of $ outlay but settles better in my mind. I like to feel positive about every aspect of my work.

I used to do everything needed to launch a new book in the days when I was young, energetic, and poor. I’m not rich now but above all else, I’m not young anymore. And energy? Let’s just move on. But I will say no matter what, I always had a professional editor for each of my books even when I did the covers, formatting, and uploading myself. As I am a shameless but determined amateur, I still do covers for some of my books, but not the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries. I handed that over to professionals long ago. And they have proven it was the right thing to do.

To the left is the probable cover for my latest book of the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Bewitched Bothered, and Beheaded. Book 9 and counting. It needs some tweaking here and there, but essentially, this is it. Up until this book, I continued to do the formatting and uploading for the series. This time, I’ve decided to let them do everything. Ka-ching, Ka-ching. But I am anxious to start the 10th book of the series, Cleopatra Slept Here, currently but a dream. If I hand everything off, I think I can get to it sooner. The months I spend on getting a book launched takes away from any creative time I have for a new book. This may not be true for everyone, but it is for me. So I am experimenting with the less is more school of thought.

Speaking of experimenting, last May when I launched the 4th book of the Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, Hotshot Shamus, I decided to take some of the money I saved by doing everything myself and spend it on advertising. The Big Push. The Percy Cole series has never been the seller the Alvarez Family has been and I often wondered if it was because I never spent enough moola on it. I got my answer. NO. I couldn’t capture a large enough readership no matter how much I spent. The reviews I got from readers amounted to they loved this no s–t lady who conquered a man’s world at a time when women simply didn’t. Okay, so people who read the books seemed to like them. But I still couldn’t get enough readers to justify the investment spent on mounting each book.

Maybe it’s because the series takes place during WWII, not a glamorous time. Maybe it’s because when people read historical books they either want non-fiction or more romance and glamour in their historical fiction. Maybe it’s because I’m not well-known. Maybe it’s because the cat sleeps in the sun. But these are all conjectures. For the moment, it’s time to pull back on the Percy Cole series and concentrate on what works. And as I love the other series just as much, I will concentrate on writing the Alvarez Family.

And launching their books. So here’s to Lee Alvarez and her wonderfully eccentric family. And to all who read about them. Much appreciated.

What Goes Under It All

~ Janet Dawson ~ 9 Comments

I’m thinking about undergarments.

Lest you think that’s peculiar, I’m a writer, working on a historical novel. And thinking about what my characters wear.

More about the undies later. Let’s talk about what goes over them.

My long-running Jeri Howard series is contemporary, set in the present day. Jeri is a private investigator. I was a woman in my thirties when I began the series, but I’m aging faster than Jeri is. As an investigator, Jeri wears comfortable clothing, usually pants, though in Where the Bodies Are Buried, she dresses up in a business suit and low heels to go undercover as a legal secretary.

Most often she wears comfortable shoes, since she may need to walk distances as she tails a suspect on a city street. She certainly doesn’t want to stand out in a crowd when she has to duck into a doorway or a coffee shop to avoid being seen. In Cold Trail, she hikes over the hills in a regional park, following a lead.

So, Jeri dresses a lot like I do. I favor casual and comfortable. My wardrobe consists of a lot of T-shirts and stretchy pants. As I write this, my feet are ensconced in warm comfy slippers.

I’ve never felt the need to detail Jeri’s undergarments, though I do mention at one point that she sleeps in an oversize T-shirt.

Then I started a new series, set in the early 1950s, featuring Jill McLeod, a Zephyrette on the California Zephyr, the sleek streamliner train that ran between San Francisco and Chicago from 1949-1970. The current Amtrak version is a successor to that passenger train. Jill is a train hostess, the only female crew member. Her job is to walk through the train from time to time, keeping an eye on the passengers and what they need. While she’s on duty, Jill wears a uniform. It’s teal blue, with a skirt and jacket worn over a white shirt, and a military-style cap. When Jill is off-duty, however, she dresses in the styles common at that time. It’s the era of full skirts and dresses with waists, and Jill’s hair is styled in the popular poodle cut.

Speaking of undies, that was the era of girdles and bullet bras. I’ve never written about Jill’s undergarments, but in one book I have her climbing into her berth in a pair of comfortable pajamas.

On to the historical novel—and more about undies. The book I’m working on is set in the late 1870s. I am currently obsessed with researching what people wore. I bought a book called Clothing Through American History: The Civil War through the Gilded Age, 1861-1899. I found a sidebar titled “The Layers of a Proper Lady’s Toilette.” It describes nine layers and 25 pounds of clothing to make up the proper undies for a lady, and goes from stockings to drawers, to chemise, petticoat and corset. We won’t even talk about the damn bustle.

How in the hell did women function when confined in this cage of fabric and metal? I suspect we could have another blog post on how women’s fashions interfered with their lives as well as their movement. And not just in the nineteenth century, and earlier. Remember when it was scandalous for women to wear pants? And when many women, my mother included, strapped themselves into girdles?

We will draw a veil over those bell bottoms I wore, just about the same time I bought those platform heels and fell through a door. Jeri would never do that, at least I don’t think so.

I’m not sure the protagonist in my historical novel wears all that clothing, though. Things were different on the western frontier, where farm wives sewed weights into the hems of their skirts to keep them from blowing up and showing off their undergarments. In the late nineteenth century, women did in fact wear split or divided skirts for riding horses, something I’ve eagerly adopted for my protagonist, since she’s traveling in the first part of the novel, sometimes on a wagon seat and sometimes astride her own horse.

I haven’t decided what to do about her undies. She’s independent enough to push against societal norms. Will that extend to foregoing a corset? I guess I’ll find out.

Guest Blogger ~ Heather Ames

~ patyjag ~ 9 Comments

THE BOOK THAT DIDN’T WRITE ITSELF

Some books almost write themselves. The plot sails along, the characters all interact as they should. Even the backdrop feels like it’s an impressionist painting that only needs a few brushstrokes to make it shine.

Book 3 of the Ghost Shop series wasn’t that book.

I had trouble finding a title, even though the theme was a haunted vineyard that wasn’t producing anything except anger and bad vibes. Compounding the problem, I wanted all books in the series to have titles starting with the letter T. After mentioning my dilemma to several people, two came up with the same suggestion: Tainted Legacy.

Still not completely sold, I used it as a working title I liked more as the plot struggled along, characters tripping over themselves and refusing to fall in line when I tried to take them in a certain direction, creating strange sidebars that, when I researched them, were grounded in reality.

I’d had a similar problem with book 2 of my Miami-based Swift/Roberts series. A group of friends became suspects of one kind or another in a cold case murder and kept squabbling like an unruly flock of geese, twittering songbirds or more likely, buzzards. I had a great deal of trouble reining them in. After opening one chapter in particular, I’d stare at it, then close it again without changing a word. Finally, with 4 drafts completed, the squabbling stopped and everything fell into place.

Tainted Legacy felt like a rerun with different players. Since I don’t outline my books, surprises are lifeblood for me. They fuel my imagination and reveal things about my characters I could never envision with the rational side of my brain. But when one of those characters presented me with a pivotal scene during what should have been the final 4th draft, I balked. That draft is supposed to be a read-through. An opportunity to catch those last few errors that typically occur, regardless how many times a manuscript is polished. I remained stuck, unable to work on the file for 2 weeks. My version of writer’s block. Something I had never experienced before.

Finally, I wrote The End, but was it? I hadn’t made any significant changes to that scene. It flowed too well. Now, I had to go back and read through the entire manuscript for a 5th time. If I changed my mind about that chapter, the entire storyline would have to be revised. The manuscript wouldn’t be ready for publication in time for a shipment of books to arrive before the Portland Holiday Market, the biggest show of the year for NIWA (Northwest Independent Writers Association,) and my unofficial book launch for Tainted Legacy.

I took a few deep breaths, got back in my office, and swiftly completed that 5th draft/read through. The plot worked. The character who had thrown that pivotal scene at me stood back and smirked. It had to be there. It complicates the relationships between the main protagonists when they should have cleared a major hurdle. It forebodes trouble of a possibly monumental degree in the books that follow.

This year, I’m planning to work on the 4th books in both my series. I have titles and rudimentary plots, big steps toward meeting that goal. Without encountering angry wine or squabbling teenagers, Maine Issues and Trick or Truth will both be available before the end of 2024.

Tainted Legacy

A barren vineyard in Dallas, Oregon. Two deaths. An unexpected heir who wants a quick sale. Is it a bargain, or an invitation to become entangled with the misfortunes of the Taricani family?

Sinister winery owner Vincente Valderos calls in psychic Sunny Weston and her partner, retired detective Ash Haines, to solve the mystery and save their souls…until the next time he summons them.

https://www.amazon.com/TAINTED-LEGACY-Ghost-Shop-Book/dp/B0CMCDCYP1

Heather Ames writes two mystery/suspense series, one with a paranormal twist, standalone suspense, romantic suspense, and short contemporary romances. When she’s not writing, she’s either thinking up new plots, traveling the world, or dreaming up new adventures.

Website:

https://heatherames.weebly.com

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