A Time to Kill

August 6, 2015 ~ jlsimpsonauthor ~ 6 Comments

The problem with being a writer is having an over active imagination. Maybe you need the imagination to write, like the chicken and the egg thing. However, once you start to write your over active imagination starts to creep into every day life.

I had a very strange conversation with my son on the drive to work the other morning. We were trying to work out how many bodies you could fit in the boots of the cars as they drove past. If you were looking to dump a few murder victims it would be important to know these things.

Even before I wrote about murder I had a very nervous disposition. I think living with my husband made it worse. He scares the beejesus out of me, not on purpose. He is a clutz. It took four coats of paint to cover the red wine stain on the lounge wall when we redecorated, and we bought a dark gray carpet for a reason. Every spill, crash, breakage makes me jump out of my skin. I pre-empt him dropping things and he says it makes him nervous and more likely to have a mishap.

Now my over active imagination has me jumping at shadows. I park my car in a multi story carpark. Taking the lift has me thinking it will breakdown and I’ll be stranded. Entering the stairwell sets my heart pounding. The other night I sprinted up four flights of stairs because the door at the bottom banged shut when I was half way up the stairs. I immediately ran for my life sure that it was some crazy man set on doing me in.

Maybe I should write a new genre? My over active imagination would have a new focus and life could be less tense. If I wrote romance my husband could sweep me off my feet and take me away from all this. How about a book about financial crime? It might give me some ideas about how to make a fortune and give up the day job.

Then again, I kinda like killing people. There is nothing better to do after a hard day at the coal face than coming home and murdering someone. I often joke with my work colleagues that if they make me grumpy I will invent a character with their name and kill them slowly.

Book review: ‘The Mystery of Nancy Drew, Girl Sleuth on the Couch’

August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 ~ sandyfairfax ~ 8 Comments

By Sally Carpenter

What does Nancy Drew have in common with fairy tales, virgin goddess and Jungian psychology? Quite a lot, actually.

I found this book by a happy accident years before I began writing mysteries. I wasn’t even a Nancy Drew devotee. I saw the book on a shelf when I was browsing in Catholic bookstore in Chicago and on a whim bought the book.

The author is Betsy Caprio, a Jungian psychologist. In an engaging manner she examines the psyche of the girl sleuth. Despite Nancy’ constant upbeat manner, she has a dark side that craves adventure and danger. In fact, according to Caprio, Nancy displays many characteristics of an adult child of an alcoholic!

The Drew books play out several universal archetypes: the virgin goddess comprised of strong feminine energy and who is complete without a man; the fairytale princess who is always young, beautiful, and dresses in lovely clothes; the eternal teenager who never ages and is free of the responsibilities of school, job and family; and the paradise setting of River Heights, squeaky clean on the surface but possessing a dark underworld of crime.

Caprio gives a brief history of Nancy’s creation in 1930 by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the publishing firm that also produced the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift Jr. and more than a hundred wildly popular juvenile adventure series. Over the decades the Drew books have gone through numerous ghostwriters, changes in Nancy’s character and story elements, various cover designs and even complete revisions of the older titles.

Caprio demonstrates how the Drew stories follow the “hero’s journey/quest,” a storytelling format dating back to ancient epics and legends. Simply put, the journey has: Invitation to the Quest (Nancy is asked to solve a mystery); Road of Trials with warnings, foes and helpers; “Death” Experience (Nancy is tied up, imprisoned or stranded), and Rebirth with order restored, a reward/gift for Nancy and glorification of the heroine.

Caprio ends her book by showing readers how they can be a “detective” and search for “clues” in understanding their own life’s journey using Jungian psycho-spiritual development.

The book is full of illustrations from Drew books through the years, showing how the girl sleuth has changed in appearance.

Some fans may not appreciate the negative aspects of Nancy’s personality, but to me this helps to balance the girl’s annoying cheerfulness and incessant do-gooding.

The book is full of insights into the elements that comprise a good mystery and a multi-layered heroine. I plan to reread the book soon to find tidbits I can add to my own writing.

Caprio’s book is out of print, but used and new copies can be found on Amazon and possibly in used book stores.

Are you a Pantser or a Plotter? by Marilyn Meredith

July 27, 2015July 24, 2015 ~ marilynm ~ 15 Comments

Recently I attended the Public Safety Writers Association’s annual conference and one of the panels was, “Are You a Pantser or a Plotter”. The attendees were a mixture of many law enforcement types, fire and emergency medical personnel, and of course, mystery writers.

Everyone who comes is a writer, or wants to be one. Some of the public safety authors are writing non-fiction, though many are writing mysteries.

When this panel was introduced, many in the audience had no idea what a “pantser” was. For anyone reading this post who also might not know, a pantser is someone who writers from the seat of their pants. In other words, they don’t do an outline of the plot before they start writing.

However, as the panel discussed the topic and who did what, it turned out that even the pantser did some planning ahead of time.

I’ve been writing novels, and mostly mysteries, for many years. When I wrote historical fiction, I did a lot of research and the research helped me with the plot of the book, though I didn’t actually do a chapter by chapter outline.

Now, with my mysteries, this is how I go about starting a new book.

First, because I write series, I know who my main characters are. I also know where I left off with their lives. What I need to plan is the crime(s) or mystery part which entails new characters:

Who will die? At least most of the time this is necessary. (In my last Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, Violent Departures, the main mystery was about a missing young woman, the only murder happened years before.)

Who would like to see this person dead and why? Of course there must be more than one person who had the motive and opportunity.

With new characters, they must be named and described.

How is the person going to die? I try to come up with new ways to kill off my victims.

When and where will the first scene take place?

Once I’ve made these decisions—and I’ve written them down, I usually begin writing. I try to come up with a first sentence that will immediately intrigue a reader.

As I write, new ideas flood in. So I don’t forget something that may happen later one, I have a notebook beside my computer where I keep notes about everything pertaining to the book I’m writing.

So, though I don’t outline the complete plot before I begin writing, I do some initial planning, which I think means I’m a combination Pantser/Plotter.

For you other writers reading this, which are you?

Marilyn Meredith aka F. M. Meredith

http://fictionforyou.com

Writing Two Mystery Series

July 27, 2015June 27, 2015 ~ marilynm ~ 6 Comments

When I wrote Final Respects I had no idea it would be the first mystery in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Once I’d finished, I really wanted to know what happened to the characters I’d created. The only way to find out was to write the next book. I’m now working on #12. Some have described the series as being a cozy police procedural. What that really means is I’m not too graphic when it comes to the crime scenes and though my characters probably do swear, I don’t quote them.

Rocky Bluff is a fictional small beach community in Southern California, located between Ventura and Santa Barbara. I’ve created an ensemble of characters who appear in each book, but the spotlight may move from one character to another. Each book is as much about what goes on with the police officers’ family lives as the crimes that confront them.

The latest book in the series is Violent Departures.

Violent Departures

The Deputy Tempe Crabtree series is now up to 14 books. This series found a publisher first, though both series have traveled from publisher to publisher for various reasons.

Tempe Crabtree is a Native American resident deputy in the Southern Sierra. She resides in the mountain community of Bear Creek, is married to the minister of the local church and she has a son, who by the latest book is an adult. At times Tempe relies on Indian mysticism to help solve crimes–something her husband frowns on.

Because I live in a place similar to Bear Creek and it’s located near an Indian reservation, I’ve borrowed a lot from our local Indians while writing these books, including their believe in a creature the call the Hariy Man who has similarities to Big Foot. He’s managed to appear in three books in the series, including the latest, River Spirits.

Most of these books are told from Tempe’s point-of-view.

Being fond of all of my characters, I love creating new problems for them to solve, both in their private lives and the mysteries that confront them.

You can read the first chapters of most of my books on my website: http://fictionforyou.com

And of course, they are all can be ordered from the publishers or Amazon.

Marilyn who also writes as F.M. Meredith

I’m on Facebook and Twitter as Marilyn Meredith

Guest Blogger – Lois Winston

July 25, 2015July 20, 2015 ~ patyjag ~ 10 Comments

Jim Phelps, Bill Cosby, and Atticus Finch

I’ve been thinking a lot about heroes lately, both real and fictional. I need heroes. The world needs heroes. Heroes help us make sense of the senseless and give us hope because they’re willing to take a stand to do what’s right in order to make the world a better place for all of us.

However, lately some of my heroes have been letting me down. It started with the reboot of Mission Impossible back in 1996. Anyone who remembers the television show from 1966-1973 knows that Jim Phelps was one of the good guys, a man who risked his life for the greater good of mankind. Then the first movie comes along and turns Jim into a bad guy. After that I never watched another movie in the franchise. No way could I accept Jim Phelps as a villain.

In 1984 The Cosby Show debuted, and Bill Cosby became America’s dad. My kids grew up watching that show. Bill Cosby lived part-time a few blocks from us. We admired the man not only for the character he portrayed on TV but for the real person and the good he did. I want to believe he’s innocent of the charges made against him, but the overwhelming evidence and his own words given in a deposition seem to prove otherwise. America’s dad has been shown to have a dark side. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement; I’m outraged.

And now it turns out that Atticus Finch is a racist. I won’t be reading Go Set a Watchman because I don’t want my image of that just and honorable man from To Kill a Mockingbird tainted by this older, hateful version of the character. I’m not the only one. Social media is aghast and atwitter over this unexpected and unwelcome reinvention of one of America’s fictional heroes.

So I began to wonder, do authors make a solemn pact with their readers, and what happens when they break that agreement? In many instances, they disappoint their fans. Readers expect a certain experience when they pick up a book from an author they’ve come to enjoy, especially when the book is part of a series. Authors who have killed off beloved characters or in some other way disappointed their readership have experienced unwelcome vocal backlash.

The fifth novel in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series is now available. I haven’t turned Anastasia into a villain, nor have I bumped off any beloved characters in the book. However, I have introduced a plot twist that I hope readers will enjoy. I want to live up to my readers’ expectations. I never want to disappoint them, and I hope I haven’t with this new installment.

A Stitch to Die For

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 5

The adventures of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack continue in A Stitch to Die For, the 5th book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lois Winston.

Ever since her husband died and left her in debt equal to the gross national product of Uzbekistan, magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack has stumbled across one dead body after another—but always in work-related settings. When a killer targets the elderly nasty neighbor who lives across the street from her, murder strikes too close to home. Couple that with a series of unsettling events days before Halloween, and Anastasia begins to wonder if someone is sending her a deadly message.

Buy Links

Paperback http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1940795303/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1940795303&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=LBEMP6U7TVMCBQMT

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010M9U5Q2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B010M9U5Q2&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=ZRX4XIA2N5VX6ARK

Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-stitch-to-die-for-lois-winston/1122259040?ean=2940150965928

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-stitch-to-die-for/id1014678389?mt=11

Kobo

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-stitch-to-die-for

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lois_Winston_A_Stitch_to_Die_For?id=XZEbCgAAQBAJ&hl=en

(Other books in the series include Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, Death by Killer Mop Doll, Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, and three mini-mysteries: Crewel Intentions, Mosaic Mayhem, and Patchwork Peril.)

Bio: USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Visit Lois/Emma at www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Tsu at www.tsu.co/loiswinston, on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/anasleuth, and onTwitter @anasleuth. Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.MyAuthorBiz.com/ENewsletter.php?acct=LW2467152513