ORNAMENTAL CHARACTERS

~ Kimila Kay ~ 2 Comments

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and the new year finds you busy writing, plotting, or selling books!

As I took my tree down a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of a conversation I had when I attended a party hosted by one of my friend’s aunts. The aunt had a large, beautiful tree decorated in black and white. The decorations included black bows, a couple of very large white owls, and smaller blackbirds. Black and white ornaments were scattered amongst the branches and complimented by white icicles and white bells.

When I asked if she always has a black and white tree, she replied, “Oh, heavens no. I have decorations to do an all-teal tree, but my favorite tree is decorated in purple.”

My hostess was drawn into a conversation with another guest. I stood in front of the black-and-white tree, wondering if I could ever embrace this type of décor for my tree.

Decorating my tree is my favorite part of Christmas. When I open boxes of ornaments, I feel like I’m greeting old friends. Each decoration has a story, and I love remembering the ornament’s origins. I like grouping my Nutcracker ornaments together and keeping the handmade gifts from my kids and grandkids in the same area of the tree. I also like distributing my collection of Santa ornaments throughout the branches.

My nine-foot tree tells the colorful story of my life. Ornaments handed down from family members no longer here bring a smile to my lips as I remember past holidays. Each time I place my glass avocado next to the small plastic tequila bottle, I find myself longing for the beaches of México. And though my grandkids don’t visit at Christmas, I still hide the dill pickle ornament they gave me just in case they make a surprise appearance.

Recently, one of my readers asked me why I decided to write a series featuring repeating characters in the same setting. The question echoed in my mind this year when I returned my ornaments to their storage containers, and it occurred to me that my fondness for the characters in my novels is like the adoration I feel for the baubles that brighten my tree each year.

Luckily for me, I write two series. My suspense/thriller series, México Mayhem, has some repeating characters, but each book has a new heroine, hero, and villain. The locales change, too, since I move one or two minor characters from the previous book forward into a new story.

I can’t imagine never creating my very first heroine, Clara Marsh. When I wrote “Peril in Paradise” long ago, in 2008, I had no idea that I would suffer losing a child as Clara does. It stunned me the first time I reread the passages in the book after Clara’s daughter was murdered. How did I know her grief so well before I’d experienced it myself? And though Clara is a figment of my imagination, to me, she is real and a kindred spirit in my life.

My first hero took me by surprise, too. I’m a very independent woman, so when Jackson Brady wanted to protect Clara and rescue her from Damian, I found it hard to let her be rescued or trust Brady. Growing up, I never bought into the whole white knight coming to the damsel’s distress. But being part of Clara’s journey into Brady’s arms was a fabulous experience.

The only writing kudos I ever received when receiving countless rejection letters was: “You do write an excellent villain.”

Creating my villains is one of my favorite parts of crafting a story. I find it easy to heap on evil traits, but I also try to craft a backstory explaining their bad behavior. In “Peril in Paradise,” the reader eventually learns that Damian Garza thinks his stepmother killed his biological mother. Damian’s hatred for his stepmother causes him to mistreat women, but his ego eventually leads to his undoing.

In my mystery/suspense series, Stoneybrook Mysteries, I created a fictional town full of fabulous characters that starts the reader’s journey in “Redneck Ranch.” Every time I open a WIP for a Stoneybrook novel, I feel like I’m home. The chatter of patrons at the Babbling Brook Café fills my mind, and I can smell the bacon and eggs. When my heroine, Harley Harper, trudges to the barn to feed her animals, I’m reminded of my childhood on the family dairy. And though I’m lucky to have numerous friends, I never really bought into the “best friend” label. But I thoroughly enjoy writing about Busy and Harley’s “bestie” moments.

Sheriff Wyatt Stone is a culmination of all the incredible male role models in my life. Wyatt is diligent in his quest to protect the residents of Stoneybrook from harm. I don’t consider myself a romantic, but I enjoy the developing relationship between Wyatt and Harley. He exhibits quiet strength and endless patience, especially when interacting with his autistic cousin, Deputy Derrick Stone.

When I get to write a scene with Derrick, it takes me back in time, just like the ornaments on my tree. I love remembering our lunch dates after shopping at the local Goodwill. Derrick would always find some treasure he had to have, some of which I kept after his passing. Creating a fictional character to honor my son has been a soothing elixir.

The only rotating character in this series is the villain. And once again, what I lack in romantic tendencies, I make up for in crafting dark and twisty bad guys.

My Christmas tree ornaments have been stowed away for another year. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has settled down, and the usual demands of everyday life await me each morning. I feel blessed to have these characters, recurring and newbies waiting in the wings, to greet me when I lift the lid of my laptop and place my fingers on the keys.

Just like decorating my tree, I enjoy greeting each character like an old friend or introducing myself to someone new, placing them exactly where they need to be in the book. Oh, what a journey each story promises to take me on… one ornamental word at a time.

Lists and More, Always More

~ susanoleksiw ~ 4 Comments

I belong to a chat list of people in my general geographical area, one or two counties north of Boston mostly along the water. Here we post requests for a carpenter or, right now, a snow shoveler. Members report on the remodeled bath and how well the job was done, or not done.

One man organized a picnic for anyone who wanted to come, and within days he had offers of side dishes, the loan of a grill, a small tent in case it rained while he was flipping burgers, a few tables and chairs, and a volunteer to track who was doing or bringing what. There are long discussions on what’s happening that has brought a helicopter and two police cars, and whether or not the city can or should do something about the homeless woman who has set up shop on a certain corner.

This is a community within a community, an ongoing exchange of good will, information, moral support, and occasionally humor. Lots of people are looking for small jobs, the kind that don’t attract construction companies. These are people willing to do just about any little chore—watch your elderly mother one afternoon a week, or your two pre-school children three days a week, or water your plants while you’re on vacation, or fix the front steps, or cut down a small tree that’s dying. There’s always someone who’ll help install a smoke detector, explain the restrictions on B&Bs in a specific town, or suggest a junk removal guy who is reasonable, quick, and neat. Small jobs but necessary ones.

I’ve had several jobs taken care of through this site, and occasionally I recognize another user, or another user recognizes me. The site is more efficient than asking at the local hardware store, another place I’ve come to know and love since my husband died. It’s also more informative. In almost any instance a person seeking a worker for anything will get two or three suggestions, with affirmations (or not) by other readers. 

The site is remarkably accurate as to skill, reliability, and pricing, perhaps because a failure in any one of these areas will lead to a disappointing post, at best, and complaints from others and a decline in business.

For a long time I thought of this as a useful site, but now I read the offers and requests, including occasionally my own, and I feel like I’m reading a novel or a short story as people report on life changes requiring a new home for a pet or a change in a second bedroom. This change in perspective is perhaps the result of how I see the world, or at least my corner of it. 

When I hear someone talking about an incident, or see a group of people engaged in something, within seconds my brain has constructed a narrative, just like what I did in the first paragraphs above. You read very few facts; instead you got a feel for how a group of people relate to each other, with holes where paranoia, suspicion, ill will could fold away from view.

When you’re a writer, wherever you look you find a story.

Constructing Writing

~ dzchurch ~ 3 Comments

As I listen to my contractor pound nails, rip wood, and clamber about outside my cabin, I have come to newly appreciate the relationship between writing and construction.  Oh, we all know and acknowledge the concept of scaffolding, or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time. I’m not writing about that. This blog is about five steps in the construction process that parallel the writing process. The list does include, the need to show up every day on time at the building site with your tools strapped around your waist, i.e., sitting in your writing chair in your designated writing space and applying your skills to the work you do.

Step 1: Don’t go out to bid without knowing what your final product will be. In my case, we are updating the exterior of a cabin in the mountains driven by the ‘bleeping’ insurance companies. This requires, among other things, that to meet the insurance company’s timelines, the deck must be rebuilt using the same footings. Not unlike genre requirements, footings define the building parameters, including the number of support beams and joists. So the question becomes, do I want my deck to adhere perfectly to the existing footings or do I want the stairs to bend in the middle, as in stretch the genre (building) requirements to devise something more interesting without forcing the readers into a paroxysm of horror by reshaping the genre or the building inspector to require costly, time-consuming permits. Once this step is done, you have defined the genre or general scope of the work, be it a book or deck.

Step 2: Have a realistic plan for construction that estimates the materials and superstructure required. In short, outline your scope of work (by whatever method you use). Define your characters (joists). Define their relationships and how they support each other and the events (bridging). Who does what to whom, when, where and how. At least, know where your story starts and why and where it ends. And, if you write historical fiction, measure twice and cut once. Research, then double-check your research so that the time period unfolds seamlessly as you write. Fixing historical errors once they are embedded in the story can be like a trip to ‘the cold place’ and upend your plot.

Step 3: Anticipate change. Something always comes up that requires replacing, rewiring, or rethinking (materials plus 20%). Always. Don’t stress, go back to your plan. If the change doesn’t benefit the building or the plot – ditch it. If it enhances the final work for the reader, weave it in so that the warp and the woof are smooth cohesive and complementary. The story will benefit from the enhancement or twist.

Step 4: Have the construction inspected by an outsider. Building inspectors come to the site; reviewers don’t, but they are a must. I don’t mean the folks who write reviews for your web or social sites. I’m talking about a circle of readers, willing to tell you when something is off, when it isn’t, and what the story might need. Take them seriously, then …

Step 5: Ensure that work not only passes inspection but continues until it fully meets your expectations, including any changes required. Then read it, as in read it again, and again, and again. Try an AI grammar checker. Have someone else read it for grammar errors. If it is historical fiction, find someone who understands that word usage might be a tad different back then. Trust me, at least one embarrassing word or grammatical error will escape you.  You’ll find it lurking in the first chapter or whatever page your proof happens to open to as you relish your baby. Fix it. Get another proof. Then, take the next step.

Time for an open house! Or, rather, time to publish, send out for media review, advertise, market, and pray. And, if you need siding, have the cover done by professionals. Don’t worry you can still write all your own text, have AI write the cover text, or have the cover design group do the same.

What good is a great deck without new siding on the house?

For more information about me or my books, check out https://dzchurch.com, or to buy my books, go to Amazon and search on D. Z. Church; they’ll all pop up.

Discovering the donair

~ donaleeMoulton

Food seems to weave its way into my writing uninvited.

In my latest book, Conflagration!, food is the foundation for a friendship that springs up in 1734 between the main character Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk, and the jailer he befriends. Lunch becomes a means to extract information, then it becomes much more.

In my first book Hung Out to Die the main character, an American transplanted to Nova Scotia, discovers the delicious joy of the donair. Many people have never heard of this juicy, meat-filled, garlicky concoction, but it is the official food of Halifax. Popular history says the donair – spicy meat wrapped in a pita and embraced with lots of sweet sauce – was invented in Halifax in the 1970s where it rapidly became a must-have menu item for late-night partiers, snackers, and food aficionados.

As my main character, Riel Brava, discovers, the donair can be a little difficult to eat. There is an art to juggling a stuffed pita while licking sauce off your face and adjusting foil wrap to get more donair in your mouth.

The recipe below avoids that dilemma. It’s an appetizer compliments of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. I have adapted the recipe slightly.

Let me know how it tastes.

Donair Dip

Ingredients

  • 1lb (450g) lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
  • 1 block (250 g) cream cheese
  • 1 cup (250 ml) shredded old cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) paprika
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) salt
  • 1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) black pepper
  • 1 cup (250 ml) donair sauce (see below)
  • 1/2 diced tomato (optional)
  • 1/2 diced onion (optional)

Donair Sauce

  • 1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) white vinegar
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder

Preparation
1. Add all ingredients in a bowl and combine.
2. Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
3. Cook the ground beef and the spices together, mix well in a frying pan.
4. Drain off excess grease.
5. Mix the softened cream cheese, cheese and Donair sauce together.
6. Place ground beef mixture on the bottom of 9”x9” cooking dish (or equivalent).
7. Add the cheese and Donair sauce mixture on top of the ground beef mix.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Top with diced veggies after removing from oven (optional).
10. Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips or baked pita slices.
11. Enjoy!

Guest Blogger ~ M.E. Proctor

~ patyjag ~ 6 Comments

The Detective Comes Calling

When I start working on a short story I never know much about the characters. I might have a place in mind—a bar on a beach, a path in the forest, an iced-over parking lot—or a line of text I woke up with, like this one that I used recently, curious to see where it would take me: Innocence doesn’t do it for me. Spoiler alert: somebody dies.

Most of my pieces unspool that way. Characters walk on stage, I get to know them, and things happen. Or nothing happens and the story goes asleep on my laptop, for a while or forever. That loose process works well for me, for short fiction.

A book is a very different animal.

If you write yourself in a corner in a short story the damage is minimal. You can shelve the draft, revisit it later and either find a solution or scrap it entirely. It’s disappointing but at worst you’ve only lost a few weeks. On the other hand, if you’re fifty thousand words into a book and hit a wall or run out of juice, it really hurts. The investment in time and the emotional commitment are substantial. Of course you can try to rescue the project. As Chandler said: In doubt, send in a guy with a gun. Sometimes it works, other times … Raise your hand if like me you’ve read books that feel like they’re limping to the finish line.

The pitfalls of winging it were very much in the back of my mind when I decided to sink my teeth into a crime novel. The problem is that I’m not a plotter. Detailing every beat of a story before sitting down to write it feels too much like a straitjacket. It sucks all the fun out of the project. Why bother to write it if I know everything, no surprises, from the get go? Still, I wanted to be better organized than usual. Start with an idea and develop a rough outline that could go the distance.

It was an excellent resolution.

It didn’t happen.

Because Declan Shaw threw me for a spin.

I was on the back porch, engaged in the creative exercise known as woolgathering, when a name popped into my head. Out of nowhere. Insistent. I’d never written anything, book or short story, that used the name of a character as a prompt. I was intrigued. Who the hell was this guy pitching a tent in my subconscious?

Names aren’t neutral. In life, we’re passive recipients—a gift from our parents. In fiction, the writers are in control. They can play with the mental images a name creates (Dickens mastered it). What does the name suggest about the character’s past, family, or cultural background? Smith evokes 1984 or The Matrix, Cadogan-Smith comes with horses and country estates, Smith-Underfoot might be a familyliving in Hobbiton.

Declan Shaw. What does it bring to mind? Irish heritage. He probably drinks whiskey and can tell a tale. Yes, I know, it’s a cliché. But seriously, with a name like that, what does he do for a living? I love antiheroes but I didn’t feel like spending an entire book with a hitman, Ken Follett did it so well in The Day of the Jackal, and, more recently, Rob Hart in Assassins Anonymous. So what? Reporter. I could see the byline, front page, above the fold. Then an insidious voice in my head whispered: Can you build a series around a journalist, how many cases can he cover, without stretching credibility? A series? The inner voice had to be kidding, there was no book #1 yet. It was ludicrous. But, but … I could smell the possibilities.

And that‘s how, right there, on my porch, Declan Shaw became a private detective.

The first scene I wrote had nothing to do with investigating. I pictured him as an eleven-year-old boy, standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs, looking up at his intimidating grandmother. She was a black-clad villain straight out of a comic book. I imagined the events that brought the kid to her place and the disastrous consequences that ensued. Readers won’t find any of that in Love You Till Tuesday, the first book in the series. Declan’s back story is in my back pocket and won’t come out until the time is right.

I forgot my resolution to outline and gave myself permission to improvise. The plan was to learn who my character was by writing him. It took a lot longer than I expected, three years, three manuscripts, a thousand pages, multiple false starts. None of that work made it into the book, but the effort was worth it. I knew Declan inside out. We were both ready to tackle Love You Till Tuesday. In some sort of orderly fashion.

My plot document looked like the output from a chaotic brainstorming session, a jumble of character sketches, a rough timeline, cryptic notes, dead ends and side stories. It was an unstructured and messy pseudo synopsis, with plenty of freedom between the lines to change almost everything. As I typed away, things changed indeed, and changed again after input from editors and beta readers, cuts and tightening up, but the original bones of the story remained. Until finally Declan Shaw made his official debut with his cigarillos, his cowboy boots, his good and flawed impulses, and his ironic take on the world. He’s good company. I’m keeping him.

Love You Till Tuesday – A Declan Shaw Mystery

The murder of jazz singer April Easton makes no sense, and yet she appears to have been targeted. Who ordered the hit and why? Steve Robledo, the Houston cop in charge of the investigation, has nothing to work with. Local P.I. Declan Shaw who spent the night with April has little to contribute. He’d just met her and she was asleep when he left.

The case seems doomed to remain unsolved, forever open, and quickly erased from the headlines. And it would be if Declan’s accidental connection with the murder didn’t have unexpected consequences.

The men responsible for April’s death are worried. Declan is known to be stubborn and resourceful. He must be watched. He might have to be stopped. He’s a risk the killers cannot afford. The stakes are high: a major trial with the death penalty written all over it.

Buy Links:

Love You Till Tuesday is available in eBook and paperback.

Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Love-You-Till-Tuesday-Proctor/dp/1956957707

From reviews:

If you think the crime fiction market has enough PIs, think again. Declan Shaw is the kind of PI this genre has been waiting for. Declan is a well-developed, complex and nuanced character, wrestling with his own internal conflicts as he investigates the murder of April Easton. Sharp, witty dialogue and a fast-pace make Love You Till Tuesday an engaging read—one of those books you can’t put down and keep reading late into the night. It is a fun, intense read from beginning to end and M.E. Proctor displays her incredible talent at creating a well-written and beautifully crafted book.

M.E. Proctor was born in Brussels and lives in Texas. The first book in her Declan Shaw PI series, Love You Till Tuesday, is out from Shotgun Honey with a follow up scheduled for 2025. She’s the author of a short story collection, Family and Other Ailments. Her fiction has appeared in various crime anthologies and magazines like Vautrin, Bristol Noir, Mystery Tribune, Shotgun Honey, Reckon Review, and Black Cat Weekly.

Social Links

Author Website: www.shawmystery.com

On Substack: https://meproctor.substack.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martine.proctor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MEProctor3 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/meproctor.bsky.social