Guest Blogger ~ Joanna Vander Vlugt

~ patyjag ~ 3 Comments

Lost in Plot

As a writer, what excites you? What makes your heart speed up and you experience that eureka moment? What causes you to type so fast your typing teacher would be impressed? Yes, I’m showing my age.

One piece of advice I was told when I started writing was write what you know. We’ve all heard that. Before I retired, I worked for 33 years in the provincial government. My career began as a Supreme Court Assistant in the Nanaimo Crown Counsel Office (prosecutor’s office). The files that came across my desk involved murder, sexual assault, break and enter to commit theft, and more.

The authors I read were Minette Walters and Dick Francis. Given my job and what I liked to read, no wonder I like writing legal thrillers. However, I cannot write a novel involving an innocent victim, because of what I’d seen at work. An author once told me that if you can’t write a fictional scenario where a character is murdered, then you shouldn’t be writing mysteries. There were times when I questioned writing thrillers.

Over the last five years I wrote and published three legal thrillers. In the back of my mind an idea for a time travel book, inspired by a black and white photograph, was itching to be written. After the publication of my last thriller, Spy Girls, I jumped genres and began writing that time travel. I usually write in the first person, but for the time travel, I chose third person to separate myself from my heroine’s voice in my previous novels. Writing in third person is a challenge, because I still find myself slipping into first. However, I’m enjoying seeing my heroine through other characters’ eyes.

In the first draft (the draft no one will see) the story takes place during the second world war. As much as I tried, I didn’t feel a connection to the story I’d been waiting so long to write. What was my problem? At my book club, my neighbour commented about the unfairness of the legal system. I had my first eureka moment.

While researching my story, I had become fascinated with women’s contributions to the war effort, which included much more than giving up silk stockings, and my story had turned into a war novel. That wasn’t what I wanted to write. I spoke with Christina Strasbourg of Agents Helping Writers. I asked how I could work in this additional legal plot line? Christina advised that I was trying to cram too many plot lines into a single story. She said, “You have enough going on here for two novels.” My editor of my previous novels has pointed out fizzling plot lines during constructive edits.

Guilty.

Christina suggested that my time travel could have the second world war as a backdrop, but it didn’t have to be the focus. She mentioned the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as an example. She then asked, what excited me about my story? I told her, my heroine and the legal undertones. Then, write about that. For some reason, I thought writing a time travel meant it couldn’t have a legal slant. That thirty-minute discussion with Christina saved me hours of work. Christina also said that what I cut, could always be used in a second book. Once I locked into the main plot line, my elevator pitch was a snap.

If you’re wondering if being a pantser caused this dilemma, my answer is no. Before I began writing my time travel, I had converted to being a plotter.

I started with the first chapter. I cut scenes which didn’t contribute to the main legal story line. I’m halfway through this draft of rewrites, and I have cut approximately 14,000 words which I’ve saved on a document titled “extra”.

My time travel is coming together. I’m excited writing it, and I’m connected to the story and the characters. There’s still hard work ahead but that’s part of writing. I read an article about drafts and cutting words. I can’t remember the author, or the exact words. But basically, I’m not to despair about the words and scenes I cut, because those words and scenes, although they didn’t make it into the story, they had the important task of propping up the story until the final words and scenes could take over.

SPY GIRLS

A CIA action officer is released from prison. A Chief Justice is murdered, and the Law Society is scrutinizing Jade Thyme’s conduct. Jade’s life can’t get much worse until she is coerced into finding an elusive double agent. Tangled in lies and political agendas, high speed chases and sticky bombs, can Jade outplay a dangerous Hungarian assassin before her own life is terminated?

“Spy Girls is adrenaline-fueled, adventure packed with heart-pounding action, unexpected twists, and a riveting plot that keeps readers hooked from the first page. With lives hanging in the balance and loyalties questioned, trust in each other is the only way to survive. But even the strongest bonds can be tested when faced with external threats and personal demons.”

—Joe Goldberg, author of the award-winning The Spy Devils thrillers

Buy links:

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Spy-Girls-Jade-Sage-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CJ3P9Z1B

Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1999068440

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spy-girls-joanna-vander-vlugt/1144627069?ean=2940179143550

Joanna Vander Vlugt is an author and illustrator. As a teenager, she drew charcoal portraits and wrote mysteries. Now, she uses Copic markers to illustrate motorcycles and graphic novels. Under the pseudonym J.C. Szasz, Joanna’s short mysteries Egyptian Queen, and The Parrot and Wild Mushroom Stuffing were both published in Crime Writers of Canada mystery anthologies. Her essay, No Beatles Reunion was published in the Dropped Threads 3: Beyond the Small Circle anthology.

Joanna draws upon her 13 years’ experience working in the prosecutor’s office and 10 years working in the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner for inspiration for her novels. Joanna is the VP of Memberships for the Sinc-CW. Joanna has just released her novel, Spy Girls, the third in her Jade & Sage series. Spy Girls was selected as the Chick Lit Book Cafés International Book of Excellence Award for best spy thriller and suspense. Joanna’s novels, art and podcast can be found at joannavandervlugt.com.

Website: www.joannavandervlugt.com

Instagram: joannavandervlugt_author_art

Up close and personal

~ donaleeMoulton

My last (and first) post introduced us. I shared some questions I’m often asked about my writing. This month I thought I’d get a little more personal with some more Q&A’s.

Tell us about your life outside of writing.

Life is good. It is filled with family, friends, and furry critters. There is yoga four times a week; I wish it could be more. That is, I know, a wish I could fulfill.

There are wonderful times in the hot tub with the snow falling and bubble baths in the other times when the weather says it’s wisest to stay inside and soak.

Professionally, I’m transitioning from corporate writing and editing to doing more developmental, copy editing, and proofreading for writers. That is a joy.

What was the most difficult section/piece you ever wrote? What made it difficult?

That’s an interesting question. As a freelance journalist, I wrote on everything from intellectual property to the armoured truck industry to eel grass. Accuracy was paramount as was engagement. However, the most difficult piece I ever wrote was for “Lives Lived” in The Globe and Mail. It was a tribute to my mother following her death in 2020. It was so difficult to write because it was so personal. I had no perspective, and I feared I would not “get it right.” The only thing I know for sure: Mama, would have told me not to worry. And there would have been a hug.

Which books and authors do you read for pleasure? Is there an author who inspires you?

I relish reading. I was a judge in the Crime Writers of Canada’s most recent Awards of Excellence, and I got to dive into more than 40 fabulous – and very diverse – books that kept me on my toes and my eyes glued to the page. When I was younger and I was discovering the wonder and wow of the mystery genre, I devoured authors like Tony Hillerman, Martha Grimes, and Ruth Rendell. More recently I have discovered writers like Richard Osman. And Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing was nothing short of joyous.

What books have influenced you as a writer?

When I was about eight or nine, a next-door neighbor tossed me a Nancy Drew book. She thought I might like it. I sat on the curb between our two houses and read the entire book cover to cover. I loved the puzzle, figuring out who dunnit, and being propelled into a world outside my own.

That same year someone gifted me Charlotte’s Web, and my life was forever changed. Not only could words transport you to new worlds, they could become a part of your heart, change you in ways you could not have imagined. I wanted to do that.

Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

My mother taught me to love language – and to respect it. She cared about words and getting the words right. She was my greatest influence.

What is the best piece of advice about writing that you have ever heard or read? What would you tell aspiring writers today?

Write. This sounds simple. Many days it isn’t. Some call this dedication, others devotion. I’m not sure it matters what it’s called as long as it happens. You will never be a better writer, you will never write another book if you don’t sit down in front of your computer screen and begin to put words in front of you.

Read the personal articles on my website to learn even more about me. Go to https://donaleemoulton.com/articles.

Murder Mystery Bundt Cake

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 9 Comments

by Margaret Lucke

Recipes. Craft instructions. Math puzzles. Party planning tips. Some mysteries these days offer more than an entertaining read. They provide a gateway to a new, more creative lifestyle. Which is wonderful — so long as that recipe it’s inviting you to try doesn’t include arsenic as a main ingredient.

While my characters relish eating good food (as do I), none of my novels contain recipes, though occasionally I stir one into my author newsletter. You won’t find hobby hints or craft tips in my books either. I like to cook and enjoy dabbling at art, but first and foremost I’m a writer. That’s the main way that I express my creativity.

So what I really want is a recipe that I can put to practical use. Something that’s helpful as well as tasty. Like this:

MURDER MYSTERY BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients:

*  1 villain (or more) with the means, motive and opportunity for murder

*  1 victim (or more) who has the misfortune to be in the villain’s way or to have something the villain wants

*  1 clever and likable detective with a good reason to want to solve the crime

*  A handful of the usual suspects, and maybe one or two unusual ones if you like that flavor

*  Several tablespoons of clues and red herrings

*  2 or 3 cups of conflicts and obstacles

*  A large measure of suspense

Instructions

1.  Place the villain and victim in a large bowl and mix until the victim meets an untimely demise.

2.  Add the detective to the mixture and blend until you have a thick, plot-like batter.

3.  Whisk in clues and red herrings and beat until they are well hidden.

4.  Stir in conflicts and obstacles. Note:  There will be lumps.

5.  Pour the suspense over the batter until it is completely saturated.

6.  Transfer the mixture in a bundt pan and bake in the oven of your imagination until done. Baking time may vary from three or four months to several years.

7.  Let cool but not too much.

8.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle on a chocolate glaze.

9.  Cut, serve, and enjoy.

Try baking one of your own. I promise you it’ll be delicious.

Hold, Enough!

~ janispattersonmysteries ~ 4 Comments

by Janis Patterson


The cry ‘Hold, Enough!’ comes from a quote from Macbeth (or as stage people call it, The Scottish Play) which I can drag only as a paraphrase from my memory – “Lay on, MacDuff, and curst be he that first cries, “Hold, Enough!””


So why am I writing about The Scottish Play?


Because I have cried, ‘Hold, Enough.’


As writers we soon become accustomed to playing God. We can, as P. D . James so famously said, ‘kill with a glance and leave the body lying right there on the page.’ We can create towns, people, populations, even worlds to our own specifications. Want to change it? Toss in a hurricane or a plague, or just toss the whole thing and start over. The only rules in our writing are the ones we set for ourselves.


Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? In many ways it is. Unfortunately, though, sometimes such an arrogant attitude seeps into real life. We forget we can’t change the timeline, or change the cast of characters, or eradicate anything that annoys us. (Well, we can, but it can be illegal, to say nothing of quite messy.)


We write in a world of endless possibilities and power. We live in a world of concrete limitations and restrictions. No wonder writers are both frustrated and a little testy.


So what brings on this rant? Once again I have been brought up short by the constraints of reality. Time is a constant. Energy is entropic. We can’t have/do everything we want.


When I am presented with a project that excites me it doesn’t really matter what I have on my plate already. Of course I can squeeze it in. If I do X number of words a day it will be easy…


Well, not always. Maybe I am just getting older, or slower, or just choosier – or more disinterested – but I find myself getting more interested in luxuries like sleeping, cooking something that doesn’t have air fryer directions on the box, spending quality time with friends and family… The tipping point might have been when I could not make my hot tub exercise time and my poor arthritic joints went into rebellion, so I joined them and revolted.


I still make my word count… most days… but the cost is higher. More contracts equal more projects equal more demands on my time… and the bitter knowledge that the problem is all my fault. I took on the projects. I signed the contracts. It’s like being in front of the largest candy counter in the world – I’ll take two of those, and a half dozen of those, and a pound of those… all the while you know you should be eating sensibly. You want, but you know you can’t have. At least, not everything.


So I did something I have only done once before in my life. I cried “Hold, Enough!”


After a dispassionate analysis I bought back one of my contracts. Now I only have two projects, both partially completed and fairly short, due before the end of the year. And they truly will be easy.


Yesterday I wrote only half a day; I did make my word count easily enough, then ‘frittered’ (as I once would have called it) the afternoon away making a holiday Rumtoph. The kitchen is redolent with the scents of fruits and the enticing aroma of rum. It should be ready to use in about six weeks, when I will bake some holiday cakes. It is a heady prospect in more ways than one.


Life without writing is unthinkable, but life with writing has to be balanced.

Fact and Fiction by Dwight Holing

~ patyjag ~ 2 Comments

Because I am one day away from taking off on my month-long vacation, my friend and author, Dwight Holing is filling in for me this month.

Spare me the moldy one-liner about journalism being the world’s second-oldest profession and nowhere near as well-compensated as the first or the old saw of never letting facts get in the way of a good story. After years as a freelance writer covering environmental issues and nature travel, I’ve learned that facts not only give fiction more depth, but create greater reader engagement.

     Characters, conflicts, and settings were always the keystones to the articles and nonfiction books I wrote. It’s the same with fiction, but bringing facts about the backdrop of the southeastern Oregon setting for my Nick Drake Mystery Series to the forefront has been a game changer. Be it geography and geology or wildlife and weather, realities about the natural world provide ready-made ingredients for crafting a story’s arc and layering in suspense, action, and mood.

     By doing so, I can pit my US Fish & Wildlife ranger hero not only against villains, but have him battle searing heat, wildfire, snowstorms, and raging rivers. How he deals with nature’s adversity bares his strengths as well as his weaknesses. I also use the sublime beauty of nature to reveal his spirit and that of the other principal characters. All provide insights and revelations that help them continue to develop as “real” people and make them all the more endearing to readers.

     Chiseled on a tablet somewhere is the adage Write about what you know. I’ve found that even more important is Write about what you want to know. Why? Because my excitement of discovering something new and infusing it into my novels is shared by readers. How do I know that? Nick Drake readers tell me by email and in person at book talks and writer conferences.

     Some say they read my mysteries while Googling at the same time to learn more about the subjects I explore, such as why there’s such an abundance of archaeological sites in southeastern Oregon or how come so many different bird species migrate through the national wildlife refuges there or what were the forces that sculpted and shaped such an amazing landscape. Others have sent me photos of the trips they’ve taken that were matched to the settings of my stories. Still more email notes with ideas for the next Nick Drake Mystery. Now, that’s reader engagement!

     I’m certainly not the first author to discover the natural world delivers honesty as well as a roundhouse punch to a mystery story. Raymond Chandler’s opener to “Red Wind” shows—not tells—what I mean:

There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.

     While the high lonesome setting of my Nick Drake Mysteries is the gift that keeps on giving, it’s up to me to listen to all of its natural elements and give them voice. That takes more than online research—it takes being there.

     I need to drive every dirt road that I put Nick Drake and the flinty old county sheriff on as they chase vicious killers. I have to talk to ranchers about caring for livestock so I know what Nick’s romantic partner is up against as she works as a large animal veterinarian. Chatting with long-time residents about everything under the desert sun is a joy while sleeping beneath a blanket of stars that has no beginning or end is a must.

     Most of all, I need to stand atop Steens Mountain and in the middle of Diamond Craters and on the edge of Blitzen Valley so I can feel the wind, watch the birds gather, and admire pronghorns racing across the sage scrub. Like my characters, I rely on the sublime beauty of nature to unlock my own spirit so I can capture the creativity blooming both inside and all around me in order to share it with readers who love learning while kissing their nights goodbye turning the pages of an unputdownable mystery.

+++

Wildlife rangers Nick Drake and Loq take separate paths, but both lead to action, murder, and mystery in a thrilling and emotionally charged chapter in this bestselling series.

When his sister goes on the run with a charismatic Indian rights activist wanted for murder, Loq risks everything to find her. He teams up with a beautiful police officer tracking a member of her own tribe who joined the fugitive too. Danger, desire, and treachery test the pair as they follow a trail through the wilds of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana made famous a century before during a legendary and bloody flight for freedom.

Can they stay ahead of a ruthless federal agent, solve who’s responsible for leaving bodies on the trail, and rescue people who don’t believe they need to be saved?

Meanwhile, Nick Drake embarks on a hazardous undertaking of his own when his adopted son continues to be haunted by his traumatic childhood in war-torn Vietnam and a loved one is stricken with terminal cancer. Father and son go in search of healing and meaning, but deadly forces turn their quest into a fight for survival.

BUY LINK: https://books2read.com/TheBrokenBlood

Dwight Holing lives and writes alongside a river in California. His mystery and suspense series include The Nick Drake Novels and The Jack McCoul Capers. The stories in his collections of literary short fiction have won awards, including the Arts & Letters Prize for Fiction. He is married to a kick-ass environmental advocate; they have a daughter and son, and two black labs who’d rather swim than walk.
Buy Link: https://dwightholing.com/nick-drake-novels/

Website: https://dwightholing.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/dwight.holing

Instagram: @dwight_holing