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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Poet, Novelists, and Short Story Author, Joan Cannon has a Collection of Short Stories, Peripheral Vision, to be Released Soon

I could relate to this author who writes in a variety of genre, and is a teacher. I think you will enjoy gaining insight into the works of this very diverse author.    

A little about the author in her own words.
I am a New Yorker born and bred, graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota, junior year at Barnard commuting. My husband and I transplanted ourselves to rural Connecticut, where we reared our three children. I have taught high school English, edited a museum newsletter (archaeology), edited an anthology of memoirs, done the usual part time eclectic work of mothers with small children, and wrote occasionally. A computer enabled me to deal with the problems of editing without going mad.
I am one of those English majors for whom there was never another choice. My work is for the most part what an editor calls literary, though I have published several short stories in commercial magazines (years ago). I have written newspaper features and profiles, and now I contribute book reviews and the occasional essay to that marvelous e-zine Senior Women Web. My first two novels are perhaps a little more commercial than my third, but I did not pay a professional editor to go over them because, like a true beginner, I had hoped my publisher would take care of that. I have lately (since my husband’s death) returned to poetry and now I am somewhat addicted. Three are in online journals as of May.
Why did you choose this genre?
I did not choose a genre. If the term applies, it chose me. It is a kind of organic thing. I come of a family of autodidacts (I am the first with a college education) and have always had diction, vocabulary and art and music ingrained. I sometimes write in dialect or from a less than educated viewpoint, but I do not handle melodrama well, cannot get interested in happenings as much as in the people involved. Themes--morals, if you will, seem important as an excuse for the entertainment I hope to provide.
What are some of your books, stories that have been published?
Most recently, I have a story called “Rescue” at Bookstogonow.com. It was published first in 1988 in a little magazine long gone. I submitted it to the North Carolina Senior Games literary division in 2008, and it won the gold medal. I have had eight stories published in print journals.
The novels are Settling and Maiden Run.
I think there are over four dozen pieces on Senior Women: (http://www.seniorwomen.com/). I have a poem in http://www.lowestoftreview.com/ and two more in http://www.wildgoosepoetryreview.com/, and my collection of short stories called Peripheral Vision is coming out soon, I believe. I corrected second set of galleys this week.
The new book coming out soon is titled, Peripheral Vision. It is a collection of eighteen short stories and is being published by March Street Press of Greensboro, NC.
Settling (ISBN 1-59431-493-4) is about how a marriage can recover from severe trauma if the principles have good will, common sense, and maturity as well as love. For mature readers not because of the content so much as the point of view.
Maiden Run (ISBN1-594-801-8) is the name of the family farm where most of the action takes place. It tells about how the family who inherit it grow to understand themselves through a pivotal summer when their home is threatened. Three siblings with very different personalities discover how to appreciate Maiden Run as well as each other.
Both books are available from the publisher, Amazon, or on order from a local bookstore.
The short stories have varied subjects and are in several styles. Three are narrated by a nursing home worker with a wry sense of humor; one is adapted from a chapter in my unpublished novel. All illustrate how often life lessons are learned from indirection—hence the title.
My poetry is also somewhat mixed. The earlier things owe much to my homage to the Victorians and are a bit formal and old fashioned. The later things show my effort to catch up with “contemporary” poetry. Those are often sad because they are about loss and the pain and value of memories. I confess that poetry is a traditional and perhaps a trite means of dealing with big emotions, but it is effective both for readers and writers, I think.  It is hard to deal with abstractions of some kinds in today’s fast-moving and materialistic society, so poetry fills the need for a place where one can talk about love and beauty and honor and spirit, and…you get my drift, I am sure.
How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

I don’t write fantasy, so it’s no surprise that most of my settings I either know first hand or have a good grasp of from reading, movies, and a long life of conversations with people who do know them.

As for names—I grope. All three novels have had more than one name for more than one character before I settled on them. I try to imagine a given name that will suit the characteristics I want, either to be outstanding or that cause problems the protagonist needs to solve. I have been known to resort to the Character-Naming Sourcebook.

The newest (unpublished) novel concerns a physician who has to learn to heal himself. I named him Serge Dziminowicz because among his other difficulties, he has to learn to fit into a different kind of society from the blue collar one in which he grew up. Serge sounded to me like a masculine name to fit a tall rather Gary Cooperish physical type who might strike women as sexy.

In Settling, I needed a practical, unimaginative but attractive name for the heroine. I chose Ruth March, a coastal Maine native. The man is named Alexandre (Alex) Duchamp because he needed to be a French Canadian, devastatingly handsome, impulsive. They just sounded like what I wanted. (Both had different first names in early drafts.) The situation in the novel is very similar to one in which a couple I knew intimately spent their married life. With both gone to their reward, I took off from their experience and part of their personalities. I used geography they knew, some actual circumstances they were in, invented events, and generally embroidered.

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book?

This is a hard question. I had a basic knowledge of the major character traits. I wanted to emphasize those I admire, and make them the crux of the outcome. With those in mind, I began with a scene to show the reader as much as I could about Ruth’s background. As she matures, I show her in scenes to reveal how her changing persona is growing. I often make time lines, list tags if I can think of some, but mostly I discover as I am going along. The best thing of all is when the characters begin to behave on their own so that all I have to do is write down what they are up to.

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

There is no traditional antagonist in a story whose plot is not the primary focus. The problem is the marriage two well-meaning and sensitive people have made before they properly understood each other or themselves. The plot shows what happens as they learn what they need to know.

What is your favorite thing about your book?
It shows what seem believable people moving in real places with a theme that I think is simple and easily grasped by any readers. Reactions to the story told me I succeeded in that. Not much more you can ask of fiction. It should take a reader into a world that is new to him or her. It may or may not be an exotic one. It reminds a reader of the possibility of learning from life’s experiences so later ones are better than early ones.
How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?
As I said, I do not think “genre” is the right word for my work. It is character studies and evolution that interest me. It is in a tradition of authors like Galsworthy and Stegner, like Anita Shreve and Carol Shields. I do not mean to imply I consider myself in their league.
Why and when did you begin writing?
I began as school assignments with an extraordinary teacher who made me fall in love with the process as much as with the reading. I now see that I cannot bear not to clarify what I want to know, discover what I know, and make it crystallize. Maybe all I have is an overdeveloped ego and not enough literary friends to talk to. Occasionally I think I have something to say that might instruct or amuse another person.
What is your writing schedule?
After necessary chores are done, I sit down at the computer. I do not always get anything accomplished, but I do it every day. Of course, reading blogs and tending to email consume far too much time, but I have to do those things too. Often I get a spark from surfing the sites I visit most often. It is online that I have met the people with whom I can talk about writing, now that I no longer have access to those where we used to live.
What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?
I mentioned the novel seeking an agent or publisher and the poetry that is my concentration now. I am far too old for long-term ambitions these days, though I think there may be another novel waiting to ne let out. Discouraging thought considering my experience thus far. If I were rich, I might consider self-publishing.
What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write (especially mystery)?
For anyone who wants to write anything, my advice could not be simpler. READ. Begin with the earliest popular classical mysteries like The Moonstone and Sherlock Holmes, and read until you “get” how they are constructed and what characters appeal. Work your way through the wonderful 20th C. writers like Josephine Tey and Dorothy Sayers, and get familiar with the types that are produced by the likes of P.D. James, Elizabeth George, Sarah Peretzky, the lawyer-mystery writers, and watch good mystery TV shows and movies. ABSORB. I adore mysteries and have a raft of favorites of different styles. If you were inventive enough to devise a good mystery plot with interesting (not necessarily likable) characters that play off one another, I would guess you could sell and sell well.
Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?
Once again, read. Do not turn your nose up at good “how to” books like Stephen King’s on writing, or standards like Zinsser and dramatic models like Shakespeare and the Greeks. If you can afford it, go to a good writer’s conference, try correspondence courses. Do not stop. If you possibly can, find a few like-minded people who are at least as good as you are, and meet for critiques. How I miss the one I was in before my current situation!
What do you do when you are not writing? 
Reading, gardening, drawing and painting when I can. Oh, and web surfing. I read blogs, do research, make comments, and in general depend on my little laptop as if it were an oxygen tank.
What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?
My marriage—as close to perfection as I ever hoped to get in life; graduations (my own and my husband’s from years of night school; my middle son’s at forty from college); my children’s births; the Senior Games gold medal. Oh, and my first trip to Europe after my husband had been in export sales for twenty years, followed by his assignment to a year in England and an English major’s year of déjà vue. Again, if I were rich, I would go back in a heartbeat. Just viewing the actual settings for so much of my reading life was inspiring, nostalgic, and wonderful.
 If you want to know more about Joan Cannon?  Visit her website and her blog at: My websites are http://www.jlcannon.net  and http://www.hilltopnotes.blogspot.com/.
 

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Author, Alyssa Lyons has Two Newly Released Books: Last Wishes and Clubbed to Death

You may be surprised to learn that this author not only a writer, but a former teacher, attorney and she even worked for the CIA.  What a great background for writing crime mysteries that includes a female sleuth, a touch of romance and a dash of humor.   

Alyssa Lyons, like her character Jordan Davis, lives in Lynchburg, Virginia. The South is her playground. Its eccentricities fuel her stories. She specializes in “Solving Crimes Southern Style.” However, unlike Jordan, she is a cat person—rather she is staff to two cats she rescued. Like most cats, they believe they were the ones doing the saving and therefore she owes them. She taught high school American history and government, worked for the CIA, and is a retired attorney. Or, as she is fond of saying, “I am a recovering attorney.”

Tell us about the genre of your work.

I write “chick mystery.” This is similar to cozy mystery except the amateur detective is younger and hipper than the Miss Marple/Jessica Fletcher of the traditional cozy and some violence takes place on the page, not off scene. Jordan Davis is a motorcycle-riding, catsuit-wearing entrepreneur, although she does love chai tea and her Miniature Schnauzer, Muffin. Chick mystery also has a healthy dose of hot sex in the mix. I cannot imagine Miss Marple doing the nasty with Hercule Poirot (shudder!)

Why did you choose this genre?

I started as a romance novelist, but never stopped reading mysteries and thrillers. Not finding a hip, thirty-something, motorcycle-loving heroine solving cases, I was inspired to write the Jordan Davis Mysteries with a strong dose of romance. After the first and substantial reworking, I molded the original into a fast paced, dark and sexier story, but with romance and a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. Of course, it is easy to write humor when the stories take place in the South.

What are some of your books, stories that have been published?

My first Jordan Davis Mystery, Last Wishes, was released in March 2011.


The second, Clubbed to Death, was released in May 2011. The third, Stabbed and Slabbed, is tentatively scheduled for a mid-summer 2011 release.

Last Wishes
ISBN:  978-0-9832681-3-0
Amazon Kindle:  http://tiny.cc/8kqdq


He was a judge. He did not break the law…at least not until he met her.
Judge Grayson Trent never suspected the woman his Aunt Becca hired to handle her funeral arrangements would be the very same woman who has consumed his fantasies from the moment he saw her standing before him in court. He soon discovers she has not changed her ways. Not only is she still ignoring the rules when it suits her, now she is a target for murderer. Unless, she is the murderer herself.
She was not really breaking the law, just bending it a little…and all for a good cause.
Jordan Davis sees nothing wrong in breaking a silly city ordinance, especially when it interferes with her fulfilling the last wishes of her clients. To her Judge Trent is a narrow-minded, overbearing stick in the mud—a very sexy and hot stick in the mud. Until it seems as if he is responsible for several murders. Maybe the hunk of a judge is not as law abiding as she thought. Or, maybe they are both in danger of being a killer’s next victim.

How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

Jordan Ashley Davis is named after my eldest grandchild. Trent is the last name of a prominent Lynchburg family (there is a road called Trent’s Ferry in the Boonsboro section of town). Libby, Grayson Trent’s mother, is named after my centenarian mother-in-law. The religious wheeler-dealer Reverend Sippard derives from his family’s history as bootleggers. FBI agent Paige Sidney, who appears in Clubbed to Death, is named after my other two granddaughters. Other names were chosen because they sounded right for the characters.
Our stories are set in Lynchburg, which is a real city in Central Virginia. Wherever possible we refer to real places in town, unless using the real name might cause a scandal. After all, the only real sins in the South are being rude and impolite.

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book? 

What kind of woman would quit medical school to take care of her dying mother? Who would go into the business of granting the last wishes of her clients, even if it means bending a few laws to get the funeral or memorial done right? What kind of woman would install a safety cage on the read of her motorcycle so her miniature schnauzer, in a leather motorcycle jacket and helmet, could go cruising US 460 with her? And who, if she discovered one of her clients was murdered, would move heaven, earth and an immutable, straight-laced judge, to discover who the murder is? Throw in being the love child of her father’s mistress and a Jew in Jerry Falwell country for lagniappe. That is the type of woman Jordan Ashley Davis is; one of a kind!

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

I hope to provide new and scary villains in each Jordan Davis mystery. Murderers we know exist and hope we never meet, even in a social setting.

What is your favorite thing about your book?

Definitely Grayson Trent. He is handsome, hot and sexy without being obvious about it. I love how Jordan gets him to loosen up yet he never quiet loses all his starch.

How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?

Mysteries take the most careful pre-planning of any genre. You have to keep the reader guessing, the timeline straight, the red herrings convincing and the resolution logical. It would be very difficult for a true “pantser” to write a mystery.

Why and when did you begin writing?

I began to write as a child, beginning with poetry, moving into short stories, plays and screenplays as I got into high school and college. In the 1990’s I began to focus on writing novels, primarily romance because that was what I was reading at the time.

What is your writing schedule?

I have a full time job Monday through Friday, plus I do some free lance editing for other authors. After work during the week, I work on editing jobs, blogging, and other promotional activities. I do the bulk of my work on the Jordan Davis mystery series in long sessions (10am-7pm) Saturday and Sunday.

What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?

I am currently writing Stabbed and Slabbed. I plan to continue writing Jordan Davis mysteries as long as the readers want to read them. I would also like to rework a medical thriller that is half-finished into a series of medical procedurals with a team of epidemic-solving doctors similar to those who work for the Centers for Disease Control, along with another strong dose of romance mixed in with the thriller aspects. Think, love in the time of E. coli.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write (especially mystery)?

Mystery takes planning and research. There are several spreadsheets and grids out there for planning action in the plot. Find one that works for you and use it. Read the types of mysteries you want to write and know the market. Make sure your details ring true (you cannot use a silencer on a revolver, no matter how many towels Vito Corleone used in Godfather, Part II), although, a potato and pillow will work. It is the recoil that will get you. Also, whether you submit to a publisher or decide to go indie, treat writing as a business. Be professional and observe the formalities. Proofread and then get another pair of eyes to proofread.

Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?

You have to develop a thick skin. Critiques can seem harsh, editor’s comments can be harsher, and book reviewers can be brutal. Your critique partners and editors have your best interests in mind. You must be willing to accept suggestions. Nobody ever wrote the perfect book, and not your every word is hewn from platinum. And, for goodness sakes, if you get a bad review, do not go on the reviewer’s blog and write a nasty rebuttal. It could easily go viral, and you will do untold damage to your career. Just suck it up and hope you can bury it, quickly, beneath good ones.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Read, eat, and sleep.

What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?

The day I passed the California Bar, the day I sold my first novel, and since then, there have been too many to count.

To learn more about this author, visit her website at: http://www.alyssalyons.com/

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Discovering C.K. Crigger’s Newest Novel, Two Feet Below, and the Author Behind the Books

If you like the old West, and female sleuths, I am sure you will want to read C.K. Crigger’s newest novel, Two Feet Below.  However, do not tag this lady as being just a mystery writer. I think after reading about her, you will find that she is a multi-faceted award winning author.
C.K. Crigger lives with her husband and three feisty little dogs in Spokane Valley, Washington. She is a member of Western Writers of America. In 2009 she was a Spur Award (from WWA) Finalist in the audio category for Letter of the Law, 2007 finalist in the Short Story category for “Aldy Neal’s Ghost”, and the 2008 Winner of an Eppie Award for “Black Crossing”.  This year, her short story, “Left Behind,” has been nominated for a Western Fictioneers' Peacemaker Award.
Tell us about the genre of your work. 
I write in several different genres, including westerns, time-travel, fantasy, and mystery/suspense. My latest release, Two Feet Below, is a mystery/suspense set in the 1890s American West, so I will talk mostly about this one today.
Why did you choose this genre?
First of all, I love history, especially regional history. Second, my early reading experiences included the old pulp westerns that my folks read, so I guess I am hard-wired for the western experience. My own personal touch is that I set my stories in my neck of the woods, which means mine are not in the typical cowboy, Indian, cavalry style.
What are some of your books, stories that have been published?
I have written a five book time-travel series featuring Boothenay Irons, my butt-kicking gunsmith heroine. I am shopping the fifth one around now. The previous four are published in print and e-book by Amber Quill Press and in audio by Books In Motion. I have two fantasies’, one of which is still looking for a publisher, and four westerns. Black Crossing was the 2008 Eppie winner in western/historical, and Letter of the Law was a 2009 Spur Award finalist in audio. It is out in print, also. Then there’s the China Bohannon stories, One Foot on the Edge and Two Feet Below, the latter just released by Oak Tree Press’s Wild Oaks imprint. One of my short stories, “Left Behind” is included in the 2010 WWA Anthology, Roundup! “Great Stories of the West,” published by LaFrontera Publishing. My story has just been nominated for a Western Fictioneers’ Peacemaker award.  Does my heart good!
Since Two Feet Below is hot off the press, I will concentrate this one. The ISBN is 978-1610090070. At present, it is available through Amazon.com and the Oak Tree Press www.oaktreebooks.com bookstore.  It can also be ordered through any bookstore, of course. I have begun a website for China Bohannon, my intrepid 1890s bookkeeper turned sleuth. You will find her here: http://twofeetbelow.blogspot.com/ and on her website at www.ckcrigger.com.
How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

The primary setting for all my books is right here in the Inland Northwest, more specifically, Eastern Washington and North Idaho. We have all the varying landscape items a writer needs, city or small towns or country. There are lakes, rivers, mountains and even semi-desert. Most of the time I use real place names, and only occasionally make one up.  For characters, I like fairly simple names, but they have to suit the period, and they have to be distinctive enough that a reader can remember who s/he is. I am not quite so picky about secondary characters but I like everyone to have a little individual pizazz.

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book?

China Bohannon is a little down on her luck. She came from a rich background, but after losing her place in life, she’s not about to give in to the weepy wailies. China can stand up for herself. Unfortunately, she has a propensity for overestimating her abilities and that often gets her in trouble. My job is to put her into, and then get her out of dangerous situations as she pokes around various crimes. If I can use a little humor in doing so, then China’s personality comes clear.

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

Oh, sure. There are several “bad guys,” each a little “badder” than the first. Then there’s the one who China soon suspects, but can’t get her uncle, Monk Howe, or Gratton Doyle, owners of the detective agency she works for, to consider. Frustrating, to be sure.

What is your favorite thing about your book?
This is easy. The dog and the baseball game. Oh, yeah, and the loggers China meets along the way. Or the fight she has with the Wallace prostitutes, or...oh, heck. I had fun with all of it.
How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?
Two Feet Below, a western suspense, has a western setting, and perhaps a western sensibility, if you can figure out what that is. People are familiar with firearms and they are not dismayed by the rough-and-ready. On the other hand, part of the action takes place on the city scene, and in the 1890s, Spokane, Washington was a big modern city even by East Coast standards.
Why and when did you begin writing?
I have written “silly” stories for as long as I can remember, but about fifteen years ago, I woke up one day with the realization that if I did not get serious “NOW” it would be too late. So I got serious. Gradually, I am emptying my head of all those first ideas. Trouble is, I get one done and three more pop up. What is a woman to do?
What is your writing schedule?
I write every day, at least a little bit. A day without writing is a wasted day!
What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?
I am shopping around the fifth Boothenay Irons/Gunsmith book, titled Gone Rogue, and a fantasy tentatively titled Sleeping Beauty. I am working on a contemporary mystery, and after that, unless somebody wants another China Bohannon book or another Boothenay Irons, I will be working on a historical novel involving bush horseracing and bootlegging during prohibition. Got a few more in mind, too, but I may not live long enough.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write (especially mystery)?
Three words. Go for it! I find mysteries the most difficult of all genres to write because the plotting has to be meticulous, but often a writer will not know if s/he can or cannot get it down until s/he tries. Study writers that you love. How did they work all those clues in? 
Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?
Write a story you would want to read. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Join a good critique group.
What do you do when you are not writing? 
I garden in season, walk my dogs, read. Go fishing, once in a while.  Best of all, sit by the river and listen to the water tumbling over those giant boulders.
What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life? 
“Made it” moments, huh? Lets keep it writing oriented with the first “off the cuff” presentation I made (at a library) when I wasn’t scared to death and discovered I enjoyed the process.  Or when I bid for and won the honor of hosting the 2005 Western Writers of America convention in Spokane. Or winning a Eppie, finalling twice for a Spur (always a bridemaid, never a bride, dang it) and just this week, being notified that I’m nominated for a Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award. Oh, yes, and when Books In Motion accepted the first Gunsmith book, In the Service of the Queen.
Some of the books in her Gunsmith Series:


Learn more about the author and her work at  http://twofeetbelow.blogspot.com/ and on her website at www.ckcrigger.com.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Murder on the Interstate Just Released Novel by Mystery/Suspense and Western Historical Novelist, Jean Henry Mead

Seniorsleuth, Jean Henry Mead, certainly has the background to be a mystery/suspense novelist.  She has led an exciting and successful journey in the writing world.   If you have not discovered this author yet, here is your chance to do it.  I think you will be intrigued as you read about her experience in the world of writing and publishing.

Jean Henry Mead is a mystery/suspense and western historical novelist. She is also an award-winning photojournalist. One of her fortes is interviewing writers, actors, politicians, artists and ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things. She began her writing career as a California news reporter/editor/photographer, first in Central California and later in San Diego. Mead later transferred to Casper, Wyoming, to serve as a staff writer for the statewide newspaper. While there, she served as editor of In Wyoming Magazine and two small presses. She also freelanced for other publications, both domestically and abroad, among them the Denver Post's Empire Magazine. Her first book was published in 1982. She has since published fourteen novels and nonfiction books.

Some more things I learned about the author by doing a little research:

Jean Henry Mead was born in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Years later she interviewed screenwriters and authors such as Elmore Leonard, Louis L'Amour, Rick Mofina, Carolyn Hart, John Gilstrap, A. B. Guthrie, Jr. and other bestselling novelists.  She began her writing career as a news and police reporter in California. Her award-winning articles have been published domestically as well as abroad and she served as a news, magazine and small press editor. She also established the Western Writers Hall of Fame.
Tell us about the genre of your work. 
I write the Logan & Cafferty mystery/suspense series as well as historical westerns and the Hamilton Kids mystery series.
Why did you choose this genre?
I like reading mystery and suspense novels and I live in an area rich with western history. The children’s series came about because I have wanted to write a semi-autobiographical novel about my childhood for some time.
What are some of your books, stories that have been published?
I have written and published 14 books, both fiction and nonfiction. I am not a short story writer.
My most recent books (2008 and later) include:
Murder on the Interstate – New release!
 Diary of Murder
 A Village Shattered
 Escape
A Wyoming Historical Novel; Mystery of Spider Mountain
Mysterious Writers and Westerners: Candid and Historic Interviews.

They are all still available on Amazon.com and other online outlets.

How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

I use actual places that I am familiar with, and the characters names are those that I happen to like. I am working on my second historical novel.  I visited the locale and took pictures of the area, which makes the story come alive for me.

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book?

Murder on the Interstate is the third novel in my Logan & Cafferty mystery/suspense series, so I know the characters well by now. They are like old friends waiting for me to crank up my computer so that they can talk to me. The two main characters, Dana Logan and Sarah Cafferty, have evolved and put on flesh from the stick people I started with. They are 60-year-old feisty widows who travel in a motorhome solving murders.

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

Not really. My protagonists are traveling from state to state. After they dispatch one antagonist, they go on to another.  In Murder on the Interstate, they are not only dealing with a killer, they are kidnapped by a group of anarchists and terrorists.
What’s your favorite thing about your book?
My favorite thing is that I was able to incorporate my experience driving around Arizona in my motorhome listening to truck drivers on my CB radio. I lived long enough there that I know the terrain well, and did not have to go back to conduct further research.  I might also mention that my trucker jargon is accurate as well as humorous.
Why and when did you begin writing?
I wrote my first novel when I was nine and took chapters to school to read to my classmates, but I did not write and sell my first novel until 1999. However, I wrote articles for my high school newspaper and was editor-in-chief of my college campus paper while working as a cub reporter for my hometown daily.
What is your writing schedule?
I write everyday unless something out of the ordinary happens. Blogging and social networking take up an inordinate amount of time away from my novel writing but it’s necessary to promote your work online because most publishers no long do that for you. I usually blog and network in the mornings, and I write in the afternoons and sometimes in the evenings after dinner.
What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?
I am currently working on my second historical novel, No Escape: The Sweetwater Tragedy. It is about a young woman and her husband who were hanged by the cattlemen who wanted their homestead land. They got off scot free because the witnesses died mysteriously or just disappeared. I was angry when I read about it while researching another book, and I have been researching it ever since.
I am also working on my second children’s mystery, The Ghost of Crimson Dawn, which also takes place in Wyoming. And sometime soon I need to start the fourth novel in my Logan & Cafferty mystery series.
What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write (especially mystery)?
Place your manuscript in a drawer after you considered it finished and take it out a month later to read as though someone else has written it. Then edit and polish it again before sending it out. Also, don’t give up or let rejections depress you. The average novel takes about ten years to publish once you start writing.
Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?
Read everything you can get your eyes on, no matter the genre or subject matter. Study the styles of successful writers to learn their techniques, just as fledging artists do with the old masters. Also, read unsuccessful writers to learn what NOT to do.
What do you do when you are not writing? 
I take photographs, do a little art work, exercise, dance, social network, play with my beautiful Australian Shepherd, travel and ride four wheelers with my husband.
What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?
When I realized that I am currently published by five publishers, and when Carolyn Hart recently wrote a blurb for my new release, Murder on the Interstate.
My website is: www.jeanhenrymead.com/

Visit her blog sites:
Mysterious Writers:
http://mysteriouspeople.blogspot.com/
Writers of the West:
http://writersofthewest.blogspot.com/
Murderous Musings:
http://murderousmusings.blogspot.com/
Make Mine Mystery:
http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/</div>

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Showcasing a New Novel, Shakespeare's Blood and the author, Peg Herring

What people most need to know about me is that I write, read, and love mysteries. Formerly a high school educator, I began writing plays for my students but soon moved on to novels. I like the novel format because fiction so clearly reveals truth, if that makes sense. Although I read in nonfiction to keep myself honest, I find that fiction suits my writing style and my need to move a story along quickly to a satisfying conclusion.

Tell us about the genre of your work.

I write historical mysteries (the Simon & Elizabeth series), paranormal mysteries (the Dead Detective Mysteries), and stand-alones. I can’t see myself ever being tied to one series, because there are so many great stories that I want to tell. SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD is more suspense than mystery, meaning it has a timeline shortened by imminent danger. It will someday have a sequel, since I found I like the protagonist enough to give her another shot. The idea is in my head (I’m thinking Dickens). It’s just a matter of having the time to write it down.

Why did you choose this genre?

I always read mysteries as a kid. I loved them all, from Gothic romances to hard-boiled John D. MacDonald types to Gypsy Rose Lee’s THE G-STRING MURDERS. What makes mystery so compelling for me is the combination of puzzle and story. I try to give my readers a good puzzle with plenty of clues so they can join the sleuth in trying to figure it out. Of course, any good book must also have characters readers care about along with action, setting, and style. It’s hard work to make a mystery come together, but when it does, it’s no longer “genre fiction”. It’s great writing.

What are some of your books, stories that have been published?

The historical series began with HER HIGHNESS’ FIRST MURDER in 2010, and will be followed in November by Poison, Your Grace. The paranormal series began in April of this year with THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY and will continue with DEAD FOR THE MONEY. I wrote a Vietnam-era stand-alone GO HOME AND DIE, which was published in 2010, and now SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD is available. If that sounds prolific, it’s because I’ve been writing for a while, but publishers are just beginning to notice.

HER HIGHNESS’ FIRST MURDER (Five Star ISBN 978-1-59414-842-2) can be found at tp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1905091702/ref=tag_nof_ap_edpp (Also available for Kindle)

When headless corpses litter the streets of London, young Elizabeth Tudor joins with crippled Simon Maldon to discover who is killing beautiful women and leaving them dressed as nuns. If Henry VIII learns what his daughter is up to, there will be trouble, but Simon and Elizabeth find trouble enough when the murderer turns his attention to them.


THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY (LL-Publishing ISBN 978-1905-091-70-6) can be found at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1905091702/ref=tag_nof_ap_edpp (Available for most e-readers)

Tori Van Camp wakes up on a luxurious cruise ship with no memory of how she got there. What she does recall is being shot point blank in the chest. In order to learn who wanted her dead and why, Tori joins with an odd detective named Seamus, who knows exactly what to do. They must act quickly, however, for two people Tori cares about are in…dare we say it? grave danger!

GO HOME AND DIE (Red Rose Publishing ISBN 978-1-60435-687-8) can be found at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=go+home+and+die (E-book format only)

Carrie Walsh is a ‘60s woman too prim for bra-burning, but when she witnesses a murder, she becomes interested in investigating the case. She joins with Jack Porter, recently returned Vietnam vet, to discover who killed his partner. But Carrie has no idea what kind of trouble she is stirring up—nor does she know that Jack brought home secrets from Vietnam that might cost Carrie her life.



SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD (MysterEbook Publishing, E-book format only, see website for details)

Mercedes Maxwell thought she would have a restful vacation in Britain. Instead, her traveling companion is murdered, starting a headlong race to stay alive. Mercedes has information that will lead to ancient Spanish gold, if she can only figure out the clues. Avoiding a policeman who suspects her, a charming Scot who befriends her, and a vicious who killer stalks her, Mercedes strikes out on her own to solve the riddles contained in an old journal: the message from SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD.

Want to know about Peg?  Visit her website: http://pegherring.com

How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?

The very first character I “invented,” Tessa, began with a student I’d had in school. Every writer knows that no matter what the initial source, a character very quickly turns into her own person. Still, there is a real Tessa who got me started and gave me a physical image to work from. Likewise, there were a Tori and a Carrie among my former students. Other characters’ names come from nowhere; they just seem natural for the person. Simon, for example seems like a Simon. I don’t think I’ve ever actually known anyone by that name.

I’ve never known a Mercedes, either, but that name stuck to the character in SHAKEPSPEARE’S BLOOD. I kept trying to change it, but again, the character took on a life of her own, and Mercedes simply had to be her name. The charming Scotsman, Colm (pronounced Col um), is named for an actor I’ve admired for years at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. His name is Colm Feore. (You might have seen him in a few movies, where he usually plays the evil guy who gets it at the end.)

Places are usually real, especially in the historicals, although when it gets down to specifics, I make up a town or two. It’s easier than trying to make the streets all match, and I understand that some readers will go there and see if they do!

How did you develop the character of your protagonist in this book?

People often ask that question, and the answer is I let my brain do it on its own. Sometimes a character has to have certain traits in order for the plot to work out. In SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD, Mercedes could not be the kind of woman who dissolves into tears when bad things happen. She has to think things over and make her own decision, whether the rest of the world agrees with it or not.

I recall being questioned by an attorney when I was called for jury duty once. He asked me what my husband thought of the case (a spousal beating that resulted in the woman’s death, it had received considerable media attention). I was shocked at the implication that my husband’s opinion had anything to do with how I would serve as a jury member. If I can’t think for myself and come to my own conclusions, right or wrong, what good am I?

That’s how my protagonists begin: as women who think for themselves, whatever the era, the situation, or the company. Some argue that women in the past were meek and submissive. I would say they were taught to BE meek and submissive, but there had to be some, like Elizabeth Tudor, who used their brains for more than locomotion from room to room.

My Vietnam era protagonist, Carrie, is learning to be her own person, and I like that. Women in the ‘60s kind of “woke up” (at least some of us) and said, “Wait. I can do stuff!” The lucky ones found men who agreed with that concept.

In SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD, Mercedes is thrown into a situation that few can imagine: being chased by a madman, possessing valuable information no one else has, and being in a foreign place where she has no idea who can be trusted. She makes some mistakes, but I can say without giving away too much: Mercedes will survive.

What about an antagonist…is there a unique “bad guy” or a recurring nemesis of any kind?

I try to think carefully about why my “bad” characters are bad. They generally fall into either crazy or greedy modes, but I work to give them substance. One character that is obviously insane was driven to that state, quite understandably, by conditions in the world that left him unable to achieve goals he had worked his whole life to attain. Like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, ambition plays a role in most of my antagonists’ motives: they want what they can only get by murder. Often, there is something in their early life that twisted them, perhaps poverty or some kind of abuse. In GO HOME AND DIE, the evil arises from one of those odd but very real circumstances where amoral characters meet, recognize each other’s desires, and enable each other.

So the answer is no, I don’t see a recurring nemesis type in my writing, just evil in all its forms. I freely admit, however, that I WILL see justice done in the end. After all, they’re my stories!

What is your favorite thing about your book, Shakespeare’s Blood?

In SHAKESPEARE’S BLOOD, I used all sorts of trivia and speculation about the Bard of Avon, weaving it into the story to make a revisionist but altogether fun (for me, at least) scenario. There have been all sorts of people over the years who claim that Shakespeare could not have written all that great stuff because blah, blah, blah. I hate the idea that he was “just” a small-town boy and therefore not capable of genius. Since when did being born in a big city or to a specific social stratum predict creative talent? I set out to write an exciting story that offers a fictional and fun explanation for some of the objections to Shakespeare writing Shakespeare. I hope readers find it clever.

How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genres?

Mystery is sometimes sneered at, but I think it’s very difficult to combine good writing, good storytelling AND a plot that offers readers the chance to go along with the sleuth and perhaps solve the crime, or aspects of it, before he/she does. If you look at writers who do all that well, they rank with good writers in all genres. And there’s a puzzle, too!

Why and when did you begin writing?

I wrote a play for my students when we could not find plays for a cast of twenty-five girls and five boys. The audience liked my first play, so I sent it to a publisher, who took it in a matter of weeks. That was my downfall. I thought publishing was easy, so I wrote my first novel. Publishing that took six years, but it was worth it to see my name on a book cover in the local library.

What is your writing schedule?

I generally write early in the morning, when my brain is fresh. I might or might not return to the computer in the afternoon, but in the evening, I’m likely to edit what I’ve written.

People often ask how long it takes to write a book, and for me, that is all over the map. I can get a first draft down in six weeks if I’m motivated and if the characters cooperate. I require myself to work on only one book at a time, but there are times when I will leave a book that’s giving me trouble and work on something else. When I go back to it, I’m usually ready to make it work.
           
I make myself put a book away for a while when it’s done. I go back to it a month or so later, and at that point I will see all sorts of things that need fixing that I couldn’t see when I was standing in the middle of it. I like to have a full year to get a book ready to submit to a publisher, because I’m definitely an onion writer-lots of layering for my work!

What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?

I probably have enough to do just writing sequels, but I do have an idea or two stored in my “Unfinished Novels” file. I like the idea of odd sleuths, and I also like sleuths of a certain age, so I’m thinking in those directions: a series with a very odd protagonist and a series with some older but very capable women in charge.

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write (especially mystery)?

To me, the plot has to be central in a mystery. Yes, readers have to love the characters and want them to succeed, but it drives me crazy when the plot is weak, when people don’t act like people really do, or when the killer’s method is so ridiculously complicated that it is beyond possibility. (I loved THE LIPSTICK CHRONICLES, by the way, because the plot stretches so common in mysteries were used humorously to enhance the story.)

As far as advice to ALL writers, there is only one word: PERSIST. You must persist in becoming a better writer. You must persist in believing in yourself when it seems that no one else does. In addition, you must persist to get published, because it doesn’t happen overnight.
Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers?

In view of recent developments, I have a word of warning about self-publishing. It’s not a good idea to self-publish your first novel or even your second one, in my opinion. Yes, self-publishing might be the way things are going, but having experience with the publishing world and having recognition (other than your mom’s opinion) that your work is publishable goes a long way in helping a newbie writer become a writer with credentials.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Read, of course! I love to sing, so I direct several choirs. I also garden, mostly to benefit the rabbits, deer, and elk who “night-nibble” everything we plant. I live in northern Lower Michigan, but I love to travel with my husband of many, many years. We’ve been to Britain and the Middle East, but we have also visited all over the United States and Canada. When we’re home, we are usually working to keep some part of our century-old farmhouse from crumbling away.

What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life?

The first one I remember was at Malice when two women in the elevator elbowed each other as I got in. One of them finally said rather shyly, “We’re reading your book, and we just love it!”

I was also surprised by the great reviews both HER HIGHNESS and DEAD DETECTIVE got. Small presses, unknown writer--I had no idea critics were even going to read the books, much less love them.