Mysteries with a Southern Accent
Crazy for Words is mystery author, Heather Weidner's blog on writing, reading, and anything that catches her interest.
Join the Lethal Ladies at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA from 12:30 - 2:30 on Friday, November 21. Signed mysteries make great holiday gifts.
Come out and see Sisters in Crime members Mary Miley, Donna Andrews, Mary Burton, Lyndee Walker, Vivian Lawry, and me. We'll have signed copies of Virginia is for Mysteries.
http://www.fountainbookstore.com/event/lethal-ladies-lunch-break
Join the Virginia is for Mysteries authors at the workshops at the Suffolk Mystery Authors' Festival on Saturday, November 8 from 11-7 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. I'm doing a workshop on the History of the Mystery with Teresa Inge and Maggie King.
In Personal, Jack Reacher, a former Army MP, sees an ad for him to contact an acquaintance in a military paper that he finds on a bus. He does and is whisked away within hours to the former Pope Air Force Base.
He learns of a possible assassination attempt at the G8 summit, and our government thinks that a former sniper that Reacher put away fifteen years ago may be one of the suspects. Reacher, along with a rookie analyst from the State Department, try to track down the sniper, recently released from jail. Their journey takes them to Arkansas, France, and England where they battle two different gangs and bureaucracies of several governments.
The title becomes evident in the last few pages of the book. And Child ties up all of the loose ends. He does a good job with building tension in this novel. I always like Jack Reacher, but I wasn't that fond of his sidekick in this one.
I had the pleasure of attending Mary Miley's book launch for Silent Murders this week at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. Her theme was the Roaring 20s, and the Art Deco Society of Richmond came in costume.
Mary talked about some of the myths of silent films. And the library featured Don Q, Son of Zorro, the movie that is featured prominently in Mary's latest mystery.
Mary's mystery series that features amateur sleuth, Jessie Carr, assistant script girl at Pickfair, is set in the heart of Hollywood's heyday.
Check out Mary's mysteries, The Impersonator and Silent Murders.
I finished Mary Miley's Silent Murders this morning. It is the second in her Roaring 20s series. I love how Miley intertwines real characters and 1920s Hollywood with her murder mystery. In her novels, the reader is right in the middle of cinema's heyday.
Her amateur sleuth, Jessie, is an assistant script girl for Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Because of her connections, she's invited to a director's shindig filled with all kinds of debauchery. There are a string of murders, and Jessie investigates. She is able to pull the random facts together to solve the crimes that center in and around the Hollywood studios. Miley does a great job of recreating a world of the past.
I love that the "Hollywood" sign features prominently in this novel. Miley's novel caused me to do some research on the landmark. The pictures on the website, Hollywood Sign, were fun to peruse.
Virginia is for Mysteries authors, Vivian Lawry, Rosemary Shomaker, Maggie King, Fiona Quinn, and I, had the pleasure of hosting a "Making Mysteries" panel recently at the Tuckahoe Library. It is always a lot of fun to talk with readers and other writers about their love of mysteries. Thanks to everyone who came out for the Authors' Showcase.
L-R: Fiona Quinn, Rosemary Shomaker, Heather Weidner, Vivian Lawry, and Maggie King
I was asked recently what books are on my nightstand as part of the #SinC-up and #SincBlogHop. Right now, this is what's queued up.
I'm really excited to read Mary Miley's Silent Murders and Mary Ellen Taylor's Sweet Expectations. I'm also working on Writes of Passage, edited by Hank Phillippi Ryan. I also have three or four ebooks on my iPad that I need to get to. There's never enough time for reading.
What's on your nightstand?
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather Weidner has been a mystery fan since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. She currently lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
Heather writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series for readers who like humorous mysteries with a strong, female sleuth.
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