50 Shades of Cabernet

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I am excited to be a part of the 50 Shades of Cabernet mystery anthology with such a talented group of authors. My partners in crime are Barb Goffman, Teresa Inge, Kristin Kisska, Jayne Ormerod, Maria Hudgins, Lyn Brittan, Douglas Lutz, Alan Orloff, Debbiann Holmes, Betsy Ashton, James M. Jackson & Tina Whittle, Maggie King, Nancy Naigle, Rosemary Shomaker, Jenny Sparks, and Ken Wingate.

In my story, "Par for the Course," Mona McKinley Scarborough, the family matriarch doesn't take no for an answer. When she's not successful at convincing her granddaughter Amanda to make the right career choice - to join the family's winery, she plans a golf outing as a chance to draw them closer together. Their chat reveals some deadly secret, and they learn that the grape may not fall far from the vine.

The Scarborough family, who can trace their roots back to Jamestown, Virginia and the colonists, has been a fixture in Richmond's capital society for more years than anyone can count. Their roots and dirty little secrets run deep. I like my mysteries to have lots of twists and turns, and "Par for the Course" takes on several meanings throughout the tale, where we learn that some family secrets are as dark as the cabernet.

The anthology is available at your favorite bookseller. It's a fun book club or beach read, especially paired with your favorite wine.

 

8 Writerly Things I Learned at Mysterypalooza

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Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia hosted Mysterypalooza last weekend. It was our chapter's 30th Anniversary Celebration for Sisters in Crime, and we had such a fun event. Mary Burton, Mary Behre, Tracey Livesay, LynDee Walker, and Mollie Cox Bryan were our panelists, and here are the eight writerly things I learned from their discussion.

1. There are so many different pathways to publication. Every author had a different journey. Several began their careers writing in another genres. And most of the panel had traditionally published. They also had books published independently or with smaller presses. Authors today are often a hybrid. You have to find what works for you and your books.

2. I enjoyed the ladies' talk about their writing lives. Most are full-time authors; though, one does have a part-time job. They described their writing spaces at home, and they ranged from full-fledged offices to a desk in a bedroom and a desk on an unheated sunporch.

3. We had a long discussion of plotters (outliners and planners) and pantsers (write by the seat of your pants). One in the group was a true plotter. Several were pantsers, but there were hyprids or combinations of the two. Some call them hybrids or plotsers. I heard a new term. Some called the hybrids "panty liners." It just proves that not every style works for every writer. Find your style.

4. The Mysterypalooza authors came from different backgrounds, and they often used their past experiences in their work. We had two former reporters and a former lawyer in the group. It's important to be able to call on what you know for your writing.

5. Author professionalism came up several times in the conversations. The panel stressed the importance of acting and looking the part when you pitch to agents, editors, or publishers. Sage advice: Follow all submission guidelines. Do not be disqualified because you didn't follow instructions.

6. Know your strengths when you are pitching to an agent, editor, or publisher. Look for smaller conferences where there are opportunities to pitch your project. If public speaking or selling yourself terrifies you, look for pitch opportunities that you can do via email or Twitter.

7. Work out your elevator speech for your book or series. Write it down. Rehearse it, and know it. Don't introduce yourself as a writer. Describe what you write in one to three sentences.

8. Find a group of writers or a writing organization that you can network with and learn from others. Many have great programs and opportunities.

I treasure my writing groups. I have learned so much from other authors. And these groups have afforded me lots of opportunities for book signings, presentations, field trips -- in addition to the commaraderie of being able to network with writers who are at different stages of their careers.

What I Learned on a Recent High School Visit

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It's been a long time since I've been in high school. I had the great pleasure of spending time recently with a senior English class that was doing a module on mysteries and thrillers. I had my handouts, overview, and give-aways ready, and I barely got in the door before I got peppered with questions about mysteries and my writing. The class was mixed in their mystery experience. Many liked watching crime-related shows and movies, while others did read mysteries. There were a handful who had never read any kind of mystery.  I love the energy and the interest. And I've never had anyone step through a critical discussion of my short story and the literary techniques I used. What fun!

We had a great discussion, and here are the highlights...

  1. The class really liked red herrings, foreshadowing, and irony in stories. They liked books with a plot twist.
  2. It was fun to talk about mystery and thriller authors. Many on my handout were new to the class, so they had lots of questions about subgenres and who wrote what type of book.
  3. They liked mysteries that combined several subgenres (e.g. romantic suspense, medical thriller, or legal thriller).
  4. Most of the class' interest in mysteries started with TV shows and movies.
  5. They were also very interested in what mystery resources were out there. We talked about websites, blogs, and author websites.
  6. We had a long discussion about how some popular sleuths had had lots of different interpretations and incarnations in movies and TV, such as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. They all had a favorite, but Benedict Cumberbatch and the BBC won the popular vote.
  7. They were interested in why some sleuths had sidekicks and others didn't. I typically don't have a sidekick in my short stories, but my private investigator has her computer-hacker partner to assist with research that she's unable to get through normal channels.

I enjoyed my visit, and many thanks to Ms. Arnold for inviting me.

17 Mystery Pinterest Accounts You Should Follow

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Pinterest is a great site for posting about books and blogs.  I always build a board for each story and novel. I also have one for favorite books and another for favorite libraries. Here's my list of 17 folks I think you should follow. They're in no particular order.

  1. Mollie Cox Bryan - Scrapbooking Sunday
  2. Cozy Chicks
  3. Cozy Mystery
  4. Themed Cozy Mysteries
  5. Ellery Adams
  6. Love Cozy Mysteries
  7. hot in the Dark Mysteries
  8. isters in Crime Tucson
  9. Emma Sedlack
  10. Mystery Novel
  11. Zooey
  12. Jenny Kales
  13. Genesee District Library
  14. ebastine
  15. Lisa Shafer
  16. Mystery Sequels
  17. And me

25 Book Bloggers You Should Follow on Twitter

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My Homage To Nancy Drew, Girl Sleuth

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My Homage to Nancy Drew – Girl Sleuth

I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. I was over the moon in 1977 when the “Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys” TV show debuted. (And it didn’t hurt that Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy.) My friends and I raced through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections at the Kempsville Public Library in Virginia Beach. My favorite is still The Crooked Bannister (1971) with its hot pink cover. I loved the plot twists and the double meanings. I was hooked on mysteries. From there, I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Nancy Drew is still one of my favorite sleuths.

In the late 1980s, I had a double major in English and secondary education. My research project in “Adolescent Literature” was a comparative study of the original Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s with the updated ones in the 1980s and their influence on generations readers.

As a young reader, I adored Nancy’s freedom. She had a car. She did things that other girls didn’t, and she solved crimes that adults couldn’t. She influenced generations of women from the 1930s to the present with her spunk and enduring appeal.

The Nancy Drew mysteries were written by several ghost-writers under one pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. The series has undergone several revisions and updates over the years, but Nancy’s spirit and pluck prevail. The famous yellow spines were added to the books in 1962. That was the set that I remember reading. And her stories have been translated into over twenty different languages.

The girl detective appeared in several movies from the 1930s to the 2000s and TV shows through the years. Her face and logo have graced all kinds of merchandising from jewelry, lunch boxes, and clothing to board and video games. She has appeared in novels, coloring books, and graphic novels. Nancy has been a role-model for lots of young girls for over eighty years.

There are some similarities between the iconic Nancy Drew and my private investigator. I didn’t intentionally mean to create the parallels, but subconsciously, her character influenced my mystery writing.  In the 1930s, Nancy started out as a blonde, but artists later depicted her as a redhead in the 1940s and 1950s. Nancy also drove a sporty roadster. (It was upgraded to a Mustang in the mysteries from the 1980s.) Nancy’s girlfriends (Bess and George) were important in her life and to the stories. And she was fearless, smart, and feisty. I was so impressed that she was able to solve crimes before the professionals did.

I like to think of Delanie Fitzgerald as following in the footprints and traditions of the original girl sleuth.

Holiday Time Management Ideas for Writers

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Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the December holiday season is fast approaching. It should be a time of celebration, but it's stressful when there are too many tasks and obligations. And somehow, my schedule always gets crazy in November and December.

Here are some ideas for managing to celebrate and still work on your writing and book marketing.

1. Create a bank of blog posts when you have extra time. That way, when you're in a crunch, you can use one that is already ready to go.

2. Schedule blog, Facebook, and Twitter posts in advance, especially for days you know you'll be busy.

3. Find an hour or two on your calendar and block it off as writing time. I cut TV/movie time when I need more writing or editing time.

4. Get up early (or stay up later) to write, blog, or post to social media. My house is really quiet in the morning, and I get a lot done before the family and guests are up and ready for breakfast.

5. Use your social media mobile apps. When you are standing in line, check your social media sites, respond to comments, or do a quick post or tweet. It's a great way to keep up with emails too.

6.Take pictures of the fun and festivities. They're great for sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest.

7. Use a calendar to keep up with the "must do's." Some electronic calendars (like Google) can be shared with others. There is also a variety of software out there to help manage tasks. Trello is a fun, easy one to use. You create electronic "cards" to manage projects or large efforts.

8. I try to get the holiday shopping done and wrapped early. It just takes some of the pressure off.

9. You can say no and not feel guilty. You don't have to participate in everything. I was asked to be a part of a cookie exchange one year. The idea is to bake one dozen cookies for every participant. I ended up baking ten dozen cookies. It's a nice idea, but I really didn't need the cookies I brought home. And it was more work and stress than value.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. With a little organization, it can be a fun season, and you can still have time to write and do your book promotions. Happy writing!

 

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Book Lover in Your Life

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Thanksgiving is next week. Fall snuck up on me this year, but I'm going to do better with Christmas. My goal is to have everything purchased and wrapped by early December. Fingers crossed.  Here are my favorite sites for holiday ideas for the book lover in your life.

1. Café Press has a great selection of literary t's for men, women, and children. They also have ones for movies, TV shows, and pop culture icons.

2. Think Geek has great gadgets and gifts for Harry Potter and Star Wars' fans. It's also home base for gifts for any geek or nerd in your life.

3. The Library of Congress' gift shop has a wide array of book and book lover gifts.

4. Etsy is a great site for fun, literary and author gifts. I've purchased wine charms, bracelets, stickers, and bookmarks from a variety of vendors. I use them for giveaways. Type in "literary gifts," and you'll have your choice of hundreds of vendors.

5. UncommonGoods had lots of stocking stuffers for the reader or writer in your life. Type "reading gifts" in the search box.

6. GoneReading has a great collection of bookworm gifts. My favorite are the book plates. I'm going to have to put them on my list.

7. Shop PBS has some fun ideas. I need to order the Great Gatsby t-shirt and these Scrabble magnets.

8. Amazon has everything. I like the collection of infinity book scarves. I've seen these on Etsy and other sites too.

9. Storiarts has infinity scarves, decorative items, and these great writing gloves from a variety of books and authors.

10. The Writers' Store has gifts for writers, movie makers, and film buffs.

Best wishes with your holiday shopping. My hope is to get the tasky stuff done early, so I can enjoy the season. Wish me luck!