Behind the Scenes - The Poe Statue in Richmond, VA

Yes, there is an Edgar Allan Poe statue in RVA (Richmond, VA), but I made up the one in GLITTER, GLAM AND CONTRABAND.

In my Delanie Fitzgerald series, Chaz Wellington Smith, III’s infamous strip club, the Treasure Chest, is located on the corner where The Southern Literary Messenger once stood (15th and Main Street). While Poe was an assistant editor at the magazine at that location, the Treasure Chest is made up. Parts of the real building were preserved and are part of the Shrine at the Poe Museum in RVA. This is a must-see spot if you’re in Richmond. The collection of artifacts is vast, and the staff are so knowledgeable on the author’s life and works. My favorites are the “Unhappy Hours” held in the Enchanted Garden in the warmer months. They also offer walking tours of Poe’s Richmond. And if you visit, you must meet Edgar and Pluto, the museum cats.

I am fascinated with the Poe sites around Richmond, including his mother’s grave at the historic St. John’s Church (where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech).

Years ago, I read an article in the newspaper about time capsules in some of the monuments. I thought it would be interesting to have Delanie investigate, so I put a Poe Statue on the corner near Chaz’s business. He asks her to look into why someone is trying to dig around the statue. It turns out that there’s an online rumor of valuables hidden in the time capsule.

The real statue of Poe is located on the grounds of the state Capitol. The Father of the American Mystery is seated in a chair, and it was relocated to the other side of Capitol Square in 2017.

If you’re not able to visit, check out the Poe Museum’s website. There’s a wealth of information online. There are also lots of good blogs and podcasts about Poe’s time in RVA. One with lots of pictures is J.W. Ocker’s OTIS (Odd Things I’ve Seen). Gretchen Kelly’s “RavenTrekking” is also a good overview of the Poe sites.

Check out the adventures of Delanie, Duncan, Margaret, and Chaz in the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries wherever you buy your books.

The Social Part of Social Media - Tips for Authors

Authors and workshop presenters will advise their audiences to be authentic or genuine on social media. It sounds simple, but I’m not sure everyone understands what that really means. Here are some ideas to help.

Buy My Book - Your 5,000 followers are not going to translate into 5,000 book sales. These sites are great ways (free or low cost through ads) to promote your books, celebrate with others, and interact with readers. They help you expand your audience. Limit the number of “Buy my Book” posts. If someone finds you and sees a string of hard sells, they lose interest.

Be a Good Citizen - Being real or authentic means to be a good citizen of the site. You like, comment, and share on others’ posts regularly. Join groups and contribute.

Celebrate Others - Make sure that you celebrate with others (whether it’s birthdays, shout outs, announcements, etc.). And don’t make their announcement about you. (We’ve all seen that one author who posts a comment to someone’s announcement. “Hey, if you like this type of book, check out mine. That’s a leech.)

No Hit and Runs - Don’t post something and never return to comment on the responses. You need to interact with the folks who comment. The more interaction your posts have, the more the platform will show it. Popular, active content rises in the algorithms.

It’s All in the Numbers - Each platform has its own way of displaying posts. There are algorithms for how often and what is shown to your followers. These change often, and you never quite know how they work. Posts with videos or graphics tend to get more attention.

Invite Participation - When you create a post, look for ways to ask a question or invite comments. Occasionally, I’ll post what I’m reading and ask what everyone else is reading. This sparks good discussions, and I find more books to add to my TBR list. You can always find a related meme or picture for the question you pose.

Share - Your readers want to know about you. Decide what you are comfortable sharing about yourself. If you have a hobby or pets, they are always good content and photo topics.

The social part is key to building and expanding your platforms on social media sites.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Linda Norlander

I’d like to welcome Linda Norlander to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Favorite Things: Books, Running Shoes (not that I run), Potted annuals

Things to throw out: Old running shoes, socks with holes in them, old manuscript drafts

Things you love about writing: Characters popping in when least expected, figuring out the ending

Things you hate about writing: Not knowing where the commas go

Things you never want to run out of: Gas—ever see the opening of “Night of the Living Dead?”

Things you wished you never bought: A Plymouth Horizon car—small parts like door handles kept breaking off until the only way to get was through the hatchback

Words that describe you: Contemplative, good sense of humor, low key

Words that describe you but wish they didn’t: Steady

Favorite Foods: Olives, potato chips, salted caramel ice cream

Things that make you gag: Anchovies, peanut butter

Favorite Music or song: Anything by Bruce Springsteen

Music that drives you crazy: Heavy Metal (except I love AC/DC’s Highway to Hell)

Favorite Beverage: Wine, preferably a white

Things you always put in your books: A dash of humor

Things you never put in your books: Graphic violence

Favorite Places: North Shore of Lake Superior, Paris, Cuba

Place you never want to go again: Buffalo

Most embarrassing moment: Hitting the wrong note for the processional as the church organist (fired shortly thereafter.)

Proudest moment: Seeing the cover of my first published novel

About Linda:

Linda Norlander is the author of “Death of an Editor” and “Death of a Starling” from a Cabin by the Lake mystery series set in the woods of Northern Minnesota. Norlander has written award winning short fiction, non-fiction and humor. In her life before taking up the pen to write murder mysteries, she worked as a nurse in public health and end-of-life care. She resides with her husband in Tacoma, Washington.

 Let’s Be Social:

www.lindanorlander.com
www.facebook.com/authorlindanorlander

www.twitter.com/lindanorlander

Behind the Scenes - Sears Catalog Homes

I have been fascinated with the Sears Catalog homes for many years. Way before the days of Ikea and online shopping, people could pick out a house from a catalog and order it. All the pieces and parts arrived by railcar, and it was ready for assembly on your lot. It was a brilliant marketing plan for a retailer who sold household goods and appliances. They also dabbled in real estate and loans over the years. Check out the links for more information on the history of these homes, many of which are still standing in communities across America. From 1908-1940, Sears and Roebuck sold over 70,000 of these.

There are quite a few of these homes still standing in Hopewell, Virginia. We did a driving tour of the neighborhoods. The historic and nostalgic qualities of a bygone era are still apparent, while many have been refurbished for this generation. You can also find lots of groups on Facebook dedicated to preserving and showcasing these homes in a hosts of different states.

When I started my Delanie Fitzgerald series, I wanted her house to be interesting, so a Sears Catalog home, the 1939 Yates model was perfect. I needed a house for a single professional. In the novels, Delanie likes the historic details like the boards and building materials that are stamped with the model number and assembly codes. Delanie’s home is a two story, and the prominent feature on the front is the fireplace.

I took the liberty of putting Delanie’s house in the Winterpock neighborhood of Chesterfield County, Virginia. (I don’t think there are any catalog homes in the area.) A friend from church who is a retired state trooper did let me know after he read the book that there are some Sears homes in the Bon Air neighborhood of the county.

Check out the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries: Secret Lives and Private Eyes, The Tulip Shirt Murders, and Glitter, Glam, and Contraband. Delanie and her pals also appear in “Strut Your Mutt” in To Fetch a Villain.

Instagram for Book Lovers - Tips for Authors

Instagram is a haven for book lovers. Whether you’re a reader, collector, interior designer, or writer, you need to check out these amazing pictures. I love seeing all the creative ways people arrange their books. These are hashtags that you can type into the search bar to see a book lovers’ paradise.

#Bookstagram - This is a popular hashtag on the social media site. You’ll see thousands of books in beautiful settings. I am amazed at all the creative vignettes, colors, and designs. Many #Bookstagrammers are also book reviewers. Check out and follow ones you like. You can also follow the hashtag to see what’s being posted.

There are also variants of the hashtag by country, region, or preference. Type in #Bookstagram in search and scroll through the list for more options.

#Bookstack - This hashtag features stacks in any place you can imagine. Some are arranged by color, others by theme. I love looking at the photos to see if I can spot friends’ books.

#Bookshelf - This has so many great ideas for arranging shelves. Again, I am always looking to see if I can see friends’ books in the photos. My books (throughout the house) are grouped on shelves by genre. I have started theming some of the shelves (e.g. mystery, Wizard of Oz, etc.).

#Shelfie - This started out as photos with books and bookshelves, but you’ll see all kinds of designs that are tagged with this hashtag.

Other hashtags to check out on Instagram:

• AmReading

• Author

• AuthorsOfInstagram

• BookAholic

• BookCommunity

• BookFollow

• Bookish

• BookishAesthetic

• BookishFeatures

• BookLover

• BookNerd

• BookRecsByMe

• Books

• BooksAndWine

• BooksOfInstagram

• BookShivers

• BookstaPeeps

• Bookworm

• CozyReading

• CurrentRead

• IGReads

• ReaderProblems

• ReadersOfInstagram

• ThrillerStack

• TimeToRead

View, like, and comment. I think it’s important for authors to be active on Instagram. It’s a great way to meet readers, reviewers, fans, librarians, book store staff, and other writers.

I’d like to thank Sonica Soares (The Reading Beauty) for the great presentation she gave to our Sisters in Crime chapter about #Bookstagram. Many thanks for all the great advice and ideas!

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with J. P. McLean

I’d like to welcome author J. P. McLean to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things:

My husband, the smoky scent of a campfire, family photographs, red wine, and the sound of grown women giggling.

Things you need to throw out:

Insecurity, perfectionism, and what other people think of me.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Not much: a coffee, a laptop, and at least one hour (I don’t write well in shorter spurts).

Things that hamper your writing:

Lyrics in music because they distract me. Nor can I write with a telephone ringing in the background, or people talking. When that happens, I get up and make another cup of coffee.

Things you love about writing:

Creating dialogue, especially when my characters are having an argument. I love that I have the time to come up with the perfect retort (which rarely happens in my real life).

Things you hate about writing:

Feeling like a dunce when the edits come in.

Things you never want to run out of:

Pepperidge Goldfish Crackers

Things you wish you’d never bought:

Pepperidge Goldfish Crackers

Favorite foods:

All the pasta.

Things that make you want to gag:

Liver, tongue, heart, kidney—pretty much all organ meat.

Something you’re really good at:

Organizing: closets, filing cabinets, bookshelves, photos, you name it.

Something you’re really bad at:

Cold calls to sell my books.

Something you wish you could do:

Speak another language.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Housework.

Things to say to an author:

I loved your book; where can I post my review?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

If I had nothing to do, I’d write a book, too.

Things that make you happy:

Puppies (such fond memories), Fridays (even though I haven’t had a day job for years), finding a twenty-dollar bill in a coat pocket from last season (yes!), and going out for dinner (something I’ve dearly missed during COVID).

Things that drive you crazy:

When you get stuck behind a car that is driving WAY under the speed limit. Or when you get all the way home only to find the store’s non-removable tag still attached to the new jeans you bought for tonight’s party.

Most embarrassing moment:

Almost scoring for the other team when playing grade-school basketball. The nets changed ends at halftime, and I was exhausted—forgot we’d changed ends. I made a break for it—I honestly thought all the shouting was me being cheered on. Sadly, they were yelling at me to stop. If I hadn’t been such a lousy shot, I would have made the basket and scored two points for our opponents.

Proudest moment:

When I overheard my mom and dad tell a stranger that their daughter was an author.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Scuba diving

Something you chickened out from doing:

Skydiving

About J. P.:

JP (Jo-Anne) McLean writes urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. She is best known for her Gift Legacy series, which reviewers call addictive, smart, and fun. Her work has won honourable mentions from the Whistler Independent Book Awards and the Victoria Writers’ Society. JP is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business and makes her home on Denman Island, which is nestled between Vancouver Island and British Columbia on Canada’s west coast.

Let’s Be Social:

Website:         https://jpmcleanauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JPMcLeanBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpmcleanauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpmcleanauthor

Behind the Scenes - Renaissance Fairs

My sister and I went to our first Renaissance Fair in the nineties near Fredericksburg, Virginia. What fun. There were reenactments, jousting, crafts, demonstrations, and lots of singing. The venue had several vignettes that included a jousting ring, a Medieval ship on the pond, and a castle-like setting. I was amazed at the number of guests who arrived in costume. There were some theatre-worthy outfits.

Unfortunately, the fair we attended folded at that location. I’m hoping post-pandemic that the fairs and the fun will return. If you’ve never been, it’s an escape to another world with all kinds of characters and action-packed cosplay.

The RenList is a good source of information on schedules and events. This site also provides details on the themes and activities. The FaireFinder is also a wealth of information on Renaissance Faires, Pirate Festivals, Celtic Games, and Fantasy/Fairie Events.

I’m also fascinated by abandoned places. The Renaissance Fair near Fredericksburg, VA is listed on several of these type of sites. I love looking at the photos (especially of places I had visited). Renaissance Faires and the abandoned site made its way into one of my mysteries.

In THE TULIP SHIRT MURDERS, Delanie is investigating a lead on a stalker, and she meets a character who enjoys larping and Renaissance faires. Douglas Black, is very excited to share that he and his friends went on a quest to the abandoned site in Fredericksburg and pilfered artifacts and souvenirs.

Pop culture is always an underlying theme in my mysteries. Different activities, hobbies, and interests add flair to the characters. I also learn a lot during my research, and I end up adding things to my bucket list.

It's Time for Health Check of Your Writing Life

Audits, regular check ups, and routine maintenance always make me cringe. They’re not my favorite things to do, but they are necessary and important. And I challenge you to do an annual check up on your writing life. Are the things that you’re doing helping to move you forward with your goals?

Platforms

• Your website, newsletter, and social media platforms need routine care and feeding. When was the last time you posted or commented? Do you do things to actively grow your audience?

• Occasionally look at your follower lists. There are accounts that follow and drop you when you follow them back. It’s a good idea to purge nonfollowers from time to time.

• Make sure that all your links work on your sites. Test your contact me forms.

• Look at your author headshot. If it’s from ten years ago, you may be due for a new one.

• Look at the landing page of your website. Is it inviting and appealing? Can visitors easily navigate your site?

• Search for your name on a variety of search engines. See what comes up. If you’re not in the first page of results, you need to work on your internet presence.

Tools/Services

• Look at the tools and services that you pay for. Are they helping you market yourself and your books?

• Make sure that you use this services enough to get your money’s worth. Are there comparable free tools available?

• Check your accounts. Is “autorenew” set? If so, make sure that you still want the service before it’s time to reup. Chances are that you’re paying for things you don’t use.

Your Time

• Time is precious, and you need to guard it.

• It is okay to say no to things that you don’t want to volunteer for. It’s hard, but if you’re overloaded and overscheduled, you don’t have time to write.

• Look at where you spend your writing time. Is it balanced with your marketing efforts?

• Look at your numbers and what marketing efforts sell books. Scale back or jettison the ones that didn’t work for your book.

• Look for pockets of time in your day that you can redirect to your writing time. When we worked from home during the pandemic, I dedicated my normal two hours of commuting time to writing, and it paid off. I was very productive with my writing projects that year.

• Get organized. Stop spending precious time searching for things. Organize your desk, schedule, and computer files.

Take a few minutes to do a retrospective with your writing life. Look at what you’ve produced, marketing, goals, schedule, and expenses. Focus on a few things that will help you move closer to your goals.