A Sea of Faces

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By Laura Bradford

I’m in a hotel outside Franklin, NC today as part of a little mini book tour for my latest release, ASSAULTED PRETZEL.

I’ll spend the better part of the afternoon at Dalton’s Christian Bookstore before driving five hours to get to Nashville, TN for a signing at Mysteries & More tomorrow afternoon.

Early on in this book stuff, I felt sick every time I had to talk to a group of people. My voice shook, my mouth felt like I had bags of cotton in it, and I’d get this squirrley feeling in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t pretty, I’ll tell you that.

Fast forward seven years and, well, no more cotton…no more shake…no more squirrley feeling. In fact, I think I’d even go so far as to say I enjoy talking in front of a group now. I suppose it has something to do with practice. Maybe some of it is the realization that most people are receptive. And maybe some of it is that after spending so much time alone with a keyboard during the writing process, I welcome the opportunity to see human beings. Toss in the fact these particular human beings are book lovers and, well, it’s a pretty ideal situation.

Am I gifted at the public speaking gig? No. But I’m far better than I was, that’s for sure.

So how about you? Is public speaking something in your comfort zone?

~Laura 

Happy Easter!

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by Maria Geraci

I love Easter weekend! When I was kid, growing up in central Florida, Easter was one of the most anticipated holidays at my house. My parents, being strict Catholics, always emphasized the importance of the holiday over all the other religious holidays and made a huge deal of the entire weekend.
As a kid, the best part of Easter was that Lent was over. We didn’t have to go to church on Fridays for Stations of the Cross and we could eat meat again any time we wanted. Plus, we could resume eating/doing whatever it was we’d “given up” for Lent.

One Lent I gave up chocolate and candy of any kind. Pretty tough for an 8 year-old. That Easter Sunday I woke up and promptly gorged on all the goodies in my Easter basket. I remember feeling sick all during Easter mass and vowed I’d never give up candy again. After all, if I hadn’t deprived myself, then I wouldn’t have felt the need to overindulge, right? (at least that kind of logic seemed to work for me at that age!).

The other best parts of Easter? Egg hunts, warm spring weather, pretty pink dresses, gloves (yes, white gloves!), white frilly anklet socks, and Easter hats. Aw, the joys of growing up in the 60s and 70s. I remember sitting in the pew, alongside my sister and parents, feeling very important in my Easter finery.  I don’t think little girls wear white gloves on Easter anymore, but they should. If only to have the experience just once.

What are you fondest Easter memories?

Morals & The Neighbors

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by Bethany Maines

So, I’m pretty sure my neighbor’s live-in boyfriend is a
drug dealer. Now, on one hand, this really annoys the crap out of me. Such
activity attracts a grungy, unwashed, tattooed smoker kind of crowd that hold
loud, outdoor parties with clouds of pot smoke drifting over the hedge. Then
there’s the fact that their life style brings an increased risk factor to the
area.  Also, I kind of think one of
their dogs died because it “ate that whole nugget.”  I’m not entirely sure what amount or type of drug a nugget
is, but I’m pretty sure that it can’t be good for a fat, old bulldog.
On the other hand, since Scruffy Boyfriend moved in, the
home maintenance is up and so are the weird, crime ridden stories I hear over
the hedge. Here I was just pondering what kind of mind set one of my characters
would need to indulge casually in crime and then Scruffy Boyfriend moves in
next door.  Suddenly, I have a case
study of how to do a drug deal one lawn over. This is fascinating stuff. Not to
mention the fact that Scruffy Boyfriend is actually forcing Neighbor Girl into
home maintenance. Up until recently, she’d simply been tossing bags of garbage
over the back fence to pile by the garage door.  Upon discovering this he freaked out and insisted she clean
up because he assumed (correctly) that it was only a matter of time before a
neighbor got annoyed and turned them in – can’t have city officials visiting
your place of illegal business.
But there are moral considerations at stake. Like, is it
wrong to turn him in once I’ve learned all I need for my story? Is it wrong to
rename my wireless network FBI Surveillance Van to mess with their heads?  Is it ok to not turn in Scruffy
Boyfriend because I don’t think I can take Neighbor Girl’s dating anymore?  If only I could skip to the end like a
Choose Your Own Adventure to see how things turn out.

Bethany Maines is
the author of the Carrie Mae Mystery Series (Bulletproof Mascara, Compact With the Devil and Supporting
the Girls) and the Tales From the City of Destiny Series. Catch up
with her at www.bethanymaines.com or check out the new Carrie Mae youtube video.

Another opening….

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by:  Joelle
Charbonneau
I’ve had lots of opening nights.  Standing on stage behind the closed curtain
you can hear the buzz of the audience. 
The orchestra tunes up.  The
energy is electric.  No matter how many
rehearsals you’ve had or how well you know the show, there is a rush of
nerves.  A burst of adrenaline.  Under the excitement there is always the
worry that the show might not be ready for the audience – the press – the world. 
Then the curtain goes up. 
The orchestra plays and there is no time for doubts.  No time to worry about whether you’ll
remember your lines, lyrics or dance steps. 
The show starts and there is nothing to do but enjoy the ride.
The curtain is going up a week from today on my fifth
published novel – END ME A TENOR.  This
is the second of the Glee club mysteries.  Paige wants to make it big in the opera
world, but hasn’t yet snagged her big break. 
Until now!  A big name tenor is
headlining The Sing-A-Long Messiah and she has been cast as the soprano
soloist.  This could be her chance to
launch her career and officially end her tenure as the Prospect Glen Show Choir
coach.  Only things don’t go exactly as
planned and she is in danger of losing not only her big break, but her coaching
job as well. 

END ME A TENOR is perhaps my favorite of all the comedic
mysteries I’ve written.  Because Paige
spends part of the book in the world of professional performance, I found that
I put a great deal of my own experiences from the stage on the page.  The excitement.  The nerves. 
The hopes and worries that go along with knowing that you sometimes get
one chance to make an impression on not only the reviewers, but your
colleagues.  That perhaps despite all of
the practice you aren’t good enough to make it in the business.
Sounds a lot like writing, too, right?  Because with every opening curtain in the
publishing world, I feel those same emotions. 
The curtain goes up next Tuesday. 
I only hope that readers love Paige and the Music in Motion gang as much
as I love writing them.
And maybe if I’m lucky, the curtain will be allowed to come
up on this cast for many books to come. 
Paige and I would be happy to perform for as long as readers let us.

What I’m looking forward to at Malice this year

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I didn’t know what to write about this month, so I asked readers of my Facebook page, what should I talk about and thanks to Aimee H, the above topic was born. I decided to make the post short and fun and here it is. See, I got your name in my post.

The Screams! – Seeing my friends and screaming with joy.

The Panels! – Picking and choosing which ones to attend.

The Meals! – It’s all about the food and good talks.

Co-mingling! – Hanging in the lounge, catching up on everyone’s life.

Did I say “The Screams?” – Lots of hugs going around.

The Conversations! – Catching the latest news and just having a good time.

The Bar! – Where drinks will be flowing.

My Autograph Book! – I can’t wait to add more signatures.

The Authors! – More screams of joy when seeing old and new friends.

The Goodie Bag! – The joy of opening our goodie bag and checking out the new books tucked inside.

The Swags! – I can’t wait to see what I pick up.

Old Friends! – Seeing friends I haven’t seen since the last Malice convention.

New Friends! – Meeting new friends I met on Facebook or by reading their book.

And Best of All, The Sightings! – I love that first sighting of an author or my friends.

If you’re going to Malice or any reader/author convention, what are you looking forward?

The Chaos Demon

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Well, as some of our regular readers know, I’ve once again been computerless. The new laptop that replaced the one my jealous dog destroyed crashed and had to be replaced after they simply couldn’t repair it. So I’ve just received my new laptop and am replacing programs, files, etc. Only to realize this morning that I lost my calendar reminder to write and post my Stiletto Gang blog. My apologies to everyone for this late post.

And now for a little ranting. I am a compulsive backer-upper of data, especially since losing my other laptop to the jealousy of my particular member of “the ninja warriors of dogdom.” I have files backed up on jump drives, on an external hard drive, and I often email key files to myself on Gmail for cloud back-up. So my only concerns with this computer crash were the extensive time I was without a computer (because they kept thinking they should be able to fix such a new laptop) and the inevitable drudgery of putting all the programs and files back on the new laptop.

Hah! Little did I know! I have written about my husband on here before, I know. He’s a brilliant and sweet man, and I’m very lucky to have him. BUT… (You knew that was coming, didn’t you?) Our youngest son fondly refers to him as the chaos demon. He is the classic absent-minded professor. Sometimes people who work with him at the university take someone new into his office just for the shock effect. Over the years—after many efforts to set up systems he can’t destroy and after giving him books designed to help him understand the simplest organizational principles (like ”throw the trash in the trashcan—don’t just walk past it and deposit it on the kitchen counter”) I’ve stopped trying. I try to keep a couple of areas clear and comfortable for me, and I don’t look when I pass the rest. I haven’t had guests to my house in years, although I had many before he fully imbedded himself in my house. (It takes a year or two to completely undo good systems, I’ve found, even for a chaos demon.) He is a wonderful man, and it’s his only real fault, so I long ago decided to live with it.

My resolution may have gone up in smoke, however, when I found that the jump drive containing my most recent back-ups disappeared overnight after he borrowed it “for a minute.” Also, he took the external hard drive from where we always keep it, for some reason, and now he doesn’t know what he did with it. I have recovered some of what I need from emails, but not all, even though I had backed it all up to both a jump drive and an external hard drive. The frustration is about to drive me to drink.

Okay, I can understand how you could lose a tiny little black jump drive, but that external hard drive is bigger than a big hardcover book with lots of cables connected to it. What could he have possibly done with that?

I have informed him in stentorian terms that this weekend we will be doing an archaeological dig on all his areas of the house until one or the other of my back-up devices is found. Like my dog, he’s truly sorry and he truly loves me and he’s basically very smart and very good. So I guess I’ll keep him. But it was touch and go for a second there (not really).

I’ve Got The Music In Me

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by Maria Geraci

Every book I’ve written has been inspired, in part, by either a song or a playlist of songs. When I’m immersed in writing a story, there’s always music playing in my head. A lot of writers I know create playlists for their books. I’ve never done an “official” playlist for any of my books, but I think I’m going to put one together for my current work-in-progress. Mainly because it sounds like fun, but also because I think it’s very telling. The music we’re inspired by is tied into our voice. And by voice, I mean the way we view the world, the types of stories we tell, and the way we tell them.

When I was writing my first two Bunco books, I listened to a lot of Colbie Caillat. Her first CD, Coco, had just come out and almost every song on that album “talked” to me. Romantic, light, crisp, beachy and fun, her music evoked the same sort of emotions I wanted to evoke in my readers. Realize was the love song I listened to in my head (or on my iPod) whenever I wrote a scene between my hero and heroine. It became “their” song and an inspiration for the book, Bunco Babes Tell All.

With my latest release, A Girl Like You, my song inspiration was The Show, by Lenka. It’s quirkiness spoke to me immediately. It wasn’t until I finished the book that I realized why that song felt so perfect. A Girl Like You is about a woman who’s trying to find her place in the world and the lyrics were spot on.

I’m just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don’t know where to go I can’t do it alone I’ve tried
And I don’t know why


Right now I’m about half-way through my next manuscript and the song for the book came to me last week– Safe and Sound by Capital Cities. Now I can’t get it out of my head. Nor do I want to. That song is tied to my book the same way my voice is. I might not always “get” it immediately, but I know that by the time I finish typing “The End” the song choice (and my story) will make sense. At least to me.

 

Dealing with Conflict

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I came to the “Girls” party late; I only downloaded Season 1
from iTunes long after the show aired on HBO. 
But I was driven to find out what all the fuss was about and to see if
the show was as good/bad, controversial/provocative, well-written/poorly-written
as opposing viewpoints and reviews seemed to say.  There was a lot on the Internet about the
show and its writer and creator, Lena Dunham, and what the show possibly said
about what it is like to be a twenty-something young woman living in a very
intense city.  (I think that’s one thing
we can all agree on:  living in New York
at any age is a challenge.  The city is
the best in the world, in my opinion, but is loud, expensive, and sometimes
difficult to navigate, both literally and figuratively.)
I watched the first season from start to finish in one
dreary afternoon.  As a television show
with interesting characters and story arc, I found it enjoyable.  As a mother with a young adult daughter, though, I
came away thinking:  I really hope her
twenties aren’t quite this difficult.  I
hope she doesn’t have about eighty percent of these experiences. I hope she
travels a less-conflict-ridden road.  The
show makes me uncomfortable and after sorting through my feelings about various
characters and plot devices, I have come to the conclusion that that’s not a
bad thing.  In fact, it’s good.
Again, my opinion only, but to me, “Girls” is good
television, despite being difficult to watch, despite the situations that the
main characters often find themselves in, despite making me so uncomfortable
that I often have to pause to think about things I have just watched.  The conflicts are disturbing and sustained,
not resolving themselves in one half-hour episode. But watching the episodes as
one long story rather than separate episodes, I got to thinking:  does the show need the extended, brutal
conflicts in order to be entertaining?
And the answer, I decided, was yes.
Conflict is the salt /pepper in the plot recipe. A dash
here, a dash there and you have a compelling story that speaks to readers in a
way that a conflict-less story would not. 
Do I want to cringe while watching a show about young women trying to
figure out how to journey through a decade of life in an exciting city?  I guess I do. 
Even my favorite show of all time—“The Brady Bunch”—created a half-hour
episode about a happy, blended family on what would be considered cringe-worthy
topics of the early ‘70’s:  not making
the cheerleading squad, having a fake boyfriend, having one’s nose broken
before the big show, bombing an audition. Happiness, if we believe our favorite
shows and books, begets boredom while conflict brings the intrigue, the desire
to watch/read more.
I’m in the midst of writing a new book and contrary to what
might seem like common sense, am watching and reading as much as I can.  (I’m on a “Veronica Mars” kick right now and
even contributed to the Kickstarter campaign to make it possible for the movie
to be produced.)  I don’t “lose my
voice,” as some writers claim they do by reading more while writing.  Rather, reading different kinds of books and
watching television shows help me hone the conflict that must exist, temper the
drama that I want to bring to my story. Good writing is good writing, whether
it be on the page or on the screen and always helps me get to where I want my
story—my writing—to be.
I’ve read various stories and reviews of this season of
“Girls” and it sounds like the situations are more disturbing and emotional
than they were in season one.  There’s
OCD and disturbing sexual situations and even a mishap with a Q-Tip.  The writers seemed to have upped the ante,
creating more drama where a lot already existed.  Will I have to suspend disbelief when I watch
this new season?  Most likely. But will I
watch?  Definitely.  And most importantly, will I be
uncomfortable?
That goes without saying.
I know the Northern half of Evelyn David has an opinion
about “Girls”—we’ve talked about it and agree on the depiction of the more
salacious aspects of the show—but anyone else? 
And do you like shows or books that make you uncomfortable, that contain
so much drama that it practically hurts, or would you prefer less conflict,
more harmony?
Maggie Barbieri

Epicon

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I spent this past weekend in Vancouver WA attending Epicon–the conference for electronically published authors. Back when I first joined this group, Epic, there were no e-readers and any books published electronically had to be read on the computer. The founders were mostly romance writers unhappy with restrictions imposed by RWA. A few of us who joined were mystery writers.

The first conference was held in Omaha NE and right about that time the Rocket eReader became available. It was a bit harder to purchase a book and download it to the Rocket–but not much. It was backlit and turned off automatically if you fell asleep while reading.

Epic still has more romance writer (including any type of romance you can imagine) members than any other genre, however there are many others who have joined in from thrillers to science fiction and even poetry.

On Saturday night, awards were given to the best in each of these categories. This is always a gala event though people don’t dress up quite as much as they used to–in the beginning it was evening gowns and suits or tuxes for the men. I’ve been a finalist several times in mystery and  last year won for my romance with supernatural touches.

The best thing about this conference is the friendships I’ve made over the years guaranteeing big hugs upon arrival.

At one conference I met Larry and Lorna Collins whose first book was about their experiences building the Universal theme park in Japan. They have now branched out to mysteries and anthologies. We met in San Antonio TX the first time and got better acquainted in Virginia  and later in New Orleans. Since that time hubby and I have become good friends with the Collins and even spent a weekend with them in their home in Dana Point CA.

Believe me, besides having fun and renewing acquaintances, I did learn a lot about marketing and other tidbits here and there.

Next year the conference returns to San Antonio for the third time. It’s a great place for a conference, lots of things to do and places to see (The Alamo for one) when you have down time, and the hotel is haunted. What more could you ask for?

Marilyn aka F. M. Meredith

And of course I promoted my latest mystery, Dangerous Impulses.

Available from Amazon, of course.

Reintroducing Ms. Kaye Barley

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Evelyn David is thrilled to welcome Ms. Kaye Barley back to The Stiletto Gang!

We understand you have some big news to share.
Rumor has it that you’ve just published your first novel. Tell us a little
bit about it.  

I have, indeed! 
Can you believe it?  I’m still
pinching myself.  WHIMSEY: A NOVEL is a bit of southern fiction with a splash of magic and a
touch of fantasy, topped with a sprinkling of humor. It’s about connections.  And you can read more about it at The Whimsey
Webpage – http://www.kayewilkinsonbarley.com/ 
 

Just between us, did you base your book on any real
events or people in your life? If so, do they know it?  

Just between us – yes, there is a real life event
and it concerns a bit of painting done in the dining room of one of the homes
on The Island of Whimsey.  That was
lifted, in part, from an experience my parents had in having their dining room
painted when I was a little girl.  I
remember it well.  It’s been a source of
laughter for us for a number of years. 
My mom loved that it made its way into the book. 

You live in a beautiful part of North Carolina.
Does setting play a role in your novel? If so, how? And have you ever met that
guy “Eustace” from the reality tv show Mountain Men? Okay, forget
that last question – you can email us privately about that.  

We really do live in a gorgeous part of North
Carolina.  These mountains are heavenly
and filled, I think, with creative and healing energy.  I can’t believe you’re asking about Eustace!  I think I’m the last person on God’s green
earth to have heard of him!  I just heard
about him for the first time a week or so ago and now find out he’s a local
celebrity.  Which shows not only how much
I watch TV (hardly ever), but how much I get out and about (apparently, not
enough). 

Anyhooo – – 
getting back to your question (sorry, I do tend to get off on tangents,
don’t I?).  Setting plays a huge role in
WHIMSEY, but not our North Carolina mountains. 
The setting is an island off the coast of Georgia.  One of the things that draws me in while I’m
reading and will keep me coming back for more is a book’s setting.  My favorite authors are those who have such a
great sense of setting and those which are so well drawn they become a
character all on their own.  I tried to
do that with Whimsey.  I hope I
succeeded. 

Now that you’re an “official author” do
you view the book world differently? Can you still get lost in someone else’s novel?
Do you get distracted by a tendency to analyze paragraph structure and determine
point of view?  

Thanks for the “official author” thing!  Wow. 
I’m having a hard time with that one. 
And you know, to many people I’m not and will never be as long as I’m a
self-published author.  But, oh
well.   

Do I view the book world differently?  That would have to be a yes – I do.  Recent experiences have caused a bit of a
shift in how I view the book world. 

Can I still get lost in someone else’s novel
?  Oh, Wow.  You bet. 
I am completely and totally a reader. 
One who wants to just crawl inside the story.  A well-written book transports me and I live
in that world until the story is over – and often well after the story is
over.  I rarely get distracted by
anything that has to do with someone else’s writing.  There are as many different writing styles as
there are writers, and I leave the analyzing and deconstruction to those who
actually know about those things – and that’s not me.   I just wanted to write a story that had all
the elements that I enjoy reading about. 
I figured if it’s a story I loved, there would probably (hopefully)  be others who would love it as well. I’m well
aware that it’s not a book for everyone – but what book is?  I’m also well aware that I’m not, never will
be, a great writer.  But I tell a decent
story, decently written, in a fairly distinct “voice.”  Hopefully, as I continue writing I’ll get
better. 

Your dog Harley has a huge following. What does he
think of your new venture? Will he accompany you on book signing tours?  

That Harley. 
What a ham, huh?  Harley thinks
WHIMSEY is all about him, of course.  And
Fred the Corgi does look an awful lot like Harley, I have to admit.  Harley, however, does not read the Wall
Street Journal, and if he did, he would not need glasses to do that. 

Signing tours! 
Wow.  So far, Evelyn, no one’s
been begging me to come do much in the way of a signing tour.  I am, however, going to be one of the
exhibiting writers – as opposed to the big name presenting authors – at the
High Country Festival of the Book  here in Boone
in June.  I’m not sure, though, that it’s
a dog-friendly venue.  He would love it
though ‘cause a couple of his favorite authors are on the roster.  I’m pretty excited about it too.   

What’s next on your writing agenda?  We know you’re a fan of mysteries. Have you
considered writing one? 

Next on the writing agenda is Whimsey Book
#2.  There are five very close
girlfriends in WHIMSEY:  A NOVEL.  We learned Emmaline Foley Hamilton’s story in
Book #1.  I hope to tell each woman’s
story over time.  I’ve written the first
scene in Book #2, but have put it aside for a bit while I concentrate on
promotion right now. 

I am a huge fan of mysteries, you’re right.  I have not considered writing one, but just a
few years ago I had not considered writing a novel at all. So, maybe.  We’ll see. 

If you could tell someone who was thinking of
writing their first novel, one thing – what would it be? Why? 

I would say “Do It!”   I would say this to anyone who wants to do
anything they have an itch and an urge to do. 
Writing, painting, photography, whatever.  Just do it. 
It doesn’t need to be for anyone other than yourself.  If it brings you a bit of joy, do it.  And don’t wait until you think the time is
right otherwise the years are going to just keep on going by and you’ll still
be waiting.  Just do it!  
 

Pick a favorite paragraph from your book and share
it with us.  

A favorite paragraph.  Okay – here’s one. 

“The painting showed not just five little girls
playing dress-up, but the depths of their joy in one another.  Each making sure they were all equally
visible, unable to be separated without a hand holding another’s hand, a finger
touching another’s nose, one giving another’s big picture hat a minor
adjustment.  The joy was infectious.  The love was palpable.  The quiet shades of white and sepia tones
tinged with the palest pink, recognized widely as Olivia’s signature palette,
giving it an aura of timelessness.” 

How do we find WHIMSEY? Where is it sold and what formats is it available in? 

Print versions of WHIMSEY are available through
any bookstore.  Because it’s
self-published some people think it’s only available at Amazon.  I purchased an ISBN through Bowker so that
the book could be distributed through other distributors, such as Ingram, so
your favorite bookseller can order it for you. 
The only eVersion, right now, is Kindle.  

WHIMSEY is Kaye Wilkinson Barley’s first novel.
She lives with her husband, Don, in the North Carolina mountains along with
Harley Doodle Barley, the Wonder Corgi.

You can follow news about WHIMSEY here – http://kayewilkinsonbarley.com/ 

Kaye is Blog Mistress of Meanderings and Muses,
which you can follow here –http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/ 

She also steps in as “Oh, Kaye!” the
first Sunday of every month at Jungle Red Writers – http://www.jungleredwriters.com/ 

Kaye was also a contributor to two regional
Western North Carolina anthologies – – – “Clothes Lines,” and
“Women’s Spaces Women’s Places,” both edited by Celia H. Miles and
Nancy Dillingham.