Missing

/in /by


By Evelyn David

My muse has taken a hike – like in the Himalayas.
I’ve lost my MoJo, my ability to create murder and mayhem at will. It’s not
that I can’t think of delightful ways to kill off villains – in real life and
fictionally. But it seems I have misplaced my ability to create a coherent
storyline, one that won’t leave readers scratching their heads and wondering
what the heck happened, if anything.

In my defense, I’ve got lots of good reasons why the muse
went missing. Real life intruded and the poor thing probably felt neglected. No
attention was paid to the tiny bursts of inspiration she’d proffer. “Hey,
how about a story about a neighbor who was an Elvis impersonator. Or “How
about a murder victim who mumbled ‘Camelot’ with his last breath.” But after
I’d ignored enough hints about getting back to work, I suspect my muse headed
off to someone else who would appreciate a clever inspiration of whodunnit. Heck,
she’s probably feasting at Stephen King’s house right this minute – and I don’t
blame her a bit.

The Master of Terror understands. Stephen King once said
that the “scariest moment is always just before you start [writing]. After
that, things can only get better.” But of course, that assumes you can start.
Sue Grafton, mistress of the alphabetic mysteries, was blunt: “I carry a
notebook with me everywhere. But that’s only the first step. Ideas are easy.
It’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the
goats.”

And Mary Heaton Vorse, activist and journalist, was even
blunter: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants
to the seat of the chair.”

So I’m putting out the welcome mat, baking some chocolate
chip cookies (for the muse and me), and following the immortal advice of James
Thurber: “Don’t get it right, just get it written.”

Break’s over; time to get back to work.

Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

 

—————
 

Evelyn David’s Mysteries 

Audible    iTunes

Audible    iTunes

 

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Fireworks – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah – trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 – A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Book 3 – Lottawatah Fireworks (includes the 8th, 9th, and 10th Brianna e-books)

Sullivan Investigations Mystery series
Murder Off the Books Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback 
Murder Doubles Back Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords


Zoned for Murder – stand-alone mystery
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords
Trade Paperback


Romances
Love Lessons – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Mindboggling Goal of Perfect Timing

/in /by
 By Laura Spinella
Are you a writer who sets goals?  I
know lots of writers do this: daily word count goals, drop-dead date goals,
NaNoWriMo inspirational goals. Right now, I’m more about the let-me-get-to-November-without-my-head-exploding
goal. I’m seven weeks out from pub date, and if you’re an author, I don’t need
to say any more. But in an effort to fill this box, allow me to elaborate.
            A year ago, I had a
workable mental plan for the weeks leading up to PERFECT TIMING’S pub date—NOVEMBER 5th. Okay, so maybe
it wasn’t a plan. Maybe it was more like…a vision. Yes, that’s what it was, a vision.
A place in my mind where book bloggers would seek me out and drive my Penguin
publicist nuts in anticipation of my sophomore novel, my inbox so filled with
pre-pub requests and kudos that I could barely keep up. Fine. So it wasn’t
exactly a vision either—it was, maybe, more like a fantasy. As the months have moved
forward, the fantasy has faded.  The
reality of having to haul ass myself to keep this book afloat has sunk in. Of
course, I knew this would be the case. I did as much for BEAUTIFUL DISASTER, and
while the book held its own, I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Oprah or
even the local library would come a-callin’, not without some serious effort on
my part.
            As early as last spring,
I had this future requirement, this goal, fixed in my head. It was about that
time the novel I’d started writing late last summer took flight. You know how it
goes. You knead and knot words, vacillating between love and hate—scraping
dead-end ideas and pitching yourself fresh ones.  Brand new people arrive, like houseguests on an extended stay, people who, quite frankly, take over your life. Like real houseguests,
they also don’t cook or clean. Characters are dropped like confetti into a
whirlwind of circumstance, and as the days go by you fear any readable rational
outcome will require an MFA (which I don’t have), a hundred years (which I don’t
have), and a decoder ring to result in a narrative that resembles a novel. In
the meantime, a few million other authors, all of them your closet Facebook
friends, publish brilliant books, accepting a flood of adulation with poise and
grace.
Suffice it to say it was a long spring and an even
longer summer.
Then, around the first of August, I started to hear time
tick. That pub date was creeping closer. Yet I couldn’t fathom abandoning my
new novel—I love this story way too much.
So much so that I couldn’t stop to pay attention to what now seemed like the old novel. I’d go to my little critique
group, and they ask for PERFECT TIMING updates. I’d look at
them, squirrelly-eyed, and say, “Yeah, I know… that’s coming up soon, isn’t it?”
Then I’d hand them the next installment of my shiny new novel, anxious to hear feedback.
(Tell me this is not a drug) I wrote harder and raced faster, making August 31st
my drop-dead date. Come Hell or high water, on that date, I’d turn my new novel
over to my agent.
Well, wouldn’t you know, August 31st was a
Saturday. I mean, there’s no sense in emailing your agent on a Saturday.
Everybody knows that. So here we are on Friday the 13th—  September 13, which might be a fun, fate tempting,
sort of day to send a manuscript on its way. But everybody knows people in publishing
don’t work on Fridays. What would be the point in sending a manuscript on a
Friday?  On the other hand, I know none
of these excuses will prevent Monday from coming. And I swear, on Monday, it
will go. At least I think it will. As far as I know Monday isn’t a national or
religious holiday. Realistically, I suspect as soon as it’s gone… out of here…
on its way, things will smooth out and find a proper path. I know this
because the way I feel about the new book was exactly the way I once felt about
a story called PERFECT TIMING.         
              
Laura Spinella is the author of the award-winning novel, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER and the upcoming novel, PERFECT TIMING. Visit her at lauraspinella.net

Book Covers & Boots

/in /by

by Bethany Maines

Author’s Note: I will not be writing about 9/11.  I think we’ll probably see enough of that elsewhere today, so I will be writing about something much more fun – book covers.

Just as it is a truth universally acknowledged that a rich
bachelor must need a wife, it also known that a book cover can make or break a book.
But what makes a good book cover?cThe easy answer is that a book cover should clearly state
the title, author, and give a visual impression of the contents in the simplest
possible manner. Easily said, but not so easily done. Capturing the tone of a
book, much less a central theme, and an idea of characters or plot, in one
single graphic image is incredibly difficult.

As the release date for my new collection of short stories,
Tales from the City of Destiny, approaches I find myself once again fascinated
by book covers. From Romance novels with their assortment of bare-chested
heroes, to the illustration covered sci-fi/fantasy novels (see examples below), to Contemporary
Fiction with their photo based covers of women with no heads (yes, headless
woman books are a thing – check out this slideshow) each genre appears to have
their own language for how to speak to their audience. And that’s what I find
interesting! All of these books have targeted a specific audience.

Ask an author who their audience is and nine times out of
ten we’ll fumble around and say “lots of people.” If we’re really on the ball
we can probably narrow it down to half the population – ie men or women. But in
all honesty, authors write for an audience of one, themselves. Perhaps,
afterwards, they’ll be able to narrow it down to a more specific genre, but thinking
about our work like that forces us to turn our precious creative effort into a
commodity, not just in the real world, but also in our own heads. Believing in
the reality of our characters is part of what makes writing fun, and without
that, what’s the point? 

And there’s the dirty little secret of writing: sometimes
marketing kills the fun.  Which is
why it’s nice to have someone else do it for you, or at least to have a team
supporting you. So to all of those authors who grit their teeth, put on their
big girl boots, and go out and market their books, I salute you!  And as I reach for my own boots, here
is a sneak peak at the new book cover for Tales from the City of Destiny.


Bethany Maines is the author of
the Carrie Mae Mystery series and Tales from the City of Destiny. You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube
video or catch up with her on Twitter.

Opinions wanted

/in /by

By: Joelle Charbonneau
Next week is Bouchercon – a fan conference for all mystery
and thriller related.  There will be book
signings, awards and panels filled with book discussions.   
One of the panels I’m participating on this year at
Bouchercon is about all things promotion. 
How much is too much promotion?  
Um…I haven’t a clue.
Honest.  I really
haven’t the foggiest how to answer that question.  Probably because I’m bad at promotion.  I’ll write the occasional blog post, do an interview
if I’m asked and tweet if I’m giving away a copy of a book.  I even remember to post reviews on Facebook-
especially if my agent posts them first and makes it easy for me to hit the
share button. 
But when it comes to creating bookmarks, swag, updating my
Amazon author page and posting on chat boards or e-mail group loops about my
book….I’m terrible at it all.  I feel
silly when I carry bookmarks.  In fact, I
forget they are even in my bag unless someone asks about them.  That’s probably the reason I don’t make them
anymore.  And while I was encouraged to
join lots of loops and Goodreads groups, I think I might have posted once one
them.  Thank goodness for my publishers
or no one would know about my books. 
So…needless to say, I’m probably not the right author to be
weighing in on what promotion works or how to know where to draw the line.  Which is why I need your help.  What kinds of author driven promotional
things do you like?  Which ones turn you
off?  And what would you prefer to see
when it comes to the wonderful world of book promotion?   I am
taking notes!

The Days of Awe

/in /by

These are the Days of Awe. The period between Rosh Hashonah,
the Jewish New Year that began last Wednesday evening, and Yom Kippur, the Day
of Atonement, which will start this Friday night. It’s a time of reflection, of
repentance, of prayer.

The liturgy is full of powerful images. Several times during
the 25 hours of the holiday, a time when we fast, we repeat The Al-Chet, the
prayer of confession. We recite a long list of sins, asking forgiveness for
those we have done knowingly AND unknowingly. We ask God to “pardon us,
forgive us, atone for us.” But the prayer also tells us how “Teshuvah,
Tefilla and Tzedakah,” repentance, prayer, and charity are the ways we are
forgiven. Simply reciting the words do not give you a metaphorical “free get
out of jail card.” Words must be accompanied by action. Thought must
become deed.

I went to a lecture a few weeks ago, given by the brilliant
liturgist Lawrence Hoffman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_A._Hoffman).
He urged his audience to move beyond the simple translation of the words we
recite. To move beyond the image of God marking in a celestial accounting book, who will
live and who will die in the coming year. But instead to focus on the kind of life you will lead in the
coming year. If you knew that your time on this earth were to end this year, were you
leading the meaningful, thoughtful, loving kind of life you would want?

Whether you are Jewish or not, I think that is a question
for each of us, applicable whether it’s the Days of Awe or not. It makes us
focus on what’s important, prioritize how we spend our time, and insures that
we keep true to those values we know to be the bedrock of our lives.

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life, with best wishes
for a healthy, happy, meaningful new year. 

Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

—————
 

Evelyn David’s Mysteries 

Audible    iTunes

Audible    iTunes

 

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Fireworks – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah – trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 – A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Book 3 – Lottawatah Fireworks (includes the 8th, 9th, and 10th Brianna e-books)

Sullivan Investigations Mystery series
Murder Off the Books Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback 
Murder Doubles Back Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords


Zoned for Murder – stand-alone mystery
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords
Trade Paperback


Romances
Love Lessons – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

And Now, About You…

/in /by

By Laura Bradford

If you sat at a nearby table, and watched me interact with people, you’d notice that I like to ask questions. As this little habit of mine has continued in life, I’ve come to realize there are probably two reasons for this: I’ve never quite shed my reporting hat from two decades ago and I’m a rather private person (I’ll ask about you to keep from saying too much about me).

It is what it is, I guess.

That said, I do love learning things about people. It fascinates me.

I guess this is why, in rather un-blog like fashion, I turn my personal blog over to my readers every Friday…giving them a chance to have their say. I do this, by asking them questions–random, fun, get-to-know-you type questions. And you know what? They actually answer.

We’ve been doing this pretty much every Friday (with a few, rare exceptions) for the past 2 years and I think we all feel like we know a little about each other because of them. I know that Carol likes to cook and read and bought her dream house last year. I know that Mary volunteers, cooks, crafts, and owns a Harley. I know that Chris loves science fiction, dragons, restoring cars, and makes me laugh. I know that Elizabeth The College Seamstress is a really hard worker and likes tradition.

I could go on, but figure instead, I’ll just try the same thing here, today…

Ready? Here goes:

1) What was the first concert you ever saw? Who did you go with?

2) What do you do in your current life that makes you feel young?

3) What’s the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

4) What was your first paying job?

~Laura

And How Do I Do So Much?

/in /by

I had a completely different post planned for today but after reading Marilyn’s yesterday, I got to thinking about the topic.  People often ask me how I get so much done which interestingly, sends me into a tailspin of guilt and self-doubt because to me, I’m not getting nearly as much done as I would like.

To wit:  I have a book due October 1.  I’m only 3/4 of the way done and regrettably, have decided to change direction.  (For the better, I might add.) I also have many day job projects, a conference to attend, and a house to keep up, lest the bad guys (the dust bunnies) win.

So what will I do?

I face this dilemma every several months or so.  This year, when day job was quiet, I had the good sense to write a new manuscript (a young adult book about which I am awaiting word on its fate), and to start the second book in the Maeve Conlon series, the book with the aforementioned October 1st deadline. But there always comes a time when there is too much to do and too little time left and it feels like the night before my Econ final in freshman year of college, the one for which I had lost my textbook and for which I had no idea whatsoever would be about, other than the broad topic of macro-Economics.  (I did poorly, to say the least.)  There are weekend writing sessions involved, some crying, overflowing laundry baskets, and take-out dinners more nights than not.  There are middle-of-the-night epiphanies (and some more tears) and long, drawn-out phone calls–time that could be spent writing–where I bemoan the fact that once again, I will miss my deadline, something that has never happened in my almost decade-long writing career but which always looms large in my perfectionist brain.

I, like Marilyn, go to bed early, so mornings are the best time for me to tackle the to-do list.  But inevitably, something happens that takes a perfectly organized day and turns it on its ear.  A forgotten lunch that needs to be delivered.  A vomiting dog.  A broken appliance. Or sheer exhaustion.  They all take their toll and serve as disturbances timed perfectly to coincide with my most stressful work period.

All this to say:  I’ll get it done.  I always do.  And when it’s over and the book is turned in and the day job work is going swimmingly, everyone doing what they are supposed to be doing and on time, I will do the laundry once a day and cook nutritious meals and exercise in the morning.

Until I get the revisions.  And then the crying starts again.

Maggie Barbieri

Answering the Question, How do You Do So Much?

/in /by

People ask me that question all the time, in person and online, and frankly, I don’t think I do nearly as much as some.

One reason people think I do a lot is because I post what I’m planning to do nearly every day on Facebook. I’m not doing this to impress people, but to make me do it.

I no longer have children at home (except my grown son who lives in our little house next door). I do have a huge family–one daughter, her hubby and daughter and hubby and three kids live close by so I see them a lot. Everyone else is in California but not that close. I do try to see everyone as much as possible.

And this is a biggie–I no longer do my own housework and haven’t for a long time. I pay someone to do it–over the years it has been different someone’s but usually a family member who needs the money. No, it’s not done how I would’ve done it back when I had time–but that was back when having a sparkling clean house meant something to me.

Cooking is something I still do because most of the time I enjoy it. When it seems like a chore, we go out to eat. I’m old, I figure at this stage in life I deserve it. I’ve probably cooked a million plus meals over the years having raised 5 kids, always having company over, living in and running a facility for 6 developmentally disabled women, nearly always being the one to cook the holiday meals, etc.

When it comes to writing, I try to do that first thing in the morning. The problem I’m finding these days, is that I really need to do most everything in the morning–especially shopping. I just poop out to quickly in the afternoon. Sometimes my writing has to wait.

I have a new Deputy Tempe Crabtree books soon to come out, Spirit Shapes, just sent in the final edits, and have been busily planning both a blog tour for October and a lot of in-person events that same month. Should be interesting to see how well I hold up and if I can get any writing done.

My next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel is done, but I’m still reading it to my critique group. Then it will have to be edited before I send it to the publisher. And it’s time I started the next Tempe mystery. I have some ideas but have yet to type Chapter One.

To be honest, I’ve been promoting some books that have just gone up on Kindle and that’s taken some of my time. I also had to read and judge some books for a contest. Have one more to go. And I don’t have to do that in the morning.

One thing I’ve noticed is that it takes me longer to read the books I’m reading for fun. I used to read at least a book a week–no longer.  Hubby and I like to go to the movies–and we usually do that early in the day too.

And one last reveal…I often go to bed at 8 p.m. (the only time I don’t is when Dancing with the Stars is on) and I get up around 4:15 and 4:30 every day.

So there is the answer to the question–and I think the short version is I don’t really do nearly as much as I’d like to.

Marilyn

http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Feast-ebook/dp/B00E8K05WQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378042986&sr=1-1&keywords=Deadly+Feast

This is one of the older books that is now on Kindle–and began life as a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, but I realized it really wasn’t Tempe and changed the characters and the setting a bit. And for Kindle and the other e-book formats, I updated it too.

Happy Labor Day from Evelyn David

/in /by
 
 
 

Enjoy the Holiday!   

 
From a funeral home make-up artist, to a small town reporter, to a psychic doing ghostly social work,
our characters work hard for their money.
Check out our mysteries – available in 
e-book, trade paperback, and now two in audiobook formats!
 

Audible    iTunes

Audible    iTunes

 

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Fireworks – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah – trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 – A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Book 3 – Lottawatah Fireworks (includes the 8th, 9th, and 10th Brianna e-books)

Sullivan Investigations Mystery series
Murder Off the Books Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback 
Murder Doubles Back Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords


Zoned for Murder – stand-alone mystery
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords
Trade Paperback


Romances
Love Lessons – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords