Snarky in the Suburbs Visits the Stiletto Gang!

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Today I am thrilled to welcome Snarky in the Suburbs to
the Stiletto Gang. Snarky’s new book, Snarky
in the Suburbs Trouble in Texas, will be available on January 16th.

I first met Snarky, aka Sherry Kuehl, through her blog –
a blog that makes you snort your morning coffee out your nose. Then I met her in
person and found her as sensible and warm and snarky as her words. Now I get to
introduce her to you!


What inspired the creation of Snarky?

Snarky was
inspired by every PTA meeting I’ve had to sit through. Think about it – is
there a richer cast of characters than the slice of life we see at parent
meetings?  I’ve also moved a lot and it always intrigued me that each new
school my kids went to it was essentially the same moms, the same
issues and always one family with his and her Range Rovers.

We loved it when
Snarky took down the evil overlords of the PTA in your last book, tell us about
what happens in book two.

 

In Snarky in the Suburbs Trouble in Texas – the main character, Wynn Butler, goes home to Texas to visit her family
and discovers her mother has become an entrepreneur and opened up a
cupcake bakery that seems to be doing double duty as a halfway house for
economically battered Junior League dropouts.

If that’s not
enough to make Wynn want to turn tail and run home, her mom, is hell bent on
convincing her to “heed the call of Jesus” and come to the aid of a woman that
made Wynn miserable in high school – Sara Beth Bishop. And by aid Wynn’s mother
means concoct a plan to exact epic revenge on Sara Beth’s lying, cheating,
spray tanning, money stealing ex-husband and his new wife, snob-of-the-millennium,
Yale Greenly.

Why should people read your books?

I hope women read my books as a humorous escape from
the realities of life. I know personally with parenting in the
teen trenches and dealing with aging parent issues all I want some days is to
just to sit down, put my feet up, grab a book and laugh.

What’s
your take on yoga pants outside of yoga class?

Yoga pants are the enemy. I fear ten years from now a large percentage of
America females will no longer remember how to button and zip a pair
pants. Thank God for texting or many women would be experiencing thumb atrophy
due to lack of use from only wearing elastic waist clothing.

What’s next for Snarky?

Inspired by my amazing and talented mystery writing friends I want to
try a Snarky Detective book. I’ve got a plot rattling around in my head where
the Snarky character (Wynn) is at a dance competition in Branson with her
daughter and someone gets killed. Branson and dance moms – to me that sounds
like a whole lot of crazy.

Sherry Kuehl writes the popular blog snarkyinthesuburbs.com, which was optioned by ABC for film and television. She’s the author of
two books: Snarky in the Suburbs Back to School and Snarky in the
Suburbs Trouble in Texas. Ms. Kuehl can also be seen on morning television
dispensing “21st century advice with an attitude” with her “Dear
Snarky” segment and she has a weekly column in the Kansas City Star that
features her unique take on life.

Her background is in broadcast journalism. She’s an award-winning producer and journalist
having worked for CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Public Television and
Cox News.

Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief! – Where Does a Story Idea Come From? – Part One

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Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief! – Where Does a Story Idea Come From? – Part One by Debra H. Goldstein 
 (Part Two will appear on Wednesday, January 21)

Ideas?  Where do your story ideas come from?  After people ask me whether I miss my former job (https://debrahgoldstein.wordpress.com – December 22, 2014 – “It’s Not Always a Mystery”), they invariably ask me how I come up with the ideas for the stories and books I write.  My answer is simple:  I pull them out of the air, dreams, contest or submission prompts, sentences that stick in my mind, observing a moment of human behavior that results in brainstorming, or finding an interesting fact when researching.  The key is to find the twist that distinguishes my story idea from those of other writers.

Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief! is a short story that grew out of research connected to a submission call for New Orleans related stories to be published in the February 2014 Mardi Gras Murder anthology.  Having visited New Orleans, I knew I could write about food, parades, and Hurricane Katrina, but so could everyone else.  To find a new twist, I researched different possible topics, but nothing struck my fancy.  Then, in the middle of reading about scheduled Krewe events, I saw a reference to secret Mardi Gras Indian parades. More research revealed traditions and elaborate costumes tied to these below the radar African-American Indian parades that fascinated me.

I immediately knew my story would involve characters participating in a Mardi Gras Indian parade in

New Orleans, but when?  At the historic time the parades began or in a more modern time period?  I also had to find a way to make my tale more than a recitation about parades and beads.

As I strove to find a different angle, two thoughts or themes kept running through my mind, Hurricane Katrina and the idea of redemption.  The problem was that they didn’t seem to go together.
It wasn’t until I discovered the human spirit that brought all parades and celebrations back into existence after their suspension because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that I realized how to link the two.  From that moment, the story flowed out of me. The result is one of my very favorite and most meaningful short stories – Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief! 

Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief was featured in the Mardi Gras Murder short story anthology in February 2014.

Cameron Diaz and Women’s Liberation

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 by Kay Kendall                              

                                                                               

I don’t know about you, but I feel relieved. Various TV morning shows and
a plethora of online sources that follow celebrities’ doings say I can check
one thing off my worry list. Movie actress Cameron Diaz “is not going to die an
old maid.”
Really? In this day and age, wouldn’t you think that opinion was old hat?
What is this—the 1950s?
Lest you taunt me for being frivolous, I assure you my musings are quite serious
about the wedding of Ms. Diaz (42) and rocker Benji Madden (35). For the last
two years I’ve thought a good deal about how far we women have come, baby, as I
developed my mystery set against a women’s liberation background. Rainy Day Women takes place in 1969. Those
were early days in what is known now as Second Wave Feminism. (First Wave took
place in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, keying on legal issues,
primarily women’s right to vote).
From the vantage point of 2015, looking back at the sixties, you could assume
the women’s movement had changed many attitudes about appropriate behavior for
women. And then you slam into nasty offhand comments about poor Cameron Diaz. Believe me, this actress is no wallflower. Her dalliances with celebrity
boyfriends are the stuff of legend. To name only a few, there were heart throb
Justin Timberlake, Oscar winner Jared Leto, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and
even P. Diddy  AKA Sean Combs.
With that dating background, Cameron Diaz needs a better commentary on
her marriage that took place on January 5. She deserves to be compared to
Warren Beatty, famous playboy who settled down with wife Annette Benning when
he was all of 55. They wed, had children, and are evidently living happily ever
after. When that happened, no one proclaimed he had been saved from a life of sad
bachelorhood.
This blog topic was thrust upon me when a longtime pal shared her ire
over media jabs at Ms. Diaz. My friend said, “A woman has many other ways to
fulfill herself or prove her worth than through marriage. Why hasn’t everyone
gotten beyond that narrow, old-fashioned opinion by now?”
Why indeed? Great question.
When I began writing Rainy Day
Women, my intent was to show the kinds of issues bedeviling women
45 years ago. They flooded into consciousness raising groups with senses of
despair over choices offered them in life—and then left those meetings
emboldened to follow their own paths. Despite being called unfeminine or
derelict of their familial duties, they set out to take control of their own
destinies.
Clearly there are still some people who want women to remain in
traditional roles no matter what. Female emancipation still scares many.
My husband likes to tell about the time he was traveling in Asia for
business and a male executive delivered a stunning view. “There are three
sexes in the world,” the man said. “There are men, women, and American women.”
My husband did not find that amusing. Rather, he shakes his head when he tells
the story, disturbed at such prejudice.
Okay then, I will now proudly place myself in that third category. If being
an American woman means I stand up for my rights as a person then, yes, I will
do that.
And as for Cameron Diaz, who has often gone on record as being uninterested
in marriage, I would tell her this: “Honey, you just go right on living as you
choose. Unmarried, married, or divorced—it is all up to you.” In short, you go,
girl! 
*******   

Kay Kendall set her
debut novel, DESOLATION ROW–AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows
her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving her best friend didn’t murder
women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical
mysteries, Kay wants to do for the 1960s what novelist Jacqueline Winspear
accomplishes for England in the 1930s–write atmospheric mysteries that capture
the spirit of the age. Kay is also an award-winning international PR executive
who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills.
Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show
she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. 
 *******

Slowing Down, Yes I am by Marilyn Meredith

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People are always asking where I get my energy. The answer is, I’d like to know where to get some of it back.

Yes, I am slowing down, which I suppose is to be expected when you pass the 80 milestone.

I must say inside I still feel young, but when I have to choose between shopping or staying home, staying home usually wins. I do still grocery shop every week but shopping for fun is a thing of the past. Oh I am still tempted when I got into Kohl’s to look at the clothes–though I certainly don’t need any.

I never wore stilettos and I gave up high heels around the age of 60 plus. I still like good-looking shoes, but they need to be comfortable.

Going to every Left Coast Crime and Bouchercon once was a must. Hubby and I traveled all over the country to attend and visited many states we’d never have even though to going to otherwise. While Mayhem in the Midlands was still going strong, we went to everyone of those too. (How I miss that one and all the friends I made there.) We also squeezed in a few others at times, like Killer Nashville and Love is Murder.

Last year, I attended Left Coast Crime because it was in Monterey and a friend drove us.

One I haven’t missed for years is the Public Safety Writers Association’s conference in Las Vegas, also driveable, and I’m going to be one of the presenters in July. Right now I have no plans to attend any others. The big reason is flying and rushing from one place to another to change planes is not something I want to do anymore. Another reason is the expense.

What I haven’t given up is writing two books a year. My next Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, Violent Departures is scheduled to debut in April, and I’m busy working on the next still untitled Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. It isn’t as easy to do this as it once was, but I’m not giving up yet–I love my characters to much to do that.

I will be doing some closer to home events, interacting with readers is always something I enjoy.

And remember folks, I have a huge family–four adult kids, 18 grandkids and 15 great-grands–and the number keeps growing. Spending time with family is always top priority.

Is there anything you’ve decided to give up? Or are you all still full of energy? What are you looking forward to doing most in 2015?

Marilyn who is also known as F.M. Meredith.

Recreation – or Re-create?

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Yesterday I hit send on an email to my editor with my fifth Tourist Trap book. I sweated the deadline on this puppy as I had hip replacement surgery mid November. Coming into December, I had about 15,000 words done out of 72000 I ended up with to finish.

 I worried about finishing.

I worried that even if I finished, would the story come together. 

I worried I couldn’t write on my laptop in my living room.

But it came together. I love the story and the role one of my characters, Aunt Jackie is taking on. I love watching the characters come alive and the little whispers I get when I read an interaction. Like seeing a couple notice each other and start to fall in love.

My next book I’m doing really bad things to a really nice person. And frankly, I can’t wait to get started. (insert evil laugh here.)

South Cove is becoming more and more real to me as I write each book.

Today I started a long overdue novella to finish off The Council series. Then I’ll be back in South Cove, causing havoc with my character’s lives. 

But right now, I’m taking a mini break and relaxing. Time to heat up some apple cider and eat junk food because I finished a book.

Again.

Lynn

Do you love series? If you haven’t started The Tourist Trap Mysteries, Guidebook to Murder is on sale for $1.99 Check out the book that hit the NYT’s list this summer.

Buy here – Kindle or Nook

Seeds

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by Linda Rodriguez

I’m working on a new novel project that I find very
exciting. So as we begin this new year, I thought I’d give you a taste of the
original journal entry that led to this project. These words were seeds that
have grown into a sapling that’s on its way to major tree. As is the way of
seeds, these seeds don’t look much like the sapling and will resemble the grown
tree even less, but this is what the absolute beginning looks like.

Living on the surface,
focusing on externals and other people’s needs, instead of the internal world
of images, ideas, imagination, that is my home when working well. And it takes
some time after an external surface period with others to regain that internal
world and its productive state for creative work.

I wonder if Persephone
encountered something similar in trying to adjust to her mother’s above-ground
world and her abductor-husband’s dark underworld of the dead, cycling between
life and death, between worlds, bringing life to the world above when she came
and taking it away when she left. I wonder if she did the same to Hades’
kingdom, bringing light and life when she came and taking it back when she left
for the surface. If so, no wonder he kidnapped and trapped her.

Thinking about it that
way, you can almost have sympathy for Hades. That longing for light and life
and warmth that he has never known because the moment he touches a mortal, no
matter how alive and beautiful, she turns stiff and cold with all the life and
life and substance gone. After centuries of that, he would become desperate
enough to chance the anger of the other gods, even that of Zeus himself, to
have his own bit of life, warmth, light, beauty.

Imagine an epic poem
written about Hades’ abduction of 
Persephone, the angry grief of Demeter, the trick with the pomegranate
when Zeus forces a truce, and Persephone weaving back and forth between life
and death, the sunlit world above and the realm in darkness below the surface,
mother and captor/husband, always bringing light and life below and trailing
vapors of darkness and death above, never truly one or the other since Hades
tricked her into that bite of pomegranate, never completely alive or dead,
always outside and forced to mediate between two tyrants who would destroy
their worlds and all within if they lost her.

Perhaps after eons,
someone, perhaps Prometheus on his eagle-high rock, tells her that this all
works only because she unconsciously assented to it. If she decides to
consciously say no to the deal, she can choose to be one or the other, her
mother’s or her husband’s. “Or neither?” she asks. He doesn’t know, that would
take some special working, to make a choice that included neither Demeter nor
Hades, as it would probably bring about the destruction of both worlds.

So Persephone begins
to spend her time in each world searching for someone who can show her a way
out of the dilemma she’s impaled upon. And this will mark the beginning of her
coming to truly know each world and its people, out from under the powerful
shadows of mother and husband. In the process, she comes to love and value each
world and those in it and to find that she can be free only with the probable
destruction of each creation.

I’m writing a novel and not an epic poem, and many other
characters have and are coming into play. But this little fragment from my
journal was the seed from which this much-transformed book is growing.

I hope you plant a lot of wonderful seeds—and even some
strange ones—in this new year.