Noir at the Bar

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by Bethany Maines

This week I’m engaging in a local Seattle event called Noir at the Bar.  There are several of these around the country—they’re a collection of live readings from crime writers with a few open mic slots at the end.  I don’t do crime exactly.  I’m more action-adventure / mystery. If you’re wondering about the distinction, I would say that the crime genre usually involves a higher body count and more depression and alcoholism.

A public reading is a difficult beast to master. The story or piece has to fit the time allotted and it has to be satisfying to the audience.  Just reading a chunk of my latest work in progress wouldn’t be helpful for the audience. There wouldn’t be enough set up and no conclusion.  It’s OK to leave the audience wanting more and pondering the deeper meaning.  Leaving them just plain confused and wondering what the point was is not acceptable.  Also, the piece has to be somewhat performed. Simply reading is more than a little bit boring, unless you have a Morgan Freeman voice.  In which case, congratulations, read whatever you want.  But I don’t sound remotely like Morgan Freeman, so I have to work a little harder.

For this event I’ve written a more crime oriented piece involving plastic couch covers, cupcakes and a husband who wishes he hadn’t popped home for a nooner.  It’s got some rather naughty words and I’m hoping I don’t stumble over them.  It’s my feeling that if you’re going to swear in public you should do it with authority.  Although, I have to admit that while dropping an F-bomb doesn’t scare me, but somehow the line about tampons has me intimidated.  Wish me luck!

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Try out a crime-tinged adventure from Bethany Maines. 
Shark’s Instinct – $1.99 –  Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – iBook

Fresh out of prison and fresh out of luck, twenty-something Shark wants back into The Organization. But when Geier, the mob boss with a cruel sense of humor, sends Shark to the suburbs to find out who’s been skimming his take, Shark realizes he’s going to need more than his gun and an attitude to succeed. With the clock ticking, Shark accepts the help of the mysterious teenage fixer, Peregrine Hays, and embarks on a scheme that could line his pockets, land him the girl and cement his reputation with the gang—if he makes it out alive.

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Bethany
Maines is the author of the Carrie Mae Mystery Series, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her fourth degree black belt in karate, she can be found
chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You
can also catch up with her on YouTube,
Twitter and Facebook.

The Joys of Collecting Kids’ Pictures Books

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By AB Plum


Okay, we all know writers will read anything:

  • ·        Bread wrappers
  • ·        Installation instructions for electronics
  • ·        Op ed pieces
  • ·        The daily comics
  • ·        Unedited manuscripts
  • ·        Edited, re-edited, re-re-re-edited, final manuscripts
  • ·        Book contracts
  • ·        Downloaded e-doc instructions
  • ·        Kids’ illustrated books

Of the above list, kids’ illustrated books rank at my top.



In all honesty, I usually read the illustrations before I read the text. The illustrations most likely influenced me to buy the book. I view them with viewing art. (Most kids’ illustrated books cost more than an e-book, but they’re worth the price, IMO, because they are works of art).

In 2108, for the first time in decades, I didn’t request a kids’ illustrated book for Christmas. No real reason, except I bought two amazing books earlier in the year. And while I re-read my picture books more often than most other books, I turned again and again in 2018 to Cry Heart, But Never Break (Glenn Ringtved, Author. Charlotte Pardi Illustrator) and Duck, Death and the Tulip (Wolf Elrbruch, Author and Illustrator).

In a lyrical combination of words and drawings, these books about death leave me gobsmacked. Both verbal and non-verbal media complement each other and remind me my upcoming birthday is another opportunity to add to my collection in 2019.

What about you? Do you ever read children’s picture books? What’s a favorite one from your childhood?
****
Barbara Plum writes light and whimsical paranormal romance. Her alter ego writes dark and twisted psychological thrillers. She lives in Silicon Valley with her tekkie husband—because she rarely reads instructions for backing up her computer.

No illustrations for The Weird Magic Trilogy Boxed Set (Free for a limited time). Likewise no pictures for The MisFit Books 5-7, but now on sale for limited time. She knows her limitations and would never attempt to draw, paint, or capture a scene with a camera.

Left Coast Crime Vancouver

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Judy Penz Sheluk

I’m Canadian, did you know that? Born and raised in Toronto and have lived within a two-hour drive of that city ever since. Many Americans are surprised when I tell them I’ve never been to Vancouver, British Columbia. After all, it’s in Canada too, right? Except Vancouver is over 2,000 miles away from Toronto! Not exactly next door. And while I’ve always wanted to go there, travel in Canada is expensive and (here’s a secret) I’m not exactly earning Steven King money.

Then the good folks at Left Coast Crime agreed to host their 2019 conference in Vancouver! At last, a reason to visit, with the added bonus of being able to write off at least a portion of my travel. I’m already planning my (non-tax-write-offable) side trips to Whistler and Victoria and have booked a full week at the host hotel.

What’s also exciting is that this is my first Left Coast Crime, I have two books released in 2018 (A Hole in One and Past & Present) to talk about to anyone willing to listen — and I am also the Crime Writers of Canada LCC Member Liaison (a fancy term for making sure our members have their CWC buttons, and for organizing a silent auction gift basket on behalf of CWC – so far we have 27 members attending).

The countdown is on! 


PS If you’re going, I’d love to meet up with you sometime during the week, even if it’s just for a quick cup of tea or coffee. Leave a comment and we’ll figure it out. Judy 

New Year Promises

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by Sparkle Abbey

Happy New Year from us to you! Since it’s the beginning of a new year everyone’s talking about resolutions. We’d have to say it appears that there’s a bit of a divide on whether they’re a good thing or not.

On the one hand the beginning of a new year seems like the perfect time to take stock and see how you’re doing. It’s a fresh start, a clean slate, and perhaps good time to set some goals.

But according to U.S. News and World Report 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February. Wow. We’re optimists but even we realize those are really terrible odds. We can see why this January some are just saying “no” to resolutions.

Psychology Today recently published an article on the Four Common Reasons Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail. The article is a great read, so please check out the whole thing, but in short the main reason we fail is that our goals aren’t clear. That makes sense to us. The best type of goal is a very specific one. We’ve all heard of SMART goals, right? The letters stand for: Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Realistic-Timely.

Turns out the research mentioned in the article covers some of the other parts of the SMART acronym. Another piece of the puzzle is that change is hard and we don’t always take the time to figure out the best path. So maybe rather than just jumping in, we should figure out where we’re going and understand that slow and steady (and one track) can win the race.

Another point made in the article is that it’s easy to get discouraged and so we need to look at whether our goals are realistic. As we go forward we may need to make adjustments. We love this recent blog Practical Resolutions by Hank Phillippi Ryan at Career Authors. Hank’s advice involves Writing (a lot), reading (a lot), and also things like listening, respect, patience, perseverance, and getting better.

When it comes down to it, that last one is really what it’s all about, isn’t it? Getting better. So, whether your goals involve writing more, reading more, eating healthier, or getting more exercise, you can always get better. And you can start on January 1st or some random Tuesday in May. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you start!

We like to write our goals down as a reminder of what we’re focusing on. And we enjoy working with SMART goals, but like everything else you have to figure out what works for you. We’re all made differently and motivated differently. Some people, like our friend Holly Jacobs, picks a word for the year. We love that idea! Check out Holly’s Word for 2019.

What are your thoughts? Do you set goals at the beginning of a new year? Do you pick a word or a thought to focus on for the year? Or are you in the anti-resolution camp? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series set in Laguna Beach. Their series features  former Texas beauty queen cousins, Caro, a pet therapist and, Melinda, a pet boutique owner. The most recent installments (book nine) BARKING WITH THE STARS and  (book ten) THE DOGFATHER continue Caro and Mel’s murder-solving adventures.

But here’s some great news, if you’ve not yet started the series (or would like to share the series with a friend) the first book, DESPERATE HOUSEDOGS, is currently on sale for 99 cents in all ebook formats!
Amazon

Clicking Our Heels: Rainbows in Our Lives

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Clicking Our
Heels – Rainbows in Our Lives


Monthly Clicking Our Heels Giveaway:


To enter for a chance to win Linda Rodriguez’ Every Last Secret and the Dark Sister comment below about the rainbows in your life.  Good luck and happy reading!
— winner will be announced next Wednesday on The Stiletto Gang Facebook page
– https://www.facebook.com/stilettogang 



2019 is here!
We hope for everyone it will be a wonderful year, but the reality is that
sometimes there will be cloudy days. Talking among ourselves, we wondered what,
on a cloudy day, would bring a rainbow into each of our lives?

Linda Rodriguez – My husband’s smile. A silky fiber to spin in a beautiful
colorway. My goofy dog. My great kids. Good friends out in the cyber world and
here in my own town.

Bethany Maines – My dog, Kato. And chocolate. And yeah…OK, my family. They’re
pretty cute too.

Shari Randall – A hug from my husband. A call from my kids. The hundreds of
small pleasures that surround us every day – the smell of coffee brewing,
birdsong, a message from an old friend, laughter. And Calvin and Hobbes
cartoons.

TK Thorne – Smiles from my husband, a cuddle from our pug, and writing
something. Today I woke up and wrote a poem about the Parker solar probe
launch. It’s a good feeling to have created something that might touch others. Even
if it doesn’t, it is still a wondrous act to make an ephemeral thought into
something “real.”

Paula Gail Benson – Having the opportunity to read a good author, drink a fragrant
cup of tea, and

indulge in a rich dark chocolate!

AB Plum – Brian Andreas, the genius behind amazing stories on greeting
cards, posters, prints, etc. always brings a rainbow on those days when I need
one most.

Dru Ann Love – Looking out the window and seeing a rainbow lets me know that
more adventures are out there for the taking.

Judy Penz Sheluk – A good book. A walk with my dog. Writing without interruption.

JM Phillippe – Simple pleasures can always be found. I have been enjoying
little things, like sitting down to a well-prepared meal, seeing a funny
picture of a friend’s child or pet, or hearing something funny from people
passing by my house-little moments of joy and laughter are pretty easily had.
It’s sometimes hard to see them though in the midst of dark days.

Kay Kendall – Talking to friends always makes me happy. I am not picky about
the way of doing it either. Face to face, on the phone, by text, email, or
Facebook-any method of communication is fine with me. I will go with whichever
my friend prefers since I love them all. I get rainbows in my life by reaching
out to connect. I try to do that in my fiction writing as well.

Cathy P. Perkins – My husband and kids can always make me smile. Others? Walking
through our

woods, listening to the river mummer and the birds sing. Watching the dogs romp.
Opening the kiln on a glass experiment. Sitting with friends, sharing good food
and wine. Looking for the rainbow rather than the clouds.

Juliana Aragon Flatula – Helping someone and then years later they remember how you were
there when they needed help and they tell you thank you. Thirty years ago I
helped my son’s friend, Donovan, fill out financial aid papers to enroll in
college. I spoke with him on the phone recently and he told me how much he
appreciated my help and how it made a difference in his life getting a college
education. That made my day.

Julie Mulhern – I am blessed with very few inclement days. When the clouds do
roll in, I need only look at my family for a rainbow.

Debra H. Goldstein – Watching a child reason; seeing a smile shared; loving and
being loved.