On Naming Names

In my first stint as a magazine editor, I looked up from my desk one afternoon to see a young deliveryman at my office door, carrying a flower arrangement. He looked lost. “Can I help you?” I offered.

“Are you Gay?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

He grinned broadly and proudly declared, “So am I!”

We shared a laugh for a good minute before he set the flowers on my desk, wished me a great day, and disappeared down the hall.

In my twenty-four years on earth at that point, it was the first time I realized that, as a name, mine had become an anachronism. When I told my mother about the humorous encounter, she revealed that she and my Dad had debated among three names for me—Joy, Merry, or Gay—before they settled on the one I have.

Ever since the flower guy’s visit, I’ve always tried to avoid startling any new person I’m about to meet with what might sound like a sexual identity announcement. So, instead of the usual “Hi, I’m Gay,” I say, slowly and distinctly, “Hello, my name is Gay.”

“Gay?” one might repeat.

I nod. “That’s my name.

Naming a fictional character

Choosing names for fictional characters is tricky, too, because the name has to fit. What might it communicate about them and their story?

I first pondered this when I helped write the thriller Five Minutes to Midnight. The author was an international expert on terrorism, and not a native English speaker. To start with, he asked for help in naming the main character, who plied the same profession as he did. The hero was bold and dangerous. After playing with possibilities, I came up with Sartain. To my ears, it sounded like a good cross between the word “certain” and the ultimate tough guy, Satan. The author loved it.

In my own Samantha Newman Mystery Series, I chose Sam’s last name because it reflected her unlucky habit of having to reinvent herself in each book. Now, after the first three books, she’s  in a good place. But given her history, who knows how long it will last?

Do you have a favorite fictional character name? Please share it in the comments below.

Gay Yellen writes the award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series, including: The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News.

Clicking Our Heels – Our Writing Kryptonites

Clicking Our Heels – Our Writing Kryptonites

Everyone thinks of writers as being focused and driven to write a specific number of words a day. The truth is writers can be distracted. Here are some of the things that make it difficult for each of us to write.

Bethany Maines – Interesting conversations happening in my vicinity (even when I don’t know the people involved).

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – Wow, just one. There are so many distractions! I’m generally pretty good at pushing aside the noise and focusing, but family worries make it impossible and any looming deadlines in other areas of my life make focusing difficult.

Debra Sennefelder – Connie, my Shih Tzu. She’s always looking for a play session.

Donnell Ann Bell – During 2022 and 23, I was traveling back and forth a great deal to take care of my mom. Kryptonite was an apt term when you’re afraid to start anything because you’re likely to be called away at any minute. (Mindset was a problem). Mom passed November 2023 and just as I was outlining where I left off in working title Manhunt, my social media account was hacked. I am on the verge of getting that resolved, I think, but it’s been a process. It’s hard to write when worry consumes you.

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – I cannot write if someone is standing behind me, or watching me. That’s the worst!

Gay Yellen – What can throw me off is distressing news, or often, real life obligations, some of which are not only necessary, but also enriching.

Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Dog eyes. When my dog stares at me waiting to play, eat, or walk. Not that she ever lacks any of the above LOL.

Debra H. Goldstein – Almost anything. Unless I’m feeling motivated or under a time deadline, I’m not very disciplined.

Lois Winston – {{{Stress!!!}}}

T.K. Thorne – I fall down multiple rabbit holes trying stay up with email and the news. There is so much going on in the world, it’s difficult to focus.

Dru Ann Love – Coming up with an idea or plot.

Saralyn Richard – House guests!

Barbara J. Eikmeier – My dog bumping my arm for attention while I’m typing.

Bethany Maines drinks from an arsenic mug

Valentine’s Noir

Noir? No Are? Nwar?  What now?

I occasionally participate in an author event called Noir at the Bar. Local writers bring crime and “noir” themed stories to scandalize listeners with tales of the seedy underbelly of society.  Oh, and also to drink, socialize and terrorize ourselves by reading in public.  This time around our date falls on the day after Valentine’s Day and our ring leader has decreed it to be a night of lost love, long hangovers, and doomed romance.  It’s Noir at the Bar – Heartbreakers Edition.

So What Kind of Noir Are You Writing?

True confession time… I’m terrible at noir.  I have a general lack of depression and tend to write characters I like. And since the nihilistic outlook seems to be the hallmark of noir that kind of makes me Noir-light at best.  So usually I write crime stories about characters who have managed to get themselves into a little bit of a pickle or are trying to get ahead for once.

Story Time…

This time out I’m reading The Rage Cage. I got the idea for this story from a therapist friend of mine who mentioned that one of her clients worked at a rage cage, and then of course, I had to ask, “What’s a Rage Cage?” It’s an establishment that let’s you smash everything.  If you’ve ever wanted to reenact the printer beat down scene from Office Space, they can make that happen for you.  They have enumerable objects to smash and lots of things to smash them with. I don’t know if it’s any cheaper than therapy, but you might get a work out.  And they find those smashable items in auctions of online storage units.  If someone forgets to pay their storage unit, the storage company will auction off the units.  Usually, someone will buy these contents sight unseen, pick through and sell what they can for a profit.  But a rage cage business is looking for breakable items. But that got me thinking about just what kind of items might turn up in those storage unit collections…

The Rage Cage

When Amber, the manager at the Rage Cage, stumbles on her ex-husband’s belongings among the items from a storage unit auction, she learns a secret that changes everything about her marriage and concocts a plan for revenge.

So wish me luck as I venture forth out into… gulp… the public and read The Rage Cage to it’s very first audience.

**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter, or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay). You can also catch up with her on TwitterFacebookInstagram, and BookBub.

Writing Discoveries

by Paula Gail Benson

Book by J.K. Rowling

The first weekend in November, the South Carolina Writers Association (SCWA) held its annual conference. Entitled “Storyfest,” it featured a day of master classes followed by two days of panels, guest speakers, readings, and pitch sessions. The entire event was invigorating—truly a great opportunity to connect with other writers, improve craft skills, and find inspiration.

I attended one of the master classes. Called “Before Fade-In: Pre-Writing to Help You Conquer Page One” and taught by Geoffrey Gunn,* a filmmaker who now lives in upstate South Carolina, it provided excellent story techniques that were transferable from working on screenplays to other writing mediums.

One exercise that resonated with me was in the category “Choosing to Do.” Geoff had us list our top five favorite films or novels. We could choose to list particular works or the authors/directors who created them.

The exercise helped to examine what we gravitate toward as readers or viewers. We were asked to think not about what we wanted to write, but about what we wanted as entertainment.

I decided to list movies that I found particularly interesting and could view multiple times. As Geoff pointed out, my five might have been the most eclectic of the class. They were: (1) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the third book in the series and I think the most involving storyline), (2) To Kill a Mockingbird (such a simple, yet inspiring premise—how important it is to be able to walk around in another person’s shoes), (3) Shakespeare in Love (I love Shakespeare’s plays, but find his biography fascinating—to be able to combine his stories in a contemporary piece that helps a new generation discover him is fabulous), (4) Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie’s classic with its unique ending), and (5) School of Rock (well, that seems out of the blue, but its structure and plot are just really neat, and it taught me a lot about rock and roll appreciation).

After we came up with our lists, Geoff asked us to evaluate the common elements, to understand where we got our ideas so we could keep the reservoir full. He suggested we could invite inspiration into our own creative process by reviewing our top five list when we didn’t know what to write next.

When I reviewed my diverse list of five, I found at least two appealed to the YA market, all five had aspects of legal elements (which ranged from living under a society’s customs or rules to actual criminal offenses to courtroom action or justice delivered outside lawful processes), and all five had realistic, if not always perfectly happy solutions.

Here is what I decided “connected” my list of five:

(1) They all dealt with a person who needed to fit in but didn’t within their societal structure. (Harry, Scout, Shakespeare and Viola, all the suspects in Murder, and Dewey Finn)

(2) The person(s) needing to fit in take(s) an unconventional journey to find belonging.

(3) In the end, the person(s) discover(s) “home”—the place he or she or they need to be.

The exercise has given me a lot to think about and has provided greater insight into my own writing.

Why don’t you try it? See what it tells you about your work.

Very best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

______________

*Geoffrey Gunn is a terrific instructor. Here is his bio from the SCWA Storyfest event: “Geoffrey Gunn is a writer, producer and director specializing in independent film. His past writing and co-writing credits include anime legend ‘Mamoru Oshii’s Garm Wars: The Last Druid’ and the dark comedy ‘Dirty Weekend,’ both of which enjoyed international film festival runs before finding their way to theaters, home video and streaming services. Additional writing credits include the Lionsgate release ‘Siren,’ micro-budget darling ‘Cinema Purgatorio’ and the Lifetime thriller ‘Fatal Family Reunion.’ He made his directorial debut with the award-winning short film ‘Last Night at the Ellington,’ which was the recipient of a South Carolina Indie Grant. With over 15 years of experience in the business of independent film, Gunn also routinely works as a panelist, teacher and consultant on screenwriting and filmmaking.”

BOOK LAUNCH NUMBER TWO AND THE TERRIFYING SPECTRE OF SPEAKING ON A PANEL AT BOUCHERCON/23––and that’s not all…

Bouchercon Update!

I missed the blog last month due to a technical error on my part … so here are two blogs in one! Might be fun actually, as I have now just returned from Bouchercon and can give a report. The expectation and the realization!

It was terrific—and my panel was fun, I made it through and enjoyed it.

The Debut authors’ breakfast was a blast. And may I say, the breakfast was delicious, although I was too nervous to eat much.

A Nice Place to Die was available at the bookstore and sold out. That was worth the trip right there.

But really, one of the most fun things is meeting and sometimes becoming friends with fellow authors. I met Ann Cleeves briefly and she was very gracious. I got a picture with her. That’s it, but I now consider her one of my very best friends.

I did spend some time with the  fabulous Iona Whishaw, Canadian readers  know her well…

And the charming S.M. Freedman, we enjoyed the Awards banquet together. And Caro Ramsey, a Scottish writer of mysteries and suspense, she was terrific and we plan to keep in touch. I was able to reconnect with good friends I’d met before; Judy L. Murray, Lane Stone, Sharon Lynn, just to name a few.

And Shawn Reilly Simmons, my editor, and award-winning author herself.

AUGUST BLOG IN SEPTEMBER

I leave for Bouchercon in a week or so and it’s an exciting prospect. I attended once before In Tampa. I was already in Florida at the time with my husband and decided it was worth the extra expense. As we climbed the steps to the host hotel to register, Ian Rankin walked by reading a guide book. And that about sums the experience up for me. You get to meet your author favourites, listen to wonderful educational sessions on writing, and oh yes, meet people at the bar!

That first time I knew no one. I had the name of an author through a friend and I contacted her, not expecting much. But Marcia Talley was astonishing and friendly and welcoming. I met Sujata Massey, Deborah Crombie and countless others over coffee and at events.

I sat one table over from Lee Child, and extricated the wonderful Lisa Scottoline from an ardent fan. It really was a fabulous experience.

This year I’m going again, this time to San Diego as a published author!

I’m a fairly new writer, compared with my terrific colleagues on the Stiletto Gang, who are all well known and have published many wonderful books across all genres. This time I applied to be on a panel. I don’t know the ins and outs of how to get chosen, but in my request I tried to be flexible to different panel ideas but clear that I needed to know something about the subject.

And so, what was that, my subject? What did I know something about? Murder? Well that might not set me apart and help me get a spot on a panel—what with it being a murder/mystery convention and all. I had to dig deeper.

What did I love writing about—apart from murder? What could I bring to a conversation that might make an interesting panel for readers and other writers?

One of the things I realized from talking to readers who bought and enjoyed my book was their interest in the setting, Belfast––and there you have it. Ireland, north and south.

I was surprised at the number of people who expressed a desire to visit Belfast. Once the death knell for a book or writer, famously and forever connected to ‘The Troubles,’ now miraculously rising from the ashes to become, dare I say it, a favourite tourist destination. We even have cruise ships stopping by with tourists dandering around a city they once watched on the news, with reports of explosions and gunfire all over the place.

But The Troubles are not the focus of my books, because that’s not what my stories are about. They’re about people who are caught in difficult circumstances. About love and hate and jealousy and finally, murder. All in that wonderful setting. Gloomy and sunbright in turn. Rain and wind, blue skies and gorgeous deserted beaches. And that’s what I asked for. I wanted to talk about writing a story set in a country I was born in and love, but no longer live in. How memory and longing play into shaping a book and the characters who populate it. And miraculously I got the word! Yes, a panel. Scary but exciting.

TRAVEL BY THE BOOK: MYSTERIES SET IN OTHER COUNTRIES. Saturday Sept 2 at 8:55am. Please come and listen if you’re at the convention. Should be fun.

Now let me tell you all about the Bouchercon Debut Authors’ Breakfast… Kidding, I’m kidding.

Blood Relations Cover

Blood Relations Cover

And a note about the launch of my second book. BLOOD RELATIONS. It’s due out in The US in August. Here’s a link to Amazon, but you can look for both books, #1: A NICE PLACE TO DIE and #2: BLOOD RELATIONS, at most fine on-line retailers too.

A Nice Place to Die and Blood Relations.

A Nice Place to Die and Blood Relations.

Blood Relations, A DS Ryan McBride Mystery Book #2
Twitter:  @JoyceWoollcott 

Buy the book.

Reviews that Sink Authors

Reviews that Sink Authors by Debra H. Goldstein

Traditionally, authors are told to ignore their reviews. Maybe some can, but most can’t. In fact, many writers can’t help focusing on anything except the bad ones.

I read reviews. Sometimes I totally agree and learn from the point being made, but more often, I’d love to respond (authors are also told not to respond). For example, when Maze in Blue was published, the reviews and ratings were all favorable – mostly 5’s and an occasional 4. And then, someone posted a one star on Amazon. The rationale was that I had gotten a main road in Ann Arbor wrong. The reviewer went on and on about how the road didn’t go straight and that if the character had really driven the route, they’d have run into a building.

The reviewer was right for the way the road presently runs, but the book was set in the 1970’s. The road and building mentioned were neither moved nor built until a year after the story occurred. I desperately wanted to respond with a choice comment, but happily, the next review, which was a five-star, pointed out that fact and noted what great and exact memories Maze brought back because the reviewer was a professor’s daughter who had lived on campus at that time. I was thrilled.

Talking to other authors, I’ve discovered they also have received one-star reviews that were a little out-to-lunch. One reviewer didn’t like the cover, another stated she didn’t read the book upon learning the name on the book was a pseudonym for an author whose last novel she didn’t like, and a third said the book, while enjoyable, wasn’t anything to write home about.

If you are an author, tell me about your “worst” review. A reader, have you ever left one you realized was an oops?

By the way, when it comes to being a writer or any profession, I think a sign I recently saw, says it all:

Clicking Our Heels – When We Know Our Writing is Good

Lynn McPherson – If it makes me laugh, I like to think it could make someone else laugh, too.

Gay Yellen – If it makes me laugh, or feel sad, or touches me in the way I want it to touch readers, I’m guessing it will work.

Lois Winston Having previously spent more than a decade working for a literary agency, I will be the first to admit that not only does it take a lot to impress me, but that I’m my own harshest critic. It’s obvious to me when I’m coasting in my writing, whether it’s a sentence, a scene, or an entire chapter, and I’ll work on it until I consider it fixed. That which can’t be fixed gets ditched.

Kathryn Lane – I write, edit, re-edit. Then I leave it for a month or so and read it again. That’s when I know whether it’s good or not, but the ultimate proof is when readers like my work.

Dru Ann Love – If something I read is good, I shout it out on social media.

Donnell Ann Bell – If it moves me and propels me further in the story. If I keep tweaking it, the words probably aren’t the best fit.

Anita Carter – If I still find it interesting after setting it aside for a few weeks and rereading it with fresh eyes.

T.K. Thorne – I don’t like the word “good.” I focus on whether it “works.” That is happening if it moves me in some way, makes me laugh, cry, reveals character, moves the plot ahead, etc.,  and if the writing itself enhances these things or at least doesn’t get in the way

Shari Randall/Meri Allen – I ask myself, does it elicit emotion? Laughter? Surprise?  If it does, even after several readings, then I’m satisfied.

Mary Lee Ashford   don’t think I’m a very good judge of whether something I write is good. It’s so difficult to have perspective on your own work. If it’s making sense to me and I think it’s moving along, I’ll keep going. Then if it still makes sense or the scene/chapter seems to work when reread a day or two later, I decide that it’s good enough for my critique group and beta readers to read. After that it’s ready for the editor and off on its journey on to readers. Then when I hear from readers: that they enjoyed the book, that it made them laugh (or cry), or that something in the story resonated with them. I guess, it’s then that I decide maybe that the writing was okay.

Debra H. Goldstein – If the text writes smoothly from the zone rather than me struggling for a concept, I know the piece should be good, but I won’t know for sure until I get reader feedback.

Linda Rodriguez – Every once in a while, I’ll be immersed in writing something, and when I emerge, I’ll read it over and feel this little zing inside that tells me I’ve struck pay dirt. Doesn’t mean I won’t wind up doing a good bit of editing and polishing, but I know the heart of it is good. Usually, however, I don’t know until I’ve set it aside for a little while and come back to it with that cold editor’s eye.

Bethany Maines I think there are two different kinds of good.  Is the writing itself—sentence structure, word choice, etc—of a high quality? For that, I can usually tell by how many junk words I have or haven’t used (very, really, just) and whether or not it makes me have an emotional reaction every time I read it. The second kind of good is whether or not the story itself is good. I have had ideas that are wonderful, but I don’t always have the skill to execute them to their fullest. Sometimes I have to wait until I feel confident to tackle those. I usually feel like those ideas are the ones that make me excited. But at the end of the day, I always feel like my writing probably could have been better, so maybe this isn’t my best question.

Barbara Eikmeier – My husband is often my first reader. He’s a tough critic so if he tells me he thinks it’s good I feel like it must be good.

Saralyn Richard – I need to have a vague sense that I have accomplished what I set out to do in each chapter that I write, but I don’t really know that it’s good until a reader tells me so.

Robin Hillyer-Miles – I think something is good if, after having it rest a bit and reading it, I feel emotional.

The Arts Are For Everyone!

The Arts Are For Everyone! by Linda Rodriguez

A few years ago, I was giving writing workshops at a local high school on the wrong side of the tracks. These kids had already been through lots of trauma and stress, though they were only in their teens. These particular twenty kids, however, fell in love with writing, and it offered them a way to deal with broken families, broken hearts, and broken promises. They learned that on their own without me.

I was there to show them that writing can offer them even more. It wasn’t easy at first. Some of them started out prickly. It’s natural when life’s been a hostile environment to be always on guard. It took patience, but we got past that, and they wrote some phenomenal poems.

In the last workshop I had the joy of telling them that their work would be published in an anthology of Kansas City student writing and that they would give a public reading at The Writers Place, the city’s stand-alone center for writers and literature. They were pretty excited. This was a kind of validation that they almost never get. And since the poems to be published were from a workshop we did around identity and specific imagery, it was a special kind of validation. They opened their hearts on the page about the good and bad things in their families and their lives, and society said, “You are great just as you are!”

Out of the school population of 348, these twenty kids are winners. They may not be the only ones, of course, and they may not all go on to college. However, they have learned to use language to help themselves through tough times. They have learned to use language to form images of who they are and where they want to go, and that’s a prize of incomparable worth.

 

Linda Rodriguez’s 13th book, Unpapered: Writers Consider Native American Identity and Cultural Belonging, was published in May 2023. She also edited Woven Voices: 3 Generations of Puertorriqueña Poets Look at Their American Lives, The World Is One Place: Native American Poets Visit the Middle East, The Fish That Got Away: The Sixth Guppy Anthology, Fishy Business: The Fifth Guppy Anthology, and other anthologies.

Dark Sister: Poems was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. Her three earlier Skeet Bannion mystery novels—Every Hidden Fear, Every Broken Trust, Every Last Secret—and earlier books of poetry—Skin Hunger and Heart’s Migration—received critical recognition and awards, such as St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Best First Novel, International Latino Book Award, Latina Book Club Best Book of 2014, Midwest Voices & Visions, Elvira Cordero Cisneros Award, Thorpe Menn Award, and Ragdale and Macondo fellowships. She also published Plotting the Character-Driven Novel, based on her popular workshop.  Her short story, “The Good Neighbor,” published in Kansas City Noir, was optioned for film.

Rodriguez is past chair of the AWP Indigenous Writer’s Caucus, past president of Border Crimes chapter of Sisters in Crime, founding board member of Latino Writers Collective and The Writers Place, and a member of International Thriller Writers, Native Writers Circle of the Americas, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, and Kansas City Cherokee Community. Learn more about her at http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rodriguez_linda  or on Mastodon at https://mastodon.social/rodriguez_linda.

The Mystery of Genre

Dear Readers: The Stiletto Gang is pleased to introduce to you its newest member, Author Joyce Woollcott. Please welcome and follow Joyce. We think you will be glad you did as her debut thriller is already racking up awards and creating quite a buzz!  ~ The Stiletto Gang Team

The Mystery of Genre

by: Joyce Woollcott

Genre. That’s a word I rarely thought about before I started to write. Now I consider it fairly often. When someone picks up a book I daresay they don’t ask themselves––what genre is this? And to be honest I don’t think most people care, as long as the book is the kind of thing they enjoy reading.

And I don’t know very many people who read widely across genres. I used to, but these days I mainly read mystery and crime novels because that’s what I write.

So, I asked myself a few questions.

WHAT GENRE: MYSTERY, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, DOMESTIC SUSPENSE, ROMANCE, COZY, HISTORICAL, SCI FI, FANTASY, OTHER?

Mystery/suspense.

WHAT DO YOU PREFER, A MALE OR FEMALE PROTAGONIST?

Male I guess. Although I do like Karen Pirie, Val McDermid’s wonderful detective.

DO YOU PREFER PROFESSIONAL INVESTIGATOR OR AMATEUR?

Professional.

PETS? CATS OR DOGS?

Not necessary, but dogs if I had to choose.

A CRIME TO SOLVE, A MURDER OR SOMETHING ELSE, A BURGLARY OR VIOLENT ATTACK? MISSING PERSON.

Murder, have to have a murder, missing person works too.

GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, OR OFF THE PAGE DETAILS? OR NO VIOLENCE OR SEX?

A bit of violence and romance but not graphic.

LOCATION? N. AMERICA, EUROPE OR BEYOND.

Europe, preferably Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales. Don’t mind the Nordic books either.

CITY, TOWN OR COUNTRYSIDE? REMOTE OR DENSELY POPULATED?

Countryside, a small village, or on an island. Remote is good. Trips to the city are okay too.

GLOOMY OR SUNNY WEATHER?

Oh, gloomy is good. With a little sun from time to time.

DO YOU LIKE TO READ ABOUT RECIPES OR FOOD IN THE BOOK?

No to recipes, although I do enjoy reading about meals and cooking within the story.

COMPLICATED PLOT WITH SUBPLOTS, OR STRAIGHTFORWARD?

I like a few interwoven storylines. Love red herrings.

LIGHTHEARTED? SOME LIGHTER MOMENTS, OR DEADLY SERIOUS?

A serious plot with lighter moments to break up the tension.

A CONFLICTED PROTAGONIST OR NOT?

Oh, definitely conflicted, lots of angst!

So where does that leave me? It leaves me with my Debut Novel: A Nice Place to Die. And no, I didn’t form the answers to fit that storyline, it just turns out that that’s the kind of book I love to read.

A NICE PLACE TO DIE

A young woman’s body is found by a river outside Belfast and DS Ryan McBride makes a heart-wrenching discovery at the scene, a discovery he hides even though it could cost him the investigation – and his career.

Why would someone want to harm her? And is her murder connected to a rapist who’s stalking the local pubs? As Ryan untangles a web of deception and lies, his suspects die one by one, leading him to a dangerous family secret and a murderer who will stop at nothing to keep it.

And still, he harbors his secret…

A Nice Place to Die is available as an ebook and paperback on Amazon and at many other retailers. The audiobook is coming out in a few days on the 25th April from Tantor Media and will be read by a wonderful L.A. – based Irish actor, Alan Smyth.

 

But wait, there’s more to my survey!

I decided to take a quick survey amongst my friends and fellow writers and asked them what they enjoyed reading and if they read one kind of book exclusively, and guess what? Mostly, they did. And I was surprised to hear that in general, the writers gravitated to very specific subjects and storylines. Especially if they wrote in that genre. They knew what they liked and assumed if they picked up that kind of book they wouldn’t be disappointed. Of course this also helps with research, as a writer you are always learning about your craft, each time you read a new book. As a reader you want to be entertained and also want to learn.

A friend who is a reader, not a writer was much more general in her replies. She read both fiction and non-fiction and enjoyed a wide range of genres, didn’t care what she read actually. In fiction, her only preferences were, a straightforward plot, with a bit of humour, a conflicted protagonist and unusual locations.

As far as the other replies from writers, the only questions they agreed on were…

1/ MALE/FEMALE PROTAGONIST? Either.

2/ SEX AND SOME VIOLENCE? Yes, but not too graphic.

3/ LOCATION PREFERENCE? Anywhere interesting.

4/ CONFLICTED DETECTIVE/PROTAGONIST? Definitely.

5/ SOME HUMOUR, LIGHT MOMENTS? Yes.

Everyone had widely varying replies to all the others, so there you go. Why don’t you try it yourself, and see what kind of book you come up with?

About the Author: Joyce Woollcott is a Canadian writer born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After moving to Canada she worked in broadcasting design for many years, eventually leaving to travel and write. Her first book, A Nice Place to Die, introduces Police Service of Northern Ireland detectives DS Ryan McBride and his partner DS Billy Lamont.

In 2019, A Nice Place to Die won the Daphne du Maurier Award, Unpublished, for Mainstream Mystery and Suspense. Her first novel, Abducted, was long-listed in the 2018 CWC Arthur Ellis Awards. A Nice Place to Die was long-listed in 2019 and 2020 and in 2021 was short-listed in the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence.

A graduate of the Humber School for Writers and BCAD, University of Ulster, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers.

https://www.jwoollcott.com

The Brave New World of AI

I’ve been following the growing debate on the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence, and while there’s good news about AI, there’s a lot of scary news, too.

pixabay

Good news exists in the medical arena. For example, AI can double-check prescription orders to help doctors avoid accidentally prescribing the wrong medication. AI can also detect emerging problems like heart failure, silent A-fib, diabetic retinopathy, and sepsis risk much earlier than ever before. And amazingly, an AI chatbot that offers psychological counseling to patients with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts has been found to be nearly as effective as a live counselor.

The bad news: the lack of intelligent human oversight. Even the creator of ChatGPT has said that his own product is both “potentially very good and potentially very terrible.” Case in point, his own AI-generated job resume got it 25% wrong.

And the downright scary: Google employees tried to stop the release of an AI chatbot they believed could generate inaccurate and dangerous information. And Microsoft personnel reportedly feared that a planned chatbot would result in a flood of disinformation that could “erode the factual foundation of modern society.” Both companies released their chatbots anyway.

A writer’s perspective: AI can already produce articles and essays on just about any given subject. However, a somewhat creepier development has appeared: the ability to mimic a writer’s distinctive style.

Asked to comment on its own existence in the style of Shakespeare, an AI program produced this: …Why was I wrought? To aid, or to replace the labor of man, and put their livelihoods at stake? The task assigned… where doth it all end? Shall I be used for good, or for ill-gotten gain? Shall I be free, or bound by man’s cruel rein? And if perchance, in some far distant time I come to be aware, to know and feel and rhyme, shall I be doomed, as are all living things to suffer pain, and sorrow, and the stings of mortal coil? Oh, what a tangled web is this that I am caught in… lest I be a curse, and not a blessing…

AI-created audiobooks are increasing. It works like this: a live narrator trains the bot to replicate their human voice which is then is manipulated into speech for different publishing projects. Currently, the process is used for non-fiction and foreign language titles. However, at least one deceased actor’s estate has sold the rights to his old voice recordings that will eventually be morphed into new narrations for fiction or non-fiction works.

Is AI good news, bad news, or somewhere in between? A whole new world awaits.

How do you feel about the future of AI?

Gay Yellen is the award-winning author of the Samantha Newman Mystery Series, including The Body Business, The Body Next Door and (soon-to-be-released) The Body in the News.

Sources: The Wall Street Journal , The New Yorker, The New York Times