Author Archives: Murderati
Walk the walk: Changes at Murderati
I’m tired of Michael Richards’ racism, of Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitism, of the residual effects of Tom Cruise’s grandstanding about mental illness.
I’m also tired of the nightly news — and other media outlets — reveling in self-righteous indignation about intolerance.
It seems to me that most people are superb at complaining about small-mindedness, but less adept at changing it in themselves.
Enter Murderati.
This blog stands out in the literary ether as a place where diversity reigns. Noir, thriller, suspense, detective, horror, traditional, quirky — the people who post at this site represent a rainbow of views.
We make it our mission to stretch perspectives, taste new ideas and honor different styles and subgenres.
Things aren’t always rosy here. Readers and bloggers disagree. So far, we’ve managed, generally, to do this with respect.
In the coming weeks, you’ll notice that we’re ramping up the discussion.
The website will also have a slightly different look. It’s started already. In case you didn’t notice the pictures on the left side of this blog, look now.
Then go back to yesterday’s post and meet Michael Maclean. Tomorrow, you’ll hear from Paul Guyot . . .
Here’s the new schedule:
Sundays Michael Maclean
Mondays Pari Noskin Taichert
Alternating Tuesdays Paul Guyot/Louise Ure
Wednesdays Elaine Flinn
Thursdays Simon Wood
Fridays J.T. Ellison
Saturdays Alexandra Sokoloff
Crime fiction is a world of opportunity. Murderers, kidnappers, embezzlers roam free until heroes take them down. World-weary misanthropes rub shoulders on bookcases next to sweet little old ladies. Yet, there’s this pull to take sides, to scoff at certain subgenres or laud others — not out of knowledge, but out of some need to prove self-worth. It’s the same kind of uninformed and petty bias I see in our general culture . . . and it truly dismays me.
When I started Murderati, one of the things I wanted to do was to buck that trend.
We do.
Seven writers. At least seventeen perspectives.
Join us. Be part of the discussion.
I believe (with a nod to Freud) that intolerance is the opiate of the intellectually lazy. Don’t be complacent.
Grow with us . . .
And, give a hearty welcome to our newest members: Michael Maclean, Paul Guyot, Louise Ure and Alexandra Sokoloff.
Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself
I’m a middle class white boy from Tempe, Arizona. A pretty nice guy by most accounts. I’ve never had a run-in with police (unless you count the watermelon incident). Never spent a night in jail. Never killed a man in Reno just to watch him die. Yet, I write crime fiction. And much of it is pretty violent stuff.
So why do I do it?
There is a strange, undeniable sense of fun in writing about bad people doing bad things. Maybe crime fiction allows the humble and law-abiding a chance to stretch our toes over the wrong sides of the tracks. It may also act as therapy against the daily frustrations of modern day living. Tempting as it may be, I can’t shoot the jerk who answers his cell phone in the middle of a movie theater (Although, in my opinion, such an action should be deemed a justifiable homicide). But in my fiction, that guy better turn his ringer off or he’ll get a double-tap to the back of the skull.
Often, I think crime fiction also allows writers to explore their own questions about the nature of violence.
There was this kid I knew when I was a teenager. We weren’t close. He was just a friend of a friend. Being on the short side, he’d been bullied in grade school and Jr. high. Somewhere along the way, he decided he’d had enough.
Over the summer, the kid changed. He started getting into fights, drinking Jack Daniels, and smoking Marlboro cigarettes. He drove fast and had sex with girls who were walking advertisements for STDs. He became a tough guy.
In truth, I really didn’t like him. But I can’t deny having harbored a weird admiration for him. Even as a dumb-ass teenager, I sensed he was broken inside, a victim of low self-esteem. Yet he lived by his own rules and wouldn’t back down from anyone.
As the years passed and friends drifted away, I had all but forgotten about the guy. Then I saw his face on the news. Hikers had found his body in the desert, shot in the head along with his girlfriend. “A possible drug related homicide,” said the newscaster.
This kid was a middleclass white boy, like me, living in a neighborhood just like mine. So why him? Was it a choice? Could I have taken his path? Or was this kid born to die hard?
Occasionally my temper rears its ugly head. The world is full of horribly rude people who think only of themselves. They cut me off, or scream in my ear, or slam a door in my face, and sometimes I want nothing more than to introduce them to my fists.
Then I think of the tough guy in the desert and punch the keyboard instead.
ON THE BUBBLE WITH CERTAIN PERSONS OF INTEREST
This has been a long case – many suspects – hours of questioning – and I’m no where near a conclusion. Some might even say I’m dancing in the dark – but then, I am Evil E – and they wouldn’t dare. At least not to my face. They all know my close rate is one of the best – I never leave a stone unturned. I’ll follow my suspects to the end. I’ll wring the truth out of them-no matter what it takes. But now that the end of the year is at hand, I thought it would be a good idea to recap some of my interviews-take a look at some of their answers-see if I can glean that little slip of the tongue that will connect all the dots. It’s not a job for the faint of heart – but it’s what I do. You can lay money on it. And then some.
SCENE OF THE CRIME: ON THE BUBBLE – 2006
THE CRIMES: Writing some of the best crime fiction out there.
THE SUSPECTS:
PAUL GUYOT http://www.paulguyot.net
Paul has got to be one of the most successful and prolific TV writers who can combine a grueling television production schedule with writing fiction. His TV credits are numerous (think FELICTY!)-plus he was the writer and producer of JUDGING AMY/ He’s worked with David E. Kelly and Michael Connelly -Quelle Diable! And besides all this – new pilots in the works – Paul’s short stories can be found in Robert J. Randisi’s GREATEST HITS anthology-and more to come. And did you know that Paul is a hot culinary artists? Emeril? Better watch out – Paul Guyot is gearing up…
EE: Rumor around Mysteryville is that you joined International Thriller Writers just to hang out in the bar with Tess Gerritsen and Alex Kava at ThrillerFest. I’m really chuffed about that one. So what if I’m old enough to be your aunt? I’ve got a new night cream I’m working on. Besides, you still owe me four beers from Bcon in Chicago.
PG: Beers with you is on the calendar in pen, but if Tess or Alex even glances my way, you must understand that I will be on them like weird on Bjork.
I can change night creams.
EE: A good friend of yours (and it wasn’t DM or JWL-or maybe it was) told me being an acclaimed, award winning TV writer no longer holds the allure it once did, thus you have decided to blow the roof off the barn and become a real writer. Would you kindly address this serious allegation?
PG: If I were a real writer, do you think I’d actually be wasting my time talking with you? Rest assured I am still the filthy money-grubbing whore you know and love.
Isn’t it obvious why I love this guy? 🙂
EE: Rumor has it that you’re not answering emails from the thousands of readers going through withdrawal since you shut down your blog –‘INKSLINGER’ This is beyond cruel, Paul. You’ve left an incalculable void and wannabe script writers are assembling to march on your home.
PG: It will stand as an icon of its generation. That, or Typepad will delete it to save face.
Paul is being too humble here. INKSLINGER was one of the most widely read blogs on the net. Not only was it a daily does of laughs, it was filled with insider tips for seasoned scriptwriters as well as those ‘hoping to be’ – and many posters were some of the biggest names on TV, film and in Mysteryville.. Visits-or ‘hits’-frequently hit over 2,000 per day! The mourning period lingers still…
DAVID MONTGOMERY http://www.crimefictionblog.com
I like to tease Dave. I tell him the only reason he’s a reviewer is so he can get all those free books. But it ain’t true. Dave really, really loves mystery/crime/suspense/thrillers. And because he does – he is one of the best out there. Just look at his credits: Chicago Sun-Times, National Review, USA Today, Kansas City Star, January Magazine, Philadelphia City & Inquirer – oh, right – and then there’s the Boston Globe and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. His CRIME FICTION BLOG is one of the best on the web – and he another great site – OVERNIGHT SUCCESS? But let’s not forget MYSTERY INK – the home of the prestigious GUMSHOE AWARD – now in it’s fifth year. BSP aside – I’m proud to say my first book – DEALING IN MURDER – was short listed for the GUMSHOE. I, ah, didn’t win – but I don’t hold that against Dave. But he made it up to me – as you’ll see in one of his answers.
EE: Word is, David – Marilyn Stasio, the infamous New York Times book reviewer confers with you first before writing her column. I think it’s time we knew the truth.
DM: I wish she would! Stasio generally has excellent taste in books, and her writing is good, but I often find her reviews unsatisfying. There’s not enough analysis or opinion in them. It can be tough to do when writing in the column format, but I’d like to see more meat in there.
Yeah, me too. I’d also like to see my book there. Do you know where I can find a voodoo doll?
EE: Okay, here’s a hot one: I’ve been told (and I’ll just faint if it’s true) that you’ve been approached by Rupert Murdoch to pen a mystery related gossip column for The Enquirer.
DM: I’ve got tons of great gossip, so I’ve been looking for an outlet where I can use it. (My blind items are killers!) As it turns out, however, nobody knows who the mystery writers are, so the idea was greeted with a huge "WTHF?"
Huh? Nobody knows US?? Who the hell do they think keeps them up at night? We’ve got to remedy that, David! We’ll put our heads together at ThrillerFest, okay? Maybe we’ll let Guyot sit in on this. He’s kinda twisted too. Too bad JLW ain’t gonna be there.
EE: And what about the rumors that your annual Gumshoe Award, so prestigious it fairly kills writers who are never short-listed, is just a ruse to get nominees and winners to join the publishing house you’ve got going on the back burner?
DM: It’s funny that you say that, as I’d love to run a publishing house. Soon as I win the lottery, I’m starting one. As for the Gumshoe Awards…the staff at Mystery Ink tries hard each year to single out the best books, hopefully with an eye towards some more unconventional choices. It’s a helluva task, but the really hard part is singling out the winners. I’d rather just make the shortlist and leave it at that.
Just the shortlist? Hmmm. That idea has merit. That would mean I was a winner! Yeah, I like that, David.
And-speaking of JLW-
JAMES LINCOLN WARREN http://www.swordquill.com
To say that James Lincoln Warren (aka JLW) is the quintessential short story writer is not an exaggeration. His contributions to Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine is prolific and his stories can always be counted on to be more than just well crafted, or fascinating – but unique. JLW is, by the way, an incredible wordsmith. He knows words (and their roots) I never knew existed! I could go on forever listing his accomplishments in the real world, but there isn’t enough space. I can listen to him for hours (and I have) -so just believe me when I say he’s one hell of a great guy and he will never, ever bore you. In fact – I’ve recently finished his WHOSE LUST IS MURDER – and it was, naturally, terrific!
EE: It’s well known, Jim – that you are a repository of arcane knowledge, but did you really find it amusing to inform Wikipedia of their many errors?
JLW: Not half as much as I enjoyed showing off at Trivial Pursuit back in the 80’s, because then I had an admiring audience, that is, when they weren’t throwing things at me for being an overbearing snot. In particular, there was one question, "How many Queens of England have there been named Elizabeth?" The answer on the card was three: Elizabeth I, Elizabeth II, and Elizabeth the Queen Mum. This is wrong. The correct answer is five: Elizabeth Woodville, Queen under Edward IV; Elizabeth of York, Edward IV’s daughter and wife of Henry VII: and another three.
Okay, folks – see what I mean? What doesn’t this man know for God’s sakes?
EE: As one of the few renaissance men in the mystery world, what historical figure to you most identify with?
JLW: The medieval explorer Sir John Mandeville, one of the most spectacular frauds in history, and chronicler of the reign of Prester John – did you know that Marco Polo went looking for Prester John because of Mandeville, but wound up discovering pasta instead? True. Or speaking of pasta, maybe Gioacchino Rossini, the very fat composer who gave up music so he could cook and eat all the time. There was a man with his priorities straight – not enough writers truly value the act of eating, even when they’re sober. And then there’s Archimedes, who jumped out of his bath and ran screaming naked through the streets of Syracuse just because he had a good idea. I think most of us scribblers can relate.
You mean we have an ENGLISHMAN to thank for pasta?? For God’s sakes! Don’t let Tony Soprano find out about this. He’s got enough problems right now.
EE: Which words or phrases do you most over use? Other than WTF, okay?
JLW: "I writhe at your feet in a frenzy of self-abasement." How can you go wrong with Noel Coward?
Ohhhhh, is that a hot flash I feel?
GAYLE LYNDS http://www.gaylelynds.com
How does one write an intro for this extraordinary lady? What can I say about this world wide best seller, the co-founder of International Thriller Writers, whose new book – THE LAST SPYMASTER – is already breaking sound barriers around bookstores – that hasn’t already been said – time and again – and more eloquently?
Here’s where it gets tough. I could be effusive as hell. I could offer up a ton of superlatives. And they’d all be true. Because I know them to be. Many of you who know what Gayle’s been through, will understand when I use one word to describe her. It’s a word that instantly comes to mind when I think of Gayle. Indomitable. And did I forget to mention how much I adore her?
EE: There are some frightening rumors going around that you and David Morrell co-founded International Thriller Writers as a ruse to recruit some of the best minds in crime fiction as covers N.S.A. agents. Say it isn’t so, Gayle. I mean, when would all these phenoms have time to write?
GL: Well, I must admit your intel is somewhat accurate. As the last spymaster says in the book that was named for him, use the BAR code. No! Not that kind of bar. The clandestine kind –Befriend, Assess, Recruit! Well, a little fine scotch never hurt either.
But…but…I LIKE that kind of bar. If you change your M.O., I’d be glad to play barmaid.
EE: Rumor around Mysteryville – er – Thrillerville – is that the names of the winners of the first "Thriller" Award being presented at Thrillerfest (June 29th-July 2nd in Scottsdale, Arizona-hows that for a plug?) are under close guard at Price Waterhouse. Were these extreme measures taken after Otto Penzler threatened to boycott the convention because no cozy writers were nominated?
GL: I know what you mean. Otto really adores cozies. Until recently, he was in bed a lot with cozy…books. And they just adore him back. But I do wish he’d quit going on and on about how much he loves them. You’d think he’d be a little more sensitive to the rest of us, especially the guy writers. Otto doesn’t mean to be sexist. He just can’t help preferring to knock back shots with female authors, praising more of their novels, point out that they generally write better than men, and saying sensitively that of course men shouldn’t take it personally because they can’t help it that they’re not as good. As in all things, genitals are destiny. Otto is not only passionate but logical. When I grow up, I want to be Otto!
Hells, bells! I laughed so damn hard while I typed that – I can’t think of anything to say!
EE: Your legion of fans have asked me to pose this very important question: and be truthful here, okay? You’re having a dinner party with your ideal guests – who would they be – and what will you serve?
GL: Oh, goodie. Just my cup of cyanide. I want Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush, Tony Blair…every head of state. And I’m gonna serve Truth Serum!
Ah, my kind of party! If you’re short on dishes, let me know. I’ve got tons and tons. I’ll even deliver them. And I can help serve too. Hell, I can drop food on people better than most.
STEPHEN BOOTH http://www.stephen-booth.com
STEPHEN BOOTH needs little introduction, but because I adore this man, I’d like to take a moment and laud (I love that word) him. A master storyteller of seven absolutely riveting books whose setting in the Peak District of England rivals that of Poe and any ‘dark and stormy night’ you can imagine! From BLACK DOG-#1 to his current SCARED TO LIVE. This is a series with few peers. And with much deftness, Steve has created a duo –Ben Cooper and Diane Fry – that you will loathe to leave the moment you reach the last page. By the way, not only is Steve a prince of a man, he is one of the finest gents in this wacky world of mystery. I had the very great privilege to sit next to Steve at my very first panel. I was nervous as hell to be next to this incredible writer. And you know what? His innate kindness made the ordeal feel like a picnic. I think I stuttered only once. Thank you again, dear heart.
EE: I know you to be the consummate gentleman, but what’s this I hear about you dancing on the table at a private party at Left Coast Crime in Bristol?
SB: Was that before, or after the strip tease? It’s all such a blur… Actually, since I’m teetotal, I never make a fool of myself at conventions, I just egg other people on to do it. And some of those authors don’t need much egging, I can tell you (photographs available for a small fee).
It was after the striptease. So – you’ve got photos, huh? Do you accept Pay Pal?
EEO: This is a hot topic around the U.K., Stephen – any truth to the rumors that Bob Haskins and Helen Moreen are besieging you to pen a new and darker series using them as the main characters, but you’d rather spend your free time working on the musical about the Kary brothers?
SB: Musicals are definitely my thing. Anyone who’s heard me sing will know that I am to music exactly what the Kary brothers were to rival gangsters. I can murder any song you name.
Then that haunting baritone voice I heard singing blues in the Night beneath my window a Left Coast Crime in Monterey wasn’t you?
EEO: I have it on good authority, Steve, that Dame Judi Tench is dying to get to know you better, yet you’ve not returned her many e-mails. What does your wife think of this?
SB: I’ve gone off Jude ever since she played a Klingon brother keeper in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Besides, my wife has never heard of e-mail.
Well, I can’t blame you there. Judi was a bit tarty. Best you wife doesn’t know.
DENISE HAMILTON http://www.denisehamilton.com
You all must surely know Denise Hamilton has been nominated for an Edgar, the Willa Cather and the UK’s prestigious Creasey Dagger, so why do I need to tell you all this anyway? Well, darlings, because I want to remind you what a terrific writer she is, and hush…don’t tell her I said this…but she’s one hell of a gal as well. What ever you do, don’t miss her latest – PRISONER OF MEMORY! This is the fifth in the Eve Diamond series – where Denise, once again, writes what she knows – and encompasses her own family Russian heritage this time to bring you an espionage thriller par excellence!
EE: How emotionally tough was it for you when you turned down Hooter’s offer of ten grand a week for a two-week appearance?
DH: My agent’s working on getting them up to twenty grand.
Ohh la la! My kind of gal!
EE: Any truth to the rumors around L.A. that Melanie Griffin claims Eve Diamond’s lover, Silvio, is a dead ringer for Antonio Banderas and Melanie wants to know how you’re so acquainted with Banderas’ amorous style?
DH: Funny you should ask. Melanie Griffin and I actually attended the same high school for a time – Corvallis – a girl’s Catholic prep school in Studio City run by nuns that closed rather than go co-ed. She was two years older than me. She left school to marry Don Johnson!
Hmmm…I love the way Denise skirted my question, don’t you? We’ll have to revisit that one of these days.
EE: Who would you love to do a book tour with?
DH: I love to tour with Julia Spencer-Fleming. We get along like a house afire, both have kids, love to gab. Sometimes we’re so busy dissecting a book or yakking about our stuff that we miss the freeway exits.
Well, you wouldn’t want me in the car – I’m totally direction challenged. I’m lucky to find my front door. But it’s great to know you and Julia have so much fun together.
And speaking of Julia –
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING http://www.juliaspencerfleming.comIn Julia Spencer-Fleming’s life – it’s pouring awards, accolades, starred reviews, legions of adoring fans clamoring for more, and book sales to make us all green with envy. But then – Julia has given us four books that have touched us. Yes, there is murder, yes there is mayhem, but there is faith as well. Is it any wonder she has won an Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Macavity, Dilys – and was short-listed for an Edgar, Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and a Romantic Times? And did you know that her debut book – IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER won more awards than any first mystery novel? EVER? I was thrilled to receive an ARC for Julia’s latest – ALL MORTAL FLESH – and while I loved all of her books, I was especially touched by this one. You’ve heard this before – and felt it yourself, I know – but I didn’t want it to end. The great news is that ALL MORTAL FLESH received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and Library Journal! Talk about a trifecta!
EE: Okay, Julia! Let’s get serious, okay? Word on the street is that there is an underground movement among female Episcopalian priests to move to small villages and find their own Russ Van Alstyne. And – they’ve been contacting you for guidance.
JSF: Hah. If they want a Russ Van Alstyne, they’ll have to go out and find him like I did.
Julia! How uncharitable of you! The least you could do is give them a few pointers. Kinda like a trade off instead of a tithe?
EE: Oh, this is a hot one running around Manhattan! Rumor has it that Donald Trump is building a chi-chi gated community on Long Island-and he not only wants to call it ‘Millers Kill’ – he’s asked you to pose for a bronze bust to set at the entrance, but you turned him down. What?
JSF: I didn’t want my bust to be responsible for a bronze shortage, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.
Ahem. Well, darling – I’m always up for a compliment, but truth be known – in my case it’s the result of too much pasta.
EE: On a safer note (?) – which writer would you love to have all to yourself in a cozy corner of the bar at Bcon?
JSF: Janet Evanovich. In the shadowy darkness, I would slip an undetectable poison into her drink. Then, after removing her body under the guise of ‘helping out a friend who had too many’ (an utterly believable alibi at Bouchercon) I would fly to a South American country where a bribeable yet skilled plastic surgeon would give me Janet’s face. I would then seamlessly step into her life, with none the wiser, except maybe for a few suspicions when in 14 Points Stephanie Plum joins the Episcopal church and develops a hopeless yearning for a married man.
You wouldn’t! Would you? Think it might really work? Tell you what – you give it a try. I’ll check back with you and then maybe you could help me with…….
I’m letting these suspects off the hook for now – they’ve been forthright and cooperative. But you can be sure I’ll have them back for more questioning as this case continues.
I’m turning off the lights in the interrogation room now – it’s needed for another case. But stop back on Wednesday (OTB’s new day) and we’ll continue our questioning then with more ‘persons of interest. I’ve still got a long list still to sit under the naked light bulb…and it will take all month. I’ll get to the bottom of this caper – one way or the other – but you can rest easy knowing Evil E is on the job.
WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN, HUH?
It’s All About The Debutantes
I’m doing a cross over between my two blogs today. Kristy
Kiernan, debut author of CATCHING GENIUS and fearless leader of The Debutante
Ball, a grog of women’s fiction authors debuting in 2007, has a beautiful essay
over at Killer Year. I was so impressed by her words that I decided to bring
her on Murderati, ask her a couple of questions, and introduce the Debutantes
to the Murderati crowd. They are well worth getting to know, I’ll tell you
that.
So let’s get this party started! Maestro, a waltz, if you please…
————————————————————————————–
JT: Tell us about your book CATCHING GENIUS.
KK: Connie and Estella Sykes are as close as sisters
can be, until Estella is diagnosed as a genius at age seven. Connie loses her
playmate, as well as the special relationship she had with her father, whose
attention is now turned toward promoting his math prodigy and fulfilling his
own dreams of greatness. Years after their father’s death, the sisters–now
grown and not nearly as different as they think they are–are brought together
by their shrewd mother, June, to pack up their home on the island of Big Dune.
Connie struggles to maintain the façade of perfection in the face of Estella’s
surprisingly normal life, while dealing with the reality of her family’s
emotional and financial disintegration at the hands of her husband, as well as
the startling discovery that she knows nothing about her oldest son and that
her youngest appears to have inherited the genius gene. But Connie isn’t the
only one with secrets. Both Estella and June have tales they’ve kept
well-hidden, until the timeless sand and surf of Big Dune Island finally wears
away this family’s resistance to the truth: They need each other more than ever
before.
It’s about sisters and families, of course, but also touches on the nature of
genius, the relationships between math, music, and nature, and is a little bit
of an indictment against the development and commercialization of my beautiful
home state of Florida.
JT: Tell us about the books by the rest of the Debs.
KK: Oh, I love this, because we all have such different stories! I’ll go
alphabetically:
Tish Cohen’s TOWN HOUSE (May 1, 2007) is about Jack Madigan who lives an
enviable existence in a Boston town house with his son, Harlan. Jack is
agoraphobic, but living on his rock star dadâs royalties, his condition hasnât
been a problem. Until the money runs out. The bank is foreclosing, Jackâs ex is
threatening to take Harlan, and, Lucinda, the little girl next door, wonât stay
out of his kitchen. Jack must outwit the bank, win back his house, keep his
son, and, finally, with Lucindaâs help, find a way back to the world outside
his door. Tish lives in Canada and film rights to TOWN HOUSE have been sold to
FOX with Ridley Scott’s company producing. TOWN HOUSE is mainstream fiction,
and if all that isn’t enough, Tish also has a Y/A, THE INVISIBLE RULES OF THE
ZOE LAMA, coming out in July.
Eileen Cook is another Canuck (though she’s officially a transplant, does that
still count as a Canuck?), and has her own very funny blog in addition to
grogging at the Ball. IN THE STARS is about Sophie Kintock, who wants her guy
back and poses as a psychic to give his new girlfriend a fake reading designed
to break them up. Faking it turns out to be easy and fun, especially after a
few lessons from Nick, who knows all the tricks of the trade. But now sheâs
being offered a job telling fortunes on the radio and she must decide whether
to accept her rising stardom in a less-than-honest line of work. And whether
the best option is trying to rekindle her old flame-or finding romance with
someone new. Eileen’s going great guns on foreign rights on this one, and I
can’t wait to read it next February. Oh! And her husband, Bob, is the fabulous
designer of The Debutante Ball’s site!
Mia King lives in Hawaii, lucky dog! She and her husband run their own golf
academy, and she also blogs in addition to grogging at the Ball. Her debut is
GOOD THINGS, and is about Deidre McIntosh, who became famous teaching
women to live simply, and simply live. But when her Seattle
cooking-and-lifestyle show gets bumped off the air, and her best guy moves in
with his boyfriend, sheâs left trying to figure out the next segment. Seizing
on a chance encounter with an attractive stranger, Deidre accepts his offer to
use his country home. She hopes to get away for a while and learn to practice
what she preaches. To appreciate life without voice mail. To gain the courage
to start again, and take the first slow, cautious steps toward a new kind of
success â and maybe even love. GOOD THINGS comes out February 6th, and I’m
trying to talk my husband into attending her book launch in Hawaii!
Jennifer McMahon gives me goosebumps! Her book does anyway. PROMISE NOT TO TELL
is about Kate Cypher, who has just returned to her small hometown to care for
her Alzheimerâs-afflicted mother. The night she arrives, a young girl is
murdered. Kate is drawn into the investigationâand deep into the childhood
sheâs tried to escape. As the investigation unfolds, the facets of Kateâs life
collide in a terrifying way: her mother is deteriorating, her old friends are
never quite what they seem, and the ghosts of her childhood have emerged to
haunt her. Jennifer lives with her partner and daughter in Vermont, and has
held about every job in the world. I’m glad she settled on writer.
And finally, our reality fiction writer, Anna David. She’s written for just
about every popular magazine out there and has been on TV shows like The
Today Show. She’s currently on the G4 Network as their Attack of the
Show! sex expert, and blogs about reality TV for FOX. PARTY GIRL, is
about Amelia Stone, known for sharing wild stories about her hot (and often
hilarious) nightlife. Invited to Hollywoodâs most exclusive, star-studded
events, she rubs shouldersâand occasionally has trystsâwith
celebrities, indulging in the ultimate sex, drugs, and rock and roll
lifestyle. A writer for celebrity magazine, she is finally offered the chance
to prove herself by interviewing several high-profile stars. As she engages in
more and more self-destructive partying, Amelia loses control and makes the
decision to end her drug abuse. Sober, she meets the man of her dreams and is
hired at a better magazine to write a column about her adventures. Little does
the magazine know that Ameliaâs partying days are in the past. Faced with the
most exciting opportunity of her career, she must now decide to either save
herself or salvage her reputation as the ultimate party girl.
JT: You credit Vermeer with landing your agent. We must hear this story.
KK: Ha! Well, that happened on one of those sleepless nights during my
agent querying phase. That week I’d sent out a lot of queries after being
prodded by a friend…prodded, like with a sharp stick prodded. There was one
agent I was very interested in, but another friend had been a client of the
same firm and I’m sort of funny about mixing personal and professional
business, so I’d shied away, thinking it was sort of like dating your friend’s
ex, you know? So, over that weekend the flurry of queries went out. On Monday I
put things out of my mind and researched an idea I had for my next novel (er,
which turned into my current novel, CATCHING GENIUS; the research revolved
around Leonardo daVinci). I came across the term "Camera obscura,"
which is a device, a forerunner of the modern camera, used to basically trick
light into inverting an image (no, really, look it up!). The term struck me as
particularly poetic, one of those things I file away in the back of my mind. On
Tuesday, my husband, an art dealer, picked up one of their artists at the
airport and we went out to dinner. The artist’s conversation revolved around
his technique, which he called Camera obscura, though it seemed he used it less
as an actual physical device than a particular, very vivid and realistic, way
of painting. This of course intrigued me even more! On Wednesday I sent out
more queries, and that night I couldn’t sleep. Finally, at about 3:30 a.m.,
having driven my husband from the room, I turned on the TV. The channel
happened to be on the Discovery Channel, and they were showing the biography of
the great Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer. The main controversy surrounding
Vermeer was if he used a Camera obscura to "cheat" and allow him to
paint his paintings in a very scientific and realistic way. So here’s this
bizarre term I’ve never heard before, thrown at me every single day three days
in a row? I’m not a particularly mystical person, but let’s just say I was
paying attention! The next day I thought I’d get through another query or two
and looked in Publisher’s Marketplace, searching for the term "Debut."
Only one I hadn’t seen before came up, the brilliant debut of Miranda
Beverly-Whittemore’s The Effects Of Light. That’s the title it was
published with anyway, but the title it sold with, the one on Publisher’s
Marketplace? CAMERA OBSCURA. The agent? The exact same agent I had wanted to
query but had shied away from because I was worried about too many connections,
Anne Hawkins of the John Hawkins Literary Agency. I fired off an e-mail query
to her so fast I nearly locked the computer up. She became my agent within a
week, and still is.
JT: You don’t write mysteries. Do you read them? Who are your
favorites?
KK: I love mysteries. My book obsessions as a
child were Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, and when I’d gotten through all of
those, I stole my brother’s Hardy Boys. The first really grown up book I
ever read was a John D. MacDonald, The Green Ripper. I was
probably nine or ten years old, and the cover absolutely terrified me,
but I was hooked. I went through all of his, then moved onto
Robert Parker, Elmore Leonard, Ken Follett, all the usual suspects. I grew up
FAST that year! My friend Tasha Alexander has turned me onto Elizabeth George,
as well as to her own Lady Emily Ashton series, and I’ve been very impressed by
J.D. Rhoades (my redneck heritage coming out), Wallace Strohby (my tendency
toward noir), and Bob Morris (well, really, it’s Florida, what more could you
ask?). As a writer, I’ve been so impressed by the way the mystery community
supports writers. I’ve certainly considered writing a mystery, but I have to
admit that I’m intimidated by it. I have a few ideas, but I start thinking
about them and start chewing my fingernails. Maybe one day I’ll be confident
enough to tackle it. I’d like that.
JT: What advice do you have for new writers?
KK: Educate yourself. You have to, but please, please
remember that the MOST important thing is a well-written, good
story. It’s not how the stamp goes on the SASE, it’s not how many
pre-blurbs you can get, it’s not 18# or 20# paper for your query. It kills me
to watch so many writers get so caught up in the minutiae of the business when
they don’t even have a complete manuscript yet. They’re concentrating on
the wrong thing. They’re concentrating on what they can control
because it feels good to know that there IS something you can control in this
business. And before you think I sound condescending or insincere, I
am SO VERY sincere, because I did the exact same thing. I regret the
unnecessary stress I put myself through. It’s a huge waste of time, and that
time should be spent learning your craft and making your manuscript better.
That over-education applies to new authors too. Everyone is constantly telling
you how hard it is, how you’re never going to get a second book published
unless about 367 things go just exactly the right way on the third Thursday of
the seventh month when Venus is in retrograde and a brindle armadillo crosses
US41 from east to west at midnight. Write the next book. Write well, plot well,
concentrate on the work. (And yes, I’m making that very mistake right this
second.)
JT: Do you think group marketing makes debuting easier?
KK: I don’t know. I’ve never done it any other way,
but I DO know that I feel as though my stress is spread out across five other
women, five truly talented and intelligent and generous authors. How could that
possibly be bad?
JT: Would you recommend new authors to follow the Killer Year and
Debutante Ball model?
KK: Absolutely. Here’s who should NOT do it (and be
honest with yourself):
* Anyone with jealousy or envy issues. We all have these
feelings, but if it’s going to eat at you when your fellow authors get better
reviews, a bigger contract, more foreign rights, a big movie deal, whatever it
is, you’d better sit the group dynamic out. Because it WILL happen. Someone
will always get something bigger, better, and if you can’t genuinely be happy
for that person, or if you’ll spend all your time beating yourself up for NOT
getting those things, then you WILL poison the entire group, and you’ll make
yourself crazy too. Save yourself, and others, the heartache. Other’s
success does NOT equal your failure.
* Anyone not willing to pull their own weight…and everyone
else’s once in a while. You can’t slack, and you can’t be a martyr in a group
like this. Figure out everyone’s strengths, and then work them. Sometimes
you’ll do more work than others. Get over it. Next time they’ll do more work
than you.
* Anyone who has a tendency to get excited about a project
and then lets it peter out. Get excited and stay excited.
Told you. Pretty cool chicks, if you ask me. The Debutante
Ball is one of the greatest grogs going. I highly recommend you stop by and
sample their refinement.
Thank you, Kristy, for taking the time to share your story
and the Debs with Murderati. Best of luck with all of your debuts in 2007.
We’re all rooting for you!
Wine of the Week – In honor of our fine guests, a
champagne cocktail.
Soak a sugar cube in Bitters. Drop in a flute of bubbly.
Think intellectual thoughts.
P.S. I’m having a cocktail party of my own today at The
Good Girls Kill For Money blog, with the stunningly effervescent Tasha Alexander and all the Good Girls.
Stop by and ask me anything.
And a quick bit of industry news…
DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR ITW AWARD SUBMISSIONS
The deadline for ITW award submissions has been extended to December 15th, 2006.
Please contact Alex Kava (alexkava@aol.com)
for the list of judges, addresses and rules of submission. Also, a
reminder to authors that ITW allows authors to submit their own work
rather than go through their publisher or agent.
Blood, Sweat and Fears
Recently I’ve been encountering an odd phenomenon in the writing community. New writers are afraid to submit their work to publishers and agents. I’m coming across more and more writers who are writing away only to put their work in the bottom drawer without ever showing it to someone.
I understand the fear element to submitting your work. Writing isn’t a day job. It’s a passion. You put your blood, sweat and tears into a piece of work you believe in and to have someone say they didn’t like it is a dagger to the heart. I’ve said it before—no one goes out of their way to write a crappy book on purpose. Someone’s “sub par” work still represents their best effort and no one should forget that.
There’s a lot of potential in that unread manuscript. It’s unseen and unknown. It could grow up to be anything. But the reality is that only a small percentage of manuscripts will end up on a bookstore bookshelf. So I understand the fear. A rejection letter could dash a writer’s hopes and dreams.
But rejection letters are part of the business. I can’t say I like receiving them. Each one feels like drop kick to the nuts. And with over 600 rejection slips from magazines, agents and publishers over the years, I seriously doubt my ability to father children.
So avoiding the pain of rejection and possible failure makes sense.
But, at the same time, not submitting that manuscript is a tremendous waste. Why put all that effort into an enterprise and not see it through to the end? That’s tragic. That’s something to fear. While there is the very real possibility that a manuscript will be dismissed without a second thought, there’s also a likelihood that a manuscript will be embraced and published.
What is there to fear? Wounded pride? A dented ego? Yes, but there’s really nothing to lose here. So, the book or story never gets published—at least you tried. But the story doesn’t end there. You still have options—give up, resubmit elsewhere, edit the hell out of it and resubmit, or write something else. There’s no dishonor in giving up. You gave it your best shot and it didn’t work out. Try something else. Giving it a second shot means having to put in all that hard work again with the possible outcome of failure again. But even if you sell the first book, you’ve got to write a second…and a third…and a fourth. You’ll have this agony all over again.
Being afraid of submitting a manuscript is a real mistake. The old saying about the only thing to fear is fear itself rings true here. So, if you have a manuscript lurking in your bottom drawer that you’ve never sent out to anyone, then do it. What’s the worst that could happen?
Stay scribbling,
Simon Wood
Get Ready for the Boar
2007 is the Year of the Boar, or Wart Hog, which would have been my grandmother’s year, if she was alive. For me professionally, 2007 will be a transitional year. I won’t have a novel out, and I’ll be working on a YA series as well as doing research for a mystery standalone. As my career shifts, or rather expands, and my workload increases, I thought it best for me to give up my spot on Murderati for another blogger.
My intention to join forces with Pari and others on Murderati was primarily to discuss the process of releasing my third book, to write about public relations and promotional efforts (I was a flak in Hollywood for about three years), and to talk about the L.A. mystery writing and marketing scene. For the sheer size of the book market here, I still maintain that we don’t have a comprehensive literary web presence. There are many good websites and blogs, but we can use more.
Here’s a handy and dandy index of L.A. Mix profiles I’ve posted during the past eight months:
Independent Bookstore Mystery Galaxy in San Diego
Media Escort Ken Wilson
Newspaper Writer Patricia McFall
SinC/LA President Sue Ann Jaffarian
Professor William Edwards
And nuts and bolts posts:
Copyediting styles and copyeditors
L.A. Times Festival of Books (I, II, III)
Craziness of Amazon numbers and how they don’t mean much
ISBNs and Library of Congress numbers
Book launch for a first novel
Author essays in mystery magazines
I purposefully haven’t blogged too much on the writing process, because I have learned to write intuitively from reading novels, not from how-to books or classes. I’m pretty independent and stubborn, and don’t like to rely on any kind of guides, except for maybe travel books. Since I learned to write outside of the classroom, I didn’t know how beneficial my writing advice would be.
Although I’ll be leaving Murderati as a regular blogger, I’m be visiting from time to time as a guest blogger. And I’ll still be very much a part of the mystery scene, as three of my short stories will be published in anthologies in the Year of the Boar (or else close to it):
"Number 19" in LOS ANGELES NOIR, edited by Denise Hamilton. The life of a lonely young woman in L.A. is changed forever when she becomes obsessed with a masseuse at a Koreatown spa.
"The Chirashi Covenant" in A HELL OF A WOMAN: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FEMALE NOIR, edited by Megan Abbott. A former Japanese American beauty queen seeks upward mobility for her family in the 1950s at a disastrous cost.
"Tat Master" in THE DARKER MASK, edited by Chris Chambers and Gary Phillips. A young female tattoo artist, on the run from her yakuza boyfriend in Japan, finds herself with some supernatural powers after an encounter with a stranger in L.A. (This is going to be super cool because each story will be illustrated by a comic book artist. Actually, I think this book will be coming out the beginning of 2008 instead of the end of 2007.)
I can’t tell you how I excited and honored I am to be included in all three anthologies, which appeal to slightly different niches. Just looking at the editors and other contributors indicate the high caliber of these respective collections.
The stories I’ve written for these anthologies are definitely more hardboiled than my Mas Arai mysteries. (I still have a few weeks to polish two of the stories.) It was both liberating and challenging to sharpen my story-telling skills and to find the unique voice of each protagonist. The stories are all told from female points-of-view, which has been a refreshing change for me. In fact, writing "Number 19" probably helped "clear my decks" in tackling my YA novel, which is told in first person by a 13-year-old girl. Taking a break from Mas Arai and stretching my creative wings have made me more confident and brave a writer.
While I’m excited about the creative and professional changes in my life, I am sad to leave the camaraderie of Murderati team. It’s strange–I’ve only met in person one Murderati blogger, our fearless leader, Pari, so far. I think one of the reasons why Murderati has worked is that we are so different. We aren’t a clique. What binds us together is that we write mysteries professionally. And I don’t know if the other Murderati would appreciate this observation, but that we all are underdogs in one way or another.
There’s nothing wrong with being an underdog. In fact, it’s as American as apple pie. Our national fascination with the underdog and second chances is probably our most endearing cultural value (well, at least to me). As these stories go, the underdogs always come up winners at the end. So I have special wishes for each of the Murderati bloggers, both present and future, with gifts of Japanese New Year, or Oshogatsu, food, which is full of symbols and metaphors.
Renkon for Deni
Lotus root, which has many holes to foresee the future.
Kazunoko for Jeff
Herring roe for fertility. (Enuff said. How about productivity in terms of books?)
Both Jeff and Deni will be moving on to pursue their own blogging venture. My best to them.
Kuromame for Simon
Black beans, which represent health. Add chestnuts, and you have success, repeated over and over again.
Tai for Elaine
A big fish for the queen of the sea. Tai, or sea bream, is usually served whole; nothing is broken. Elaine will be taking over Wednesdays, so I know this day will be hopping!
Kamaboko for J.T.
Pink fish cake which symbolizes patriotism, purity and honesty. Totally appropriate for this Killer Year woman.
Mochi for Pari
Pounded rice cake, which is plenty sticky for long life and prosperity. Mochi, like Pari, keeps everyone together.
Kombu Maki for all the new Murderati bloggers!
Rolled kelp for gladness or joy. Kombu maki always reminds me of tuxedos or penguins for some reason. And oh, so fun to make.
Toshikoshi Soba for all you readers
These buckwheat noodles are especially long for long life. Yum! Can’t wait to eat some.
As of 2007, I will be updating my website monthly with a note, brief book review on novels and mysteries related to Asian Americans, and yes, a new Japanese word to learn. So come visit. I know I’ll be visiting Murderati on a regular basis. In fact, as a guest blogger, I’ll be posting two interviews on two illustrious librarians during the last week of December. In February I’ll be in Seattle for Left Coast Crime; if you are too, please say "hi" in person.
If you ever come to L.A., I’ll be helping with the inaugural Asian Pacific American Book Festival on Saturday, May 12, 2007 and contributing to the Japanese American National Museum’s "Landscaping America" exhibition, which opens in June. And let us not forget–there’s the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the end of April.
Happy Year of the Wart Hog!
Peace.
WEDNESDAY’S LAST WORD: inoshishi (SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI, page 75)
Boar, wart hog. It’s pronounced EE-no-she-she. Boar birth years are 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, and, of course, 2007. Boar people are supposed to be pure of heart, generous, and kind. A true friend with a passion for life and indulgence. They are supposedly compatible with Tigers, which would make any Boar a good buddy of mine.
I READ BANNED BOOKS!
QUIBBLES & BITS
I have a blue tee-shirt…well, it’s more like off-blue…maybe light teal or dark turquoise…that says: I READ BANNED BOOKS
When I wear it I get strange looks, but – so far – no one has asked me what it means. I suppose it’s self-explanatory 🙂
Or maybe people are afraid to hear my answer since they already consider me…eccentric. And passionate about social and political issues.
Last week, when publication was abruptly halted on OJ Simpson’s (cough) hypothetical If I Did It, my first reaction was joy. The public spoke up and was heard. Then the following thoughts occurred:
Did OJ get his full advance? Or, like many of us, did he get half on signing (the contract) and the other half on publication?
That’s an "I’m merely curious" question. It really doesn’t matter. It’s like wondering if Tom Hanks got his usual 6 (or is it 8) million for Da Vinci Code. Or did he take "points"? And who cares? Except maybe Hanks, if he chose points 🙂
So, can OJ now sell his hypothetical (cough) book to another publisher? Or can he self-publish with, oh say iUniverse? Or maybe he can Xerox the pages from his galleys and create a new press — Orenthal Press has a nice ring to it.
Assuming he self-publishes, will Amazon carry his book? Before the book was pulled, Barnes & Noble said they’d certainly carry it ("like any other book"). So, will B&N carry a self-published version? Will Borders still donate any profits to charity?
I don’t know the answers.
But I have mixed feelings about the book’s cancellation. My husband Gordon says it’s a grey area since OJ wasn’t convicted of murder but was found guilty in the civil suit, and no one can write/sell his/her tell-all book and make a profit off a crime he/she committed. Still, legalities aside, my mixed feelings have more to do with…well, I can’t say banning the book since, technically, the book never came out. I have mixed feelings about public outrage "winning the day," I guess.
Is that a good thing?
Again, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not a bad thing, unless of course it goes too far. Suppose the voices screaming that the Harry Potter books should be banned had been louder, more strident, more threatening? Suppose someone, or a lot of someones, thought a Paul Guyot script should be banned because it was too violent or an Alex Sokoloff novel taken off the shelves because it was too horrific?
About a year ago I had a heated discussion with a friend who insisted that children shouldn’t be given access to "everything out there" without adult supervision. She was defending a banned-books list. I agreed that adult supervision was important. I disagreed with the banning of books. What gives anyone — or a committee of anyones — the right to determine which books are detrimental to one’s health? And morals?
Furthermore, I told her, it’s been proven over and over again that books sell even more copies when they’re banned.
"They wouldn’t sell more copies if they were unavailable," she snapped, and that was the end of our discussion.
Here are the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2001
*Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
*Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
*The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
*Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
*Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
*Forever by Judy Blume
*Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
*Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
*Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
*My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
*The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
*The Giver by Lois Lowry
*It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
*Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
*A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
*The Color Purple by Alice Walker
*Sex by Madonna
*Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
*The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
*A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
*Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
*Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
*In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
*The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
*The Witches by Roald Dahl
*The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
*Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
*The Goats by Brock Cole
*Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
*Blubber by Judy Blume
*Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
*Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
*We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
*Final Exit by Derek Humphry
*The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood *Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
*The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
*What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents
& Daughters by Lynda Madaras
*To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
*The Pigman by Paul Zindel
*Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
*Deenie by Judy Blume
*Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
*Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
*The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
*Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
*A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
*Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
*Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
*Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
*Cujo by Stephen King
*James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl *The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
*Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
*Ordinary People by Judith Guest
*American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
*What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
*Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
*Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
*Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
*Fade by Robert Cormier
*Guess What? by Mem Fox
*The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
*The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
*Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
*Lord of the Flies by William Golding
*Native Son by Richard Wright
*Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
*Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
*Jack by A.M. Homes
*Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
*Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
*Carrie by Stephen King
*Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
*On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
*Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
*Family Secrets by Norma Klein
*Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
*The Dead Zone by Stephen King
*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
*Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
*Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
*Private Parts by Howard Stern
*Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
*Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
*Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
*Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
*Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
*Sex Education
by Jenny Davis
*The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
*Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
*How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
*View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
*The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
*The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
*Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
I’m fairly certain the list has grown. Makes you think, eh?
I’ve read (and loved) 23 of the above, assuming the Harry Potter series counts as one book. The Color Purple and To Kill a Mockingbird are on my list of all-time favorites.
And I’m still trying to figure out why they’d "challenge" Ordinary People. Anyone know?
AND NOW…A CHANGE OF ADDRESS
This is my last Murderati blog. It’s been fun but I’m moving "across town" to a new blog. With a very exciting concept.
HEY, THERE’S A DEAD GUY IN THE LIVING ROOM will include a publisher, a couple of editors, a publicist, a reviewer, a bookstore owner, and my bud Jeff Cohen, who makes me laugh even when I don’t feel like laughing. We’ll all be talking/writing about the publishing business from our own (unique) perspectives.
And if, occasionally, one of us strays into more controversial terrain…well, that’s one person’s opinion, not the entire blog’s. But I think readers are smart enough to know the difference.
I’ll still be doing my QUIBBLES & BITS every Tuesday, hopefully more bits than quibbles, only I’ll post it at the new site.
If HEY, THERE’S A DEAD GUY IN THE LIVING ROOM is extraordinarily successful, we might have a line of Dead Guy toys and games, stuffed animals (Dead Guy has a cat?), an animated TV series…
So keep your ears — and eyes — open for the launch date this January. And please email me at deni@denisedietz.com if you’d like a personal notification.
Happy holidays, my friends, and goodbye for now. As those 7 little dwarfs (man, my spell-checker is going bonkers over "dwarfs") would say, it’s off to work I go. In between rehearsals for Oliver, I plan to finish writing my fourth Ellie/Peter mystery: EVERYBODY DIDN’T LIKE SARA LEE, and my Ingrid/Hitchcock sequel: THE LOLLIPOP GUILD.
Over and Out,
Deni
I don’t buy it: Indies, chains and genre fiction
Oh, I’m going to get in trouble for this . . .
For years, I’ve promoted independent bookstores far more than their shiny, muscle-bound counterparts. When I used to write a literary column for the Albuquerque Tribune, I extolled the virtues of these small businesses; they were the fortresses of free thought, the defenders of the little guy, the natural habitat for a flourishing small press.
Shopping at mom & pop stores was simply — and always — the right thing to do. I was a card-carrying member of the Small-Is-Beautiful philosophy.
That card remains in my wallet.
I believe that independent mystery bookstores (and other genre-specific stores) fulfill the mission described above. The Mystery Bookstore in L.A., Murder by the Book in Houston, The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, The Mystery Company in Carmel, IN — along with other members of the IMBA — are a big reason I’ve been able to build my career.
But . . .
I’ve been rethinking my knee-jerk defense of general indies and my haughty attitude toward the chain stores.
You see, I’m in business. Few businesses survive on mere ideology; they need results.
I’ve been working at this job a long time (far more than the mere three years since publication) and am finally cresting a new wave. From this vantage point, I’ve got to say it seems to me that many indies can’t be bothered with the little gal anymore — especially if she writes genre or commercial fiction.
There are, of course, notable exceptions — Vroman’s in Pasadena, The Well Red Coyote in Sedona, the Treasure House in Albuquerque’s Old Town . . .
However, authors from small presses — even ones with sterling reputations and good sales — have told me they now feel like supplicants who must bear gifts in order to gain attention from general indies. Coop money, extensive mailing lists, free copies — all of these are becoming de rigeur.
Indeed, the booking coordinator at the University of New Mexico Press told me about an indy in Boulder that asked her to ask an author directly for $200 to fund a book signing.
What the hell?
(Don’t get me started on how much these signings really cost. I know from my years of work in PR that most general indies spend little, if any, money at all on them.)
I wouldn’t have thought much about any of this except that recently I’ve had stellar experiences in chain stores. Managers and employees uniformly have been thrilled to meet me. They’ve ordered a large amount of stock, asked me to sign my books AND slapped stickers on the covers with the assurance of people who are going to sell the heck out of them.
So, why continue to sing the praises of general indies when they often treat me — us — as peons?
I believe commercial fiction from small presses increasingly is losing its natural home in these boutique stores. Once known for staff retention, customer loyalty (because of staff retention), hand-selling and unique inventory, indies are beginning to look much more like their big-guy competition.
And, guess what? I’ve witnessed the same kind of old-school hand-selling at the chain stores that many authors (and customers) so snottily slam.
It’s true.
The reality of this shift is affecting my own tactics and marketing strategies. Still, I can’t help myself. I seek out and am delighted when I encounter an enthusiastic general independent bookstore.
They’re out there.
They’re the ones that understand that genre fiction is commercial. Commercial fiction is just that — commercial.
It sells.
And, after years of singing the same song, I’m beginning to belt out a new tune.
A NOTE:
During the next month or so, you’ll notice changes here at Murderati. Jeff bid us goodbye yesterday. Deni will do so tomorrow. Naomi plans to guest blog but will not be a regular after this Wednesday.
Watch us beginning December 3 for the new writers who’ll grace our group. I’ll announce the full schedule on Dec. 4.
For now, please join us in wishing Jeff, Deni and Naomi tremendous success in all of their endeavors.