Friday, July 31, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
For the Love of Crime Fiction
by: Nina Milton
When I tell people I write crime fiction, the one thing I’m not hoping to hear is, “Oh, I neverread crime fiction.”
Not because I want them to buy my books, but because I simply don’t believe them. Of course they read crime fiction. They just don’t know it. No way would I admit what I’m actually thinking, which is, “that’s a whole heap of baloney, pal – the literary equivalent of the excrement of the male cow.”
I belong to a local reading club, ten or fifteen of us discussing the books we’ve loved, and sometimes I get that sort of response when introduced to a new member. “A crime fiction series? That won’t interest me, I never read it.” The second part of their little speech hangs in the air, unsaid but perfectly clear– “Crime fiction is way below my reading standard.”
Even when I overhear whisperings in the reading club shadows, “ah, Nina Milton, she’s a novelist with a big US publisher, you know…but it’s onlycrime fiction…” I don’t bite. I don’t want to be accused of being a “precious author” who can’t take a critique of their work, I just wait, like a cheetah, poised at the edge of the Savannah eyeing up the wildebeests, for the moment they start talking about books…“I love the work of Charles Dickens…” Or, “I’m very into William Faulkner.”
Then I point out, the smile plastered over my face, that Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist was a story of street kids abused and corrupted by gangs of professional criminals.
Bleak House was a legal thriller that Grisham would have probably been proud to write and The Mystery of Edwin Brood…well, it’s in the title, you fool. As for Nobel Laureate Faulkner, not only did he work on the screenplay of The Big Sleep, but wrote a thriller called Sanctuary.
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| Edgar Allen Poe |
Then there’s Dicken’s friend Wilkie Collins, who’s every novel was a mystery thriller, plus Patricia Highsmith, Edgar Allan Poe and Graham Greene, all writers now studied at college.
Donna Tartt produces something criminal every ten years or so, to delight serious readers and crime fans alike, recently winning acclaim across the world for The Goldfinch, the story of a stolen painting. And, as if to prove my point, Scottish novelist Kate Atkinson recently won literary prizes for her surprising and memorable book,Life After Life, straight after publishing her “Jackson Brodie” series about a DI turned private eye. These have already been adapted for British TV as Case Histories, and Shonda Rhimesis developing a pilot called The Catchfor the US market.
And did you know that Mark Twain’s Huck and Tom solved a murder and collected $2000 in Tom Sawyer, Detective? Twain was also the first writer to use fingerprints in his short story, The Thumbprint and What Became of It.
We haven’t even got started on the many crime novels which have been showered with accolades from the literary giitterati; writers like Dashiell Hammett, Elmor Leonard, Raymond Chandler, Steig Larsson, Peter Hoeg, Georges Simenon. And of course, P D James, who, in her latter years, also wrote a mystery sequel to Pride and Prejudice, Death Comes to Pemberley.
In fact, it is difficult to write a book, even one that is likely to reach literary heights, without there being an element of mystery within it, without it being thrilling, and without, underneath all of this, some sort of dark secret. I believe it’s the crime writer who best reflects their society, and all shades.
In any case, it’s hard to define exactly what makes a book “good literature”, but I think most people would go with the books which raise questions for the reader, especially about the validity of society’s morals, which is written with style, so that every sentences gets you thinking, and yet is beautiful in its own right.
I don’t pretend to be a literary writer, but I do attempt, right from the start of plotting each of my “Shaman Mystery” novels, to explore the themes I’ve chosen with some depth, and within that, to examine what it is to be human. I do that by choosing crimes that are deeply evil in some way, and observing how people cope, react. In the Moors examines the appalling crime of pedophilia. Unraveled Visionslooks at how desperate people seek a better life in a new country to only become exploited. Beneath the Tor,due for release in December 2015, will investigate the “legal hi” problems and mental health issues. Because my heroine is a shamanic therapist with a big heart, I always feature the victims and their families in my books, as well as the law enforcers and the criminals. These are the people Sabbie Dare is interested in helping.
I think P. D. James put it well; A detective story can give a much truer picture of the society in which it’s written than a more prestigious literature…crime fiction confirms our belief, despite some evidence to the contrary, that we live in a rational comprehensible and moral universe. Ends.
The 2nd Shaman Mystery, UNRAVELED VISIONS
“[A] thrilling tale.” —RT Book Reviews
"The depictions of shamanic journeying are vivid and authentic. Reading BENEATH THE TOR kept me up at night much later than I wanted, because I could not bear to miss the next bit."—RONALD HUTTON, AUTHOR OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE MOON, SHAMANS, AND PAGAN BRITAIN
Nina Milton (Wales) has been publishing short stories and children’s books for thirty years. She’s won many literary competitions, including the Crossroads Competitions, Kent Festival Prize, and the Wells Literary Shirt Story Competitions. She enjoys exploring the magical landscapes of Britain with her husband, James. Visit her blog at http://KitchenTableWriters.Blogspot.com
Q&A with Elizabeth Perona
This week, we sat down with the father/daughter writing team behind Elizabeth Perona. Their series debut, Murder on the Bucket List, was released earlier this month.
Midnight Ink: How long have you been writing?
Elizabeth Perona (Tony): I remember the first time I got a good
review for something I wrote. It was back in grade school at St. Christopher’s.
The teacher—I think it was Mr. Click—asked us to write a fictional story where
an inanimate object came to life. Mine was about the tree that gave its life to
become the manger the Christ child slept in. I enjoyed writing the story, got
really good feedback, and was hooked. I also remember writing tortured poetry
in high school (I think it’s in the attic somewhere), co-writing a couple of
musicals in graduate school that were produced, and how exciting it was when my
first novel was published in 2002. So I feel like I’ve been writing for a very long
time.
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| Elizabeth Perona: Tony and Liz |
MI: What influence have other authors
had on your writing?
EP (Tony): I’m going to mention someone you wouldn’t think would
influence a mystery writer, but Thornton Wilder is the author who has had the
most influence on my writing. His body of work is limited, but what he
accomplished in those works is not. His novels (I particularly like The
Bridge of San Luis Rey and Theophilus North) and especially his
plays (Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and the Matchmaker) have universal
themes that will always resonate with humanity. I aspire to write something
that will endure and touch others. Haven’t gotten there yet and may never, but
I think Murder on the Bucket List is a step in the right direction. I hope
Thornton would approve.
MI: As a father/daughter writing
team, what is the writing process like?
EP (Tony): The stuff we do together is scout out locations, talk about plot, and other
general things like that. From that point on, I’m the straight-ahead,
write-to-the-end-of-the-story guy, and Liz is the detail supplier. I hate
details. But the process is evolving from book to book.
MI: If you weren’t a writer, what
would you be doing?
EP (Tony): Probably the day job I have now! (see below)
MI: If you have a job outside of
writing, what is it?
EP (Tony): I’m currently serving as the Interim Town Manager for the Town of Plainfield.
When they find a new Town Manager, I look forward to get back to being the
Assistant Town Manager. It’s much less stressful and also conducive
to my writing. :)
EP (Liz): I stay at home with my two kids, Lucy and Isaac.
MI: What are your favorite things
to do when you’re not writing or working?
EP (Tony): I love to be active. My wife Debbie and I enjoy hiking and riding our bikes. I
also like to run and work out.
EP (Liz): I love to sew. It is amazing to me that I can start with
just some fabric laying on the cutting mat, and end up with an outfit for me or
my kids.
MI: Who is your favorite mystery
sleuth and why?
EP (Tony): Robert B. Parker’s Spenser. I love and admire the code of honor he works from.
Also, he’s funny, tough, and very cool.
MI: Do you have a favorite murder
case from a book (either yours or another author’s)?
EP (Tony): Not really. I enjoy a lot of murders. <grin>
MI: What was your inspiration for
this series?
EP (Tony): I heard about a bridge club made up of retired women who were doing adventurous
things—not on a bucket list, but just things the members of the club had always
wanted to do. It sounded like they were a fun group. I realized that even
though they were getting older, their lives had never been richer. And I
thought, why not write about this group?
They
had the kind of outlook I aspired to have. Not just when I retired, but now. I
view it as a mission now as I write to encourage people to keep looking ahead
and be excited about life.
MI: Tell us about Charlotte,
Francine, Joy, Alice, and Mary Ruth.
EP (Tony): Francine
is a retired nurse who is the point of view character. We see the story unfold
from Francine’s purview. Francine is a
lot like my mom, Frances. She died from cancer when Liz was only 4 years old.
Writing in her voice is a real joy for me because I get to remember her again.
She always saw the best in people, which is how Francine is able to cope with
Charlotte’s wilder side. Charlotte is Francine’s best friend. I based Charlotte
somewhat on my Grandma Bonte, who was quite a character. She cheated at cards,
for example. Playing euchre with her was hilarious. If she was partners with
her sister, my great-Aunt Annie, there was a lot of table talk we couldn’t
understand because they both spoke Slavish as well as English. They also had
elaborate hand signals.
Joy is the go-getter in the group, a divorced woman who is still trying
to prove her worth to her ex-husband. Alice comes from privilege, but there are
things she wishes she had like a family of her own. She and her husband were
older when they married and never had kids. Mary Ruth is a hard worker. At 70,
she still has to work and is a caterer. Obviously she knows how to cook!
MI: Do you have a bucket list?
EP (Tony): Does making it onto the NY Times bestseller list count? <grin> Actually,
I do have a bucket list, mostly places I want to travel to. My top destinations
are New Zealand, Italy, and France.
EP (Liz): Not so much, I just in survival mode right now with two kids, two and
under. If I had to choose something
though, I’d like to travel to Italy with my husband.
MI: How does this series compare to
your past works?
EP (Tony): This is very different from my past novels. I wrote a series about a stay-at-home
dad/freelance reporter who has a knack for solving mysteries with a supernatural
element. It was more detective-like than amateur sleuth. I also wrote a
thriller. So this cozy series is a major departure.
MI: Do you have a pet? Tell us about
him/her.
EP (Tony): Yes! I have a cat. Her name is Ginny. She’s a six-year old red tabby. She
became a lazy cat very quickly in life. She’s never really played with toys,
she’s not a good jumper, and she doesn’t tolerate strangers. She constantly
hisses at guests. Her two good points are that she’s very affectionate toward
my wife and me, and she has beautiful markings. So there’s that. At any rate,
she’s our cat and we love her.
 |
| Tony and Ginny |
 |
| Gizmo |
EP (Tony): Coffee. I already do live off it, at least in the mornings. <grin> Actually,
and this goes back to my Italian heritage, I could live off spaghetti the rest
of my life. I never get tired of spaghetti.
EP (Liz): Can I pick two? Pizza and ice
cream. I guess I’m a kid at heart. Both have so many flavor options, so I’d
never get bored!
MI: Do you have a favorite recipe?
EP (Tony): Yes, my mom’s spaghetti sauce recipe. I make it all the time!
MI: What’s your favorite part about
being an Inker?
EP (Tony):
I love the support we get from the Midnight Ink team! They are awesome to work
with!
EP (Liz): Getting to do it with my dad :)
Murder on the Bucket List is available online and in bookstores now!
Midnight Ink | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Your local bookstore
Monday, July 27, 2015
Fifty Ways to Show Readers Some Love (Part 2)
This is the second of three blog posts that highlight ways writers can show their readers some love. Check out the first twenty at last month's post. Enjoy, share, and add to the list in the comments. I hope it sparks some creative ideas!
Day 21: Be approachable. I know of a writer who wears jeans to all of her signings, because it makes readers more comfortable. How can you be more approachable to readers? Smiles? A “please join me?” A welcome message pinned to the top of your author page? A sign saying I write about vampires but rarely suck blood? Approaching a stranger is uncomfortable at best. Do whatever you can to make it easier for them.
Day 22: Donate your time—and help raise money! Donate an hour of your time with an aspiring author at local charity auctions or via Skype for the charity auctions of some of your loyal readers. (Could also be a book club meeting, a character naming, a reading or ????) Doesn’t cost a dime, earns you good karma, and helps the worthy causes your readers love!
Day 23: Offer them autographed book plates. Who says you need to be in the same area to get an autograph? Order book plates, sign them, and send them to your most loyal readers! The next best thing to having the actual book autographed. And you can even personalize them!
Day 24: Hold a Facebook launch party! Launch parties are great fun, but they only reach people within a few miles of the event. How about a Facebook launch party? It takes a little bit of time to plan, but the reach is huge. You can double your extra-credit karma points by inviting other authors they might like to join in the fun. I like to give away books at my launch parties—especially those written by other authors my readers might enjoy!
Day 25: “Like” their comments on social media. If a person comments on a post but no one likes it, does it really exist? If a reader goes to the trouble of posting on your page, hitting “like” seems like a small request. It takes less time than reading the comment!
Day 26: Share your “deleted scenes” My husband loves watching the deleted scenes when we rent DVDs. How about sharing a deleted scene from one of your books? You (or your editor) may not have let it make it to the final cut, but that doesn’t mean you readers won’t enjoy it.
Day 27: Be positive. No one’s day is improved when they are bombarded by posts from a Debbie Downer. When in doubt, celebrate the great things readers do for you versus bemoaning the bestseller list you didn’t hit. There’s a balance in there somewhere.
Day 28: Link your social media accounts. Link your Facebook and Twitter accounts so it’s easier for readers to find you. I have to admit, this is one I haven’t implemented yet. But that’s because I’m a Twidiot! Many of my writer friends are much more Twitter savvy than I am.
Day 29: Engage with readers when they ask for your autograph. I always make it a point to thank readers when they ask for my autograph as well as ask them to let me know what they thought of the book after they’ve read it., A few do. Most of them don’t. But they seem surprised and happy to be asked. One flat out told me that no author had ever asked for her opinion before. If someone takes the time to approach you, make it worth their while!
Day 30: Post unique content to their blogs. Many of your most loyal fans are also book bloggers who are trying to build visibility, just like we writers are. If you agree to post on a book blogger’s blog, make the content unique. That will help them increase visibility in the search engines. At the very least, warn them if the content is duplicate so they have the option to say “no” if it doesn’t fit with their goals and guidelines.
Day 31: Let them name a character in your next book! I just ran a contest to let readers choose the name for two characters in my fourth book. Not only did I get some GREAT character names to choose from, but a reader is getting her name in the acknowledgements section of the book. How fun!
Day 32: Hold a cover reveal contest! I just finished my cover reveal contest, and it was tons of fun! The cost of a few prizes was totally worth the chance I had to interact with some of my most loyal readers. And I suspect I met a few new ones, too!
Day 33: Write Good Books! This one seems obvious to me, but enough readers mentioned it that I thought I should share it. Many readers like being connected with their favorite authors, but the thing they want most from them is to write good books—and more of them! So be sure to spend enough time at that keyboard!
Day 34: Ask them to help choose your next author head shot! I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have my left arm chopped off than pose for a head shot. And my most likely response when I see them is to run to the phone to make an appointment for a die job and a face lift. Your readers, on the other hand, see you as you are. And they might enjoy helping you pick what I refer to as the “best of the worst.”
Day 35: Meet up with them on your travels! When traveling on tour or speaking, let your fans know, and make an effort to meet up with someone either en route or upon arrival. One writer I know has made friends across the US by doing this. So much better than being just an online persona!
Day 36. Provide them with book group questions! This is still on my to-do list, but I plan to do it someday soon. Readers who belong to book clubs love to have questions to help guide their discussions. It doesn’t take long to do and may help them explore your work at a deeper, more meaningful level. This one is from Lea Wait.
Day 37: Tell them where to get your books at low cost or free! One author I know dedicates her newsletters to helping find her books as cheaply as possible. That way they can enjoy her work without busting their budgets!
Day 38: Name a character after them! While I was at Malice, a reader told me a delightful story about her aging mother and the challenges she had choosing presents for her. She contacted her mother’s favorite author and convinced her to write her mother into the story. How cool is that?
Day 39: Write them a letter! Several readers mentioned to me that their favorite authors sent them a card or a note and it meant the world to them. Letter writing seems to be going the way of the dinosaurs, but we writers should at least be doing our part!
Day 40: Ask them to give input on your next book cover. Who knows better than your readers what kinds of covers interest them! And it shows how much you value their opinion! Many authors have no input to their covers, but if you’re self published, you have total control. Why not get your readers involved?
Thanks for reading. The final ten ideas (with a few bonuses) will post next month.
Tracy Weber
Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction was nominated for the Agatha award for Best First Novel. The second book in her series, A Killer Retreat, was released January, 2015 by Midnight Ink. Book three in the series, Karma's A Killer, will be released January 2016.
Visit her at TracyWeberAuthor.com, friend her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tracywe, or e-mail her at Tracy@WholeLifeYoga.com.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
It's Raining Books (And That's Okay)
By Mark Stevens
What I believe and a few other random thoughts:
- It’s raining books.
- And the forecast is a breeze; it’s going to rain harder.
- I believe not all books are for all readers. Can you imagine if they were?
- I believe there are way too many books being published. And that’s not a bad thing.
- I believe that if you are a voracious reader, you read about two books a week. (My mother did.)
- That’s 104 books a year. If there were 300,000 titles published last year, you read .03 percent of all books published.
- Nice job.
- Congrats!
- Feel good!
- Just don’t think about what you might have missed. (I know I can’t.)
- I believe a sharp, updated cover will make me want to re-read a classic.
- I believe Patricia Highsmith is finally getting her due through film. “Carol” with Cate Blanchett, for instance, and “The Blunderer” with Patrick Wilson and Jessica Biel are two movies coming out soon. I can’t wait.
- But no movie will ever quite capture the edgy darkness of Patricia Highsmith’s words on the page.
- Ever.
- I believe that if every book was a best-seller, it would be a better world.
- I mean, just think of all the reading that would be going on.
- I believe that if every high school diploma meant you were a voracious reader—and, say, that’s all it meant—it would be a better world.
- I mean, just think of all the reading that would be going on.
- I believe there is no guaranteed marketing strategy for a writer that will lead to a big jump in sales.
- If there was a guaranteed formula, every book would be a best-seller.
- And that ain’t possible. The physics of it. And the math. And the ink supply.
- I believe it’s possible to walk into a good independent bookstore and feel overwhelmed. And yeah, happy, sure.
- I believe that if the book isn’t as good as your platform, you got no platform.
- I believe that one day the late Gary Reilly will be known as major talent.
- The record so far: 8 posthumous published titles since 2012 and all Denver Post best-sellers (two number 1’s); two titles named Colorado Book Award finalists; one major rave review on National Public Radio.
- And a woman who was the academic selector/bibliographer for Princeton Libraries (who only found Gary Reilly’s works because it was her job to keep up with new titles) called Gary Reilly one of her all-time favorite writers.
- Okay, since you asked, here is exactly what Karen Haverkamp wrote in an email to me: “He (Gary Reilly) is one of my all-time favorite authors— honest, completely unpretentious, and such a master of his craft that the reader experiences only apparently effortless prose (without that annoying feeling that the writer is trying too hard).”
- More about the late Gary Reilly: www.theasphaltwarrior.com
- So even the writers who have left us are adding to the fact that it’s raining books out there.
- I say, let it rain.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Welcome to Me! My First InkSpot Blog Post
This is my inaugural InkSpot blog post, and I'm so happy to be here. I became a member of the Midnight Ink author clan last month, which means I get to blog right here along with a crew of fabulous authors. Yay!
I don't have much to tell you yet. The process is just beginning. Midnight Ink has my next novel within its editorial grip, and pretty soon I'm going to receive an editorial letter. Over the next year I'll revise and revise some more; I'll see my cover art; I'll gear up for marketing and publicity -- and all while writing the NEXT novel.
Waahoo, let the games begin!
Here's what I can tell you right now. I named the novel GREY MAN, but that might change. It's my first novel with Midnight Ink, but not my first published novel. My debut novel, KILMOON, came out last year. It's set in Ireland and features Detective Sergeant Danny Ahern and Merrit Chase.
GREY MAN continues their stories, and I'll have waaay more to tell you about that in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, let me tell you about another Grey Man, a predatory faery of Irish folklore and one of the inspirations for the novel.
I loved the imagery of the dark faery when I first read about it. I don't write paranormal mysteries, but I like a little magical realism, and I love symbols. I love that creating a grey and obscured atmosphere could incite locals in my fictional town of Lisfenora to start thinking about the faery while a real Grey Man lurks within their midst.
I welcome comments and conversation. Please visit me every third Wednesday of the month!
What would you like to know about me? Ask away!
Lisa Alber is the author of KILMOON, A COUNTY CLARE MYSTERY, which has been called "utterly poetic" and "a stirring debut." Ever distractible, you may find her staring out windows, fooling around online, or drinking red wine with her friends. Ireland, books, animals, photography, and blogging round out her distractions. Visit her on Facebook and Twitter.
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