Your Turn

A glance at the calendar tells me it’s summer, mid-August to be exact.

A glance at the thermometer confirms it.

Which means it’s vacation time. And one of my favorite things to do on vacation is golf gamble hike eat travel sight-see read!

So I thought I’d throw the blog open today to recommendations. Now, these don’t have to be “beach” reads. They can be any books you’ve read lately that you’re really passionate about. Something that you can be an evangelist for. (To keep this from becoming a Midnight Ink-fest, let’s exclude books written by MInkers.)

I’ll go first.

I read a lot of books, and most of them fall in the pretty-good-to-mediocre range. But every once in a while, I’ll read a gem that I really, really wish I’d written myself. One that I’ll recommend to other readers without even being asked for a recommendation. One I’ll even Tweet about!

One recently-read book that rocked my world was THE LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton. (Of course, it’s not like this was a lucky find. It won an Edgar, for goodness sake!).

Now it’s your turn. What are some outstanding books you’ve read lately?

 

Alan

To Soapbox or Not

Political season is here, the Republican candidates for president are unavoidable, and that acrid smell you detect is the smoke coming out of my ears! It’s not just that I disagree with them on a lot of issues -- helping the little guy, health care, the environment -- it’s the level of intolerance they display towards …me.

David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker, put it this way:

“One of the most striking aspects of the recent Republican Party Presidential debate was the way the candidates, each in his own way, tried to out-do each other in their disdain for gay marriage and their willingness—nay, their ardent vows!—to do everything possible to make sure that homosexual couples never gain the right to matrimony. One day soon, someone will play back that debate as an exercise in historical shame, much as we now watch documentary clips of serene racial bigots denouncing the efforts of the black freedom movement in days of yore.”

I added the emphasis because I think Remnick’s statement is so powerful. I mean this is the United States, isn’t everyone supposed to have the same rights?

The question I face as a writer is: Do I put my politics on the page? Do I use my characters to mouth my views? The answer is an unequivocal “no”.

I’ve read novels where the author uses a character as a mouthpiece for his or her political views and I find that it pulls me out of the world of the story and into the real world, which I'm trying to escape by reading the book.

I write about individuals, and I know that there are kind and decent (not to mention homicidal) people in both parties. It would simplistic, boring and jejune to define people solely by their political views. In my new Janet’s Planet mystery, Dead by Any Other Name, one of the prime suspects is a wealthy, ostensibly liberal woman who is actually a manipulative, condescending snob.

She may even be a murderer.

Wanted: Weak Female Characters by Vicki Doudera

Did anyone else read the New York Times article (July 3rd) by Carina Chocano in which she bemoaned the rise of women who are "tough, cold, terse, taciturn and prone to not saying goodbye when they hang up the phone"? In other words: strong female characters.



Cocano was speaking more about films than books, but I found her riff on the whole subject fascinating and pertinent nonetheless. She made the point that when people use the term "strong female character," they aren't really describing characters that are complex or well-written, nor are they referencing heroines who figure prominently in a story. What is really meant by "strong female character," she argues, is a female character with the gendered behavior taken out.



I've thought about this with regard to my mystery series and its heroine Darby Farr. Now Darby's not what I would call a "girly girl." She's an expert at Aikido, she's a loner, and she doesn't espouse too many qualities which we'd consider traditionally feminine (although she is a big believer in intuition.) When she acted a little impulsively at one point in the first book, A House to Die For, a reviewer gently chastised me for a "TSTL," or "too stupid to live" moment. You can bet I made sure Darby was a little more careful in Killer Listing, and she's downright precise in Deadly Offer, coming out in April. She is strong. She is invincible. She is Darby...



And yet, as Chocano argues in her article, isn't a little weakness "precisely what makes characters interesting, relatable, and funny"? If our strong female characters all act like Lisbeth Salander, aren't we contributing to the notion that for a female character to be worth identifying with, she can't be at all feminine?



On a personal level, I ask myself why it is that Darby can't make a few mistakes here and there? Might she shed a tear when she gets upset or hurt? And I'd like to see her make at least one close friend, for goodness sake, even if it's someone she meets in Aikido class.



I'll be the first to admit that I enjoy writing scenes in which Darby displays so-called "masculine" qualities. When she takes out a bad guy with an expert move, I feel nearly as proud as when my very beautiful daughter makes a killer kick in soccer. But Darby can have a softer side, too, and we may see it from time to time in future books. After all, she's evolving and growing.



Or would that be me?

Does Midnight Ink = Cozy?

I need feedback people - the more the better!

While at the writers conference in Portland, I was often asked what Midnight Ink publishes.  When taking pitches, it goes something like this, "I don't know if this is the right book for you, but I have a 120,000 word thriller..."

At this point, you could insert historical mystery, suspense, hard-boiled, etc for thriller...  So just what is it do we publish?  Midnight Ink has had a great history with cozy and soft-boiled mysteries.  But we've also done well with a few thrillers. I've acquired quite a few that fall in the middle of the road -what we call medium boiled.

Here is my question to you, dear readers - what is your perception of Midnight Ink?  Do you see us as a cozy publisher?  A plain old mystery publisher?  What comes to mind when you think Midnight Ink?  What would like us to publish that we aren't currently?

To foster conversation, I will send a couple random commenters a new book from our 2012 list.  Comments need to be of substance.  Thanks!!

A Double-Nickel Birthday Gift!

This week I will be celebrating my double-nickel birthday. Yes, I will be a grand 55 years old! I sure don't feel or act that old, and I'm very grateful for my good health that allows me to do such things as hiking, biking, sliding down water slides, and dancing the chicken dance--all of which I enjoyed lately (see my blog). As they say, you're only as old as you feel. And, you only have one life to live, so you might as well live it up!



I definitely have an attitude of gratitude because I know I'm very lucky to not only have my health, but also a loving family and to live in an affluent country that allows its citizens freedoms. Traveling internationally, especially to repressed countries like Myanmar (Burma) has hammered home how lucky I am to be a US citizen. Being grateful for our blessings is the key to happiness, I think. Of course, presents help, too. :)





And our publisher, Midnight Ink, gave me a doozy of a gift this week--acquisition editor Terri Bischoff said she'd be sending a contract for the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner! The first book, Deadly Currents, was released to great reviews in May of this year, the second, Wicked Eddies, is scheduled for May of 2012. This third one, tentatively titled Cataract Canyon, hopefully will be scheduled for a year later in May of 2013.



To celebrate my birthday and my good fortune, I am going to give away a copy of Deadly Currents. To enter the contest, leave a comment here on how you helped spread the word about the first book in the RM Outdoor Adventure series. Some ideas include:



- recommending it to a mystery-reading friend or friends,

- posting a review somewhere,

- adding the book to your to-read list on Goodreads, LibraryThing or Shelfari,

- posting a link to the Amazon or B&N page or this blog post on Twitter, Facebook or Google+,

- filling out a patron request form at your local library asking them to buy a copy,

- scheduling a discussion of the book with your book club (you can ask me to participate via speakerphone, chat room, Skype or whatever, too!),

- putting a sign on your car to "Read Deadly Currents!",

- tattooing the cover art on your forehead.



Wait, I got carried away on those last two! You get the idea, though. Be creative, have fun, and think of your own way to help keep that "word of mouth" going for Deadly Currents. Spread the word, leave a comment here, and you're entered. I think there's no more fun way to celebrate a birthday or good fortune than by giving something away yourself.



Now, here's a question. How do you celebrate "milestone" birthdays? How else do you think I should celebrate mine (besides the book giveaway contest)? Any party-down suggestions for me?

Taking Pitches at Writer's Conferences

Sorry I have been away so long folks!  Work (sales conference) followed by playtime (visiting family and celebrating my mom's 60th birthday with her) followed by more work (Willamette Writers Conference) kept me from blogging and sleeping!

The Willamette Writers Conference was exhausting but fun.  Friday, Saturday and half of Sunday I took pitches from writers...  I was pitched cozies, historical mysteries, thrillers and even a memoir.  Ooops... that guy signed up for the wrong editor!  To me, conferences are always energy draining simply because of the effort of giving each person I talk to my full attention.  Even if the book wasn't for me, I did offer the writer advice, either on the pitch (what to focus on, refining catch phrases, etc) or my opinion on the plot or who it should be pitched to.

At the same time, conferences invigorate me.  To be surrounded by fellow editors, writers and agents is amazing.  I flew in a day early and hit Powell's with my friend and author Lori Lake.  My buddy, editor and publisher Ben LeRoy and I made silly facebook videos when we had some down time.  I caught up on life with agent Christine Witthohn.  I met and got to know agent Miriam Kriss.  And of course the writers drive the whole thing.

One note to take away from this conference was that it really felt like a get down to work sort of conference.  They had sessions for improving your pitch, manuscript critiques, and all kinds of writing seminars.  The entire weekend felt professional and business like (which is why Ben and I had to create videos for our own amusement.)

Even though taking time away from the office is hard, and now I have even more submissions piled up, it was well worth the trip.  And when I saw this picture, I just had to laugh...  the telling of tales is indeed a beautiful thing...  All you writers - keep writing!  Keep telling stories and continue to improve on your craft.  One day you'll give a pitch or send in a submission and an agent or editor will fall in love with your story...  you just have to keep writing.  :)

Hey, Hey, Hey...

…It’s a new release today!! The third book in my Broken Vows mystery series, In Sickness and in Death, is now available.


Please join me in applauding everyone at Midnight Ink Books, not only for doing a bang up job of publishing the novel but also for being one month ahead of schedule. Praiseworthy, I think.

Here’s the summary of In Sickness and in Death:

When her sheriff’s deputy husband, Ray, brings home a shaggy haired and sulky twelve-year-old boy and introduces him as their new foster child, Finger Lakes sports car dealer Jolene Parker doesn’t know what to think. The impulsive son of a jailed car thief, Danny is a handful whose main talents include picking locks and hotwiring cars.

After Danny takes a brief joyride in a car that he claims belongs to his dad, Jolene and Ray discover a horrible surprise in the trunk: a woman’s severed arm. While Ray hunts down the victim’s identity, Jolene races to find out whether Danny’s father did the foul deed, driving her straight into the twisted killer’s sights.

I’m delighted to have my third book on the market, but the timing is bittersweet. My first book signing for my debut novel, For Better, For Murder, was at our local Borders. The store manager placed me at a desk by the front door and put up a big display featuring the book. Dozens of my friends and family showed up in support, some bringing me flowers and buying copies of the novel for every member of their family. In contrast, today the Borders’ store clearance signs are up, and I know that my third book will never be on their shelf.

But hopefully you still can find In Sickness and in Death at all the other usual outlets.

To get things started right, I’m giving away ten copies of the book over on Goodreads, so by all means if you’re a member, check that offer out.

And if any of our InkSpot friends would like a chance to win an autographed “trilogy” set, please feel free to email me at Lisa@LisaBork.com to sign up for my mailing list and enter the drawing to win For Better, For Murder, For Richer, For Danger, and my latest release In Sickness and in Death.

Hey, hey, hey…it’s giveaway day.