Knock on Wood

--by Linda O. Johnston

This is one of THOSE months.

Which months?

Months in which I have a new release from Midnight Ink!

This time, it's KNOCK ON WOOD, my second Superstition Mystery.  The series features Rory Chasen, a superstition agnostic who's come to Destiny, California, which is all about superstitions, to learn their reality after her fiancé walked under a ladder and was killed.  Her arrival, and the first murder she has to solve, was described in the first Superstition Mystery LOST UNDER A LADDER.  In that book, she's also asked to manage the Lucky Dog Boutique by its owner, whose life Rory's lucky black and white dog Pluckie saves.

In KNOCK ON WOOD, Rory's best friend Gemma arrives for a visit, stays to manage the nearby Broken Mirror Bookstore, and winds up being a murder suspect.  Guess who has to help clear her.

I love writing cozy mysteries!  I like putting myself in the figurative shoes of my protagonists.  Not that I'd ever want to stumble over a dead body or have to save my friends or myself from arrest by figuring out whodunit, but it's a wonderful outlet for my active imagination. 

Plus, all my mysteries star dogs--and I'm a real dog lover.  In fact, as I've been sitting here writing this post and some other material I've had to leave my computer for a few minutes now and then when instructed by one of my dogs to take them outside or open the front door so they can see the world and seek treats that neighbors bring!

And with the Superstition Mysteries, I get the added benefit of researching and including all kinds of superstitions.  Yes, the most common ones like--of course--knocking on wood and crossing fingers are there a lot, and there's at least one black cat in Destiny, but I also use many less known superstitions.

Which ones?  Well, you could always pick up a copy of LOST UNDER A LADDER and, in a couple of days, KNOCK ON WOOD and find out!

Meeting a Deadline

--by Linda O. Johnston

I did it!

Today was my deadline for the manuscript for my second Barkery & Biscuits Mystery for Midnight Ink, and I emailed it late yesterday.

Why am I excited about that?  I usually meet deadlines with no problem.  Or at least with little difficulty.  But this time I wound up having some family travel commitments that arose rather late within the writing process and I wasn't certain I'd make it.

But I did tell my wonderful Midnight Ink editor Terri Bischoff about my potential issue when I saw her at Malice Domestic, and she gave me some leeway, which I really appreciate.  Then I found I was able to meet the deadline anyway.   Mostly.  The Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries contain recipes, and although I received some dog treat recipes from some delightful online friends thanks to a request I posted, I want to try them out before including them.  I'll try to do that this week.

I recognize that deadlines are important in the publishing process, in order to make sure a book is published on schedule.  I fortunately have learned to write fairly quickly over the years so I can generally estimate a deadline that will work for me.

But life does happen.

Anyway, I'm not mentioning my working title for this book #2 in the series since it may change.  The first one, BITE THE BISCUIT, was a May release, and as far as I know book #2 will be published next May.  In between, the second Superstition Mystery, KNOCK ON WOOD, will be published in October.  Its predecessor, Superstition Mystery #1, LOST UNDER A LADDER, was published last October.  Do you see a trend here?  I do.  And by the way, I'm also writing two romance series at the same time...

Yes, deadlines can be challenging for me.  But they can be challenging for everyone, no matter what it is you're doing in your life. 

So what's your next deadline?  I guess I'd better check what mine is and get to work

Malice Domestic

--by Linda O. Johnston

I know I'm a little late posting this.  That's because I purposely delayed writing it until I left Malice Domestic, a wonderful conference for cozy mystery readers and writers that took place this weekend.

It was wonderful!  I got to see old friends and make new ones.  I hung out with fellow Inkers, talked about our books and shared information about our respective series.

I got to chat with my delightful Midnight Ink editor Terri Bischoff.  At the buffet I sat at the table hosted by fellow Inker Tracy Weber, who was nominated for an Agatha for best first novel.  I'm so proud of her!  We also sat near another table of Inkers and were able to toast each other with delicious wine.

My Malice panel was: The "Paws" That Refresh: Four-Legged Detectives and Their Sidekicks, where my fellow panelists also write mysteries dealing with pets, mostly dogs and cats.  What a fun group!

I participated in Malice Go Round, which is the exhausting but enjoyable event where authors visit tables of readers two at a time to each give two-minute pitches of their work, then move on.  I'd been second on the waiting list of authors, and a few authors very sadly weren't able to make it to the conference or otherwise were not able to attend this event. 

I received a copy of the Midnight Ink magazine containing its fall lineup of mysteries.  It had the cover of my upcoming October release, the second Superstition Mystery, KNOCK ON WOOD in it!  It looks great.  Information and covers of my existing MI books were there, too, including the first Superstition novel LOST UNDER A LADDER as well as the first Barkery and Biscuits novel BITE THE BISCUIT.

And, yes, BITE THE BISCUIT is now officially available, or at least it will be in four days.  Copies were at the conference, and I was able to sign some to give away at the wonderful dessert bar hosted by MI to celebrate its tenth birthday.

So, yes, I had fun.

And I look forward to next year's Malice Domestic!

 

Switching Minds... Er, Gears

--by Linda O. Johnston

November 1 was the deadline for my second Superstition Mystery manuscript.  I sent it in on time--on October 31, in fact.  Halloween seemed to be an appropriate day for a Superstition Mystery.

Midnight Ink has already held a meeting about it even though it's not likely to be published until around a year from now,.  It'll be called KNOCK ON WOOD, which is quite appropriate to the story.  I also received an initial representation of the cover--very cute.

Will I stop writing till I need to start the manuscript for number three?  Not hardly! 

First, Midnight Ink is already starting to promote the initial book in the next mystery series I'm writing that they will publish: BITE THE BISCUIT, in the Barkery and Biscuits series.  Its release date is May 8, and the next book I'll write for Midnight Ink will be the second in that series.  Fortunately, my deadline for that one isn't till June, because I also write romances for a couple of Harlequin lines and have a February 1 deadline for the next one.

How do I switch gears from one mystery series to another?  Or, even more challenging, from mystery to romance and back? 

I admit it's a challenge.

But, hey, I like challenges.  At least now I don't have to switch from creating characters and a world and a murder one minute, to creating or negotiating real estate contracts the next.  I did that for many years when I was actively practicing law, too.  And in case I haven't mentioned it on InkSpot before, I always say that writing contracts is just another form of fiction.  But I'm officially inactive from the law now, a full-time writer.

I may be a bit nuts taking on so many writing deadlines and in different genres, but nearly everyone who writes has another life, too, so we all have to get used to switching one part of our mind off and switching another on.

So, it's time, mind of mine.  Switch!  And get ready for me to switch you in another direction soon.

And since I write the Superstition Mysteries, be warned that my fingers are crossed that you obey me... fast and often and always.