Tyler Colins's Blog, page 47

Day Four, No Wish to Bore

. . . but you can still get The Connecticut Corpse Caper for F-R-E-E.

If you find murder mysteries set in old, rural-set, ghost-inhabited mansions entertaining (maybe a little thrilling,) you might find Caper a fun read . . .

Eccentric (kooky) Aunt Mat has passed.  Enter several guests—including nieces Jill Jocasta (JJ), Reynalda (Rey), and BFF Linda—who must stay a week to collect a share of the inheritance.  If anyone leaves early, however, their share goes to those remaining.

The first night sees one person drop out—forever.  Others soon follow.  Who’s behind the murders?  One of the guests?  Or someone not yet seen?  JJ, Rey, and Linda endeavor to find out before they, too, suffer fatal blows at the hand of an obviously deranged killer.  But maybe murders aren’t the only dastardly deeds taking place; clues suggest there’s more afoot.

Feel free (literally) to check out how the trio got a taste to become professional private eyes . . .

https://www.amazon.ca/Connecticut-Corpse-Triple-Threat-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01KEDWHMG

NOTE: FREE promotions are active in all Amazon marketplaces.

Day Three — Still FREE!

Free for another day—The Connecticut Corpse Caper.

Why will you find in Caper, the first in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series?

  An old haunted mansion (Fred, the ghost, roams the upper corridors).

  Hidden rooms and passageways, above ground and below.

  Carryings-on as bizarre as some of the characters.

  A murder or three.

  JJ, Rey, and Linda—three women, among the invitees—who don amateur sleuth hats to solve said murder(s).

  Twists and turns that take the trio beyond the murders—to other (related?) wrongdoings.

If you’d like to check out The Connecticut Corpse Caper, you can do so at:

https://www.amazon.ca/Connecticut-Corpse-Triple-Threat-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01KEDWHMG

NOTE: FREE promotions are active in all Amazon marketplaces.

Day Two, Free for You

The Connecticut Corpse Caper is free again today—Day 2 of a five-day promo.

The first in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series, Caper is not unlike an old B&W mysteries.  You’ll find hidden rooms and passageways, odd goings-on, red herrings, a curious cast of colorful characters . . . and Fred, the resident ghost.

JJ, Rey, and Linda—among a handful of others—are to spend a week at Aunt Matty’s haunted mansion to receive a share of the inheritance.  If someone departs before the designated time, his/her share will go into the “pot”.  One person does depart just hours after arrival—permanently.  And he’s not the only one.  The three young women don Sherlock Holmes’ caps to discover who the killer is; as they search for clues, they realize not all is as it seems.  There’s more than murder afoot.

Please check out The Connecticut Corpse Caper at:

https://www.amazon.ca/Connecticut-Corpse-Triple-Threat-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01KEDWHMG

NOTE: FREE promotions are active in all Amazon marketplaces.

1-2-3-FREE !

Actually, it’s 1-2-3-4-5, but it rhymed better (he-he).

For five days, The Connecticut Corpse Caper is F-R-E-E, I post with glee.

Promotion dates:  August 9 – August 13

Caper is a cozy mystery with grit.  Eccentric Aunt Mathilda has passed.  Several people—including nieces JJ and Rey, and friend Linda—are invited to spend a week in her haunted mansion to collect their share of the inheritance.  If anyone leaves for any reason, his/her share will go to those remaining.  Only a few hours after arrival, the first “guest” departs—permanently.  Amid strange goings on—such as unsettling bumps in the night—more bodies drop.  JJ, Rey, and Linda don amateur sleuth hats and determine to discover who the killer is.  One individual they’re sure it it’s not: Fred, the hallway-roaming ghost.

If you enjoy old B&W mysteries with hidden rooms, red herrings, and a curious cast of colorful characters, The Connecticut Corpse Caper may prove an entertaining read.  Given it’s F-R-E-E, why not take a chance?

NOTE: $0.99 promotions are active only in the US and UK stores. FREE promotions are active in all Amazon marketplaces.

Can We All Get Along?

I always liked Rodney King’s question.  It’s as simple as the answer should be: yes.  It’s also a simple lead into a simple post . . . about manners, kindness, respect.

“Can we all get along” comes to mind whenever something disturbing flashes on the screen.  But it also popped into my head when something trifling transpired recently.

We bloggers regularly receive spam comments.  Par for the course.  Most are innocuous, a few are annoying, and the odd one can be outright rude or nasty.  I got one the other day that read something like this (I’m sorry I trashed it, to be honest, because I’d like to have featured it):

I thought I’d check out your site for some informative posts but found them of no value-add and boring.  What a waste of my time.

A watered-down version, but you get the idea.  Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.  I didn’t really let it bother me . . . well, kind of . . . maybe a little.  It did prompt me to consider how ill-mannered or impolite—and hurtful—people can be.  Everyone sports different levels of sensitivity and self-worth, and a comment like that could prove depressing, if not devastating, to someone.

Does being rude or hateful provide some strange thrill?  Stoke the ego?  Fuel a need to be spiteful because it’s been a bad day, week, life?  Offer constructive criticism, not destructive.  Or, even better, as the maxim goes, if you have nothing good to say, don’t say it.

Sure, we all have bad days and there are times we experience a need to be vengeful/vindictive because we feel we’ve been wronged.  When there is a pressing need to right that wrong, do it the right way, in a positive way: be encouraging.  And if you feel you’re lacking in the positivity department these days, tuck into an article, course, or vid for a recap.  There are countless ones to be found.

We should never forget about maintaining good manners, providing kindness, and displaying respect but, particularly during these trying (worrying) times, maybe we should make an extra effort.  Kindness goes so much farther than callousness.

Let’s all [endeavor to] get along.  Life’s short—show a little love.

Perhaps Al and Annie express it best . . .

A Plug for a Pal

James J. Cudney IV is a fellow blogger/writer I very much admire—not only for his writing talent, but for his personableness (yes, it’s a word, LOL) and support—but for his commitment to his craft.  He’s currently doing a blog tour for his latest book and I felt compelled to jump on the bandwagon and provide a plug.

His new offering is Hiding Cracked Glass and it is available for pre-sale soon and will be officially published early October 2020.  For those not in the know, it’s the sequel to the family drama Watching Glass Shatter.  I’m stealing a bit of the blurb from Goodreads (I hope you don’t mind, Jay):

The wealthy Glass family lost its patriarch, Benjamin Glass, sooner than expected. Benjamin’s widow, Olivia, and her 5 sons each react to his death in their own way while preparing for the reading of his will. Olivia receives a very unexpected confession from her late husband about one of their sons that could shatter the whole family.

Intrigued?  I certainly am.  The sequel sounds no less riveting . . .

An ominous blackmail letter appears at an inopportune moment. The recipient’s name is accidentally blurred out upon arrival. Which member of the Glass family is the ruthless missive meant for?  In the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first to read the nasty threat and assumes it’s meant for her. When the mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands and is read aloud, it throws the entire Glass family into an inescapable trajectory of self-question.

I can’t wait!  If you haven’t read Watching Glass Shatter—or Father Figure or any of Jay’s Braxton Campus mysteries—I heartily recommend you do.  You won’t be disappointed.  Every book is a solid, absorbing read (the mysteries being lighter and quite entertaining).

[image error]Besides being an author and blogger, Jay’s also a reader and reviewer, genealogist and researcher, and thinker.   Can you spell p-r-o-l-i-f-i-c?

Please check him out at:

Website:  https://jamesjcudney.com

Blog:  https://thisismytruthnow.com

Amazon:  https://bit.ly/JJCIVBooks

Next Chapter:  https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/james-j-cudney

The Definitive Detective

Given the Triple Threat Investigation gals reviewed various mystery genres, I thought it might be a good “The End” to the series if we simply reconsidered what makes for a good detective/sleuth.

When you set out to write your first mystery, you may wonder which components would help your protagonist resonate with readers.  You’ve decided on your genre . . . right?  And how you’ll approach it . . . yes?

The main elements of your mystery: the crime(s), the victim(s), the search for clues that reveal who the culprit is, the tension and friction as said search progresses and intensifies . . . and the ta-da! moment that unveils the perp and shares the details (such as the why).

Now, what about your detective?  How will you define her (I’m going with “she” for this post).  Will she be witty, eccentric, stand-up-comedian funny, logical, philosophical, giddily happy . . . glum, frosty, la-di-da highbrow, cool, arrogant?  You probably wouldn’t want to go with a negative main character for most genres, though she could have one or two less likable traits (as we all do in real life).  Think of it this way: readers enjoy the thrill of accompanying a detective during the clue-searching quest, so make sure they want to spend that time with your detective.

Consider your favorite sleuths.  Why do you like them?  What traits are appealing?  Why do you keep reading mysteries that feature him or her?  There’s obviously a draw.  List details (attributes, peculiarities/habits, features, and so forth), as well the pros and the cons.

Think about these components in terms of the detective you’re creating.  What would you like to see in yours?  Make sure you include a couple of failings, too, because no one is perfect.  What about speech/narration (is there an accent, does she use certain favorite expressions)?  Does she have a traumatic past, a painful memory, or harrowing experience(s)?  Was she born with a silver spoon in her mouth?

Don’t forget to build a visual image.  Is this detective tall, short, blubbery, slim, attractive?  Any scars?  Where (and from what)?  What about eye color, and lip and face shapes?  Is the body/physique toned or fleshy?  Is she a lover of salsa dancing?  A coin collector (numismatic)?  A chess player?

And what about the other characters?  How will yours react to them in various situations?  What will she feel/believe about them?  Does she have certain values and beliefs that may have her respond in a certain manner?

Chances are you won’t use all the details of your character sketch, but you may, particularly if you write a series.  (I build my sketches as I actually write the first draft, but that’s me and that may not work for you).

Your detective should seem real to readers, so give her everything you’ve got—make her come alive!  Make her dance across the pages!

Tucking the Thrill into a Thriller

Hey—yay—it’s Rey again.  Linda accepted an invitation to go surfing on Maui for a few days, so I’m taking over the last genre/sub-genre review post: the thriller.

Thrillers are popular page-turners—and, like mysteries, provide a lot of curving trails, and curveballs.  The POV can come from different characters, like the protagonist or even the villain.  They can be written in different styles and be dark or droll.  Types of thrillers: mystery, psychological, crime, romantic, action, political, military, legal, and even supernatural, paranormal and sci-fi, to name a few.

Okay, so we know there are various types, but what is a thriller?  In a nutshell, it’s a story that’s full of action, moves quickly, has friction and conflict and tension, contains suspense and sudden, surprising turns and kinks.  Scenes push the plot forward and place readers on that proverbial exciting but tense roller-coaster ride.  You know something else?  It may not necessarily revolve around the protagonist solving a crime but him or her preventing one from happening.  Or readers learn the nasty, ugly secret (crime, mystery, event, action) right off.  Sweet twists, huh?

It goes without saying that you need a strong protagonist, as well as robust characters, and a believably bad villain . . . or, maybe not (depends on your storyline and what the villain is all about).  Bring those characters to life.  Make certain you include some [important] history, likes and dislikes and idiosyncrasies; what makes these folks tick?  Consider what’s at stake—for all characters.  What motivates them?  Why would they pursue one specific action/response over another?  What’s in it for them?

Throw in a few monkey wrenches.  Don’t make anything overly easy for your main character(s).  Let them vigorously track solutions and ways out.  Conflict, tension and friction are vital—you want those unsettling twists and turns, but not so many (or so minor) that you muddy the storyline or have readers scratching their heads and going “huh?”.

Settings and backgrounds, missions/quests, must be detailed enough that readers can visualize them.  In fact, every component should be crisp and clear; again, you want to avoid any head-scratching (but, then, this holds for any book/genre you decide to write).  And part of this is pacing—keep it swift and uncluttered with unnecessary information.

Research, too.  Get a feel for events that would work in a thriller (espionage comes to mind) and use them, fictionalize them.  With thrillers, there’s that extra layer of excitement (events and actions) that goes beyond simply following clues to corner that crafty culprit.

[image error]Grab readers from the get-go.  Start with a sinister or shocking—riveting—act.  Add action regularly, but don’t just shove it in there for the sake of it.  Make sure it makes sense, that it moves the plot along, and that it isn’t so fantastic or abundant that it becomes a bit of a bore.  And don’t forget to insert some suspense; hint at upcoming threats and risks.  Create anxiety.  This builds on that layer of excitement, which urges readers to keep—you got it—reading!

Add questions along the way—through narration or dialogue—so readers are as curious as the main character(s) and yearn to learn the answers.

Lastly, make that ending dynamic and convincing; it’s a crucial moment in your book.  It shouldn’t be limp or expected (and, if it were, your readers likely gave up reading long before they reached this pivotal point).  This is where can tie all your loose ends together or, if you’re planning a sequel, leave some things open to the imagination . . . and the sale of your follow-up book.

Putting Suspense in Suspense

It’s JJ providing the next-to-last post re reviewing mystery sub-genres and related genres.  Suspense seemed a primo one to add to the list.  You can’t really have a good, riveting mystery novel if you don’t have suspense.  And, of course, you can’t have a spellbinding suspense novel if you don’t have thrills and chills either.  Suspense creates anticipation, tension, excitement—components that keep your readers roused and reading.

Suspense, as a genre, is related to the mystery and thriller, but the main difference: how much suspense you create for your readers.  Are you playing with their emotions [enough]?  Making them feel anxious, thrilled, enthused, eager to learn what’s going to transpire?

Generally speaking, a suspense novel makes readers aware of things that your protagonist isn’t.  Additionally, the crime and/or challenge occur almost immediately.  And points-of-view aren’t necessarily limited to just the protagonist; the perpetrator’s may be provided as well.

The unknown elements, the sought-after answers help create suspense—who committed the despicable crime, why was it perpetrated, what will go down when the perp or an associate reveals the truth, when will the protagonist know he’s about to plunge over the cliff.  But you’ll also want to infuse some edginess in the characters, dialogue/narration, scenes and action to draw readers into the conundrum.

Try something like:

A shrill, ear-stinging sound emanated from the top of the dilapidated dwelling.
Apprehensive, Henrietta hastily scanned the shadowy laneway, hoping to catch sight of the long-limbed, one-eyed robber.
“It couldn’t have been Tom—he was with Libby in the Seaside Bar last night,” Larry explained nervously, scratching his heavily scarred cheek with calloused fingers.  “I’m sure I saw them laughing over martinis around eight.”
Detective Mauer glanced up from the mangled body just as the heavy metal door clanged shut and thrust him into darkness.
The killer peered around the decaying fence and scanned the vacant shack; had that irritating jackass of a lieutenant discovered the gym bag with the evidence?

In mysteries—as with suspense—the protagonist is usually searching for a killer or culprit . . . that mysterious entity who won’t be revealed until the right, exciting moment.  By not disclosing a vital identity too readily in the story, you’re keeping readers guessing.  This can hold true of the protagonist, too.  You don’t have to, all at once, give up a lot of information about his or her personal and professional background, what makes him/her tick, or what might make him/her react and respond (and not necessarily in a positive way).  Think of it like building a LEGO® house—add one interlocking brick at a time.

Also remember: every character—no matter if major or minor—has a quest, purpose, and/or motive.  How big a part he/she plays in the storyline determines how much information you [need to] provide.

Do make sure readers care about main character(s) or feel some empathy.  This way they’ll get caught up in the suspense as hazards and threats present themselves; they’ll want your character(s) to overcome the dangers, resolve the issues, trump the challenges.

Instead of:

Theo turned from the crime scene upon hearing something and saw a tall man slip into the darkness.  Was he the murderer?

Try something like:

Hearing a harsh scraping sound, Theo whirled from the bloody crime scene and saw a heavyset tall man, sporting an old-world fedora, slip into the darkness of an alleyway.  Where had he recently seen that same hat?  And what about the man?  Was he responsible for this vile deed?  Theo drew a deep breath, quashing outrage as he considered how Jackson Marlboro must have suffered at the hands of his maniacal killer.

Dialogue/narration can also help keep readers guessing.  If it’s first-person, you’re restricted to expressing what the protagonist sees, senses, and undergoes; if it’s third-person, you have a wider range, but you may want to limit what is revealed by describing only what the character of the moment—or page/scene—is undergoing.  Give a little, but not a lot.  Dangle clues, tuck in a red herring or two, and offer tidbits like the proverbial carrot: think of them like the pieces of a puzzle.  And offer questions within the dialogue to give readers “food for thought”.

Instead of:

Jerry looked at the dog.  “Yeah, he seems like a nice fella,” Jerry said, looking at the dog that Roger was petting.

Try something like:

Jerry eyed the ash-gray poodle curiously.  “Yeah, he’s well-behaved.  I wonder who he belongs to and why he’s out here in the middle of nowhere?”
With a pensive brow, Roger peered thoughtfully at the pooch he was petting, as if hoping he might offer an answer.

Instead of:

Maria entered the dim bar, her gun tucked inside her coat.  She looked around and noticed five people at the bar and six seated at various tables around the bar.  They all looked like they wanted to be elsewhere.

Try something like:

Maria concealed the Luger and strolled into the dim waterfront bar.  A middle-aged bartender was keeping a watchful eye on the five glassy-eyed people seated at the curved, scratched bar.  Six others were seated at various tables near the dingy windows.  All appeared as if they wished to be elsewhere—lounging in lottery-won mansions maybe.

Scenes and actions should advance the storyline, so don’t add “filler” for the sake of padding the story.  And always bear in mind: show, don’t tell.  If you add description and details, make them interesting, not instructive; otherwise, all we’re reading is “she blah, blah, blah, blah”.

Instead of:

John walked into the forest to see what he could find regarding the killer.

Try something like:

Determinedly, John plunged into the dense, shadowed forest to ascertain if the conniving killer had wended his way through in an effort to throw off any followers.

[image error]In a suspense story, you want the same components as a mystery: a grim event or crime (that motivates your protagonist to take action), conflict, friction and tension (prompting readers to want to discover what happens and how the character deals with the situation), pacing (smooth and swift action and narration so as not to provoke yawns), misleading clues (those twists and turns that keep readers—and the protagonist—guessing), and ambiance (setting and feeling/mood).

Give thought to what readers may want (or not want) in terms of the plot and characters.  Give them a sample.  Yank it back.  Give another.  Jerk it around.  Just for the record: you don’t need a lot of violence to make it “suspenseful”.  Hint at it.  Build on it.  Allow readers to anticipate and visualize it.

There’s much say about suspense novels and what makes them work/successful but, hopefully, I’ve provided enough to get you started.

Longing for a Literary Mystery?

Hey, it’s Rey today.  To be honest, literary mysteries aren’t quite my, as Lindy-Loo would say, cup of tea.  They can be a bit too cerebral (thanks for that word goes to Cousin Jilly).  But you know?  I enjoy a challenge, so posting about them seemed like a sweet task to take on.

Let’s take a quick look at literary fiction first.  It tends to be more character-driven and doesn’t generally have the fast-moving plots of genre fiction.  Literary books move at a different pace, a slower one maybe, but can be equally exciting.  Events and exploits take place, just maybe not in the form of a hatchet slamming into someone’s head . . . uh . . . a sleuth sprinting after an assassin.  Good literary fiction not only has a plot and theme but tends to be deep(er) because it explores ideas, thoughts, and actions.  Literary authors are likely to be word whizzes and will paint intricate pictures through powerful prose. Some people might say this makes for a slow(er) book, but I think it’s all part of that perspective thing.

One other thing about literary fiction: it really doesn’t have rules.  You don’t have to stick to formulas, like that of mystery and its sub-genres.  The sky’s the limit; feel free to write what you wish.  Just keep the reader riveted.

So maybe you’re longing to write a literary mystery?  Did you know the first literary mysteries date back to the 1840s, courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe and his amateur detective, Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin?  By getting into the minds of his villains, Poe offered readers something new and fresh.  So did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who featured the ever-skillful Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, er, friend, Dr. Watson in novels and short stories between 1887 and 1927.  The innovative “science of psychology” made its successful debut.

Generally, all mysteries: revolve around a crime and the efforts to solve it, investigate how said crime occurred, and attempt to solve it and find out who did it.

The literary mystery is no different, but what distinguishes it from the conventional one?

As in literary fiction, readers will find more character development and complexities; characterization tends to be more thorough and comprehensive.  Readers may get into the characters’ heads, which could be dark, scary places.  Relationships, dialogue and narration can be intense.

Narration is solid if not sophisticated (food-for-thought-and-not-naught).  The plot is more detailed and can incorporate social, philosophical, or abstract concepts, among others.  You’re getting more bang for your buck—there’s more than the mystery that’s afoot (OMG, I do believe I’m on a post roll, he-he).

The thrill of a whodunit is important, of course, but so is what happening around that search for truth and resolution.

From my research and what I learned from my P.I. associates, it’s also been suggested that literary mysteries may refer to books and/or that they use elements of literature to add a turn of the screw or three to the viewpoint(s), voice/tone, and setting(s).  I won’t argue; I’m just putting this out there.  Do with it what you will, my friends.