Paul Austin Ardoin's Blog, page 4

In Memorium: Agatha Christie

I've been a fan of mysteries as long as I can remember—Encyclopedia Brown; Danny Dunn, Scientific Detective, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. By the end of junior high, I had burned through most of Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels. I love mysteries with twists—Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None are Christie's best sellers, and it's easy to see why: the sense of urgency, with the characters all trapped (in an island; in a snowdrift) ramps up the tension, and the resolution of the mysteries are incredibly satisfying (and relatively simple, to boot). 

Christie was a master of the puzzle mystery. She featured surprising but solvable crimes, almost all clued fairly. She rang changes on almost every who/howdunnit there could be except for the butler, and she came up with many of them first. Not only that, but, while written for adults, her books are clean and simple enough for even children to enjoy.

Christie's methods of killing characters are clean and she uses poisons for most of the murders in the books. She used her experience as an apothecary's assistant during the first world war to construct crime scenes based on poisons. Her perfect depiction of Ricin poisoning was apparently the first in literary history- this poison now known by its use in the Popular TV show “Breaking Bad”. She believed in clean deaths and had nearly no description...Read More

Happy Mother's Day

This Sunday in the U.S. we celebrated Mother's Day. Flower shops and restaurant reservations sold out weeks ahead, and even baseball teams like Fenway's favorite Boston Red Sox  were decked out in celebratory pink gear. It got me thinking about all the amazing women in my life, as well as authors and fictional heroines that I admire. So, here's a quick round-up of some of my favorite books by and about intrepid and incredible women.

The Zachary Goldman Mysteries by P.D. Workman

P.D. Workman is one of my favorite indie mystery authors, and her PI Zachary Goldman is a compellingly flawed character you can't help but root for. Download Book 1, She Wore Mourning, for free, or check out the whole 13-book series.

The Quantum Curators and the Fabergé Egg Read More

The One that Started it All–Now in Audio!

A recent survey shows that 43% of people worldwide have listened to audiobooks, and, in fact, one in five prefers audiobooks to print or ebook. If you are one of those people, I have good news! Fenway's first book, The Reluctant Coroner, is now available in audio format on all major platforms! You can find links to your favorite audiobook site at books2read.com/Fenway1.

And since we all know there's still something slightly magical about the feel of paper and the crackle of a new binding, I updated the Books2Read page with even more links to find print and large print editions.

I hope these increased options enable each of you to find your favorite way to enjoy Fenway's story. 

And before you ask, yes, Book 2 audiobook and expanded formats are in the works.

 

 

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The Coroner and the Walk-In Freezer

A huge thank-you to everyone who is supporting me on Patreon. Each of you is helping me achieve my goal of becoming a full-time author!

As a token of my appreciation, my Patreon subscribers (Reader Patron level and above) received an early (free) copy of my new novel, Everything's Gone Green. This month, my Patreon supporters get a brand-new EXCLUSIVE short story this month, as well as a collection of first-draft chapters.

The Coroner and the Walk-In Freezer: This Fenway Stevenson short story takes place between Book 2 and Book 3. Early one morning, Fenway is called to the scene of a crime. A woman is found dead in the walk-in freezer of a posh Italian bakery. Two men loved her—did one of them commit murder? 

The Accused Coroner: Deleted Scenes: This companion piece to Book 7 of the Fenway Stevenson series is made up of original versions of six chapters from The Accused Coroner, as well as my commentary. It's a peek into my creative process that I hope you'll enjoy!  

If you’re a Patreon...Read More

Review: Dead at Third by Gregory Payette

Henry Walsh Private Investigator Series, Book 1 • Gregory Payette • ★★★★

Dead at Third is the first book in the Henry Walsh Private Investigator Series. The sleuth is a former police officer who’s now the head of security for the Jacksonville Sharks, a (fictional) professional baseball team. The Sharks’ slumping star third baseman is found dead—and the star of the team is the main suspect.

The book is often a fun read. There’s some will-they-or-won’t-they attraction between Henry and Alex, a woman who’s also on the security team. The plot is twisty, and uncovering the victim’s past is often page-turning goodness.

I got the feeling, however, that Payette was still acquainting himself with his characters. I never got a good sense of how old Henry Walsh is—he’s got retired parents, and he doesn’t seem that far removed from college or his failed career as a police detective (which,...Read More

Become a Patron!

Want More Fenway, Kep, and Bernadette? Subscribe on Patreon!

Patreon is a subscription site for fans of  authors, illustrators, musicians, and other content creators. I discovered Patreon when one of my favorite bands, Pomplamoose, started sending me emails about it—it turns out their keyboard player is a co-founder! For a small monthly fee, I get access to new tracks, behind-the-scenes photos and stories, and other fun content. At the 20Books conference last fall, I heard from other mystery authors who use Patreon to give bonus content and early releases to their readers. I’m a supporter of a couple of authors and a few podcast creators. I wanted to share early releases of my books and some bonus content—so my Patreon page is now up and running!

For just $1 per month, I will recognize you in the acknowledgements of my upcoming books!

For $5 per month, you’ll receive exclusive content each month. New novels will be sent to patrons two weeks before publication date, beginning with Everything’s Gone Green next month! And for months without new releases, you’ll receive bonus content, including deleted scenes, commentary, and...Read More

BANNED

Over the last few weeks, books have gotten banned all across not only the USA, but much of the world. In the news in the USA, Art Spiegelman’s Maus was banned by a unanimous school board vote in a county in Tennessee for being “age-inappropriate”—and similar fates are befalling many first-person accounts of the Holocaust, from Elie Weisel’s Night to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.

Gwen Katz, an author of young-adult and sci-fi novels, calls this the “pajamafication” of education, as books like those above are replaced by kinder, gentler books like the fictional The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which, instead of being narrated by Jews in concentration camps, is instead told from the point of view of a German child—which not only erases the Jewish experience in the narrative, but also leads the reader to a place of comfort. But Maus and Night are uncomfortable because the Holocaust should make you, as a human being, feel uncomfortable and terrible and lead you to do everything you can so there’s never another Holocaust, and that’s an important lesson for students (and adults too). 

That’s not a lesson some people want children to learn, though: one Texas representative asked schools to report if their libraries contained any of 850 titles that he said “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their...Read More

Go for Green!

The second book in the Murders of Substance series, Everything's Gone Green, is at the editor! I have several teams of readers (including many of you on my Advance Reader Team!) who give feedback on everything from story development and characters, to grammar and typos. This is the very first round, where I expect to make some significant changes and improvements. Getting that feedback now means we're perfectly on track for the March 22 release!

I've also received several questions about the Fenway Stevenson series. Don't worry–more are coming! Now that Everything's Gone Green is in the editing process, I am focusing all of my writing time on Book 8. Since Book 7, The Accused Coroner, wrapped up the overarching mystery of Fenway's mom, Book 8 not only begins a new chapter in Fenway's life, it's also a good place to start if you or a friend are new to the series.

 

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Defining Success: A Study of Three Authors

This month, I was interviewed for and featured in Indie Author Magazine! You can read the article, Defining Success by Jacqueline Harmon, with a 7-day free trial. Jac Harmon interviewed myself, Irish author Caimh (pronounced “Cweeve”) McDonnell, and 2019's Kindle Storyteller of the Year Ian W. Sainsbury about what it means to be truly successful. We've had wildly different journies, and a variety of goals to consider ourselves "successful," but we do all have one thing in common: it's not what we expected. And that's ok.

For me, I graduated with my degree in English literature and envisioned being a celebrated, award-winning literary author. Ian wanted to have the financial flexibility to indulge his imagination. Caimh wrote for TV, but hoped to get a publishing contract with a major publishing house.

So how has it changed?

 

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Interview with a Cozy Author

Tess Baytree (also writes as T.M. Baumgartner) is an author, sofware engineer, veterinarian, and a friend in my writing group. I caught up with her on what it's like to write the Penelope Standing cozy mysteries, especially her Christmas cozy.

Q: What inspired you to write about a dog walker as a sleuth?

Penelope is a person who rarely sits still, and she also doesn't take direction very well. Working a desk job would be a disaster for everyone involved. Dog walking is the perfect job for her. And it's great for me, as the author, because it puts her in a position to learn so much about everyone in her community. 

Q: What makes Penelope Standing tick?

She is both incredibly kind and incredibly stubborn. She'll do anything for her friends. But if someone wrongs her and she wants revenge, she'll cut off her nose to spite her face if that's what it takes. The best part? She's in her fifties, she's comfortable with her flaws, and she has no intention of correcting any of them. 

Q: Who is your favorite side character—and what makes them your favorite?

I love all my side characters, but I'll go with Brutus. He's Penelope's mastiff (a very large breed of dog). He's equal parts destructive and lovable, just like a real mastiff.  Brutus might protect Penelope from an attacker, but he also might take out her knees when they go running together if he decides to sniff something on the other side of the path. He's a big goof.