C.J. Shane's Blog: My Two Hats: Art and Writing, page 3

Speaking to NWU today

If you are in the Tucson area, you may interested in sitting in on a talk I'm giving this evening to the Tucson chapter of the National Writers Union. I'll be reading from Dragon's Revenge and also talking about mystery-suspense writing. Everyone is welcomed. We start at 6 pm at 877 S. Alvernon Way across from Reid Park. Here are the details:
https://nwu-tucson.org/

Dragon's Revenge ON SALE

The ebook version of Dragon's Revenge: A Letty Valdez Mystery is on sale this week for only .99cents. Go to Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, etc. to get a copy.

When Tucson private detective and Iraq War vet Letty Valdez is hired to investigate a murder, she immediately finds herself targeted by a violent criminal. To find the killer, Letty turns to an old memoir of life in late 19th century Tucson. Clues in in the memoir, with its tale of love between two immigrants - one, an Italian widow, and the other, an exiled Chinese revolutionary - launch Letty on a suspense-filled struggle to find answers, to stop the murderer – and to stay alive! Letty, a Chicana/Native American, has to deal with a mugging, a home invasion and a shootout on the Tohono O’odham Reservation in her attempts to find the criminal who is targeting her. Letty is helped by her friends and family, plus a new canine pal, Teddy the Black Lab sniffer dog. Like all Letty Valdez Mysteries, there’s excitement, intrigue and a touch of romance in Dragon’s Revenge.

Tucson Festival of Books

If you are anywhere near Tucson, be sure to come by the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend on the University of Arizona campus. I'll be at the Tucson Sisters in Crime booth (#484 near the Main Library) on Saturday morning, 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and Sunday afternoon, 2 pm-4 pm. I'll have copies of Desert Jade and Dragon's Revenge for a small discount. The weather is great here - 78F and sunny. Please come!

My Interview on Ally Shields blog

Just published today (Feb. 6, 2019), my interview on the Ally Shield's blog. We focused on my first Letty Valdez Mystery, Desert Jade in the interview.

Curiously, the most difficult question she asked me was "What Is Your Favorite Move?"
I listed "Beasts of the Southern Wild," but just as easily could have said Wong KarWai's "In the Mood for Love." A new favorite is "Hell or High Water."

Do you have a favorite film?

Desert Jade

My first Letty Valdez Mystery, Desert Jade, has a temporary promo price of only 99 cents for an ebook, either epub or mobi for Kindle.

At Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999387413/

At Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

At Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dese...

Pens, Paws, and Claws blog

As many of you know, my Letty Valdez Mysteries always/will always feature an animal - either a dog or a cat (so far). Desert Jade featured Millie, and Dragon's Revenge, coming later this month, introduces you to Teddy the Sniffer Dog. Here I am writing about this on the Pens, Paws, and Claws blog. Take a look and see a photo of Sunday the Rescue Dog who is the inspiration for Millie.
http://penspawsandclaws.com/welcome-c...

Mystery Genres and Elements of Fiction

I just posted a new blog entry about writing mysteries. See a great photo of Bogart and Bacall and read about theme, setting, plot, characters and more in the Letty Valdez Mysteries.

What do you look for in a mystery novel?
Feel free to comment on the blog or here.
https://www.cjshane.com/blog/mystery-...

my blog post on Larry Darter

Larry Darter is a writer of mystery-suspense novels. He has two series: the Ben Malone series and the T.J. O'Sullivan series. I've read from both series and enjoyed them a lot, His characters and plots are terrific.

Larry is doing something very compelling with his new Malone book Live Long Day (available as a pre-order on Amazon now).

Read my blog post about Larry Darter here:
https://www.cjshane.com/blog
(post 10/2/2018 under "Writers" and "Storytelling"

Calexico!

Let's start the day with a little music!
Go to my G+ Letty Valdez Mystery posts to hear Calexico, Tucson's favorite hometown band. This is what Letty likes to listen to when she's driving around Tucson or going out to the reservation to visit her grandmother.
https://plus.google.com/+CJShane/post...

Favorite new quote

Vivir con miedo es como vivir a medias.
Spanish proverb

Translation: To life lived in fear is to live half a life.