P.D. Martin's Blog, page 9

Research with bite

My Murderati blog from Sunday 29 May…

Today I'm starting my research series. Once a month (i.e. every second blog of mine) I'm going to blog about some of the weird and wonderful research I've done in the name of crime fiction. From real-life vampires (today) to gurus and lock-picking… you'll discover it all here!

So, vampires…seriously. And I should point out I did blog about some of this stuff when my fifth novel, Kiss of Death, first came out, but I don't think any of you Murderati gang would have come across it. If so, please excuse the duplication.

It's certainly hard to ignore the global phenomenon of vampires, with vampires definitely 'in'. While Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a devoted following from 1996 to 2003 (including me), it was more of a cult following – nothing like the mainstream stars of the vampire world today. Many bookstores now have whole stands devoted to vampire books, and then there are TV shows like True Blood and Vampire Diaries and the book-to-movie success of Twilight. These creatures of the night are, of course, fictitious…or are they?

What the average Twilight-devotee may not realise, is that there are people who really believe they are vampires. I'm not talking about people who dress-up like vampires; nor am I referring to individuals who think they're nightwalkers and can only be killed by a stake to the heart. Rather, what I'll call 'real-life vampires' are people who genuinely believe they need to feed on other people's energy to survive, usually via a donor's blood. These people have been studied to a certain degree by both the medical and psychological professions, although not in much detail.

So how did I stumble upon real-life vampires? It started as a concept for a crime fiction novel – imagine a victim drained of blood and a local cult of real-life vampires. Are they the killers? However, when I started the research I discovered my fictitious concept wasn't so fictitious. Turns out LA has a thriving vampire scene – check out www.ladead.com or for the clubbing scene try www.barsinister.net. In my search for all things vampire, I interviewed a few vampires from different areas, including the US, the UK and Australia.

Russell from Sydney is a self-confessed vampire in his forties who describes vampirism as "the need for additional bio energy that the body cannot produce." Merticus, who's one of the co-founders of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance (AVA) says: "Vampires are generally individuals who cannot adequately sustain their own physical, mental, or spiritual wellbeing without the taking of blood or vital life force energy from other sources; often human."

My research turned up two types of real-life vampires – sanguine vampires who feed on blood, and psi-vampires who drain people's spiritual energy. The traditional view of vampires is as blood-drinkers, but for real-life vampires it's more about energy. Even those who exclusively satisfy their 'thirst' through blood usually talk about drawing out energy from the blood.

There are a few explanations currently put forward to explain claims of real-life vampirism. First off is the blood disorder porphyria, which is treated with haemoglobin, hence the connection to drinking blood. Not only do sufferers need blood, they are also sensitive to light, which gels perfectly with the vampire mythology. Problem is, if you drink blood it goes through the digestive tract and doesn't enter the bloodstream. In other words, drinking blood wouldn't alleviate porphyria symptoms. However many of the websites and forums I found suggested that real-life vampires are physiologically different, and have the ability to extract haemoglobin from the blood, even through the digestive process.

Then, there's the psychological side of things and two major theories have emerged. The first is sexual sadism (vampire) coupled with sadomasochism (donor). By definition, sexual sadists derive pleasure from their partner's or victim's physical or psychological pain. Vampires are inflicting pain as they bite. Likewise, the donors could be seen as sadomasochists – people who need to feel pain to become sexually aroused.

The second psychological explanation for real-life vampirism is Renfield's syndrome, named after Dracula's insect-eating assistant Renfield. This psychological disorder is hypothesised to start with a key childhood event that leads the sufferer to find blood exciting. Blood and this sense of excitement is later linked to sexual arousal during adolescence, and into adulthood.

Of course, one simpler psychological explanation is that real-life vampires are suffering from delusions of grandeur. After all, mythological vampires are strong, powerful, perceived as sexy and almost invincible – pretty appealing, huh? Certainly the vampires interviewed in Carol Page's Bloodlust: Conversations with real vampires came off as a little strange to say the least and delusional wouldn't be too much of a stretch. In contrast, Merticus says of the vampire community he's part of: "…the majority of our community are high-functioning, above average intelligence, sane, and rational members of society."

In terms of the cause or reason for vampirism, the real-life vampires themselves are divided. Some say it's physical, some say psychological, and some say it's simply something you're born with.

No matter how you explain real-life vampirism, the fact is these people really do exist. So, how does one become a real-life vampire? Unlike the vampires in fiction who are 'turned', real-life vampires talk about being 'awakened', usually as teenagers. There are lots of vampire dictionaries online, all with similar, if not identical definitions of awakening. In terms of the symptoms, the dictionaries talk about people preferring the night to the day and switching from nocturnal sleeping to diurnal sleeping. And, of course, developing "the thirst", which refers to a thirst for blood and/or energy.

What happens if they don't feed? Real-life vampires complain of headaches, stomach cramps and severe fatigue if they don't feed, some even saying they're unable to get out of bed in the morning. Russell's in this camp: "If I do not regularly obtain energy I feel very drained and sometimes sick." Others talk about severe mood swings and suggest they need other peoples' energy to somehow balance out their own personality.

Are these people suffering from Renfield's syndrome or poryphoria? Or perhaps they're simply sexual sadists or delusional. Or is there some other, yet undiscovered explanation for individuals who experience a thirst for blood and other people's energy?

At the end of the day it's hard to know what the story really is with people who claim to be real-life vampires. Interestingly, my research did not reveal young Goth males obsessed with the vamp culture. Rather, I found older vampires who had nothing to do with the Goth scene. Research undertaken by the Vampirism and Energy Research Study backs this up, finding that 66% of the vampires who responded to the Study did NOT identify themselves as Goths and the average age was late twenties to early thirties.

There was, however, one thing that was unanimous on the forums I visited – they hate Twilight wannabes.

So, what are your thoughts on real-life vampires? Ever met any? Or maybe you are one.

And if you're into book trailers, my bit of BSP (blatant self-promotion) is the book trailer below! Click at your own peril

Switching teams

My latest Murderati post…

When you talk to agents or publishers about switching genres it's usually met with jaws dropping, heads shaking and anything from mild disapproval to screams of "No!"

So why is it that switching genres can produce such a strong reaction? You'd think you were announcing to your family that you were switching teams. (If you're a Seinfeld fan you'll be following my analogy, but if you're a little lost, here's the missing piece of the puzzle: the characters in Seinfeld used to talk about people "batting for the other team", which meant they were gay rather than heterosexual. And, as you've probably guessed, switching teams means changing sexual orientation.) So….

Why does something as seemingly small and insignificant as switching genres produce a jaw-dropping reaction? I mean, it's just a genre, right? A story is a story. Right? Well, it's actually more complex than that.

At this point, I should come clean. I'm a chronic genre switcher. (Although you wouldn't know it by looking at my published novels – on the surface I appear to be a mystery novelist firmly entrenched in the police procedural/forensic thriller zone.) However, I DO believe a story is a story and I often get story ideas for a range of genres. For example, before getting published I wrote two children's fantasy novels (which remain unpublished). Then for my third book I was deciding between three different ideas, all in different genres! I had one crime fiction, one action/espionage thriller and one mainstream women's fiction. In the end, as you may have guessed, I chose the crime fiction story and wrote what became my first published novel, Body Count.

But the other novels and ideas have stayed with me, as well as new ideas. Another example…I'm a bit of a closet vampire fiction fan (I know, big confession) and after I'd written three Sophie books I wanted to write a vampire fiction book. But my agent convinced me to stay focused on crime, and Sophie. Why upset the apple cart?

What about my first two children's books? People often assume it would be easy to get them published now that I'm a published author. To a certain extent the first books an author writes tend to be learning experiences, a way for them to refine their craft. Having said that, I still believe in one of my children's books; I believe the writing is good enough. Problem is, it's a different genre. Publishers and agents think of an author's name as a brand. Promote the brand and keep the brand 'strong' by ensuring the author's name is synonymous with a certain type of book. 'P.D. Martin' is crime fiction/mysteries/thrillers. And obviously I wouldn't want to bring out a children's novel under the same name anyway because I definitely wouldn't want 8-12 year olds who enjoyed my fantasy novels to pick up one of my crime books!

So why not publish under a different name? It's all about time and focus. After all, if you go and write a romance novel or a children's fantasy series, that's going to take time away from the mysteries, right? Basically, your agent and publisher(s) try to convince you to focus on writing in your current genre and at least one book a year. It seems that's the magical formula in publishing. Of course, genre hopping can be more easily done if you can write two books a year – then you'd still be bringing out one book a year in each series.

I've scrapped the children's fantasy novels, at least for now. But I still want/wanted to do something different. After five Sophie novels and one ebook novella, I went back to my action thriller idea and I've just finished writing that book.  While it is very different to my Sophie Anderson series, crime fiction and action thrillers aren't SO different that my new one couldn't be a 'P.D. Martin book'. At least, I think it's okay.

Of course, there are authors who have successfully crossed the divide. One that comes to mind is Nora Roberts. She started off with straight romance novels and then moved on to romantic suspense, writing as J.D. Robb. Although, interestingly, the books bear both of her names, with the byline "Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb". I also noticed from Wikipedia that she'd always wanted to write romantic suspense but was persuaded by her agent to stay focused on romance until she built a following. In fact, it was over 10 years before she finally got her wish to write romantic suspense and it was partly in response to her prolific output.

Scottish author Val McDermid also has a series she writes under V.L. McDermid. However, the rationale is not genre-based because all her books are mysteries. Rather, her V.L. books feature a lesbian protagonist (batting for the other team), while her Val books are considered more 'mainstream'.

Murderati's own Tess Gerritsen is another example of an author who successfully switched genres. She started with romantic thrillers and then moved to medical thrillers, then crime thrillers. Interestingly, she HAS written all her novels using the same name and said when she changed from romantic thrillers to medical thrillers she considered releasing them under a different name but ultimately decided against it. Tess sees advantages and disadvantages. When she switched genres, she felt that she'd built up an audience and didn't want to lose them. However, she says the romance novels continue to annoy her purist thriller readers. "But in the long run, I think it's been good for sales," Tess said.

Another author who's shifted genres but all within the same 'brand'/same name is Philippa Gregory. Probably most well known for historical fiction she's also written thrillers and her Amazon bio describes her as the pioneer of "fictional biography". The Other Boleyn Girl is a well-known example.

I guess these genre-switchers are good news for me…especially given the book I've just started working on is best described as a "mainstream women's fiction". I know, something different again! (Please don't shake your head at me.)

Unfortunately my agent passed away late last year and I'm currently on the hunt for a new agent. This means I don't have anyone to berate me for switching genres or to warn me against it. A new found freedom? But will querying with an action thriller and a work in progress of a women's fiction make it harder for me to find a new agent? Only time will tell. And maybe I should be on the lookout for an agent who's also open to children's fantasy – just to really get their jaws dropping and heads shaking. Come on, people…I'm switching genres, not teams

So do you like your authors to keep their genres straight up? And the writers out there…are you closet genre-switchers like me?

Cinderella made me do it

Murderati post – Sunday 1 May 2011

Here's the thing…this week I found myself getting into the hype surrounding the wedding, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (unlike Cordelia's post yesterday, I am going there!). There…I've said it. I have publicly confessed! But why was I suddenly so intrigued in the few days before the wedding? What is it about this 'story' that captures our attention?

At this stage, I'd like to point out that although I'm an Aussie and therefore officially part of the Commonwealth, I would prefer it if Australia was a republic. In other words, I'm definitely NOT a monarchist. I also do NOT have a fascination with the royals. In fact, I really don't care what they do and don't do in their daily lives. I certainly never read the tabloids, nor am I into royal fashion. And while I'm not a tom-boy, I'm certainly no girly-girl either. So I was only vaguely interested in what the dress might look like. Despite all this, somehow the story of the 'commoner' Kate Middleton marrying a prince…well, it was making my heart flutter! Yup, there's the second confession of this blog. I was totally into the hype and my heart was fluttering before the wedding even started.

Despite these confessions, in NO way do I take responsibility for what I was feeling. Instead, I blame my daughter. It's because of her that I was swept up in the romanticism of an average girl marrying a prince. My daughter may only be four, but she's got a lot to answer for!

About six months ago, I first read her the tale of Cinderella. As a woman today, this fairytale (and many others) does unsettle me a little. Will my daughter be waiting for a man to sweep her off her feet or rescue her like the fairytales? I know chivalry isn't dead, but it is on the decline. And the idea of a man falling in love with a woman he dances with for a couple of hours and then marrying her as soon as he finds her? Mmm…I guess that's why they call it a fairytale. Don't get me wrong, I am an optimist and my husband and I met, fell in love, and got married very quickly, so I know it's possible to feel like it was meant to be, like it was out of a fairy tale. But still…Cinderella? One night?

Anyway, just about every night for the past six months Grace has pleaded for Cinderella as her bedtime story. See…it's not my fault I was intrigued by the wedding! The Cinderella story has been rammed into my brain just about every night for the past six months. Who wouldn't succumb? And that's what I told myself when I switched on the TV at 7.30pm Aussie time and watched the wedding.

Cinderella is a powerful story – and I think that's the other reason I got caught up in the wedding mania this week. It's weathered the storm of time (don't you just love that expression) and it's had many new twists.

According to Wikipedia (all hail Wikipedia!) the roots of Cinderella may be in 1BC, and in the story of a girl called Rhodopis who lived in Ancient Egypt. In that story, an eagle snatched one of Rhodopis's sandals and carried it to Memphis, dropping it on the King. The King was so taken by the sandal and the fact that it had been delivered by an eagle, that he ordered the girl to be found and brought to Memphis to become his wife. Yup, that sounds like Cinderella, doesn't it? We have the shoe.

There's also a version that's been found from 860(AD) China. It's called Ye Xien, and in that story a young woman befriends a magical fish that is the reincarnation of her mother, who was murdered by her stepmother. She loses a slipper after leaving a festival and guess who finds it? The king, of course! He falls in love and I think you know the rest. So now we have the wicked stepmother. And is the fish effectively the girl's fairy godmother?

There are also aspects of the Cinderella story in Arabian Nights, and in the story of Cordelia from pre-Roman Britain (around 55BC). Both of these tales feature jealous siblings. A more recent similarity can be found in the 1634 tale of Cenerentola. This story had a wicked stepmother and stepsisters (plus the slipper and the King searching for its owner). So now we have the stepsisters.

And it was in 1697 that the Frenchman Charles Perrault added in the pumpkin, fairy godmother and the glass slippers.

If this Cinderella history has you intrigued, check it out on Wikipedia (even if it's purely to justify why you watched the royal wedding).

There have also been many modern day twists on the Cinderella fairy tale. There are far too many to list here, but a few come to mind. Pretty Woman was deconstructed by many as a modern Cinderella story (even though many elements were missing). And then there was Ever After (starring Drew Barrymore) and Happily N'Ever After (a retelling of the story from the point of view of one of the royal servants who's in love with Cinderella).

And in terms of the power of the Cinderella story, we also have the theory that the Cinderella tale is one of the 'base' plot lines, a story arc that many modern books and movies follow in some way.

So what does all this mean? Simply this: If you watched the royal wedding, rest assured it wasn't your fault – you were wooed by the historic power of the Cinderella fairytale. We're all excused.

And yes, the kiss was short but at least there were two of them. I clapped excitedly both times (confession number three), just like my four year old. Did you?

Write what you know…or maybe not

Copy of my first Murderati blog…

This is my first Murderati blog and I'm really excited to be part of the gang – some great authors here!

You'll see from my 'tag' that I'm "The Aussie"; however, while I am an Aussie my books are actually set in the US. But more about that later. Given it's my intro into Murderati I thought I better actually introduce myself before I dive into the main part of my blog, which looks at writing what you know.

I grew up with a love of books, and was particularly drawn to fantasy and whodunits. I graduated from Nancy Drew and Famous Five (remember them?) to Agatha Christie at the tender age of eight and in grade five I wrote my first crime novella.

From there I went on a bit of a detour into maths and science, which led me to psychology at university. At this time I was also singing (yes, something totally different again), and through singing and songwriting I rediscovered my love of writing. But it was not an easy road!

After writing three unpublished young adult novels, I decided to try my hand at my other early love, crime fiction. The result was Body Count, my first published novel. Now I have written five novels featuring Aussie FBI profiler Sophie Anderson and one ebook novella.

So, now that you know a bit more about the newest addition to Murderati, I thought I'd focus on something I didn't do when starting my crime fiction series…

There's an old adage that's often talked about when you start writing: Write what you know. It's great advice, however, things don't always go to plan!

Body Count is based on a dream (well, really nightmare) I had many years ago. In that dream, I was investigating the deaths of some friends. I was me, but I was also some kind of law enforcement officer. When I decided to turn the nightmare into a book, the first decision I had to make was about my protagonist. Would she be a cop? Crime-scene tech? What I was really interested in was criminal psychology; and so I decided to follow my gut and make my heroine a profiler.

My next step was research, which revealed that profiling wasn't used nearly as much here in Australia as it is in other countries. It also seemed that the FBI was leading the way when it came to using profiling as a law enforcement tool.

So, now I had an FBI profiler (and ex-cop), but I've never been a cop or a profiler. My only link to this world was that I studied psychology and criminology at university. And to top it off, I was setting my book in the US, but I live in Australia.

So much for write what you know! At least my main character is an Aussie!

In many instances research can bridge the gap, including talking to people who are working in the field. It's an invaluable step when you're NOT "writing what you know". The location can be tricky too, even with the wonders of Google Earth and Google's street view. While these are amazing tools, it's not the same as actually being there.

I've been to America several times, but unfortunately I haven't been able to visit every location I've written about. Body Count was set mostly in Washington DC and Quantico, with a few scenes in Arizona. I managed to get to both DC and Quantico, but not Arizona.

The directions feature of Google Maps is also a great way to add in a sense of place – you can talk about your characters driving down particular streets and highways. Of course, the risk is that while Google Maps says to take certain roads from point A to point B, the locals might say something like: "You'd never take the I-10 at that time of day. Are you crazy?"

Google's features are certainly fantastic tools for novelists setting their books overseas, and it also helps that I've got a few friends who've married Americans. So when I need to check an expression or a suburb in LA that 'fits' with my character, I've got people to call on.

I love visiting the States, and during my last trip I had great fun scouting out different locations for abductions, body dump sites, etc. That trip was to L.A., where my third, fourth and fifth books are set. And I also took extensive photos and video footage of one of my locations for book 5, Kiss of Death. I even posted some of the pics and video footage on my website for readers, as part of my 'case file' forKiss of Death. One of the videos is below – it shows where my victim was attacked and the trail she would have been running down. Please excuse my commentary!

So, while there are disadvantages of NOT "writing what you know" I think it's still possible to make it work. And on the plus side for me, any time I visit the US it's tax-deductible!

Is the book world going mad…or moving with the times?

Everything seems to be changing in the book world. Of course, ebooks aren't new. In fact, for a few years now people have been predicting that print books will become obsolete as the new medium for story-telling takes over – ebooks/e-readers. And yet, it hasn't quite happened.

So what is the current status of ebooks? For this blog I went searching for some stats. Unfortunately Aussie stats seemed harder to come by*, but The Association of American Publishers said that ebook sales from January 2010 to January 2011 had increased by 115.8%, from $32.4 million to $69.9 million. If my book sales (ebook or print) went up by 115.8% I'd be pretty damned happy!

Of course, no ONE person benefits from the massive increase, although there have been many success stories hitting the news. Amanda Hocking is one. According to Novelr, Amanda Hocking sells 100,000+ copies of her nine self-published ebooks per month.

Then there's J.A. Konrath, who in the past has combined traditional print sales with self-publishing to make a living as a novelist. However, in a December 2010 blog, Konrath said he'd changed his mind about the need to be published by one of the big publishing houses and was recommending self-publishing all the way. It was also as his ebook sales hit 1,000 a day!

And this week, there was another attention-getting headline: American author Barry Eisler turned down a $500,000 advance for two books (sounds even more dramatic when you say half a million), opting to self-publish instead. In an interview with the one and only JA Konrath, Eisler said: "I know it'll seem crazy to a lot of people, but based on what's happening in the industry, and based on the kind of experience writers…are having in self-publishing, I think I can do better in the long term on my own."  You can read the full interview for more information.

My main concern with self-publishing (whether it's a print book or an ebook) is an editorial one. I recently picked up a book (print) and was only about ten pages in when the major point of view (POV) problems annoyed me to the point where I put the book down. I very, very rarely put a book aside, but in this case I couldn't continue reading. It was simply "wrong" — confusing omniscient POV with third person POV and switching within a paragraph and sometimes even within a sentence. At this point I wondered who (publisher) had published a novel with such major problems…and that's when I realised it was a self-published book. If the author did get the book edited, it was probably by a friend rather than a qualified editor. J.A Konrath, who is known as a bit of a guru in self-publishing and ebooks, talks about the importance of paying for a good cover design and formatting. I'd add the need to pay a good editor, particularly for authors who haven't been published before. To put it in context, I'm a published author with five published novels behind me…and when I wrote an ebook in 2009/2010, I paid a professional editor.  I'm not naive or conceited enough to think my prose is perfect! By the way, Coming Home is only available as a FREE book until 31 March. I'm inspired enough by these stories that I've decided to sell it on Amazon and Smashwords for US$2.99 instead of giving it away! So if you haven't downloaded it yet, pop by my website in the next 9 days.

Where to from here?

It's hard to say if ebook sales will again jump by 115% or similar from January 2011 to January 2012, but ebook sales certainly seems to be in an upward trend. And it's a trend that's leaving traditional publishers (and agents for that matter) in a bit of a spin. Since hearing of Barry Eisler's news a couple of days ago, I can't help but wonder what his agent and publisher are saying! The publisher has lost two new novels, obviously expected to sell well if they were willing to offer such a large advance, and the agent has lost his 15%.

*Note: By harder to come by, I mean I didn't want to PAY for the information (I'm frugal/cheap) and I didn't want to spend hours looking (I'm lazy/time-poor).

The ah-ha moment in writing

As many of my readers know, I'm currently working on a new book, a new series. The new book (tentatively titled Hit and Run) is best described as an action thriller.

I finished the first draft of this book around the end of December, but it was a very raw first draft and I knew I needed to create more twists and more layers in the plot and characters. Plus it was only 72,000 words.

Anyway, I did a little more research, came up with a few new ideas and brainstormed a bit with hubby. The end result was that I started the book about a year earlier in the main character's life… and with a much more dramatic, action-packed opening chapter. Then, on top of that I layered some intrigue and an incredibly mysterious back story (set up in chapter 2). So I'm thinking, it's a very dynamic way to start the book and the new series.

But I still had questions. Someone is trying to kill my girl…but who and why? Yes, I know these are major questions for an author NOT to have the answers to, but that's the way I write.

Anyway, I dived back into the main body of the work, making adjustments as necessary to fit with the new layers and intrigue. But I got to the last chapter and still had a few issues. And then my character came up with a theory about who was trying to kill her…brilliant. And it added and extra, extra layer to my layers.

It truly was an ahhh-haa moment in writing! And I saved it to the last page.

NaNoWriMo – 10 days in

This year I decided to sign up for NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. If you haven't heard of this before, basically the idea is to write a novel (well, 50,000 words) in the month of November.

Of course, most crime fiction novels come in at around 100,000 words, but still, 50,000 words in one month is an impressive achievement and obviously half a novel in a month is mighty fine too!

It's the first time I've ever done it, although last year I saw lots of status updates on Facebook about it and decided I was too late to sign up. This year, despite knowing the first five days of November were out for me, I decided to give it a go. Especially given the first book in my new series could do with the major kick start of 50,000 words!

So far, I'm not exactly prolific — 10 days in I've written just over 5,000 words of the new novel, giving me a total of over 41,000 words for Hit and Run (working title). Still, it's nice to know that there are lots of other people sitting at their computers tapping away.

And I guess that's the point of NaNoWriMo – to bring together writers around the world to inspire us all to dedicate time and space to our writing, even if only for one month.

I'll let you know how I go at the end of November!

Book review (The Hit List) and a recipe

I read Chris Ryan's The Hit List in August and decided to blog my review!  Especially because I really enjoyed the book.

I actually picked it out at the airport (had forgotten the book I was currently reading…ahhh!!) and wanted something that was action/adventure with a spy or military feel. I haven't read anything in this genre for ages, but given my new series is going to have loads more action and covert operations I thought I'd better see what's 'out there' at the moment.

The Hit List was fast-paced with just the right amount of description (sometimes these types of books can get bogged down in details of standard procedures, types of guns and ammunition, etc.). While I like them to include some of this info, it can be hard to find the right balance and I think Chris Ryan excelled with the balance.

I would recommend The Hit List to anyone who likes action/adventure/thriller with that government or elite military thread!

Recipe

I recently contributed a recipe for a fundraising cookbook, Snap4kids. I'll post that recipe (easy Tira Misu) another day, but also found another yummy recipe last week for an orange and blueberry cake/bread. Don't think I can post the exact recipe (copyright) because it's from the recipe book that came with my latest toy/gadget, my Vitamix. It was very exciting though…I ground the flour myself from wheat grains in the Vitamix and then made the treat fast. Not much sugar, low GI, whole grains, etc. etc. Unfortunately I ate it almost as fast as I made it

More speaking gigs coming up

More speaking gigs coming up!

I've got a few more speaking gigs coming up in the next few weeks. I know only Melbourne-based readers will have a chance to come along, but no matter where you are I thought you might be interested in my "Living Book" gig….it's definitely blog-worthy.

But first, the events in order:

Readings Hawthorn – Listen to Sue Turbull grill me on my life of crime and the fifth Sophie Anderson novel, Kiss of Death. Thursday 28 October 6.30pm. Free event but bookings essential. Call Readings on (03) 9819 1917 or book via email.
Ashburton Library – Living Book (you can borrow me!). 10 November, 10am-1pm at Ashburton Library. 
Hawthorn Library – Living Book (yep, borrow me again). 11 November, 6-8.30pm at Hawthorn Library
Balwyn Library – Wednesday 17 November, 7.30-9pm – come along to hear me talk about all things criminal, including some of my latest research into the world of the FBI and real-life vampires.

What's a Living Book?

I was contacted by one of my local libraries to ask if I'd be interested in taking part in their Living Library initiative as a 'Living Book'. What does it mean…authors and other public figures will be on-hand to answer questions, talk about their work, etc. Basically, I'll just be hanging out at the library for a couple of hours!

It's all part of the celebrations for 150 years of continuous public library service in Boroondara. The library service says: If you have ever wondered what life is like for people with backgrounds, lifestyles and occupations which differ from your own this program offers you the chance to find out! Come have a chat with Senior Police Constable Lombardi, local crime writer PD Martin, barrister and human rights advocate Julian Burnside and many other intriguing people.

It's a fascinating idea – having a Living Book available for library members to effectively 'borrow'. No doubt I'll be blogging about my experiences as a Living Book next month.

The sessions are free but bookings are essential. For more information please call (03) 9278 4666.

Channelling my new character

As many of you know, I'm currently working on a new series (very exciting!) and the main character is very different to Sophie – she's very "dark", and also used to handling much more than a 9mm.

 When on holiday in Hawaii a remarkable opportunity presented itself – a chance to shoot some big-ass guns.

 Now, I'm not a toting, carrying, pro-gun kinda girl – and I like the fact that in Australia (and particularly my state of Victoria) it's hard to fire a gun, get a gun and keep a gun.

 Having...