Wendy Dingwall's Blog

New Sisters in Crime Chapter - Gulf Coast Florida

I have accepted a request to start a Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime. It is a unique organization. Both mystery writers and mystery readers are welcome. As well as publishers, and librarians. Exciting programs to be scheduled monthly. Please visit their site to see what we're all about: Sisters in Crime 

I am looking for members who are willing to participate in helping to set up and perhaps hold an office. Thanks for your consideration!

If you are interested in joining please message me through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.dingwall

Florida Chapter SinC members signing books at the Venice FL Bookfair:

 

5 Cool Tips I Learned About Chapter Endings at #Sleuthfest

Now that I’ve settled back into my office, I thought it a good idea to get some of what I learned (or relearned) down on paper. Not only do I wish to share what I've learned with my writer friends who weren't able to attend Sleuthfest, but so I can easily find these tips and tricks when I’m looking for inspiration. Don't worry, these tricks can work well for any fiction genre.

1. Throw out obstacles.

Ending a chapter by throwing your protagonist a curve ball, something he or she didn't expect, is a sure way to make the reader continue reading.

An example of this technique is the way I ended my first chapter in Hera’s Revenge, when a tour participant falls down several steps at the Acropolis but is afraid to tell anyone that she may have been pushed, and at the end of the chapter tells everyone she’s fine, the stakes are increased and the consequences grave.  

Thanks to Miriam Auerbach for sharing this tip!

3. Inspire the reader’s curiosity.

Leave the reader with a question as to what will happen next and they’ll be sure to turn the page.

In Celtic Curse, a cold-case mystery set in Scotland, Yvonne and David have a clandestine meeting with the mother of one of the suspects. She bolts after a few questions and David remarks to Yvonne, “She suspects someone of something.” The chapter is ended with Yvonne responding, “Yes, but who exactly?”

Thanks to Karen Harper and Miriam Auerbach for giving their insights on this tip.

4. Break in the heat of the action.

Thriller writers frequently use this technique, leaving the reader breathless and hanging in the middle of the scene. Sometimes they won’t even resolve the scene in the next chapter. They may switch to a different character point of view or a different scene of action happening simultaneously.

This tip came from Miriam Auerbach. She gave us an example from Boca Undercover, a mystery novel in her Dirty Harriet series:

Dirty Harriet observes a woman in a drug rehab facility– End of Chapter 4: “She leaned against the wall and collapsed to the floor. ‘My children,’ she sobbed. ‘My children.’ This must have been the dead boy’s missing mother. But what did she mean by my children?”

5. Types of hook endings.

It’s important to mix up the endings and don’t overuse or repeat consecutively any type. Remember to use powerful words in your hooks so that readers relate to the story emotionally.

Here’s a list of hook endings offered from Karen Harper:

Shock
Threat
Prediction
Question
Promise
Unexpected action
Moment of extreme embarrassment
Play upon character’s worst fears

 

If you attended #Sleuthfest, can you give some different examples? If you didn’t attend #Sleuthfest, did you find this blog helpful? Will you use some of these ideas in your future writing? Please share this blog with other writers.

I’d like to thank the panel members who participated on the Chapter Endings: Cliffhangers and Continuity Panel for inspiring me to continue writing a well-crafted mystery. Thanks to Miriam Auerbach, Karen Harper, Charles Salzberg, and Moderator, Richard Wymer.

 

Check Out My S. Florida Fall/Winter Tour

Two super things happened this month with regards to book signing opportunities. First, my local Sarasota Books-A-Million's General Manager urged me to connect with the surrounding area bookstores for signing events and she personally sent emails introducing me to the stores, and second, I was invited to participate at the Miami Book Fair International through our local chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

If you are in the area during any one of these events, I would like to invite you to stop by and see me. I'd be happy to chat and can answer questions about the inspiration for my travel mysteries and offer tidbits learned from the research that was involved in crafting the stories. On hand for purchase will be Hera's Revenge and Celtic Curse.

Following is the upcoming schedule, which you will note is kicked off this coming Friday (Halloween) in Sarasota:

Fall/Winter Tour 2014

Friday, October 31st, 11am-3pm
Books-A-Million
6591 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34231
Store# (941) 922-7804

Saturday, November 8th, 11am-2pm
Books-A-Million
4230 S. Tamiami Trail
Venice, FL 34293
Store# (941) 496-8422

Saturday, November 22nd, 2-4pm
Miami Book Fair International
Mystery Writers of America / Florida Chapter Booth
Miami Dade Community College
For directions and details visit their website:
http://www.miamibookfair.com/

Saturday, December 6th, 1-3pm
Books-A-Million
4225 14th St. W. 
Bradenton, FL 34205
Store# (941) 748-3911

Saturday, December 13th, 11am-3pm
Books-A-Million
1825 Tamiami Trail
Port Charlotte, FL 33948
Store# (941) 629-0340

Please check back regularly as new events will be posted.

Found a Great Post about a 5 day Scotland Tour!

Scotland For Beginners by Yvonne at JustTravelous.com. She couldn't have planned a better first-time tour.

She gives heartwarming descriptions and photos that capture the beauty of her tour. She travels from Edinburgh to the High Country and to Inverness. Think Outlander. There are several scenes that I'd described in my second travel mystery, Celtic Curse. However, my protagonist, also named Yvonne did not have the luxury of traveling up to the highcountry. She'll need to go back for another tour. If you read Celtic Curse you may remember that Yvonne and her client, Fiona, stayed in the Bonham hotel their first night in Edinburgh.

As a former travel agent and frequent visitor to the UK, I have also toured most of the places Yvonne from JustTravelous describes and stayed in some of the same hotels and BnBs. She is spot on in her descriptions. 

I have always felt that Scotland is and always has been a country on the forefront of industry and technology, yet, it has a very ancient feel. The old stone castles and Medieval buildings, the great expanse of craggy countryside, and the old coastal towns along various waterways, gives one the ability to imagine all manner of legends and lore.

I highly recommend that you check out this lovely blog: http://www.justtravelous.com/en/2014/10/scotland-beginners-tour-car/

Happy travels by armchair whenever you can't go by car, plane or boat!

Wendy

 

Incredible Tour of Scotland via Photos

Thanks to the Travel Scotland Daily online newspaper that I receive, I found this Expert Vagabond Blog by Matthew Karsten. The photos in his "Wee Tour of Scotland" (Photo Essay) are the best I've seen and I couldn't help but become nostalgic remembering the times I've visited Scotland. I highly recommend taking a look at them. Just click on the link in this paragraph.

If you've read my latest travel mystery, Celtic Curse, you may remember that my protagonist, travel agent, Yvonne Suarez, visits Edinburgh Castle and the Greyfriars Kirkyard. The Kirkyard (cemetery) is also referred to in a previous blog by me about the story of Greyfriar's Bobby.

Tea Time Anyone?

I'm a tea drinker. I love the variety of teas and different herbal infusions that are pretty much limitless. Tea offers enjoyable flavors for anyone who wishes to discover them.

In my second Yvonne Suarez travel mystery, set in Scotland, there are several scenes where Yvonne and her traveling companions have either taken "high tea" or  been offered tea while visiting other characters.

Weaving in historical and cultural information along with the legends and lore of the countries where my mysteries are set allows me to add interesting layers to the stories and is one of my favorite aspects of writing. Following is a snippet from Celtic Curse when Yvonne, Fiona, and Cameron visit an old friend of Cameron's who just happens to be a retired police constable:

“Thank you for the tea. It’s delicious. Do you mind if I ask what kind it is? I’ve never had any quite like it.” Yvonne set her cup in the saucer.

“It’s called Scots Teatime. The Scots are famous for blending braw teas. This is a blend of mellow teas from India, Ceylon and Kenya. Ye may have heard of our most famous Scot who traveled to Ceylon and worked with James Taylor to grow the Tea industry in the late 1800’s—Thomas Lipton.” Innes poured more tea into Yvonne’s cup. “For ower a hundred years the best tea merchants in bonnie Scotland is Brodie’s. Ye’ll see their teas sold in all the tourist shops.”

As you can see, the retired police constable, Innes, enjoys disemanating information. You may wonder if he had any pertinent information to help with solving the mystery. If you enjoy getting your history while being entertained like I do, perhaps you'll give Celtic Curse a read and see what might be discovered while sipping your favorite tea.

A 2nd Midwest Review, an "MBR Bookwatch" Feature for November 2013 Issue

Imagine my surprise when Canterbury House received another notice of review for Celtic Curse from Midwest Book Reviews. I had not heard of this particular reviewer, Shelley Glodowski, but was extremely pleased with her review. You can read the full review by clicking on this link: Review

As a relatively new author, I only have two mysteries out so far, I am still very affected by both good and bad reviews. I had had some terrific reviews on my first book but then a couple that were so bad as to go to the opposite extreme. Some of the criticisms didn't even make sense. And I wondered if someone didn't have a grudge against me for the good reviews. Especially one that said, it just read like a travel brochure. I was very careful to put characters into incidents that have actually happened on tours and that would never be found in a brochure. My tour guide interjected some humor that I had enjoyed on my own tours, and of course as a former travel agency owner, I knew the ins and outs of the industry during the dates that I wrote about. Anyway, I have learned that you can't please everyone, and I never actually expected too. Still, it's a downer when you receive a bad review.

That said, I am a bit superstitious to admit it, but so far (as of today) all Celtic Curse industry reviews have been very good and on Amazon all reviews are 5 Stars. I couldn't be happier about that and it spurs me on to finish my next one. Though I would probably write anyway, because it's what I love to do most, it's so nice to know that people are actually enjoying my mysteries.

Literary Agent Andrew Wylie Socks it to Amazon in New Republic Article

I found it very interesting to see the publishing industry through the eyes of one of the most renowned literary agents of our time. There is a certain snobbery in his remarks, especially in the way he views genre or mass market fiction, but given his own background I can understand it and even give him kudos for making such a s success out of literary fiction, which as a former used bookstore owner, found it much harder to sell to the general population.

However, his explanation and comparison of Amazon owner, Bezos to megalomaniacs such as Napolean was priceless.

Please go read the interview by reporter Laura Bennett through this link: Andrew Wylie. I'd be very interested to hear what other authors, publishers and readers think about his remarks and the future of the publishing industry in general. I for one think there is still room for good publishers. Even small independents like Canterbury House.

Booktoberfest Coming Soon!

The following press release was submitted by Mark Miller, who is public relations and media specialist for JLB Creatives:

Authors in the Park is coming to historic Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora. Saturday, October 5th, JLB Creatives presents Authors in the Park – Booktoberfest from 2 to 5pm on the lawn in front of the quaint town’s iconic landmark hotel, AIP spokesman Mark
Miller, said today.

Booktoberfest combines a traditional German Oktoberfest with an old-fashioned Halloween Costume Contest from the imaginations and creativity of twenty local authors. Host Lakeside Inn will make available authentic German food and beverage. There will be music and more fun. All of the participating authors will be appearing
in costume, dressed as one of the characters from their huge variety of books.

The authors include: Janet Beasley; John J. Browne y Ayes; Maria Cox; Lisa DeMarco; Donna DeVito; Wendy Dingwall; Dr. Les Hardin; Tawdra Kandle; Jean E. Lane; Rebekah Lyn; De Miller; Mark Miller; Olivia Miller; Theresa Oliver; Keith Rommel; Tony Vincent; Elise VanCise; Pennie Whitt; Ed Wysocki and Randa Zollinger.

“Lakeside Inn is such an incredible host. We are honored to be a new part of their 130 year history. You won’t find better service or a friendlier staff anywhere,” said JLB Creatives president Janet Beasley.

The Lakeside Inn along with several other local sponsors are contributing to the prize pack for the costume contest. Contest details can be found at www.AuthorsinthePark.com or www.FB.com/AuthorsInThePark. Sponsors are encouraging guests to come in costume. To be eligible for the grand prize, a guest must be dressed as one of the characters listed on the Authors in the Park website, Miller said.

“This is a totally unique event,” said Jean E. Lane. “Guests will have the opportunity to dress as a character from a book by the author they are meeting at Booktoberfest.”

The presenting authors represent a wide spectrum of books from non-fiction to children’s picture books, from Florida history to Earth’s future. The authors include Best-Sellers, Award-Winners, a direct descendant of Ponce de Leon, movie makers and more.

“Our events are not only a reader’s paradise, but also a family fun event. We’ve had art shows, church picnics and now two October parties in one,” Miller, who is public relations and media specialist for JLB Creatives, said. "It is especially fun for me as I will be flanked by my daughter and father, both accomplished authors in their own right.”

Because October is also recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month, Farley Frigeration of Astatula will be on hand raising funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation.

“JLB Creatives’ goal is two-fold,” Mrs. Beasley said.” We want to promote local and independent authors and, at the same time, give back to our community. Mount Dora is such a wonderful, supportive place. If we can help bring in literacy and raise awareness for worthy causes, then that is only a small way in which we can repay this great city.”

JLB Creatives, with support from Arts for the Community, Inc. (a non-profit based in Mount Dora), is actively seeking sponsors for future events and other activities.  AIP is involved with the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce and other merchant associations. Contact can be made through the website to arrange an author appearance at your event or organization, Miller said.

 

 

Guest Blog Article on Dames of Dialogue: Legends, Lore & Superstitions of Scotland

I'm honored to be a guest Blogger on the Dames of Dialogue Blog. My article about Scottish legends, lore and superstitions will be up top today, July 8th and tomorrow. Here's the link if you wish to read it:

http://damesofdialogue.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/celtic-scotland-by-wendy-dingwall/#comment-9082

Please leave a comment on their blog site too, they really appreciate the interaction from readers.