Beth Groundwater's Blog, page 38

Tomorrow's Guest: C. E. Lawrence

Tomorrow, fellow mystery author C. E. Lawrence will be a guest on my blog. Carole Bugge ( C.E. Lawrence) has eight published novels, six novellas and a dozen or so short stories and poems. Her work has received glowing reviews from such publications as Kirkus, The Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, The Boston Herald, Ellery Queen, and others. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Silent Screams, Silent Victim and Silent Kills are the first three books in her Lee Campbell thriller series. Titan Press recently reissued her first Sherlock Holmes novel, The Star of India, and she teaches creative writing at NYU and Gotham Writers Workshop.

In her guest post tomorrow, C. E. Lawrence answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Then, feel free to ask her some questions of your own in the comments.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Last week, while I was busy with a guest author, I had the honor of being recognized with the Versatile Blogger Award by the Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers Blog. Thanks, Anastasia Pollack (actually, the protagonist of Lois Winston's crafting mystery series)! As a recipient of the award, I'm supposed to follow a few rules:

1. Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post. (done)

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this award along to 15 others.

4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Here goes…

Seven Things About Beth Groundwater

1. I love both cats and dogs. I used to have two cats named Merry and Pippin (after the Tolkien hobbit characters), then I had a black lab mix dog named Blackie. I'm now pet-less, but I stop to stroke other people's animals as often as I can.

2. My favorite colors are green and purple.

3. I'm a chocoholic, the darker the better, and after that, my favorite food is berries of all kinds.

4. Like my river ranger character Mandy Tanner in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, I used to be a "river rat" in the 1980s, running whitewater rivers in the southeast in an open-boat canoe stuffed full of floatation bags. I was an active member of Canoe Cruisers in the Washington DC area and knew Roger Corbett, a river guidebook author, very well, often taking a turn as his bow paddler.

5. My favorite winter sport is alpine skiing, and I can ski any level of slope, from Blue Square (intermediate) to Double Black Diamond (expert), though I take those steep slopes very slowly. I actually prefer moguls on the steep slopes, because they help slow me down. I'm definitely NOT a speed demon!

6. I like to read widely both within and outside of my genre (mystery), and I usually read for awhile in bed before falling asleep.

7. I live in Breckenridge, Colorado, and love the beautiful mountains and rivers of my home state. That's why I enjoy setting my mystery novels in the state.

Fifteen Blogs I Recommend

Writing & reading related:

Mystery Scene Magazine's Blog

Buried Under Books

dru's book musings

The Blood-Red Pencil

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine

Patricia Stoltey's Blog

Spiller Writes

Chiseled in Rock (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' blog)

Writing From the Peak (Pikes Peak Writers' blog)

Inkspot (Midnight Ink's authors' blog)

Under Cover of Midnight (Midnight Ink editor Terri Bischoff's blog)

Six Questions For... (interviews with editors and publishers)

Outdoor- adventure related:

River Ranger

ACA (American Canoe Association) Water Blog

And, just for fun:

Cake Wrecks

Cover Art! Cover Art! Woot! Woot! Woot!

It seems like I was just doing this, back in October, when I posted the cover art for Wicked Eddies, my May 8th release. But, here I am again, with the cover art for the trade paperback and ebook re-release on November 8th of To Hell in a Handbasket. I'm especially pleased with this one, because purple is my favorite color! (What else would you expect from a Leo?)

So, what do you think? Please let me know.

The Telling Detail

It's my turn to blog at Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors. I talk about the telling detail and how authors work to craft those tiny descriptions that distill the essense and emotion of the item being described into a thing of beauty. Please read the post, and if you have a favorite example of the use of "telling detail," would you share it with the rest of us in a comment? Thanks!

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Chrystle Fiedler

As promised yesterday, fellow mystery author Chrystle Fiedler is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for her recent release (yesterday!), Death Drops, the first book in her new natural remedies mystery series. In the book, Dr. Willow McQuade, N.D., a twenty-eight-year-old naturopathic doctor specializing in natural remedies, has decided to take sabbatical and visit her Aunt Claire, the owner of Nature's Way Market and Cafe in idyllic Greenport, Long Island. But the idea of rest and relaxation is quickly forgotten when Willow arrives from a morning meditative walk to discover her Aunt Claire dead in the store, a strange almond-like smell emanating from her mouth and a bottle of flower essences by her side.

Despite her Zen nature and penchant for yoga, Aunt Claire had a knack for getting into confrontations with folks. An activist, she held weekly meetings for different causes every week in the store. The police want to believe the death is accidental—but Willow thinks she may have been poisoned. Things get worse when Aunt Claire's valuable recipe for a new natural age-defying formula, Fresh Face, is stolen during a store break-in, and an attempt is made on Willow's life. Desperate for a way out of the mess, she turns to a handsome young cop Jackson Spade. Together the two set about solving the case the natural way—through a combination of hard work, common sense, and a dose of luck.

Below are Chrystle's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for her, and if you have a question of your own for her, ask it!

1. Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

I've been writing since I could hold a pencil! When I was younger I wrote children's books and plays, as I got older I became a copywriter, then a journalist, a non-fiction author and now, a cozy mystery author. Diane Mott Davidson, author of the catering mysteries inspired me to write my first mystery. I read Dying for Chocolate and I thought I can do that!

2. Tell us about your new cozy mystery novel.

My fiction debut is Death Drops: A Natural Remedies Mystery (Gallery/Simon and Schuster) which went on sale on February 21st. I'm very excited! The book is the first to feature a naturopathic doctor (Willow McQuade) and a wide variety of natural cures. Naturopathic doctors take a holistic view of patients, treating body, mind and spirit. It's set in my hometown, Greenport, which is an idyllic village on Long Island's East End. Dr. McQuade takes over her Aunt Claire's health food store Nature's Way Market and Café when she is murdered and sets out to find the killer with the help of a hunky cop on disability, Jackson Spade. Sparks fly!

3. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write "by the seat of your pants"?

I have never outlined before Scent to Kill, which is the sequel to Death Drops: A Natural Remedies Mystery. Before that, I just started writing and let it flow. The characters told me what they wanted to do and say. I didn't want to know who "dun" it. But after Death Drops, my editor at Gallery Books wanted an outline for the second book so I had to do one. I found that it was so much easier to have that framework. It makes it easier to get started every day and to keep going if you feel like stopping.

4. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing? Why?

When it comes to a cozy mystery, I think both matter, but I'll go with characters. I think if readers like and identify with the characters you create they will want to read more. In the case of my books, I consider the setting to be important, too. Greenport is an idyllic town located on the East End of Long Island in New York. Forbes names it one of the prettiest villages in America. Plot is certainly important but I think it's the little details that matter most. How can you make your reader feel like he or she is "there?" I want readers to be able to escape into my cozies.

5. What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Starting! What people who don't write may not understand is that the action of starting to write is painful. At least it is for me. You have to pierce the barrier of inertia. Once I get started I'm fine. I lose myself in the process and time flies.

6. What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

My best writing happens in the morning until I have lunch, usually around noon, and after 4. For some reason 12 to 4 aren't as productive. Must be my circadian rhythms. I don't set a number of pages; that's too much like a real job! It's usually difficult to get started, but once I do, I feel like I'm transcribing. The words just come. I write 5-7 days a week. If I feel inspired or I'm under a deadline, I write, write, write!

7. What do you do when you have writer's block?

I rarely get writer's block, but I did when I started Scent to Kill, the sequel to Death Drops. My friend who is also an author for Gallery Books suggested I relax and let the words flow instead of "trying" to MAKE something happen. Writing comes from a different place than thinking, she said. I know now that it's true!

8. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Only write if you must. It is a difficult profession. You must have perseverance. You must handle rejection. That said, if you are a writer and have an idea you really believe in, NEVER give up. It took me over 10 years (off and on – I worked in Hollywood in the early years) to get my first mystery published. And you know what? It was worth it!

9. Now here's a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

I love reality shows. I can't wait for the new Survivor and Amazing Race to start. I even watch Big Brother in the summer. Yes, I admit it. I call it "mind candy." It gives my mind a break. We all need that sometimes.

10. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I'm about to start the rewrite of Scent to Kill, the sequel to Death Drops: A Natural Remedies Mystery. It will be hard work, but I know I'll have a book for my editor that is ten times as good when I'm through. It's all about making the book better for readers.

11. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

I really appreciate being your guest today, Beth. Thank you so much for having me! As for my writing, I hope that readers enjoy the mystery of Death Drops and learn about natural remedies they can try at home, too. They can visit my website for more info. I'm happy to speak to book clubs anytime. I'm also the Saturday blogger at Killer Hobbies. Please stop by and say hi!


Thanks, Chrystle! Now, who has a comment or question for her?

Tomorrow's Guest: Chrystle Fiedler

Tomorrow, fellow mystery author Chrystle Fiedler will be a guest on my blog. Chrystle loves natural remedies and has been using them for as long as she can remember. As a freelance journalist, she wrote about natural cures for Natural Health, Better Homes & Gardens, Prevention, Vegetarian Times, The Health Monitor Network and was the Good Nature columnist for Remedy magazine. Also, she wrote non-fiction books with a focus on natural remedies. So it was only "natural" that when it came to fiction, she would focus on natural remedies, too. The first book in her natural remedies series, Death Drops, is being released today, February 21st, and the sequel, Scent to Kill, will be available in the fall.

When Chrystle isn't writing, she spends time with family and friends, playing with her two dachshunds, Holmes and Wallander, and her two cats, Tinker and Tuppence (all named after famous detectives!), taking a walk on the beach, gardening, enjoying Psych, Monk and The Mentalist on TV or reading a cozy mystery in her cozy cottage by the sea.

In her guest post tomorrow, Chrystle Fiedler answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Then, feel free to ask her some questions of your own in the comments.

Summit County Senior Winter Games

Earlier this week I participated in the Summit County Senior Winter Games, an annual affair that attracts seniors not only from the Colorado high country, but from all over the US. The friendly competition began with a spaghetti dinner at the Summit County Senior Center on Sunday evening, where we registered for events and picked up our racing bibs. We also bid on silent auction items, and the proceeds benefited needy seniors in the county.

Also, there were door prizes galore from generous sponsors. I won a performance tune from Keystone Sports on my skis, which was very timely, since I've been hitting rocks on the slopes all season so far, due to lower snowpack levels. After carbo- and wine-loading, we all went home to psych ourselves up for the ice-skating events at Keystone Lake (which I didn't participate in) and the alpine skiing events at Keystone Resort on Monday.

I competed in the Giant Slalom (that was also a Nastar event), the Rally Race (where we try to match a time set by a games official), and the goofy Obstacle Race. Below is a photo of me in my race bib, free-skiing between events.


Tuesday was a full morning and early afternoon of nordic events at the Frisco Nordic Center. I competed in the short, 1 kilometer snowshow race there. Then at 3:00 that afternoon, we reconvened for more food and wine and the long, long award ceremonies. Why so long? For every event, competitors were divided by sex and 5-year age groups (A=50-54, B=55-59, etc.), and gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded for each group.

I won a bronze medal in the alpine Obstacle Course Race and a silver medal in the Short Snowshoe Race and a silver Nastar medal in the Giant Slalom Race. Below is a photo of me with my "bling." The Senior Winter Games were a great way to get us "seniors" (50+) outside and moving and were a lot of fun to boot!

Today's Mystery Author Guest: James Conway

As promised yesterday, fellow mystery author James Conway is visiting my blog today. To read his bio and see his photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for his first novel, Dead and Not So Buried, which was released yesterday. In the book, Hollywood is rocked after the remains of one of the most idolized movie stars of the 60's are stolen. The thief chooses Gideon Kincaid to deliver the ransom, forcing the ex-cop to unravel a master plan that includes extortion, blackmail and murder. While trying to stay one step ahead of his nemesis, Gideon is led on a harrowing roller coaster ride through sun-and-sin drenched Hollywood.

But Gideon's not alone. There's the tough as nails cop assigned to the case. Unfortunately, she's Gideon's ex-wife and hates him. And there's the beautiful starlet who Gideon has to protect. Any red-blooded detective would want to sleep with her; unfortunately for Gideon, he already has. And it didn't go so well. In fact, she's terrified of him. And there's his assistant, the adorable Hillary. She wants to be a PI like her boss. She's also got a huge crush on him. And that never works out. In fact, it could kill her.

This sure sounds like a fun read to me! Below are James's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for James, and if you have a question of your own for him, ask it!

Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

Reading inspired me to start writing. I never remember not reading. To be honest, I'm also including comic books in the reading category but from grammar school on I always had a book in my lap. I loved Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, Jack London, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. So one day in eighth grade I decided to try my hand at writing. I wrote a six-page short story about a kid who could fly. I'm sure it wasn't very good, but God bless my mother. She told me it was great and encouraged me to continue writing.

And I did. Stubbornly. I didn't sell my first short story until I was twenty-three.

I also loved watching TV as a kid. I guess that makes sense since I've spent so much of my life writing, producing and directing TV shows. There was this one show I watched as a kid in the early 60's. Burke's Law, starring Gene Barry. Gene played Amos Burke, a handsome, charismatic, filthy rich homicide detective. Each episode was filled with big name guest stars that were all suspects in the murder of the week. It was produced by Aaron Spelling.

Well, thirty years later, while I was working for Aaron Spelling, I developed a new Burke's Law TV series, starring Gene Barry! He now had a son and they solved the crimes together. We ran for two seasons.

Talk about childhood fantasies coming to life.

What tools and process do you use to "get to know" your characters before and while you're writing the books?

I always start with the protagonist. What fascinates me about this person? Why do I care about this person? What is wrong that needs to be fixed?

Next I write the protagonist's biography. I try to include relatable incidents growing up that we can hopefully connect with and as well as seminal incidents that made the protagonist what he/she is when we find them.

The biography is just for me. To see what surprises happen when I flesh out the character. Bits of it will end up in the book, of course. But that's just a bonus. The biography is a great way for me to better understand the character.

Once I have a handle on my protagonist I rinse and repeat with the rest of the main characters.

How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write "by the seat of your pants"?

I like outlines. I need to know where I'm going. So I start with a beat sheet. I just write down all the logical steps I want my story to take. I let that marinate for a bit, decide what works and doesn't work, then start a more detailed outline.

I try not to put in every single detail, I want to be able to still discover as I write. But I need to know my character arcs, major plot twists and turns, and of course, the end.

And after all that, I'm often surprised what happens when I start actually writing and the characters start taking things in a completely different direction.

In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing? Why?

For me, a great murder mystery is filled with fascinating characters and unpredictable twists and turns. So while I think both character and plot are important, I have to admit that once I know who my characters are I spend a lot of time on the plot.

I want to put a unique spin on the story. I want the reader to be surprised, baffled and ultimately satisfied with the puzzle. And that takes a lot of work.

What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

My biggest challenge has been rejection. I've had a very successful career in Hollywood but my life long dream was to write novels. I wrote my first one ten years ago. There was a lot of interest, but ultimately, it didn't sell.

That broke my heart.

I was very busy then writing and directing TV shows, so it took me a few years to sit down and write another book.

Again, close but no cigar.

That rejection didn't hurt as much. In fact, it made me mad. And determined. Damn it, I will get published!

I started another book right away and that one, Dead and Not So Buried, was published February 15th.

What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

I write every morning. Starting at about 8:30. I write for two or three hours, then work out, have lunch, run errands (maybe sneak out to hit a few golf balls). Then late afternoon I review what I've written and tinker for an hour or so. But my major creative writing is done in the morning.

I rarely write on the weekend, but I often reread and make notes for the coming week.

What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Study the genre you want to write. I mean, really study. Outline the books you love. Learn how the author structured the book. Pay attention to the character arcs. Ask yourself what it is you love about the book.

Then, cliché warning… Write. Every day.

Now here's a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

Remember earlier I told you I watched a lot of TV as a kid? Well, I still do. My DVR is the hardest working appliance in the house. Favorite shows at the moment: Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, Fringe, Crown of Thrones and Shameless.

What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I'm writing a new book. They say to write what you know, and what I know best is Hollywood. So the new book is another Hollywood thriller.

This one is about a movie star, an action hero, who made the mistake of getting old. By old I mean fifty-two. Young in this day and age everywhere but Hollywood.

So he is willing to do anything to get his name back up in lights. And that's when he makes the biggest mistake of his life.

The book is entitled Falling Star, and I hope to publish it early next year.

I'm also planning the second Gideon Kincaid novel. Breaking the Gravesnatcher case has made Gideon a Hollywood celebrity, and now the question becomes: Will Success Spoil Gideon Kincaid?

Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

I'd love you all to check out my website. You'll learn a lot about Dead and Not So Buried, and if you check the Hollywood page, you'll be treated to bit of my Hollywood history.

I love to talk about books and Hollywood, so if there are any book clubs out there please get in touch with me (my email address is on the website).


Thanks, James! Now, who has a comment or question for him?

Tomorrow's Guest: James L. Conway

Tomorrow, fellow mystery author James Conway will be a guest on my blog. James has worked extensively as a writer, producer and director. His credits include such TV favorites as MacGyver, Star Trek: Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager and Enterprise, Charmed, Supernatural and Smallville. James also served six years as Executive Vice President of Spelling Television where he worked on over twenty TV series including such hits as 90210, Melrose Place and 7th Heaven. Dead and Not So Buried, which is being released today, is Conway's first novel. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.

In his guest post tomorrow, James answers my interview questions. I'm sure you'll be intrigued by his answers. Then, feel free to let James know what you think of the interview or his book or to ask him a questions in the comments.

Researching the Health of the Colorado River

For those who have been following my blog and/or my Facebook posts, you know that I am writing the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series that will be titled Cataract Canyon. Unlike the first two books in the series, Deadly Currents and Wicked Eddies, that are set on the upper Arkansas River in Colorado, Cataract Canyon takes place on the Colorado River in Utah.

Environmentalists and entities that own water rights for Colorado River water have been concerned for many years about the health of the river and whether it can continue to sustain all those who divert water from its flow. In fact, American Rivers (a river conservation organization I support) named it one of America's Most Endangered Rivers in 2010.

Colorado College in Colorado Springs has sponsored a State of the Rockies Project for the last nine years that seeks to increase public understanding of vital issues affecting the Rocky Mountains. This year's focus is the Colorado River basin. One study supported by the project was a trip by two recent graduates, Will Stauffer-Norris and Zak Podmore, who paddled and hiked for 110 days from the "Source to the Sea" of river, making observations on the health of the river along the way. Their starting point was the origin of the Green River (one of the two main tributaries to the Colorado River that merge just above Cataract Canyon) in Wyoming's Wind River Range. Their ending point at the end of January was the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, where the completely drained and exhausted river trickles to the sea across a salty, mud-flat delta.

You can read more about Will Stauffer-Norris's and Zak Podmore's epic expedition at their Source to Sea blog and watch their YouTube videos there. They paddled their kayaks through the exciting whitewater of Cataract Canyon (which I rafted last fall) and the Grand Canyon, as well as through more placid canyons and dammed reservoirs. I hope their expedition, and the focus of the State of the Rockies Project on the Colorado River this academic year, will raise awareness of the enormous pressures that are being placed on this river. And hopefully, we can work together to ease the strain and keep it healthy!