Beth Groundwater's Blog, page 5

Beautiful Libraries and Beautiful Quotes About Them

I've been an avid reader all of my life, since I learned to read, and all of my life, I've been a member of whichever library system was closest to where I live. I can't buy ALL of the books I read, so I check many out of the library and read them at home before returning them for others to read. Libraries are so vitally important to their communities for so many reasons and deserved to be lovingly funded and maintained.

I ran across this post recently: 28 Beautiful Quotes About Libraries. Read them, then go make a donation to your local library, and if you don't yet have a library card, get one!

Skiing at Breckenridge

Just for fun, I thought I'd share a photo of myself at the top of the Kensho chair on the new Peak 6 terrain that opened at the Breckenridge Ski Resort this season. It was a cold, blustery day, which is why I'm all bundled up. This is what I do for exercise on winter mornings!

Book Award Season - Please Consider My 2013 Titles!

This is the season for nominating books that were published in 2013 for various awards. My publisher, Midnight Ink, or I have nominated one or the other or both of my 2013 titles for the following awards:

- Best Novel Edgar Award given out by the Mystery Writers of America (a judged award)
- Best Genre Fiction Novel Award given out by the Colorado Book Awards (a judged award)
- Best Contemporary Fiction WILLA Award given out by Women Writing the West (a judged award)

- Best Contemporary Novel Agatha Award given out at the Malice Domestic conference (a fan voted award)
- The Squid Award (for best mystery set in the US) given out at the Left Coast Crime conference (a fan voted award)

Now, I have a favor to ask. If you are a mystery fan who has read and enjoyed one or both of my 2013 books, and you are able to nominate books for the Agatha or Squid awards, I hope you'll consider adding my books to your list. Here's some information about them to remind you, and you can follow the links to their book pages on my website if you need more information. Thanks!


A Basket of Trouble, third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, released in November, 2013.

“Groundwater combines a satisfying mystery with aspects of riding life and a look at the illegal immigration issue. A good choice for fans of small-town amateur sleuths.”
   -- Booklist, Oct 1, 2013


Fatal Descent , third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures series, released in June, 2013.

“Groundwater’s third entry (after the Left Coast Crime Rocky Award finalist Wicked Eddies) is marked by an outdoorsy intensity and authentic sports chatter sure to resonate with Nevada Barr readers. Her methodical, gentle buildup mirrors the river’s course so that when the characters hit the rapids, life jackets are a must.”
    -- Library Journal, June 1, 2013

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Tracy Weber

As promised yesterday, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Tracy Weber is visiting my blog today, with answers to my interview questions. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post. Also, Tracy is running a contest for a free autographed copy of her first mystery release, Murder Strikes a Pose, the cover art for which appears above. Tracy will select the winner tomorrow evening from among those who leave a comment today or tomorrow and will announce the name in a comment on this post.

In the book, Seattle yoga instructor Kate Davidson tries to live up to yoga's Zen-like expectations, but it's not easy while struggling to keep her small business afloat or dodging her best friend's matchmaking efforts. When George, a homeless alcoholic, and his loud, horse-sized German shepherd, Bella, start hawking newspapers outside her studio, Kate attempts to convince them to leave. Instead, the three strike up an unlikely friendship. Then Kate finds George's body. The police dismiss it as a drug-related street crime, but Kate knows he was no drug dealer. Now she must solve George's murder and find someone willing to adopt his intimidating companion before Bella is sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer on her trail, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Sounds like a fun and fascinating read to me! Below are Tracys answers to my interview questions.

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

I blame it all on a bad workout and Susan Conant. I’m a pretty faithful exerciser, but riding a stationary bike is terminally boring, so I distract myself by reading. I love anything related to dogs, so when I discovered Susan Conant’s series a few years ago, I devoured them.

 One day, after a particularly brutal workout and a passage from Black Ribbon that make me laugh out loud, I decided to learn more about her. Less than two hours later, I stumbled across a website dedicated to cozy mysteries, and thought, Huh? Wonder if I should write a cozy about yoga? I filed the idea in the too-crazy-to-be-pursued file for two years, then started writing. The rest is, as they say, history.

2. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

My characters stalk me. Meaning, they live inside my head and harass me until I write them. Kate (my protagonist) is particularly insistent, though her friend Rene likes to butt in as well. They can be really quite annoying. I get to know them by typing their stories.

Sometimes they give me an idea about themselves that isn’t fully formed, but comes to me as an image or word. Then I do Google Image searches until they visually reveal parts of themselves that way.

Hopefully all of the above means I’m creative, not psychotic.

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

I do both. The first draft is by the seat of my pants. Who has time to outline when you’ve got characters like Kate and Rene harassing you to hurry up and write them? While I write the second draft, I outline what I’ve already written, identify plot holes and inconsistencies. I try to fix those in the third draft. After that, it’s only 27 more drafts until the finished product!

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?

Character, character, character. But then again, according to the yoga teachings, our character is defined by the actions we take and our reactions to the world around us, and isn’t that plot? This question makes my head spin.  ;-)

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

Oddly enough, my dog is the biggest inspiration in most of my life. My work is Kate’s story, but Kate adores Bella (her German shepherd) and Bella makes Kate a better person, just like Tasha does me.

My biggest challenge? Probably finding the time to write, teach yoga, run my business, and market myself as a new author. I hope human cloning is viable soon.

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

I’m lucky. I own my own business, so I’m able to work any eighteen hours a day I want. Seriously, sometimes it feels that way. But my writing ebbs and flows based on the other competing priorities of my life. Sometimes several weeks will go by without my having time to write a word. Other times I do it nonstop. I’m most creative late at night, which drives my husband crazy. Most weeks I probably dedicate 30 hours or more to fiction writing. Blogs and other writing are on top of that.

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

Don’t give up! Writing is a TOUGH business. No one gets published without facing rejection. When I was trying to land an agent, I allowed myself 24 hours to feel bad about every rejection, then I forced myself to do something proactive. Send out another letter, connect with another author, write another page.

You can’t please everyone, and yet when you write, you so desperately want to. (At least I do.) Just keep writing what you love and know that your work isn’t defined by what any one person thinks of it.

8. 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.

Dogs are my love and a dog is the center of my books, but I started out as a cat person. I’ve owned cats most of my adult life, but I didn’t get my first dog (as an adult) until the age of 40. She was worth the wait. My cats disagree, but that’s another story…

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

I’m currently writing the second installment of the Downward Dog Mysteries, tentatively titled A Killer Retreat, as well my yoga blog. I definitely plan to keep going with Kate and Bella’s stories, but another series is forming in my mind. I’m pretty sure those characters will start harassing me soon, so I’ll probably have to start working on that one as well.

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

Check out my author website  and my weekly yoga blog.

And, of course, Murder Strikes a Pose is available at Amazon,  Midnight Ink,  and other major booksellers.  Autographed copies can be purchased from Whole Life Yoga.

I’d love to hear what you think of the book and/or to talk at book clubs or other venues. Keep reading, and go after your dreams!


Thanks, Tracy! Now, who has a comment or question for Tracy Weber? Good luck in the contest!

Tomorrow's Guest: Tracy Weber

Tomorrow, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Tracy Weber will guest on my blog. She answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Also, Tracy will run a contest for an autographed copy of her first mystery release, Murder Strikes a Pose, which features a yoga instructor. She will choose the winner from among those who leave a comment.

Tracy Weber is a certified yoga teacher and the founder of Whole Life Yoga, an award-winning yoga studio in Seattle, where she currently lives with her husband, Marc, and German shepherd, Tasha. She loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Tracy is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Dog Writers Association of America, and Sisters in Crime. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sip­ping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house. Murder Strikes a Pose is her debut novel.

Happy 2014!

Happy New Year!! My husband and I celebrated New Year's Eve with a lamb roast dinner at home, served to some close friends. After watching the Breckenridge fireworks at 9 PM, we toasted the new year with champagne. And, I always eat two good luck foods for new year's: pickled herring on New Year's Eve and Hoppin' John on New Year's Day.

Now, on to the hard work of resolutions. Every year, I resolve to lose some weight and I usually succeed in losing a few pounds--the few I put on over the holidays, that is! I'd always like to lose more, but I least I keep on trying. So, I'm trying again. I'm also going to focus on my priorities in life and try to assure that the activities that are occupying my time are those that match my priorities. That likely will mean that I will post less often on my blog. Don't miss my mystery author guest on Wednesday, January 8th, though!

What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you make them? If not, why not?

Japan Trip Report - Part Seven, Final One

This is the seventh and last of a series of trip reports about my husband Neil's and my trip to Japan on an Overseas Adventure Travel tour in October. Page down below to read the other six. When I left off at the end of the sixth report, we were in Kyoto, our last location.

On October 28th, we started the day with a visit to Kiyomizu Temple, dating back to AD 798 but with its present buildings constructed in 1633 (entrance pagoda shown in the first photo below). It is known for its “leap of faith” veranda and wooden terraces once used for sacred dances (second and third photos below).




Beneath the main hall is the Otowa waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond (first photo below). Drinking from the clear, clean waters is believed to offer longevity/health (middle stream--the one both Neil, in the second photo, and I drank from), intelligence/success at school (right one, when standing in front of them) or a fortunate love life (left one).



Next was what I called our "Farm to Table" experience. We traveled to Kameoka, a village in the countryside near Kyoto, where we had a Q and A session with local farmers (first photo below). Then we picked some fresh greens from organic fields (second photo) and took them with us to a restaurant housed in Heki-tei, a 300-year-old house where a famous samurai once lived. There, they fried up the greens in tempura bundles and served them to us for lunch (fourth photo), along with  Makizushi (rolled sushi) that we made ourselves (third photo), with instruction from the staff.





After lunch we visited the home of a musician couple who perform on and teach lessons on traditional Japanese instruments (first three photos below). Then we visited the Higashiyama district with its traditional Japanese inns and dined there, and I managed to snap a photo of a geisha on her way to a performance (fourth photo).





On October 29th, we went to nearby Arashiyama to tour two beautiful gardens. The first was Ōkōchi Sansō, the former home (first photo below) and garden (next two photos) of the Japanese film star Denjirō Ōkōchi (in old photograph, fourth photo below). After exiting the garden, we stumbled upon a Bollywood film crew, filming a dance scene in Arashiyama's bamboo forest (last photo).






Next we toured the grounds of Tenryuji Temple (first photo below). It was originally built in 1339, but rebuilt many times after wars and fires. However, the gorgeous Zen garden (next two photos)—which includes a large pond, elevated rock groupings, and delicate cherry trees—is many centuries old.




Then our guide arranged a fascinating interview with a maiko, a geisha-in-training. She served us matcha tea, answered our questions, including how she applied her back-of-the-neck makeup using a mirror (first photo below), danced for us (second photo), and posed for photos (third photo).




That night was our farewell dinner in a lovely riverside restaurant, then we flew home out of the Osaka airport on October 30th. I was fascinated by the Japanese culture and hope to return again for another visit soon.

Happy Holidays!

I hope that all of my readers who celebrate Christmas have a very merry one! For those who celebrate other winter holidays, may yours be special and cheerful, too. And for everyone, here's my wish for a very happy New Year, in which all your dreams come true. May the new year fulfill your wishes and bring you joy, and if you're a writer, may it bring you book contracts and huge sales numbers.

I will post the final report from my trip to Japan late this week, and I have a mystery author guest appearing January 7 - 9. Otherwise, I'm taking some days off from blogging to spend time with my daughter, who is visiting this week, and to make tracks on the ski slopes.

Japan Trip Report - Part Six

This is the sixth of a series of trip reports about my husband Neil's and my trip to Japan on an Overseas Adventure Travel tour in October. Page down below my mystery author guest's appearance to read the other five, and stay tuned for one more. When I left off at the end of the fifth report, we had arrived in Kyoto. The next morning, Saturday, October 26th, our guide asked us if anyone had felt the earthquake during the night. No one had. It was a 7.3 magnitude aftershock of the deadly 2011 Fukushima earthquake. Our guide had someone check on her house in Tokyo, and nothing was broken there, either, thank goodness.

After that bit of excitement, we started off on our first day of sightseeing in Kyoto, which began with a visit to Kinkakuji Temple (first photo below), also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, which dates from 1397, when it was built by the third Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate. We also toured its lovely grounds (second photo).



This was followed by a visit to the Myoshinji Temple Complex (the building we entered is shown in the first photo below) for a meditation lesson given by a Zen priest (second photo) who spent many years studying in the United States. That was followed by a tour of the temple (next three photos: garden, altar, painted panel) and matcha tea and cookies.






Next, we visited Nijo Castle, constructed between 1601 and 1603 (gate in first photo below). It was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, and became a meeting place for the shoguns (military commanders). The largest building is Ninomaru Palace (second photo), intentionally built with "nightingale floors" that squeak so an intruder would be heard at night. They  serenaded our group as we toured the beautiful building full of ornate wood carvings, such as in the third photo below.




Then we lunched at a French restaurant at the Kyoto University (dessert shown below), where we observed a practice session of the jump roping team.



After lunch, we toured Sanjusangendo Hall, built in the twelfth century that contains 1,001 statues of the 1,000-armed Kannon Buddha. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed. Next stop was the flagship store of a company that wove the decorative cloth used for obis (kimono sashes) and banners, as shown on the loom in the first photo below, and watched a kimono fashion show (second photo). We ended the day at a restaurant where they made and served fresh soba noodles (third photo).



The next day, October 27th, we toured the nearby towns of Nara and Fushimi. In Nara, we saw Todaiji Temple, said to be the largest wooden building in the world. Tame deer roam the park around the temple, and you're allowed to feed them special crackers you buy from vendors (first photo below). The temple is a popular location for school group photos (second photo). Inside was a huge Buddha (third photo), and to give kids a sense of scale, there's a crawl-through hole in a pillar that is the size of Buddha's nostril (third photo). Huge wooden carved guardians watched over the Buddha (fourth photo).






Next stop was the Kasuga Shinto Shrine (first photo below), dating back to AD 768. It's defining feature is the hundreds of moss-covered standing stone lanterns (second photo) and hanging lanterns (third photo) on its grounds that were donated by worshippers. We saw many traditionally dressed children there, being blessed at 3, 5, or 7 years, such as the girl in the fourth photo with her modernly dressed big sister. As we left the shrine on the bus, I managed to snap a quick photo of the brilliant fall colors (sixth photo).






After lunch we visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Fushimi (first photo below), renowned for its thousands of red torii gates (next two photos).




We returned to Kyoto, and that evening, we took a magical nighttime tour of the Shoren-in Temple. We marveled at both its beautiful interior (first two photos below) and the illuminated gardens (third and fourth photos), including a spectacular bamboo forest (last photo below).






I plan to post the final trip report and batch of photos after Christmas, so please come back for the last installment!

$1.99 Sale on TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET!!

I just discovered yesterday afternoon that the Kindle version of To Hell in a Handbasket , the second mystery novel in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series, is on sale for only $1.99! Pick up your copy today HERE, for less than the price of a cup of coffee!