Judith Post's Blog, page 22

No Writing Today, BUT I finished reading the book!

I never sit down to read when I’m supposed to be writing. Never. Except today.

HH had his first cardio rehab appointment, so I took my Kindle with me. We met his therapist together and answered LOTS of questions before HH started his exercises. He gets impatient, so as usual, he pushed his pages about his eating habits over to me to fill out for him. Probably better. I know what he eats for every meal because I cook most of them, and we eat out together. We eat pretty healthy, so he looked good on those parts of the questionnaire, but he might not have been honest about the ice cream and snacks he enjoys. When we finished with that, I sat in the lobby and read while he did his workout. And I was enjoying myself but didn’t get to finish the book before he was finished.

We ran a few chores before coming home, and we were both starving, so we had lunch. And then, did I go back and write like a good author? NO! I plopped on the couch to finish the book. And I’m so glad I did. Wow! Mae Clair and Staci Troilo didn’t slack off on the endings for their dual timeline plots. And what I enjoyed even more, is that they tied them together with some serious twists and turns, and even better, a nice dab of irony.

I’ve enjoyed a lot of books this year, but this has to be one of my favorites. I have a few auto-buy authors, and both of these ladies are on my list. And together? Even better!

I’m not one of the hosts on their book tour, and I’m glad. Because I get to gush over them instead of letting them post humble blurbs about their book. I Loved THE HAUNTING OF CHATHAM HOLLOW. Such a fun dual timeline mystery! And now I can get more sleep and sit at my computer and write, like I’m supposed to:)

https://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Chatham-Hollow-Mae-Clair-ebook/dp/B0BBPTK9NB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=AV7T9KQFI0GL&keywords=the+haunting+of+chatham+hollow&qid=1663277319&sprefix=%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1

It’s Mae Clair and Staci Troilo’s Fault

I’m tired. I’ve been writing since this morning, and my brain’s had it. I took a short break but only could squeeze in one more scene. My brain’s calling it quits. And it’s Mae Clair and Staci Troilo’s fault.

They’re blog friends, so they’d never purposely mess me up. But I’m still blaming them. They co-wrote a book, THE HAUNTING OF CHATHAM HOLLOW, and I started it. And I’m staying up later than I’m supposed to, trying to squeeze in one more chapter before I go to bed each night. And I’m feeling it. But DAMN, this book is good!

I love mysteries. No surprise there. And I love historical. Boy, Mae’s good at that! And I love it when tension builds and builds…and Staci’s making me want to whack Aiden with a two by four because he REFUSES to believe in ghosts. When, hello! He’s talking to one.

The thing is, this is one really fun book to read. So I’m reading it. And staying up later than I should. And today, I’m feeling it. And I have my own book to write, but boy, my eyes are tired. My brain’s tired. ALL of me is tired. And it’s their fault. I thought they were my friends:) Okay, they are. But did they have to write such a good book?

I have to finish this soon before I sleep through an entire day. I guess what I’m saying is that I REALLY recommend this book. I have to finish it so I can write mine. I love dual timelines, and I love both of their writing. But…boy, am I tired.

I’m Trying Something New

Usually, when I write a Jazzi Zanders mystery, I use a day by day pacing for the stories. Jazzi and Ansel wake up in the mornings, go to work, or do their thing, and go to bed at night. I like that pacing for them because it shows the balance of their lives. It’s not all work and not all looking for clues. It’s what real life looks like–a little bit of everything most days. But it makes for chapter endings that have to stretch to be hooks. No goodnight kisses and happy dreams. So this time, I’m changing it up. I’m writing scenes and finishing them whenever the drama is done. No carrying George up to his doggie bed for the night. No Inky and Marmalade snuggling against legs. It’s going to take away some of the homey feel of the books, but hopefully, it will punch up the pacing.

I really enjoy Lynn Cahoon’s Tourist Trap series, and one of the things I enjoy about it is the cozy feel of Jill opening her bookstore in the mornings, taking her dog for a run on the beach when she goes home, or Jill going to Lill’s to meet her friend for lunch. Sometimes, though, the everyday routine gets as much time as the mystery, and it makes the book more of an evening stroll as a mystery and less of a page turner. I don’t need every book to be a page turner. But I don’t want Jazzi and Ansel to get in a rut either. So I thought about what to change and what I’d miss if I changed it. And I got rid of some of the ordinary in favor of more punch.

I’m not sure how I feel about the change. Sometimes, I worry about getting boring. And sometimes, I worry about fiddling with the familiar that people like, including me. I can’t tell if I like the new balance, so I’m going to have to rely more on my critique partners. I love series, but some of them stay fresh, and some of them get stale. I don’t want Jazzi and Ansel to get stale. So I’m fiddling with them. I hope it makes them better, but we’ll see.

Happy Writing!

Sneaks

I’m a third of my way through my WIP, a Jazzi Zanders mystery. I called my daughter (and critique partner) and she asked, “Who did you kill this time? Why did he die?” So, I told her the new victim is a guy who loves to race cars on weekends at the derby track in town.

“What did he do to get himself killed?” she asked.

“He was a sneak. He smiled to your face and went behind your back.”

And she understood immediately.

When she and her sister were growing up, I was a stay-at-home mom. The only one in our neighborhood. My husband worked second shift, (from 3:30 to midnight), and would be working it for a long time because he was one of the youngest people his company had hired, and he wouldn’t have seniority to move to first shift for a long time. He didn’t want me to go back to work because we’d only see each other on the weekends, and he said (rightly) that we’d only be dealing with kids on the weekends, so we wouldn’t have time for each other.

Two of his friends at work had already been through that–them working second shift and their wives working first, and they both ended up divorced. He didn’t think it went well when husbands and wives didn’t see each other very often. I had plenty to deal with at the time anyway. His mom needed to be in a nursing home. I needed to make arrangements for that and then check on her once a week. The girls were young, and my dad had just died, and my mom was a mess. So, we decided I’d be the “deal with whatever crap happens” person, and he’d work. The offshoot was that neighborhood kids ended up spending a lot of time at our house, because their parents worked, and they wanted an adult in their lives.

Kids crave an adult. They might fuss about rules and moan about homework, but they need structure, encouragement, and just having someone THERE. I ended up being that person for quite a few of them. And I’ll never regret it. BUT one of the boys, a nice boy that I felt really sorry for, never felt like he fit in with the other kids. He was an only child, and both of his parents worked, and somehow, he felt like an outsider. I had two girls, so he didn’t quite gel with them. Neighborhood boys ended up at our house, but he didn’t quite gel with them either. So….when he got really upset, I’d find something broken when he left. A toy. The trim in our basement. A swing on the swing set. And I knew he’d broken it on purpose, but no one ever SAW him do it. It was all small stuff, so I told myself he’d outgrow it. He’d learn to control his emotions. But that’s not how it worked. It got worse, and bigger things broke, until I finally had to tell him he couldn’t come to our house anymore. And I felt TERRIBLE. Because I knew he needed us. His mother called and yelled at me for being so mean to him. But she got him a babysitter during the day and then in the evenings, he went to play at another neighbor’s house, and she had to ban him, too. Same reason.

I felt so sorry for that boy. But he grew up and turned into a together adult. Not wonderful. I won’t lie. But he was okay. He met a girl and got married, and he’s had a decent life. But that’s how Sparks was born for my book. A sneak. He smiles and compliments you while he’s sabotaging you behind the scenes.

My mother hated sneaks. My dad detested lying. They said they were the worst kind of humans. You couldn’t trust them. I don’t know where I’d rate them on the severity of mortal sins, and thankfully, I haven’t met that many of either, but they make great characters for stories.

Happy September! And happy writing.

Hmmm……

I don’t know about other authors, but lately, I’ve been getting ratings, but hardly any reviews. Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful to any reader who takes the time to rate my book, but I sort of miss the reviews that tell me WHY they ranked the book the way they did.

I first noticed the difference on Amason. People hit how many stars they thought the book was worth, but no reviews. But I expected more from Goodreads. Not so much. I have a lot more ratings than very few reviews.

I don’t know if readers felt that writers didn’t pay attention to what they wrote, but I checked on my reviews occasionally, and was always interested in why a person gave me 3 stars instead of 5. Or 5 instead of 3. I think the problem might have started when Amazon wouldn’t let me respond to reviews with even a “like,” a thank you in my mind. I know there are writers who get so many ratings and reviews they couldn’t possibly respond to them, but mine trickled in and I enjoyed reading them.

I know this proves that I’m not a huge author. But I used to get reviews, and I miss them. Something’s changed. Readers who used to take the time to write a review aren’t anymore. I miss them.

An Exciting New Experience!

I’m excited about this! I love both Mae and Staci’s writing, and I love a good ghost story. This sounds right up my alley.

From the Pen of Mae Clair

Hello, friends! Remember the excitement of publishing your first book? For writers, every release is special, but occasionally, the stars align for “WOW!” moments. Today, I’m excited to announce something I’m super excitedjazzedgiddy over-the-moon about!

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me say I’ve been sitting on two finished manuscripts. What I neglected to mention is that I also had a THIRD project in the works, and that’s the one I want to unveil today. Click play on the video below for a surprise.

Drum roll, please. . .

And now you understand the “An Exciting New Experience” referenced in the title of this post. Although I have been writing for a long time, I have NEVER co-authored a work with anyone. It’s not that the idea didn’t appeal to me, but the timing was always off, or I didn’t have…

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Couples

A lot of the books I read start with a female protagonist who meets a male during her attempt to fix whatever problem the book deals her–solve a murder, go on a quest, conquer a villain. Almost the minute the two meet, readers know this is the beginning of a romance subplot. And we want the two to get together.

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This is just me, but I can’t help it, when there’s a love triangle, I’m done. I hate them. I don’t know how many series I’ve stopped reading because the author keeps bouncing the heroine between two men, trying to decide which one is right for her. Ugh! I especially hate it when I like them both, and one of them gets hurt. Then I’m down for the count. Goodbye, series.

One of the gimmicks I like is the enemy to lover romance meme. The hero and heroine meet, and she instantly dislikes him. Could be for good reasons. Sometimes not. I don’t care. He’s usually haughty. She’s independent and feisty, and the two don’t mix. But he wants her. And she swears it’s not going to happen. But it always does:) Because we know they’re meant for each other. I’m thinking of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniel series with Curran and Kate. Pride and Prejudice, and lots of paranormal romances. I’m a sucker for these. M.L. Rigdon’s romances often use these, and I can’t wait until the heroine realizes the hero APPEARS to be a pain in the fanny but is actually the perfect man for her.

In standalone novels, one book solves all the problems between the male/female mating dance. In a series, it might take longer than that. I’m thinking of the Lady Darby historical mysteries by Anna Lee Huber. Lady Darby and Sebastian met in book one, and the attraction was strong, but he had obligations he had to meet and left at the end of book one. And so on and so on until they finally married in a novella, book 4. I’m a fan of Lynn Cahoon’s Tourist Trap series, but if Greg and Jill don’t finally tie the knot in book 15, I’m going to be frustrated. Sexual tension can only go on so long. Enough is enough. And that’s the game plan for romances in series. When do the protagonist and hero resolve the back and forth and become a couple?

The next important question is What do they do after that? I have to say, Ilona Andrews and Anna Lee Huber are great with life after marriage. Instead of working separately to solve problems, the hero and heroine team up to work on them together. And that can be more fun than the romantic part. In M.L. Rigdon’s latest series, The Seasons of War, Torak works hard to win Sorda in book one and by book three, they’re battling the evil sorceress trying to overtake both of their countries together. After marriage…or becoming a couple…the hero and heroine become stronger as a team than they were separately. https://www.amazon.com/GRACARIN-SEASONS-WAR-Book-ebook/dp/B07XBMCYNT/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1660939110&refinements=p_27%3AM.L.+Rigdon&s=digital-text&sr=1-3&text=M.L.+Rigdon

Romance novels are almost always standalones. Boy meets girl. Boy struggles to win girl. Boy finally succeeds. But it’s a different process in a series. Then, the romance is a subplot, and it might go on book after book. I happen to enjoy the couples who become a working unit that’s hard to trick or defeat. But all’s fair in love and war. And to each his own.

Happy writing!

Themes in Writing

I finished reading Nancy Pickard’s Jenny Cain mystery MARRIAGE IS MURDER. When I was a young mother, I was hooked on Nancy Pickard, Carolyn G. Hart, Nevada Barr, Sharyn McCrumb, and Martha Grimes. All strong writers. So I was excited when I found a Nancy Pickard book that I hadn’t gotten to and started reading it with enthusiasm.

The book is good. The writing is great. But I felt like I was getting beat over the head with the theme of domestic violence, to the point, that the “who dunnit” sort of got lost. It’s been a long time since I read a Jenny Cain novel, but I don’t remember feeling that way about the others I read.

In this book, Jenny Cain is going to marry her cop fiancée, Geoff. He’s getting burned out, being a cop, and is thinking about quitting the force. In all honesty, this subplot could be taken from today’s headlines. Cops see everything–so much violence and ugliness. And in today’s social media, they get more criticism than support and praise. Who’d want to be a cop today? I’m not saying there aren’t bad ones. That’s another part of Pickard’s story. Geoff is paired with a new partner, and the reader can’t decide what to think of him. Neither can Geoff. But there are so many good cops who do work I’d never want to do and who don’t get the respect they deserve that Pickard’s story is timely. But she gives very few clues along the way about the murders and even loses track of the mystery amidst everything else going on in the book.

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The other subplot of the book is marriage itself. Jenny Cain is having second thoughts about marrying a cop. Not that I could blame her. Horrible hours. Things they can’t share. Is she making the right choice? I’ve been married to my HH for 51 years on this coming Sunday, August 21st, but I still vividly remember the morning of my wedding. I went to the gas station to fill my car with gas for our honeymoon. I’d reserved a romantic room at the Poconos for a week and then we were going to travel through New England for another week. (That’a a story for another day. Planning ahead isn’t always the best policy), but I had a full tank of gas, and I remember thinking that if I took off and drove far enough, no one could find me when I didn’t show for the ceremony. I knew I loved HH, but committing to something for a LIFETIME is a big deal, and it scared me. But then I thought about NOT having HH in my life, and I drove to the retired minister’s house where we were married. But Jenny’s thoughts and fears resonated with me. I understood them.

And right before Jenny was getting married, she was seeing the WORST side of marriages where husbands beat their wives, and the wives kept going back to them. Nancy Pickard was a reporter and editor before she wrote books. I’m guessing this story was triggered by something that really happened, something she felt passionate about. It was a great story, but I’m not sure it was a mystery. Still, any time spent with Nancy Pickard is time well spent.

The book made me think about THEMES, though. They often run through novels, but they’re an integral part of the story. Still, I’ve read more than a few books where the theme takes over the TYPE of story the author’s telling. And that’s too bad, because when I read a mystery, I want the mystery to be the main focus of the book. If I read a fantasy, I want fantasy. Themes are fine. They add a deeper level to any story, but if I wanted to read about domestic violence, that’s what I’d do. If it’s in a mystery, then it should CONTRIBUTE to the mystery. But everything in writing is about balance. There’s a lot to juggle–plot, pacing, characters, setting, tension, etc. The trick is to try to make them all work.

Happy writing!

We’ve Come So Far

I want to sing the praises of health care workers. HH went in to get his last 2 stents on Wednesday. We got to the hospital at six a.m., he went into surgery at eight, had an hour and a half procedure, and had to lay flat on his back for four hours, then they sent him home. TWO STENTS, and I brought him home a little after two. It felt like a miracle to me. I’m simply amazed. He’s a little tired today, but he feels great. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself at how many advances have happened so fast. Yes, I wish there were more. I wish there was a cure for every disease to mankind, but boy, have we made progress. And I’m sure there’s more to come. The sooner, the better.

Juggling

No, I never wanted to join the circus or perform, but lately, Life has thrown more at me than usual, and I’m trying to write while juggling lots of other things. If something could wrong, it has. But that’s how life is, isn’t it? Murphy’s Law sometimes tops three. I feel like I’ve been buried in things gone wrong, but that’s the main point. Everything that’s gone wrong is fixable. Annoying, a bit scary, but fixable. And I always try to remember that. There are people facing far worse problems than I’m dealing with. Every single one of my problems has the potential for a happy ending. And that’s not true for everyone, is it?

Still, in and around everything, I’ve been writing. Not because I have so much discipline. Not because I’m so creative. But because planting my fanny in a chair and pounding out words makes me HAPPY. It helps me find balance. I can escape whatever’s happening around me for an hour or more. So, yes, writing–for me–is a selfish pleasure.

Sometimes, I ask myself: If I were rich as sin with a husband who adored me (which he does, silly man), more money than I knew what to do with, and no bumps anywhere——would I still be a writer? And I think the answer would still be a big yes. Writing makes me happy. I can’t imagine myself NOT doing it. Is it an addiction? Maybe. But if it is, I don’t care. Could something else take its place? I can’t imagine what it could be. It would have to be something really big that made me even happier. And I don’t see that happening.

I read a blog once that asked the question, “Why do you write?” And I guess the truth is, because if I don’t, I get stir-crazy, restless. I need the outlet. Writing keeps me…me.

So, for all of you writers out there, happy writing!