Judith Post's Blog, page 44

Snippet

The Body in the Beauty Parlor comes out March 2nd. It’s available at $5.99 for pre-order now. Thought I’d share a snippet with you.

The meal finished, Jazzi and Ansel stood to collect dirty plates and get ready for dessert.  When Jazzi brought Gran a second glass of red wine, Gran frowned at her.

“Chad’s not the nice boy I thought he was.  Don’t let him fool you.”

Jazzi stared at her, caught off guard.  She and Chad had been engaged once, but it didn’t go well.  They hadn’t seen each other since he’d remarried.  Still, Gran had the gift of sight.  And she’d mentioned him for some reason, though more often than not, she had no idea what that might be. 

Gran looked upset, though, so Jazzi tried to reassure her.  “Chad and I broke up a long time ago, Gran.  I never see him anymore.”

“You will soon,” Gran told her.  “But don’t let him win you back.  Stay with your Ansel.  He’s a keeper.”

“Don’t worry about that.  I happen to love the guy.”  She glanced his way, and he grinned. Gran smiled, satisfied, and they finished serving the pudding cakes Elspeth had brought.  More coffee was poured, and at the end of the meal the men and kids disappeared into the basement and the women settled in the living room.

The Body in the Beauty Parlor (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery Book 6) – Kindle edition by Lynn, Judi. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Valentine’s Day

Next Sunday’s Valentine’s Day. HH and I are retired. We’ve been married a long time. Our idea of romance isn’t what it used to be when we were young. These days, to celebrate, we usually go to a pricey restaurant that’s more upscale than usual for us. We order an appetizer, a salad, a meal and dessert, along with our drinks, and refuse to have heart attacks when we look at our bill. It’s our treat to ourselves. This year, though, we’re mindful of Covid. We get our first vaccinations on Feb. 10th but don’t want to push our luck and throw caution to the wind when we’ll only have 21 more days to wait before we get our second shot. So no restaurant for us.

The thing is, though, I try to cook a good supper for the man almost every single night, so lighting candles and eating something nice doesn’t feel like a celebration. That’s why we decided to invite close friends to our house for a fancy supper instead. HH found an extravagant Black Forest Cake recipe that he wants to try. He’s trying to learn to bake, so we’ll make that together. I want something luxurious, so I’ve decided to make Steak Oscar and mashed potato casserole for the meal. Steak Oscar comes with roasted asparagus and Bernaise sauce, so the vegetable’s covered. One friend’s bringing a salad, and another the wine. We should have a good night.

I know some of you are weekend warriors as writers. Sunday’s your day to pound out words. Whether you glue yourself in front of your computer or not, I’m wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day. Maybe a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers…or a flood of words and ideas.

Happy Writing!

Suspense

I’m working on a new cozy mystery right now. For cozies, I write in third person, limited POV. The only things I can share with you are things my protagonist knows. We follow her through the entire book, trying to solve the crime as she stumbles on clues.

But a traditional mystery has been brewing in my head, and I’m starting to make notes and character wheels for it. When I wake up in the morning, scenes for it tease me, tempting me to write it. And this morning, instead of being in Laurel’s head, I woke up in somebody else’s. A mother’s who has two daughters–sixteen and thirteen. And she fits the profile of the type of woman my killer likes to stalk. And suddenly, I feared for her. And then–let’s face it; I’m a writer–I cheered for myself. That was exactly what I’d been struggling with–how to build suspense. And the answer came. By using multiple POVs.

I’d intended to write the book in single POV to get the feel that a Louis Kincaid mystery has. Kincaid goes from person to person, digging for information, hoping to find a killer before he strikes again. And it works. Ticking clocks make us worry. We know he’s not going to reach the next victim in time, and no matter what he does, more and more things go wrong for him, regardless of his best efforts. So I know it’s possible to build suspense without multiple POV. BUT, I also know that shifting from one person’s viewpoint to another’s works really well because the reader can learn things the protagonist can’t. We can see that he’s going in the wrong direction or that he suspects the wrong person or that he’s walking into a trap. Besides, I haven’t written in multiple POV for a while now, so it’s going to be a nice change.

It’s too soon for me to know how many POVs I’m going to use and who the key players will be, but the story’s beginning to gel for me. And it’s going to be fun writing its plot points. It’s going to be even more fun putting my characters in danger. No cozy feeling this time. I want to shake things up a little.

Hope you’re enjoying whatever you’re working on. Happy writing!

Snow Days & Company

Like most of the country, we had horrible weather over last weekend. We’re retired, and when the snow piles up, we have the luxury of hibernating. And we KNOW that’s a luxury. This time, though, we worried about slippery roads again because our daughter, a traveling nurse, is staying with us when she works at one of the hospitals in town. She goes into work at 3 p.m. and gets off at 3 a.m. And by then, the snow had plenty of time to make the roads terrible. But we got lucky. The snow started slow and the snow plows started fast, and she made it home with no problems.

She usually works three days, then has three or four days off. On her days off, she drives back to Indianapolis to her apartment and her cats. For some reason, though, this time, she was scheduled to work three days, had one off, then worked two more, so there was no point in making the drive home. She stayed with us the entire six days and had her son, who lives in Indy too, feed and check on her cats. On the two days she was scheduled to work, though, she got down staffed. An odd predicament, because the hospital tells you not to come in at three but they might need you at seven. So she was all geared up to work but was stuck at home with us instead. Maybe for the entire night. Maybe not. She couldn’t drive home because they might call her in. And she couldn’t really complain because they paid her anyway. But boy, was she restless.

She was at loose ends, which meant we spent time monkeying in the kitchen, watching shows we’d never watched before, and did our best to have a pleasant time. And sometimes she wanted to visit, and sometimes she didn’t, so I felt like I was in limbo. I couldn’t concentrate enough to write anything new, so I’d edit for a while, visit with her a while, edit a little more, back and forth. And it was all fine because we really enjoy her company, but it made us realize how much we’ve settled into our retired routine. It reminded me of the days when I worked around HH and the kids and grabbed time to write whenever I could.

She left for Indy late this morning to enjoy three days off, and we won’t see her again until she gets off work at 3:00 Sunday morning. And then it will be fun to have her underfoot again. We have to enjoy it while we can, because her next travel assignment will probably whisk her somewhere too far away, since she wants to be a traveling nurse for one more year before she signs on at a hospital closer to home. In the meantime, we get to bond with her while she’s here and write more when she’s not. And the books will still get done.

Enjoy your February!

Super Sales

I said that I’d post on my blog when my books went on special offers. Kensington put the first Jazzi Zanders book, The Body in the Attic, on some kind of special “hoopla” library promotion for all of February, but I really don’t quite understand how it works. I’m hoping it does work, though.

My 6th book, The Body in the Beauty Parlor, comes out March 2, and to build momentum for it, they put book 2, 3, and 4 on sale this month for 99 cents each. The Body in the Wetlands (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery Book 2) – Kindle edition by Lynn, Judi. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The Body in the Apartment is on sale for 99 cents on Nook right now, too. The Body in the Apartment (Jazzi Zanders Series #4) by Judi Lynn | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

And on Feb. 13, The Body From the Past, book 5, will be on BookBub.

Here’s hoping I have a good February. Hope all of you do, too.

Just Thoughts

HH and I have been watching more “foodie” shows than usual lately. He’s actually more hooked on them right now than I am. They entertain, and there’s no deep thought required, and winter makes him more tired than usual. The poor man is even asking to watch more mysteries. I think he’s lived with me too long. But we watched Guy Fieri’s Grocery Games Delivered last week, and three top chefs had to cook high end meals using “surprise” ingredients that were delivered to their doors. Then on Saturday, we watched–on accident–Guy’s Ranch Kitchen because he had top chefs cooking street food.

I love street food. It usually punches a huge flavor for a low price. How can you beat that? It’s food you grab and eat while you’re doing other things. Satays. Kebabs. Burgers. Fries. Corn dogs. The stuff of life.

And it made me think high end and …well… low end. And I compared that to writing. And it made me feel better. Because sometimes, it’s nice to go to a fancy, expensive restaurant, but more often–for me–I’m just as happy with a burger or chicken wings. And if you do it right, you can elevate either one of them. Same as writing. Sometimes, I want to plunge into something deep and meaningful. But more often…well…I’m just as happy reading a good story. But good stories can be elevated so that they stand head and shoulders above the rest. And those, for me, are golden.

Good writing is good writing, literary or genre. If a genie came to grant me one wish, I’d ask to do genre fiction really well–the perfect blend of great writing with great story. I don’t have to write a classic like Moby Dick or The Scarlet Letter. I don’t need to go down in history as equal to Shakespeare. I just want to entertain people but to do it really well. What about you?

If the genie popped out of your soda can to grant you a wish, what would you want to do with your writing?

Oh, lord….

I just finished reading Ilona Andrews’ new book, BLOOD HEIR. And, as always, I loved the Kate Daniel’s world–the angst of its characters, the unrequited love of a budding romance I’m SO happy is finally happening, and the battles. Lots and lots of battles. And just as much magic. Old gods, an alpha to drool for (but I’ve always had a soft spot for Derek) and a kickass heroine kept me turning pages. But now, it’s done. And a new one won’t be out for a while. So…

I read Mae Clair’s book review on Tuesday. (And she KNOWS how to write a review. You can see for yourself: https://maeclair.net/2021/01/26/book-review-tuesday-mexican-gothic-by-silvia-moreno-garcia-gothicfiction-historicalfantasy/) This week, she’d read a Gothic novel. When I was in my twenties, I loved Gothic romances, and an old favorite came to mind.–TOUCH NOT THE CAT by Mary Stewart. The memory made me so nostalgic, I went to Amazon and bought it. I was curious. Would I love it as much now as I did back then?

The jury’s still out. I finished BLOOD HEIR on Monday night and started reading Touch Not the Cat last night. And got stopped by the ABUNDANCE of words and the paragraphs that go on for miles. That’s not how I remember Mary Stewart’s writing. I remember a story dripping with atmosphere. Waiting anxiously to find out who could talk to the heroine without words, connecting their minds. But writing styles have changed. Prologues like Martha Grimes used for her mysteries–and that hooked me every time–are frowned upon now. Mountains of description have been pared to enough to set a scene. Everything’s faster, leaner. The enjoyment of words just for words’ sake is no longer tolerated.

Don’t get me wrong. Description isn’t my strong point. I like clean writing. But reading those pages of a Gothic dripping with hints and teases made me think about other classics I read back then. And most of them weren’t meant for fast pacing. Many of them lured me into meandering through pages at a leisurely rate. I hadn’t realized how MUCH writing styles have changed and how FAST it’s happened until I read the opening pages of that book.

I’m not saying one’s better than the other, because in another fifty or a hundred years, who knows what “good” books will be like? The pendulum swings back and forth, and peoples’ likes and dislikes evolve, go in new directions. Maybe we’ll all slow down, stop rushing about. But it makes me wonder if I picked up a stack of my old favorites, what would I think of them now? I might be afraid to try.

What about you? Have any of you tried reading an old favorite? How did it go?

Can I run some ideas past you?

I’ve made it through the first fourth of my Karnie mystery. Porter, Karnie’s oldest brother, has already gone AWOL at the butcher shop because he met a girl who likes to party, and he’d rather go out and have fun than work in the shop and hang out with his family while he’s home on vacation. Typical Porter. I’ve buried a meat cleaver in the victim’s head and lined up a few suspects, all while introducing some regular customers who frequent the shop. Not a bad start. I’ve been patting myself on the back, happy with my progress, already trying to decide what I’ll work on next once I’ve finished this one. I like to have the next thing in mind so that I can scribble notes and let my brain noodle months before I start something new.

All in all, I was feeling pretty happy with myself…until Tuesday morning when my agent sent me a brief e-mail, telling me that Kensington isn’t interested in offering me a contract for any more Jazzi mysteries. Kaboom. I thought I’d be upset, and I am a little. But not because of the e-mail. Because that’s the only thing I’ve heard so far. Nothing else. Just that. I’m not sure if my editor or agent will get back to me later, or if this is it. But it’s not a complete surprise that they dropped me. They dropped two fellow writers who I think are really good. If your numbers don’t grow fast enough, you’re doomed. The odd thing is, I thought they’d wait to see how the sales they’re doing next month affected my books. All through February, they’re offering The Body in the Attic e-books free to libraries to promote, hoping to build an audience for Jazzi and Ansel. If they keep their plans in place, The Body in the Wetlands, The Body in the Gravel, and The Body In The Apartment will be 99 cents all month. And last, but not least, in theory, The Body From the Past will be on BookBub on Feb. 13. All building up to The Body in the Beauty Parlor that comes out March 2nd.

Fingers crossed all of the books sell well. But even if they do, Kensington doesn’t want more Jazzi and Ansel. And I’ve already written a seventh one. I decided I might as well since I had lots of time waiting to see if they’d renew my contract. The waiting is one of the reasons I wrote the Lux mysteries. But since I’ll no longer have any publisher deadlines, I’m thinking I might like to try another new thing or two.

Once my critique partners finish inking up The Body in the Trench, I plan on polishing it and publishing it myself a month or two after The Body in the Beauty Parlor goes up. I want to finish Karnie, and I might self-publish that, too. But not right away. I want to finish at least one more before I put up the first one. When I wrote Muddy River and Lux, I just slapped the books up and wished them the best before I started work on another Jazzi. This time, I want to be smarter about marketing. I’m not in a big hurry. I can experiment with a few things.

I’m halfway thinking of starting another series, too, since I’m not sure if I’ll write more Jazzi books or not. Karnie is full of food, like Jazzi is, but I’m itching to try my hand at a straight mystery that’s a little grittier. I’m just not sure how I want to go about making it a series. I’m trying to choose between these two:

An older female whose kids are grown and her husband died, leaving her comfortably off. She volunteers a lot, is serious about making peoples’ lives better, and stumbles into mysteries.OR, I was debating about writing a series of mysteries that uses a PLACE to hold the stories together, a lot like the romances I wrote for Kensington. Each protagonist lives in the same town or area, and each is involved in solving a crime. Each book would be a standalone tied to the series by a locale. But I’m not sure it will work. Most mystery readers want and expect to have the same main character to follow from book to book.

You can’t see me, but I’m scratching my head. I’m just brainstorming. I don’t want to rush into anything. I want to take my time deciding what to do next. More Muddy River? More Lux? Forget everything I’ve done so far and start two new series–a cozy and a grittier one? Or toss everything and try something else?

I don’t think this is fate, and I’m sure not famous like Ilona Andrews, so a lot of what she shared in a business Q&A on her blog doesn’t apply to me. But she and her husband self-published their latest book, BLOOD HEIR. And she explained why on her blog. Here goes: Flowers and Questions (ilona-andrews.com)

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling. And whatever your future holds, happy writing!

It’s fun to be surprised…usually

I’ve started writing a new book for a new series. Which means, for me, lots of planning ahead. This is an ongoing mystery series, so there’s no over-arcing question that starts in book one and ends at the last book in the series. That’s how D. L. Cross wrote her sci-fi Astral Conspiracy series–which was awesome. It’s how Ilona Andrews wrote her Kate Daniels series–maybe one of my favorites of all time. And it’s how C.S. Boyack is writing his Lanternfish series. Even though Ilona Andrews recently came out with a new spin-off book from Kate Daniels, which makes me REALLY happy. And even though I’d love it if C.S. Boyack thought of spin-offs for his books, especially if any of them involved Serang. BUT, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m writing a series with recurring characters and hopefully, no end in sight. I’m hoping Karnie finds lots and lots of mysteries to solve for a long time.

My daughter hates the name Karnie. HH wasn’t crazy about it at first, but it’s grown on him. But I picked the name for a reason. Karnie’s dad is a butcher, and she works in his shop. Her dad’s last name is Cleaver, and he considers his career his destiny. He named his first=born son Porter because he loved Porterhouse steaks. His second son is named Chuck after chuck roasts. And Karnie, unfortunately, is short for carnivore. She’s not happy about it, but it’s not like she got a vote on it. Her dad has a quirky sense of humor, and what can she do? She will be Karnie Cleaver until the day she marries, which she hopes is never.

Both boys worked in the back of the shop, cutting meat. Karnie works the counter and spends a decent amount of time answering customers’ questions about how to cook the meats they buy. But even though the shop is a family operation, Porter was always the “golden boy.” Everything came easy for him. He’s tall and handsome. He’s smart and good at sports. And his parents always compared Chuck and Karnie to him, and they always fell short.

But Porter believed what his parents told him and thought of himself as too good to stick around. He moved to Florida and opened a seafood market of his own. He’s been successful. He hasn’t come home to visit since he left. His family and hometown are too “small” for him. He deserves more.

And that’s how I wrote him. Until….Karnie’s working at the shop, and in he walks. I didn’t have his return in my plot points. I didn’t expect it. But he’s broken up with his latest girlfriend–someone he actually stuck with for a while–and when she leaves, he wants a break. So, he comes home.

I love it when characters surprise me. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m anal about my plot points. NO character can change the direction of my main storyline. But they can act out as long as the main plot points don’t change. And believe me, they DO. And I never see it coming. But doggone it, it WORKS. Porter being Porter only makes my storyline stronger. I just didn’t see it coming.

Someday, I’m going to have to focus on Mr. Big Ego Brother, but not in this book. In book one, he can just upset everyone’s comfort zone and then move on. Back to Florida. And his fish market, and the next girl. Because he’s shallow. But he was raised by great parents and a loving family, and someday, he’ll get smart. Maybe. At least, I hope so.

The take away? I’m not even through the first quarter of my new book, and the characters are being demanding. What can I say? Sometimes, I only think I’m in charge. No, I AM in charge, but sometimes, my characters don’t listen to me!

Exert yourself. Show your characters who’s boss. And happy writing!

How much is too much?

I’ve been blogging three times a week lately, and to be honest, I’ve gotten tired of hearing myself. So, I’ve decided to cut back. I’m going to try to blog on Sundays and Thursdays. At least, that’s my goal. Occasionally, if one of my books goes on sale or something special happens, I’ll mention that, but otherwise, I’m going to try not to pester you so much.

For a while, I posted book reviews once a week, and I’m still going to post those on BookBub and Goodreads, but not on my blog. Why? I’m beginning to think that, as a writer, I’m pickier about some things than I should be. I get ouchy about things most readers take in their stride. But if I don’t say anything, I don’t feel like I’m being fair either. On the whole, if a writer’s put a lot of work into a book, and it shows, I tend to maybe rate them higher than some readers would, because I can’t make myself ignore how much blood, sweat, and tears went into the manuscript. And often, I rate a book on my overall impression of it, not on flaws that threw me. If I enjoyed reading it and didn’t stop, I’ll probably give it four stars just because it gave me three or more pleasant evenings. If a book’s three stars or lower, I probably won’t finish it, so won’t review it. I’ll mention things that bothered me in a review, but overall, I might still have really liked the book, regardless. So, I’m not sure that my reviews are all that helpful.

When I learn something from a book, that’s another matter. For instance, I’m reading another Louis Kincaid right now. An Unquiet Grave. And once again, I’m in awe of how well the characters are done. So well done, I’m paying attention to how P.J. Parrish makes them come to life in so few words. It’s ALL showing and no telling. I love it. Also, I’ve been wondering how she chooses such dark topics, but they never feel overdone or stuck in for shock value. The two sisters are darn fine writers, and I wish I could learn some of their techniques.

Anyway, I’m hoping I can keep thinking of things that are interesting for my blogs, but it’s hard to concentrate on writing every single time. If anyone has any questions about writing or my books or cooking, please feel free to ask. I might have an answer:) I’m finally starting to get back on a sort of routine after everyone came to celebrate the holidays a little later than usual, and I’m working with more distractions than usual, but I’m making progress on my new series idea. I hope you’re making progress, too.

Happy Writing!