Judith Post's Blog, page 9
November 8, 2023
Ready to Go
I ended up writing 40 plot points for my new Jazzi and Ansel WIP, so hopefully, I shouldn’t battle a soggy middle. But I probably will anyway. The middle always slows me down.. AND I thought of a subplot that’s going to be fun to write because I get to irritate Ansel in this book and see him riled up. It even spills over to Caden, so the two big, tall blondes flex their muscles more than usual:)
While my brain was thinking of new books to write, I came up with an idea for a new Loretta and Harrison ghost mystery, too. Harrison solved his own murder in book one and got to go Home. In this book, he’s pulled back again because his son, who became a cop to be like his dad, is shot and is in the hospital. And I got an idea for the next Nick and Laurel dark cozy. This time, for Nick and Laurel, I want to create a killer everyone will despise, no good qualities at all. I never do that. My villains tend to be a tiny sympathetic somewhere along the line. This villain, I hope, is someone the reader can’t wait to see caught and punished. I wrote the first scene and HH read it and almost went into shock. Maybe the reaction I wanted? But I’m not sure if I should make her straight-out awful or if I should change her up and make her sneakier. The jury’s still out on that. But it was sort of enjoyable to see HH’s reaction. He’s so used to my writing style, he wasn’t ready for this one:) Anyway, I shouldn’t run out of ideas for a while now. My next book is Jazzi and Ansel. Then Loretta and the ghost. Then another Jazzi and Ansel. (I sort of have an idea for that one). And then Nick and Laurel. I’m trying to stagger Jazzi and Ansel as every other story, so we’ll see how that goes.
With that many more books to write, I should stay out of trouble for a long time:)
And I’m trying to read a book every one or two weeks before bed, depending on their length. So, I just need to get myself in gear and stay busy! The busy part seems to just happen, so I should be good.
November 5, 2023
#FREE Nov. 5 – 9
To celebrate Facing the Music, I’ve made POSED IN DEATH, the first Nick and Laurel mystery, free.
November 2, 2023
It’s UP!
Happy Book Birthday, FACING THE MUSIC! It went live late yesterday, so I’m celebrating today.
When Laurel’s friend asks her to help find who killed a guitar player he knew well, she and her husband Nick, a former crime reporter, start interviewing members of bands in their town and learn that a lead singer of a band in Indianapolis was stabbed to death in a similar fashion two years ago, making them think maybe a stalker might be responsible for the crimes.
November 1, 2023
Facing the Music
I’m finally ready to publish Nick and Laurel Mystery #2, Facing the Music. It’s darker than Jazzi and Ansel AND darker than Loretta and Harrison (the ghost mystery). I include the POV of the killer in these novels. I want the murderer to be real, not off stage. But I still try to give the mysteries a cozy feel. My agent thought that was a mistake. And maybe it is. Maybe dark and cozy don’t mix, but I kind of like it. Because Nick and Laurel, both widows, have found happiness together. Nick, an ex-newspaper crime reporter, investigates murders now to freelance and write true crime novels. And Laurel has quit most of her jobs as a volunteer to travel with him and help him investigate.
Anyway, for now, I like the mix. So, I thought I’d share the first chapter of Facing the Music with you to see if it intrigues you, too:
Chapter 1
She stared at the bloody blade, lying on a towel on the passenger seat. Her fingerprints were on its handle. If anyone found it, the police would be coming for her. And how bad would it look? She’d been in the front row, listening to Asher’s band last night. He usually made eye contact with her, but not this time. No, this time, his pretty ex, Daniella, was in the front row, too.
She’d waited to follow them home after the band finished its last song. She knew where he lived, so didn’t have to keep them in sight. She’d had hope for a while, heard the rumors. Asher and Daniella had broken up, gone their separate ways. But they must be back together again, and where did that leave her? She’d attended every single one of his concerts lately, and he’d recognized her and even smiled at her a few times. He wanted her, she could tell. He just hadn’t worked up the nerve to make a move, but he would have…if Daniella hadn’t come back.
Just like that, he’d dumped her. Tonight, every time he looked at the crowd, he looked at his ex. And then, they’d hooked up after the last note of the last song faded away. He put his arms around her the minute he got off stage. Hugged her close. Looked ecstatic, like he’d won the lottery.
Then, hand in hand, they left the arena together. And she’d followed them, watching his apartment’s window from the shadows across the street.
He’d forgotten her, treated her like some disposable flotsam he’d scrape off the bottom of his shoes. That was a mistake. Her father had done the same thing. He’d visited her room every night after her mother died, and he’d loved her with his hands and lips, treated her like a woman instead of a child. She’d always been close to Daddy, not to her mom. And once Mom was gone, Daddy was hers. Until he met Padma—lovely and sensual.
After that, he didn’t want anything to do with her. Treated her like tainted rubbish just because she was plain, easy to overlook. A while later, he disappeared. Got in his car and left town. Or, so people thought.
The door of Asher’s apartment building opened, and Daniella stepped outside, turned, and walked away. She was leaving already? That angered her even more. Asher had ignored her for a one-night stand. Her hands balled into fists. Blood pounded in her ears. She stalked across the street, unable to think. The next half hour was a blur.
When she could think again, Asher was dead, lying naked on his king-size bed with blood draining from the multiple stab wounds in his chest and abdomen, his sheets stained red.
No one would believe it wasn’t her fault. But he’d made her do it. How could she not? His door had been open. When she passed the kitchen, a butcher knife lay on the counter beside a block of cheese. She’d picked it up. She stepped into his bedroom and when she approached him, asleep, he’d drowsily opened his eyes. “Daniella?”
She slammed the knife into his chest, then couldn’t stop. She washed his blood off her face and arms in the bathroom, then buttoned one of his shirts over the one she wore. Taking the towel with her, careful to leave no trace of herself behind, she left his apartment.
Pink tinged the horizon as she drove down an empty street lined with garbage cans. She pulled up beside one of them and wiped the knife clean. Jumping out of the car, she lifted the lid, tossing it inside. She could hear the garbage truck in the distance.
She drove to a second can and tossed in his shirt and the towel, then pulled to the curb a block away. The rumble of the truck grew louder. It turned the corner and headed toward her. She watched it empty both cans, dumping their contents into its crushing jaws, before she drove on. In a few hours, the knife and towel would be buried with tons of other garbage at the city’s dump.
She pulled a hoodie she kept in the car over her bloodied shirt. She’d throw both of those away, too. For now, though, she could go home. And next weekend, she’d find a new band to follow.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
I know it sounds weird, because the killer murders innocent, nice people, but the longer I wrote the book, the more I felt sorry for her. She’s damaged goods. But she’s also dangerous. And she gets a few surprises, too. Things that throw her even more off balance. All in all, this book kept me on my toes!
October 31, 2023
A New Thought
My critique partner gave me back my manuscript, and–so far–it has very few red ink scribbles on it . BUT. she said there was too much repetition in the first fifty pages, and that made the start of the book slow. That made fixing the problem harder than usual. Usually, pages that don’t work are swimming in red, and I can just fix whatever my critique partner marked. This time, it was a GENERAL statement, so I had to think about what I did wrong.
And then, I knew. It’s not WHAT I had. It’s what I didn’t. In this story, the victim is a really nice guy, someone everyone likes. So when Nick and Laurel go in search of suspects, they keep coming up empty, over and over again. The repetition is everyone saying, “Who would kill Asher? Everyone liked him.” Boring. BUT, if it makes Nick and Laurel more and more frustrated, more desperate because they’re not getting anywhere, and they’re beginning to think they’re going to bomb and never find the killer, then there are SETBACKS. And setbacks add tension. And then, all of the praises aren’t boring. They’re obstacles to solving the murder. And now, I think they work.
I thought the tension was implied, but sometimes, that’s just not enough. We have to see it. Feel it. So, I think I fixed my problem at the start of the book. I feel like I have. But I guess once I publish it, I’ll find out for sure..
October 26, 2023
October 25, 2023
To Begin
When I start a mystery these days, I like to answer a list of questions to get my thoughts in order. Then I go from that to writing plot points and making character wheels for new characters that will be in the story. I’ve shared some of this before, but this time, I found the questions especially helpful, so thought I’d offer them up again.
Who is killed (at least, the first person) and why?Who killed him/her? And how? When? Where?Who are the suspects and why? Any witnesses? Someone who saw something, even if it’s small?How does the book end? Any special clue or red herring? Any alibis or fake alibis? Accusations? False arrests?Think of a subplot that’s not connected to the murder. (a romance, side story, etc.) Think of a smaller subplot, maybe something personal for main character or someone close to him/her.If possible, think of someone who lies. Why? A strong antagonist or an interesting villain.I wrote out ideas today, so I can start playing with how to put everything together. Now that it’s all sort of swimming in my head, I’m starting to get excited. It always feels good to return to Jazzi and Ansel. This will be my eleventh mystery with them. Sort of like settling in and getting comfortable.
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Time to Play with Ideas Again
I’m waiting on feedback from my critique partners before I give Facing the Music one last polish. While I’m waiting, it’s time to start work on my next Jazzi and Ansel. For this story, they’re going to be finishing work on the warehouse they’re converting into condos. It’s going to be nice for Jazzi because Fazal and his mother have moved into a two-bedroom condo on the first floor, and Fazal’s mom has agreed to babysit Toby while Jazzi works. That means that Jazzi can zip down to nurse Toby and hold him during short breaks.
It’s been a while since I wrote the last Jazzi and Ansel, and this sounds horrible because I’ve lived with them through ten books, but I had to dig out my notes to remember everyone’s names and where I left them. I don’t want that much time to pass between their books again. There was a reason for it. After Kensington dropped the series, I wrote a few more books, thinking that I might pitch them to get published with something else. So I wrote A Cut Above, thinking I’d send it to my agent and try for another book deal. But I was so happy with Karnie and Matt that I didn’t want to wait to go through the whole publishing process, sending it to Lauren to see if she liked it, then waiting while she sent it to editors, and then waiting even longer for it to be published, so I put it on Kindle myself. I decided to try something different to send out instead, so I wrote Posed in Death, a darker cozy. But my agent didn’t like the pairing of dark and cozy, so I ended up self-publishing it, too. Then I thought I might try more of a whimsical type of mystery for her and wrote A Ghost of a Chance. But it was shorter than most publishers want, and I liked it that way, so…. I self-published that, too, without even running it past Lauren. And now, I have way too many different series. But I like every single one of them. Regardless, I don’t intend to wait this long between Jazzi mysteries again. I’m excited. Jazzi can strap on her toolbelt and solve murders once more.
