M. Ruth Myers's Blog, page 4
July 31, 2015
Private Eye Novel on Goodreads Giveaway
From now through Aug. 10, you can win one of four signed copies of TOUGH COOKIE on this Goodreads giveaway.
Don’t mistake this for a culinary cozy. Maggie Sullivan, the 1930s gal P.I. hired to unravel a high-stakes swindle, will use her Smith & Wesson or break a thug’s fingers to get the information she needs.
If you haven’t met Maggie yet, get acquainted before the fourth book in the series comes out at summer’s end.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/148199-tough-cookie
M. Ruth Myers writes the Maggie Sullivan mystery series set in Dayton, OH, 1938-47.
Filed under: News Tagged: detective novels, M. Ruth Myers, mystery, private eye novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman P.I., woman P.I. novels


June 19, 2015
Win an Audiobook Featuring 1938 Woman P.I.
The audiobook version of No Game for a Dame, which introduced 1930s private eye Maggie Sullivan to mystery fans, is now available at:
Audible
Amazon
iTunes
To kick things off, I’m offering three free downloads of the audiobook — two in the US, one in the UK — with the hope recipients will post a review of it on Audible. It’s first come, first served, so if you’re interested, please leave a comment saying so and indicating whether you’re in the US or UK. Include a way to contact you, as I’ll need to email the download coupon code.
The fourth book in the series is due out late summer.
Cheers!
M. Ruth Myers writes the Maggie Sullivan mystery series featuring a female PI in the 1930s-40s.
Filed under: News Tagged: audiobooks, detective novels, M. Ruth Myers, private eye novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman P.I., woman sleuth


June 5, 2015
Private Eye Writers Announce Finalists for 2015 Shamus Awards
Private Eye Writers of America have announced finalists for the 2015 Shamus Awards. Winners will be announced at the PWA Banquet on Oct. 9 during Bouchercon in Raleigh, North Carolina.
All entries were published in 2014. Finalists in each category are listed alphabetically by author.
BEST HARDCOVER P.I. NOVEL
The Hollow Girl by Reed Farrel Coleman
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Toyko Kill by Barry Lancet
Hounded by David Rosenfelt
Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon
BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
Invisible City by Julia Dahl
Bad Country by C.B. McKenzie
Last of the Independents by Sam Wiebe
Wink of an Eye by Lynn Chandler Willis
City of Brick and Shadow by Tim Wirkus
BEST ORIGINAL PAPERBACK P.I. NOVEL
The Detective and the Pipe Girl by Michael Craven
Beauty With A Bomb by M.C.Grant
Critical Damage by Robert K. Lewis
Street Justice by Kris Nelscott
Moonlight Weeps by Vincent Zandri
BEST P.I. SHORT STORY
“Clear Recent History” by Gon Ben Ari in Tel Aviv Noir
“The Ehrengraf Fandango ” by Lawrence Block in Defender of the Innocent
“Fear Is The Best Keeper of Secrets ” by Vali Khalili in Tehran Noir
“Mei Kwei, I Love You” by Suchen Christine Lim in Singapore Noir
“Busting Red Heads” by Richard Helms in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
BEST INDIE P.I. NOVEL
The Shadow Broker by Trace Conger
Nobody’s Child by Libby Fischer Hellmann
Played To Death by BV Lawson
The Kids Are All Right by Steve Liskow
Get Busy Dying by Ben Rehder
Awards Chair was Gay Toltl Kinman. Judges were Dorothy Rellas, Colleen Collins, Andrew S. McAleer, S.J. Rozan, Clive Rosengren, M. Ruth Myers. Fred Zackel, Brad Parks, Douglas Corleone, Tim Wohlforth, Jack Fredrickson, BethTerrell, Charle Ardai, Amanda Kyle Williams and Baron Birtcher.
The Thrilling Detective website gives background on the awards and lists of winners from past years.
M. Ruth Myers writes the Maggie Sullivan mystery series featuring a female PI in the 1930s-40s.
Filed under: News Tagged: M. Ruth Myers, P.I. fiction, private eye novels, private investigator novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, Shamus Awards


May 15, 2015
Dayton Police Who Fell in the Line of Duty Since 1880
My Maggie Sullivan mysteries feature many policeman, all of them except Chief Wurstner fictitious. Since this is National Police Memorial Day, I’d like to recognize these real Dayton, OH, policemen who fell in the line of duty.
The most recent of them was a woman — a mother with children. The earliest was in 1880. If you visit Dayton Police History, you’ll find a link with information on each of them.
Thanks to Dayton Police History Foundation for sharing this information. And thanks to all Dayton police, present and past.
Officer Mary Beall – 2002
Officer Jason ‘Jake’ Grossnickle – 1996
Officer William ‘Steve’ Whalen – 1991
Officer Eddie Hobson – 1981
Sergeant William Mortimer – 1974
Officer Daniel Bruns – 1973
Sergeant Paul Mortimer – 1970
Officer James Mobley – 1970
Officer Ronald Wells – 1967
Officer Richard Baker – 1965
Officer Herman Drexler – 1947
Officer Sherman Nowlin – 1947
Sergeant Lucius Rice – 1939
Officer William Wilson – 1928
Officer Walter Rauch – 1927
Captain John C. Post – 1927
Officer William Horn – 1927
Officer George Clark – 1923
Officer George Purcell – 1916
Officer Charles Thomas – 1916
Officer John Stapleton – 1916
Officer William Dalton – 1899
Sergeant Amer Kellar – 1897
Officer Lee Lynam – 1880
Filed under: History Tagged: Dayton, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, mystery, OH, police


May 8, 2015
The Private Eye Speaks
It’s a strange experience hearing a perfect stranger give a voice to the P.I. you’ve created. I’m smack in the middle of that experience as I listen to tracks of the audiobook of No Game for a Dame, which is now in production.
It’s the first book in my Maggie Sullivan mysteries series, so it seemed like a logical place to start. In addition to being of the series, however, it’s the first of any of my books to make the trip to an audible format.
For years – nay, decades – I’ve had the occasional reader or acquaintance ask me, “Who do you think should play _____?” (Fill in the blank with the heroine they reference.) They always seem startled at my answer: “I’ve never thought about it.” But I don’t.
I simply see the character I’ve created, who has become very real to me. If I can’t picture my main characters, even if those images are blurry at times, I can’t write about them. I don’t mean the stock height-hair color – eye color – facial features. I mean them. The individual I want to live and breathe on my pages.
Quite possibly I had a firmer fix on how Maggie would sound. After all, she not only has the majority of the dialog lines, she narrates these first-person yarns.
Mary Ann Jacobs, the narrator I selected after listening to 24 audition tapes, does a fine job of bringing Maggie to life. It may not be EXACTLY how I heard Maggie’s voice in terms of pitch and quality, but it’s close. Wry, confident, tough when it needs to be, smart-aleck when it sometimes shouldn’t be. Mary Ann “gets” the character.
The audiobook, which is being produced through ACX, will be available in a couple of weeks. I’ll have some coupons for copies to give away here when that happens, so stop back.
Filed under: Authors, News Tagged: audiobooks, detective novels, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, private eye novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU


April 24, 2015
Free Detective Mysteries & P.I. News 4/24/15
Here’s a chance to enjoy two detective novels set 9 centuries and half a world apart without paying a cent.
First head to 11th c. Japan and enjoy RASHOMON GATE, first book in an extensive series featuring the detective from author I.J. Parker‘s Shamus-winning short story. Sugawara Akitada, a clerk in the Ministry of Justice, is sent to investigate blackmail at the Imperial University. He quickly encounters murder. Well-plotted mystery, exotic landscape, and very fine writing. (Free for Kindle, Kobo and Apple)
Then time-travel to 1939 Ohio where private eye Maggie Sullivan is hired to find what happened to a man who disappeared in a catastrophic flood 26 years earlier. DON’T DARE A DAME, third book in an ongoing series by yours truly, won a Shamus Award last year. (Free for Kindle, Apple, Nook and Kobo in the US and UK through 4/30.)
GUMSHOE NEWS
The next book in Sue Grafton’s alphabet series featuring P.I. Kinsey Milhone, will be titled simply X. It’s due out 8/25. Enjoy an excerpt
Filed under: Authors, News Tagged: detective novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman P.I., woman private eye novels


March 17, 2015
Leprechaun Likes Private Eye Novels
Leon, a green-blooded all-American leprechaun, knows you can’t beat a good PI novel for fun, even on St. Paddy’s Day. Well, maybe on St. Paddy’s Day.
You can probably tell by his manly physique that he’s a former cover model for racy romance novels. He said if I put his photo up, he was sure to “go virile”. I’m pretty sure he’s confused. Or can’t spell. Or both.
Have a wonderful, fun-filled St. Patrick’s Day!
M. Ruth Myers writes the Maggie Sullivan mystery series.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: detective novels, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, private investigator novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU

March 11, 2015
Authors Who Feature Woman Private Eyes
Check out some new sleuths on this updated list of authors whose series feature women PI’s. (It’s the closest I’ll get to spring cleaning.)
More will be coming soon. Right now I’m reading my way through a pile of submissions for this year’s Shamus Awards – and having great fun getting to know the other committee members.
Here’s hoping you find some new faves in this update. Share with a friend. It will take up permanent residence on the Lists page.
Dani Amore
Carolina Garcia-Aquilera
Linda Barnes
Cara Black
Rhys Bowen
Liza Cody
R.E. Conray
Sue Grafton
M.C. Grant
Kerry Greenwood
P.D. James
Laura Lippman
Christine Matthews
Marcia Muller
M. Ruth Myers
Sara Paretsky
Robert B. Parker
S.J. Rozan
Sandra Scoppettone
Julie Smith
Alexander McCall Smith
Dana Stabenow
Jacqueline Winspear
M. Ruth Myers writes the Maggie Sullivan mystery series featuring a female PI in the 1930s-40s.
Filed under: Authors Tagged: detective novels, M. Ruth Myers, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman P.I., woman private eye novels, woman sleuth

February 16, 2015
Should You Attend a Writers Conference? Part II: What to Expect – and NOT Expect
In Part I of this article, I advised authors-in-the-making to ask themselves two questions before deciding whether to pony up the price of attending a writers conference. If you have done it, I urge you to before going further. You’ll better digest what I tell you today.
Q. 1) – What do you expect/want from a writers conference? Different writers will have different answers. Let me address some of the most common.
An editor who signs me to a contract or at least wants to read my work. – This one is a long shot. A very long shot. Yes, it happens, but don’t expect it.
An agent to represent me. – Chances are better on this one, but not by much. Don’t even fantasize unless you have a goodly chunk of novel to show them should they be interested. For non-fiction, you’ll need the same, plus a well-executed outline and/or synopsis.
Feedback on my work from a professional writer. – Yes! You should definitely be able to get this. Many conferences have an arrangement whereby for an additional fee you can submit a certain number of pages in advance to be read by an instructor in your chosen area (novel, short story, magazine article). At the conference you’ll be allotted a time slot to meet privately with the reader to discuss it. These one-on-ones usually run 20-30 minutes each.
For the basic conference price, however, you should expect some basic feedback from the instructor during your classes. Perhaps s/he will give you all an exercise and have you take turns reading what you came up with. Perhaps it will be an assignment to bring in the next day. Maybe it will be a chance to read part of something you’ve already written. Instructors vary wildly in how they structure their classes.
A chance to rub elbows with famous authors. – You’ll certainly get a chance to hear them speak and ask them questions. Some will be willing to have students join them for coffee or a drink. Others are more private. Personalities of authors and conferences vary.
Information to make me a better writer. – Absolutely! You’ll get it in classes, for starters. Your instructors have stumbled into, and out of, many of the pitfalls of their chosen profession. They have bruises to prove it. If you listen, and already have written enough to grasp what they’re telling you, (see Q. 2) they’ll show you how to write effectively and avoid some bumps.
You’ll get additional tips on writing and selling at special lectures and panels. So many your head will start to ache.
To top that off, you’ll be able to get both tips and feedback from fellow writers. Maybe it will be over lunch or maybe at late night get-togethers where you take turns reading your works in progress.
Motivation. – Yes indeedy. You’ll get a great psychological boost from being with other writers and talking writing 24 hours a day with people who have the same interests, frustrations and challenges. You may even find people to exchange work and critiques with after you return home.
Q. 2) Where are you on the path of your own writing career?
The more actual writing experience you have under your belt, the more you’ll get out of a writers conference. Don’t go in cold and expect to come out ready to sit down and pen your first novel.
At minimum, you should have taken a class or two, or written a couple of short stories or whatever it is you long to write. If you have your sights set on writing a book, have at least fifty pages of it under your belt. More is better. You may end up throwing those pages away. I threw my entire first novel away. The second one got me an agent, who didn’t think it was ready. The third one, she sold to the first publisher who saw it. It came out in hardcover and sold foreign rights as well.
You’ll also fare better if you’ve had experience taking criticism, bad as well as good. Your family and friends may love what you’ve written because they love you. You’re going to be dealing with strangers here. Some will be tactful. Others won’t be.
Occasionally, someone comes along who hasn’t written much but will be content to feel like a writer and immerse themselves in talk about writing. That’s fine. Just know what you expect, and where you are in being able to understand what you hear. Then make your decision to attend – or delay attending – a writers conference.
To those who have attended such an event: Please share your thoughts about what you wish you’d known or done ahead of time, and what you got out of your experience.
M. Ruth Myers, whose novels include the Maggie Sullivan mysteries, has taught at week-long, weekend, and three-day writers conferences from coast to coast.
Filed under: Opinion, Writing Tips Tagged: detective novels, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman private eye novels, writing conferences

February 13, 2015
Grab a Shamus-winning Mystery for 99c
Admit it. Amid all the hearts and ruffles surrounding Valentine’s Day, aren’t there moments when you’d like to sneak off and enjoy a good mystery?
Don’t Dare a Dame, third book in the Maggie Sullivan mysteries, is just 99c in the US and UK today through 2/15/15. It received a 2014 Shamus Award from Private Eye Writers of America.
This marks the first time Don’t Dare a Dame as been available for Nook, Apple, Kobo and Scribd users as well as Kindles. The book finds Depression-era P.I. Maggie Sullivan, a woman with moxie, a bottle of gin and a .38, risking her license and her life to solve a murder and protect a blind woman in 1939 Ohio.
Filed under: News Tagged: M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, private eye novels, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman detective novels, woman P.I.
