Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 126
April 16, 2020
Thankful Thursday–April 2020
When the Wickeds started our Thankful Thursdays in March we had only an inkling of what was to come.
Some people are struggling with the concept of gratitude right now. On the one hand, life is challenging, no doubt. Figuring out how to get food can take up most of the day. On the other, you don’t have to look very hard to see those who have it far worse–people who are sick or have sick family members, people who are financially desperate, people who don’t have a warm, safe place to live or stay.
Do these huge problems render yours meaningless? You still feel your feelings, right? Wickeds, let’s accentuate the positive. What are you feeling grateful for right now?
One lucky commenter on the blog will win a gift from each of the Wickeds. To find out what see below.
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Edith/Maddie: I am so very thankful for a healthy family. Beyond that, thank you to electricity, the mailman, and everyone in the food supply chain. Seriously, I can keep working thanks to my laptop being powered up, and I can keep in touch with the world (in both directions) thanks to the wonderful young man who delivers our mail (including royalty checks) and picks up my outgoing mail (including books I owe contest winners). Having done my high-speed (and masked) Market Basket run on Tuesday, thank you to all who grow, transport, stock, and sell food. I will give away an ARC of Nacho Average Murder.
Sherry: I’m thankful that my husband, daughter, and I all enjoy each other’s company. We laugh so hard we cry sometimes. I’m also thankful my daughter likes to cook. She’s made some amazing meals that she doesn’t have time to do when she’s working. I’ll give away an ebook of any of my books to the winner.
Liz: There are so many things to be thankful for in the midst of all this insanity. I am grateful to have a safe place to be during all of this, and like Edith said, that I have the ability to work and to have all the food and supplies I need. I am also exceptionally grateful for my health and the health of my friends and family – every single day. I’ll give away an arc of Witch Hunt.
Julie: I’m grateful for the tech that is keeping us all connected, and the for the post office who is helping us get books to you! I’ll give away a copy of any one of my books, readers choice!
Jessie: I so grateful for time with my family. My husband has been traveling almost non-stop for work for the past three years but has been working from home since mid March. It has been just lovely to have him here. I am also so pleased to have two of my four sons here with me and to know that the other two are safe and healthy thus far and that I can still get my eyes on them regularly through the magic of technology! I’ll give away a copy of any one of my Beryl and Edwina books of the winner’s choosing.
Barb: I’m grateful that I’m 12 days into our 14 day quarantine and feeling fine after our exodus from Key West. (You can read all about it tomorrow.) I’ll give one copy of Haunted House Murder to the winner.
Readers: One of the things we are always thankful for is our readers. Leave a comment on the blog to let us know what you’re thankful for and you could win a gift from each of the Wickeds.
April 15, 2020
Wicked Wednesday–Card Games
We’re continuing with our Wicked Wednesday game theme. (Our original theme for April, schemes and scams, was judged Too Depressing for the Current Situation by the Board of Directors of Wicked Authors, Limited.) Today, card games.
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What is your happiest childhood memory of a card game? Who did you play with?
Jessie: When I was a child, my mother and grandmother both were Rummy enthusiasts and played against each other often. At one time my grandmother was on a losing streak. She told me she would pay me a dollar if I could beat my mum and break her winning streak. I was surprised and delighted when I did and was a fan of the game ever after.
Edith/Maddie: Jessie, I have so many fond memories of playing cards with my mom and my older sisters, including Rummy! My mom tried to teach us Canasta, but it never stuck. We four played cutthroat quadruple Solitaire games (all aces are common) and I still love playing with others. As a child, I could beat any of them at Concentration.
Sherry: We played lots of Spades and Whist growing up. My sister and I played a game called Spit that required two decks of cards and lot of slapping them over. I don’t remember any of the other rules. And even though you didn’t ask I’m going to add the game that I didn’t like. My older sister made me promise to play whatever card game she chose. After I agreed she threw all the cards up in the air and yelled fifty-two card pickup and yes I had to pick them all up. I guess I’m still not over it!
Liz: There is a card game that is very popular in a tiny little corner of Massachusetts called 45s. My grandparents played this game ALL THE TIME – it was a whole thing where they would get together with their friends on weekend nights. It was very serious. And of course, they taught us. I remember playing it with my grandpa – holidays just weren’t complete with a good, competitive round of 45s.
Julie: I played cards a lot as a kid. Gin Rummy or Rummy with my best friend Holly. Crazy 8’s with my sisters. War. Cribbage with my grandfather. Liz, you have to teach me 45!
Barb: I have lots of happy memories of playing cards, but the one that sticks is my brother and me playing War on the front porch of my grandparents’ house at the beach.
What is your favorite card game as an adult?
Jessie: I still like Rummy! But I also like a game called Timeline which is not a traditional game with a deck of playing cards but rather one of inventions or events etc… in history that you guess where they occurred in comparison with the cards in the other players’ hands.
Edith/Maddie: My young friends have taught us No Way (otherwise known as BS), a fun bluffing game.
Sherry: We play a lot of rummy — I think my family has our own set of rules. My husband and I play. If I’m with my mom and sister we play.
Liz: I don’t play cards much anymore – but I think it would still be 45s if anyone I knew could play!
Julie: I don’t play cribbage that often, but would happily play anytime. I play Uno with the nieces and nephews, which is a lot of fun though not played with a traditional deck.
Barb: I played bridge in college but I’ve forgotten too much. My protagonist Jane Darrowfield plays bridge and I had to have a bridge-playing friend review the bridge scenes for me. But my best card-playing moments these days are of not playing, but listening to my extended family members play poker while I read on the other side of the room. The sounds make me so happy.
What do you think is the most unusual card game your family plays–the one maybe the rest of us don’t know?
Jessie: My husband is Brazilian and has brought a Rummy-style game from his boyhood, called Pif to our family. In fact, we played it on Monday evening and had a great time!
Edith/Maddie: My grandfather taught me a version of solitaire called Idle Year. It’s very hard to win!
Sherry: Shanghai rummy is a fun game that you play with at least four people and two decks of cards. I have lovely memories of playing it with my Aunt Pat and Uncle John who were my parent’s dear friends from college.
Liz: I think I’ve already answered this one inadvertently. I don’t think I realized when I was younger how much of a “Mingya Valley” (a fond nickname for where I grew up) thing this game was until I started asking people at college if they knew it and got a lot of blank stares.
Julie: Back to cribbage–my grandfather loved me, and didn’t take the points I didn’t count. With a lot of games we morphed rules into what worked for us all and kept the peace. Isn’t that the true success of family game night, making up new rules?
Barb: My mother-in-law played a game called Kaluki. I played it just infrequently enough that I could never remember the rules, but my kids learned it well.
Readers: How about you? Favorite card games then and now.
April 14, 2020
Welcome Elle Brooke White
[image error]Today we welcome Elle Brooke White to the blog. Her debut mystery Dead on the Vine was published by Crooked Lane on April 7. I had the pleasure of reading an Advance Reader Copy. Here’s what I said about it.
“Buckle up for a crazy ride when Charlotte Finn inherits the family farm—and her family’s darkest secrets. Did these secrets spawn a murder? Author Elle Brook Finn kept me in my seat around every curve to the very last page.”
Take it way, Elle!
It all started with my annual, exuberant welcoming of spring on social media.
When the first strawberries begin showing their green, cone-shaped heads I begin concocting their life stories. The first year the berries luxuriated by the pool. The next they were invited to Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding, and then last year they were introduced to creatures of the two and four-legged variety.
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So it was only natural that a book about a farm would blossom from my imagination. Enter Dead on the Vine, a Finn Family Farm mystery. The Santa Barbara Mountains presented the perfect backdrop for this story due to their natural beauty, their elixir of both sea breezes and the smell of rich, ripening vegetation, and, conveniently their proximity to the author.
Dead on the Vine is the first book in the NEW “Finn Family Farm” cozy mystery series.
Reluctant farmer Charlotte Finn needs the help of the livestock to sleuth a mysterious death.
Charlotte Finn never wanted to inherit the family’s produce farm–much less plow a heap of money into it. Her plan is to hammer a great big FOR SALE sign into the farm’s fallow furrows–but Charlotte’s sunny hopes of a quick sale succumb to a killing frost when she finds a dead body entwined supine in the tomato vines. The poor man, it seems, was run through…with a pitchfork?
Now, Charlotte is stuck with running the farm in the midst of a murder investigation. Charlotte’s knowledge of farming is smaller than her bank balance, so she relies on caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and their farmhands. Can she trust them? She doesn’t know them. There’s also farmer Samuel Brown, who still carries a childhood grudge. But the case gets personal when Charlotte learns that the victim might have been her own kin–and seeds of suspicion grow into a fertile field of suspects.
Charlotte turns to the farm’s baby pig to help root out the killer. Soon, the goats, geese, and horse join in, but will Charlotte harvest a murderer–or buy the farm?
Buy links
Your Local Independent Bookstore
[image error]About Elle: Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Elle Brooke White became a world traveler at a young age when her family moved to Europe. She grew up in Paris, Brussels and London until returning to the US to attend Vassar College. She then moved to New York City and took a job in advertising– a career that spanned two coasts and a number of years. But writing was always her passion because it took her to “a world of pure imagination”.
Reader Question: Do you believe that your pets dream in the language you’ve taught them or their native species tongue?
April 13, 2020
Cover Reveal — Absence of Alice
I’m so excited to share the cover for the ninth Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery Absence of Alice! Look for a giveaway at the end of the post. Here’s a bit about the book:
For bargain hunter extraordinaire Sarah Winston, starting life over in Ellington, Massachusetts, has been a true trash-to-treasure success story, except when there’s a run on dead bodies . . .
Sarah’s latest client, Alice Krandle, is sure she has a fortune in antiques on her hands. She’s already gotten a generous offer for the whole lot before her garage sale has even begun, but she thinks she can earn more with Sarah’s expert help. The problem is that while Sarah’s sorting through items from decades past, her landlady, Stella, faces a clear and present danger.
Stella’s kidnapper has contacted Sarah with a set of instructions, and “Don’t call the police” is at the top of the list. But they didn’t say anything about Sarah’s friend Harriet—who happens to be a former FBI hostage negotiator . . .
And here is the cover:
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Lou Malcangi is the Art Director for Kensington Publishing is the mastermind behind each of my covers. I never think he can top the last one, but he always does.
Readers: If you could own one thing from the cover of Absence of Alice what would you pick. I’ll send an ebook of one of my books to someone who leaves a comment. If you already have all of my books, you can give the ebook as a gift to someone.
Absence of Alice is available for preorder. Click the links below or call your favorite local bookstore.
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/absence-of-alice
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/absence-of-alice-sherry-harris/1136765132?ean=9781496722539
April 10, 2020
Armchair Adventures: Traveling to France from a Cozy Living Room in California by Gigi Pandian
Here’s a teaser for Gigi’s new Accidental Alchemist novella: THE LOST GARGOYLE OF PARIS
Alchemy and an art heist in Paris are on the menu in the new Accidental Alchemist novella from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award winning author Gigi Pandian.
[image error]Alchemist Zoe Faust and her impish gargoyle sidekick Dorian Robert-Houdin travel to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to investigate a mysterious discovery found in the wreckage of the tragic fire: a long-lost gargoyle illustration drawn by Victor Hugo himself.
When the work of art is stolen under impossible circumstances, Dorian must use his “little gray cells”—not to mention his culinary skills—to solve the crime and discover the true origins of where he came from.
Includes delicious vegan recipes!
Gigi: I’ve always been an armchair traveler. I grew up devouring books by Elizabeth Peters, Aaron Elkins, Agatha Christie, and many more authors with mysteries set abroad, and was lucky to begin traveling abroad with my parents on their academic research trips from a young age. Both forms of travel stayed with me into my adult life. However, I didn’t anticipate just how important armchair travel would become this spring!
[image error]As a book-lover, a silver lining of sheltering in place is that I can still travel through books. I can happily spend the evening curled up on my cozy couch, in the shadow of my overflowing bookshelves. I’m finding so much comfort in books—and I hope you are as well.
Travel features in both cozy mystery series I write, and France is the country that’s been featured in both series. I first visited France in person when I was a teenager. I fell in love with Paris, especially the old-world mysteries it held.
[image error]The gargoyles of Notre Dame captured my imagination, so it was no surprise that when I became a novelist decades later, I created paranormal cozy series featuring a living gargoyle who was once carved in stone for Notre Dame Cathedral—before being accidentally brought to life through alchemy.
In the spring of 2019, I watched in horror from afar as the cathedral burned. Paris and Notre Dame are central to the personal histories of both centuries-old alchemist Zoe Faust and her impish gargoyle sidekick Dorian Robert-Houdin. Because I wanted to visit again at least in spirit, I began writing a locked-room mystery short story set in Paris after the fire.
[image error]A funny thing happened. The cathedral’s rich history demanded more space on the page (as did Dorian the gargoyle!), so my short story grew into a novella. Yes, one thing I’ve learned over the years is that I need to listen to my characters!
I’d hoped to return to Paris this spring, but it wasn’t in the cards. Luckily I’ve got bookshelves filled with amazing books. So this spring, I’m not leaving home or going much farther than this cozy corner of my living room, but I’m traveling all around the world.
Readers: Where are you going on your armchair travels this spring? Please share in the comments!
p.s. I’ve just learned that through April 30, 2020, the eBook of my debut novel Artifact is on sale for only 99¢! In the adventure cozy, you can travel with historian Jaya Jones to the highlands of Scotland. https://www.gigipandian.com/books/artifact
[image error]Bio: Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental almost-vegan. The child of anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India, she spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research trips, and now lives in California with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the garden. Gigi writes the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and locked-room mystery short stories.
Stay in touch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gigipandian
Subscribe to her email newsletter to stay up to date, plus receive a free eBook novella and free recipes download: https://www.gigipandian.com/subscribe
THE LOST GARGOYLE OF PARIS
April 9, 2020
If not now, when?
By Julie, sheltering in place in Somerville
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This is an extraordinary time, isn’t it? Yesterday I walked to the grocery store wearing my mask and glove, and had to wait for over a half-hour before I could get into the store, since they are limiting the number of people in there at any one time. I’m planning my Zoom Easter dinner with my family, wishing I could see and hug them all in person, but grateful for the technology that let’s us be together.
I am working on book #4 in the Garden Squad series, which is a lovely distraction. I’m working on my business, creating webinars and downloads for creative people. Baking experiments have commenced. I read an article on how to make my own yeast, and I’m going to give it a whirl. I’ve been working out online with Team Body Project, and I’m really enjoying my boxing training.
[image error]Me and my baby
I also decided to learn how to play the ukulele.
Let me explain why this is a fairly big deal. I’m not musically inclined. I took guitar when I was very young, but I didn’t keep it up. I’ve always wanted to learn the piano, but didn’t have a piano and it’s a big investment to make on spec. When we talked about our musical histories last month, my entries were lacking. I did mention that I bought a ukulele, but it hadn’t arrived yet.
It’s here now. It came with a tuner, which is amazing. Because I think that tuning it without help would have taken me the rest of the month. I’ve been practicing two chords, but it’s slow going. I’m very grateful for YouTube and lessons that I can replay several times.
I doubt that you’ll ever hear me play in public, but right now my music lessons serve many purposes. They’re an excellent distraction. They remind me that I’m human, and make me take myself less seriously. Because really, not nailing “You Are My Sunshine” on the umpteenth attempt is humbling. I usually only do things I’m fairly certain I’ll be good at, so this is a stretch. Maybe my biggest since I “ran” a half-marathon ten years ago.
They also remind me that it’s never too late to learn something new. I teach this all the time. But now I’m practicing what I preach. Stretching myself creatively is a gift to myself and my well-being. And it’s fun. Fun is always good, but is a gift right now.
Happily the cats don’t seem to mind, though I have noticed that they go into the bedroom when I take my uke out.
Be kind to yourself these days, my friends. Do something creative that distracts.
By the way, if you get the Wickeds’ newletter, keep an eye on your inbox tonight. You’ll see what we’ve all been up to.
Readers, what are you doing for distraction these days?
April 8, 2020
Wicked Wednesday–Board Games
With everybody home, some of us in more crowded conditions than we’re used to and all of us feeling cut off from a lot of our social activities, I want to talk board games.
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Wickeds, tell us–
What was your favorite board game as a child?
Edith/Maddie: Clue, because I could sneak looks at my siblings’ score sheets and add to my own knowledge. When my older sisters accused me of cheating, I told them the whole point was to be a detective. No surprise I now write crime fiction.
Liz: Clue was mine too! My dad and I played it all the time, and I remember when it came out as a video game. Loved it. Monopoly too!
Jessie: I was never a huge board game person but I did like Scotland Yard, a detective game.
Julie: Jessie, I’ve never heard of Scotland yard, but would have loved it. I had different games for different eras. Trouble was a favorite, Clue (of course) and Masterpiece.
Barb: My family wouldn’t play Clue with me because I always won. My favorite game was Monopoly.
What is your favorite game as an adult and why?
Edith/Maddie: It’s not exactly a board game, but I have to say Wise and Otherwise, where each person makes up the end to an international proverb and tries to bluff against the real ending.
Sherry: I still love the original version of Trivial Pursuits — I’m not that good at it, but have always loved trivia games. I also like Rummickub — I need to pull it out of the stack of games in the basement.
Liz: I still love my old favorites, although I recently discovered a really fun game called Mysterium. It’s kind of like Clue but the ghost talks to you!
Jessie: I love a game that I play with one of my sons called Quip Qubes. It is a sentence building game made of dice with words printed on each side. You try to make the longest sentence possible with the multiple dice in each roll. My son and I are very loose with any grammar rules and instead try to create the most poetic or imaginative or simply the most ridiculous sentences. We write them down in a small notebook with each turn and have a delightful record of play going back for several years.
Julie: Liz, we’ll need to play Mysterium at the next Wicked retreat! All of these games sound like fun. And Sherry, my friend Amy has tried to get us all to play Rummickub for years. I live Trivial Pursuit, but Apples to Apples is a favorite these days, since everyone can play.
Barb: Yes, definitely Mysterium at the next retreat. My favorite game as an adult by far is Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. The board is a map of London. The players work collaboratively to solve a mystery consulting clues all over the city. We used to vacation with friends and I have such happy memories of playing it on summer nights.
The board game I won’t play no matter how much people beg me is:
Edith/Maddie: Risk. Just…no. Everyone is out to get me. Which is literally true!
Sherry: Scrabble — I still have trauma from playing it with my older sister and getting beaten so badly.
Liz: I still can’t play Cribbage.
Jessie: I don’t know how to play cribbage either, Liz! I guess I will play just about anything if I am able to knit between turns!
Julie: Jessie and Liz, I’ll teach you how to play Cribbage. My grandfather taught me. I haven’t played in years, but love it. I won’t play Cards Against Humanity. It just sounds…mean. But lots of people I know love it.
Barb: Any version of Trivial Pursuit aside from the original. I am a purist. ( I would like to get in on that Cribbage lesson, btw.)
I think the prettiest board for a board game is:
Edith/Maddie: Scrabble. So simple and elegant. Plus…words.
Sherry: I think the old tin Chinese Checkers games were pretty even though we never had one. Also, Candyland — it was so cherry and hopeful.
Liz: Oh, Candyland was another of my favorites!! I also love the Chutes and Ladders board.
Jessie: It isn’t really a board game but I love my Mah jongg set! All of the carved pieces are just lovely.
Sherry: Liz, I almost said Chutes and Ladders — it was a fun board and game.
Julie: Did any of you play Masterpiece? I barely remember how, but do remember reusing some of the paintings in my Barbie house between games.
Barb: Julie, I can just see the pictures in your Barbie house. I have to agree with Edith on Scrabble. My mother-in-law had a beautiful edition.
Readers: Same questions to you!
April 7, 2020
A Wicked Welcome to Mary E. Stibal **and giveaway!**
by Julie, staying put in Somerville
20+ years ago Mary Stibal and I took a mystery writing class together at Harvard University. We went to our first Sisters in Crime meeting together. We’ve celebrated short story successes together. And now we get to celebrate her debut as a novelist with the publication of A Widow in Pearls.
How An Incredibly Stupid Idea Can Make for a Great Story
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A way that tension can be built in a mystery is to have a likeable protagonist act on a very bad idea. Which makes the reader think, “Oh no, I can’t believe she’s actually thinking of doing that! I’m sure she’s not going to actually do that!” and then, “OH MY GOD she’s doing it, and she’ll get caught, or killed!” But in order for this approach to work, the reader has to believe the protagonist has a compelling reason to do something very stupid. And dangerous.
In my book, A Widow in Pearls, Madeline Lane, co-owner of a small gem store in Boston has one of the wealthiest women, and the bluest of blue bloods in Boston, as a demanding customer. A woman who is also intensely private.
When the story opens, Madeline is trying to decide if her best customer is totally unbearable or just crusty. And then the rich woman is murdered. After the funeral the woman’s son, a high-handed SOB, is frantically looking for missing private papers of his mother so he can donate them to the Boston Public Library. Which Madeline knows would make her customer roll over in her grave. So where are they? She doesn’t know, but she does feel a responsibility to her customer, who has just left her a fortune in pearls her will. And so Madeline has a terrible idea. She decides to break into the woman’s townhouse, which was the scene of the murder, and find these papers before the SOB son gets his hands on them.
Madeline knows it’s crazy, but she also knows how to get inside, and it’s now or never before the locks are changed. So that night she searches the townhouse, jumping at every sound. She is about to leave empty-handed when she finds the papers hidden in a kitchen cabinet, and then hears someone enter through the back door. It is the woman’s son! Madeline slips out a side door with the papers, and drives home. A relief.
But once she gets home she goes through the papers – just a tattered, wrinkled manuscript — but it reveals an old but explosive secret about the dead woman’s family. And a powerful motive for murder. But she can’t just take the manuscript to the police, she has to first find out if the story in the manuscript is true. And Madeline sets out to discover the truth behind a long-ago sordid tale. And in the process becomes a suspect herself in the woman’s murder.
[image error]Mary E Stibal
And so, a very bad, stupid idea ultimately leads to the solution of the woman’s murder. This set-up is a variation of the dramatic gambit which has the audience thinking, “Don’t open that door. Whatever you do, don’t open that door!” And the reader becomes very engaged in the story. But the character opens the door, and all hell breaks loose.
Question: Do you become frustrated and lose interest when a likeable character acts on a bad and risky idea? Or do you become intrigued – wanting more than ever to find out what happens to them?
Answer in the comments, and on Wednesday Mary will pick one comment randomly and send a copy of her book to the commenter!
About the book: When the most famously lost manuscript of the 20th century unexpectedly turns up in the home of a Boston blueblood, its stories will be unfortunate for the deceased. And deadly for the living.
A Widow in Pearls on Barnes & Noble
Follow Mary on Facebook!
April 6, 2020
The Beat of Black Wings — an Interview with Josh Pachter
Being part of this anthology gave both Edith and I a chance to write something different and a little darker than we normally write.
Edith’s story is “Blue Motel Room” — A depressing blue Savannah motel room. A desiccated hand in a locked safe. A petty thief with the blues . . . and wanderlust.
Sherry’s story is “Last Chance Lost” — An isolated Wyoming saloon, a lost man, a last chance at love, and a gun – what could go right?
Edith: Josh, you and I went back and forth a few times about “Blue Motel Room,” my story in the anthology. Did the anthology editing take up a lot of time?
Some editors are very hands-off, while others are more (some of them much more) hands-on. I’m a hands-on editor, and the highest compliment I can receive from an author is when she responds to my edited version of her story by saying “It’s better this way.” That said, it’s probably obvious that some stories require more of an investment of my time, while others start out closer to the vision I have in my head of the final project and therefore need less attention from me. Honestly, Edith, I can’t remember whether yours was a “needed more time” or “needed less time” story, so why don’t we just say yours was the only one I got that was perfect, exactly the way you submitted it, and required none of my time at all! (I will add here without mentioning any names that “Blue Motel Room” was unique in that another author tackled it before you did, and I had to turn that writer’s submission down. It was a good story — and the author ultimately sold it somewhere else — but it really just wasn’t right for The Beat of Black Wings. Most of the projects I edit are by invitation only — I haven’t got time to manage an open-call project! — and I hate the thankfully-rare occasions when I extend an invitation, take up the author’s time, and then ultimately have to turn down the submission. Sometimes, though, it does unfold that way….)
Edith: I keep wishing I’d chosen “Refuge of the Roads,” one of my favorite Joni songs. Which songs do you wish had been chosen and weren’t? Will we have a stab at Volume Two?
The one song I was surprised to see no one select as inspiration for a book of Joni-inspired crime stories was “Raised on Robbery” from Court and Spark. I mean, come on, that’s such an obvious choice! I was also surprised to see no one tackle “Woodstock” (it’s such an iconic composition) and “The Last Time I Saw Richard” (hello? crime stories?!). If The Beat of Black Wings sells as well as I hope and think it will, sure, why not do a Volume Two? Not right away, though: I’m currently finishing up work on The Great Filling Station Holdup: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Jimmy Buffett, and next up I hope to tackle Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel.
Edith: What’s your favorite Mitchell song?
Seriously, Edith? That’s like asking a parent “Who’s your favorite of your children?” Joni’s songs aren’t my children, of course, they’re hers. But I’ve come to think of them that way — not just because of this book but from fifty years of listening to them. So I can’t even pin down a favorite album, let alone a favorite song … though both Court and Spark and Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm are high on my list.
Sherry: Where did the idea for the anthology come from?
In the Acknowledgments section at the back of the book, I thank “the letter K for setting everything in motion.” Readers will — or at least I hope they will — wonder what the heck that cryptic comment means. Since you’re asking, Sherry, I’ll explain. On the morning of the day I turned sixty-six, I woke up early and, not wanting to awaken my wife Laurie, settled in at my computer with, for once, nothing important that needed doing. On a whim, I decided to create an alphabetical list of the titles of the almost a hundred short stories I’d written over the preceding fifty years.
When the list was done, I realized that there were only half a dozen (well, seven) letters I’d never used at the beginning of a story title: K, P, R, U, V, X, and Z. I know what I’ll do, I decided, I’ll write stories to fill in the blank spaces! Since the first missing letter was K, I figured I’d start there. So, hmm, a story title beginning with the letter K. “Kill Shot,” “Killing Me Softly,” “Killer….” And then I remembered Joni’s “The Beat of Black Wings,” which is certainly one of my favorites of her songs, and which is about “a young soldier, his name was Killer Kyle.” So I wrote a story called “Killer Kyle.” Right around then, though, I became aware of the existence of several books of crime stories inspired by the lyrics of such songwriters as Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash, and I thought it might be fun to put together a book of stories inspired by Joni Mitchell songs.
The Beat of Black Wings seemed like a logical title … but that meant I’d have to change the name of my Killer Kyle story, dammit! (Just in case anyone’s interested, I later wrote one called “KLDI,” which will be in Michael Bracken’s Mickey Finn 2 next year. I’ve also now written “The Pig is Committed” [which is forthcoming in Mystery Weekly], “Under Water” [which is in the submission queue at Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine], “The Vampire Shift” [which I’ve pretty much finished but haven’t yet submitted anywhere], and “Zero Hour” [which I regret to say was rejected for Barb Goffman’s Crime Travel collection but which I’ve since submitted elsewhere]. Still no R or X stories, though. Hmm, “Rx for Murder”?…)
Sherry: What was the biggest challenge putting this project together?
The biggest challenge was finding a publisher. I don’t usually use an agent, but I thought this book would be attractive to the big New York houses and knew I wasn’t equipped to deal with those behemoths on my own, so I brought in Peter Riva, an agent I’ve dealt with before. He was enthusiastic about the book, but the New York firms all came back to him with variations on the old “doesn’t fit in with our current plans” line. Frankly, I was beginning to despair when one of the contributors — I think it was Marilyn Todd — suggested Untreed Reads. They’re not a big New York house, but working with Jay Hartman and K.D. Sullivan has been an absolute pleasure, one of the best experiences I’ve had in half a century of dealing with publishing companies, and I’m looking forward to embarking on a new project with them soon.
Sherry: Part of the proceeds are going to a charity — tell us about that.
There are a couple of revenue-sharing models out there for genre anthologies. The one with which I’m most familiar is that the editor takes 50% of royalties generated by the book, and the contributors share equally in the other 50% — and, these days, it’s not unusual for anthology contributors to receive no upfront money, just the eventual royalty share. From the beginning, though, I insisted on two variations on that standard. First, I wanted a third of the revenues to go to a charity Joni would either select herself or at least approve of — and every single one of the authors was not only agreeable to that plan, even though it would cut into their share, but enthusiastic about it. Second, the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Awards remain the gold standard for crime fiction, and they require that, for a short story to be eligible, the author has to have been paid a minimum of $25 in advance or on publication. Untreed Reads is a small enough house that they simply can’t afford to pay advances, but I want “my” authors’ stories to be Edgar-eligible, so I’m fronting a $25 advance against royalties for each story out of my own pocket. (Hopefully the book will sell well enough that I’ll be able to pay myself back — and we’ll all make some money over and above the advance!)
Meanwhile, I tried to get close enough to Joni to have her pick a charity, but she’s pretty close to unapproachable these days. She suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, so I did some research online and came up with the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. I asked Les Irvin, who webmasters Joni’s website ( jonimitchell.com ) if that seemed like a good choice, and Les agreed that it was. So I contacted the BAF, and executive director Christine Buckley turns out to be a huge fan and was very happy to accept donations made in Joni’s name. So I hope all you Wickeds and Wicked readers will order copies of the book for yourselves and as gifts for your family members and friends — not only because it’s a terrific collection but also to support this very worthy cause!
Readers: Do you have a favorite Joni Mitchell song? Or a song she wrote that meant a lot to you at a certain time in your life? Please share. And ask Josh questions about wrangling this kind of collection.
[image error] JOSH PACHTER is a writer, editor and translator. Almost a hundred of his short crime stories have appeared in EQMM, AHMM, and many other periodicals, anthologies, and year’s-best collections. The Tree of Life (Wildside Press, 2015) collected all ten of his Mahboob Chaudri stories, he collaborated with Belgian author Bavo Dhooge on Styx (Simon & Schuster, 2015), and he co-edited Amsterdam Noir with Dutch writer René Appel (Akashic Books, 2019) and The Misadventures of Ellery Queen and The Further Misadventures of Ellery Queen with Dale C. Andrews (Wildside Press, 2018 and 2020) and edited The Man Who Read Mr. Strang: The Short Fiction of William Brittain (Crippen & Landru, 2018) and The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe (Mysterious Press, 2020). www.joshpachter.com
April 3, 2020
Hid From Our Eyes Release
Edith here, still hunkering down.
The title of this blog could be rephrased as, We Love Julia Spencer-Fleming. She has a new (ninth) book out in her most wonderful Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne mystery series. Hid from Our Eyes releases next Tuesday! It’s been a little while since the last one, and I wanted to have her here as our guest. She’s a Mainer, our friend, and has had huge success with the prior books in the series. (Hint – read down for a giveaway!)
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After two earlier murders in Miller’s Kill with similar murder scenes – twenty years apart – Police Chief Russ van Alstyne gets a 911 call that a young woman has been found dead in a party dress, the same MO as the crime he was accused of in the 70s. The pressure is on for Russ to solve the murder before he’s removed from the case. Russ enlists the help of his police squad and Reverend Clare Fergusson, who is already juggling the tasks of being a new mother to her and Russ’s baby and running St. Alban’s Church, to finally solve these crimes.
You know you want to read this book.
All Julia’s in-person launch events were cancelled, alas. She has hosted many of us on her own group blog, the wonderful Jungle Red Writers. She wasn’t able to send us a guest post, so we wrote it for her.
Wickeds: What’s your favorite Clare-and-Russ mystery and why? Who is your favorite character in the series? If you have a personal anecdote about Julia, please share.
Barb: So happy to give a signal boast to Julia Spencer-Fleming who is an absolutely lovely person and a writer who constantly inspires me. I’m not home in Portland while I’m writing this, so I went to peruse the descriptions of all the series books online. What a wonderful stroll down Memory Lane and a reminder of the series arc to date as I get ready to read the new one. My favorite is All Mortal Flesh and I can’t even say why without a spoiler for those who haven’t read the series. I had planned to read Hid From Our Eyes on a cruise this spring, but now I guess I’ll have to read it right away.
Jessie: I completely agree with all your sentiments, Barb! I couldn’t be happier to help celebrate her newest release! Not only is Julia an author I admire, she is a person I admire. I love her books and her energy and encouraging nature. I know that we have all been eagerly awaiting this book and am just delighted that we are able to welcome it here today!
[image error]Edith and Julia at the 2013 Bouchercon. Sherry couldn’t make it so we brought her on a stick!
Edith: Can I say all of her books? One thing I admire about Julia (in addition to what a lovely, generous, and funny person she is) is that she keeps shaking up how she tells the story. I’m afraid I’ve lost track of which, but one highly suspenseful book took place over only twenty four hours. Another one goes back in time and returns to the present, then goes further back, and repeat until the reader really understands how the past is linked to the present. I love that I can learn about storytelling from her.
Julie: Julia is one of my aspiration writers. I hope I can tell a story as beautifully as she does one day. I don’t have a favorite in the series, but if I had to chose one I’d pick In the Bleak Midwinter, the first in the series. It started it all. Happy book birthday, Julia!
Edith: She’s one of my aspiration writers, too, Julie. I have long said that if I could write like Julia does, I’d die happy.
Liz: I am beyond excited about this book! I love this series so much. Her characters are so compelling and keep me hooked. I love all the books too – it would be impossible to pick just one! Congrats Julia!
Sherry: I can’t pick one book either. The first line of In the Bleak Midwinter is often picked as a favorite first line from a book and it is amazing. I love how Julia set up the conflict between Russ and Clare. I love that Clare was an Army helicopter pilot and now an Episcopalian priest which creates more conflict. At Bouchercon in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2018 the Wickeds who were there went to dinner with fabulous author Lucy Burdette and Julia. Lucy was in the middle of introducing me and I made a complete fool of myself fan girling Julia. (I’ve offered to pay for her therapy.) She’s an amazing writer and woman.Julia, so many congratulations!
Readers: Do you have a favorite J S-F book? An anecdote? Questions about Julia? Please chime in. Julia very generously told me she will send two of you a signed and personalized copy of the new book. (As she says, “I have a daughter who can go to the post office for me.”)
