Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 17

Opening Lines

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Readers: Add your opening line!

Three Strikes–You’re Dead! with Guest Barb Goffman #giveaway

Sherry — I’m enjoying the sunny, summer days!

I’m delighted to welcome back Barb Goffman, my independent editor and dear friend. Look for a giveaway at the end of the post!

Barb: Thanks to the Wickeds for inviting me today to talk about Three Strikes—You’re Dead! This sports/crime anthology came out at the end of April from Wildside Press. Anyone who knows me might be surprised to hear I co-edited an anthology mixing crime and sports. The crime part, that they’ll believe. But sports …

Nonetheless, it’s true. But have no fear, dear reader. I don’t have to be a jock to have helped our authors make their sports-oriented stories as good as they could be. If there was something I didn’t know, I had aficionados I could (and did) consult.

But one thing I like to think I have expertise on is identifying what makes a story special. And each of the stories in Three Strikes—You’re Dead! does indeed have a special quality. Just like every team has its stars, every story in this book has its stand-out elements. Here is what I think makes each story particularly worth reading. I’ll address the stories in the order they appear in the book.

“Murder at Home” by Alan Orloff—Alan’s writing style and choice of words put the reader right in the stands at a Major League baseball game while the pennant is on the line. You can practically hear the crowd roar, smell the players’ sweat, and feel their muscles pumping.

“Run For Your Life” by Smita Harish Jain—Smita alternates between scenes set during the Boston Marathon and scenes leading up to the race. A murderous plan has been hatched, and with every new scene, the suspense is ratcheted up even more.

“The Ultimate Bounty Hunter” by Sherry Harris—Sherry’s humor shines through in a story involving ultimate Frisbee and a bounty hunter who learned the tools of her trade by reading Stephanie Plum novels.

“Punch-Drunk” by William Ade—In this 1960s boxing tale, Bill’s spot-on voice for the New York City police detective looking into the death of the world heavyweight champ will lure readers in for the count.

“Running Interference” by Kathryn Prater Bomey—Kathryn’s behind-the-scenes look at a high school marching band expertly brings that world to life, showing that competition at a football game isn’t limited to when the ball is in play.

“Double Fault” by Adam Meyer—Tennis is a game with a lot of back-and-forth, but the subtextual sparring between the players is where Adam’s story shines.

“Of Mice and (Murdered) Men” by Rosalie Spielman—Rosalie’s story involving high school baseball and a shapeshifting student is straight out fun with a great voice.

“Eight Seconds to Live” by Robin Templeton—Robin vividly portrays the world of bull riding. Even if you’ve never been to the rodeo, you’ll feel like you have a seat in the stands.

“Off the Beaten Trail” by Maddi Davidson—In this thriller story about a kidnapped biathlon competitor, Maddi excels at bringing the action to life.

“Race to the Bottom” by Shannon Taft—Shannon’s story about zorbing has fun and amusing dialogue. “Your uncle’s re-election is in danger […] and your plan is for people to pay us to treat them like rodents?”

“Cui Bono” by F. J. Talley—F. J.’s story involving doping in minor-league baseball features an intelligent and dogged PI. Watching him figure things out is satisfying indeed.

“The Last Lap Goodbye” by Lynne Ewing—Lynne’s twisty story involving collegiate swimmers is full of drama and reads like a homage to the movies Lifetime is famous for.

“A Matter of Trust” by Barb Goffman—This is my own story, so talking about its best part feels awkward, but here goes. This is a tale about a man who becomes addicted to jelly donuts while he is supposed to be cycling for his health. I’m especially pleased by how the character comes alive on the page though his dialogue and thoughts.

“And Now, an Inspiring Story of Tragedy Overcome” by Joseph S. Walker—The writing in Joe’s figure-skating story sings with wit and humanity, and the detail will make you believe he knows firsthand about the problems of being a modern-day mobster, as well as the costs of raising an Olympian.

I hope I’ve enticed you to want to read these stories mixing crime and sports. This anthology, edited by Donna Andrews, Marcia Talley, and me, is available in ebook and trade paperback formats. Three Strikes—You’re Dead! would make a great gift for the sports lover—and short story lover—in your life, and if you need a Father’s Day gift, this book could be a slam dunk.

 **Giveaway!**

Readers, do you have a favorite sport? Do you like reading short stories? If you’ve read Three Strikes—You’re Dead!, did you have a favorite story? Leave a comment and be entered to win an ebook version of this anthology.

Barb Goffman has been nominated for major crime-fiction short story awards forty-three times and has won the Agatha Award three times, the Macavity Award twice, and the Anthony Award and Ellery Queen Readers Award once each. She is this year’s recipient of the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer Award, which is the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s lifetime achievement award. Barb makes her living as a freelance editor, especially enjoying working on traditional and cozy mysteries. She’s an associate editor of Black Cat Weekly and has edited or co-edited fourteen published anthologies with two more forthcoming. Barb blogs every third Tuesday at www.SleuthSayers.org. Learn more at www.barbgoffman.com

The Voice

by Barb, in Massachusetts, babysitting for grandchildren

I turned in the last manuscript for the Maine Clambake Mysteries a year ago. Since then I haven’t felt retired. There were still cycles of copy-editing and page proofs to get through, and two releases to support, Easter Basket Murder in January, and Torn Asunder at the end of April. But now, aside from some speaking appearances this summer, I am well and truly done.

Which leaves the challenge of what to post about here.

Because I got a late start in publishing, one of the ironies of retiring now is that I feel like I have finally put in my 10,000 hours. I’m beginning to understand what I’m doing when it’s time to go. So I thought, with everyone’s indulgence, I would use the next several blog posts to talk about what I think I’ve learned as a writer. Many of our blog readers are writers, and most of those who are readers are not ordinary readers. They don’t read a book a month or pick up a book at the airport on the way to vacation. They are readers who treat books and stories as others might treat a serious hobby. So I thought our readers might be interested.

One caveat: Since these are things I’ve learned along the way, you will find as the posts go on that I have violated or neglected every one of them in my work. Don’t bother looking for examples because you will definitely find them.

The first subject I will tackle is Voice.

Voice

Voice is the most amorphous yet important concept in writing fiction (or memoir or narrative non-fiction). If you look up definitions you will find them confusing and even contradictory.

Agents or editors will reject a book, saying, “The voice wasn’t quite there for me.” Or, “I didn’t love the voice.” Or, the famous expression attributed to various agents and editors, “I can fix everything but the voice.” For writers this can be frustrating. What does that even mean?

Here are some things voice is not.

The voice is not the prose style.The voice is not the way a point of view character or narrator speaks or thinks.The voice is not the order in which the tale is told, or the pace.

Voice is instantiated in all those things, but describing them as voice is like describing symptoms in order to identify a disease. The symptoms are real, but the disease lurks deep inside.

Voice is the voice of the storyteller. It is unseen, behind, and above the story.

At it’s best, voice is

seductive. It says, “Come with me…”confident. “…and I will tell you an amazing story…”in command. “I won’t lose the way or let you down.”authentic. No matter how many layers of fiction are loaded on, ultimately, the writer’s intellectual and emotional life, values, and personality are there somewhere, on the page.

How do writers develop voice? Prodigies have it out of the gate. But writing is a field with very few prodigies. Most people who begin writing seriously as grown-ups have several things working against them.

For one, writing is hard. I hate when people moan about how hard writing is because a) it is an entirely voluntary activity, and b) it’s not coal mining. But there is a lot to master– character, plot, pace, setting, theme, structure, and the words themselves.

For another, by the time they get serious, most writers will have heard hundreds of stories about the obstacles ahead and the infinitesimal chances of success.

And, to be authentic, writers expose themselves in a way that leaves them vulnerable. There is the inevitability of judgement and, often, fear of judgement. Judgement not just of the writing but of the writer.

So most writers begin supremely unconfident in their abilities. Exactly the wrong place to be. Because unconfident means in your head, worried, second-guessing.

How do you develop a seductive, confident, in command, authentic voice?

You can put in your 10,000 hours.(1)You can revise and revise until you are confident in the story and that confidence comes through on the page.You can let it all go, get out of your head, and trust yourself. (This is not as easy as it sounds.)

I often liken writing to riding a bicycle. When you start, there are so many things to pay attention to–balance, steering, pedaling, braking, speed control, road, route, obstacles. But with practice, you aren’t conscious of the individual skills and mechanics. You just go.

Does having a seductive, confident, committed, authentic voice mean you will write a great book? Of course not.

There are the deluded, those whose confidence is sadly misplaced. And the arrogant–authors whose books are precious in a “look at me!” self-conscious way,. There are authors who are confident they have written the best book they can in the moment but who are still learning. The next book will be better. The best and the worst thing about writing is that there is always more to learn.

But the converse is also true. You can’t write a great book without a seductive, confident, committed, authentic voice propelling it.

So why not go for it?

Readers: What do you think voice is? Are you conscious of the author’s voice when you read or write? Do you think you should be?

(1) The authors of the original 10,000 hours study have disputed that they meant it exactly the way Malcolm Gladwell uses it in Outliers. But it sure is a handy way to describe how you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice.

Guest Lois Winston

Edith/Maddie, loving that June is busting out all over north of Boston.

I’m happy to welcome Lois Winston to the blog, whose thirteenth Anastasia Pollack mystery is out!

Here’s the blurb: Magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack may finally be able to pay off the remaining debt she found herself saddled with when her duplicitous first husband dropped dead in a Las Vegas casino. But as Anastasia has discovered, nothing in her life is ever straightforward. Strings are always attached. Thanks to the success of an unauthorized true crime podcast, a television production company wants to option her life—warts and all—as a reluctant amateur sleuth.

Is such exposure worth a clean financial slate? Anastasia isn’t sure, but at the same time, rumors are flying about layoffs at the office. Whether she wants national exposure or not, Anastasia may be forced to sign on the dotted line to keep from standing in the unemployment line. But the dead bodies keep coming, and they’re not in the script. Craft tips included.

Thirteen and Counting

Sorry, Knot Sorry, the thirteenth book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, recently released. It’s a bit mind-boggling to me. Unlike many mystery authors, I didn’t grow up reading Nancy Drew and dreaming of becoming an author—of any genre. And yet, here I am, already mulling over plots for the next book in the series.

I began my writing career after having a dream that wouldn’t go away. I finally decided to commit it to paper. When I’d finished, I thought I’d written the Great American Novel. I quickly learned no one in the publishing industry shared my opinion.

After countless writing workshops, networking, and revisions, I eventually learned how to write right and even secured an agent. Ten years, nearly to the day I’d started writing the not-so-great American novel, my first book sold. Talk Gertie to Me was humorous women’s fiction. After that came Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception, my multi-revised first attempt. It had morphed from a 50,000-word romance that spanned thirty-five years to a 90,000-word romantic suspense that took place over a few months.

Then, one day I received a phone call that changed my life. My agent had learned that an editor was looking for a crafting-themed cozy mystery series, and she thought I’d be the perfect person to write one. In my day job I freelanced as a crafts designer for kit manufacturers, crafts and women’s magazines, and craft book publishers. Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, currently at thirteen novels and three novellas.

I’m someone who likes to take risks in my writing. So instead of creating an amateur sleuth who is a crafter or shop owner, as is the case in many other crafting-themed cozy series, I wanted to come up with something different. So, I channeled my own experiences and made Anastasia the crafts editor at a women’s magazine. That way, I could feature a different craft in each book, another break from other crafting cozies, which generally feature only one craft.

As the series has progressed, I’ve also occasionally introduced new characters. Not all of them appear in each book. They come and go, depending on the plot. In some books they play a minor role. In others, a major role. Sometimes they’re only mentioned in passing or not at all. In Sorry, Knot Sorry, the detective I introduced in Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, plays a major role in the story.

Poor Detective Spader is dealing with budgetary constraints and staffing shortages. Over the course of the series, his initial adversarial relationship with Anastasia has morphed into one of respect and appreciation for the way she often sees things others miss. Reluctantly, he asks for her help in solving a baffling murder with few clues.

Readers: Is there a series you read where you’ve enjoyed a character who’s made an appearance in one book and wish the author would bring that character back? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of one of the first nine books in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.

To find Buy Links and more info about Sorry, Knot Sorry, click here .

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.

Synopsis Writing from Fear to Finished

Just the word “synopsis” strikes fear into the hearts of most writers. How the heck does one capture an entire novel in a one (or at most) two-page single-spaced document? A document that must cover the major plot points and be captivating at the same time.  A document that is supposed to grab the interest of an agent or editor. I think I’m getting PTSD just writing this. However, they have gotten easier for me to write.

I’ve mentioned this before, but Barb gave me the best advice for writing a synopsis. Here it is:

Pretend you are in a bar with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while.Start like this, “You wouldn’t believe what happened to my friend Sarah. Yes, she’s the one who was involved in the yard sale murder. But this time, something even more crazy happened. She… then start the story. Go as far as you can.Don’t be afraid to say, as you would in the bar, “Oh, and I forgot to tell you this part…”When it gets boring, say “That wasn’t even the craziest part. After that she…” and go as far over the top as you can. That’s the climax.Write that down.Go back, straighten it out.Go back and put her arc in, and some personal stuff.

Making the synopsis a conversation, took mine from a dry, boring page to something with voice.

Here are the beginnings for two of my synopses:

Rum and Choke: Chloe Jackson knows something is up the minute she walks into the Sea Glass Saloon and sees the expressions on Joaquin Diaz and Vivi Slidell’s faces. Their tentative expressions border on trepidation. Minutes later she knows why.

Sell Low, Sweet Harriet: When a young spouse is murdered on Fitch Air Force Base, everyone grieves. Sarah Winston feels the death deeply because she could have been that woman many years ago. When Special Agent Frank Bristow of the asks Sarah to help with the investigation, she says yes. Her instructions are to listen to conversations and report back because she can participate in base activities and move among the spouses in a way that a special agent can’t.

Author Amy M. Newman has some don’ts when writing a synopsis:

Do not write it in the form of a list, like an outline. …Do not include a detailed breakdown of each chapterDo not include every scene in your storyDo not include most (if any) of the subplotsDo not include minor charactersDO NOT include dialogue

And if you want more information, here are links to a couple of great articles on writing a synopsis:

https://janefriedman.com/how-to-write-a-novel-synopsis https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-synopsis-for-your-novel

How to Write a Novel or Memoir Synopsis

Readers: Did you know authors had to do this? Have you had to do something similar? Writers: Any further advice?

Synopsis—Writing from Fear to Finished

Just the word “synopsis” strikes fear into the hearts of most writers. How the heck does one capture an entire novel in a one (or at most) two-page single-spaced document? A document that must cover the major plot points and be captivating at the same time.  A document that is supposed to grab the interest of an agent or editor. I think I’m getting PTSD just writing this. However, they have gotten easier for me to write.

I’ve mentioned this before, but Barb gave me the best advice for writing a synopsis. Here it is:

Pretend you are in a bar with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while.Start like this, “You wouldn’t believe what happened to my friend Sarah. Yes, she’s the one who was involved in the yard sale murder. But this time, something even more crazy happened. She… then start the story. Go as far as you can.Don’t be afraid to say, as you would in the bar, “Oh, and I forgot to tell you this part…”When it gets boring, say “That wasn’t even the craziest part. After that she…” and go as far over the top as you can. That’s the climax.Write that down.Go back, straighten it out.Go back and put her arc in, and some personal stuff.

Making the synopsis a conversation, took mine from a dry, boring page to something with voice.

Here are the beginnings for two of my synopses:

Rum and Choke: Chloe Jackson knows something is up the minute she walks into the Sea Glass Saloon and sees the expressions on Joaquin Diaz and Vivi Slidell’s faces. Their tentative expressions border on trepidation. Minutes later she knows why.

Sell Low, Sweet Harriet: When a young spouse is murdered on Fitch Air Force Base, everyone grieves. Sarah Winston feels the death deeply because she could have been that woman many years ago. When Special Agent Frank Bristow of the asks Sarah to help with the investigation, she says yes. Her instructions are to listen to conversations and report back because she can participate in base activities and move among the spouses in a way that a special agent can’t.

Author Amy M. Newman has some don’ts when writing a synopsis:

Do not write it in the form of a list, like an outline. …Do not include a detailed breakdown of each chapterDo not include every scene in your storyDo not include most (if any) of the subplotsDo not include minor charactersDO NOT include dialogue

And if you want more information, here are links to a couple of great articles on writing a synopsis:

https://janefriedman.com/how-to-write-a-novel-synopsis https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-synopsis-for-your-novel

How to Write a Novel or Memoir Synopsis

Readers: Did you know authors had to do this? Have you had to do something similar? Writers: Any further advice?

Good Intentions

I think we’ve all heard the saying: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. (I always thought the saying was good intentions pave the path to hell, but apparently, I was wrong. Gasp.) Curious about the saying, I found this: According to The Phrase Finder (phrases.org.uk), the expression is often attributed to the Cistercian abbot Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153), but that provenance is suspect given that the earliest reference to Saint Bernard saying this is in a work written almost 500 years later.

This month we’re talking about intentions. Wickeds, what do you have good intentions to accomplish this summer?

Edith/Maddie: I intend to (try to) relax more! I love sitting on my deck with a good book and a cool drink. It’s also relaxing to cook with summer produce, putter in my garden, or walk on the beach in the early morning or late afternoon, and of course to grab visits with my grandgirl when I can. I do have a book to write, but it isn’t due until December.

Sherry: That sounds fabulous, Edith! I intend to clean out the store room in my basement, but I’ve been saying that for fourteen years. I go down with good intentions, get overwhelmed, and leave again. Last summer, I did get six bins of stuff down to three so fingers crossed I can do more of that this year.

Liz: I always have WAY too many intentions, and this summer is no different. I’m working on two books, one contracted and one not yet. I have some business goals to accomplish as well, but like Edith, I also plan to prioritize rest. That doesn’t come easily to me, but it’s a goal.

Barb: Like most folks who retire, I have a list of things I’ve wanted to accomplish for a long time. So far, nada. Unlike Liz and Edith, I am VERY good at rest and relaxation.

Sherry: Barb, I’m also very good at rest and relaxation plus a lot of procrastination!

Julie: I apsire to be better at relaxation and rest. My intentions this summer are to get some things fixed in my condo and to work on a deep edit of a book that isn’t working, but has legs. Also to rest and relax, LOL.

Readers: What plans do you have?

Propagating New Growth

Edith/Maddie writing from north of Boston, where the days are long, the women are strong, and all the children are above average. Oh, wait …

June is such a time of flourishing, show-offy growth in New England. We have as much light in the sky as we ever do, sliding gracefully into the summer solstice in a few weeks. All the new vegetable seedlings are growing like crazy, as is my garlic crop, planted clove by clove last October.

The lilac blooms are over, but the peonies – goodness, the peonies!

My above-average grandbaby is growing and flourishing like a new seedling, too. She’s chortling and babbling and holding her own books (this girl is growing up in a seriously bookish household), smiling all the way. And napping on her Grammy’s lap.

I also propagated a plant the traditional way. Twenty years ago I “inherited” a Christmas cactus plant from a former resident of a house I lived in. It turned out to be a Mother’s Day cactus, and it hasn’t ever been very healthy. I am apparently incapable of tossing a house plant, and this year I gave it a severe cutting back.

I stuck a few cuttings into some potting medium in a small pot. And, voila! They rooted and flourished and are blooming, only a little late for Mother’s Day.

But how about propagating words, you might fairly ask? Is Maddie deviously devising new ways to kill people?

Right now I’m waiting for a set of editor comments to come back on Scone Cold Dead, the book due July 1.

And wearing my Edith hat, yes, I’m propagating a new short story. I live in a town with historic mill buildings still standing. The river that powered the mills rushes through a narrow space downtown, falling 75 feet over a quarter mile. I was walking home through what we call the Upper Millyard last week and slowed to appreciate the sight of a half dozen artists scattered about facing their easels as they propagated plein air paintings.

Ooh, my author brain said as I kept walking the two blocks home. Suppose…and what if…? “Murder in Plein Air” is what I’m writing now, as I get ready for the release of Murder at the Rusty Anchor on June 25.

Readers: Tell us about your garden, your creative pursuit, or any new thing in your life!

Welcome Back Esme Addison! #giveaway

Sherry — the hydrangeas are blooming so it must be summer!

I’m so delighted to have Esme Addison back to talk about her new book, An Intrigue of Witches. It’s the first book in the Secret Society mysteries. After reading the blurb, I’m intrigued! Here it is:

Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American historian, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She’s also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper?

So when she receives an anonymous and very cryptic invitation to visit historic small-town Robbinsville, North Carolina and hunt for a missing archaeological treasure – with a million-dollar pay out at stake – it’s one she can’t refuse. Besides, her beloved grandmother lives in Robbinsville, and it’s been too long since she’s paid her a visit.

Soon, Sidney’s on an exciting treasure hunt, following two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her ever closer to the artefact she’s searching for. But what is the artefact? And why is Sidney starting to feel like she’s at the heart of a terrifying conspiracy she doesn’t understand?

The answer blows Sidney’s world apart, plunging her into a dark, glittering world of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, witches and magic, linked to an ages-old conspiracy that could destroy the very principles upon which America was founded.

This delicious genre-blend of cozy thriller, contemporary fantasy and mystery is National Treasure meets the supernatural treasure hunts of Indiana Jones, with a dash of A Discovery of Witches. 

Secrets, Suspense, and Small Towns

Some of you may know me from my Enchanted Bay Mystery Series, a traditional cozy murder mystery with magic. However, today I’m discussing An Intrigue Of Witches, the first book in the Secret Society Mysteries.

An Intrigue Of Witches is a treasure hunt in the tradition of Indiana Jones… there’s a historian, a search for an artifact connected to a historical mystery and Da Vinci-style puzzles to decode… and there are witches. You may also be surprised to know I’ve set this story in a cozy small town.

In fact, it’s a question I’m asked often: Why do you set your stories in small towns? i.e. Even the stories that aren’t cozy mysteries. Recently, while attending a writer’s conference in NYC, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city, I found myself reflecting on this very question.

As a native of North Carolina, the allure of small towns has always drawn me. The tranquility, the sense of community, these are elements that resonate deeply with me. While I appreciate the vibrancy of big cities—I’ve fallen in love with places like Los Angeles and Rome—there’s a comfort, a familiarity to small towns that I find irresistible.

But what is it about small towns that makes them such compelling settings for my mysteries? Small towns possess an intimacy, a closeness that magnifies the drama of a story. In An Intrigue Of Witches, for example, family dynamics play a central role, with Sidney’s strained relationship with her parents adding layers of tension to the plot.

And then there’s the element of suspense. In a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business, where secrets can simmer beneath the surface, even the quaintest of small towns can harbor dark mysteries. It’s this juxtaposition of coziness and suspense that I find so captivating.

But cozy towns are not without their complexities. While they may appear idyllic on the surface, they can also be hotbeds of drama and intrigue. It’s this duality—the contrast between the serene exterior and the tumultuous undercurrents—that makes them such rich settings for storytelling.

So, why do I set my stories in cozy small towns? Because they are microcosms of the human experience, places where the mundane and the magical coexist, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. They are the perfect backdrop for exploring the mysteries of life, love, and everything in between.

And that’s why I set my stories in cozy small towns.

Readers: Do you have a preference for stories set in small towns or big cities? If you do, why or why not? Do you think the setting is a character? For example, if you have a favorite novel set in a small town, do you think it would be the same if it were set in a large city? How might it change the story?

In honor of the audiobook of An Intrigue Of Witches publishing on June 4th, I will giveaway two copies of the book to two commenters. You may choose audiobook or eBook formats.

Bio: Esme Addison is the bestselling author of the Enchanted Bay mysteries, the first of which was nominated for an Agatha Award, and the brand-new Secret Society mysteries. 

Esme lives in Raleigh, NC with her family and is a member of Sisters In Crime, International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America and Crime Writers of Color. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, traveling, and indulging her love of history at museums and historical sites. You can find Esme at: https://esmeaddison.com/

Guest Vicki Delany *Giveaway*

Edith/Maddie finally at the end of the month north of Boston.

I’m so happy to welcome my Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen blogmate Vicki Delany to the Wickeds today to celebrate her new Stranger in the Library, the 11th in her Lighthouse Library series. Read down for a giveaway of book 10!

What a great cover. Here’s the blurb: Outer Banks librarian Lucy is working on an art show at the library when paintings–and people–start to go missing, in this 11th Lighthouse Library mystery from national bestselling author Eva Gates.

When a traveling show of impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina, librarian Lucy and the staff at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are inspired to create an educational display about art history. Their launch of the display is a huge success, but the morning after, they discover that a reproduction of a famous painting has gone missing.

No one knows why anyone would bother stealing it: the picture is of no value–the real, priceless painting is under lock and key at the art show itself. Lucy gets an invite to the glitzy opening night for the real show, where she notices unusual tension among the show’s organizers. Then, the man scheduled to give the welcoming speech fails to arrive, and a party-goer is discovered drowned in a fish pond.

Meanwhile, Louise Jane is totally captivated by Tom Reilly, a handsome, charming art dealer lurking at the edges of the receptions on both nights. Tom slipped away from the party early, and he cannot be located by the police. Who, Lucy asks, is Tom Reilly, the shadowy figure threatening to break Louise Jane’s heart? Something is afoot in Nags Head, and it’s up to Lucy and her friends to get to the bottom of it before it’s not just paintings being framed.

Playing with the Classics in the Lighthouse Library Series

In the Lighthouse Library series I write as Eva Gates, I enjoy taking a classic novel and using some of it in my own book. The novel the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Reading Club is studying during the events of my book are loosely (very loosely) used in my plot and characters.

I have great fun with that. In past books, I’ve used The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The House of Seven Gables, The Moonstone, and others. I don’t copy the plot of those great books, but I enjoy playing slightly with them to create characters and events in my own books.

In the eleventh in the series, The Stranger in the Library, the club is reading Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith. This might not be a true ‘classic’ novel, but it is a classic of the mystery genre, so I felt free to use it. (My book – my rules!)

In this case, the basic idea for plot of my book came before I chose the classic novel to go with it. I wanted to do something about art fraud, and I searched my memory banks for a book to do with art fraud. What better than Ripley?

Now you might wonder what the psychopathic murderer, thief, and fraud Tom Ripley could possibly have to offer a cozy mystery.  And therein lies the fun.

When I teach creative writing, I always tell my students, there is nothing like a new idea. It’s all been done before. The trick is to take that idea and make it your own.  Tom Ripley, of all people, reimagined as a cozy character? Why on earth not?

Fortuitously, the Netflix TV show Ripley (based on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Highsmith) was recently released to great acclaim. I enjoyed it very much, and I’d highly recommend it.  Andrew Scott (who played Moriarty on the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock show) is absolutely superb in the role.  The success of the TV show has reopened discussion about Tom Ripley himself. Can we sympathize with such a clearly ‘bad’ character? Can we, if not sympathize, at least understand him? Can we really hope he gets away with it? (True confession: I found myself hoping he would).

In my book, mysterious art dealer Tom Reilly arrives in Nags Head at the same time as a touring art exhibition of prominent American Impressionism. To coincide with the real show, the Lighthouse Library puts on an exhibit of their own, to spark conversation about the meaning and importance of art. A totally worthless and not-very good reproduction of a work by an important Outer Banks artist disappears after the library’s opening reception.  Who would take such a thing, and why? And what might Tom Reilly know about it? Complicating things, library assistant Louise Jane, is totally captivated by the handsome stranger.

The title of my book, The Stranger in the Library, is a deliberate riff on one of Highsmith’s best-known books, Strangers on a Train.

Readers: have you seen Ripley? Did you enjoy it? Have you read the books? Or – where is your favorite lighthouse? Let us know and you could win a signed hardcover copy of the tenth Lighthouse Library book, Death Knells and Wedding Bells. 

Vicki Delany is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than fifty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy.  She is currently writing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries, the Tea by the Sea books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates).

Find Vicki at http://www.vickidelany.com and http://facebook.com/evagatesauthor