Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 181

Amateur Sleuth Like A Boss — Guest Debra Sennefelder

We are so excited to welcome back author Debra Sennefelder! Her debut novel The Uninvited Corpse released on March 27th from Kensington Publishing. Debra is giving away a copy to one of our commenters.

Here’s a blurb about the The Uninvited Corpse:

[image error]Leaving behind a failed career as a magazine editor and an embarrassing stint on a reality baking show, newly divorced lifestyle entrepreneur Hope Early thought things were finally on the upswing—until she comes face-to-face with a murderer . . .

Hope’s schedule is already jam packed with recipe testing and shameless plugs for her food blog as she rushes off to attend a spring garden tour in the charming town of Jefferson, Connecticut. Unfortunately, it isn’t the perfectly arranged potted plants that grab her attention—it’s the bloody body of reviled real estate agent Peaches McCoy . . .

One of the tour guests committed murder, and all eyes are on Hope’s older sister, Claire Dixon—who, at best, saw Peaches as a professional rival. And suspicions really heat up when another murder occurs the following night. Now, with two messy murders shaking Jefferson and all evidence pointing to Claire, Hope must set aside her burgeoning brand to prove her sister’s innocence. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer intent on making sure her life goes permanently out of style . . .

I’m so thrilled to be here with all of you celebrating the release of my debut novel. I feel like I’ve come full circle here with the Wickeds. I had the honor of sharing how I got my first contract (there’s been a second one for a new series since that post) and the pleasure of sharing my cover reveal here on WCA. While I’ve enjoyed so much sharing all of my exciting news with all of you, I have to admit I’ve truly loved finding a community that shares my passion for cozy mysteries.

There’s a long list of reasons why we love cozies. For me it’s the amateur sleuth. So today in celebration of my release I thought I’d share with you how I view amateur sleuths and what I had to make sure mine, Hope Early, had either honed or needs to work on because she’s new at this sleuthing thing.

We’ve come to equate the terms Boss Lady, Girl Boss and Lady Boss with being strong, determined and in control. This is a shift in attitude from not encouraging women who have these attributes to nurturing those strengths, talents, and gifts. I’ve been reading cozy mysteries for about twenty years now and I’ve come to realize the amateur sleuths in all my favorite cozies are Boss Ladies or more appropriately each one is a Boss Sleuth.

When you think about amateur sleuths they’re just not busy-bodies. They’re women who are willing to risk friendships, family relationships, their jobs, their standing in their communities and quite possibly their lives all in the search of the truth and justice. These are not women who will standby idly while someone is being wrongfully accused or when the victim doesn’t seem worthy of justice being sought.

Not everyone is born an amateur sleuth so here are 9 tips on how to become not only an amateur sleuth but a Boss Sleuth (why be average when you’re chasing down a killer).

Doubt everyone’s alibi

You need to suspect everyone is lying about where they were and what they were doing at the time of the murder. Because someone is lying.

Learn when to say “no”

Throughout the murder investigation you’ll be asked to participate in events that could take you away from your own investigation, interfere in your tracking down of leads so you need to learn how to firmly say “no”.

Learn when to say “yes”

Keep your ears open for any opportunities to hang with a suspect because it’s so much better to interrogate someone under the guise of a community event.

Question everyone’s motives

Everyone has a secret and it’s your job to find out if the secret is motive enough for murder. Be prepared for some uncomfortable conversations because they will happen.

Empathy is your greatest asset

Tapping into your empathy will help you connect better to the people around you and this makes you a more relatable person and people will open up to you and give you information to help with your search for the killer.

Challenge authority figures

You’ll be told time and time again to stay out of the investigation so you’ll need to prepare yourself to stand firm and do what you believe is right. There’s a chance you’ll end up fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken, but it’s a small price to pay to see that justice is served.

Don’t back down to threats or attempts on your life

No good deed goes unpunished but remember you’re doing this for the greater good – justice and keeping an innocent person out of prison. Just keep your wits about you, always be aware of your surroundings and one of those life monitors could come in handy if you’ve…well… if you can’t get up.

Fine-hone your apology skills

You’ve come to realize asking permission to talk to suspects or search a property is usually not given so you’ll need to craft apologizes for when you’re caught doing those things. Remember, you’ll be seeking forgiveness, so make it good.

Improve your baking skills

You don’t need to be a culinary whiz, but a freshly baked batch of muffins goes a long way with empathy to get someone to open up to you. Just be aware you don’t know if you’re having coffee and pie with a murderer, so keep an eye on the knife.

I hope those tips are helpful. They’ve been helpful as I’ve developed Hope Early. I keep in mind that a Boss Sleuth is a multi-faceted woman who is kind and understanding and can kick butt when needed. She’ll fight for what she believes in even when those closest to her think she’s making a mistake. Ultimately, she believes in herself and knows that she’s right.

I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to create my own Boss Sleuth. With Hope and every other amateur sleuth, I think this quote “women are like tea bags – you never know how strong she is until she’s in hot water”, which is often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, says it all.

Thank you for joining me today to celebrate my debut release. Readers: I’d love to know who your favorite Boss Sleuth is.

Author Bio:

[image error]Debra Sennefelder, author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy. You can find Debra at: http://debrasennefelder.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays

by Sheila Connolly

Yesterday was one of the major holidays in the religious world—Easter. This year, by coincidence, April 1 was also the fixed date of one of the silliest holidays in European and Western communities.

Easter is what is known as a movable feast, which means it has no permanent date. Years ago, when I was studying medieval art (which includes much religious imagery, about which I had to do research), I worked out how its date was once determined, which involves a lot of factors and is impossible for most of us to remember from year to year. Wikipedia boils it down to “the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March.”

So on the one hand we have a significant ecclesiastical holy day, and on the other we have people playing tricks on others and telling silly jokes, in close proximity, on what we call April Fool’s Day.

Years ago I happened to be in France on April 1st. There the day is known as “Poisson d’Avril.” Yes, that means April Fish. I probably wouldn’t have noticed except that I saw people on the street walking around with a paper fish pinned to the back of their shirt, so I asked someone why. I understand that the goal is to pin it on someone without them noticing, and if you succeed, you get to call the victim an April Fish.

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Why a fish? Again, one theory is that it is somehow linked the the zodiacal sign Pisces—the fish. (Although that sign falls a bit before April 1.) But I’m not sure anyone knows the origins.

Bottom line: many countries celebrate this day devoted to silliness, under a variety of names, such as Huntigowk Day from Scotland (not much used any more), and that name April Fish gets around to Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and parts of Switzerland and Canada. Isn’t that lovely? We need laughter and humor in the world, and this is a friendly kind.

Does anybody know any other holidays that serve no purpose other than to make us smile?

What Has Writing Taught the Seven Sinister Sisters?

Edith here, delighted to host the Seven Sinister Sisters, a group I joined up with this winter and spring. We are seven authors with new books coming out, and we’ve been guest blogging all over cyberspace since January. You can see where we’ve been and where we’re still scheduled on our Facebook page. Commenters here today will be entered into our grand giveaway!

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For today’s post I asked my sisters this question: What has writing taught you? Here are our answers in no particular order.

Becky Clark: Gosh, where to start? All the obvious ones: work ethic, self-discipline, organization, finish what you start. But also writing has given me a pretty thick skin. Don’t get me wrong, negative reviews always sting, but writing has taught me that everyone has different likes and dislikes. I’m sure I always knew that, but when you mostly hang out with your like-minded husband, kids or kids-in-law, you forget that not everyone has, say, your weird sense of humor, or sees what you were trying to do with your writing. I’ve learned not to take things too personally.

Sue Star: 1. Discipline—I can’t not write.  Even when I’m on vacation I write every day, even if it’s only a paragraph.  2.  Passion—if I don’t feel that burning desire to dig into a project, it’s not worth doing.  Passion is the magic footprint that makes a story sparkle.  3.  Instinct—I’ve learned to trust my instincts about a story. Then “magic” happens, and a story ends up writing itself.  4.  Art—I’ve learned that I can paint, too.  No matter the form, creativity is all about the journey, not necessarily the destination.

Pat Hale: Writing has taught me not to take things personally. In my early days of writing when I received a rejection, it would take days to get over the disappointment and self-doubt. I’ve learned that rejections are not personal and they’re often the best way to learn. After the initial disappointment (still happens, but doesn’t last as long), I remind myself that the editor/agent isn’t rejecting me, but telling me I need to work harder and make my work better. Not personalizing rejection has been a hard learned but excellent lesson that has carried over into every area of my life.

Shawn McGuire: Writing has taught me to be more present in life. I think I notice things more, partly because my writer’s brain is always looking for details, partly because I’m naturally nosey. Part of noticing more means understanding people better. There’s a reason why people are the way they are—whether they’re simply having a bad day or because something happened in their life to make them a curmudgeon. Writing makes me dig down to uncover those reasons. I feel like I’m more understanding of most people, less tolerant of others.

Leslie Karst: That even when a task seems terribly daunting—such as composing an eighty thousand-word manuscript—if you simply keep at it, following through with the process step by step (or page by page), before long you will have finished. Completing the first draft of the manuscript that became my first Sally Solari culinary mystery (Dying for a Taste) was an incredibly powerful confidence builder, both for my writing career and for my life in general. Reaching that goal is all about perseverance and follow-through, and about having a belief in yourself.

Cathy Perkins: The first thing writing taught me was patience! Not just the waiting to hear from agents, editors, and reviewers, but the patience to learn the craft. To not be in a rush to publish before the story is ready for prime time.  Equally important though, writing has shown me how generous the author community is. I’ll never forget how kind and inclusive Sophia Littlefield, Nicole Peeler and Janet Reed were at my first Malice – my first conference and my debut novel. Talk about nervous! They set the bar I’ve tried to reach in helping other authors in this crazy place we call publishing.

Edith Maxwell: For me, being a writer has taught me that I have to show up every morning and write, but also that I have to trust the story enough to let it float sometimes. I’ve learned the value of discipline, and much of writing is in fact hard work. I also now know I can’t control everything. Characters occasionally take their sweet time revealing what comes next or why they acted the way they did.

Readers: What has your occupation, favorite hobby, or pastime taught you?

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Our next stop on the tour is April 3 on the Killer Characters blog. Here’s where you can find each of us in the meantime:

http://www.patriciahale.org

http://www.edithmaxwell.com

http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/

http://www.cperkinswrites.com

http://www.shawn-mcguire.com

http://www.rebeccawriter.blogspot.com

http://www.BeckyClarkBooks.com

To celebrate our new releases, the Seven Sinister Sisters are having a giveaway!

Seven lucky winners will receive an ebook from one of us.

One GRAND PRIZE winner will receive a signed copy from each of us!

Enter to win by leaving a comment. Our tour runs from January 6th to April 30th and we’re answering a different question at each blog. Leave a comment at every blog for more entries! We’ll draw the winner from the combined comments at the end of our tour.[image error]

 

 

Spring Cleaning

Jane/Susannah/Sadie here, waiting on that first crocus…

(Reason being, in our family, whoever sees the first crocus gets to choose which ice cream place to go to–and if I win this year, I’m picking the local farm where the cream comes from their own cows and they make the ice cream on site)

Confession time: When it gets close to crocus time, I always start to feel a little guilty. You see, I don’t spring clean, but I feel like I should. I have a high tolerance for clutter and cleaning is not a big priority for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never be featured on and episode of Hoarders–at least I hope not–but I’ve got a lot going on, ya know? In my defense, I keep the dishes done six days out of seven, I usually keep up on the laundry, the trash and recycling get taken out weekly, and I wipe up the bathroom once a week too. Other things, like picking up, dusting, mopping, and vacuuming, get done when I have time. Or when I can’t stand it anymore. Or when I’m procrastinating doing something else I really don’t want to be doing.

Some people have the clean gene. I don’t.

But the thing is, I do feel physically and mentally better when I have order around me–not to mention I am more creative and I just generally get more done when I don’t have dust and out-of-place objects sucking up my energy. So, not because it’s spring, mind you, but because I have a new writing project I want to make progress on I’ve committed to start spiffing up my environment, one area at a time, starting with my desk. My hope is that this process will get the words flowing. It’s worked before. It’ll work again–it must!

Are you a Messie or a Neatnik? Any tips for staying on top of household chores? 

 

 

Wicked Wednesday–the Best Museum

Wickeds, rounding out “the best” Wicked Wednesdays this month, tell us about your best trip to a museum, gallery or other exhibition. It could be art, furniture, crafts, technology, or something else. Why was it so memorable?

Liz: One of my favorite museum trips was to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C. It was the coolest place for crime junkies like us, taking visitors through the most famous crimes in history as well as crime through the ages, from way back in the days of the wild west – and pirates. I remember walking into the lobby and seeing Jeffrey Dahmer’s real VW bug – it was creepy and fascinating at the same time. Sadly, it closed down about two years ago. But the Newseum, also in DC, is a close second for awesome museum experiences.

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The BraBall, by Emily Duffy.
Photo by Sibila Savage.

Edith: What would we do without museums? Liz, I saw the Newseum last week and took pictures of the rows of daily newspaper front pages – what a beautiful thing – but we didn’t go in. I have to say the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore was one of the most fun museums I’ve ever seen (I googled “Baltimore museum of weird stuff” to get the right name…). We saw a ball made of donated bras of all sizes and colors that was as tall as me (see the creator Emily Duffy’s web site).  A huge sailing ship made of toothpicks. Odd bird’s nests and body parts sticking out of the building’s outer walls. A magic schoolbus. And lots more. The experience was part Gaudi, part Dali, part whimsy, and all delight. I highly recommend a visit to AVAM.

Jessie: I recently took a trip to the International Spy Museum in Washington with two of my kids. It was such fun to see the buttonhole cameras, recording devices and propaganda posters from other eras. I loved crawling quietly through the ductwork of a pretend office building ceiling as part of an immersive experience.  Probably the most interesting to me personally was a photograph of a WWI era pigeon. Why was that, you ask? Because pigeons are part of the fun in the next Beryl and Edwina mystery, Murder Flies the Coop!

Sherry: Jessie, I love that you are using pigeons in your next book! I grew up in Davenport, Iowa which had a wonderful museum and art gallery. In fourth grade they loaded us up on a train and took us to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. It was amazing. A heart that you could walk through and listen to it beat. A coal mine. Model trains. But best of all an amazing fairy castle doll house — the story of it is fascinating. Sigh. I’ve always loved doll houses. I was lucky to have parents that indulged my sister’s and my curiosity so we visited lots of museums as we traveled around the country. And now I live outside of Washington DC with its amazing selection of museums.

Julie: I have a museum date with one of my nieces on Thursday–we’re going to the MFA in Boston, one of my favorite places on earth. I’ve been blessed to go to museums all over the world and in this country, and have many happy memories. But my favorite? I always dreamed of going to Egypt, and nine years ago I realized my dream. To be in Egypt, and to go to the Cairo Museum where treasure are laid out all over the place–that was a treat on so many levels.

Barb: I had trouble picking the “best” with this question as I did all the others. Gun to my head, I’ll go with the David Hockney exhibit I saw with my husband and daughter in 2012 at the Royal Academy in London. Kate was there getting her Master’s degree and Bill and I came over for her spring break. I happened to read that there was a Hockney exhibit that would end while we were there. The exhibition was so popular our tickets were for 10:30 on a Tuesday night. I love Hockney and I love, loved the show. You can read what I wrote about it here. Second favorite: The Gee’s Bend Quilts at the Whitney in 2003.

[image error] Readers: What is your favorite museum, gallery or exhibition?

The Secret to Journaling

By Liz, enjoying the longer days already even though it’s still kinda cold…

Last month I wrote about some foolproof ways to find the muse when she seems to be hiding. One of those critical steps I mentioned is journaling. And I’ve since found that the thought of it scares some people.

I mean, it does sound kind of intimidating, if you haven’t been in the habit of doing it. Especially if you go into it thinking you have to write a certain amount of pages every day, or spend a set amount of time. I remember the first time I contemplated doing The Artist’s Way and committing to writing three morning pages every day.

I gotta tell you, it wasn’t an easy commitment. But once I jumped in and started, it was worth it.

But three morning pages a day aren’t the only way to journal. In fact, there are no rules about how to do it, as long as you do it.

So here are some alternatives to think about, if you’re still on the fence.

Use a guided journal. There are a ton of them out there, and they help you get your thoughts down and ease you into the process. From a simple gratitude journal (so many to choose from), to the popular Five Minute Journal, which asks you to write affirmations, gratitude lists, and document amazing things that happened to you that day, to a Bullet Journal, there’s no shortage of ways to get some thoughts down.
Go digital. If the thought of going to the bookstore, picking out a journal, maybe even getting really crazy and decorating it – not to mention the pens! – then go digital. Our phones are never far from us, so we may as well put them to good use. And there are really cool journaling apps out there now. The Five Minute Journal has a digital version. Journey is another good one. And if you want a written invitation to journal – seriously – try Dabble.me, the app that emails you at a time of your choosing and asks how your day was, and you can respond however you like. (Don’t worry, it’s private – just perfect for those who don’t like the whole pen and ink thing!)
Focus on appreciation. A foolproof way to get your journaling going and also boost your mood for the day is take that notebook with the blank pages and write about all the things you appreciate. I’m not talking about gratitude lists – I mean, actually writing out all the things that you love and appreciate, what makes you feel good, what makes you laugh and gives you a reason to get up in the morning. Write one thing and watch it build into the next, and the next. I learned to do this from Gabby Bernstein, and at first I thought it would be too hard. You know how it is when you’re cranky in the mornings and want to write down everything that makes you mad or upset? Yeah, that. But seriously, try it. It can lift your mood and change your whole outlook on the day.

And of course, you can alway just go old-school. Buy a pretty journal, or buy a blank one and put awesome stickers on it. Buy some fun pens – gel, felt-tip, pretty colors, whatever makes you happy – and write whatever comes to mind. You can set a timer, or not. Write until you feel like you’ve got it all out, or write two sentences and call it a day. However you do it, just start.

Once you’re in the habit, you won’t want to miss a day. Seriously. And you’ll start seeing results in other areas of your life – writing productivity or otherwise. Guaranteed.

Readers, do you keep a journal? What’s your process? Leave a comment below!

On Vacating

Edith here, who got back last night from a real vacation. A real vacation! I don’t take one very often, so this getaway was long overdue.  Leave a comment about road trips or other favorite vacays and you might win my last ARC of Turning the Tide.

Hugh and I left on the Ides of March and drove south to Silver Spring, Maryland. We visited with my older son Allan and his fiancee, Alison, and got to tour the September wedding venue (squee!).

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We also taste tested a caterer, and play a wicked fun game with the couple and Alison’s parents, Rick and Sue.

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Allan, Hugh, and I  spent one day in DC. We caught the Caldor mobile exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, and the giant blue rooster, of course.

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We paid a pop-in visit to the Obama portraits in the Portrait Gallery, which was a huge treat, as was seeing a portrait of the female Supreme Court justices, and paying homage to Louisa May Alcott.

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We were lucky to spend our last night in the DC area with fellow Wicked Sherry and her darling husband Bob and of course the four-legged Lilly, but failed to snap even a single picture.

From there we drove to Asheville, North Carolina, where you can visit a microbrewery about every other block. It was fun to catch up with Hugh’s sister Anne and brother-in-law Jim. We also feasted on the sight of flowers in bloom, something that isn’t happening yet in New England.

We ate out every night, but one of the best classically southern meals was lunch the first day. Fried catfish and Brussels sprouts, anyone, or fried chicken on a biscuit with sausage gravy and cheesy grits? Yum. (And now I’m home? A serious diet is on the menu.)

We also played a lot of cards and a dice game named Farkle, because it was cold and snowy one of the days.

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We visited all kinds of art galleries, indoor and out, and ate lunch at a barbeque place where I had the best home-smoked BLT I have ever tasted.

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After one dinner out we hit the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. I found out the next day the French Broad is a river running through Asheville, not the founder of the lounge!

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One highlight was a visit to the Thomas Wolfe house. I soaked up the nineteenth century kitchen and bedroom decor for my historical research, but also soaked up so much information on a fellow author I  knew nothing about.

Another special evening was cocktails at the historic Grove Park Hotel overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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I grew up with mountains always on my southern California horizons and I felt so at home being surrounded by peaks in Asheville.

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Much of the Blue Ridge Parkway wasn’t open because of ice remaining in the tunnels. Still, the views were a delight.

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I was able to do a bit of writing on a short story every morning but otherwise just enjoyed myself. I will say I’m looking forward to getting back to work on my books, which is a sign that I have the career I should have.

At our last night at Luella’s barbeque (yes, food to die for), I was alerted to the fact that the man sitting behind me had a gun strapped to his waist. Clever detective that I am, I managed to snap a picture over my shoulder. That’s right, kids, North Carolina is an open-carry state. And yes, story ideas abounded.

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We zipped back to DC for one night, and the next day stopped by New Jersey to bring Hugh’s aunt Joyce lunch from her favorite Chinese restaurant.  She’s age almost 93 and still living alone in a senior apartment.

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Joyce is the last of her Lockhart generation and a real dear – who also happens to be a fan of my books. I made sure she had a copy of each new one.

I made good use of my passenger time on the two-day trip home, and managed to finish the first draft of the story I’d been working on – the old-fashioned way.

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[image error]The vacation was time away from book work, but I acquired a number of ideas for new stories and let my creative brain mostly rest, too. And it’s wonderful to be home. Our cats left us mountains of fur and creative scatterings of coasters on the floor – which of course means they were on the tables.

Now I’m ramping up for the April 8 release of Turning the Tide, and I find myself with one last ARC. Who can I send it to?

Readers: We talked here about our favorite vacations a couple of weeks ago. What’s been your favorite road trip? Your most unusual vacation? Let me know in the comments and I’ll send an ARC along!

When Did I Become a Writer–and a Giveaway by Vickie Fee

Barb here. I’m so happy to welcome Friend of the Wickeds Vicki Fee to the blog today.

Vickie will give away a signed paperback copy of Til Death Do Us Party to one lucky commenter here.

[image error]The next entry in Vickie Fee’s Liv & Di in Dixie cozy mystery series, TIL DEATH DO US PARTY (with the electric pink cover), comes out March 27. The Dixie gang travels to Las Vegas for Mama and Earl’s rockin’ Elvis-themed wedding, while Liv juggles a bachelorette party for Mama and a problem-plagued soirée back home. Mama and Earl’s happily-ever-after seems like a sure thing, but all bets (and nuptials) are off when they get to the Burning Love Wedding Chapel. Their Elvis-impersonating minister has left the building…permanently. And worse, Liv’s cousin, Little Junior, is suspected of his murder. With Mama’s happy ending on the table and Little Junior about to lose it all, the stakes are higher than ever. Liv and Di must hit the Strip to find the real killer before he finally plays his ace…

WHEN DID I BECOME A WRITER?

When people ask how I became a novelist, I usually tell them I worked many years as a newspaper reporter and finally decided I wanted to write my own stories instead of other people’s—and that editors take a dim view of reporters who make up stuff. This is true, but only part of the story. My writing roots go much deeper.

I was the kid who couldn’t wait to write about my summer vacation. While most of my classmates seemed to dread these little writing exercises, I relished them. Not that my summer vacations were all that exciting, but I knew I could make them sound exciting if I just found the right words. By the third grade, I was nerdily reading my way through the 10-inch-thick unabridged dictionary at our house. I started this self-imposed project because I was deadly serious about the school spelling bee. But I soon became much more interested in the meanings and sounds of words than their spelling.

In the fourth grade I won a national essay contest in my age group, which garnered me a congrats over the school public address system, a box of candy from my principal and an appearance on a local TV news show. Not only that, but they gave me a huge pile of cash (a $25 savings bond). My writing career was assured at that moment. However, I spent a few decades writing for school and then writing for newspapers before I broke into fiction.

The mystery writer seed was also planted early on, even if it bloomed late. By age 12 I had moved from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie. I loved trying to unravel the whodunit. I loved the setting. But more than anything I loved the characters, especially Miss Marple. I daydreamed that Miss Marple was my great aunt with whom I spent summers in St. Mary Mead, having tea, untangling her yarn and—most importantly—helping her solve murders. As years passed, I read voraciously and explored many genres, but my first love remained traditional mysteries. And if I didn’t like the way a novel ended, or thought the author didn’t resolve a subplot the way the she should, I would rewrite it in my head. I believe this is when I became a mystery writer, although I didn’t know it at the time.

I’m now a certified (or certifiable) mystery writer, with three books published and a fourth set to release in a few days. From this side of things, I understand better how my favorite authors sometimes went off course with a subplot or an ending. Writing a novel that weaves together an intriguing plot and compelling characters isn’t easy. I don’t claim to have mastered the mystery, but those rare, precious moments when things come together and I feel like I’m getting it right are glorious. Still, at some point in every manuscript so far there has come a moment when I’ve asked myself, “Why did I ever think I was smart enough to be a mystery writer?” But when one big piece of the puzzle finally falls into place, I think, “I’m brilliant! I’ve just figured out my own mystery.” The one that I made up myself.

Readers: Was there a moment when you knew (at the time or in retrospect) that you would become a writer, or teacher, or doctor or…? Comment or simply say hi to be entered to win Til Death Do Us Party. (Love the title.)

Bio:

[image error]Vickie Fee, the highly-caffeinated author of the LIV & DI IN DIXIE mystery series, was born and raised in Memphis, where Elvis and BBQ are king. She worked many years as a newspaper reporter in small Southern towns populated with colorful characters, much like those in the fictional town of Dixie. She now lives in Marquette, Michigan with a peek-through view of Lake Superior and a longsuffering husband. Catch up with Vickie (www.vickiefee.com) on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VickieFeeAuthor), Twitter (@vickiefeeauthor), or on the mystery blog (www.chicksonthecase.com).

Four Wickeds and Lots of Friends in Portland, Maine on April 10

by Barb who is packing up in Key West and preparing to head north too soon

On April 10, from 7 to 9 pm Jessie, Liz, Edith, and Barb will be at an exciting event in Portland. Maine. Co-sponsored by Print Bookstore and Kensington, the evening is billed as a Cozy Mystery Author Palooza. The event will be held at at local brew pub. Partner vendors will provide delicious beer, drinks and snacks. You can get all the details on Print’s website here.

Rising Tide Brewing

103 Fox Street

Portland, ME 04101[image error]

The authors coming include

Anne Canadeo, author of KNIT TO KILL

Maddie Day, (Edith Maxwell) author of BISCUITS AND SLASHED BROWNS

Devon Delaney, author of EXPIRATION DATE (out 4/24/18, pre-orders available at the event)

Kaitlyn Dunnett, author of X MARKS THE SCOT

Jessica Ellicott (Jessie Crockett), author of MURDER IN AN ENGLISH VILLAGE

Sally Goldbenbaum, author of MURDER WEARS MITTENS

Leslie Meier, author of BRITISH MANOR MURDER

Liz Mugavero, author of CUSTOM BAKED MURDER

Carlene O’Connor, author of MURDER IN AN IRISH CHURCHYARD

Barbara Ross, author of STOWED AWAY

Misty Simon, author of CREMAINS OF THE DAY

Lea Wait, author of TIGHTENING THE THREADS

We’d love to see our New England peeps there!

So Wickeds, a brew pub is an unexpected place for a cozy mystery signing. What the most unusual author event you’ve participated in–place or any other factor?

Julie: I so wish I could be there to cheer you all on! What a wonderful event, and a great lineup! As to my most unusual place–I need to get on this. So far they’ve been pretty standard, but I aspire to sign in a brew pub, so there’s that. I expect tons of pictures my friends!

Edith:  Probably my most unusual event was my dual launch of Called to Justice (written as Edith Maxwell) and When the Grits Hit the Fan (by Maddie Day). I had my two personalities interview each other at a local indy bookstore. It was fun and the audience loved it. And if you don’t get enough great beer at our Portland event, come to my launch party on April 11 in Amesbury! Please see my web site for details.

Jessie: Several years ago I did a murder mystery night event at Zorvino Vineyard in Sandown, NH. The organizers had invited several mystery authors to play roles in the event along with a bunch of seasoned actors. It was a ticketed event and part of what was included was a signed copy of a book by one of the authors. There must have been over two hundred mystery enthusiasts in attendance. I got to play the victim!

Barb: This question caused my mind to travel over a lot of venues. Hard to believe I’ve been at this for 7 and 1/2 years. What I saw was a whole lotta libraries and bookshops, and the occasional auditorium, theater or classroom.No place unusual. I think one of the most unusual things was after my first book, The Death of an Ambitious Woman, was published. When I showed up for a library visit, there was a lovely display with my photo and bio–and no book. “I’m sorry, your book was stolen,” the librarian reported. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered!

[image error]Sherry: Have a fantastic time in Portland! The strangest was the time a bookstore put me in the children’s section and I had to keep telling parents not to buy my book for their children. Last week the Centreville Regional Library set up an event for me at the Winery at Bull Run here in Virginia. It was a lot of fun.

Liz: For my very first book launch for Kneading to Die, I did it at The Big Biscuit, the pet bakery in Massachusetts. These are the wonderful people who supply me with recipes for the books. It was such a fun experience – dogs and people abounded, and there was even a doggie cake for Shaggy and her friends. One of my favorite times ever.

Readers: What is the most unusual place you’ve been to or done a book talk?

Wicked Wednesday–the Best Performance

Wickeds, what was your all-time favorite performance–play, musical, opera, ballet? Tell us all about it and especially tell us why. I think this one will be impossible for Julie–or maybe incredibly easy. Top three, Julie?

Edith: I, along with my two older sisters, studied ballet from first grade through ninth. [image error]Somewhere in the mid-sixties, my mother splurged for four tickets for us to see Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev dance a ballet. My vague memory says the performance was of Romeo and Juliet, and I can’t find a historic record of the performance. Despite the vagaries of an older mind, I have a clear memory of these two master dancers’ beautiful and graceful bodies. Their physical art put to music. Their emotional interpretations of the story. I still love to see any artistic dance performed.

[image error]Julie: You’re right, this is impossible. Three that come to mind: Patrick Stewart in A Christmas Carol. I actually saw him do it twice. Amazing. (He was also fabulous in Macbeth at BAM, but I digress.) Another one is the Lyric Stage Company production of Nicholas Nickleby. (Here’s the cast warming up.) Two shows, which I saw on the same day. About seven hours between them. A really delightful show, with a stellar cast. My last choice is another long one. Gatz, by the Elevator Repair Service. I saw it at the ART in Cambridge. Another two shows, this time eight hours of theater all told. Gatz is a staged version of The Great Gatsby. When it first started, and the main actor (the narrator) picked up a copy of the book and started reading it aloud, I started to squirm. The setting was a 80’s era office, and I thought to myself “what have I gotten myself into?” Then other people started to say lines, and all of a sudden there was magic. I was transported. Now, I didn’t list Hamilton, or Les Miz, or . . . Nor did I list dance or opera. I am very blessed that working in the performing arts has been part of my life for over  30 years, so there is a lot to choose from.

Jessie: I love, love, love Cirque du Soleil. I have attended performances three times and all of them have been magical. I saw them in Las Vegas, Orlando and in Boston. There is something so engrossing about the experience. There was so much to see that I couldn’t decide where to look! My very favorite part of each show was the aerial silks performance. Breathtaking!

Sherry: In the mid-eighties my sister and I saw Mikhail Baryshnikov dance in Denver, Colorado. It was supposed to be an outdoor performance but the weather was bad so they moved it inside. His leaps were breathtaking. The emotion he put into his performance unforgettable. A couple of weeks after we saw him, he was injured and from what I remember he never did the high leaps again. Another favorite performance was seeing Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard when we lived in the LA area. She was fabulous.

Liz: I really loved seeing Wicked (and I’m not just saying that because of the name!) in New York years ago when it first came out. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz and I loved learning the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West. And the music was fab!

[image error]

Michael Maloney as Prince Hal, Robert Stephens as Falstaff, Rob Edwards as Ned Poins

Barb: I struggled mightily with this one, too. Finally I decided to go with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Henry V, Part 1, which Bill and I saw in London in 1991. We both love the historicals most of all and have seen many together. I always feel when you see Shakespeare well-performed, you learn something about the contemporary world and people you know. This performance was so accessible, I felt like the actors were speaking directly to me and I was almost a part of it. Like Sherry and Edith, my second choice would be a ballet–seeing Violette Verdy with the New York City Ballet when I was a kid. She had so much charisma, you could not tear your eyes off her.

Readers: Tell us about your very favorite performance, who, what, when, where, why?