Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 257

Welcome Guest Marni Graff aka Auntie M Writes

Thanks so much for stopping by today Marni! Marni’s latest book, Death Unscripted, is the first in her new Manhattan series, featuring nurse Trudy Genova, a medical consultant for a New York movie studio. It sounds so intriguing!

Some women buy shoes. I used to be one of those before arthritis made attractive shoes go out the window and Birkenstocks come rushing in. For years now, my guilty pleasure has been buying books. Then I started to review them, and suddenly, to my husband’s relief, I wasn’t paying for the majority of them any longer.

One of my goals in starting Auntie M Writes crime review blog was to bring attention to authors from other countries, since my own Nora Tierney Mysteries are set in England. I started out writing a weekly review and still stick to that routine, but often add a Wednesday post here and there, especially when I have books piled up that relate to each other in some way. I call these my “survey” posts. Coming soon will be a post on books that contain humor and another written by fellow Sisters in Crime. I may find a new author or get a recommendation and read three at a time and review them together, as I will this summer for Christopher Brookmyre’s Sharp/MacLeod series.

When I was transitioning from being a nurse who wrote “on the side” to full-time writing, I conducted interviews with authors whose work I admired for “Mystery Review” magazine. Now when I find an author whose work I really enjoy, I’ll ask them if we can do an interview for the blog and really develop a relationship. Most writers are incredibly giving of their time and happy for the exposure.

Once the blog was established and I started routinely getting books from publishing houses, the piles also started. Stacked on our Welsh dresser right now are 44 books waiting to be read. These include several I don’t routinely receive for free, but are by authors I enjoy reading. St. Martin’s/Minotaur sends me their catalogue and lets me choose the books I will review. This works to their advantage as I’m invariably going to make certain I read a book I’m interested in, which is why there are tons of their books on my piles.

I’m often asked if there are books I don’t review. Of course there are. Free books mean that the houses are looking for me to find some kind of positive. If that becomes impossible, or if the subgenre is one I can’t bear to read, I simply don’t review that book. That’s not to say I won’t be critical. I often complain that one writer refuses to use contractions in her dialogue, which to my reader ear makes her characters sound stilted at times. Yet I keep reading her because her main character is intriguing and her stories are sound.

Next to my desk is a small three-tier bookcase where I keep the books I’ve already read that are waiting to be reviewed. Today that count is at 37. I read at least three books a week, sometimes a fourth if I can fit it in. I couldn’t possibly review them at their publish dates and try to get to them in a reasonable amount of time.

During my ‘day’ job, I’m writing my own mysteries, and with two series, often have two books going at different stages. Then there’s the marketing and reader outreach that accompanies a full time writer, editing for others, running a mentoring writers program, conducting workshops, and traveling to things like Bouchercon (in Raleigh this year, hooray! I can drive to it!). I also travel to England for St. Hilda’s Mystery and Crime Conference when I can and to research settings, usually every other year.

So when do I read?

Here’s my secret: I keep the book in process on my bathroom vanity next to the sink. When I head to the water closet, it comes with me. Brushing my teeth is good for three or four pages. It’s there when I put on my sun block and choose earrings. And since it’s where I take my nighttime medications, I take it to bed with me after and read with a booklight after my husband turns out the light. I stay up far later than he does, the house is quiet, the dog is usually asleep, and I snuggle down and just read … bliss.

That same book will come in the car when we go to town. We live in a very rural area on a river, lovely and peaceful for a writer, but very isolated. The closest town is half an hour away. Having a book with me lets me read when Doc runs into the hardware store on an errand. I take it with me to doctor’s offices, and yes, I’m that nut you see reading while my husband pumps gas, good for another four pages minimum.

Since I live at the end of a dirt road, the post office doesn’t deliver to our house, so a trip to get mail three times a week, is nine miles – ONE WAY. When the mail contains an envelope with a new book to add to my piles my husband says: “What else? At least it’s not shoes …”

Marni Graff is the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney Mysteries, set in England., and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. The Blue Virgin introduces Nora, an American writer living in Oxford. The Green Remains and The Scarlet Wench trace Nora’s move to the Lake District where murder follows her.  In process is The Golden Hour, set in Bath. Graff is also co-author of Writing in a Changing World, a primer on writing groups and critique techniques. She writes crime book reviews at http://www.auntiemwrites.com and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. A member of Sisters in Crime, Graff runs the NC Writers Read program in Belhaven. All of Graff’s books can be bought at Amazon.com or at http://www.bridlepathpress.com and are available as eBooks.

Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: Auntie M Writes, Bridle Path Press, Death Unscripted, Sisters in Crime, The Blue Virgina, The Golden Hour, The Green Remains, The Nora Tierney Mysteries, The Scarlet Wench, The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries, Writing in a Changing World

Wicked Dealing with Deadlines: Long Term

A past retreat.

As the Wickeds head out to a weekend retreat together, we thought we’d share how we deal with deadlines that might loom on the distant horizon. We all have multi-book contracts, and they usually come with built-in due dates. Wickeds, do you set daily word count goals? Take a week off the day job to pound out the story? Ignore the deadline and  then work furiously for the last month? Or?

Edith: Back in my high school days, I preferred to procrastinate as long as possible and then do an intensive production of a report or paper. It worked pretty well for me – I got good grades, even though I was effectively turning a long-term goal into a short-term one. But I can’t do that with three contracts. I simply have to work ahead as fast as I can.

The book I’m writing now? Isn’t due until January. But I also have books due in March and May, 2016, which is a first for me. Gulp. No more procrastination for this girl! It’s working for me so far. But when I get the “Yikes, I have no idea where this book is going,” kind of feeling, I confess to some panic. A long solo walk nearly always lets the plot emerge, though. So far, so good.

Jessie: Over time I’ve learned to trust my process. I let an idea rattle and percolate by asking myself questions in a notebook and then answering them until I get an unrelenting itch to start the actual writing. I make quick sketches of as many scenes in the book as I can manage ahead of time and then I dive in and write an average of 1200-1500 words a day, usually five days a week until I have created a first draft. Some days it’s harder to get to the word count and some days it is easier but I find if I just keep picking away, a word at a time, I end up with something worth revising. Once I get that first draft done I feel an enormous light-heartedness wash over me  and I no longer need to set goals the same way. Revising is my reward for getting through the thicket that is first draft and once I’ve entered that phase I mostly have fun until the deadline rolls around.

Sherry: My contract was to submit a book every nine months. So ideally I should sent one book in and start immediately on the next. But I find my brain needs a break so I usually wait a month before plunging in again. I’ve found during that month ideas are swirling around and come out when I start writing. In a perfect world I write 1000 words a day for the first draft. And since I’m a procrastinator the last month is usually filled with long days of polishing and rewriting.

Liz: Sherry, I have the same experience with that break getting my creative juices flowing! Love that. I do try to trust the process, but with a day job and two series I have to be a bit more militant about what I’m doing and when. I try to do 1000 words every day on weekdays, then crank more out on the weekends.

Barb: After six books, I guess my best advice to finishing any long term project is to set short term goals. I use a daily word count goal through the first draft, then I go by number of pages or scenes per day for the revisions. There are numerous other tasks, mostly problem-solving and figuring stuff out–like who knows what, when and scene order–and I’ve learned to allow time for those. I am trusting my process more these days. The first draft of my novels will always be too short, but I know now not to panic. The words will come.

Readers: How do you deal with deadlines that loom out a few weeks or months, or even a year? Strategies to share?

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: creativity breaks, deadlines, procrastination

Collection Correction

Jessie: Amidst the voluptuous green of late spring in New Hampshire

I was raised in a household of unrepentant collectors. My mother collected frogs and music boxes and books and sewing supplies. One of my sisters gathered up Barbies and books and every paper she ever turned in throughout elementary school. The other sister couldn’t get enough of anything vaguely Asian in influence.

My father was the most hardened collector of all. He collected rocks and dolls and books and stamps. He hoarded old farm tools, picture frames and art supplies. Chess sets, antique furniture and vintage bottles of patent medicine filled all the nooks and crannies he could wedge them into.

I fell victim to the same plight, unable to resist the lure of pretty pebbles, salt and pepper shakers in whimsical forms, teapots of humorous ilk, hats, unicorns and, of course, books. But at some point in the last few years the yearning to collect and to dust and to store so many items has faded. I’ve winnowed and decluttered and evaluated item after item in my home until I’ve reduced the contents to a degree that would have been unimaginable years ago. What’s left is what suits my life now and is a reflection of what brings me joy.

When I first started writing seriously I was certain I had no idea what I was doing so I fought my natural instinct to write with bloated abandon; collecting words and ideas like so many buttons in a cookie tin. I was certain my intuition must be wrong and my first manuscript finished the first draft at around 60,000 words. It was so lean pioneer provisioners could have sold it as jerky.

As time has passed I’ve become comfortable letting my collector out to play. In much the same way that three teapots seemed more appealing than one, I’ve discovered that often times I need to allow myself to say the same thing several times in just slightly different ways in a first draft. After that I winnow the offerings down to the one that best conveys my meaning or most compellingly moves the story along. I’ve found now that I am better at evaluating my physical environment, I trust myself to choose what is best for me in my work world as well.

But no matter how much I winnow in my work or my world I never can resist a pretty pebble.

Readers, do you consider yourself a collector? If so, what treasures do you have tucked away?

Filed under: Jessie's posts, Uncategorized Tagged: Barbies, Collecting, Decluttering, intuition, pebbles, salt and pepper shakers, stamps, teapots, winnowing

Wicked Wednesday: Spring/Summer Wardrobe

There is a brief period of time in New England that is called spring,and it is quickly replaced by summer, which is almost upon us. Wickeds and Readers, what is your favorite piece of clothing that you wear during the late spring or early summer? What one thing can’t you wait to be able to put on after a dire winter? Does you color-palate change?

Julie: I love being able to wear my jean jacket, and that is enough. I also love light cardigans, and layering. My palette explodes in the spring. Winter is pretty gray/black. Spring has more pinks, some blues. Still a lot of gray and black, but with zippier accents.

Jessie: I wear dresses all year long but I love to be able to wear them with sandals and a giant floppy hat instead of with heavy tights and knee-high leather boots.

Edith: Ya mean like these, Liz?

Liz: I’m so excited about colors this year. I recently did a mega-purge of clothes and shoes and have been trying to replace things with colors. I have my eye on a fun pair of peach pumps right now at DSW…

Bali

Edith: Sandals! I have chronically cold feet in winter, so when it’s warm enough for me to don my Birkies, I’m a happy girl. 

Barb: I’ll do Edith one better and say, barefeet! The minute the furnace goes off, so do the shoes, in the house, on the porch, on the beach. Anywhere I can get away with it. It is one of my favorite things.

Sherry: I trade in my jeans for skirts and long sleeves for short sleeves. And I’m so happy not to be bundled up in a coat, gloves, and scarf!

Readers: What do you love to wear, or to quit wearing, once the weather warms?

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: bare feet, Birkenstocks, DSW, floppy hats, jean jackets, sandals, skirts, spring clothees

Three Cheers for the Copy Editor

Jane/Susannah, from deep in the copy editing cave…

Hey, Wicked People. Hope you’re all staying cool and watching early summer things grow. (Yes, I know it’s not quite officially summer yet, but it’s close enough)

This past week I’ve been working on copy edits for Olive and Let Die, Book 2 of the Greek to Me Mysteries. Now, for those of you who might not know exactly what copy edits are, this is the stage in a manuscript’s publication process where the prose gets cleaned up, inconsistencies are noted (did your heroine’s eyes change from blue at the beginning of the story to green at the end—and you’re not writing an urban fantasy or sci-fi?), spellings and capitalizations of names and places are standardized, and those pesky hyphenated words get checked against Merriam-Webster and the Chicago Manual of Style.

It’s a fussy process for the copy editor (who is not your editor at the publishing house—you know, the person who bought your book and helped you fix the plot and characterization problems—but another person entirely), and it’s a fussy process for the author. Me? I use this time as an opportunity to go through the entire manuscript, word by word, again. I find that the copy editor is usually correct and I keep her/his changes.

I also usually find a lot more stuff to fix, which baffles me. Because, you see, I have a copy editing business of my own (Crazy Diamond Editing), and I do this work for other people. (You can read my blog post about it here) And I’ve already gone through the manuscript thoroughly, word by word, before I even think about turning it in to my editor. So you’d think I’d have the cleanest prose anyone at the publishing house has ever seen. “It’s the manuscript I’ve been waiting for all my life! A-plus-plus-plus-plus!” I picture Miss Shields from A Christmas Story here, and my writer friends all cheering me on and pumping their fists in the air. So when those copy edits come back, it’s always a little bit of a letdown. Hmmm. Not perfect, after all.

Now, this manuscript was turned in more than a year ago, and, confession time, I haven’t looked at it since then. So as I went through it again, I was able to read it more like a reader than a writer. I realized a couple of things. One, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d feared. In fact, I rather liked it. And two, my characters did an inordinate amount of sighing. I took out thirty–yes, you read that correctly–sighs that I had missed the first time around. And I took out a bunch of nodding, too. Now Bonaparte Bay is a lot less angsty and a lot less agreeable.

My favorite pet, Ellie-cat

And now, I know what one of my pet words is. Every author has them, and the more I copy edit for other people, the more sensitive I am to these repeated words, phrases, and actions in my own work. So maybe I’m getting closer to that perfect manuscript. In my rich fantasy life, some future copy editor is going to throw up her hands and say, “I can’t find a thing to fix!” I nod and sigh in satisfaction, then nod and sigh some more.

What are your pet words and phrases?

Filed under: Uncategorized

Happy Book Birthday – Privy to the Dead

Sheila Connolly’s latest Museum Mystery came out last week – so this is a Happy Belated Book Birthday to Privy to the Dead! Lift a glass to our very prolific Wicked Accomplice. Here’s the scoop:

A suspicious death has Nell Pratt down in the dumps…

Nell Pratt, president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, has something to smile about thanks to a generous donation from a major Philadelphia developer who’s willing to help update their museum. But renovations have barely begun when a man is struck by a car in front of the building and killed.

The victim is a construction worker who found a curious metal object while excavating an old privy in the museum’s basement. Nell thinks the death is somehow connected to the Society, and her suspicions are confirmed when an antiques expert reveals a link between the objects from the cellar and a fellow staff member’s family.

Now Nell must unearth a mystery with ties to the past and the present. Because when someone is willing to kill over scrap metal, there’s no telling what they’ll do next…

Edith: I love this series. Nell is smart and interesting, and I’ve learned so much about a small museum, the city of Philadelphia, and the life of fundraising and archiving. I can’t wait to read this installment.

Jessie: What a fun title, Sheila! It is sure to be another great read!

Sherry: Happy Book Birthday! You are keeping my TBR pile full and I look forward to this next adventure!

Barb: I am also a fan of this series. I like that Nell is a professional person, a flawed and interesting individual who lives in an interesting world. Also, since I went to college in Philadelphia, and to a university that has a museum….

Liz: Happy book birthday Sheila! Looking forward to reading!

Filed under: Book Release Tagged: Museum Mysteries, Privy to the Dead, sheila connolly

Where Are the Wickeds? June Edition

We’re starting a monthly first-Saturday edition, to let you know of our appearances, in person and in cyberspace.

Edith:

5 June 7 PM. Launch party for Farmed and Dangerous, Jabberwocky Bookshop, Newburyport, MA.

11 June 7 PM. Wicked Cozy Authors with author Ray Daniel at New England Mobile Bookfair, Newton Highlands, MA.

17 June 6:30 PM. With Liz Mugavero and Barb Ross at the Windsor Locks Public Library, Windsor Locks, CT.

24 June 6:30 PM. Featured author at Merrimac Public Library, Merrimac, MA.

27 June 10 AM – 1 PM. Selling and signing at Amesbury Days Farmers Market. 21 Friend Street, Amesbury, MA.

Barb:

The big news of the week for me is the audiobook of Musseled Out was released. I have some Audible free codes, so if you like to post reviews on Audible and you’d like a free code, leave me a comment here and I’ll find you.

As Edith says, the Wickeds will all be together on a panel at New England Mobile Book Fair, Thursday, June 11 at 7:00 pm to help Ray Daniel kick off the release of his second Tucker mystery, Corrupted Memory. I love this series!

I’ll also be with Edith and Liz at the Windsor Locks Public Library in CT on Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 pm. We’re hoping to catch up with Wicked Accomplice Susannah Hardy while we’re so near her regular stomping grounds.

And, on Friday, June 19 at 6:00 pm, I’ll be with friends of the blog Kate Flora and Brenda Buchanan at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine. Would love to see you there.

So, three states in six days. I know New England states are small, but good thing I like to drive.

You can always catch up on my appearances on my website at http://maineclambakemysteries.com/appearances/

Sherry: For the first time ever the Wickeds will all be together (fingers crossed for me that the the weather and airlines cooperate) on June 11th at 7:00 pm! New England Mobile Book Fair with Ray Daniels! And I have something brewing online for June 25th. Watch for details on Facebook and at my website http://sherryharrisauthor.com

Filed under: Group posts Tagged: Corrupted Memory, New England Mobile Book Fair, Ray Daniel, sherryharrisauthor.com

Opening Lines

Write an opening line for the winter farm-themed picture as we continue to celebrate the release of Edith’s book Farmed and Dangerous.

Julie: The plants looked good, really good. Maybe it was the fresh plastic that kept in the heat, but let in the light. Or perhaps the melted snow had magic properties. She suspect it was the decision to use her ex-husband as fertilizer. No matter what it was, it was a bumper crop, for sure.

Jessie: The ad on Craigslist read “Cozy home with spacious sunroom.” When Bonnie complained that a broken-down camper and makeshift greenhouse weren’t what she had imagined Clyde pointed out it had also read “No questions asked.”

Liz: My grandmother wasn’t answering her doorbell, but there was an eerie light emanating from her creepy greenhouse out back. Something told me not to go in there, but I had to see if she’d finally disposed of my grandfather once and for all.

Sherry: The thaw was occurring faster than the decomposition. Time to hookup the camper and move on.

Edith: Jimmy slogged through the snow toward the high tunnel. I hoped the levitating cement blocks would cue him in to the danger. But the aliens had taken over those formerly inanimate forms just liked they’d taken over me. Jimmy didn’t have a chance.

Barb: And that was the last time we used Airbnb.

Readers: Add yours!

Filed under: Book Release, Group posts, Opening Lines Tagged: aliens, Bonnie and Clyde, camper, Farmed and Dangerous, greenhouse, high tunnel, opening lines

Solo Retreat

Edith, all by herself gazing out at the Ipswich salt marsh.

View from the living room.

LaBelle in the living room.

Despite the joy and exhilaration of having a new book out – which really never gets old, even though this is my fifth published mystery novel – I do have more books to write.

Rumpole in his chair.

I have a dear friend who lives alone in a lovely small house on a quiet dead-end road facing some of the salt marshes common to the town where I previously lived. She has three elderly rescue cats and likes to travel. I had mentioned to her that if she ever wanted me to come and cat sit, I’d be happy to. Sure enough, she’s off to New York for the week with her good friend to celebrate their eightieth birthdays.

So I have five days here alone at a kitchen table with my laptop, my cadaver friend, some simple meals, a box of wine, gorgeous scenery, and a mystery to write. I can see marshhawks, hummingbirds, and egrets, and hear crows outside and a cat dreaming inside.

I set the timer for an hour and do sprint after sprint, after the fashion of Ramona DeFelice Long. Better yet, the only internet access is at my friend’s desk in another room, so I am much less distracted by my Facebook addiction and the other lures of cyberspace. To check the Interwebs, I have to stand, walk across a room, up two steps, and into another room.

Jeeves catching a spot of sun.

I take a walk outside now and then, maybe even venture over to Crane Beach or take my old walk along Labor in Vain Road. But mostly I’m head down cranking out some serious word count – 8000 new ones since Monday afternoon (will report in again at end of day). I’ll head home on Friday, just in time to get ready for my book launch party at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport (June 5 at 7 PM) – you’re all invited!

Thanks so much to my fellow Wickeds and all the rest of you fabulous readers who have offered congratulations and enthusiasm for my books this week and last. I’m on a two-week blog tour with Great Escapes Book Tours – schedule here – with lots of giveaways, in case you’re interested. Now, it’s back to the salt mines.

Readers – Tell us about your favorite retreat spot. Your dream getaway, even!

Filed under: Edith's posts Tagged: Crane Beach, Farmed and Dangerous, Great Escapes Book Tours, Ipswich, Jabberwocky books, Ramona DeFelice Long, writing retreat

Cats We’ve Loved or Love — Real and Fictional

We love the cover of Edith’s latest Local Food Mystery, Farmed and Dangerous. And how could we not talk about cats with that cute cat on the cover?

So Wickeds have you ever owned a cat? More than one? Had a favorite?

Edith: That cute cat is the artist’s rendition of our real-life cat, Preston. (Robin Moline is a fabulous cover artist, by the way.) Preston is our senior cat, a Norwegian Forest Cat, and the sweetest kitty ever. He’s gorgeous, a little dim, looks at you and asks to be petted while he eats (just like in the books), and has a teeny-tiny meow. He has two layers of fur, so he loves to sit outside in the rain, on the snow, and also in the heat – lately under the peony bush. We have two other feline darlings at home, and I’ve had a half dozen others in the past, but I’m delighted to be able to include Mr. P in my series.

Liz: Preston is a doll! As for me – you have to ask?? I’ll spare you from posting all of them, because that would be a really long blog post, but here’s a picture of Tuffy, my Maine coon cat who was the impetus for Nutty in the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries. Tuffy wandered into the backyard one day and has never left. He’s a typical Maine coon – a little snooty, very handsome and extremely smart. Oh, and did I mention demanding? But who can resist that face?

Julie: My sweet Ashley, who looked a lot like Tuffy, passed this past January. I will say, I think she was sweet, but she was very mindful and hated other cats, liked my nieces, and loved me. She tolerated the rest of the world.. I adopted her when she was 10, so only had 4 1/2 years together, but I do miss her. I am currently cat sitting for my sister, while some work is being done on her house. Joey and Gilbert are sweethearts, but bundles of trouble. I keep looking up,and finding them navigating through picture frames, or amongst tchotchkes on a shelf. I am definitely a cat person.

Jessie: We had a cat when I was a child that appeared in our barn and immediately became an important part of the family. We had just moved and I had yet to make friends. Boo filled a huge void, for which I was very grateful.

Sherry: I’m allergic to cats but when we lived in Florida an outdoor cat named Lucy lived across the street. Before she lived across the street she’d lived up the street and left that home when they got a new kitten. Our neighbors across the street took in a stray and Lucy moved to our house. She was a beautiful white and gray cat who loved being outdoors. The first fictional cat I loved was from the Thomasina from the Disney movie The Three Lives of Thomasina.

Barb: The cat of my adolescent and teenage years was Roo. She lived in the house next door with a widowed neighbor and her teenage daughter. Roo was already sharing space with a German shepherd when the older daughter in the family moved home to stay while her husband was in Viet Nam, bringing two toddlers and another German shepherd. Roo decided she’d had enough and moved to our house. It was her decision, not ours, but she lived with us for a decade. My first and only cat was Flash. I got her while I was in college after a particularly bad series of breakups and make ups with a boyfriend who was allergic. Flash was my insurance that the last breakup would stick. I told my parents getting her was “my first adult decision.” They laughed so hard they cried. But Flash stayed on through the arrival of my husband and my kids. (And was always happy to remind them that she was there first.)

Readers: Have you ever loved a cat — real or fictional?

Filed under: Book Release, Wicked Wednesday Tagged: cats, Farmed and Dangerous, Florida, Lucy, Norwegian Forest Cat, Preston, Robin Moline, The Three Lives of Thomasina, Thomasina