Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 34

Guest Allison Brook

Edith/Maddie here, happy to welcome Allison Brook back to the blog!

Also known as Marilyn Levinson, Allison’s seventh Haunted Library Mystery released a couple of weeks ago.

Here’s the blurb for Overdue or Die: Carrie Singleton has more than her fair share on her plate: her job at the Clover Ridge Library, preparing for her wedding to Dylan Avery, and hoping that the local art gallery doesn’t steal away one of her part-time employees. Her fiancé Dylan accompanies her to the beautiful home of Victor Zalinka—art collector and successful businessman—to select paintings for an art show at the library. While Carrie muses that Victor’s home would be the perfect wedding venue, Dylan spots a forgery among the paintings in Victor’s collection.

Then Martha Mallory is found murdered in her art gallery. With the assistance of Evelyn, the library ghost; the resident cat, Smoky Joe; and the office manager of Dylan’s private investigation company, Carrie comes up with a suspect list long enough to rival the size of an encyclopedia. During her investigation, Carrie stumbles across a terrible truth: Martha’s murder was part of something far bigger and more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. And it all leads back to the art gallery.

Take it away, Marilyn!

My characters are the driving force of my novels and are of prime importance to me. My characters have all sorts of adventures and experiences. Some commit crimes; others solve them. They evoke emotions in my readers. I especially love writing about my characters’ relationships. How they interact with one another reveals their personalities and always advances the plot.

Carrie is a lost soul at the start of DEATH OVERDUE, the first book in the Haunted Library series, and ready to leave Clover Ridge. But when she’s offered the position of head of programs and events at the library, she stays and does a great job. She develops friendships and falls in love, even taking on a temporary position of the town board. In OVERDUE OR DIE, she’s about to be married, that is, if she can ever find the right venue for her wedding.

Carrie and Dylan’s romance develops slowly and has a few bumps along the way. Carrie has to overcome her belief that she’s not capable of forging a long-lasting loving   relationship. But Dylan is steadfast and caring. Wisely, he never tells Carrie she shouldn’t investigate murders. In fact, in the last few books of the series, they solve the mysteries together.

Carrie’s relationships with her parents are more complicated. Growing up, she adored her father but he was rarely home. Her mother is a self-absorbed woman without a maternal bone in her body.  Now divorced and living far from Carrie, first her father and then her mother make an appearance in her grown-up life. How Carrie deals with her childhood memories and incorporates her parents in her present life leads to many surprises, especially when murders are involved.

Carrie’s relationship with Evelyn Havers, the ghost, has many facets. While Evelyn, a former library employee and a life-long resident of Clover Ridge, helps Carrie in her murder investigations, she withholds evidence if her nieces and nephews are involved. Evelyn’s role is to oversee the town’s well being through her relationship with Carrie. She offers Carrie personal advice and sometimes asks Carrie to help someone she was close to when she was alive. By the series’ end, Evelyn considers Carrie the daughter she never had.

I had such fun writing the two budding romances in OVERDUE OR DIE. One involves Susan Roberts, Carrie’s artistic twenty-six year old assistant, and her relationship with an older man. A much older man. Carrie is appalled by the age difference and wants to warn Susan that she’s making a mistake. But Evelyn reminds her that not all romantic relationships are clones of hers and Dylan’s. The second romance has its beginning when Carrie helps a fellow town council member with an urgent problem. One result is Carrie starts to see this person in an entirely different light.

Readers: If you read mysteries, what, if anything, stays with you long after you’ve finished a book? If you write mysteries, what element of writing is your favorite—the investigation, your characters, the setting?

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes traditional and cozy mysteries as well as novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series. 

Her juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and has recently come out in a new edition. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil’s Pawn, will be out in a new edition in 2024.

Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, and chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.

I Spy — Genre Hopping

Sherry — the falls colors are on parade but not quite at peak yet in Northern Virginia

I love a spy novel. Maybe it’s because I watched The Man from Uncle and Get Smart when I was young. Or maybe it was because there always seemed to be a spy thriller or ten in our house growing up—Leon Uris, Ken Follett, and Dorothy Gilman were my favorites. In the past couple of years it seems like there have been more spy thrillers featuring women coming out. And I’m here for it. I thought I’d share five of my recent favorites in alphabetical order by author

Second Shot by Cindy Dees — Here is the first bit of the cover copy: Retirement isn’t easy for a former CIA assassin. For fifty-five-year-old Helen Warwick, it may be impossible. I couldn’t wait to read it and I really enjoyed Helen and her complicated relationships with her family. There are some very graphic scenes with serial killers that I ended up not reading. That part of the book was a secondary plot and skipping scenes in this instance didn’t make me miss anything related to the overall plot. I’ll read the second book when it comes out.

Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen — I snagged this the moment I saw it on Amazon Prime First reads. It’s comes out on November 1st. It says it’s book one in the Martini Club series. From the cover copy: Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement. Fortunately, I downloaded it the day I’d finished reading another novel. This is a page turner with intriguing friends and their complicated relationships. I can’t wait for the next one!

Red Widow/Red London by Alma Katsu — From the cover copy: Lyndsey Duncan worries her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during an assignment, she is sent home to Washington on administrative leave. Alma worked in intelligence and takes those experiences to create a realistic and thrilling look at what it’s like to work for the CIA.

The Slough House books by Mick Herron — The first line of the cover copy for the first book in the series Slow Horses: London, England: Slough House is where washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what’s left of their failed careers. I originally bought this book for my husband and then decided to read it when he was done. The ensemble cast of complex characters hooked me right away and we’ve enjoyed every book since.

Barbara Ross recently said this of them: For readers, these books are tremendous entertainment. For writers, they are a master class in showing and not telling. And in juggling a dozen point-of-view characters, yet always advancing the story and still getting us to care about the characters, despite our limited time with each.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn — From the cover copy: Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon. They’ve spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they’re sixty years old, four women friends can’t just retire – it’s kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn. I loved the women in this book and Raybourn captures their individuality perfectly. Fingers crossed there’s a second one!

I also found this list of spy books with women leads written by women and once again I’ve added to my TBR pile!

Readers: Do you like spy novels? Do you have one to add to my list?

Signs and Passion

Another great quote about signs. This one is by Anton Chekov:

Passion must be concealed in a society where cold reserve and indifference are the signs of good breeding.

When I moved to New England, I was expecting cold and unfriendly people because that’s what I’d always heard about New Englanders. I was delighted that for the most part that wasn’t true. I have been, on occasion, teased by the Wickeds because strangers tend to ask me for directions or blab about their personal lives to me.

Wickeds, do you think this is true of New Englanders? Have you used that in your writing?

Julie: Sherry, you do have that Iowa nice open face that attracts strangers, LOL. As for New Englanders, I believe that we are kind, but not necessarily nice. There’s definitely a reserve, but if folks need help, New Englanders are there. I’ve definitely used that in my writing. Lilly Jayne, for example, is very New England. She seems standoffish, but will do anything for folks. Sully Sullivan, in my Theater Cop series, is the same way. All of this said, I am a New Englander, so perhaps I am delusional and we’re all cold fishes.

Sherry: You definitely aren’t a cold fish!

Jessie: I have thought about this topic often when I have traveled or when I’ve lived in different parts of the country. What I’ve concluded is that every place has its own definition of pleasant or polite. What passes as warm and typical in some parts of the world may feel superficial and even intrusive to others. New Englanders do tend to be reserved, but it is a respectful thing, in my opinion. There is a real premium placed on privacy as well as connections that are genuine. It may be harder to establish relationships here, but they do tend to go the distance once they are forged. I’ve used those sorts of sentiments in my writing again and again and never grow tired of exploring them.

Barb: I’ve thought about this a lot, too, Jessie. My novella, Scared Off, includes a family that is new to Busman’s Harbor. The husband has work colleagues and the daughter schoolmates, but the wife, who has left her job behind in Massachusetts, is having trouble making friends. Often, in New England, where people immigrated and then didn’t leave the first area where they ended up, there’s an existing web of relationships that is hard to break into. Of course, one of my most popular characters is a curmudgeon who doesn’t allow people he doesn’t know in his restaurant. He is based on a real person, so I guess that says it all.

Edith: That’s the stereotype, isn’t it? Certainly when I moved to Boston forty-two years ago, this Californian fresh from five years in the Midwest was brought to tears by a couple of people in public (all I want to know was the bus schedule…). I’ve certainly had a lot of people be very nice to me since – especially Julie! But when I look closely at my best friends over those four decades, three are originally from the Midwest, one from California, and one from Washington State. Hmm. I’ve dealt with the nature of New Englanders in my various books set here in showing the positive side – people who, in the end, will go the distance for you and have your back, even if they are not superficially friendly.

Readers: Have you visited New England? What did you think of the people?

The Perfect Cafe — Welcome Back Mia P. Manansala #giveaway

I met Mia while I was on the board of Sisters in Crimes. I’ve always admired her work ethic, passion, and commitment to making the writing community a better place for all writers. Mia is here to celebrate the release of Murder and Mamon. Thanks for joining us today, Mia!

“You do realize we’re a cafe, not a plant shop, right?”

This is the opening line of MURDER AND MAMON, the fourth book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. Spring has sprung in my fictional town of Shady Palms, IL, and the cafe is updating its decor and menu to accommodate new seasonal items.

Lila runs the Brew-ha Cafe (Brew-ha is a play on words since bruha/bruja means “witch” in Tagalog and Spanish, respectively, and the pronunciation is the same) with her two best friends, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres. These three very different women all bring something special to the cafe: Adeena is the barista, Elena brings in the plants, dried herbs, teas, plus homemade bath and beauty products, and Lila handles the baking and desserts. Each of them not only has their own specialty, they each weave in elements of their various backgrounds in their offerings: Adeena is Pakistani American, Elena is Mexican American, and Lila is Filipino American. Therefore, you’ll get items like ube crinkles, a delicious cookie that utilizes ube, a purple yam popular in the Philippines (recipe on my website and in my first book, ARSENIC AND ADOBO!). Or rose-cardamom and lavender-honey lattes, as a nod to the floral flavors and spices popular in South Asia, as well as spiced hot chocolate and horchata lattes that embrace Mexican flavors.

Writers and readers alike all seem to love a good cafe, and I’m no exception. One of my pipe dreams when I was younger was to open up a tea shop with one of my best friends that had an upstairs studio area for writers and other creatives. Since that’s never going to happen (I have ZERO business skills), I get to have fun writing the fictional cafe of my dreams. While the Brew-ha Cafe doesn’t have an upstairs studio (though Adeena and Elena are both artists, so maybe…), just about everything else about my protagonist’s workplace is wish fulfillment on my part.

As for real life cafes, one of my local favorites is Brewpoint Coffee with locations in Elmhurst and Oak Park, IL. Yummy drinks + great vibes = perfect place to write.

GIVEAWAY (U.S. only): To win a signed copy of MURDER AND MAMON, let me know about your favorite cafe and why you love it! Winner will be chosen at random from the comments.

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala

When murder mars the grand opening for Lila Macapagal’s aunties’ new laundromat, she will have to air out all the dirty laundry in Shady Palms to catch a killer…

Lila Macapagal’s godmothers April, Mae, and June—AKA the Calendar Crew—are celebrating the opening of their latest joint business venture, a new laundromat, to much fanfare (and controversy). However, what should’ve been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a tragedy when they discover the building has been vandalized—and the body of Ninang April’s niece, recently arrived from the Philippines, next to a chilling message painted on the floor. The question is, was the message aimed at the victim or Lila’s gossipy godmothers, who have not-so-squeaky-clean reputations?

With Ninang April falling apart from grief and little progress from the Shady Palms Police Department in this slippery case, it’s up to Lila and her network to find justice for the young woman.

The Calendar Crew have stuck their noses into everybody’s business for years, but now the tables are turned as Lila must pry into the Calendar Crew’s lives to figure out who has a vendetta against the (extremely opinionated yet loving) aunties and stop them before they strike again.

Bio:

Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She is the author of the multi-award-winning Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, and uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.

She is the winner of the 2022 Anthony Award for Best First Novel, 2022 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery, 2022 RUSA Reading List for Mystery, 2021 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, 2021 Chicago Reader’s Best New Novel by a Chicagoan, 2018 Hugh Holton Award, the 2018 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, the 2017 William F. Deeck – Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, and the 2016 Mystery Writers of America/Helen McCloy Scholarship.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter

Or check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com 

Revising a House

Jessie: In New Hampshire where the leaves are turning and woodsmoke drifts through the morning air.

Did you have strange, and or, disappointingly tedious weather this summer? Here in New England, things were less than ideal. When it was warm enough to feel like summer it rained. When it was sunny the weather was chilly. Mushrooms sprouted in the lawn. Birds muttered from soggy bowers. Tomatoes and cucumbers delayed their arrival by weeks and then only showed up halfheartedly.

All in all, it was not a particularly good summer to spend at the seaside. Fortunately, this was the year my husband and I decided to go ahead and have some long overdue repairs and renovations done to our cottage at the beach. The work has been extensive and of long duration. The back of the house was pulled to the subfloor and entirely rebuilt. The garden is an unrecognizable disaster. Everything from the inside of the house is now in the barn at our year-round home.

I had heard from quite a number of people that projects like this one can be stressful and even unpleasant. Fortunately for me, it all felt remarkably familiar. The process has reminded me, to a surprising degree, of revising a book. The house as it was came off as a first draft of sorts. It was a completed house but, there were certainly opportunities for improvement in structure, flow and tone.

Like with a novel we took a close, hard look at what was working and what was not. We made notes and imagined how things might be done differently within the footprint available. We drew up a budget, which is a bit like being mindful of word count. We came up with an approximate timeline for the work to be completed. Deadlines are something with which I am all too familiar! Making decisions about colors and windows and where to locate light switches reminded me of the constant requirement to make choices while writing.

And then, that day by day, week by week, work began. Like with writing, sometimes the process seemed to be flowing well and moving ahead by leaps and bounds. At other times it was difficult to notice any progress at all even when we knew it had to be there. But, just like a novel, months later it has all started coming together.

Still, it is not done. I would call it close to the end of the second draft. There is drywall still to be installed, floors to be laid and kitchen cabinets to be placed. It can’t really be considered finished until there are working bathrooms and electrics that have gone live. But I ma having that pleasant feeling I always experience with a book that comes as the finished product crystalizes in my mind’s eye and the end feels closer than the beginning. Hopefully, by this time next month, the project will be completed and the furnishings will be returned to their proper places. With any luck, we will be able to park in the barn before the snow flies!

Readers, was your summer filled with strange weather? Do you have any remodeling tips to share?

Welcome Back Rosalie Spielman

I met Rosalie at Malice Domestic a few years ago. We had an instant connection as we were both military spouses, but Rosalie is also a veteran! I’m delighted to welcome her back today.

Rosalie: Thank you for having me, Sherry!

You suggested I discuss writing and promoting two series, specifically what happens when their releases are close! I write for the Aloha Lagoon Mystery series, a multi-author series set in Kauai, but I also write my own series, the Hometown Mysteries, set in Idaho. My most recent Aloha Lagoon, Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery, was released on the 3rd of October and my next Hometown, Murder Comes Home, is coming on 7 November. Close releases occasionally happen when you write multiple series, even if you plan carefully.

When signing contracts for multiple series, I had to first look carefully at the most obvious aspect – due dates – but also necessary to consider is the release date. I am lucky that all my contracts are with the same publisher, and they asked for my suggestions for my own deadlines. They also take into consideration all of the release dates, but I sort of sprung a Halloween one on them, so I set myself for this crazy promo. My bad!

Most of this combined promo tour is via blog, so sometimes, a blog will ask me to focus on one series or the other, but I usually slip in a mention of the other book as well. Especially since my publisher is making a donation to the DAV of a portion of their presales for Murder Comes Home, and I want to get the word out on that. (See? Slipped that right in there!)

If you know me, you know I’m Excel obsessed. In order to keep all my blog deadlines and events straight, I created a rather extensive Excel spreadsheet. I even have boxes to check for written, turned in, posted, and commented, as well as which book the blog wanted me to focus on, contact person, and blog URL.

But promotion is not just leading up to the release dates! I’m getting to be a seasoned pro at representing both series. At Malice Domestic last spring, during the Author-go-round, I carried two hats with me. I started off wearing a big, floppy beach hat to talk about my Aloha Lagoon books. When I finished that abbreviated spiel, I pulled off the beach hat and pulled on a winter cap to talk about my Hometown Books, set in Idaho. It made for some messy hair by the end, but I think it was effective. At least people might remember the hats!

In person, I am attending the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookstore Cozy Fete on 14 October (Mechanicsburg, PA) and they want to focus on my Hometown books. On the 22nd of October, I will be at Hooray for Books in Alexandria, Virginia, with a few other authors at their Spooktacular Halloween Reads event. They want Halloween-themed books, so I’ll be talking about Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery. Either way, I’m happy to oblige! But I always mention the other book as well – and that donation coming from preorders – so if what I’m there to talk about isn’t someone’s cup of tea, perhaps the other book is!

This author thing is a wild ride, and sometimes, we just have to hold on to our floppy hats and hang on!

Readers: How are you at multi-tasking?

Please join me on my Facebook page, Rosalie Spielman author, or my Facebook group, You Know The Spiel. I also have a newsletter named You Know The Spiel, and you can sign up for it on my website. All new newsletter subscribers in September and October and all members of my You Know The Spiel Facebook group are entered into a raffle for a book of choice!

**Gemma Halliday Publishing is donating a portion of the presales to a veterans’ charity, the Disabled American Veterans, or DAV.

7 November 2023: #3 in the Hometown Mysteries, Murder Comes Home

Preorder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9S126XG

US Army retiree Tessa Treslow and her Aunt Ednaput their auto restoration business on hold to host an “American Pickers”-style TV show, hoping their trash might be treasure to fun their new business. But not only do the pickers come with cameras and likeable stars, but a murderer…

3 October 2023: #20 in the Aloha Lagoon mystery series, Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery

Order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C97PSPBP

Aloha Lagoon’s own dive tour leader Kiki Hepburn investigates the untimely death of one of her landlady Auntie Akamai’s oldest friends in between diving, attending a zombie wedding, and being stalked by a “monster”!

BIO:

Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. She writes for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series.

She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to http://www.rosalie-spielman-author.com, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author) or Instagram (Rosalie.Spielman). Rosalie strives to provide you a cozy escape…one page at a time

The Challenge of Writing Short

by Julie, enjoying fall in Somerville

Coming up with this graphic, which is admittedly goofy, was easier than figuring out how to write the short story that has been stymying me for a few weeks. Let me explain.

On occassion, there are calls for short story submissions for anthologies. For the past few years I’ve tried to write a story to submit to different anthologies. Inevitably, what happens is that I start a new novel. Perhaps not a good novel, but a novel. I can’t boil the idea down to 2000-5000 words without it blowing up to much longer.

Of course, a short story idea can’t be as complicated as a novel. But the storytelling still needs to be complex and satisfying. There is art in understanding the difference, and doing it well. Several of the Wickeds have written wonderful short stories. I’ve published two in the past. But as with everything in writing, the better I get at the craft the more I want to challenge myself. And so I’m working on a couple of short stories.

Keeping the novelist at bay is difficult. I love backstory, subplots, and lots of characters. Rather than trying to wrestle that, I’m working on keeping it lean. And not giving up.

Do you find some challenges impossible, and yet you persist? That’s how I feel about this–by November 1 I’m going to write a short piece of crime fiction that is good, solid, and polished. As of this moment, I have notes, and an idea. Wish me well, friends. Starting a new novel would be less difficult.

Yet I persist.

Warning Signs

I found this quote from Mitta Xinindlu: When exploring, read the warning signs: figuratively and literally.”

When we were in Massanutten, Virginia last spring we were going for a walk and came across this sign.

I almost turned around, but kept going. I can’t say that we were especially noisy and I can’t say that I’d stand my ground if I saw a bear. How about you, Wickeds? Have you ever ignored a sign? Are you a rule follower? Have there been figurative signs you’ve ignored?

Edith/Maddie: A high school friend who lives in Alaska recently posted a picture of a bear who’d come up the outdoor stairs at his apartment complex and was ambling along the open air hallway. Yikes! When I was in my home territory of greater Los Angeles four years ago, I came across signs warning of both rattlesnakes and wildcats on a canyon trail. I did NOT hike down that trail. I’m pleased, when I was starting out wanting to be an author, that I ignored all figurative and literal signs about how hard it is to get published. So I’m both a sign follower and a sign ignorer.

Liz: I don’t mess around with certain types of wildlife either, for sure! I guess it depends on the sign. I think about signs more in the intuitive nudge sense vs. actual signs, although those – like the above – have some merit in these cases… But I definitely follow my intuition. Most of the mistakes and bad decisions I’ve made in the past have come from NOT following it, so I’m more inclined to let it lead the way today.

Julie: Liz, I do the same thing! No matter what the situation, I trust my gut. If it doesn’t feel right, I listen. Also, I don’t mess with wildlife. I probably would have kept walking as well, but I would have been talking loudly.

Barb: I have a vivid memory of driving from the Gold Coast in Australia to Sydney and seeing this sign.

Underneath it said, Wild Horses, 10 KM. The question it brought to mind was, what happens when a herd of wild horses charges onto the road? You die, right? And probably so do some of them. If a saw horses, wild or otherwise, grazing by the side of the road, I would slow down and look sharp, as I do for deer at home. But if the horses were galloping toward me? Moose are deadly, but they move more slowly and travel alone. Wild horses? Fuhgeddaboudit.

Jessie: I love the topic this month, Sherry! I am a huge believer in signs. More than once in my life I have heard a voice in my head giving me a warning sign about upcoming danger. I took a chance and listened and it paid off to a startling degree. Twice it saved me in a car accident. I often wonder where the voice comes from, but I am eternally grateful for it.

Readers: How about you?

Small Gestures: The details that bring a character to life — Welcome Back guest Meri Allen #giveaway

I was lucky enough to live near Meri/Shari for a number of years! She’s a great friend and excellent writer. Today we are celebrating the release of Fatal Fudge Swirl, the third book in her Ice Cream Shop mysteries.

Meri Allen/Shari Randall:

Recently I had the amazing good fortune of attending a performance of “Jewels” by the New York City Ballet. (Author note: I took out paragraphs of gushing admiration so you won’t have to wade through it, but let me tell you, this ballet is sheer beauty.) The choreographer, George Balanchine, is regarded as one of the all-time greats.

Each section of the ballet has a different feel created by the choreography, music, costumes, and set design. The ballet was inspired by Balanchine’s favorite dancers and, the story goes, a visit to Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry store.

Though the dancers’ big moves are impressive, the small gestures highlighted and differentiated the character of each section. The mood of “Emeralds” was romantic and subtle, the mood of “Rubies” brash and playful, the mood of “Diamonds” glittering and formal. It was a master class in the ways different elements create a whole.

Writers do that too, combining setting, character, dialogue, plot, and pace into, we hope, an entertaining book. But one thing at Jewels stood out to me. It was the small gestures — the shrug of a shoulder, fingertips reaching but not quite touching, the toss of a head – that conveyed so much emotion, so subtly, but so immediately and forcefully.

I realized that the small gestures in books make an impact, too. Think about the small details, habits, gestures, and catch phrases of your favorite characters and what these things tell us:

Hercule Poirot and his “little grey cells” catchphrase. A small but telling description – scientific and formal. His luxurious moustaches, on the other hand, point to a bit of vanity.

Ann Cleeves’s Vera’s battered hat. It is the hat of a woman who is down to earth, practical, and no-nonsense, a woman who knows herself and doesn’t worry about what anyone else thinks.

Miss Marple’s knitting. It’s always something soft and wooly, but needles are sharp, aren’t they? Her hobby gives us a clue to her personality.

My sleuth, Riley Rhodes, makes lists, reflecting an organized mind, necessary for running a popular ice cream shop and solving murders. Allegra Larkin, the star of my Lobster Shack Mysteries, is a dancer well-attuned to the importance of those tiny, unconscious “tells” that reveal so much about a person, especially a person who has something to hide.

Even little details can tell us something important about a character.

What small detail tells us the most about your favorite character? I’ll send a copy of FATAL FUDGE SWIRL to one lucky commenter. US only please. Note: Please include your email address when you sign in to comment to be included in the giveaway. Without that information we have no way to contact you.

Meri Allen is the author of the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series starring former CIA librarian, Riley Rhodes. “Meri Allen” is the pen name of Shari Randall, who also wrote the award-winning Lobster Shack Mystery series. A native New Englander, she lives a short walk from a lighthouse with her good-sport husband and way too many books. Her latest book is FATAL FUDGE SWIRL .

You can find her on social media at @meriallenbooks or @sharirandallauthor.

Maine Clambake 12 Title, Cover, Pub Date Announced

by Barb, briefly back in Maine

It’s extremely gratifying to authors when on publication of one book, the most common question they get is, “When is the next one?” Gratifying and a little stressful, since it takes longer to write a book than to read one.

But, I’m happy to announce that Maine Clambake Mystery number twelve, Torn Asunder, will be released on April 23, 2024. The book has been up for pre-order on the retail sites for a while and some people have already found it. I was waiting for the ebook to be up and available (and my turn on the blog) to announce it.

Here’s the cover.

And here’s the blurb.

In Barbara Ross’ award-winning series featuring sleuth Julia Snowden and her family’s coastal Maine clambake business, Morrow Island is a perfect spot for a wedding—and a Snowden Family Clambake. Julia Snowden is busy organizing both—until a mysterious wedding crasher drops dead amid the festivities . . .

Julia’s best friend and business partner, Zoey, is about to marry her policeman boyfriend. Of course, a gorgeous white wedding dress shouldn’t be within fifty yards of a plate of buttery lobster—so that treat is reserved for the rehearsal dinner. Julia is a little worried about the timing, though, as she works around a predicted storm.

When a guest falls to the floor dead, it turns out that no one seems to know who he is, despite the fact that he’s been actively mingling and handing out business cards. And when an injection mark is spotted on his neck, it’s clear this wasn’t caused by a shellfish allergy. Now, as the weather deteriorates and a small group is stranded on the island with the body—and the killer—Julia starts interrogating staff, family members, and Zoey’s artist friends to find out who turned the clambake into a crime scene . .

Hidden Beneath for 99 Cents

If you’re behind in the series, the ebook of the eleventh Maine Clambake Mystery, Hidden Beneath, is on sale for just 99 cents on popular retail sites, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. The ebook went on sale yesterday and I don’t know how long the sale will last, so act now.

Readers: How do you react to the cover, title, description and pub date for Torn Asunder? Bring it on, good or bad!