Art Taylor's Blog, page 62

The First Two Pages: River of Secrets by Roger Johns

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

I first got to know Roger Johns at the Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival last month in Suffolk, VA. We ended up sitting together at lunch before the festivities began and then picked up our conversation again at dinner afterward and bonded both as writers and as college professors (former college professor in his case). Roger is as fun and engaging in person as he is on the page—and you’ll get a sample of his prose here as well as a glimpse into his careful process as he dissects the first two pages of his latest Wallace Hartman mystery, River of Secrets, released at the end of August.

Roger’s debut novel, Dark River Rising, was a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award and the Readers’ Choice Award at Killer Nashville, and he was named the 2018 Georgia Author of the Year this year in the mystery category. Check out more about his work—his novels, his blogs, and more—at his website here. And enjoy this preview of his latest novel below.

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

Johns River of Secrets

Bouchercon Recap & Crime Reads Roundtable

Back from Bouchercon—and what a weekend! So great to see so many old friends and to make so many new ones, and while I didn’t bring home an award this conference, I was thrilled to see my friends Paul D. Marks win the Macavity and Hillary Davidson win the Anthony for Best Short Story—both of them very much deserving of the honor, and congrats to all the winners for each award!

Conference highlights at every turn, but a few worth a shout-out:

Author speed-dating with my fellow Anthony finalist Susanna Calkins. We got our presentation down perfect… at the last table we spoke with. Thanks to Kristopher Zgorski and Michael Mueller for running such a fine program.
The all-star panel I moderated with guests of honor Karin Slaughter and Lisa Unger, plus Jordan Harper, Michael Koryta, and Wendi Corsi Staub—a tough topic (threats against families) but a surprisingly fun discussion, and it was nice to have so many people approach me throughout the weekend to say how much they enjoyed it.
Our short story panel with Susie Calkins, Hillary Davidson, Barb Goffman, and Debra Goldstein—just wish Jen Conley had made it in time for the discussion as well.
Attending my first Shamus Banquet—great food (tater tots!) and fine conversation, though had hoped that Paul might bring home the short story award that night too! Looking forward to attending this one again another year.
Seeing my good friend Sherry Harris step up as president of Sisters in Crime—a president who surely deserves the honor and one we can really be proud of!
And then having a writer friend stop me in the lobby about a project she’d like me to be a part of…. always a nice perk of these conferences, the opportunities that might surprise you sometimes!

Speaking of discussions and opportunities and surprises: As we arrived in Tampa, Crime Reads posted the first post of a two-part roundtable on “The State of the Crime Novel”—featuring writers from this year’s slate of Anthony finalists. Part two rolled out later in Bouchercon. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts on the questions, and hope that others will find these perspectives interesting as well. Check out parts one and two to see for yourself.

Heading back into the work week now—and not hardly ready, despite completing the assigned reading for Hound of the Baskervilles on the flight home!

Thanks to all for a fun time in St. Pete, and look forward to seeing everyone at the next go-round too.

The First Two Pages: “Frozen Iguana” by Debra Lattanzi Shutika

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

When I edited the Bouchercon anthology Murder Under the Oaks back in 2015, I was thrilled to be working with some of the biggest names in the business, including Edgar Award winner Tom Franklin and MWA Grand Master Margaret Maron, but I quickly found myself even more excited about including three writers making their debuts in the mystery genre: J.D. Allen, Kristin Kisska, and Karen E. Salyer. Serving some small role in introducing these writers to the world of crime fiction… well, few moments in my career have given me more pleasure or more pride.

And so I’m especially pleased this week to host Debra Lattanzi Shutika at the First Two Pages, talking about her first published short story, “Frozen Iguana,” debuting today in this year’s Bouchercon anthology, Florida Happens: Tales of Mystery, Mayhem, and Suspense from the Sunshine State, edited by Greg Herren. This is the fourth and final entry in a series of First Two Pages essays by contributors to the anthology; previous weeks have spotlighted Holly West, Paul D. Marks, and Alex Segura.

Debra is both a colleague and a friend; she’s the chair of the English Department at George Mason University where I teach (so basically my boss more than my colleague!), and it’s been great getting to know her more personally in recent years. Deb has been a tremendous supporter of me and my work, and it was an honor to be able to return the favor by reading an early draft of “Frozen Iguana” when she passed it my way in search of feedback—and then such a joy when the story was accepted for the collection. (And Deb earned a shout-out at Publishers Weekly as well—hooray!)

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Deb’s milestone debut—and in meeting her and all the contributors to Florida Happens later this week at Bouchercon: a joint signing on Thursday, September 6, at 1 p.m. 

In the meantime, enjoy a preview of her work here. It’s quite a story!

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.

Shutika Frozen Iguana

I Read/I Wrote

Thanks to Cynthia Kuhn for hosting me as part of her new blog series I Read/I Wrote, where mystery writers share some favorite crime fiction before introducing their own work.

I’m always pleased to give a shout-out to Stanley Ellin, master of the mystery short story, and appreciate the opportunity to talk about On the Road with Del & Louise as well.

Check out the post here.

Bouchercon 2018: Where I’ll Be!

We’re now within a week of Bouchercon, and I’m juggling various things to get ready for one of the biggest events in the crime fiction world—and one of my favorite events too.

I’m thrilled to be part of several official events—in great part thanks to my story “A Necessary Ingredient” being a finalist for both the Macavity Award (to be presented at the opening ceremonies) and the Anthony Award (to be presented on the last night of the program). All of the Anthony finalists are part of a panel on Friday afternoon, and just before that, I’ll be moderating a panel featuring two of Bouchercon’s guests of honor (!!)—a killer line-up of authors across the board (and an intimidating one, I should add).

That official schedule is below, but I’m also looking forward to many other events as well—the Bouchercon anthology signing on Thursday (I’ve recently been hosting First Two Pages essays by various contributors to that), the Sisters in Crime breakfast on Friday (my friend Sherry Harris stepping up as president!), the Guppies lunch mid-day Friday (at the Lisa Scottoline event), the Shamus Banquet that night (pulling for my buddy Paul D. Marks for best short story!), the Down & Out get-together after the banquet, and….. And well, after a Friday schedule like that, I’m not sure I can even think of what to do on Saturday, but…. oh, wait! Another official event then: the author speed dating breakfast bright and early Saturday morning! And I have to be awake for that, since Susanna Calkins and I are pairing up to represent all of the Anthony finalists for short story. Whew!

And throughout the weekend, already have a lot of get-togethers loosely planned with friends, one of the chief pleasures of these reunions with my crime fiction family.

Anyway, here’s the official list of events—look forward to seeing folks throughout the weekend!

Opening Ceremonies, including presentation of Macavity Awards • Thursday, September 6, 6 p.m.
Panel, as moderator: “Fear Factor: Threatening Family in Thrillers,” with Jordan Harper, Michael Koryta, Karin Slaughter, Wendi Corsi Staub, and Lisa Unger • Friday, September 7, 10 a.m., Majestic
Panel, as panelist: “Anthony Nominated Short Stories,” with Susanna Calkins, Jen Conley, Hilary Davidson, Barb Goffman, Debra Goldstein, and moderator Tara Laskowski • Friday, September 7, 1 p.m., Royal 1AB & 2AB
Bouchercon Speed Dating Breakfast • Saturday, September 8, 8-9:30 a.m., Vinoy Grand
Anthony Awards • Saturday, September 8, 7 p.m.

The First Two Pages: “Quarters for the Meter” by Alex Segura

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

Today’s post by Alex Segura marks the third in a series featuring contributors to this year’s Bouchercon anthology, Florida Happens: Tales of Mystery, Mayhem, and Suspense from the Sunshine State, edited by Greg Herren. The previous two weeks featured essays by Holly West and by Paul D. Marks, and Debra Lattanzi Shutika will be talking about her first published short story next Tuesday, on the anthology’s release day.

Alex’s story, “Quarters for the Meter,” features characters from the Silent City, the first of his Anthony Award-nominated Pete Fernandez mystery novels, all set in Miami. The other books in the series include Down the Darkest Street, Dangerous Ends, and Blackout, and you can check out more of Alex’s short fiction in several killer anthologies, including Protectors 2, Waiting to Be Forgotten: Stories of Crime and Heartbreak Inspired by the Replacements, Unloaded 2, and Apollo’s Daughters. Find out more about these books and stories and about all Alex’s works—comic books and a podcast too!—at his website here.

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay here to read off-line.

Segura Quarters

Reston Library Panel, Saturday, September 1: “What Makes a ‘Great’ Book?”

The Reston Regional Library is hosting a panel discussion on “What Makes a ‘Great’ Book?” on Saturday, September 1—part of the PBS program The Great American Read. The Reston Regional Library was one of 50 libraries nationwide to receive grants from the American Library Association  and PBS to host programs in conjunction with the series; see their full series of programs here.

I’m pleased to be part of the September 1 panel discussion along with fellow writers John Gilstrap and D.A. Spruzen. Here’s the write-up from the event website:

Join a panel of local writers in a lively conversation about what makes a great book. Does it have to have an exciting plot, or is it character driven? Can you have a great story with average writing? Or is it all about the emotions the book elicits?

The program begins at 2 p.m., and the library is located at 11925 Bowman Towne Drive in Reston, Virginia. And we’ll try to be lively!

Anthony Short Story Finalists Blog Tour

This year’s Anthony Award finalists for Best Short Story—Susanna Calkins, Jen Conley, Hilary Davidson, Barb Goffman, Debra Goldstein, and I—appeared at three blogs recently, chatting about our nominated short stories. Thanks to Paula Benson and to Debra Goldstein herself for hosting. You can find links to each blog below:

It’s Not Always a Mystery—introducing our short stories
Writers Who Kill—on our main characters and the inspiration for them
The Stiletto Gang—on the settings for each story and the challenges we faced writing them

Looking forward to seeing everyone at Bouchercon in St. Petersburg in early September!

The First Two Pages: “There’s an Alligator in My Purse” by Paul D. Marks

In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

I first “met” Paul D. Marks when both of us were contributors at the group blog Criminal Minds—alternating in the Friday slot there—and soon after we became blog partners at SleuthSayers as well. In addition to commenting on one another’s posts, we quickly started up a correspondence on email—something resonating about our posts, our outlooks on crime fiction and on craft and more. Quickly too, we became more than blog partners or pen pals. We became friends. And despite us living on opposite coasts, I’m pleased to count him today as one of my closest friends in the crime fiction community.

Paul is a fine writer, whatever he’s writing, whether it’s an essay for one of his blogs or a novel, like his award-winning White Heat or the forthcoming sequel Broken Windows, or one of his terrific short stories. His story “Ghosts of Bunker Hill” for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine deservedly topped the magazine’s readers poll in 2016, and his story “Windward” for the anthology Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea, has earned a slew of honors: as finalist for this year’s Derringer, Macavity, and Shamus Awards, and as one of 20 stories selected for the forthcoming Best American Mystery Stories 2018 anthology, edited by Louise Penny and Otto Penzler.

Paul’s a generous editor too—and a successful one. He also co-edited two volumes of the Coast to Coast anthology, and the latest one continues to garner attention. It’s up for an Anthony Award this year for Best Anthology; another of the collection’s stories was selected for this year’s Best American Mystery Stories; and other stories have been named finalists for the Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Macavity Awards as well. (I was pleased that Paul invited me to contribute my own story to the collection, and it’s been an honor to have been part of the project’s great success. Thanks again, Paul!)

Today, Paul talks about his story for another collection: “There’s an Alligator in My Purse” for this year’s Bouchercon anthology, Florida Happens: Tales of Mystery, Mayhem, and Suspense from the Sunshine State, edited by Greg Herren, which will be released by Three Rooms Press on September 4. (You can pre-order here for pick-up at Bouchercon).

Paul’s First Two Pages essay is part of a series by contributors to Florida Happens; last week, Holly West talked about “The Best Laid Plans,” and the next two weeks will include reflections by Alex Segura and Debra Lattanzi Shutika. Stay tuned!

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay here to read off-line.

Marks Alligator

WIROB: Back to School, Been in School

My back-to-school column at the Washington Independent Review of Books looks at both my summer reading and my growing to-be-read list—so much of which has kept me in school anyway.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

I would say I’m looking forward to getting back to school — except in many ways, I haven’t really left it this summer, and not simply because I do a lot of my own writing in my campus office even when classes aren’t in session. The fact is, academic settings have been at the core of much of my writing these days — and my reading, as well, the two purposefully intertwined.

My next novel is a crime story set in an all-boys boarding school. I’ve been writing it on and off for too long now, and during summer break, I’ve finally immersed myself more fully in my draft.

I can’t — won’t — talk much more about the characters or the plot at this point, but I’m glad to chat about some of the reading I’ve enjoyed working around this writing project.

Read the full piece here.