Sherry Harris's Blog, page 23

Stick with the Wickeds Contest

Jessie: Welcoming flocks of robins back to New Hampshire

The Malice Domestic Conference is almost here. Since all the Wickeds are going to be able to attend, we are once again running a contest to take one of our readers with along with us, well, sort of.

Last year we took Reine Harrington along with us on a stick. This year’s Guest of Honor is NYT Bestseller Charles Todd, the creator of the  Bess Crawford novels and the Ian Rutledge books. If you would like to have the opportunity to have as much fun as Reine did last year, then this is the contest for you! Here’s how it works:

Just leave a comment on any of the blog posts scheduled between today and Friday, April, 17 to be entered into the drawing. If you are chosen as the winner all we’ll need from you is your photo in jpeg format and a list of five authors attending this year’s Malice Domestic Conference whose autograph you would like us to ask for on your behalf.

We’ll announce the winner on April, 20. Best of luck to you all!

Filed under: Contests Tagged: contest, Malice Domestic

Filling the Well

Jessie: Gleefully gazing at crocuses sprinkling the lawn!

The snow is mostly melted and sooner rather than later, wells will be filled to the brim with the year’s supply of water, water that will be used to make things grow. Which got me thinking about the well of creativity and how that needs replenishing too.Creativity relies heavily on connecting and combining seemingly unrelated elements in new and unexpected ways. In order to make those combinations you have to have a lot of material floating around in the subconscious. Over the last few years I’ve come to realize how valuable it is  to recognize when I am starting to run dry and how best to address the problem before it develops into a drought. Here are a few of my tried and true strategies:

1. Take a long walk with a good friend. My favorite walking friend is one of my beloved sisters. We tool along country roads solving the world’s problems and many of our own as well. All that brainstorming and oxygen flow fires my creativity.

2. Try a new food. I’m a decent cook and I like experimenting with all sorts of recipes from around the world. New flavors are one way I like to awaken my senses and to enjoy some of life’s little surprises.

3. Map a new route to a routine destination. Ever wonder where a road goes? Ever turned left when you usually go right? Discovered a shortcut that you never realized existed? Shaking things up in the physical world can do the same for your mental map.

4. Make batch decisions. When I am writing a first draft and things are grinding along slowly I try to reduce as many decisions from my life as possible. The creative energy required to make decisions can leave too little left over for large-scale projects. In order to ration the supply I plan what I will wear, a menu for a week at a time and my schedule to the greatest extent possible. By eliminating the need to think about what to have for lunch or when to exercise I can turn more of my mind over to red herrings and plot holes.

5. Spend time pursuing another creative discipline. I love to knit. I always have at least two projects on the needles at any given time. I find the time I spend knitting does something to my brain that nothing else seems to do.I even keep a pair of needles and a ball of yarn on my desk most of the time to help me sort things out. Whenever I get to a sticking point in a draft I pick up the needles and fall into a sort of meditation mode. Ideas usually begin to flow once more. It works with other pursuits too like gardening or painting; anything so long as it doesn’t rely on the same set of skills as the main creative endeavor.

So readers, how do you refill your creative wells?

Filed under: Jessie's posts Tagged: creativity, decision making, knitting, writing

Wicked Wednesday — Festivals

We continue to celebrate the launch of A Sticky Situation by Jessie! In the Sugar Grove, New Hampshire, the Greene family—including Dani’s irksome Aunt Hazel—are busy preparing for the annual Maple Festival. But nothing kills the festive spirit like murder…

So Wickeds have you ever helped set up a festival? Do you have a favorite one?

Liz: I’ve never done a big festival like the Maple Festival, but last year I was part of a very cool Tea and Art Fair–an indoor wellness festival. It was fun to see the event come together and meet like-minded people. And thankfully, no one was murdered!

Julie: I have never set up a festival, but I have been part of organizing a few theater festivals in my day. There could be a cozy series on festivals alone. In fact, there probably is one! It is great to see like minds coming together for a shared purpose, as Liz said. But then there’s the egos. NEVER a dull experience.

Edith: Not festivals, but I have helped organize conferences, something Barb and Julie know quite a lot about with their experience co-chairing the New England Crime Bake. I worked on a couple of academic conferences long ago, and they included much wrangling of difficult egos. I’m excited to be on a panel at the Newburyport Literary Festival with Liz and Jessie at the end of April, with Leigh Perry (Toni L.P. Kelner) moderating. It’s a fabulous all-day festival, and this year I’ll be an author instead of an attendee. Honored.

Jessie: Every year my village holds a Fourth of July parade which culminates in activities  in the park like performances by local bands and treats for the kids. One year the Friends of the Library organization put on a soda tasting. All the sodas were from local companies and the event was such fun. Participants bought a glass as a fundraiser for the library and  used it to try samples of as many different soda flavors as they liked. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of happy kids there that day. One of my personal favorites was the Maple Cream soda by Squamscot  Beverage Company.

Sherry: I haven’t ever organized a festival but I’ve attend some memorable ones around the country as we moved from place to place. The Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville, Ohio — our daughter had just turned three and kept her fingers up her nose the entire time we were there because it was stinky. Stinky, yes, but the food was delicious — even the sauerkraut fudge. The National Book Festival in DC — I’ve been able to hear so many fabulous authors talk about their books. And though it’s small the Apple Festival in Bedford, Massachusetts is always a good time.

Barb: I’ve never organized a festival, either. But I did get to “research” a few. Boiled Over ($1.99 for the ebook this month, btw) takes place over a fictional Founder’s Day Weekend in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. It is very, very loosely based on two festivals in Boothbay Harbor–The Fisherman’s Festival and Windjammer Days. Also to research Boiled Over, my husband and I traveled to the Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias, Maine. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my art!

Readers: Do you have a favorite festival or have you ever organized one?

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: A Sticky Situation, A Sugar Grove Mystery, Apple Festival Bedford MA, Blueberry festival, boiled over, Boothbay Harbor Maine, Dani Greene, festivals, Fisherman's Festival, Leigh Perr, Machias Maine, Newburyport Literary Festival, Sauerkraut Festival Waynesville Ohio, The National Book Festival, Windjammer Days

Happy Book Birthday Jessie Crockett!

Today we celebrate the third book in Jessie’s Sugar Grove Mysteries, A Sticky Situation. Take a look at what’s in store for Dani:

Aunt Hazel isn’t exactly sweet, but she’s not the only one putting syrup maker Dani in a sour mood. Her family is trying to help renovate the town’s Opera House, but their contractor Russ Collins seems to specialize in finely crafted excuses. And his latest one is killer.

In the Opera House basement, Russ uncovers the remains of Spooner Duffy, a charming drifter thought to have skipped town decades ago with a hefty sum of the town’s money. Tapping into some unpleasant memories, Spooner’s bones also threaten to reveal a murderer’s secret, and now it’s up to Dani to catch a killer before the town is stuck with a deadly reputation. Recipes included!

Liz: Yay Jessie! So excited to read this. I love these books and I’m looking forward to Dani’s next adventure. Great cover, too!

Sherry: Woo-hoo! Another fun read and great mystery to look forward to reading! I don’t know how you do it but Dani always makes me laugh. I can’t wait to see how she gets out of this mess.

Barb: So happy to be back in Sugar Grove! Cannot wait to read this.

Julie: LOVE that is has to do with a theater restoration! Can’t wait to read this! Congratulations my friend!

Edith: Ooh, sounds like another wonderful story, Jessie. So happy for this release! My town had an opera house, too, but it burned down a few decades after it was built, alas.

Jessie: Thanks so much everyone! I can’t believe the third book in this series is already out in the world. It seems like just yesterday that Sugar Grove was still just an idea.

Filed under: Book Release Tagged: A Sticky Situation, book launch, book release, Dani Greene, Jessie Crockett, Opera House, Sugar Grove Mysteries

Finding Cervantes

by Sheila Connolly

Not long ago I was trolling through various odd sites that I bookmark and I stumbled a surprising headline in the Irish news:  “Spain Finds Remains of ‘Don Quixote’ Writer Cervantes.”

We know that the Irish greatly admire writers—to the extent that they give anyone pursuing a career in the literary arts (and others) a tax exemption. (I applaud them!) But I did not realize they were so interested in the relics.

The story goes on to report that the apparent remains of “literary giant” Miguel de Cervantes were found in a convent in Madrid. The author died in 1616, nearly 400 years ago. The team of forensic anthropologists had been searching for a year when they came upon “some fragments” in an alcove in the crypt of the convent. Actually there was a jumble of bones in there—obviously not their original resting place.

It is weird to read about this as they put the search and the analysis of the results in forensic terms, familiar to us mystery writers. A team of anthropologists and archeologists first carried out documentary research to identify the site. There is a record that Cervantes was buried in an alcove in the convent’s chapel in the center of Madrid on the day after his death, but apparently no one recorded exactly which alcove.

The researchers used infrared cameras, 3D scanners, and ground-penetrating radar, and they found 33 alcoves. One of those appears to be the right one.

Physical evidence? Pending. They may be doing genetic analysis (I have no idea to whose DNA this may be compared). There is evidence that Cervantes was shot twice in the cheek and once in his left hand during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, and his bones (if they have the right ones) would show signs of these injuries.

It would appear that the bones of the “greatest writer of the Spanish Golden Age” and “father of the modern novel” may have been mixed with those of others (one source reports the remains of 17 different people in one mass grave; BBC News reports that his wife may be among them).

Westminster Abbey

The media jumped all over this news. The New York Times headline read “Cervantes and the Purpose of Literary Idolatry,” and the author of the editorial, Serge Schmemann, posed the question, “What is it about the graves of great writers and poets that makes them so popular?” Other examples include the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abby in London, where Chaucer was first in, followed by many others, and Shakespeare’s grave in Stratford-on-Avon (yes, I’ve been to both); or Oscar Wilde’s grave at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris (not me, but my daughter visited, although mainly for Edith Piaf); and Jonathan Swift’s burial place in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin (yup, been there too). In this country, Authors’ Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts, is a popular attraction (one-stop shopping: Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson, all within feet of each other). At Sleepy Hollow, visitors leave small offerings on the tombstones of their literary idols.

Henry David Thoreau

Jonathan Swift, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

Louisa May Alcott

Isn’t it interesting that for centuries writers have been interred next to royalty? We should take heart that people believe that writers matter, and continue to honor them.

Have you ever paid tribute to one of your literary idols?

Filed under: Sheila's Posts Tagged: sheila connolly

Opening Lines

A ghost hunter visits Frog Ledge, Connecticut in The Icing on the Corpse by Liz Mugavero. What would he think of this house? Add your opening line. Photo by Dixie Westphal Kurtz

Edith: The telltale stripes on the siding were a dead giveaway, so to speak, that the cottage was occupied by a force not of this world. And with the tornado blowin’ in, I might or might not survive to record it.

Liz:  My friend and I had accepted a dare to spend a night in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. We were looking forward to it, even though it looks a little creepy. It’s not like this is a horror movie or something.

Julie: They drove up, and parked outside the house.

“What?” he asked.

“I never should have put you in charge of the vacation rental,” she hissed.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said.

Boy, was he ever wrong.

Jessie: When she bought a fixer-upper, sight-unseen, she was prepared to hire a roofer, a plumber and a mason. What hadn’t been part of her plan was the need for an exorcist.

Sherry: I stood looking at the house that had haunted my dreams for the past ten years. I’d thought coming back would end them but I was wrong. Dead wrong.

Barb: She pulled the front door closed and locked it. The Dodge was already packed. “Good-bye, house.” She kissed her fingertips and rubbed them lightly on the door frame. “I’ll be back soon.”

Readers: Add yours!

Filed under: Opening Lines Tagged: Dixie Westphal Kurtz, exorcist, haunted houses, The Icing on the Corpse, vacation rentals

Being Present

By Liz, grateful to see (most of) her deck in Connecticut

It’s release week for The Icing on the Corpse, as many of you know (so much fun, and so grateful to all of you for helping me celebrate!). My life has been a little insane lately, but I made sure this week to take a few minutes in all the insanity to enjoy the moment.

Despite the two deadlines looming over my head, the ever-present and equally insane day job, and a ongoing family situation, I chose to stop and think about what I’ve accomplished – not only with this release, but overall.

We talk a lot here about living our dream and enjoying these moments despite the craziness of everything else. Sometimes I’m better at that than others. But lately I’ve been making even more of an effort to stop, be present and, most importantly, be grateful.

I’ve had amazing support launching this book from so many places – my fellow Wickeds, here at home, and from many of the writerly friends I’ve made along the way. It’s been great fun reading the initial reviews, interacting with people who enjoyed an early copy of the book and continuing to build on the momentum Stan and friends have gained.

But most importantly, just being part of this community – from my Wicked circle to all the writers I meet at yearly conferences to the readers who make this all possible – is the best part yet.

I’m grateful to all of you. Thanks for reading.

Readers, what are you taking a moment to be grateful for today?

Filed under: Liz's posts Tagged: gratitude, Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, present, The Icing on the Corpse

Wicked Wednesday- Ghost Stories

Jessie: In New Hampshire, wondering whether boxing up the mittens could be construed by the weather gods as a dare?

We are spending time this week on the Wickeds celebrating Liz’s latest The Icing on the Corpse. This book includes a ghost-hunting thread which caused me to wonder about other ghost stories in  New England. So Wickeds, is there a well-known spooky story based in your neck of the woods? Do you use paranormal elements in stories of your own?

Sherry: When we lived on Hanscom Air Force base our house was just minutes away from the Minute Man National Park. The park includes a pathway where the Colonial militiamen battled the British regulars on the first day of the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775. Hundreds of men died that day as the militiamen chased the regulars back to Boston. There are always reports of strange lights and noises in the surrounding woods. This was taken from our front porch. The trees you see in the back right of this photo border the pathway.

Johnathan Pulcifer house, 1718, Ipswich, MA

Edith: This isn’t a well-known story, but I have lived in antique houses since I moved to New England in 1982 (except for five years in a vintage 1960’s ranch, which doesn’t quite qualify). I have often heard unexplained noises at night, although my experiences fell short of actually seeing a lady in white or having lamps fly through the air. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me to know that the spirits of former residents occupied those homes, including my current one (a newbie at 1888). Because I have the kind of imagination capable of seriously scaring myself, I just can’t think about it.

I also don’t tend to read anything with “paranormal” in the description, but I loved Gigi Pandian‘s recent The Accidental Alchemist, about her new gargoyle friend, and also the Low Country Mysteries from Susan M. Boyer, where the protagonist’s dead childhood friend keeps popping up randomly to give her advice.

Liz: I’ve always wanted to meet a ghost. Only a nice one, mind you. But ghosts have always fascinated me. One of my favorite books is Second Glance by Jodi Picoult, which had a ghost hunting theme. I saw her speak and she talked about going on a ghost hunt in an abandoned mental asylum in Rhode Island to do her research. She said she went in a skeptic and came out with a totally different outlook. I’ve never been on a ghost hunt, but I talked to a couple of ghost hunters while I was writing this book and some of the stories are just crazy. Especially the ones about the evil spirits….

Barb: As many of you know, during the summers, we live in an old sea captain’s house in Maine. My husband’s aunt was convinced one of the bedrooms was haunted. I never believed, until one weekend when Bill and I had to sleep in that bedroom with our cocker spaniel. The poor dog just could not settle. He kept us up all night with his pacing and barking and panting. When we let him out of the room into the hallway, he curled up and went right to sleep. I still think there were squirrels in the walls, or something. But it seemed like an eery coincidence, if that’s what it was.

Jessie: Every now and again I’ll be walking through my house and am sure I see someone going up or down the stairs or along the hall. But just like looking at a distant star, the image disappears when I look at it straight on. I never feel the least frightened of them. I always feel like they are just as at home here as I am. Usually, I wish I could get a better look at but sometimes I think it is more fun for it to remain a little more mysterious.

Julie: I lived in an apartment in Brookline years ago, and we had a poltergeist. My roommate and I both noticed odd things, but brushed them off. Then one day we standing in the living room, discussing dirty dishes loudly, and a can of raid that was on the refrigerator flew in between us. Once we agreed we both saw it, we started to compare notes. Needless to say, it was an interesting year.

Readers, have you experienced any spooky situations in your own life? Or do you prefer your forays into the paranormal to be confined to the pages of a book?

Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: ghosts, Gigi Pandian, haunted, Ipswich, Liz Mugavero, paranormal, spooky, supernatural, Susan M Boyer, The Icing on the Corpse

Happy Book Birthday, Liz!

Jessie: In New Hampshire where the daffodils are poking their way up through the earth

Once again we are delighted to wish a Wicked a very happy launch day! Today we welcome Liz Mugavero’s latest, The Icing on the Corpse! Take it away, Wickeds!

Here’s a bit about the book: Kristan “Stan” Connor is thrilled to be invited to the Groundhog Day festivities in quirky Frog Ledge, Connecticut. Her organic, home-baked pet treats are a big hit at the annual celebration, though an important guest is curiously absent . . .

When Helga Oliver, the town’s elderly historian, is found crumpled in the basement of the Historical Museum, the close-knit town is devastated. But after some tenacious digging, Stan discovers Helga was pushed down the stairs–and that this picture-perfect New England town may hide some dark secrets . . .

Stan’s dogged determination reveals Helga’s ties to an unsolved death in 1948 . . . but how does that connect to Adrian Fox, who’s just arrived in town to shoot an episode of Celebrity Ghost Hunters? Stan is going to have to be very careful in chasing down the killer–if she wants to live to see another winter . . . Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

Edith: So excited about the release, Liz! Many congratulations, friend. Let us know the best and worst parts of writing this one, will you?

Jessie: Congrats, Liz on your latest.Between the title and the cover I think readers are going to be especially interested in this one!

Sherry: I was lucky enough to read an early version of Icing and I can’t wait to read the final version. The series just keeps getting better!

Barb: Can’t wait to be back in Frog Ledge, Liz. So excited to read the latest.

Julie: Cannot wait to read this! Congratulations Liz!

Liz: Thank you so much guys!! I’m so excited about this book coming out. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it so I hope people enjoy it! And Edith, I think it will take a whole blog post to tell you about the writing of this one…Thanks for all the support, Wickeds!

Readers, we’re certain Liz would love to hear from you too!

Filed under: Book Release Tagged: Book birthday, book launch, Happy Book Birthday, Liz Mugavero, The Icing on the Corpse

Back Up the Idea Truck — Guest Alan Orloff

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit Alan! Alan has two great giveaways today of his latest book. Running from the Past is a Kindle Scout winner.

Here’s a bit about Running from the Past: After selling his company for millions, Colby Walker takes his family–and his son’s friend Jess–on vacation, wanting nothing more than to unwind in the sun and surf. But he spots the alarming signs in short order: Jess’s downcast eyes, a familiar passivity, and angry red welts marching across the boy’s bare back. Walker understands what they mean because he’d been that boy, many years ago.

He’d suffered in silence, too. Can Walker stand by and let the torment continue? Does he trust the authorities–the same ones who had failed him in his youth–to take care of Jess? Hell no. With Jess in tow, Walker packs up the minivan and takes his family on the lam, keeping one step ahead of Jess’s cruel father and unhinged ex-con aunt. When the stakes escalate and his headstrong actions put people’s lives in jeopardy, Walker must finally conquer his past before he can save those he loves. He can run no longer.

Take it away, Alan.

Writers are often asked where we get our ideas. Over the years, I’ve gotten mine from different places.

For a while, I subscribed to a service, much like the old Netflix model, where they’d send me one idea at a time (or three ideas, if I signed up for the premium option), and I’d evaluate it and either keep it or send it back. Of course, once the idea streaming services took over, my lame mail-in service was never the same. Bankrupt in two years. I still have a leftover idea I never returned to them (anybody want it?).

Then, I found this neat little storefront, down near the docks, where I’d often spend an afternoon browsing for ideas. The place was cluttered and disorganized, and the owner sure liked to bend your ear, but if you exercised patience and didn’t mind getting your hands dirty, you could find some real gems. Some were a little banged up and others were coated with a layer of dust you needed a chisel to dislodge, but it was a real treasure trove. Unfortunately, one night, the place burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances.

After that, I signed up for an adult ed class, Adventures in Plotting. When I got there and the instructor started talking about clay and kilns, I realized there had been a typo in the course listing (an extra “l”). So, no help there. (Although, I did end up making a nice two-tone glazed vase.)

It was at that point when I decided I needed a change, so I resigned myself to generating my own ideas. Surprisingly, I found that I have plenty of ideas running through my head; the challenge is coming up with enough time to explore them all.

In most cases, I can’t identify that instant when I thought of an idea for a particular book. The ideas were just … there. But there have been a couple notable exceptions, a couple of times where I know exactly when I got a superlative idea.

Several years ago, I was at the wonderful Sleuthfest conference, in Florida. I woke up at 4:00 am on Sunday morning, with an idea, almost FULLY FORMED, in my head. It stood the “middle-of-the-night garbage test” when I was able to remember it in the morning (and didn’t think it was complete trash). With a few tweaks to the basic (cool, high-concept) premise, I turned it into a thriller (which I’m still shopping).

And that brings me to my current release, RUNNING FROM THE PAST, just out from Kindle Press (as a winner of Amazon’ new Kindle Scout program). I also remember where/when I got the idea for this one.

I was on vacation with my family in Sandbridge, VA (near Virginia Beach). My son had brought along one of his friends, and I got to thinking. What would happen if we didn’t bring that friend home? If we just decided to take off with him, headed for parts unknown? I needed some rationale, of course, to explain why a seemingly normal family would abscond with a seemingly normal kid, so my imagination kicked in. And that’s how I came up with the idea for RUNNING FROM THE PAST, which, by pure coincidence, starts off with a family on vacation in Sandbridge, with the son’s friend along for the ride.

GIVEAWAY: I’m giving away a Kindle copy of RUNNING FROM THE PAST to one commenter at random (I’ll need your email address so I can *gift* it to you).

GIVEAWAY #2: I’m also giving away two signed copies (trade paperback) on Goodreads. Click through to enter!

Readers: How about you? Do you remember where you get your ideas from? Any good stories?

Alan Orloff’s debut mystery, DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD, was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. He’s also written two books in the Last Laff mystery series, KILLER ROUTINE and DEADLY CAMPAIGN (from Midnight Ink). Writing as his darker half Zak Allen, he’s published THE TASTE, FIRST TIME KILLER, and RIDE-ALONG. His latest suspense novel, RUNNING FROM THE PAST (Kindle Press), was a Kindle Scout “winner.” Alan lives in Northern Virginia and teaches workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD. For more info, visit: www.alanorloff.com

Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: Alan Orloff, Diamonds for the Dead, Kindle Scout, Running from the Past, The Writer's Center