Lise McClendon's Blog, page 11

In which we discuss ‘Kick Ass’

This post is about writing so is for writers, mostly, but many readers of mysteries and thrillers will possibly be interested in the way characters are formed. The way they interact with the plot and mirror society and the authors who create them.

I read Chuck Wendig’s blog this morning, called Terrible Minds. He writes boldly (in case you’re squeamish) about writing tropes, comics, thrillers, movies, and lately quite a bit about strong female protagonists. In this age of mass media, movies that are mostly shoot-em-ups or just silly, and idiotic reality television,  finding the right balance in books with your female characters isn’t easy. How “real” should your characters be? Are they pros, policewomen like Cody Byrne in PLAN X? Are they lawyers like Merle Bennett? Does their job make them do things that mere mortals do not, like examine dead bodies or climb into a space capsule? Or are they an “everyman” or a housewife or a waitress? All these choices that you make as a writer inform the type of story you write.

So what do you like to read? (The best test of what you should write, you know.) Do you like books that challenge the status quo, that take the reader somewhere new with someone you might like to be in another life, or do you prefer the reading equivalent of ‘easy listening’ where the plot and characters are so comfortably familiar you can guess how it will end? If you like to read (and/or write) about smart, savvy women who, while caught in circumstances they may not have planned on, manage to figure out a plan of action and willfully execute it, well, you’re my people, people! I love to read about women’s lives, I admit. Women I think are somehow more complicated than men. (Ask your spouse.) I need some reality attached but also something that takes me to a new “world” where I can see possibly making those choices if only I were braver.

There are many types of readers and a million kinds of books. Reading choices are so personal. Even if you’re my best friend I may not like the book you recommend to me as ‘awesome.’ My advice is always Read What You Love.

There is this thing in the writing world called ‘narrative thrust.‘ It’s the urgency of the plot to move forward, as expressed by character action, suspense, tension, and the unexpected. If the unexpected comes from your main character, that is ideal. I don’t want people to predict what my characters will do. But there must be a balance there as well: the actions of the character must come from motivations that you the writer have built into them.

Chuck talks about “agency” as a character trait. This isn’t a term I was familiar with but he describes it this way:

Character agency is… a demonstration of the character’s ability to make decisions and affect the story. This character has motivations all her own. She is active more than she is reactive. She pushes on the plot more than the plot pushes on her. Even better, the plot exists as a direct result of the character’s actions.

This is an excellent  — a kick ass — way to test your character’s strengths as you’re building a character from scratch. In PLAN X Cody Byrne, a policewoman, is tasked with finding a bomb victim’s next of kin. But her own motivations for finding them are much more important to her, and thus to the story, than the task. She feels a kinship with this man without family. In this way the “lost family” becomes the theme for the book, both in the external plot and the internal plot. The external plot is the actual events of the story: stuff that happens. The internal plot is the journey and motivations of the main character, where she goes from the beginning of the story, what happens to her psyche, her mood, her reason for being, by the end of the book. Many writing pros think this internal plot is much more important to the success of the story than the external one. This is where the story magic is birthed, where readers connect with characters. If you want external plot, read a comic book. If you want an emotionally moving experience that helps you look at your own life with fresh eyes, read a great novel.

Read more about external and internal plots in Lisa Cron’s Wired%20for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence" target="_blank">Wired for Story.

As to strong female (or male) protagonists, this internal plot again is most important. Does she shoot bad guys? Does she know martial arts? Does she punch first and ask questions later? Not that important. A character can be strong and quiet, strong and loud, strong and aggressive, or strong and determined. She doesn’t need to hurt people or be physically violent. Like Merle Bennett in Blackbird Fly she takes action to save what’s hers and those she loves. She may not have asked for these problems but she doesn’t shy away from solving them. She doesn’t cower in fear. She has courage in the face of fear. She may be afraid of mice but she isn’t afraid of bad men.

So I agree with Chuck. Here’s how he ends his post:

Forget about kicking ass.

That’s not the metric you need to worry about.

The only ass that your female character need to kick is the ass of the story — that’s the power you want to give them. The power of agency. They can be sexy and sexual without being sexualized or objectified. They can kick ass or not kick ass or have Power or Not Have Powers as long as you elevate them above mere action figures (“Look how poseable she is when she does her sexy high-kicks!”) They can be vulnerable or flawed or unlikeable as long as you treat them like real people, not like video game characters or a list of abilities or dolls or lamps or The Reason That Dude Does The Thing He’s Meant To Do. They’re not proxies, they’re not mannequins, they’re not mirrors, they’re not Walking Talking FleshLights, they’re not princesses in towers waiting to be saved, they’re not emotionless ass-kicking chicks who still don’t kick as much ass as the hero. I’d even argue that calling them “female characters” has its problems because it sounds clinical, distant, a characteristic, a check box, a footnote.

Think of them as women or as girls.

Think of them as people.

Then give them agency within your story, within its world, and equal to the other characters.

Read the entire post over on Terrible Minds with lots of great comments on favorite strong female protags.

Tagged: Blackbird Fly, books, characters, chuck wendig, crime writing, female protagonists, fiction writing, kick-ass, Lisa Cron, Mystery fiction, thrillers, writing, writing fiction

Ooh-la-la, it’s a book

The Bennett Sisters novella, Give Him the Ooh-la-la, is ready for the holidays!

Early reviews are in!

☆☆☆☆☆ “It may be a shorter, novella sized story, but it has all the ingredients for a full book sized mystery.  It’s Christmas time and the Bennett sisters are all in New York for the holidays, with a surprise visit for Merle.  Pascal is there from France and it appears to be a working holiday for him.  Highly recommended, especially if you have read either of the other Bennett sisters novels, Blackbird Fly or The Girl in the Empty Dress.  You won’t want to miss this one as, it is very much the 3rd in the series!”

★★★★★ “As they are getting ready for the engagement party Pascal surprises Merle by flying in from France.  Is Pascal there to woo Merle or work?   Relatives, a drag queen, wine, espionage and holiday fun all combine to make this a Christmas to remember. “

Check out more images on my Pinterest page

☆☆☆☆☆ “An iconic Christmas scene in New York City – thousands of twinkle lights, [a] beautifully decorated hotel lobby – opens this novella, which continues Lise McClendon’s literary suspense foray into the lives of the Bennett sisters, all of whom are lawyers…. The reader is pulled right back into the Bennett family with just enough backstory to remind you of the past wine scandals and dangers and to re-establish the personalities and new developments since we first met them in New York and the Dordogne in Blackbird Fly and followed them through France in The Girl in the Empty Dress. 

Though that rendezvous with Pascal might be enough to justify the “ooh-la-la”, this is a McClendon story, so romance between the characters is the undercurrent to the larger mystery that includes more wine, more scandal, more intrigue and audacity, and a touch of camp. Is Pascal in the States just to see Merle and celebrate Annie and Callum? McClendon readers know there will be more to that story line, and it does involve his particular investigative specialty – wine. Who is Bosom Drearie and how does the

“give him that ooh-la-la” lyric help solve this mystery?”

❅ ❅ ❅

At the moment ‘Give Him the Ooh-la-la’ — which is another song title, this time a Cole Porter tune — is only available digitally on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, for Kindle and Nook. The rest of the digital sites will have it shortly and it will be available in paperback too.

Happy holidays!

Pour a little champagne and enjoy some downtime at this special time of year.

Tagged: Bennett Sisters, Christmas, Christmas books, Christmas story, Cole Porter, ebook, Give Him the Ooh-la-la, mystery, romantic suspense, suspense

French Christmas Dinner

Here’s something to drool over: Pascal’s Christmas dinner for Merle in Give Him the Ooh-la-la. Yummy, and I don’t just mean the food. :-) What will you make for the holidays?

This is my flatware, bronze ware from Thailand, featured on this image from Bon Appetit — with Kir Royales!

Christmas Menu 

Aperitif

Tapenade on Toasted Baguette

&

Smoked Salmon with Chive Flavored Butter

Served with Kir Royale

Entrée

Oysters Served with lime and chilli dressing

Wine: Bordeaux white wine from Graves

Plat

Margret de Canard (Duck breasts) with Raspberry Sauce

with Green Beans and Roasted Garlic Potatoes

Wine: Bordeaux Margaux or Malbec Wine

Fromage

Rocamadour served on a bed of lettuce

Wine:  Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc

Dessert

Bûche de Noël

Wine: Bordeaux Sauternes

Aperitif

Stay tuned for a Kir Royale recipe coming tomorrow!

The novella comes out Saturday, December 20, just in time for your holiday reading. Enjoy! 

Tagged: Appertif, Bordeaux, Buche de Noel, Christmas books, Christmas dinner, Christmas menu, French Christmas, Give Him the Ooh-la-la, holiday, Kir Royale, Magret de Canard, Margaux, Menu planning, Recipes, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, tapenade, wine

Stocking Stuffer: Only 99 cents

If you’re like me you’re racing around, looking for gifts for the lucky people on your list. Here’s an easy one: The Alix Thorssen Mysteries Box Set, The Art of Murder, is just 99 cents this week! Four complete novels, two bonus short stories, gifted to your favorite Kindle reader: CHECK!

The Alix Thorssen Mysteries are set in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and environs, nestled into that sweet spot of the Rocky Mountains by Grand Teton National Park. In The Bluejay Shaman Alix goes back to her home state of Montana to deal with a family matter involving the death of a New Age seeker. Painted Truth finds Alix in the middle of a tourist summer on the square in Jackson when a friend’s gallery burns, leaving the remains of once-famous wunderkind artist. Nordic Nights explores the depths of winter in a snowy carnival that involves mysterious runestones, old and new. In Blue Wolf Alix takes on an art auction while helping an artist-friend discover what really happened to her son years before. Read more about the books here.

Hurray, this won’t last until Christmas. Get it today using this link: http://smarturl.it/art-of-murder

PS: Stay tuned for the launch of the Bennett Sisters series novella, Give Him the Ooh-la-la, this Saturday!

Tagged: 99 cent, Alix Thorssen, amazon, Art of Murder, books, box set

Holiday Madness

My holiday newsletter is out!  Did you get yours? In this one I have some up-and-coming information about the Bennett Sisters novella, holiday sales prices, and book reviews for Sue Grafton, Meg Gardiner, and Jeffery Deaver. Sign up for the next one — if it just makes clutter in your inbox hit that magic word: *unsubscribe*!

Here’s the scoop: Click here

To view the current newsletter CLICK HERE

Tagged: audiobook, book reviews, Christmas, holiday, Jeffery Deaver, Meg Gardiner, newsletter, Readers, reading, Sue Grafton, swag, writing

Helen Smith, Christmas Elf!?

One of the many people I saw all too briefly at last month’s mystery convention was British novelist Helen Smith. Helen writes two mystery series set in and around London as well as a variety of other works. Like her protagonists Helen is a lot of fun, charming, and adventurous. I loved and laughed out loud over her novel, Alison Wonderland. I talked to her recently about her writing. To sample Helen’s books take a look at her Christmas mystery short story, Real Elves, free for your Kindle today (and until December 13.) Grab a copy here: http://smarturl.it/RealElves

Q: You are a playwright and novelist and… is there anything you don’t write? What is your first writing love?

A: I have tried my hand at writing everything, including poetry, plays and screenplays. But novels are my first love. First, because I wanted to be a writer because I fell in love with reading as a child. And second, because I make my living writing novels.

Q: You’ve had a lot of adventures around the globe. How do they fit into your novels?

A: I have been very lucky to travel all over the world. I rarely put the locations into my books, actually, because I live in London and I’m obsessed with it, so it provides the backdrop to most of my books. But I traveled by ship from England to California at the beginning of this year and not only was it an amazing trip, but I plan to use it in an Emily Castles mystery. That series features an amateur sleuth, so a cruise ship would provide the perfect setting for an investigation that can be conducted – in the intial stages at least – without interference from the police.

Q: Writers are always asked: “Where do you get your ideas?” How do you take a germ of an idea and mold it into a novel or play? Do you have a method?

A: I usually start with the characters and a situation – a “what if.” I always know how the book will develop and how it will end – I often know what the last line will be before I start writing – but within that framework, some of my novels are fairly free-form. But with my Emily Castles mystery series, I have to have a mystery in it, and the mystery has to get solved by Emily, so I start with that.

Thank you, Helen! Happy holidays

About Helen Smith:

Helen Smith is a British novelist and playwright who lives in London. She is the author of two cult novels about a woman who joins an all-female detective agency in London (Alison Wonderland and Being Light) as well as the Emily Castles Mysteries and a dystopian novel, The Miracle Inspector. Her books have reached number one on Amazon in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. Her work has been optioned by the BBC.

Helen Smith’s blog: http://www.emperorsclothes.co.uk

Helen Smith’s website: http://helensmithbooks.com

Helen Smith on Twitter: http://twitter.com/emperorsclothes

Helen Smith’s books on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/helensmithbooks

 There is some bonus material, including fantasy casting and locations for books and interviews with other authors over at Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emperorsclothes

Tagged: amazon, authors, characters, Christmas, creative writing, e-book, Emily Castles, free, Helen Smith, kindle, mystery, short story, writing

busy days

Whew. Is it holiday madness already? It seems like the last month has flown by.

In mid-November I was in southern California for the Giant Mystery Ice Cream Social that is Bouchercon, the world mystery convention. The weather in Montana was below zero so the sunshine of Long Beach harbor really felt good. There was much merriment and flogging of books but meeting up with old friends and making new ones is always the best part of the convention. I think I’ve finally worked out how to have a great mystery con. You were thinking *alcohol* weren’t you? But no! Having a gregarious roommate is the answer. I usually try to room alone, so I have a sanctuary when the social gets too much. But this year I roomed with the fabulous Robin Burcell. She knows *everybody* from Lee Child on down. Here she is (center) while Sara Henry and I photobombed their tete-a-tete! All in good fun :-)

I gave away lots of tea samplers and bookmarks but I still have some left. If you send me a link to a review* of one of my books that you posted anywhere online I will send you a sampler tin of tea and a bookmark! OR: a photo of you reading one of my books, on your reader or in paperback! Send to LiseMcC at gmail dot com with your snail address so I can get your tea in the mail! Name%20Your Link" target="_blank">

*Review you wrote and posted after November 1, 2014, please. 

Check out their books  Name%20Your Link" target="_blank">Lee Child •  Name%20Your Link" target="_blank">Robin Burcell  •  Name%20Your Link" target="_blank">Sara J. Henry

• • • • •

Next year Bouchercon hits Raleigh, North Carolina. Can’t wait.

After the convention my husband and I had the pleasure of grandchild wrangling with our favorite three-year-old. Amazing times. And we got to go on a backstage tour of BOSCH, the Amazon Prime series from the books by Michael Connelly. Look for it in February with Titus Welliver as Harry. We got to see them shoot a scene where Harry throws Harvey Pound, his lieutenant, through a glass window. Yow, great fun.

Back home I have been writing madly to finish up the Bennett Sisters novella, Give Him that Ooh-la-la. I finished the first draft last night. There is still work to be done, accents to be checked (that darn French), plot holes to be filled. But look for it December 20 at your favorite online store.

Lastly if you’re feeling lucky here’s a giveaway I’m participating in. Some serious cash up for grabs. Stay happy!

Tagged: Bosch, Bouchercon, giveaway, Just in the Nick of Time Giveaway, Lee child, Long Beach, Michael Connelly, mystery, Mystery convention, Raleigh, Robin Burcell, Sara J. Henry, tea

Winners and Reviews

Congrats to Debbie Carney and Heather Leah who won books in the October giveaway! Thank you to all who entered. I’ll be doing another giveaway shortly so keep in touch. Sign up for the newsletter to hear about it first.

I did my fall road trip last week, traveling west to visit family in Seattle and Bellingham. The autumn scenery on the western slope of the Rockies was spectacular with the larches glowing on the hillsides, the ribbons of fog over the rivers, and the aspens and cottonwoods in full dress uniform. On the eastern slope the trees are nearly done. The aspens have dropped their leaves and the bite of winter has come. But farther west autumn lingers, glorious and, yes, rather damp, but stunning for a few more weeks. Follow me on Instagram to get my on-the-fly photos of Montana and more.

First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen, a young Oxford grad is caught in a search for an obscure book that may or may not prove that Austen plagiarized her most famous novel. The audiobook narration by Jane Entwistle is brilliant, as the English say. The book, which switches back and forth in time from the present to Austen’s time, is really an exercise for ardent fans though it definitely has its charms, including the dashing man who may not be as trustworthy as he seems (a la Wickham) and a romance of sorts for Jane. For the bookish Jane-ite (no wonder I liked it!)

Speaking of Pride and Prejudice spinoffs, have you been watching Death Comes to Pemberley on PBS? I was hesitant since I read the PD James book when it came out several years ago and was — underwhelmed. But curiosity got the best of me. What did you think? Great country house, right?

Wayfaring Stranger.

Burke, who lives in Missoula, is best known for his mysteries including the Billy Bob Holland stories. Wayfaring Stranger features the Holland family but is not a mystery but a sprawling American story full of morality and depravity in that crossroads of both, the oil business and the great state of Texas. You read Burke for the evocative language; he does not write down to the lowest common denominator/reader. He makes you listen (in the case of audio) to his descriptions, to the struggle of emotion and ethics, to the setting. He doesn’t really care about the plot in this one. He cares about the characters, deeply, their similarities and differences and inner demons. Great stuff. Highly recommended.

Tagged: audiobooks, autumn scenery, book reviews, Charlie Lovett, Death Comes to Pemberley, First Impressions, James Lee Burke, Jane Austen, Jane Entwistle, Pride and Prejudice, road trip, Wayfaring Stranger

Top Ten Books to Get You in the Halloween Spirit

Lise McClendon:

Looking for a Halloween read? Get inspired over at The Book Stop!

Originally posted on The Book Stop:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I’ve always loved fantasy, and while I don’t always say I’m a horror fan, fantasy and horror are pretty similar genres. I practically grew up on Stephen King novels — the old ones like Firestarter and The Dead Zone. I think some of the best children’s books, like The Wizard of Oz, are the scariest ones. I think that’s because in a well-written book, fear is a journey. It’s not just ghosts and goblins, it’s facing challenges and building strength and finding out something new about yourself.  Scary stories take us out of our own lives and let us experience fear in a non-threatening way.

So, here’s to Halloween, and here are ten books (or authors) to put you in a Halloween kind of mood.

Anything by Stephen King. My own favorite is

View original 355 more words

Novelist, take me away

Does setting matter?

Re-play time! Originally posted at Lois Winston’s blog, Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers

As a writer and reader I enjoy the “take-me-away” aspect of new and different places in fiction. Off to a foreign land without all the inconveniences of travel. I’ve used settings as far away as Moldova but my two novels set in France are close to my heart.

The books feature Americans but they rely as much on their setting as almost anything else. This France, far from the stylish boulevards of Paris and the sunny beaches of the Côte d’Azur, is the Dordogne province, originally called the Perigord. This southwestern region is a fertile land known for its wine, foie gras, duck confit, and black truffles. Its back roads wind through deep canyons, with villages clinging to cliffs. Here the Hundred Years War was fought and Nazis laid waste to the land. Remnants of war and violence remain.

Much of the first book, Blackbird Fly, is centered around small village life. In the second book, out this month, the Bennett sisters, all five lawyers, take on a walking tour of the Dordogne. Merle Bennett, the middle sister, is turning fifty. The “girl” in the title of the sequel, The Girl in the Empty Dress, is a law colleague of one sister. Secretive, demanding, and a bit rude, she hasn’t made many friends. Her secrets become the key to unraveling several mysteries.

History really comes alive in these old places where the ‘bastide’ walls are still solid after 800 years. But the delicacies of this area are the real delights. Black Perigord truffles are famous around the world. Difficult to harvest, they are becoming more scarce as climate change alters their natural habitat in these sunny hills and valleys.

Dogs are often trained today to hunt truffles. A highly-trained truffle dog is very valuable to any truffle hunter. In The Girl in the Empty Dress the women come across an injured dog in the ditch. This dog, they soon find out, is famous for its truffling exploits. How it got to be injured and out on its own sets off the mystery.

I went on a French walking tour myself. Six women, a love of wine and cheese, and winding trails through the vineyards made for a fabulous time. Afterward I saw a ‘Sixty Minutes’ story on truffles. One man, a dog owner who had his prized truffle dog stolen, really got to me. He searched for years in vain for his dog. I decided to write about a stolen truffle dog. I couldn’t figure out how to come at the story, then the walking tour came back to me. The dynamics of a small group are always interesting. The sixth wheel, the woman who is secretive and annoying, sets up the conflict. As a writer once you come up with the central conflict you’re off to the races. 

A delicious setting doesn’t hurt of course.

• • • • •

Sign up for a chance to win these two suspense novels — and two others.

Hurry, ends October 31

Enter here.

Tagged: foreign settings, France, French, giveaway, mystery, mystery and thriller, Mystery fiction, mystery readers, mystery writers, setting, suspense, writing