J.P. Choquette's Blog, page 7

Readers: Do Your Suspense Tastes Change with the Seasons?

image credit Today is Wednesday, the 21st of February in northwestern Vermont...and it's nearly 70 degrees outside. 

To say that we've had unusual weather this winter would be an understatement. But today's balmy temperatures have my mind turned to gardening and cleaning up the yard...and enjoying fresh, delicious strawberries straight from the raised bed. Mmm, along with fresh salad topped with dill and green-tailed onions  still warm from the sun. 

Obviously in summer months we  eat differently than we do in the winter. Somehow sitting down to a big bowl of steaming stew or a plate filled with hot soup in the middle of July doesn't sound as appealing, does it? 

This led me to wonder: do readers' tastes in books change with the seasons? You've heard the term, "beach read," right? It usually denotes lighter, fluffier reading fare than you might otherwise choose. 

But what about suspense readers? Do we like to change to lighter, fluffier mystery/suspense novels in the summer as opposed to the darker months of winter? Or is the opposite true? Perhaps we gravitate toward heavier reads in the lighter months, when the world doesn't feel quite so oppressive. 

I did a quick Google search but most of what I found was related to helping children find "just right" books (reading material most appropriate for their reading levels). I did, however, find this interesting article by C. Hope Clark on how readers tend to choose the books they read. 

I'd love to hear your take. Do you find that your books change depending on the season? Leave a comment and get the conversation started! 

The family that reads together...stays together?

Author, C.W. Hawes You've likely heard that old adage: "the family that plays together, stays together," or some reiteration of it. But what about the family that reads together? Are they any better off than a family that doesn't? 

The answer, according to C.W. Hawes, author and avid reader, is a resounding "yes!" 

C.W. has kindly offered to tell us more about it here on the blog. Please settle in and grab your favorite beverage. Here we go... Can reading together as a family be (gasp!) more fun than watching a movie together?  "There is nothing more enjoyable than a good book, unless it’s a good book shared with others," says C.W. "And the best way of sharing a book is to read aloud to each other.
 
"A book has a magic that just doesn’t exist with movies and TV. That’s because reading aloud is interactive in a way movies and TV aren’t.
 
"We talk about a movie or a TV show after-the-fact. Then we might re-watch it. But with a book we can talk about a concern or a plot point right there during the reading. We can re-read funny sentences or paragraphs. We can pause to digest a heart-wrenching scene. Confusing scenes or dialogue can be cleared up right away.
 
"Yes, we can hit the pause button or rewind button when watching a DVD or when streaming. But with a live show, that’s not possible. With a book, it’s possible any time.
 
"The other great advantage reading has over TV and movies, is that it stimulates the imagination. It’s not passive entertainment. It’s very active. And stimulation of the mind results in minds that are much more active and developed. Which is a very good thing."
 
C.W. reflects, "When my daughter was young there was no family TV. For entertainment we read books. And we read them together as a family, as well as individually. Harry Potter. Jean Webster’s Daddy-Long-Legs and Dear Enemy. Winnie the Pooh’s and Artemis Fowl’s adventures. Jules Verne, HG Wells, and Saki...among many others.

"We had great, great fun. And we also discussed the moral and ethical issues some of the books delved into. Fun and intellectually stimulating. What more could you ask for?
 
"I want to thank JP for having me on her blog to talk about one of my favorite hobby horses. It’s been a pleasure!"

Thank you, C.W., for making the time to be here. I appreciate it and your story!  Learn more about C.W. Hawes You can learn more about C.W. Hawes and his work by visiting his website at http://www.cwhawes.com. He is the author of several books and short stories in the post-apocalyptic, mystery, alternative history, and horror genres. 

His love of fine food, interesting locations, philosophy, music, art, books, and history can be seen in each of his tales. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, suburban Minneapolis, MN, has been his home for nearly 50 years. 

Other ways to get in touch: 
On Facebook
On Twitter
On Amazon

Readers: what is one thing that you'd like to know about reading together as a family? Please leave a question in the comment section below. 

What Do BigFoot, Ecotherapy and New England HAve in Common?

Today, I had the pleasure of guest posting over at the PacWest Bigfoot site . This is a really intriguing website, filled with first-person stories of Bigfoot encounters. David, the host of the website and head of the community there, notes that these stories are the perfect ones to tell around a campfire. He's also had his own Bigfoot encounter... 

Please head over to check out the guest post and all of the interesting, spine-tingling stories that readers have shared at PacWest Bigfoot. You could even nab a cool Bigfoot t-shirt  or some Sasquatch Coffee to really make your experience memorable.  

Contest Winners & My Author Dream

image credit If you aren't a newsletter subscriber, you may have missed today's big announcement: the winners of the (2) Amazon gift cards. Angela L., and Melissa B., were chosen at random from everyone who entered the "Sharing the LOVE" contest. Congrats, ladies! I'll get your gift cards out to you soon. 
My Dream of Being an Author "Did you always want to be an author?" People have asked me that question in recent years. The honest answer? No. But maybe not for the reasons you'd expect.

I dug out my "School Years" book today to see what I had aspired to be as an elementary student. You know, those funny little spiral-bound books where you glue a picture of yourself, along with the most important facts about yourself. Like, "best friends," and "hobbies," and of course the section for "what I want to be when I grow up."

While my book is somewhat ruined due to water damage, I could see a trend in my goals: a mother and a teacher (like my own mother). By about the sixth grade, I'd apparently lost interest in being a mother, and just wanted be a teacher. By high school I'd sworn off both. I was going to be a photojournalist for National Geographic who never married or had children...or a veterinarian. 

As a kid though, no one ever suggested to me that I could be an author. In fact, the little boxes in the School Years book don't list that as a potential career. But I could have aspired to be a model, I guess, or an airline hostess (except I've never been thin or tall enough for either of those careers). Those options do have little boxes beside them. 

Even though I've adored writing  my whole life--starting with the stories I wrote in childhood, the "magazine" my friend and I created monthly, the embarrassing poetry I wrote in middle and high school and the constant, incessant journaling I've done since I can remember--no one ever said, "Hmm. Do you think you might like to write as your career?" 

In fact, I never thought of writing as a way to make a living until 2007, when my oldest sister (who obviously knew something that the editors at "School Years" didn't), asked me why I didn't try freelance writing. Not as a hobby, but a job. 

So, I did. 

I had a writing business for nearly eight years and wrote hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, blog posts, website content for businesses and nonprofits, newsletters, four novels, and one non-fiction guide for writers . I fell in love with writing novels I'd love to tell you that once I wrote that first novel my path was set, the floodgates opened and the money and fame poured in. But that would be as fictionalized as my books.

In reality, it's been a long, slow, uphill climb. I nearly gave up completely due to a new, full-time job and the criticism of my books.

Thin skin + author = unhappy person. 

Still, I've never given up on my dream. Someday, maybe five years from now or 10 or maybe 20, I want to make a living from my books. I can't imagine a better job than creating stories that transport readers. To bring readers to different times and places, and offer an adventure that they can take with them wherever they go? That's the best job in the world in my book.  

Why I'm Celebrating Freedom Today

Art doll by F. P. Dubois, 2009 February 1st marked an important holiday in the United States, the International Day of Freedom. Don't feel badly if you missed it--I did, too--we can still celebrate the message today and every day that we're alive! 

This holiday offers a chance to reflect on the freedom that every American enjoys as a result of the signing of the resolution which proposed the 13th amendment of the U.S. Constitution on February 1, 1865. The president at the time, Abraham Lincoln, signed the resolution to outlaw slavery in the country. 

Turn on the news any evening this week and you're sure to see a myriad of things that are dividing our country: politics, religion, racial tension and more. It's too bad that more of the media's time isn't spent on the things which unify us as Americans.

The small-town heroes who return from war, the helping hands that appear out of nowhere after a house fire destroys a home, the kind stranger who pays for the meal of the family behind her in line, the way that a community comes together to offer support (financial and emotional) to a young man struggling with cancer. 

These are the stories that are often eschewed in the face of "real news." Real news being stories of tragedy, of hatred, of anger and polarization, apparently. 

I wanted to take this chance to encourage each of us--Americans or not--to celebrate the freedoms that most of us enjoy each and every day.

As I'm researching my next book, a mystery set in the later part of the 19th Century, I'm reminded again and again how few choices women had. There are many things that I enjoy without thought--driving my car whenever and wherever I like for example--that would have been unheard of then. Even something like reading would have been treated much differently in those days. And what a person read--particularly a female person--might be much different than what someone enjoys reading today. 

Freedom is my deepest value. It's one of the reasons that I give to charities like the International Justice Mission.  I cannot imagine the horror of being anyone's slave. 

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
​Well said, President Lincoln.

So, tell me: what freedoms are you grateful for today? 

Never Published Prologue to Shadow in the Woods!

Don't you love the outtakes at the end of movies? These are often bloopers, but not always. Sometimes I've wished that I could get a deeper look into an author's book. Maybe see their messy notes scrawled hurriedly before the first draft, or a glimpse at the scenes that were eventually cut from the manuscript. 

Here's your chance to get a sneak peek of a never before published part of Shadow in the Woods! This prologue was the first few pages written of the book, but at the encouragement of a writing friend and book expert, left out of the final manuscript. 

Ready? Here it is: 
SHADOW IN THE WOODS
Prologue
Old Times
“I am the storyteller,” the old woman said. Firelight flickered over the gnarled hands holding a twisted walking stick. Always the stories started the same way. With those four words. Words that sent shivers running up and down Greta’s skinny arms and legs.

The shadows danced on the old woman’s face. Her eyes were hollow sockets one second, glowed bright and shiny the next. Greta’s little brother drew close to her side. He sucked his finger which was stuck between wobbly teeth like a penny candy stick. The sound mixed with the snaps and cracks of the wood in the fire.

“A long time ago, many years before now, there lived a Shadow in the woods.” The old woman paused as the moon slid behind a blanket of clouds. “He was not a man. Not a beast. The Shadow just was.” Her breath accompanied these last words so that it was half word and half sigh. She looked away, into the woods, as though she could see this thing that she talked about.

Greta felt the same goose bumps that had danced on her arms and legs move up her back and wriggle along her neck. Far away a wolf howled.

The old woman was speaking again. “The Shadow was tall, taller than the tallest of men in our village. And he was dark, black as the night sky,” she swept a gnarled hand toward the stars above.

“He didn’t walk as we do. No,” her head wagged back and forth. “He moved like a spirit, like a ghost. That is why we called him the Shadow.

“Some people say that he is a man, forgotten by Time. Lost in a world that he does not understand.

“Others though,” the old woman takes her time, looking from Greta to her brother, then far out into the woods beyond. Greta’s heart banged against her ribs. Her little brother snuffled his face into her arm, clenching it hard with his small, hard hands.

“Others say that the Shadow is a monster.” The woman’s voice has dropped to a hoarse whisper. The children circling the fire bent forward to listen harder. “A monster that hides in the light of day and walks the woods at night. Watching. Always watching. And waiting.”

Waiting for what? Greta wanted to ask. Her lips felt like wood though, heavy and uncooperative.

The wolf howled again. Closer this time but still very far away. The keening cry was joined by another and then a third. Greta shivered and wrapped her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. Her little brother had started to cry, leaving a damp patch on her arm.

“He waits,” said the old woman, answering Greta’s unasked question. “He waits for you.” The storyteller’s knotted finger pointed to each of them, her eyes looked slowly from one to the other, pausing when she reached Greta. Or was it just her imagination?

“The Shadow is lonely.” Her gaze slides on.

Greta’s teeth ache and she realizes they are clamped together, hard.

The old woman’s voice is a mere whisper now, each word raising individual hairs along Greta’s neck. “He waits to take you with him.” ​

why do you read?

The cat bites the mailman. The soup boils over and leaves a burned mess on the stove. The kids' are quarreling. Your boss bellows at you to get in her office immediately. The computer crashes. The bill is a day late, resulting in a $35 late charge. 

On days like this, it's obvious why we read: to escape. 

And yet books don't hold the same merit that they used to in the lives of most Americans. Now, we're faced with many other ways to disconnect from the stress of real life. We can stream a favorite show, buzz around social media,  watch a movie or see a concert or catch up on a favorite blog ... all from the comforts of our living room. In days past--say our grandparents or great-grandparents' generation--these things were unheard of. Books played a much more vital role in the lives of many.

For me though--and maybe for you, too?--there is nothing quite as relaxing as the promise of time spent with a good book. I love to curl up in the couch's corner and read with a cup of coffee in hand. Or to spend a few minutes before I fall asleep finishing "just one more chapter." 

Reading is more than just the story (though that's obviously very important). It's about the ritual of reading. It's about sinking into a story that's partly creation of the author and partly your imagination. It's about enjoying your genre fully: whether that's romance or sci-fi or noir or suspense. 

When you think about it, reading fiction is really a strange process. You and a friend can read the exact same book, yet will both come away with different takes on it, as well as a completely unique set of characters formed in your minds. 

When you watch a movie with a friend, however, while your opinions may differ the experience of the movie is similar for you both. What you saw on the screen, after all, cannot be that different than the person sitting six inches away from you. 

It's also a way to form a community. Book groups are more popular than movie groups, and recommendations from readers of books in your genre are likely to be taken to heart, whereas movie reviews aren't weighted as heavily. There are even websites dedicated to discussing books via online forums like Goodreads and LibraryThing.  

Still, it piques my curiosity. Besides escape, what other reasons do you read fiction? Do you make reading fiction a high priority in your leisure time? Please chime in via the comments section below. 

Writing Suspense in Vermont: a Look Behind-the-Scenes

"Where do you get your ideas?" I'm sitting at a book group, with my hands around the paper cup of tea. The scent of it along with the smell of books and wet wool make for a cozy experience. 

This isn't the first time that I've been asked this question. With books titled things like Epidemic people often wonder if I've had experience as a nurse (I haven't) or after reading Subversion, ask if I've ever really led a secret life as a vigilante (I can't tell you that).     :) 

The idea for Shadow in the Woods though, came about in a very normal way. It all started with an article that I wrote for a magazine. The topic? Ecotherapy. You can read the blog article on ecotherapy for more background information. 

While ecotherapy is a fascinating topic, I never imagined it being made into a book ... not at the time anyway. 

That is how the best ideas start though, through a small kernel of information. I can usually tell if an idea is a good one, because  I can't stop thinking about. The idea for Epidemic came to me while sitting in a pandemic emergency response training at the local hospital.

There I was, doodling in my notebook when I thought, "what if?" What if this really did happen here, in this rural town in Vermont? And what if the reason wasn't because of a natural turn of events, but something more sinister? (Cue the creepy music or just watch this for more details.) 
"So, how do you know when an idea is a good one?" That's a good question. I guess for me, it's when the idea just has to be written. I have lots of ideas (lots and lots--the movement in my brain resembles popcorn most days) but not all of them could or should be made into books. 

But when I come across an idea that just won't leave me be, that's when I sit up and pay attention. And sometimes it takes some false starts to get going. I wrote the first draft of what I'm calling "The Creepy Doll Book," and I'm not sure it will ever be published. Maybe. Hopefully. But it needs a lot of work and re-writing to make it really good. 

One method that writers use is to write a short story first, before delving into a full-length novel. That's a great idea. Another is to write just a chapter or two (not necessarily at the beginning) of a book and gauge how you feel about it. Do you love it and want to keep going? Do you lose interest after that one or two chapters is written? 

Novellas would be another way to "test the waters" and see if your full-length book idea has merit. I haven't yet written one but would like to. 

Think about it this way: when you are looking for a book to read, don't you often pick it up (or look at the preview online) and read a few pages or a chapter to see if you'll like it? The same can be true in novel writing. Authors can always start small and see where it goes. Or jump in with both feet like I do ... and then prepare yourself for a lot of editing! 

Shadow in the woods Featured

Really excited to be one of the featured authors in Ellen Seltz's fun newsletter this month. You might remember Ellen from this guest blurb that was recently on the blog. 

Ellen write's (in part): "And if spooky suspense is your thing, you'll love this nail-biter!
JP Choquette writes novels that turn pages, not stomachs. Her tense tales are Gothic, not gory, and Shadow in the Woods is a great introduction." 

Grateful for the mention ... and off to organize my TBR pile which includes Mr. Mottley Gets His Man.  :) 

new blog series: suspense for sensitive readers

image credit It's happened to all of us: there you are, innocently reading your current spine-tingling mystery when wham ! Out of nowhere something really disturbing happens. Maybe it's when the story dips into gratuitous violence, or when the child is kidnapped or the animal is tortured ... but whatever it is, you're left feeling nauseous. 

Unlike with movies or TV shows, readers don't always get the same cues that something unnerving like this is going to happen. There is no sinister music or threatening glances that warn us of the impending depravity. And books aren't rated, so we can't know that if what's between the covers is closer to PG-13 or R or X. Plus, we can't fast-forward (effectively at least) through the too-gory or disturbing bits and pick up the storyline again very easily. 

I love reading mystery and suspense books. I love the way that they give my brain a workout and I enjoy solving the puzzles and putting together the details. But I don't love overly-violent novels where the violence is described in painstaking detail. And I won't read books that deal with child abduction or torture of kids or animals. 

On the other hand, I'm also not a huge fan of cozy mysteries. I like gritty and real ... just not too gritty, I guess. 

That's why I thought it might be fun to cover some really great, suspenseful novels that are excellently-written here on the blog. I'm looking for a great name for this series, so if you have a suggestion, please let me know. "Suspense for Sensitive Readers" is the temporary name and ties in well with the tagline for my books, "Suspense that turns pages, not stomachs." 

I'd love to hear about some of your favorite suspense books--present or past--or any authors that you think do an excellent job of writing compelling, edge-of-your-seat stories. Just as in movies, I think it's what is left out that is often scarier than what's shown.

Your thoughts?