Emilie Richards's Blog, page 27

What Dates a Book and Does It Matter?

Are you doing a Reading Challenge in 2020?

I love reading challenges and have posted about them before. Not only do we do a monthly challenge for my Read Along With Emilie Richards Facebook Group, there are a gazillion other challenges on the internet and possibly at your own library. That last link even features a 2020 Reading Challenge journal for you to keep information about the books you read.

I don’t need a challenge to make me pick up a book. What I do find is that I pick up books I might not normally read because they fit that month’s theme. So I’m reading outside my comfort zone much of the time.

This month, our challenge is: A book with a title that is either a question or a demand.

I’ll confess that when we came up with this category, I thought it would be fun. But when September rolled around, I worried. Were participants really going to find books that fit? I made a short list of possibilities from the latest Amazon bestseller list to get us started, but I shouldn’t have worried. Read Along participants have come up with terrific books.

I found and chose two for myself, an audio book by Lee Child with a “demand” title: Make Me. I happened to have it in my library. My other choice was a question, a book titled Madam, Will You Talk? by the romantic suspense author Mary Stewart, who is still popular today, although her heyday was in the 20th century. This was Stewart’s first novel, and I read another, Nine Coaches Waiting, for our 2019 category: A book from the generation you were born in. Because the book is set in Provence, and because I can’t travel there in real time, I decided to give it a try.

Mary Stewart may be gone, but she’s not forgotten.

In the meantime I had just finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, after watching the miniseries on Acorn, and I was struck by everything that dated both novels.

Here are some of the things that dated the books for me:

Smoking. In Stewart’s book in particular (written in 1955) every character lights up, stubs out, breathes in someone else’s smoke, fools with cigarette cases, offers lights to another character. Hardly a page goes by without smoke circulating, and children in the vicinity make no difference.
Cultural and literary allusions that don’t often appear today and never in such abundance in popular fiction. Shakespeare, Chaucer, medieval poetry, just to name a few.
Class differences. Of course not all novels today feature people of the same classes. We have all kinds of characters, from all kinds of backgrounds. But who they are and where they came from on the social strata make them “types” in this book. It’s clear that by mentioning a certain accent, a way of dressing or presenting oneself is simply shorthand to help us dismiss someone or pay closer attention.
Racial attitudes. And Then There Were None was originally titled Ten Little N-words. Yes, indeed, only substitute the actual word. Later it became Ten Little Indians. The first was taken from an old minstrel song which features in the plot. The word itself meant something different than the U.S. context, but was still racist by today’s standards. Additionally one character, responsible for the death of many African soldiers, points out that it didn’t really matter because they viewed death differently than Europeans. Another dismisses someone as “just a native.” In fairness to Christie, these characters are not nice people.
Sexism. Women are clearly thought to be weaker emotionally and physically, and men consider themselves to be smarter, more courageous, and stronger in every way. These are handy attitudes when women are slated to be victims.

I’ll confess I found all this particularly interesting right now. I’m in the process of reissuing my Homecoming series, beginning with Runaway this month. In the past I’ve updated some of my reissues to reflect times and themes today. But updating these novels with, for instance, cell phones and instant computer access, would completely change the stories and how they unfold. In fact cell phones would destroy Fugitive, which comes out on November 1. And yes, I could fix that, as Lee Child does in Make Me, by saying that cell phone service doesn’t exist in the small town where the novel takes place.  But by the time I explained away that and other elements of a story set in a town time forgot, none of it would ring true.

So I decided to keep all the books set as they’re written. But how long before novels lose all their luster because our attitudes have changed so substantially that issues, like the ones I listed above, jump out at us and shake our concentration?  And is it better if the books are set a long time ago, instead of 50 or 60 years? Because then we just assume there will be many differences? Are we more willing to overlook attitudes with literary classics? Or less?

Have you read books where words and attitudes an author took for granted now seem offensive or disagreeable? Does that have an effect on what you read and how? Are you able to overlook prejudice to enjoy the story whether it’s dated or not?

For me, the talent of these authors still shines through. I see the novels as time capsules and most likely the authors were more educated and broad-minded than the general population. But I still squirm, despite that.

How about you?

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Sunday Inspiration: Happy Labor Day!

“A hundred times every day, I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labor of others, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give the same measure that I have received and continue to receive.” -Albert Einstein

This is a very different Labor Day holiday than we are used to — but this entire year has been bizarre. Not only is this another holiday that many of us will spend apart from our family and friends — or with a limited number — but it’s also a time when we honor and celebrate the work that people do when many people have lost their jobs.

As Einstein said, our lives depend on the labor of others, and I’m thankful for all those who contribute to the well-being of our communities, while my heart goes out to all those who so desperately want to work and can’t because of the pandemic. Jobs can give so much meaning and joy to our lives, not to mention financial security, and I hope that everyone who can’t find one at this time will get the needed aid they deserve. Sooner would be better than later.

May your Labor Day holiday be a good one, no matter your circumstances. And may we always be thankful for those who work so hard for their satisfaction and our well-being.

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Helping At A Difficult Time

Are you feeling useless and powerless?

Welcome to our club. You have lots of company because we have endless numbers of members. We’re not a bit exclusive. There are no initiation rites, and no need to sign up. We’re all in this together, simply because we’re human. And you know, no matter how much we rant and rave, make useless promises, or whine, here we are. Still. Together.

This week when a wonderful reader named Delores told me she had moved from making multiple “regular” masks to making masks for the hearing impaired–44 done on her way to 55–I was, as always, impressed with her commitment not only to making the best of a bad (!) situation, but to helping others make the best of theirs.  These two masks are just some of those she’s made, the larger for adults and the smaller for children.

In her email she said: “Also scrub caps for a hospital in North Carolina.  I just finished 74 pleated style masks for my daughter’s first grade class.   Belle, Little Mermaid, Cars and Ninja Turtles.  I was able to get a lightweight polypropylene to use as a third layer so can use lighter weight fun fabrics.  I think I have wore my 19 year old machine about out.”

And this, friends, is only the most recent part of her output. Altogether she has made more than 1300 masks. Delores says that she believes we’re put on this earth to help each other. Nobody will doubt her commitment to that ideal.

I’m so glad there are people like Delores and like others of you who are helping in your communities. Not only do you help, you inspire others to help, as well.

This week I looked into other ways of helping. Think of these as “service projects” for that club I mentioned. Of course there are a lot of suggestions online for possibilities, but I thought I’d beat that drum here, as well.

First: Take safety precautions for yourself and others.

Wash your hands a million times a day. Or maybe half a million? I posted some twenty-second inspirational songs to sing while you do, combining meditation/prayer with cleanliness. I sing one every time now, sometimes adding my own lyrics. My new Johnny Appleseed grace: The Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the sky above, the food I eat and the ones I love, the Lord is good to me. This morning I timed the first verse of Amazing Grace. It takes thirty seconds, if you sing it right, so that gives you time to dry your hands, too. What a bargain.


Wearing a mask is essential when you’re out in public, and it’s no more an infringement of our basic rights and freedom than wearing clothing in the same situation.  I haven’t seen anybody screaming about their right to walk naked down the street lately, have you? Your mask protects those around you. Wearing it is an act of faith and love. Find one you can tolerate. No, they aren’t fun. But they are better than ventilators, right?

Second: Reach out to those around you.

I’ll confess I don’t like to talk on the telephone. I don’t know why and it doesn’t matter. I often put off phone calls for that reason, hoping I can have a real conversation in person at some point. But this is no time to back off from friends and neighbors. And real conversations in person? Not happening that much, are they? So now’s the time to get on the phone, to email or text, to learn to use Zoom and Face Time and every other technological advance that’s making it possible to stay in touch. Find a project you can do with someone. Read to a child. The possibilities are many.

Everybody’s lonely, even if they’re living with others. And those who aren’t? They need special care. You can do it from your sofa without risk of infection.

Third: Make donations if you can.

This is a difficult time financially for many people, and this may be impossible for you. But if you can afford it? Find an organization you trust, one that’s helping the unemployed, the first responders, those people in need of essential services.

Charity Navigator, which rates charities on financial health, code of conduct and accountability, suggests these possibilities. Read the article before you choose. If you already have a charity in mind? Type the name into the Charity Navigator website and see how your choice is rated. We make a monthly donation to our denomination’s service committee, but not before I thoroughly checked to be sure they were responsible and helping in the ways I most want to support.

Here’s an article that details other ways of donating. They suggest food, PPE, hard to find supplies you might have stocked up on, computers and clothing. So many people don’t have computers they can use for their children’s school work, or to find a new job or stay in touch with families. And now that many library computers aren’t available, they have no place to go. Maybe you have an old laptop you can lend or give? And while some second-hand clothing charities may not accept clothing in person, some are accepting clothing by mail. Isn’t this a great time to clean out your closet? Mine sure needs it.

The article I mentioned, Coronavirus: How to Help and Give Back, has many other terrific suggestions. Rather than detail them here, I’ll send you there.  But here’s one that all of us can do. Leave messages of gratitude and comfort here for our health heroes, who are risking their lives to help us stay safe.

See what else you can find. The possibilities are legion.

We’re in this together. I’m hoping that the club we involuntarily joined will disband very soon. None of us will be sorry to turn in our membership cards. But I’m hoping when I look back at these months, I’ll find something I did that made a difference.

I bet you do, too.

 

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Sunday Inspiration: Grieving allows us to heal…

“Grieving allows us to heal, to remember with love rather than pain. It is a sorting process. One by one you let go of the things that are gone and you mourn for them. One by one you take hold of the things that have become a part of who you are and build again.”
— Rachel Naomi Remen
I saw a t-shirt recently that had 2020 printed in large letters and below it the ubiquitous Amazon 5 stars with only 1 star highlighted, and the brief review below read “Would not recommend.”
2020 has been a very difficult year. Pandemic, fires, hurricanes, shootings. We’ve all lost so much: jobs, freedom of movement, health, loved ones, friends, and family. Even for those who have lost little we can’t help but feel compassion and grief for all those who have lost so much.
In the midst of so much loss Rachel Remen reminds us that we need to take time to grieve so that we may move on to healing. We need to take time to reflect on the losses we’ve experienced so that we’ll have the opportunity to eventually remember with love rather than pain.
What are you grieving friends?

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The Homecoming Series–Back In Print

Don’t you love to see old friends?

I’m delighted to announce that three of mine, books I wrote when I was happily publishing romances with Silhouette, will be visiting online bookstores beginning in September. While I was working on putting them back into print I told you a little about the covers and the stories, and now I’m delighted to share they’re finally ready to go. Before I do, though, a shout out to Art by Karri for her gorgeous, evocative covers.

I’m calling the three books the Homecoming series. When I wrote Runaway, the first book of this series, I immediately proposed The Way Back Home, the second–which rounds out the first story–and then a third book, Fugitive, featuring a young woman who featured in both the previous books. Each woman wrestles with the meaning of home and family after extraordinary experiences on the mean streets of America. While the books dealt with controversial subjects, my publisher and editor were on board from the start.

Click on the links above for more information and excerpts. But just to whet your reading appetite?

Runaway takes place in New Orleans, where Krista Jensen is willing to do anything to find her little sister, Rosie, who has run away from their upper middle class home in Minnesota. Journalist Jess Cantrell is researching the problem of runaways and realizes that Krista is in more danger than she knows.

 

The Way Back Home is set in Sun County, Florida, based on the area around Palm Beach. Anna Fitzgerald may be an unlikely choice to counsel runaways at the First Day shelter, but Grady Clayton, Sun County prosecutor, finds there’s more to Anna’s struggles than she reveals.

 

Fugitive is set in Mountain Glade, Arkansas, which is loosely based on Mountain View, Arkansas, as it was when I served there in VISTA. Tate Cantrell has inherited land and a primitive log cabin from a father she never knew. She also inherits big trouble in the form of an escaped prisoner known as Carl Petersen, convicted murderer, but who is he really? And why was he in High Ridge prison?

 

Timeline?

Runaway is available for pre-order now and will be available as an ebook from all your favorite online bookstores on September 1st. It’s also available in print on Amazon.

The Way Back Home is available for pre-order now and will be published on October 1st. It will also be available in print at Amazon when the ebook arrives.

Fugitive is also available for pre-order now and comes out in eBook and paperback on November 1st. Again only Amazon will have the paperback.

I hope you’ll enjoy them all. Old friends are worth keeping.

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Sunday Inspiration: For What It’s Worth

“For what it’s worth:
It’s never too late to be who you want to be.
I hope you live a life you’re proud of.
And if you’re not,
I hope you have the strength to start over again.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

It’s important to remember you can start over, isn’t it? When writing novels and more important, living your life. Those mistakes you’ve made? Start with a clean slate after you’ve done what you can to set the mistakes right. Your life isn’t the one you envisioned, in fact it’s much less ? Find another, better life to be proud of.

There’s no sin in starting fresh and moving in a different direction. We do it all the time in small ways. Time to assess the larger ones?

Thank you, F. Scott Fitzgerald for this reminder.

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Title Sleuthing

Yesterday I realized it’s been five months since we began our self-imposed quarantine.

That’s probably true for many of you, as well. Other than a few medical appointments and walks on the beach where we can socially distance, we haven’t gone anywhere. I’m including a photo from our most recent walk because what else can I show you other than the bread I’ve baked from the treasured sourdough happily foisted on us by a neighbor?

Writers spend the majority of their time indoors, so in some ways, staying at home isn’t too different for me. I spent the first months of quarantine finishing a book, and I’ve spent the last months going over edits, working on covers for a new anthology I’ll finish writing soon and also covers for three of my backlist novels, which will come out in September, October, and November. More about those in another blog.

This week I’ve been title sleuthing.

If you read my blog regularly, you know I talk about titles a lot. What does title sleuthing mean exactly? Well, last week my editor let me know that although I thought the title of my next book for Mira Books was all set, my choice had been challenged. After mainly positive responses, a few new voices were heard. And now they wanted me to rethink it.

Remember the book is well and truly finished, and I’ve even proofed the edits. So wow, a title change at this late stage? The cover mock-ups I’ve seen even feature the old one.

My original title was Lies and Other Mercies. In many ways the story is about the lies we tell those we love to spare them from the truth. That’s where “mercies” comes in. My friend Casey Daniels/Kylie Logan came up with this title in one of our group brainstorming sessions, and all of us oohed and aahed over it. Right then I knew that because I liked it so well, it was bound to be rejected by my publisher.

You can tell I’ve been through this before, right?

In all fairness to my publisher, some of my title choices have, in retrospect, been horrible. I wanted to call my third romance novel The Soul’s Seduction. Yes, I did, and no they didn’t let me. They titled it Something So Right. Not the best title in history but a lot better than my choice.

So by now, I listen when my editorial team complains, no matter how much I don’t want to. Their feeling this time was the title sounded too “literary.” It sounded like it might belong to a short story collection. So because with a pandemic raging around me and my sense of what matters in life undergoing a huge change, I said okay, let’s see what we can do.

I can’t tell you how many titles we’ve considered and rejected. I came up with another I loved, but when I went to Amazon to see if there were other books by that title, I learned that my good friend Diane Chamberlain had written and published a book with the same title with our mutual publisher years ago. Although I thought I’d read all her books, somehow I missed that one. See what good taste we share?

Another, House of Lies, has been used repeatedly. I can see why. 

My editor has a favorite, and while I like it a lot, I have a few questions. Luckily I have a Krewe of Review, some of my loyal readers, who will give advice. We’re debating it now. I’ll let you know what the decision will be.

Meantime, even though I’m not actively writing a new book, I’m spending hours proofing edits, making cover and title decisions and yesterday and today reading through two more of my backlist titles to see if I want to put them online with new covers. (I do. They’re lots of fun.) So my life is still filled with books, and writing, and decisions, even though I’m entering my sixth month of quarantine.

I hope all of you are keeping busy at something you love. I hope whatever you’re doing includes books, not just because I want you to read mine, but because other authors’ books are helping me get through this difficult moment in history.

I hope all our books are doing the same for you.

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Sunday Inspiration: Nature

“Nature has been for me,

for as long as I remember,

a source of solace, inspiration,

adventure, and delight;

a home, a teacher, a companion.

-Lorraine Anderson

This is a time in our history when being outdoors makes all kinds of sense. While lives are more difficult now, we still have nature as a source of solace and inspiration, as this quote by author Lorraine Anderson reminds us. Proman and I are trying to spend an early morning at the beach each week where we can be socially distant and feel the sand between our toes. It’s no surprise how much better we feel afterwards.

Have you spent time in nature this week? From where do you draw solace and inspiration?

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Sunday Inspiration: Love recognizes no barriers

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope.”

—Maya Angelou

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Novels During Difficult Times: A Pandemic Roundtable

Last week I blogged about writing during the pandemic, citing my own experiences and those I’ve gathered from other conversations.

I ended that blog by asking if the pandemic will show up in fiction and how. Of course, none of us can predict the future, but I asked three writer friends for their thoughts.

Judith Arnold, Jennifer Greene, and Shelley Costa, aka Stephanie Cole, agreed to join me for a pandemic roundtable. Many thanks to them for taking the time to participate.

Unfortunately due to distance and social distancing, our roundtable was as deserted as the one in the photo, conducted by email instead of in person. Nevertheless, I think you’ll enjoy what everyone had to say. As a group we cover a lot of ground, and you’ll find longer bios and book links at the end.

Judith Arnold is a prolific, popular author of women’s fiction, romance and mystery.

Jennifer Greene has many award-winning romance and women’s fiction novels to her credit.

Shelley Costa not only writes mysteries, she’s also a writing instructor.

We began by discussing some of our previous experiences with life changing events and the way they affected our books.

I pointed out that two separate times I’ve had to rewrite my timeline well into the book and set it back a year to avoid having to change the story to incorporate historical events that occurred as I was writing. One was 9-11 and my novel Prospect Street, the other event was the pandemic and Lies and Other Mercies, which debuts next summer. I wasn’t alone in having to make changes.

Here’s what Judith said:

Years ago, I wrote a book set in New Orleans. It was the first book in a continuity series Harlequin was publishing, about a classic French Quarter hotel. I wrote the book, submitted it…and then Hurricane Katrina happened. There were many intense discussions among the editors and authors about whether they should move forward with the series, and if so how we could address the catastrophe. I wound up having to revise my book to include references to how the hotel was recovering, both physically and financially. I added water stains to many buildings. I had guests at the hotel talking about how happy they were to be able to return to New Orleans. I think it worked out okay.

A similar problem recurred recently as she wrote an addition to her series about a popular Manhattan food emporium.

I wrote the original version of Love In Bloom’s in 2001 and sold it just before 9/11. Since that book was set in NYC, I had to go back and revise certain details. For instance, the heroine had a kitschy framed print of the WTC towers hanging in her office. After 9/11, that print became a precious sentimental memento.

Jennifer was more concerned with the needs of her reading audience than actual events.

I was writing on 9/11…writing when the market crashed in 2008. Those weren’t the same issues (even remotely) as this pandemic, but my answer is the same. I think readers need more ‘relief’ from real life in tough times, rather than dwelling on something they’re already worried about every day.

Our readers needs us as much as we need them…to remind each other what really matters in life, above and beyond the crises that inevitably interrupt our lives.

Shelley’s problem was a little different.

My own experience has been more nuisance than anything else. I have re-written my two earliest female private eyes novels again and again. . .over a span of thirty years! So I’ve had to catch references that have gone out of date. It would be terrible to get called out for being, well, behind the times.

We turned to the ways novelists will tackle the pandemic in works to come.

Ignore it.
Mention but not focus on it.
Incorporate it into your plot or character development.

Here’s Shelley’s take on the possibilities.

It takes time for writers who want to address these historic events even to understand how they feel about them. To absorb their magnitude. I think the pandemic will prove to be the same. Already we see smart, incisive op-ed pieces. But art? Yet to come. In my own work, I don’t expect I’ll address it. It’s just not the sort of thing I turn to for grist in murder mysteries.

Judith’s feeling were similar.

My romance readership wants to see couples meeting, navigating the rocky terrain of falling in love, kissing, and having sex. I just don’t see face masks and Zoom virtual dates fitting into that scenario. My hope is that by the time I write my next mystery, the worst of the pandemic will be over, we’ll have an effective vaccine, and our society will “open” once more.

And Alison has ideas on what to avoid and what not to.

I’m afraid any mention of the pandemic would remind the reader of a time they want to forget–and would also date the book/make it very difficult to resell a few years from now. I’d think a story about a character who is starting over would be ideal now? Or themes where people are moving past a difficult time.

My own take was a little different and showed up in our final question.

I’m already noticing book reviews that mention how odd it is to read about people going about normal lives, going to restaurants and clubs, hanging with friends in crowded places, and not thinking about masks or vaccines.  I notice this on television programs and in books I’m reading myself.  So I asked our pandemic roundtable if we choose to ignore the present situation entirely, will readers be distracted by the reality of their life? Will that take them out of the story and make it harder to stay absorbed?

Judith has already gotten a response from a reader on exactly this.

She said she was taken aback by the book’s descriptions of crowded city streets and store aisles teeming with customers. This didn’t spoil the book for her (thank goodness!) but she did find it disconcerting. I don’t know if some readers may find the contrast between the New York City of Full Bloom and the world we’re living in today too distracting, if it will spoil the book for them. I hope it won’t. Like so many of my books, Full Bloom is a comedy. I think readers need to be able to laugh.

Jennifer is thinking about what will both help and entertain her readers.

I’m conscious the same way–of going anywhere, noticing whether people are social-distancing or wearing masks. But I don’t see that as helpful to ‘spend time on’ in a story. I expect our world will have drastically changed in 3 months, 6 months, and for quite a while?  It makes more sense in writing (for me) to concentrate on using settings where those issues aren’t distracting and on characters struggling with ‘real life’ issues that always mattered and always will.

Shelley had this to say:

I think it very much depends on the story. If we write a story set in 2020 in New York City and we don’t incorporate the pandemic in a very real way, then we are at the least missing a gargantuan opportunity, and run the risk of being tossed aside by readers due to what they might perceive as unawareness or insensitivity. Other stories, other places, other years, not the same thing at all.  I feel a certain wistfulness, yes, but then I turn myself over to the story itself, and look for its own realities.

I’ll let Judith have the final say.

When I watch TV or read books that don’t acknowledge the pandemic, I don’t find the scenes of social mingling problematic. I like to read and/or watch these fictions because they allow me to believe that we’ll someday be able to live that way again–dining indoors at restaurants, visiting ailing relatives, sending our children to school, hugging our friends.

That’s what we all wish, I think.

Once again, thanks to my friends for taking time from their own writing to add to this blog. Enjoy their bios and follow the links to find some of their wonderful work. 

Judith Arnold is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author with more than 100 published romances, mysteries, and women’s fiction novels to her name. Her current release, Full Bloom, is available in ebook and hardcover:

Jennifer Greene is the award-winning author of 86 books who took a hiatus from writing after a serious accident. Recovery took forever but she’s back at the computer again now.

Shelley Costa writes as Stephanie Cole. She is the author of the new Tuscan Cooking School Mystery Series, which debuted in February with Al Dente’s Inferno, and she also taught creative writing for many years at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

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