(If you have a minute, stop in at http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com/ today and check out my blog.)

This week the Mystery We Write Blog Tour continues with author Anne K. Albert. Anne put this tour together, so thank you, Anne. She’s also a wonderful writer (can't wait for her next book) and I think you’ll enjoy learning how she comes up with her story ideas. Welcome, Anne!

Where do I get my story ideas? The inspiration to write surrounds me. Story ideas are everywhere I look. Everywhere I go. They’re also so plentiful that I routinely dismiss 99% of them without a second thought.

The key, of course, is to latch onto a story idea that ignites a flame deep inside. When I feel that burning passion, and am unable to stop thinking ‘what if’, I know I’ve stumbled across a winner!

While some authors receive a story fully intact and know every nuance, I begin with something more akin to a tiny grain of sand. Even when put under a microscope, it’s composition and secrets remain hidden. My job is to add to it. Make it more.

Most mystery and romantic suspense stories involve a crime. My story idea usually incorporates a crime. If the offense has already taken place before the story begins, I know whether it’s a murder, robbery or something else. I may not know, however, either the victim or villain. If something bad is going to happen in the near future, (often by the end of the third chapter, although I can’t explain how I know this, I just do!) I’m as much in the dark about what the crime is as the reader when I begin writing.

As you may have guessed, I’m a seat of the pants writer.

It took me a long time to accept this haphazard process and embrace it as my own. I wanted to find an easier way to write. I wanted it to be cleaner. Less messy! I longed to be able to summarize the story before I committed it to paper. I wanted to know my characters and help them along their journey. Alas, it’s not possible. And perhaps, it’s not even wise.

You see, I came to realize, I’m my first reader. I write to find out what happens next. I take that grain of sand and add another and another until the story takes shape. Sometimes the structure crumbles, and I need to add water to make it stick. Sometimes I bump into a brick wall. And more often than not, I end up wandering about in a dark, dank haze for days or weeks on end! But the process is mine. It’s how I write. I begin with a snippet of conversation, a blurred image or a fuzzy feeling I can’t explain and then I move forward. I am writer, hear me roar!

                                                        

Frank, Incense and Muriel is set the week before Christmas when the stress of the holidays is enough to frazzle anyone’s nerves. Tensions increase when a friend begs Muriel to team up with a sexy private investigator to find a missing woman. Forced to deal with an embezzler, kidnapper, and femme fatale is bad enough, but add Muriel’s zany yet loveable family to the mix and their desire to win the coveted D-DAY (Death Defying Act of the Year) Award, and the situation can only get worse. This story, book one of the Muriel Reeves Mysteries, is recipient of the prestigious 2011 Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

Thanks so much, Marja. It’s such a pleasure to tour cyberspace with you! I’d like to remind readers I’m giving away an e-copy of FRANK, INCENSE AND MURIEL at the conclusion of the Mystery We Write tour. Leave a comment to automatically be entered in the draw. The winner will be announced April 28 at http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com.

It’s been my pleasure, Anne, and I hope you’ll make a repeat visit when your new book comes out.

Bio: Anne K. Albert’s award winning stories chill the spine, warm the heart and soothe the soul…all with a delightful touch of humor. A member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and married to her high school sweetheart for more than a quarter of a century, it's a given she'd write mystery and romantic suspense. When not writing she loves to travel, visit friends and family, and of course, read using ‘Threegio’ her cherished and much beloved Kindle 3G!

Links: Website: www.AnneKAlbert.com

Blog: http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com

Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Incense-and-Muriel-ebook/dp/B004CLYDRO/

On April 20, M.M. (Madeline) Gornell with be visiting here for the Blog Tour. You won't want to miss this one.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s Website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

CLICK HERE to view the book trailer for Bogey’s Ace in the Hole

(You can find me blogging at http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com/ today. Hope you'll stop by.)

As the Mystery We Write Blog Tour begins, my friend Marilyn Meredith is my guest and I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the tour. I know you'll enjoy Marilyn's blog as well as her books, and she has over thirty titles to choose from. Welcome, Marilyn!

Gathering Ideas for My Rocky Bluff P.D. Series

Because this particular series has an ongoing cast of characters besides whatever the main story line is, I want to write about what is going on in the lives of each of the characters. My main goal for this series has always been to show how what is happening on the job affects the family and what is going on with the family affects the job. So whatever the major plot I’ve decided upon will have some influence on the characters and their loved ones.

I got the main idea for the plot for No Bells from a murder that happened in Ventura County and I saved all the newspaper clippings about the case. While I developed who would be murdered and who the suspects would be, they had very little resemblance to the real story—but that had been my jumping off place to start my brainstorming. I’ve always collected newspaper stories about murders that sometime I might use some way in a future story.

Officer Gordon Butler has become a favorite of my readers and I knew I wanted him to have a starring role in this story. Nothing ever goes right for Gordon. If there’s an odd call, Gordon is the one who is going to get it, and he definitely goes on some very odd calls in this story.

In fact, I contacted some police officers I knew and asked if anyone had an odd vice crime that I could use in a story and someone came up with the perfect tale.

Sometimes I search the Internet for small town crimes too which often gives me some incidents I can weave into the storyline.

Of course Stacey and Doug Milligan are important to this story for many reasons. They were recently married in Angel Lost so I knew readers would want to know how their marriage was going. Of course Doug Milligan, a detective for RBPD, will be investigating the murder along with his partner, Frank Marshall. Because the department is small, Stacey helps interview suspects.

Other ongoing characters appearances will revolve around the murder and whatever is going on in each of their lives.

It didn’t happen with No Bells but I have used stories people have told me about terrible things that happened to someone they knew or to a relative. Once in awhile someone will email me an idea they think I should use. Never will what I write be recognizable because what these stories do is act like a jumping off point. My thinking will probably start like this, “What would happen if instead of this, it went this way.”

Once I’m writing the book, more ideas flood in, some even arrive in the form of a dream or nightmare.

And that, good friend, Marja, is where some of my ideas comes from. As a side note, I’ve met Marja at various places over the years and now I consider her a good friend and I really enjoy her mysteries.

F. M. Meredith aka Marilyn Meredith

Marilyn, thank you so much for visiting today. The feeling is mutual, and I enjoy both you and your books so very much. I hope you’ll return when your next book is released.

No Bells Blurb:

Officer Gordon Butler has finally found the love he’s been seeking for a long time, but there’s one big problem, she’s the major suspect in a murder case.

Bio: F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of over thirty published novels—and a few that will never see print. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is No Bells. Rocky Bluff P.D. is a fictional beach community between Ventura and Santa Barbara and F. M. once lived in a similar beach area.

Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves as the program chair for the Public Safety Writers of America’s writing conference. She’s been an instructor at many writing conferences.

Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

And if you’d like to get in touch with her email: mmeredith@ocsnet.net

Link for No Bells http://tiny.cc/h8skbw

CONTEST: The person who comments on the most of my blogs on this MMW Spring Blog Tour will win a copy of No Bells so be sure to leave your email too, so I can contact you if you win.

The Blog Tour continues on April 18 with Anne K. Albert. I know you'll enjoy hearing what Anne has to say.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw's website

CLICK HERE to view the book trailer for Bogey's Ace in the Hole

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

This week my new friend author Patricia Gligor is visiting. Her first book, Mixed Messages, is due out this month, and I can’t wait to read it. She has a passion for writing, and this week we’ll get to learn a little about her. Welcome, Patricia!

                                                              

Marja:  Patricia, please start by telling us a little about your background. What do you want people to know about you?

Patricia: Marja, thanks for inviting me. Well, let’s see. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’ve worked as an administrative assistant, the sole proprietor of a résumé writing service and the manager of a sporting goods department for a local retail chain but writing fiction has always been my passion.

Marja:  You told me that you enjoy “reading mystery/suspense novels, touring and photographing old houses and traveling, especially to the ocean to see lighthouses”. Do any of these things help when you’re writing a story, or do you actually use any of these things to build a scenario?

Patricia:  Yes. I think all of those things have contributed to my writing. Of course, I chose to write in the mystery genre because that’s what I love to read. In Mixed Messages (and its sequel), my love of old houses came into play because the main character and her family live in the first floor apartment of an old Victorian. As to traveling, lighthouses and the ocean, well, those will be appearing in future novels for my Malone Mystery Series.

Marja:  Would you please tell us a little about a poem you wrote called The Night? And how did this poem set you on the road to writing?

Patricia:  I was ten years old when I wrote that poem and it was published in my Sunday school magazine. The minute I saw my byline, I was hooked for life. I vowed then and there that, someday, I would be a published author.

Marja:  When I was growing up, I looked for mysteries in every corner of my life. What was it like for you? And what made you decide to use Westwood as a location for your story?

Patricia:  We definitely have something in common there. I’ve always been an avid reader of mystery/suspense novels, starting with Judy Bolton and Nancy Drew. I grew up on the west side of Cincinnati in an old house with lots of nooks and crannies to explore and a huge woods behind it, an environment conducive to mystery for a young girl with a natural curiosity and an active imagination.

                                                                      

Marja:  I'd have loved living in a house like that. Please tell us a little about Mixed Messages.

Patricia:  Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:

It’s estimated that there are at least twenty to thirty active serial killers in the United States at any given time. There’s one on the loose on the west side of Cincinnati.

It’s the week of Halloween and Ann Kern struggles with several issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her west side neighborhood, is in jeopardy. Her husband is drinking heavily and his behavior toward her is erratic. One minute he’s the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he’s cold and cruel.

Ann dismisses a psychic’s warning that she’s in danger. But, when she receives a series of ominous biblical quotes, she grows nervous and suspicious of everyone, including her own husband.

As the bizarre and frightening events unfold, Ann discovers a handmade tombstone marked with her name, pushing her close to the edge. Will she be the Westwood Strangler’s next victim?

Marja: What do you consider the best part of writing mysteries, and what part could you do without?

Patricia:  I love the whole writing process including rewriting and editing and I’ve found that I enjoy most aspects of the marketing/promotional part of the business too. What I’m not crazy about is sending out queries in search of a publisher. Each publisher seems to have different guidelines, formatting preferences, etc. and that can be a bit frustrating and mind boggling.

Marja:  That's so true. Is there an author who’s influenced your writing? Who is your favorite mystery writer?

Patricia:  I’ve been reading the suspense novels by Mary Higgins Clark ever since her first book, Where Are the Children? came out. As a matter of fact, I had the privilege of meeting her in April 2002 at a signing of Daddy’s Little Girl. When I told her about my plans to write a book, she encouraged me to “write that novel.”

Some of my other favorites are the novels by Joy Fielding, Patricia McDonald and Sue Grafton, to name a few. There are so many fantastic mystery authors out there. Oh, and recently, I read a novel by Marja McGraw, Old Murders Never Die, that I highly recommend. I’m serious! I loved your book.

Marja: I'm more flattered than you can imagine. Thank you! Is there something about you that you’d like potential Patricia Gligor fans to know and remember?

Patricia:  Actually, yes, there is. So many people have trouble pronouncing my last name so, for the record, Gligor rhymes with tiger.

I can relate to that. Most people don't get "Marja" right. (It's a hard "j".) Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Patricia, and I hope you’ll return for another visit. I wish you the best with your new book.

By the way, Patricia's book can be pre-ordered at www.postmortem-press.com/ .

Thank you, Marja. I’ve enjoyed being here. I’d like to let your readers know that Mixed Messages will be available on April 17^th at postmortem-press.com/ and amazon.com.

You can visit Patricia at her website: http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/

The Mystery We Write Blog Tour begins on April 16 with Marilyn Meredith. Please come join us.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE to view the book trailer for Bogey’s Ace in the Hole

CLICK HERE for a trip to Amazon.com

   COMING APRIL 16-28, 2012 - STAY TUNED

This week my guest author is Marilyn Meredith, who happens to be both one of my favorite people and authors. Marilyn is going to tell us about her latest book and what comes next. Welcome, Marilyn!

Hanford Book Festival - 2010

Since this is the very first stop on my tour for No Bells, the latest in my Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, I thought I’d begin with writing about my process for figuring out what the next story in the series should be.

The “process” often begins while I’m writing the book that comes before this one—or maybe even one before that. Because the Rocky Bluff P.D. series has a cast of characters (the men and woman who comprise the RBPD and their families) I always want to include what is going on with each of these people even if the main plot isn’t about them.

This means that I think about each character and what might have happened in their private lives from the end of one book and when I start the next. Though each book in the series is complete, in that all crimes are solved and the bad guy caught, what is going on with the characters may be ongoing.

When I first began writing about the Rocky Bluff P.D. I never intended to write a series. Final Respects is about Doug Milligan and how his marriage spirals to an end when his best friend is killed in the line-of-duty. At the time I wrote it, I was living in a neighborhood full of cops and their families and became fascinated by their family dynamics. I wanted to write about how the job affects the family and what’s happening in the family affects the job.

Of course, once I was finished with that first book, I knew I really wasn’t. I wanted to write more about these men and women I’d created but had become very real to me. With each new book, I learned more, adding characters, and it became almost like an addiction.

An important aspect to any of the stories is a crime that will be the major plot that the other plots revolve around. That’s a vital part of the planning the story.

Officer Gordon Butler who is the featured character in No Bells is one of those fellows who doesn’t have a smooth ride no matter what he’s doing. He first appeared in Fringe Benefits where his training officer steals his wife.

Because it was so much fun to write about Gordon and his mishaps, he makes appearances in all the following books. And in the last year’s Angel Lost he shows up a lot and even does something quite heroic.

So many of my readers are fans of Gordon, I knew it was time to turn him loose and make him the pivotal person in a story. Though he still has his share of mishaps and odd encounters as he goes about his business as an officer of the law—in No Bells Gordon falls in love again. Unfortunately, the object of his affection is the main suspect in a murder case. Gordon takes it upon himself to find out who the real murderer is and put himself and his job in jeopardy.

Bio: F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of over thirty published novels—and a few that will never see print. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is No Bells. F. M. (Marilyn) is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves as the program chair for the Public Safety Writers of America’s writing conference. She’s been an instructor at many writing conferences.

Website: http://fictionforyou.com/

Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

No Bells Blurb:

Officer Gordon Butler has finally found the love he’s been seeking for a long time, but there’s one big problem, she’s the major suspect in a murder case.

CONTEST: The person who comments on the most blogs on my tour will win three books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series: No Sanctuary, An Axe to Grind, and Angel Lost. Be sure and leave your email too, so I can contact you.

Thank you for sharing with us, Marilyn. It amazes me how you continue to come up with new ideas for blogs.

Marilyn will be returning as part of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour later this month.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw's website
CLICK HERE to view the book trailer for Bogey's Ace in the Hole
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

This week Ellis Vidler is visiting and she’s going to tell us about her unpredictable muse. I found her blog quite entertaining, as I think you will. Her books entertain me, too. Welcome, Ellis!

                         

Ellis and her unpredictable muse

Kick-Starting Your Muse

Ellis Vidler

I've been working on figuring out my unpredictable muse, hoping to take away a little of the mystery. She's a flighty creature, here one day and MIA the next.  She has requirements I can't always meet—quiet and a reasonable block of time foremost among them. Then there's passion. If I'm not passionate about the story, she's outta here. Those gossamer wings can change direction at hummingbird speed.

What I need is to convince her that being a muse is an everyday job where whims and moods don't count. She (and I) must show up at a specified time, turn off all distractions (namely, the Internet), and work. Writing is work. Fun work, but hard. Winston Churchill could have been talking about writing—"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

One thing she and I agree on is that a blank page is intimidating. It drains the mind. As you stare at it, all that empty whiteness becomes a vacuum, sucking all thoughts from your brain until it's as blank as the page. A well-trained muse will jump right in to help you out, but mine often needs a refresher course.

So, what to do? Write something. Anything. If you write mysteries, try something like Fletcher was murdered.  The desire to edit and revise is powerful in writers. Immediately you think of ways to improve the sentence. How was he murdered? Shot, stabbed, or strangled? Was murdered is passive. Fletcher is the main character; he can't be dead. So who's the victim? And so on. It's one way to kick-start your writing.

Another is to use a news article applicable to your genre. Insert your own characters, change the setting to one of your choosing, alter the situation to be funnier/scarier/grittier/whatever suits you. Soon your muse will settle in and you'll be off and running and the story will be your own.

If you already have an idea, write it out in the simplest form, two or three sentences. Find a few words or a phrase to describe the underlying theme. Betrayal, despair, survival? Cinderella story—love where you least expected it?  Single Army sergeant inherits a million dollars, three unruly children, and a hedgehog? Aim for the unexpected, if possible. Try to avoid stereotypes unless the story is about dragging them into new territory. Instead of the beady-eyed, oily villain, try a disarming (apparent) twit who loves dogs. Give the protagonist a surprising characteristic or talent.

You may need to read yesterday's work to pick up the thread again if you aren't starting something new.

Once your muse accepts her or his responsibility and works with you, the writing will come easier. Having a routine or ritual and a consistent time is a good training method. Brew the coffee, straighten the desk, turn off everything you can, and sit down to work. Hear that, Muse?

How do you do it? Share your ideas. We'd all love to hear them.

Happy writing,

Ellis

Thank you for stopping in, Ellis. I enjoyed reading about your muse, and I hope you’ll return for another visit in the future.

Cold Comfort

Claire Spencer owns a charming Christmas shop in Williamsburg and leads a conventional life. When a thug attacks her, she hires security consultant Ben Riley to find out why. Old letters in a hidden trunk direct Claire and Riley to connections between politics and organized crime, revealing secrets that turn her life upside down.

While dodging a speeding car, ducking bullets, and escaping from murky swamp waters, proper Claire and freewheeling loner Riley struggle against their powerful chemistry—she’s proper and traditional; he’s a recluse who walks on the dark side and makes his own rules. But opposites do attract.

http://tinyurl.com/ev-cc-Kindle

http://tinyurl.com/ev-cc-Omni

Ellis Vidler Bio

All my stories have some degree of romance and a lot of suspense. Cold Comfort is my new romantic suspense from Echelon Press. My first book, published by Silver Dagger Mysteries, was Haunting Refrain. The second was The Peeper, a suspense novel co-authored with Jim Christopher. My collection of three short Southern stories, Tea in the Afternoon, is available on Kindle. There's more about me and my books at http://www.ellisvidler.com/ or http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com.

CLICKHERE to visit Marja McGraw’s Website

CLICKHERE for a trip to Amazon.com

CLICKHERE to view a book trailer for Bogey’s Ace in the Hole

    COMING APRIL 16-28, 2012 - STAY TUNED

Jean Henry Mead is visiting today and she’s got news of a new book. Jean is a returning Guest Author and I’m delighted to have her here again.

Marja: I know you’ll be repeating yourself, but please give a brief overview of your background. When people read about your new book, I want them to know about you as well as the book.

Jean: I'm a photojournalist who has been fortunate to win some state, regional and national awards, and I've been published in national magazines as well as in Germany and Norway. I began my career as a news reporter in California, and later served as a news, magazine and small press editor. I was also a correspondent for the Denver Post. But my real love is writing fiction. I've published 17 books to date, six of them mysteries and an historical novel.

Marja: This is a question I’ve never asked anyone before. What do you think might cause people to gravitate toward mysteries?

Jean: There are so many mystery subgenres that there's something for everyone, from romantic suspense to noir. And I believe that most people enjoy the challenge of deciphering clues and solving the mystery before it's revealed at the book's conclusion.

Marja: Okay, let’s get right down to business. Tell us about your new book, The Mystery Writers. I’m in it, folks, so I’m particularly excited about this one. I know I’m in good company.

Jean: It's a book that I wish had been available when I was first struggling to write my first novel. Sixty bestselling, award-winning and journeymen writers, who were interviewed for my Mysterious Writers blog site, are featured in the book. Fifty-eight of them wrote some great articles about their own struggles to publication and the craft of writing. Among the writers are Sue Grafton, Lawrence Block, J. A. Jance, James Scott Bell, Vicki Hinze, Julie Garwood and a host of others. Some of them write from South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, England and Canada.

Advanced print copies of The Mystery Writers book are currently available at: https://www.createspace.com/3792541 and will be released March 27 on Kindle and Nook.

Marja: How difficult was it to pull all of these authors together in order to produce this type of book? Was it more work or more fun to put together?

Jean: More than a little of both, actually. It was a lot of work contacting the writers and asking them to find time from their busy schedules to write articles for the book. I then had to sort them all out into subgenre chapters--twelve in all--then send their previously published interviews for updates and remind them about the deadline for submissions. I was surprised when Lawrence Block agreed to participate as well as some of the other bestsellers.

Marja: I can understand that it was a work/fun task. What’s next in your world of mysteries? Do you have something in the works right now?

Jean: I'm currently working on an historical mystery set in Wyoming, titled No Escape, the Sweetwater Tragedy, which is based on actual murders committed in 1889. I'm also working on my fourth Logan & Cafferty mystery, Gray Wolf Mountain, which is set here in the Laramies where our small ranch is located. I have a third Hamilton Kids' mystery swirling around in my mind as well, which I'll get to by the end of the year.

The first novel in my Logan & Cafferty mystery/suspense series, A Village Shattered, is a FREE Kindle download today at http://www.amazon.com/Village-Shattered-Cafferty-Suspense-ebook/dp/B005IDV3D2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332023376&sr=8-2 if anyone would like to sample the series.

Marja: You’ve done everything from working as a journalist to writing mysteries to history and non-fiction. What’s your favorite genre?

Jean: Mystery novels have always been my favorites although I've enjoyed writing historical novels based on actual history. I've written a number of history books, one of which served as a textbook for Casper College. It's a great feeling to know that you've brought historical events alive for younger generations.

Marja: Lastly, if one of your dreams was fulfilled, what would it be? You can choose a writing or non-writing desire.

Jean: I've achieved most of my writing dreams, with the exception of having an audio book published. As for non-writing dreams, traveling the world to both photograph and write about it would be great.

Thank you so much for visiting today, Jean. I hope you'll come again.

Jean: Thank you for the invitation. I've enjoyed the visit and will certainly come back again.

(Actually, Jean will be back on April 21^st as part of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour. Stay tuned.)

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a trip to Amazon.com

CLICK HERE  to view the latest book trailer, Bogey’s Ace in the Hole

My life has changed so much over the past several years. One minute I was a divorcee with a child, then the child grew up, and suddenly (uh, after thirty years of singleness) I was remarried. Singleness? I make up my own words sometimes.

I had tried my hand at writing during the early years, and I pretty much stunk. Stank? However, my (then) new husband encouraged me to continue the dream, bless his heart. And I did. The more I got into writing, the more I learned. What did I learn? Among other things, I learned that maybe my writing didn’t stink quite as much as I thought. Maybe I just hadn’t learned enough yet.

I honestly had no desire to write the Great American Novel. I wanted to create something entertaining, and maybe even include a little humor. So that was the direction I took.

I read for entertainment and knowledge. I learned the proper procedure for using quotation marks, and I learned it’s not a good idea to say something profound and use “?!”. Either your moment of being profound is a question or a statement. I’ve also learned to italicize when a character is thinking, I thought to myself.

I self-published my first two books and learned that at least for me, that wasn’t the way to go. I have nothing against self-pubbing. It just wasn’t the direction I wanted to take. However, when I received my first book and held it in my hands, I was speechless. Oh, my gosh, I thought to myself. I wonder if anyone will read this. A few people did, and they were moderately impressed. The second self-pubbed book was embraced with open arms, thankfully. And, yet, it was that first book that led to the Sandi Webster series. Don’t worry if you missed it because the book I’m working on now deals with how Sandi Webster started out. Trust me when I say you’ll like this newer version better.

So in what other ways has life changed? Now I sleep, eat and dream books. Just ask my husband or my daughter. I drive them crazy. “Would you please listen to this idea? Can I bounce an idea off of you? What do you think of this title? Guess how many hits I had on my blog today? Woohoo! I just heard from my publisher and I have a new book coming out. Oh. You need to tell me something and will I please shut up? Okay.” I can’t help wondering if this is normal behavior for a mystery writer.

I used to work full-time, that is until I got laid off. Oh, well, now I can write full-time. Right? I don’t need no stinkin’ paycheck. Right? Uh, I’m going back to work part-time. I need that stinkin’ paycheck. Unless I change my name to Mary Higgins Clark, Janet Evanovich or Sue Grafton, writing isn’t all that lucrative. Maybe one day, but not now. Writing a book doesn’t automatically make you solvent. In fact… Well, never mind.

My new book came out this week; another life-changer. Bogey’s Ace in the Hole is currently available on Kindle and Nook, and it will soon be listed in trade paperback. I mention this because instead of getting ready for the new job, I’m updating my website and creating a book trailer for the new book. I guess you can see where my priorities lie. A job is a necessary thing and writing is a pleasure. (Take note that I didn’t mention marketing or promoting, a whole different issue.)

Life can change in a flash. Mine did. Keep your options open, and whenever possible, follow your dream. I did that, too. I guess I’ve had enough of a Me Moment here, so…

Until next week, what do you dream about? Even if you start out with baby steps, get moving and make it come true.

CLICKHERE to return to Marja McGraw’s Home Page

CLICKHERE to visit Amazon.com

CLICKHERE to view the book trailer for Old Murders Never Die

CLICKHERE to view the book trailer for Bogey Nights

With the economy and the world in a state of angst, just for this week I’d like to forget about those things. So let’s do something silly.

      + 

(No, I'm not going anywhere. That just happens to be Porky's most famous line.)

If you could be any cartoon character you’ve ever seen, which one would it be? I have to admit I’d like to be Porky Pig, even though I’m female. After all, I write mysteries with a little humor in them. Imagine Porky trying to solve a mystery.

One of my favorite memories is the aforementioned pig and Daffy Duck visiting a haunted house. As I recall, it was a dark and stormy night, and I have a memory of them standing on a dock watching a spooky old house. My memory may be faulty, but that’s how I remember the beginning of the story.

Imagine writing a human character with Porky’s characteristics. Not believable, huh? People stutter, and people become frustrated just like Porky. There are plenty of loud mouths like Daffy. If you think about it, maybe cartoon characters aren’t all that outrageous.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello could have been human cartoon characters. Some of the whacky things they did in the movies could rival Porky and Daffy.

Think of Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse or Goofy. In all honesty, haven’t you known someone in your lifetime with similar characteristics? I have.

I remember once when I worked in law enforcement, I turned away from the counter to answer the phone, stepped into a wastebasket and dragged it across the room with me. The people at the counter had been feeling a little annoyed because I happened to be the only one in the office and they wanted to finish their business and leave. After seeing my little “incident”, everyone calmed down, had a good laugh and waited their turn with good humor. That sounds like a Porky Pig moment to me.

People need to be able to laugh at themselves like I did that day. Characters in books need to laugh at themselves from time to time, too. I’m a big believer in looking for humor in almost any given situation.

In the Sandi Webster series there’s a character named Stanley Hawks. Stanley is a klutz. When Sandi and her partner, Pete, first met Stanley, they had two different reactions. Pete initially thought he was a loser. Sandi, on the other hand, found him to be endearing. Initial reactions to someone can be so unfair. As Pete came to know Stanley, he found him to be a good and loyal friend, and the two men could laugh together over some of Stanley’s antics. I find it quite interesting to see how fictional characters grow and change, just like real people.

Stanley wasn’t based on a cartoon character, but a cartoon character could have been based on him.

Elmer Fudd had a speech impediment. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been quite as funny when he referred to that “wascally wabbit”. Yosemite Sam was in a class by himself. How about Foghorn Leghorn and Henry Hawk?

So back to my original question. What cartoon character would you like to be? Send real life on a well-deserved break and spend a few minutes thinking about my question. You can even choose to be Snow White or one of the dwarves. Prince Charming? How about Tweety Bird or Sylvester?

Could you write your choice as a fictional character in one of your books? Or do you think you most resemble your choice.

Hopefully, this silly blog took you away from your day-to-day cares for at least a few minutes.

Until next week, Th-Th-That’s All Folks!

COMING ANY DAY - Bogey's Ace in the Hole - A Bogey Man Mystery

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This week Joyce Strand is my guest author. Joyce has an interesting background in the area of high-tech and biotech companies, but I’ll let her tell you more about that. I think you’ll find her to be quite an interesting woman. She writes the Jillian Hillcrest series. Welcome, Joyce!

Marja:  Joyce, would you please tell us a bit about yourself? I understand you’ve been married for many years (to the same man – unheard of these days) and you have big news about your son. (Are you breathing a sigh of relief?)

Joyce:  First, thanks so much for the opportunity to speak to your fans. I really enjoyed reading The Bogey Man and look forward to reading more of your books.

Reared in a small town in Pennsylvania, I grew up with little entertainment other than bicycle hikes in the summer and ice skating and sledding in the winter. My parents refused to buy a TV. So I spent a lot of time reading, which is where I discovered all the heroic characters in the mystery genre like Perry Mason, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple.

Following four years of college (BA, political science) and many more in graduate school (PhD, international relations), I got married and have been married 41 years to the same man, have two grown children—a daughter who is a teacher and has two boys, ages 5 and 3—and yes, that makes me a grandmother; and my adult son who actually has a job doing market analysis for video games and just got engaged—FINALLY! (October wedding.) We live in southern California near San Diego in a house we call “our dream house”. We were fortunate to purchase it at the same price as we sold our much smaller house in the San Francisco Bay Area where we lived for more than 30 years.

Much like Jillian, I enjoy eating at good restaurants—always searching for the best-cooked duck—and drinking fine wine, particularly cabernet. And I love the theater, especially Broadway musicals. My favorites are Les Miserables with Wicked a close second and Phantom of the Opera a close third and Elton John’s Aida somewhere high on that list.

Marja:  You’ve had quite a life, and the excitement hasn’t stopped yet. By the way, congratulations to your son!

We’d also like to know something about your work background and how it figures in the mysteries you write.

Joyce:  Much like my character Jillian Hillcrest, I headed corporate communications at several large and small high-tech and biotech companies in Silicon Valley throughout my 25-year career. My experiences provide the background for the Jillian Hillcrest series, although I hasten to say that the characters are fictional as are most of the circumstances: I never interrupted my boss with the CEO in a hotel room – ever! Nor did I ever encounter any murders. However, my background helps me choose the most likely red herrings, how Jillian would respond to an antagonist, and how she fills her day – thus strengthening the context of the stories.

Marja:  I’m glad you never found your real life boss in a compromising position like that. I understand you’ve written all types of things during the course of your career, including everything from press releases to newsletters and articles. Do you feel this has enhanced your writing? And how did you decide on this particular genre?

Joyce:  I definitely believe that writing hundreds of press releases, dozens of by-lined articles, countless fact sheet, scripts, white papers, and other corporate documents—along with my doctoral dissertation and all the papers leading to it—helped me in my quest to become a writer of fiction. It adds up to developing a discipline of writing for a target audience. Fortunately, I enjoy writing—I find it therapeutic. But working for corporations taught me to target my writing to address the requirements of specific audiences. So when I started to write fiction, I identified the characteristics of my readers—they love puzzles, want to learn something but not too much, prefer titillating to graphic sex, don’t like graphic violence, and enjoy an amateur sleuth. With my background as a communications expert, I had the discipline to sit down and write for that targeted audience.

I love mysteries. I have read mysteries since I was a teenager, and continue to do so. I enjoy the puzzles and working with the protagonist to solve them. And I really like the good guy winning. I’m not so keen on reading the more realistic, gritty crime novels. Therefore, when it came time to decide for what genre I would write, well, it was obvious—mysteries.

Marja: Please tell us a little about your series. I read an excerpt on your website, and I can see I’m going to have to start reading your series.

Joyce:  In the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries, a PR Executive’s routine at a small biotechnology company is disrupted by obtrusive mysteries, such as murder. While continuing to perform her routine duties of informing investors, the media and the community about her company and its products, Jillian also gets sucked into solving these mysteries.

In the first novel, On Message, Jillian returns to her flat in San Francisco from a conference in Geneva to be met by a potential whistle blower, an affair between her boss and the CEO, a savvy reporter searching for a headline, and, most intrusive, a murder. Supported by her ex-husband and a retired cop neighbor, she works with an SFPD homicide inspector to help solve the crime. The inspector is convinced that she holds the key.

The second novel, Open Meetings, is scheduled for publication mid-2012. A local reporter draws Jillian into his investigation of the local police force in his hometown (fictional) just north of the Napa/Sonoma Valley wine country. In the third novel, Fair Disclosure, planned for the end of the year, Jillian again faces murder and is drawn into an investigation of insider trading.

I have not yet decided if there will be more Jillian Hillcrest mysteries, because I’m not sure how many murders a PR Executive can encounter.

Marja:  A woman after my own heart, you mentioned that you love to solve puzzles. Do you have a technique for putting the mystery puzzle together or do you keep copious notes around you (like I do) so you won’t forget details?

Joyce:  My puzzles are drawn from current cases in the news that might touch the life of a corporate communications executive. The first Jillian Hillcrest mystery was inspired by a murder case of an angel investor, formerly a biotech executive, in La Jolla, California. (The murderer was recently sentenced to life imprisonment.) Once I’ve determined the case, I decide on the fictional victim and murderer. Then I let the characters steer me to the conclusion and allow them to create lots of false leads. I also choose a sub-plot concerning the company and issues it encounters, which I draw from my experience in that industry.

I do keep a running list of characters and their traits (physical, likes/dislikes, history) to assure that they have the same color of eyes and are the appropriate age in the beginning and the end of the book. Sometimes they decide they want to change their background or become more devious, which is when I appreciate the “find all” function on Word.

Marja:  Oh, I love the Find function. I understand you plan on writing a mystery involving a judge which takes place during the 1940s. Anyone who’s read my books knows this era fascinates me. What made you decide to write this story?

Joyce:  A colleague of mine loaned me an unpublished memoir of his grandfather who was a Federal judge in the 1940s. It was quite interesting, and sparked my desire to fictionalize one of the cases into a puzzle, i.e., mystery format. The concept of creating a mystery during WWII, with people just coming out of the depression, young men heading off to war, and big band music with ballroom dancing, is exciting. What did they do without cell phones and satellite navigators? Who owned houses? Did people live in apartments? What did they eat—there weren’t frozen dinners? And there are few if any judge protagonists among today’s mystery genre. My colleague has given me permission to base the mystery on his grandfather’s life. I am really looking forward to getting started on it, but first I need to finish writing the third Jillian Hillcrest mystery—Fair Disclosure.

Marja: What’s your favorite type of mystery and who’s your favorite author?

Joyce:  I like almost any type of mystery except if it’s too gruesome and if the bad guy wins. I think my favorites are John Grisham’s novels – particularly his early ones.

But my, there are so many. I used to wait anxiously for the next Dick Francis wondering how he could identify one more mystery in the horse racing industry. And Michael Connolly makes me feel like I definitely would want Harry Bosch investigating any crime in my life and Mick Haller defending me, although I’m not sure I’d want to have either of them to dinner. And I do like the Stieg Larsson trilogy even though they do get a bit grisly—Lisbeth Salander is an admirable and modern “female sleuth”—although for sure I wouldn’t want to have her over for dinner. Mary Higgins Clark scared me more than most in her novel where her protagonist is buried alive I a coffin. And I don’t know where Clancy falls on this list, but I enjoy most of his books (although I admit that I skip much of the technical description); and Follet, le Carré, Cornwell, Ludlum, Christie, McDonald, Rex Stout (where I learned about orchids), Gardner, and so many more. And now I can add Marja McGraw to my list.

However, I have to confess that my favorite author is not a mystery writer, but rather James Clavell. Shogun is my favorite novel of all time. It has many of the elements that I like in mysteries—the puzzles, however, are on a grand scale as each character tries to anticipate and out-maneuver the next moves of the others. I finished Shogun with a new perspective, and I have read every book I could find by Clavell. He tells an action-packed story and moves the reader to a new level.

Marja:  I appreciate your compliment. You’ve put me in excellent company. Is there any one (or two) author who inspired you to write? If so, what was it about his/her writing that caught your attention?

Joyce:  It’s hard to say if any authors have inspired me to write. More likely, they intimidate me, which would cause me to presume that I could never be a published author. Quite frankly, it was my husband who inspired me to write mysteries. He said I could and should, so I did.

However, John Grisham is one author who comes to mind, because he fictionalizes the career of being a lawyer into page-turning stories, much as I try to do with Jillian. Having said this, I in no way claim to be anywhere near the author that he is. Kathy Reichs also dramatizes her career.

Next, however, I want to go outside of my own career to write the judge’s story. That will be very different, and will involve writing from a man’s perspective at a time I did not live, perhaps much like Clavell—but on a much less grand scale.

Marja:  Is there anything about you or your books that you’d like readers to know that we haven’t already talked about?

Joyce:  First, just a quick thanks to all the experts who contribute their time to help make my books credible. I am very fortunate to know several retired police officers and a retired FBI agent who made suggestions to help assure that police procedure was described appropriately. In the second book, I also consulted with a psychologist to assure that I describe certain aberrant behavior characteristics correctly. I think the addition of their suggestions leads to increased credibility and helps to engage the reader.

Second, I publish my own books, having chosen to bring them directly to the reader rather than following the traditional publishing process. However, acting as my own publisher (I created my own publishing company), I assure that my books are high quality. I write multiple drafts based on input initially from family and friends and then from a professional editor—a process resulting in much tighter writing and fewer inconsistencies (“ouches”). The cover and interior are designed by an experienced book cover designer, the translation to e-book languages is done by professionals, and the printer chosen based on quality as well as price. I owe it to my readers to provide the most professional book possible.

Again, thanks so much for the opportunity to talk about my books and me.

Joyce, thank you so much for visiting this week. It’s been a pleasure hearing about you, and I hope you’ll come again.

Please visit Joyce at her website: http://joycestrand.com

Or visit Jillian Hillcrest at her website: http://jillianhillcrest.com

And her blog can be found at: http://joycestrand.com/joyceblog

Or Jillian’s blog can be found at: http://jillianhillcrest.com/blog

Please LIKE Jillian at: http://tinyurl.com/8x9wdqc

You can purchase Joyce Strand’s books at: 

E-books:

amazon.com (http://tinyurl.com/8y46mzh)

Barnes and Noble Nook (http://tinyurl.com/73e3tyj)

Books on Board IPad (http://tinyurl.com/82hp36f)

Paper back book:  http://joycestrand.com

Twitter:  @joycetstrand

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This week it’s my pleasure to welcome Suzanne Hurley, author of the Samantha Barclay mystery series. Suzanne has taken her own profession and put it to work for her in her series. She also writes women’s fiction. Thank you for visiting today, Suzanne.

Marja:  Please tell us a little about your background and how you put your profession to work in your mysteries.

Suzanne: I just recently retired from being a counselor in a high school for twenty years. I loved my job and nothing made me happier than having an office full of students. I learned so much from each one of them. I also love to read mysteries and women’s fiction so one day I decided to write a mystery and also use what I know. You always hear that – write what you know – so I did. I made my main character a counselor in a high school. I never used any real life stories but I certainly wrote about school life from my experience and perspective.

Marja:  I have to be honest. I haven’t read any of your books yet, but they’ve come highly recommended, so I’ll be picking one up soon. What made you decide to write mysteries? They really can be such a challenge.

Suzanne: I have two older brothers who had the Hardy Boy Series when I was a kid and I devoured every one of them, then moved on to Agatha Christie and still read every mystery book I can get my hands on. I especially love reading books about independent, gutsy heroines who save the day, so to speak. So it was great fun to try my hand at creating such a character which I tried to do with Samantha Barclay and then throw her in among dead bodies, mysterious circumstances and lots of stuff to solve. Challenging but great fun.

Marja:  I had to laugh when I read that you threw her in among dead bodies – great way to put it. Tell us a little about your protagonist. Does she deal with life like you do, or does she find her own way?

Suzanne: My protagonist is called Samantha Barclay and she is a little like me but mostly her own person. I would never take the risks she does when helping people as, to be honest, I’d probably be fired from my job. But I admire Sam for going to the ends of the earth to help someone in need. I also love her sense of humor and kind of klutzy, not very confident moves when solving a mystery.

                                

Marja:  I love anything that includes humor. What kinds of challenges did you find while working as a high school counselor? Knowing teenagers, I’d imagine it was an interesting job on a daily basis.

Suzanne: It was a fascinating job and one of the main aspects I loved the most was encouraging teenagers to follow their dreams and never give up on them. I liked urging them on to try new things and get involved. There were sadder challenges, when dealing with very complex situations where students were very depressed and almost not capable of functioning. I tried hard to give them a ray of hope, hoping myself that it would blossom into sunshine for them.

Marja:  What a lovely thought. I understand a lot of your time is devoted to dog training, and that your dog, Rico, recently received his first title, Agility Dog of Canada. Congratulations! Do dogs figure in any of your books? Does the repetitiveness of training offer you any insights that you can use in your stories?

Suzanne: I love dogs and there are dogs in all my books. Max and Maxine – two delightful Red Irish Setters – are in all my mysteries. There is also a cat named Scruff. In my women’s fiction books, Havanese dogs appear and that’s the kind of dog I have now, a two year old Havanese named Rico. He just finished a competition on the weekend where he received his first Qualifying score in Advanced Agility.

Marja:  Congratulations, Rico! Other than reading, writing and dog training, what types of activities do you involve yourself in for entertainment?

Suzanne: My three main hobbies – reading, writing and dog training – take up most of my time but I also walk every day for an hour and love to spend time with family and friends – especially if it involves good food to eat.

Marja:  I can relate to that. Do you have a mentor? If so, who is it and why?

Suzanne: I have two mentors. Dorothy Bodoin is definitely one of my mentors. She did a review for my first book and we have chatted constantly since then. I adore her and she has so much wisdom to share plus she’s loads of fun. Canadian Author Lynda Simmons is also a mentor. I enjoy her books and she also shares her writing knowledge with me.

Marja:  Who are some of your favorite authors?

Suzanne: I have so many as I read all the time – about 5 books a week. I love Marcia Muller, Janet Evanovich, Dorothy Bodoin and my brother Peter Hurley.

Marja:  So your brother writes, too. You two must have so much to share with each other. As a mystery writer, is there one piece of advice you can share about writing in this genre?

Suzanne:  Hmmmmmm… I don’t have advice directly relating to the mystery genre, but my advice to people wanting to write a book is the Nike motto – Just Do It. I know so many people who start books and never finish, or get hung up on a chapter and stay there forever. To me, I write from start to finish. It’s like I race through the book trying to figure out what happens next. Sometimes my chapters are long, sometimes short but I need to get to the end. Then I go over it and flesh it out. So my main advice is – don’t procrastinate – just write the book. I write every single day, even for a short while depending on whether I have appointments or not. Before you know it, that little bit every day adds up to a book.

Great advice. It’s been a pleasure visiting with you today, Suzanne. I understand one of your books is an Epicon Finalist. Please let me know how that turns out. I hope you’ll return for another visit one day soon.

Suzanne’s website:   www.suzannemhurley.com

Suzanne on Amazon: Click Here

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