Book Reviews (and how they help the aspiring author)

Good morning friends and writers!

I hope you're all doing well. My whole family has been down with a rotten cold since my wife, grandsons, and I went to my friend's cabin last weekend for our (cough, cough) "vacation." We should've just stayed home! And to think, I PAID for the weekend from hell. (More on that another time!) Anyway, the darned thing has been wreaking havoc with my concentration. I need to finish the final edits for Healey's Cave (the debut novel of the Green Marble paranormal mystery series) so it can be ready for a March 2009 release, but I just can't seem to focus. Hopefully it will resolve soon. Anyway, I hope you've been successful at avoiding the first cold of the season, and if so, that you continue to stay healthy!

There was one bright spot, though - the new book trailer for Tremolo: cry of the loon came in! I think Red Lotus Productions did a wonderful job. If you haven't already, would you mind hopping over to take a look? As always, I value your feedback.

Now let's talk writing!

Today's piece is for writers who either have a book to promote, or dream of publishing some day, or for readers who simply love books and want to review them.

Most of this seems rather obvious in hindsight now, but it wasn't always that way, so I thought it might be useful to jot it down.

Book Reviews (and how they can help the aspiring author)

If you're a writer, posting book reviews can be a unique way to gain name recognition and open up a whole new world of contacts. When I was asked to write my first review, I balked. Sure, I loved the book. Matter of fact, I adored it. But who would want to hear what I had to say?

I'd never ventured into this arena, but I gave it a try. In the end, folks seemed to enjoy the review of The Margaret Ellen by R.C. Burdick. And guess what? I met writers who became valued colleagues and critique partners, was fortunate to become friends with readers who enjoyed the same genres as I, and was offered reviews of my books as an unexpected side benefit.

This first review turned into a few dozen as time rolled on, and opened up gateways for my own books that I'd never envisioned. I became a reviewer for Midwest Book Reviews, Compulsive Reader, In the Library Reviews, and more. I still consider myself first and foremost a novelist, but when I can squeeze them in, I pen a few reviews each year.

So - if you have time - consider writing a review for a special book. First of all, as testimony to the work itself. And secondly, as a possible venue to expand your marketing field in the future.

Here are a few tips I've gathered along the way:

1) Only review books you feel are well written, in the genre(s) you enjoy, and that have something worthwhile between the covers. There's no point to accepting a poorly written or edited book for a review.

2) Read the first page or chapter or so to see if the book suits you. You don't want to accept a book that you'll have to slog through. There are too many great books out there to waste a moment on a slow or tedious read.

3) Read up on some guidelines for reviewers, such as can be found in The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards. You'll also find hundreds of places to post your reviews in books like this.

4) Follow the review with a brief bio of yourself, with links to your work. If the reader enjoys your review, they may also enjoy your books.

5) Don't take on more than you can handle. If it starts to impact your writing time, cut back. It's hard to say "no," to a writer, but sometimes you just have to do it. Be kind, but be firm. (It took me forever to learn how to do that without being besieged with guilt. And I'M STILL SO SORRY TO EVERYONE WHOSE BOOKS I COULDN'T FIT IN!)

6) Add a page on your website with "Recommended Reading." I've done so on my LeGarde Mysteries site, with the book covers, links to purchase sites, and links to my own reviews.

7) Post your review in as many places as possible. Do a search for bookstores where the book is being sold, review sites, social networking sites, and more. The more exposure your review has, the more copies of the reviewed book will be sold, and the more name recognition you'll gain.

8) Be sure to always include the pertinent book info as I've listed below - publisher, ISBN, website for purchase, price, genre, etc. etc.

Here's a sample review that I just wrote and published this week. The book was just released on November 3rd, so if you want a copy, be sure to hustle over to Amazon. They're going fast!


Title: THE DEVIL CAN WAIT
Author: Marta Stephens

Reviewer: Aaron Paul Lazar
Publisher: BeWrite Books
Publisher's Address: 32 Bryn Road South, Wigan, Lancaster, WN4 8QR
ISBN number: 978-1-905202-86-7
Price: $15.99
Publisher phone number and/or website address: http://www.bewrite.net/

Looking for a deliciously convoluted tale that will twist its way through your brain and keep you up late into the night? Look no further, for Marta Stephens has just released the second book in the Sam Harper crime mystery series, THE DEVIL CAN WAIT.

Stephens’ debut novel, SILENCED CRY, was addictive, propelling readers into the action from page one and corkscrewing through a wild ride of corruption and abuse. Unlike many “seconds” in a series, THE DEVIL CAN WAIT does not disappoint, and expands Detective Sam Harper’s world from the fictitious seaside town of Chandler, Massachusetts to the steamy jungles of Columbia and through shocking revelations in the Vatican itself.

A dark history precedes the bitter tale of a cursed black pearl ring, whose protectors and seekers have killed to keep its secrets for centuries. Now, just months before the planets align in what is believed to be the sign of a long awaited prophecy, the ring lands in Harper’s back yard, triggering villainy and murder. Murders, that is. Four boys wash ashore the icy Chandler beaches, and Harper’s up to his eyeballs in corpses with few leads and increasing pressure from his captain and the press.

As if multiple seaside murders aren’t enough to drive an already sleep-deprived police force to the brink of exhaustion, a sleazy pawnshop owner and elderly history professor are found dead within days. Is spunky local journalist, Jennie Blake, tied to these murders? If so, what’s she trying to hide? And why can’t Sam stop thinking about the gorgeous brunette in spite of his best intentions?

Stephens has skillfully detailed police procedures in a realistic fashion, a task not easy for one who hasn’t worked a real life police investigation. But on top of this, the author has woven intriguing subplots with a love entanglement that thrusts the story forward to its climatic end. The sexual tension between Harper and reporter Jennie Blake is natural and sublime – adding icing to this already delectable confection of supernatural elements, grisly murders, and the stoic talent and courage of one very likeable cop. Don’t take my word for it – buy it and read it today.

Stephen’s has hinted at a third in the Sam Harper series. We’ll wait with bated breath, in anticipation of her next taut thriller.


**********************************************************************

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of LeGarde Mysteries and Moore Mysteries savors the countryside in the Genesee Valley in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his websites at www.legardemysteries.com and www.mooremysteries.com and watch for the fourth book in the LeGarde series, MAZURKA, coming in fall 2008 from Twilight Times Books.

DOUBLE FORTE is the founding book of the LeGarde Mystery series and was released in November, 2004. UPSTAGED followed in October, 2005. His third, TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON, was released via Twilight Times Books in November 2007. Mr. Lazar is currently working on his thirteenth book, THE AVIARY. The first book of his paranormal mystery series, Moore Mysteries, will be released in early 2008, along with Mazurka, the next book in the LeGarde mystery series. He is a regular columnist for FMAM (Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine), Mysteryfiction.net and has been published in Great Mystery and Suspense magazine and the Absolute Write Newsletter. Contact him at: aaron.lazar@yahoo.com, visit his blog at murderby4.blogspot.com, aaronlazar.blogspot.com, or stop by his websites at www.legardemysteries.com and www.mooremysteries.com.

The Author's Website: Excellent Tool to Market Books

© Marta Stephens 2008 all rights reserved

I was preparing for a talk at one of our local libraries last week and as always, I tried to anticipate the types of questions those in the group might ask. One point of interest that always comes up is Internet marketing/exposure.

Since one of the best tools at my fingertips is my website, I decided to take a look at the number of visitors I had received since I launched it on March 12, 2007. The count: 21,786 visitors (not hits--visitors) from 109 countries.

Man, if I couldn't only turn those numbers into sales!

I'm really not surprised by the figures. The site has always received a high volume of traffic but knowing this is why I update my site regularly, include a variety of articles and information, and try to make it as easy to navigate as possible.

When I designed the site, my primary goal was and still is to promote the main character in my series, homicide detective, Sam Harper. Aside from the expected "Author Bio" and my articles, it's his voice readers will find on my site. The home page allows the reader to sit a spell with Harper and "listen" to him talk about his current case. Lately, "The Devil Can Wait" has been on his mind. This case was declassified (released) this week which makes him very happy because now he can tell you all about it.

The following message is:

"From the Desk of Detective Harper."

It's snowing again. Big wet flakes plunge from the evening sky to the streets below. From my fourth floor window the scenery looks as peaceful as the pictures on the Christmas cards Emma keeps on her desk. But the new layer of snow reminds me of the bodies piling up in the morgue. I close my eyes-each victim's face flashes before them.

I curse under my breath and try to make sense of the killings.

Superstitions and biblical prophesies-old wives' tales told to scare the shit out of weak men, and innocent children. Delusions of twisted beliefs rule the mind, poison the heart, and push unsuspecting fools to the brink of insanity.

To hell with what anyone says. There's nothing supernatural about those boys we pulled out of the bay. They were dead long before their bodies surfaced and washed ashore. It was the water and natural processes, not demons that left us with little more than the discarded remnants of a madman's fury. Yet the crimes are precise, planned like a well-choreographed dance, but even the most deliberate acts of violence are rarely perfect.

On the streets, tinsel and bright colored lights can't mask the undercurrent of fear that has spread through the city and reporters are pressing for answers. All I need to hear is a slip of the tongue-just one mindless deed and the killer is mine. But solutions are in short supply and every minute measures another segment of time without answers. One inaccurate statement from me is all it would take to feed the media frenzy. This pack of journalists can lick their lips and starve before I'll give them a crumb to feed on.

It's later than I intended to stay. I've thumbed through the case file a million times and the lack of evidence stings like a sharp blow to the jaw. Facts seem distorted, leads haven't panned out. Just when I thought I was close, the evidence pointed in a different direction. A familiar, unsettling jerk in the pit of my gut yanks harder with each ring of my cell. I know what's coming. Don't need to answer the call to know the killer has struck again. This time, that nagging little voice in the back of my head tells me I'm in for a long ugly chase down a narrow path that leads straight into hell.

~ Sam Harper

"The Devil Can Wait" November 3, 2008, ISBN: 978-1-905202-86-7, the second book in the Sam Harper Crime Mystery Series
http://www.martastephens-author.com/

Not-So-Secret Agenda

Ann Littlewood

author of NIGHT KILL

A “Zoo-dunnit”

As readers, we want our stories infused with passion—passion for elegant writing, for accurate, detailed descriptions, for complex characters, for the tale itself. Authors are energized by the same passion, but we also write from the lessons and scars of our lives. Given a voice that reaches beyond family and friends, does that imply a responsibility to nudge, persuade, or warn our readers about how they lead their lives? How far can we go with our heart’s conviction, with our agenda, before the story suffers and sags and readers drift off?

Agenda is not the same as theme. In Case Histories, Kate Atkinson weaves the theme of parenting girls through examples of death and loss, episodes that intermesh at the end. She describes different styles of parenting girls, but does not appear to promote a particular brand. Barbara Neely’s mystery series about Blanche, an African American cook and housekeeper, are grounded in race relations. It’s no easy matter to avoid an agenda there, but messages are almost subliminal, offered through Blanche’s crisp and sardonic viewpoint, and never heavy handed.

Agenda is not the same as information. One of the great charms of mysteries is a gentle education. In her series starring Benjamin January, Barbara Hambly leads us into the streets and lives of nineteenth century New Orleans, a compelling historical snapshot. Dana Stabenow shows us how to live in the Alaskan wilderness. Lee Child’s character Jack Reacher is fascinated by mathematical puzzles that point to solutions of story problems. If the subject interests us, or is so well written as to interest us, we absorb information with pleasure, strands of the warp on which the story is woven.

Agenda is a call to action or a plea for behavior change, but not necessarily a boot in the rear. In TKO, Tom Schreck’s social worker protagonist trusts in people no one else will, including a convicted murderer, and his faith is ultimately justified. The message, if it is a message, might be that sensible kindness to losers is a right action. Susan Conant’s series about a dog trainer convincingly illustrates the desirability of training your dog properly and the poor results of skipping this step. Louise Penny, in A FATAL GRACE, creates characters that tolerate emotional abuse of a child and are then motivated by guilt. A cautionary tale?

Writing NIGHT KILL, I steered an uneasy course between my desire to write a good yarn and my sense of urgency about environmental issues. In the end, I settled on a goal to merely leave people a bit more aware of the connection between human activities and wildlife. The messages are so few and so mild, I fear that they won’t get through. This is a first novel, though, and with luck, there will be others, and my courage and skill will grow sufficient, I hope, to carry this farther. In my zoo setting, issues abound that can easily be tied to characters and story problems, controversies that make it into the headlines regularly.

Exhortation comes naturally to me and I have to be careful. The challenge for an author with an agenda is to ensure the story keeps center stage. No one wants to be lectured, even if the scolding is from a fictional character. That dubious cliché “show, don’t tell” is nowhere more appropriate, but even the showing requires subtlety.

Or is an agenda, an attempt to persuade, not an option or an obligation, but simply inappropriate for genre fiction? Should authors muffle their personal convictions, avoid characters and stories that demonstrate the lessons their creator managed to learn? I’d be interested to hear what readers and writers think about this challenging topic.

About the author:

"It’s been a long and crooked path to this “zoo-dunnit”. My first significant writing focused on the adventures of a young beaver, with many one page chapters (The Log, The Dam, The Coyote, etc.) Later, at the age of nine, I moved away from creative non-fiction to novels that featured wild horses escaping bad humans and fierce wildfires. I drew inspiration from Black Beauty, the Black Stallion series, and everything Jim Kjelgaard wrote (Big Red, etc). Another favorite was a tattered book about a man who lived in a tree house with raccoons. Lady, the family terrier, was my best friend. I had no idea who Nancy Drew was until I was almost out of high school. more...

Getting "fixed"

I am feeling a little blue this morning. My baby dog, Tinkerbell, had to go into the vet's to get "fixed". Yeah, I know, that is a responsible thing to do for a pet owner, but Tink didn't think so. She whined to get in the car, and then when there, she cried to get out. She knows a car ride almost always involves a stinky vet's office.

Then once we got there, she trembled all over like she had some terrible nerve disorder right up until the time the assistant came to take her back. I tried to make her feel better, calling her a good girl, and snuggling with her. The look of terror in her eyes as she was whisked away told the true tale.

Now what in tarnation does this have to do with writing?

It's analogy time, folks. Because it's scary to "fix" our beloved kitties and puppies and it's terrifying to fix our writing. But fix it we must. Why? To prevent unwanted "critters" from showing up, of course. If you do not go through your work with that proverbial fine-toothed comb and pull out all of the unneeded words, stilted language, plot going into a corner, you will lose your reader.

I personally find this scary, but once I am into it, I am pretty happy. It frees me to find the nuggets of story that are worthy to be in a book with my name on it. Writing a novel takes time, and fixing it equally so, but the end result is always worth the trauma.

I sure hope my baby girl thinks so when I pick her up tonight.

A Review of "The Devil Can Wait"

A novel by Marta Stephens, author of the
Sam Harper Crime Mystery Series

Reviewed by Harry Hughes, author of The Bait Shack

Literarily speaking, the murder mystery genre has been excavated so thoroughly that one wonders how any author, emerging or seasoned, might find a way to put new spin on the unrepentant dastards who commit crimes, and the noir characters, some pensive and some quick with the snappy one-liners, who solve them. How do writers distinguish themselves in a seemingly saturated market?

Ask Marta Stephens. With a website that highlights her own works (http://www.martastephens-author.com/) and another (http://murderby4.blogspot.com/) that welcomes new authors to her world of perps, molls and gumshoes, Marta knows how to put a fresh face on old caricatures. Her second novel, THE DEVIL CAN WAIT, proves that there still exists much yellow-taped, cordoned off territory to be explored.

Detective Sam Harper (the protagonist in Stephen’s first novel, SILENCED CRY) of the Chandler Police Department in Massachusetts, is summoned out of bed on a freezing morning before sunrise to view a floater by the bay, the third tattooed teenaged male to wash ashore in weeks, each murdered by different means; bludgeoning, strangulation, and now this, a throat rendered open by what appears to be knife-play. Sure, there seems to be a link among the deaths but where are the clues? At this point, there are none.

And so begins Harper’s search for a serial killer. This kind of assignment is routine stuff to him, but in no way is he prepared for the journey that leads to the crime’s resolution. And here is where THE DEVIL CAN WAIT parts company with other novels of this genus. From a small city in Massachusetts, we are suddenly transported to Mitu, an equatorial republic of Colombia, South America, where we are introduced to Alejandro, badly beaten as a consequence of skimming drugs from a dealer named Lorenzo. Alejandro’s mother, Anita Salas tends his wounds while he ponders her fate. She is wanted by the military for the alleged murder of three priests from a local church who regarded her as a witch and devil worshiper. More worrisome, is her possession of an inscribed, black pearl ring believed to be prophetic and that is coveted by Lorenzo the drug dealer . . . and others.

The body count increases. We eventually meet Chandler Times reporter Jennifer Blake who receives a phone call from her former Professor of Anthropology, Gaylord Mittendorf. Apparently, he possesses some inside scoop about the origins of a certain black pearl ring in South America that is drawing attention of individuals not of the legitimate auction variety.

Where does all of this lead us? To the Vatican and a mesmerizing, centuries-long history of a corrupt and perverse papacy tied to the black pearl ring and ultimately to the serial killer whose handiwork we were introduced to at the book’s start. Where is Sam Harper and how is he linking these seemingly disparate events to the story’s exciting closure? You will just have to be patient and read THE DEVIL CAN WAIT.

Marta Stephens’ keen knowledge of forensics and her use of crisp dialogue and descriptive locales allow her to peek over the heads of other mystery writers in this overcrowded field. As Harper stands above the teenaged corpse, we can feel icy wind blowing over a snow-covered, New England beach. Alejandro struggles to sustain consciousness while a thug chauffeurs him through the jungle to his mother’s house, and we smell the jungle canopy steaming with rainfall and palpate our own face as Stephens describes Alejandro’s multiple head wounds. And finally, Sam Harper is not the caricature of a wiseguy, fast-talking urbane dick but is instead a believable police detective rife with character flaws and a doggedly determined persona. THE DEVIL CAN WAIT is a perfectly paced, 5-star read from beginning to end.

* * *

About the Author: Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. Her books are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website.THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (November 3, 2008)

SILENCED CRY (2007)Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book FestivalTop Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

About the Reviewer: Author Harry Hughes is a veteran of both the Viet Nam War and the Woodstock Festival. He is an award-winning songwriter and Associate Professor of Psychology. Seven years of his life is documented in the National Book Critics Circle Award nominated book, HOMEFIRES by Donald Katz (Harper Collins Press, 1992). After being published in multiple professional science journals, Harry’s first short story, A RIVER TOO DISTANT, was published along with works by Edward Albee and Joseph Heller, in Hampton Shorts, Vol.3, 1998. His debut novel, THE BAIT SHACK, has been published by BeWrite Books and is scheduled to be released on October 28, 2008. A native Manhattanite, Harry now lives in Utah. His website is www.hughesauthor.net.

Book Trailers - Do You Need One?

The short answer is no. Of course you don't need one. Outside of possibly a website, there is no automatic must-have promotion tool for authors. People who work in advertising (including me) know that every form of it is a crapshoot - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. There are few - if any - reliable methods of predicting what's going to help the sales of any product, whether it's books or fresh-squeezed lemonade or $100,000 hybrid automobiles.

However . . . do you want one? That's a better question. Book trailers are definitely cool, when they're done well. As with any promotion method, you can find massive debates over their effectiveness. The one proven rule in advertising is this: multiple exposure works. The more often a potential buyer sees your product (in this case, your book, or your name as a brand), the better the chances of a purchase. And since book trailers are a form of viral marketing (which means they can easily be passed on to multiple people), they are effective in reaching the goal of multiple exposure.

Recently, I've become quite interested in making book trailers. Okay, I confess: I'm a tad obsessed. In addition to the trailer for my novel Broken Angel that I posted here a few weeks ago, I've made two more...

Here's one for the wonderful novel Tremolo by our own Aaron Paul Lazar (you mean you haven't read it yet?! Get it now! :-)



And this is a shorter "teaser" trailer for a novel called Soul Haven by somebody named Sonja Baines (who the heck is she, anyway?)



Now, please allow me to demonstrate my amazing psychic powers by answering all of your questions. ;-)

-Yes, I made both of these. I've developed a habit of carrying my camera around, taking opportunity shots and staging impromptu "shoots" (wait'll you see the "movie" my son and nephews made this past weekend. LOL)

-The music comes from the rich variety of free, royalty-free sources across the WWW - there's a lot of it out there, and I'm still collecting and sorting.

-Of course I included all the proper attributions. :-)

-You have two choices when it comes to getting a trailer for your novel. You can make it yourself (an explanation for which requires a whole separate post - which I'll be writing next Tuesday), or you can hire someone to make one for you.

-Surprisingly, there aren't too many companies out there into book trailer production. There's the Big Kahuna of Book Trailers - Circle of Seven Productions - which offers a range of book trailer services and charges between $300 and $2500 depending on the type of trailer you want. They're pretty good... check out this video for an example of their high-end productions.

Then there's these guys: Red Lotus Productions. *cough* This is some brand new upstart company, just launched by a crazy, slightly obsessed author who thinks making book trailers is fun, and believes it possible to make them effective promotional tools. *cough (me) cough* Seem to have something stuck in my throat, here. Sorry about that.

That's all for now. Next week: how to make your own book trailer, and a look at my latest endeavor (yeah, I know you're sick of my trailers now) - Broken Angel: Street Edition. *G*


P.S. GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

"The Devil Can Wait" Released Today!

© Marta Stephens 2008 all rights reserved

Thumb through the pages of your favorite book. Now, look close between the lines. That’s where the author bled onto the pages and wove together a mystic world of fiction fed by life experiences. Every line of narrative and section of dialogue holds a thimbleful of truth. The second book in the Sam Harper Crime Mystery series is no exception. THE DEVIL CAN WAIT was forged from the memory of an unholy event as frightening as it was intriguing. It’s a tale about belief, unholy forces, and one man’s determination to stop an obsessed killer.

The story behind the story involved a quarrel and a cursed black pearl ring that nearly killed the object of a jilted young man’s affection. Filled with resentment, he begged her to take the ring as a parting gesture. Within days of accepting his gift, the young woman fell victim to a number of life-threatening accidents that came in quick succession. She survived each incident, but evil remained a constant threat to her life. It was only after she destroyed the black pearl ring that all appeared to return to normal.

Such was the spark behind THE DEVIL CAN WAIT; fiction with a taste of the unexplained. I was an impressionable eight-year-old, unable to distinguish fact from fiction, yet that event seared itself into my mind and eventually gave birth to THE DEVIL CAN WAIT. Can inanimate objects receive and transmit energies through a single touch? Is the good or evil nature of a person a predictor of luck or misfortune?

Years later, I can neither prove nor disprove that curses exist, yet I’m left to wonder what truths have slipped between the pages of this Sam Harper mystery that kept critical e-mails from reaching my editor? What power made manuscript files disappear and Internet connections break off for days at a time without rhyme or reason? Coincidence? I thought it was, until the literary contract sent to my publisher at the same street address I’ve used for several years found its way back into my mailbox three months later marked, “Insufficient address.” Subsequent mailing attempts met the same fate, yet my greeting card arrived at her office without a hitch. I can’t explain these things nor is it clear why the first three artists who were eager to work on the book cover had to stop soon after starting due to … pressing events that forced them to quit.

In THE DEVIL CAN WAIT, the city of Chandler, Massachusetts is plunged into terror when the bodies of three local teenagers wash ashore. While homicide detective Sam Harper hunts down the guilty, a sinister plot emerges overseas. From the Vatican to the jungles of South America, a cursed black pearl ring, the demonic prophecy it represents, and the men who pursue its powers find their unfortunate way into Harper’s turf.

Enthralled by the ring’s story and a front-page spread, newspaper reporter Jennifer Blake agrees to pick up the ring at a local pawnshop for her former college professor. When she does, unforeseen events shoot Blake to the top of Harper's prime suspect lists. Soon, the seemingly unrelated cases converge and the heat is on for Harper to expose the truth behind a Vatican secret and stop the self-righteous man who does the unthinkable in the name of God.

Did the sound of keystrokes tapping life into THE DEVIL CAN WAIT wake a slumbering presence from the depth of obscurity where holiness clashes against the dark and profane? I’ll let you, the reader, be the judge. The only certainty is that THE DEVIL CAN WAIT can wait no more. It’s here, so light a candle, take a sip of your favorite brew, ease into that over-stuffed chair, and immerse yourself in the pages of THE DEVIL CAN WAIT—if you dare.

* * *

Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. THE DEVIL CAN WAIT and SILENCED CRY are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website at www.martastephens-author.com. Excerpts from the Sam Harper Crime Mysteries and reviews are also available on the author’s website.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (November 3, 2008)
© Marta Stephens 2008
ISBN: 978-1-905202-86-7
316 Pages

SILENCED CRY (April 2007)
© Marta Stephens 2007
ISBN: 978-1-905202-72-0
279 Pages
Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book FestivalTop Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

Published internationally by BeWrite Books, UK, 32 Bryn Road South, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8QR.

First Snow

Hello friends,

I'm out of town this weekend, but wanted to share a haiku I wrote this week after we had our first snowfall. We got about an inch up on our hill. Boy, were those trees and leaves surprised! These photos are from the first heavy frost we had. I couldn't catch the snow on the leaves because it is pitch black out now when I drive to work!

a

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. And if you are inspired to write a bit about your own environment, or perhaps these photos spark an idea, post it in the comments and I'll add it to the piece on Monday.

Remember to take pleasure in the little things, and if you love to write, write like the wind!

a

- Aaron

First Snow
copyright Aaron Paul Lazar 2008

Sugar coated leaves

Like frosted bracelet charms

Dance in stunned silence

http://www.legardemysteries.com/

http://www.mooremysteries.com/

http://www.aplazar.gather.com/

http://www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com/

Meet Harry Hughes

© Harry Hughes 2008 all rights reserved

Murder By 4 welcomes Harry Hughes, author of THE BAIT SHACK ~ Released this week by BeWrite Books (UK).

THE BAIT SHACK certainly qualifies as a mystery tale, but the book spills somewhat over the boundaries of that particular genre. The protagonists, Dale Cooles and Lacy Chamblet, are struggling to keep their tenuous marriage afloat while living like indentured servants to Lacy’s unscrupulous employer Henry Meredith, an extremely wealthy real estate baron of the Hamptons on eastern Long Island. Much of the book focuses on this aspect of the plot. However, like oil oozing slowly up from the ground, it becomes increasingly evident that a number of disenfranchised women, who had worked for Meredith in the past, met their demise at the hands of a shockingly perverse serial killer. Incrementally, Lacy realizes that she may be next in line and herein lies the suspense. This quick synopsis opens the door for a brief comment about subplots.

There exist in print many great mystery novels with a single plotline that burns like a laser through the reader’s imagination. Books with multiple plotlines can expand the breadth of a story, adding dimensions with which to keep the reader’s mind shuttling back and forth across the court to greet the writer’s serve. But including subplots to a story can also be tricky. They only work if the author can tie them together in a credible way. Contrived resolutions and a last recourse to deus ex machina will sink what otherwise may have been a fine piece of work.

What follows is a word about irony. Author Thomas McGuane once suggested that any novel of the American west in which the story unfolds in modern times is subject to a lack of vitality unless infused with irony. I tend to believe that the modern mystery tale is vulnerable to the same fate if not accompanied by a healthy dose of both irony and perhaps irreverence (what I refer to as the two eyes). Thus, THE BAIT SHACK is as humorous as it is suspenseful, what with the underachieving but well-meaning Dale fumbling his way through a shaky relationship with Lacy, who in turn is attempting to juggle the consequences of her husband’s social blunders and the accumulating clues of what might be an impending murder, her own. Irony is a literary device capable of ushering humor into a story without having to resort to one-liners and clever punch lines. And while there is nothing wrong with one-liners and clever punch lines, sustainable humor requires a backdrop of irony. Certainly, everyday life offers up a steaming bowl of it for writers to sink their spoons into.

What is conspicuously absent from THE BAIT SHACK is any take on the supernatural. The two villains who provide an all too palpable sense of menace and who push the plot along are distinctly unalike. Yet both are sufficiently cunning and spooky to preclude invocation of the otherworldly. A fine line separates the traditional ghost and mystery stories. Any attempt to abolish that line in this book would have resulted in a deeply flawed plot.

* * *

Author Harry Hughes is a veteran of both the Viet Nam War and the Woodstock Festival. He is an award-winning songwriter and Associate Professor of Psychology. Seven years of his life is documented in the National Book Critics Circle Award nominated book, HOMEFIRES by Donald Katz (Harper Collins Press, 1992). After being published in multiple professional science journals, Harry’s first short story, A RIVER TOO DISTANT, was published along with works by Edward Albee and Joseph Heller, in Hampton Shorts, Vol.3, 1998. His debut novel, THE BAIT SHACK, has been published by BeWrite Books and is scheduled to be released on October 28, 2008. A native Manhattanite, Harry now lives in Utah. His website is www.hughesauthor.net.

In honor of NanoWriMo

"The act of writing
bears something in common
with the act of love.

The writer,
at this most productive moment,
just flows.

He gives of that which is uniquely himself,
he makes himself naked.
Recording his nakedness in the written word.

Herein lies some of the terror
which frequently
freezes a writer. “
--Sidney M. Jourard

When I decided to sit down and write my blog post for today, I considered what I could write about that would be meaningful and helpful. It occurred to me that many writers out there get so focused on the highway leading to publication that they forget to enjoy the scenery along the way.

I have always wanted to go to Ireland and Scotland. I do not know why, maybe it is in my blood. But, after saving for so long to make the trip, I will savor every blessed moment of it once I embark. Why do we not enjoy our writing journey in the same way? Is this not the best part of our day? Is this not the one thing that we can do that makes us unique from our spouses, our neighbors, our friends?

We write because we love it. We write because we must. Our creativity won’t let us sleep at night-it gives us heartburn as we chew the words and throw them out on the page.

But we do not have to be afraid of writing from our heart, even if no one ever reads what we have written. Enjoy your writing, drop kick your muse to the street today and let go! Free yourself from the worries and wonders of whether your characters will ever see themselves between the pages of a book, or even on an e-reader screen, and just let them tell their story.

You may find that writing from your heart, forgetting the other aspects of writing, moves you into a whole new realm of possibilities.

Five Days and Counting ...

© Marta Stephens 2008 all rights reserved

... to the launch.
November 3
THE DEVIL CAN WAIT
Book two in the Sam Harper series

I don't know about you, but long after the novel is written, edited, and is put through a rigorous proofreading by several people including my trusted critiquers, my publisher and 2-3 editors, I worry and begin to second-guess myself. You know, What if I change that sentence to read like this? Does this chapter drag? Is the dialogue ... should I ... Maybe I could ... Eventually I stop, but the questions seem to go on and on. Please tell me I'm not alone!

I guess if asked what it feels like to pour my heart and soul into a manuscript and then wait for reader reaction I'd have to respond with this: Think back to your first school dance. Remember the butterflies and the pent up excitement knowing you were going to have the best time of your life, only to have the euphoric feeling shattered by the dreaded thought,

“What if no one asks me to dance?”

Okay, so maybe it's not that nerve-wracking, but I dare say that most authors do catch themselves holding their breath just bit until the reviews start flowing in. The magic in my neck of the woods started to happen over the past several days with this review written by Lynn Pritchett, Suite101.com Media Inc., Contributing Writer:

“Is it prophecy fulfilled or selfishness, greed, and bad choices? . . THE DEVIL CAN WAIT is a suspenseful freight train of action . . . Can the Devil really wait? . . . If you read one book this season make it THE DEVIL CAN WAIT . . . reminiscent of . . .”

Please do leave Lynn a comment!

* * *

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT
November 3, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-905202-86-7
Bewrite Books (UK)
Paperback: 316 pages

Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense.
Pre-order an autographed copy of THE DEVIL CAN WAIT at www.martastephens-author.com.

SILENCED CRY (2007)
Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book Festival
Top Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

Farewell to Tony Hillerman

1925 - 2008

By AMANDA LEE MYERS
The Associated Press
Monday, October 27, 2008; 1:57 AM

PHOENIX -- Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes _ Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83.

Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m.

Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws.

"I'm getting old," he declared in 2002, "but I still like to write."

Anne Hillerman said Sunday that her father was a born storyteller.

"He had such a wonderful, wonderful curiosity about the world," she said. "He could take little details and bring them to life, not just in his books, but in conversation, too."

Lt. Joe Leaphorn, introduced in "The Blessing Way" in 1970, was an experienced police officer who understood, but did not share, his people's traditional belief in a rich spirit world. Officer Jim Chee, introduced in "People of Darkness" in 1978, was a younger officer studying to become a "hathaali" Navajo for "shaman."

Together, they struggled daily to bridge the cultural divide between the dominant Anglo society and the impoverished people who call themselves the Dineh.

Hillerman's commercial breakthrough was "Skinwalkers, " published in 1987 the first time he put both characters and their divergent world views in the same book. It sold 430,000 hardcover copies, paving the way for "A Thief of Time," which made several best seller lists. In all, he wrote 18 books in the Navajo series, the most recent titled "The Shape Shifter."

Each is characterized by an unadorned writing style, intricate plotting, memorable characterization and vivid descriptions of Indian rituals and of the vast plateau of the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.

The most acclaimed of them, including "Talking God" and "The Coyote Waits," are subtle explorations of human nature and the conflict between cultural assimilation and the pull of the old ways."

I want Americans to stop thinking of Navajos as primitive persons, to understand that they are sophisticated and complicated," Hillerman once said.

Occasionally, he was accused of exploiting his knowledge of Navajo culture for personal gain, but in 1987, the Navajo Tribal Council honored him with its Special Friend of the Dineh award. He took greater pride in that, he often said, than in the many awards bestowed by his peers, including the Golden Spur Award from Western Writers of America and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which elected him its president.

Hollywood was less kind to Hillerman. Its adaptation of his 1981 novel, "Dark Wind," with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward regrettably cast as Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, was a bomb.

Although Hillerman was best-known for the Navajo series, he wrote more than 30 books, including a novel for young people; the memoir, "Seldom Disappointed" ; and books on the history and natural beauty of his beloved Southwest.

"Those places that stir me are empty and lonely," he wrote in "The Spell of New Mexico," a collection of his essays. "They invoke a sense of both space and strangeness, and all have about them a sort of fierce inhospitality."

He also edited or contributed to more than a dozen other books including crime and history anthologies and books on the craft of writing.

Born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart, Okla., population 50, Tony Hillerman was the son of August and Lucy Grove Hillerman. They were farmers who also ran a small store. It was there that young Tony listened spellbound to locals who gathered to tell their stories.

The teacher at Sacred Heart's one-room school house was rumored to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan, so Tony's parents sent him and his brother, Barney, to St. Mary's Academy, a school for Potawatomie Indian girls near Asher, Okla. It was at St. Mary's that he developed a lifelong respect for Indian culture and an appreciation of what it means to be an outsider in your own land.

In 1943, he interrupted his education at the University of Oklahoma to join the Army. He lugged his mortar ashore at D-Day with the 103rd Infantry Division and was severely wounded in battle at Alsace, France. He returned from Europe a genuine war hero with a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, temporary blindness and two shattered legs that never stopped causing him pain.

He returned to the university for his degree and, in 1948, married Marie Unzer. Together, they raised six children, five of them adopted.

As a young man, he farmed, drove a truck, toiled as an oil field roughneck and worked as a reporter and editor for the Borger News-Herald in Borger, Texas; the Morning Press-Constitution in Lawton, Okla.; United Press International in Oklahoma City; and the Santa Fe New Mexican, where he rose to executive editor. He quit in 1962 to earn a master's degree from the University of New Mexico, where he later taught journalism and eventually became chairman of the journalism department. In 1993, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.

Hillerman was still teaching when he wrote his first novel, "Blessing Way." A story that always made him chuckle: His first agent advised him that if he wanted to get published, he would have to "get rid of that Indian stuff."

Hillerman is survived by his wife, Marie, and their six children. Services are pending.

Associated Press Writer Bruce DeSilva contributed to this report.http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2008/ 10/27/AR20081027 00052.html? hpid=moreheadlin es

Who's That Knocking?

copyright, 2008, Aaron Paul Lazar

Good morning, friends and writers!

It's been a long week. I've gone 11 days now with unresolved headaches, unable to write, focus, or get relief. I want my Advil back (seems like such a simple wish, doesn't it?), but the doc says it's not good long term, and he's trying other options. Now I need to go back to a headache specialist, who really didn't help me 9 years ago. Sigh.

Anyway, I will survive. I always do! The doc and I just made a compromise. I can take the Advil until I see the specialist. So, as of noon today, the headache miraculously vanished after I popped those two beautiful little liquid Advil gel caps. Ahhh... It feels good to be able to focus and think again! I'll just conveniently ignore the fact right now that I might be eating holes in my stomach or that my kidneys could fail in ten years. Yuk.

How was your week? Were you able to get much writing done?

I posted the following piece a long time ago. I think about 12 people read it. LOL. So, since it's getting close to Halloween, and also since I'll be away next week, I thought I'd dust it off and share it with you today. Let me know if it gives you a chuckle or a thrill.

***
Living in an antique home has its problems, especially when you're not a handyman. My father taught me all sorts of wonderful things when he was alive, including unbridled passion for the arts, gardening, nature, gourmet cooking, and the love of a good mystery. He didn't know much about mechanical, plumbing, electric, or woodworking skills. Though I've tried to learn over the years with self-help books and advice from friends, I remain singularly unhandy, perpetually bowing with an unholy need to the whims of the local plumber and electrician.

Take, for example, the twenty-six windows that are crumbling as we speak. The six by nine inch panes are coming loose from their wooden mullions with alarming frequency. Or the floorboards in the bedroom, a lovely old yellow pine, that poke up like teepees when it's hot and muggy. Yeah, they need to be treated with some kind of poly something-or-other, but for now, the moisture makes them swell. Consider the two wells that sometimes work in concert - except for the hundred times a year I have to run down to the cobwebbed cellar and reset the breakers or tap on the pump to make it work. The disadvantages are many.

But there are also great benefits, such as the three working fireplaces. Or the soil that surrounds the property, rich and black, untouched by bulldozers. It's not like the hard packed fill they put in the new housing tracts. I don't need to "amend" this soil. I just need to keep up with the produce and flowers.

Most intriguing of all, however, is the rich history.

Our house was built in 1811 by Dr. David Hunt.

Okay, so compared to the homes in Europe, it's just an infant. But in terms of our country and its young age, it's amazing. Think about it. This house was built and lived in more than fifty years before the civil war!

Imagine the births, deaths, dramas, romances, and heartaches that occurred within these rooms. Did the inhabitants suffer from small pox? Starvation? Were they affluent? How many horses or cows did they own? And... how many ghosts linger in these plaster and lathe walls?

Let's examine the past 100 years. According to an elderly neighbor, over seven people have died on Hunts Corners. Traffic accidents. Maybe even horse and buggy accidents. Auto drivers not stopping for the all-way stop signs, or sliding on ice, or drunk drivers plowing right into the telephone pole. Sad to think about. Makes you wonder about their spirits. Did they ascend to Heaven? Or do a few guilty souls remain in the area, confused and wandering, seeking the path to redemption?

Recently, I began to ponder another death disclosed to me by a young neighbor friend. We began to correspond after he read a few of my books. He's a bright and entertaining young fellow who happens to be a voracious reader. We clicked. And we chat back and forth about books and life and sometimes... about the history of our area.

It seems Hunts Corners has a mystery all its own, stemming from the early 1900s. As the story goes, my young neighbor's great grandmother noticed something odd one day. While going about her daily duties, Mabel realized she hadn't seen the young girl who lived next door in a long time. Anna no longer attended school, and very rarely made an appearance outside the home. When she did, Mabel noticed a thickening in her middle, well-wrapped by heavy garments. She suspected the girl was with child. In that era, a pregnancy out of wedlock was unthinkable. Shameful. A sin. The family would endure public humiliation if news got out. So Anna was sequestered for nine long months as Mabel watched the child grow in her belly.

When the time came for the baby to be born, there was no activity in the house. No child was seen. No doctor arrived. All was quiet.

Speculation grew. Was the child stillborn? Or worse, was she murdered by a family cloaked in shame? Rumors were that the little baby was buried behind Anna's house.

Since then, there have been reports of children pointing behind the house, exclaiming about the "little girl in the weeds." The adults couldn't see her.

But I think I might have, last winter.

I rose early to photograph our Christmas lights. They were unusually festive last year, better than all past years. We'd added a few lighted deer for fun, and I was bound and determined to capture the beauty in the blackest of night. It was a clear, chill morning. Five A.M. Not a breeze stirred. Most households were fast asleep. Few cars passed by.

I brought my trusty Canon Powershot outdoors and took dozens of photos. Later, when I viewed them on my PC, I saw the ghost. There she was - looking straight at me with wide open eyes. Filmy, transparent, but with a clear face and body. Only two shots revealed her, although I took dozens that morning.

The photos are untouched, straight from the camera card. And yes, I know there's probably a scientific explanation. Maybe the light from the flash illuminated ice crystals in the air, causing a momentary illusion. But I'd like to ignore that for now and just consider it a visit from my friendly little ghost.

Last night I woke to a tapping sound. Usually it's Max, on his chair, scratching an itch and thumping up against the armrest. I rose to check, but he lay still, mouth open, breathing evenly.
Could it be my grandson knocking on the door? I looked. No one was there. All was quiet, no little boys or cats were hoping to gain entrance.

I went back to bed. The tapping resumed. Looking out the window, I noticed headlights flashing by, briefly illuminating the darkness. Was that a flash of white? A face? Or simply the reflection on wet streets?

The tapping resumed. Outside my window. On the second floor.

Could it be?

I buried my head beneath the covers and said my prayers.

Well, that's it for now, dear friends. I won't be around next weekend, so let's get together in two weeks, and until then, remember to take pleasure in the little things, and if you love to write, write like the wind!

Learn How to Promote Your Books Online ...

© Dorothy Thompson 2008 all rights reserved


... to Keep Them on Bookstore Shelves


I want to thank Marta for inviting me here today to talk to you about promoting your books online.

Promoting online requires a lot of work on the author’s part, but the advantages so outweigh the few hours a day you should put into this. For the print-on-demand or self-published author, it’s their lifeline to selling books, but to the mainstream published author – you know the one with the advances and the distribution we all dream about – online book promotion can actually keep those books on the shelves for as long as they continue to use this approach to sell their books.

I had a client email me a few days ago upset that if he did not make those sales by a certain month, the publisher would have no choice but to pull the book. The book seller was on his back and was forced to let him know that this will be the case if he does not sell more books than he was doing.

My client was quite upset to the point where he was willing to try anything to sell his book and a virtual book tour was his best option at this point.

What I’m finding is that there are quite a few mainstream published authors who aren’t aware how powerful online book promotion truly is. The print-on-demand and self-published authors already know this, but for the mainstream published authors, selling their books in bricks-and-mortar stores becomes top priority. Of course, this is a good thing but what if your competition is fierce? What if there are lots of other books similar to yours? What if the economy worsens and, god forbid, no one wants to make that special trip to a book store to buy your book out of the thousands to choose from?

So much pressure. And I feel sorry for them, I truly do, but this is what I tell them.

Create an online awareness and grab those thousands of Internet users who surf for online purchases every day. It’s a gold mine out there, folks. Create a blog. Write articles. Query bloggers to interview you or let you write a guest post in exchange for a free book. Join social networks. Learn how to network with fellow authors and readers.

And, lastly, put your book on virtual book tour. You can do this yourself or you can hire us to do it for you, but whatever you choose, you won’t ever regret the experience and, yes, it will sell books for you. My client has reported increases in Amazon sales and website hits, so the potential is there for everyone.

Stop worrying and hit the blogosphere with news about your book. Creating an enormous online presence should be your # 1 goal to sell that book. Do it before it’s too late.

* * *

Dorothy Thompson is CEO/Founder of Pump Up Your Book Promotion. You can visit her website at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/. Sign up for her FREE newsletter or comment on her clients’ blog stops to win a free virtual book tour or $50 Amazon gift certificate each month!

PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS
"We take books to the virtual level!"
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/

What's Your Challenge?

© Marta Stephens, 2008 all rights reserved

My darling girl ... when are you going to understand that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage. ~Aunt France, Practical Magic

Aside from being one of my favorite and fun movies, I think this quote from Practical Magic applies to every aspect of writing. Let's face it, we writers aren’t necessarily “normal” and it does take courage to expose our inner soul to the world.

For those not familiar with my work, I write crime mystery/suspense and up until a few years ago, my work was something I shared only with family and friends. Close friends. People who love me; in whose eyes I can do no wrong. It was a safe place to be, but a little voice in the back of my head nudged me forward. I expanded my circle to include an amazing group of talented fellow authors -- the real test of endurance. It wasn’t long before my writing evolved from a pastime, to a passion, and now an addiction. A good addiction because perseverance has led to the release of the second book in my Sam Harper series, “The Devil Can Wait” on November 3. So to those who wonder if your dream of becoming a published author is realistic, it is. Just keep at it.

What keeps me going? The challenge to top my previous attempt; to write a better book, develop a smarter marketing campaign, create an attention-grabbing book trailer and a captivating cover. Why? Because once a writer is published, he or she becomes a public figure and anything less than the best is a step in the wrong direction.

Maybe I am obsessed, as a few special friends “affectionately” dare to call me (admit it, you have). Do I hit my mark every time? No, of course not. No one does, but unless we try, unless we ask the questions and charter a new path, we’ll never know our full potential. So crawl out of the comfort zone and feel the edge of an uncharted road beneath your feet and see where it leads.

* * *

Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. Her books are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (November 3, 2008)

SILENCED CRY (2007)Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book FestivalTop Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

Warren Adler: The Idea

Murder by 4 extends a warm welcome to Warren Adler, a world-renowned novelist, short story writer and playwright.

Warren's books have been translated into more than 25 languages and two of his novels, The War of the Roses and Random Hearts, have been made into enormously popular movies, shown continually throughout the world. Three short stories from his acclaimed collection The Sunset Gang have been adapted as a trilogy and shown on Public Television stations. The Overlook Press will publish a new novel, his 29th, in Spring 2008, and his fifth short story collection, New York Echoes will be published in late Winter of 2008 by Stonehouse Press. His play Libido is scheduled for an off-Broadway production in 2008. His stage adaptation of the novel The War of the Roses is currently being produced in Italy, Berlin, Hamburg, Prague and countries in Scandinavia.

a

As a novelist, Mr. Adler's themes deal primarily with intimate human relationships—the mysterious nature of love and attraction, the fragile relationships between husbands and wives and parents and children, the corrupting power of money, the aging process and how families cling together when challenged by the outside world. Readers and reviewers have cited his books for their insight and wisdom in presenting and deciphering the complexities of contemporary life.

***

Welcome, Mr. Adler.

The Idea

all rights reserved, Warren Adler, copyright 2008
a

I get my ideas from “everywhere.” It is, in many ways, a highly enigmatic and unsatisfactory answer. Perhaps I have trained my mind to seek out ideas for stories. Whether I am aware of it or not my antenna is always spinning. I seem to be on a perpetual search. This search takes me on multiple paths. I observe and listen to people. I read other novels and stories. I am tuned in to everything happening around me, the news of the day, the gossip, the conversations, arguments, opinions, words, images. Remember the play I Am a Camera? Indeed, if you want to tell stories, to write novels, you had better be a camera equipped with audio.

By some mysterious process, I glom on to situations, characters, imaginings, plots, what-ifs. It is a cacophony of sounds, colors, dialogue, observations and comparisons. Everything around me is part of a story. I suppose the mind processes this information into words, descriptions, conversations, organizes them into a story form, a beginning, middle and end. A novelist in his or her search for a story will throw their own experiences and memories into the mix of ideas, combine them with the immediacy of the surrounding world.

All lives are essentially narratives. The novelist cherry picks from what he or she sees and observes in their inner world and the outer world fueled by their sensory perceptions. Perhaps I am getting obscure, overwhelmed by an attempt to answer what is probably unanswerable. Sometimes I am amazed by what triggers a story in a writer’s mind. But suddenly the antenna focuses, magnifies, zeros in and an idea is born.

I can remember most of the “eureka” moments that triggered an idea that became a novel. A conversation with a friend in a London pub who had served as a British diplomat in China and had taken the regular mail run from Peking to Mongolia by train on a rail leg of the Trans-Siberian Express became the novel of the same name. A conversation with an Estonian Baron suggested my novel Blood Ties. Meeting a female detective in Washington became my “Fiona” series of mystery novels. A conversation at a dinner party with a man who was living with his hated wife while they were getting divorced became The War of the Roses. A funeral triggered the idea for Children of the Roses. It goes on an on.

I am convinced that a novelist must consciously train his or her mind to seek out stories. I know this could be a hard idea to grasp, but the true storyteller will know exactly what I mean. Note I have not gone into the phenomenon of writer’s block. Perhaps it comes from the sudden unwillingness of the mind to find the story channel in the brain. Patience will often recycle the process again like a computer that freezes and has to be shut down and restarted. Who knows?
a

Whether or not all this explanation answers the question of where a novelist gets his or her ideas is moot. I can only hope that it conveys what mental gymnastics are required to find an idea, flesh it out with research or further observation and embark on the hazardous journey of creating a novel out of the idea.

One thing is certain. Every novel begins with an idea. The idea becomes a commitment and expands outward, like the old cliché of the pebble in the pond. Characters are created to embellish the idea. A plot is constructed to move the idea to a resolution, a climax. In my case, I can never be certain of this resolution. In fact I would rather not know since, I, too, am curious about what happens next. One of my novelist friends tells me that if he knew how his story would end, he would not begin to write it.

***

Warren Adler is the author of 30 novels, including The War of the Roses and his latest, Funny Boys.

Newsletters - Communicating with Readers

(taken during drive to work this week before the sun came up)

Hello, friends and writers.

I hope this week has been good to you. Have you been able to write a lot? Or have you just soaked up life as you darted from project to project? Either phase is an important part of writing. Whether you're pounding out the chapters, or absorbing the beauty of the fall landscape that will later become a backdrop to your next love, chase, or murder scene - it's all part of the process, isn't it?

I've been babysitting my dear infant granddaughter overnight for the past four days. Wow. I forgot how hard it is to get up at 4-5 o'clock for bottle feedings! Wait a minute. My wife breast fed, so I never HAD that memory to recall!

She spoiled me. I helped in all the waking hours before and after work, but Dale always took care of our three girls overnight. Anway, I'm falling head over heels for my little Isabella. What a doll she is.

We also had a lovely but too short visit with Melanie, who came home from Cambridge for the weekend. Poor kid, I couldn't stop hugging her. ;o) We had lots of walks in the woods and some memorable meals together. Such good times. And of course, good fodder for future scenes in my LeGarde Mysteries. (grin)

In addition, like many of you, I've been reeling from the beauty of the autumn landscapes here in upstate New York. I don't recall a season this rich in color in many years. It's just overwhelmingly beautiful. Calendar beautiful. Knock-you-senseless beautiful. Know what I mean? The apples are clustered thick on the trees, just begging you to bite into them.


(see that layer of fog in the distance? It's hovering over the Genesee River)

Okay, now on to literary business.

I thought we might talk about communicating with one's readers via newsletters today. Dean Koontz regularly sends out a print newsletter from his dearly departed dog, Trixie. It's filled with tidbits about Dean's new books and observations from Trixie, from the great beyond. It's a common practice, and a wonderful way to share the latest scoop in an author's world.

And I, your humble mystery addict, send out the LeGarde Mysteries Newsletter via email just about every quarter. Or, when something particularly "newsworthy" comes along, such as a new book release. I like to include family news as well as literary news, since when folks read my books, they often like to hear about the whole package. And if they don't - well, they can always skip ahead! Ha. (if you'd like to sign up for the newsletter, just email me at aaron.lazar@yahoo.com and put "newsletter" in the subject line.)

Newsletters are a wonderful way to stay connected with your readers. Not a published author? Not a problem. I'll bet you have friends, writer's circles, critique partners, and family who DO read your stuff and care about your progress. Right?

Start with them and get into the practice of summarizing your progress on a regular basis. You'll be surprised how much you actually do accomplish in a few short months. (and if you haven't accomplished anything, don't be too hard on yourself. Roll up your sleeves and make a new plan!) Of course, be sure to ask if your subscribers want to hear from you (you don't want to be a nuisance!). And provide a little note at the bottom of your newsletter to let them know how to unsubscribe if they get sick of you!

Once you become published, provide a sign up sheet at your book signings so you can stay in touch with folks who buy your books. If you receive mail from your readers, politely ask if they'd like to subscribe to the newsletter. And add a link to your website so it's easy for them to sign up.

As an example, today I'd like to share the newsletter we just issued for our Murder by 4 blog. As you all know, it's not just about mysteries. This is a blog for readers and writers of all sorts. SW Vaughn blogs on Tuesdays, Marta Stephens posts on Wednesdays, Kim Smith shares on Thursdays, and I chose Sundays. We also feature guest bloggers twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) and have had a wealth of guests, from publishers to editors to world famous authors. Matter of fact, check us out tomorrow, October 20th, when renowned author Warren Adler stops in to treat us to a piece about where his ideas come from!
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So, whether you are a published author, or just starting to stir up interest in what will soon become your best seller, consider newsletters as a powferful vehicle to stay in touch with your readers. Here's our current newsletter - and please be sure to comment if you have time on the newsletter blog. We LOVE comments!

Murder by 4 Newsletter