Bouchercon Wisdom

Throughout the weekend at Bouchercon, Word Nerd wrote down the best little snippets of what authors had to say... from the setting of mysteries, to writing advice, to how to create characters and rip ideas from real life/real people.

Since wisdom is best when shared, here are some of things that caught Word Nerd's attention.

"Indianapolis is a very effective city to be murdered in." -- Brandt Dodson

"Writing is an act of great confusion and terror." -- Marcus Sakey

"Geography creates character." -- Larry Sweazy

"We have to make up enough stuff so when we can copy stuff, it's faster." -- Ken Isaacson

"Evil people never recognize themselves." -- Sarah Wisseman

"First person is a story about perception - they can be wrong." -- Hank Phillippi Ryan

"If you're an historical author, you have to know when to be vague." -- John Maddox Roberts

"Most writers do care about accuracy of any kind." -- Sharan Newman

"People take exception to being murdered." -- Jeanne M. Dams

"A good character has to do something. This is the fun of writing - letting your head go." -- Harlan Coben

"What you don't know in facts will kill you." -- David Levien

"The only way to write is to write. The only rule I know that works is discipline, consistency." -- Gary Phillips

Post Bouchercon, pt. 1

Boucheron rocked.

Word Nerd wasn't really sure what to expect from a big con like this, but it was great. (And more than one veteran told her this one was really well organized, lending credence to her unschooled opinion.)

There will be more highlights to come. But Word Nerd's real job intrudes tomorrow with two days of fundraising school (Come Tuesday afternoon, she'll have more letters to stick after her name or on a resume... Certificate of Fundraising Management, look out...)

But here's the quick hits list of all the authors that Word Nerd had a chance to actually participate in conversations with. Some were quick hits, some were longer... details to come, along with some of the stuff she learned. (These are in no significant order...)

1. David Morrell
2. Hank Phillippi Ryan
3. Marcus Sakey
4. Sean Chercover
5. CJ West
6. Rachel Brady
7. Brad Parks
8. Simon Wood
9. Jonathan Maberry
10. Austin Camacho
11. Kelli Stanley
12. Jess Lourey
13. Libby Hellman
14. Maris Soule
15. Larry Sweazy
16. Seth Harwood
17. Tony Perona
18. Brandt Dodson
19. Beth Groundwater
20. CJ Box
21. Denise Dietz

There are probably others. If Word Nerd forgot someone, it's not an intentional slight. As with writers, a good number of these conversations happened in bars, late at night.

More to follow. When Word Nerd is awake again. And more educated.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, to Bouchercon I go

Forgive the terrible musical pun.

I (the Word Nerd) am off to Bouchercon. I terribly excited for this.

I am taking my trusty notepad, my digital camera and my copy of Some Buried Caesar which I've decided to use as an autograph book. (instead of carrying around gobs of books for authors to sign, I'm having them all sign the same book...)

There will be reports of the things learned/fun had next week.

If you headed to B-con too, try to say hi. I'll do the same.

Book Banter -- Dark Time

Title: Dark Time (Mortal Path, bk. 1)

Author: Dakota Banks

Genre: Urban/paranormal fantasy

Length: 309 pages

Plot Basics: Susannah is put on trial in the 1600s for being a witch. In order to escape her punishment, she makes a bargain with the demon Rabishu to serve as his assassin and live forever. But when she finds out about an escape clause, Susannah is willing to take it to redeem her life and atone for her lifetime of killing -- even though it will make her mortal.

Banter Points: Word Nerd really liked the premise here of a woman with kick-butt powers trading them in because she's not OK with killing people. Too many times, characters like that have no remorse about their actions. It's also a cool set-up that the consequences to her good actions is that she is catching up on her aging... saving lives could cost her hers in the end.

Bummer Points: Word Nerd is an urban fantasy fan, but had some serious problems with the book. It wasn't the urban fantasy part she didn't believe (She was an assassin for a demon? No problem!), it was how the protagonist moved through our real world. She's supposedly super rich and able to live off the grid, but when she does some things (like charter planes repeatedly) the grid would pay attention to that. Additionally, the action tended to cut away from the scenes that were the most interesting (like getting rescued from a plane crash...). The cut aways drug the action level way down and made Word Nerd feel like her copy of the book was missing chapters.

Word Nerd Recommendation: The cool premise can't redeem the rest of the problems for Word Nerd. Lots of other people though have given the book great blurbs, so maybe Word Nerd's not the best judge of this one.

Book Banter -- Playing Dead

Title: Playing Dead
Author: Allison Brennan
Length: ~375 pages
Genre: romantic suspense
Plot Basics: Claire O'Brien's father, Tom, a former cop, has been sitting on death row for years for the murder of her mother and her mother's lover. But he escapes from prison during an earthquake. Since then, he's been helping authorities round-up other fugitives. But Tom has always claimed he's innocent of the crimes and with his freedom, he's determined to prove it. He appeals to Claire for help. pushing her to hear out what a local Innocence Project chapter may have uncovered about her case. Claire finally takes a chance and believes her father. As she investigates, she ends up on a dangerous path trying to expose killers and unaware that one of them in lying in wait for her.
Banter Points: This was pretty typical romantic suspense mind-candy -- girl in distress falls for FBI agent trying to protect her despite the boatload of big lies he's told her in an effort to keep her safe. The subplot about Tom was much more interesting, but it was definitely not the focus of the book.
Bummer Points: This was pretty typical romantic suspense mind-candy. Word Nerd's laying off Allison Brennan again for a while.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Beach read, airplane book, something for when your mind is too full of other stuff to concentrate a lot on a book.

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #15 -- Sean Chercover

Last but in no way least in the pre-Bouchercon guest blogger line-up is Sean Chercover. Sean's no stranger to Word Nerd (There are two past interviews, one after his first book and another around the release of the second) but this time, it's all him. Chercover is the author of the Ray Dudgeon series (Big City, Bad Blood and Trigger City) and takes a look today at how or why or why not to evolve a character across a series.


To Evolve, or Not to Evolve…by Sean Chercover

Bethany asked me to talk about my approach to evolving a series character. I think, if you’re working on a series, you first have to address the question of whether or not your protagonist should evolve.

There are many fine series featuring protags who stubbornly resist change. I’m a huge fan of Jack Reacher and Travis McGee and Lew Archer, none of whom evolved a whole lot over the years. Those characters are more than just characters – they are finely wrought points-of-view. Much of their power comes from their certainty.

Another consistent character, Spenser, began life as an evolving character but stopped after a number of books. Robert B. Parker has made no secret of why he stopped evolving Spenser. Many readers want to re-experience the emotional identification with the hero. The hero is like an old friend, and they want to pick up the next book knowing that the same friend will be there. As a result, static protagonists tend to sell more books than evolving protagonists.

There are exceptions, of course, and writing a non-changing (I hate to say “static”) hero is no guarantee of success. Very few writers are capable of creating a non-changing hero who remains interesting (and believable) over time. It requires a special skill.

For me, the choice to write Ray Dudgeon as an evolving character was easy. I find that I usually cleave more strongly to such characters, so I knew from the start that Ray would be an evolving character.

Ray is a troubled soul. The things in life of which Ray is unsure, far outnumber the things of which he is certain. He’s a good man, but doesn’t always act like the good man that he is. This, of course, gives him a lot of room to grow. But more than that, it demands that he grow.
I think that’s essential, if you’re writing an evolving series character. Not just giving your protagonist a few flaws (She’s a workaholic! He’s got a short temper!) but actually starting with a damaged character. Not just to give him “room to grow” but to make character growth necessary for his survival. Necessary, and difficult. The evolving character is (like all of us) a work-in-progress. If you start with a character who is comfortable in her own skin and in the world, then we really don’t need to follow her progress through life.

Ray is working hard at becoming a better man, one story at a time. Over time, his now-shaky skills as a friend and romantic partner may exceed his considerable skills as a private detective. And if that happens, the series may come to a natural end.

I’m rooting for him. But it’s a long and winding road.

On Your Mark, Get Set, NaNo

I’m doing National Novel Writing Month this year. Yep, I’ve taken a big dose of crazy already for even contemplating it. (For ease of writing about NaNo, I’m dropping the Word Nerd-third-person schtick… my brain isn’t that talented.)

I found out about NaNoWriMo a few years ago, but it’s never been the right time. As a reporter covering local governmental bodies, there were always these pesky things called elections every November. Trust me, waiting until midnight for returns to come in and then writing front-page worthy copy was not a great way to stay on the 50,000-word bandwagon. The fallout of elections kept me too busy and occupied too much brain space to force that many words of fiction out at the same time. (No jokes about reporters writing fiction anyway… )

Then, two years ago, I’d just moved to Indianapolis and was hammering away at the current WIP that’s the subject of query letters. Why do NaNo when I was already writing?

Last fall, I’d just transitioned from being an impoverished AmeriCorps member to having a real title and real salary and not-scary apartment. I’m not sure NaNo even crossed my mind then.

This year, though, is the perfect time because of several factors.

One -- the fate of the current WIP is rapidly moving out of my hands.

Two – I read a blog post from Paperback Writer that recommended for every writers’ convention you attend, you should write a novel. I’m headed to Bouchercon in two weeks and next year, I’m thinking World Fantasy (since that’s what I write). It seems like good advice: if you only go to cons, and don’t write, you’ll never move out of that “aspiring” category for authors. If I go to World Fantasy, that means I’ve got about eight months or so to crank out most of the next book.

Three – Marcus Sakey, in similar advice to Paperback Writer, recommends writing the next book while working on selling the first one.

So why NaNo? My plan is to use the 50,000 NaNo goal to make a serious dent in the next book. My plan is to write what will hopefully be 50,000 words well on their way to being good words that contain interesting characters and a compelling plot.

That’s why October is becoming critically important. October is all about planning. I’ve erased one of my blackboard panels; the second one is coming clean in a few days. I’m giving myself space and permission to scribble out ideas. I’ve got a list of characters already. I’ve got my 3x5 note cards handy to jot out fuller scene ideas. One of my original ideas for a main character is already being replaced with a much better new character who can help the plot move better and provide more tension.

The plan is the key. And the rest of the dose of crazy I need to do NaNo.

Book Banter -- Some Buried Caesar

Title: Some Buried Caesar

Author: Rex Stout

Genre: mystery

Length: ~270 pages

Plot Basics: Nero Wolfe and his leg-man Archie Goodwin are in a car accident that leaves them stranded outside of New York City and Wolfe's brownstone. In trying to get their car fixed, the detecting duo runs into a wager from a New York restauranteur who wants to barbeque a champion bull. But when the bull is found roughing up one of the betters, Wolfe says it's murder. Even outside of his comfort zone, Wolfe puts Archie to work gathering evidence and sets his own prodigious mind to the task of finding the murderer before he gets away with the crime.

Banter Points: This was the book pick for Bouchercon this year. All attendees were sent a copy and were asked to read it so that we can talk about the ending this week (a feat not often possible among mystery readers/writers.) Word Nerd has read some of the Nero Wolfe mysteries in the past and this one was classic Wolfe all the way. From Archie's quick banter with Lily Rowan, to Wolfe and his orchids and the usual cast of quirky characters, this was an enjoyable read.

Bummer Points: Not a complaint against the book, but Word Nerd thought it odd that the Nero Wolfe mystery picked for B-con was NOT one set in New York. There was no Inspector Cramer and none of the great stuff in Wolfe's office or with Fritz.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Maybe not the best pick if you've never read a Nero Wolfe novel, but if you are even a passing fan, a good one to check out sometime.

Want another perspective? Check out this review of the book as well.

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #15 -- Hank Phillippi Ryan

Today's guest blogger shares about the pitfalls of basing characters on people you know in real life. Her blog is a sneak peek at the topic she'll be discussing during a Bouchercon panel (Word Nerd is checking her schedule now so she doesn't miss that one...) Please welcome Hank Phillippi Ryan.


STRANGER THAN TRUTH by Hank Phillippi Ryan


My mother is so mad at me. She’s in the midst of reading FACE TIME, the second Charlotte McNally Mystery.

I expected Mom to like it. She was delighted when PRIME TIME won the Agatha, and delighted that AIR TIME is already hitting best-seller lists. And she’s my mom, after all. So I didn’t expect criticism. But Mom, after reading the first ten pages or so, told me she was “unhappy.” You have to imagine the "Mom" tone. Perhaps, you've heard it. Maybe you've used it a time or two yourself.

To be sure: Mom is terrific. She’s almost 80, and is absolutely beautiful. An artist, a reader, a wonderful intellect. (She doesn’t have a computer, so she’s not reading this.) I’m her oldest daughter, and any psychologist will tell you that can cause some friction.

So anyway. Why is Mom mad? She thinks I’ve “used her for art.”

It’s true: Charlie McNally’s mother is a bit—persnickety. She’s opinionated. She thinks, for instance, that Charlotte should give up her successful 20-year TV reporting career to marry some tycoon. No matter that Charlie’s happy with her personal life (pretty happy, at least, for a 46-year-old single woman who is married to her job) and with her professional life (pretty happy, at least, especially since she’s going undercover to investigate a truly diabolical scheme).
“Mom” also thinks Charlotte might want to join her at the plastic surgeon for some cosmetic face time.

Now Mrs. McNally is not, I repeat, not, my mother. But in these days of controversy over whether books purported to be memoirs are actually true—I’m fighting to convince her that my book is truly fiction.

It’s ALL MADE UP, I tell her. Yes, Charlie has a Mom, and I have a Mom. But I’m not Charlie and she’s not you. No one will think you had cosmetic surgery.

Silence on the other end of the phone.

“Of course they will, dear,” she finally says. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

And that’s why my Bouchercon panel “You Talking About ME?” (check local listings for time and station!) is going to be such a treat. It’s all about the pitfalls of using real life in your books—and how to balance fact and fiction. You think CJ Lyons MD uses the personas of any doctors she knows? That incredible athlete Twist Phelan just ignores her true-life competitors? Does Ken Isaacson (attorney at law) just pull his fictional lawyers out of thin air? (Molly MacRae will attempt to “moderate” us…good luck with that.)

And hey--if you’re a reader, do you assume fictional characters are real people just put on paper?

And as it turns out—as Mom will find out if she’ll just read the rest of the book—it’s not only a mystery but a love story between mothers and daughters. One reviewer told me she downright cried at the final scene. (Which is odd, you have to admit, in a murder mystery.)

Yes, as authors we take elements of reality. Then we polish, and tweak, and exaggerate, and accessorize. But the fun is making up something completely new. And it’s ALL MADE UP.

Okay, Mom?


Investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is currently on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate, where she's broken big stories for the past 22 years. Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank’s won dozens of other journalism honors. Her first mysteries, Prime Time (which won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel) and Face Time (Book Sense Notable Book), were best sellers. They were both re-issued this summer from MIRA Books. The newest in the series is Air Time (MIRA Sept. 2009) (Sue Grafton says: "Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. This is first-class entertainment.") Drive Time is scheduled for February 2010 from MIRA. Her website is http://www.hankphillippiryan.com/

September 2009 Bibliometer

September, for some reason, was not a month of a lot of reading.

Word Nerd's not really sure why (maybe all the crazy hours she's been working, perhaps?) but the bibliometer reading for last month is kind of low.

5 books
1,936 pages
65 pages/day

YTD:
69 books
22,749 pages

Year-to-Year
77 books by the end of September 2008

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #14 -- Kelli Stanley

Bouchercon is just a few weeks away the guest blog tour rolls on today with Kelli Stanley. Kelli shares about how attending Bouchercons in the past propelled her writing career forward.

Bouchercon Dreams by Kelli Stanley

It’s hard to believe my first Bouchercon was only two years ago in Anchorage, Alaska. It was my first time in Alaska and my first ever big mystery conference (my very first conference was No Crime Unpublished, put on by the wonderful Sisters in Crime Los Angeles every two years, and now known as The California Crime Writers Conference). The release of my debut novel, NOX DORMIENDA, was almost a year away.

That first Bouchercon changed my life. When I received my publishing news in January of 2007, I was a complete neophyte. I didn’t know the business, I didn’t belong to Sisters in Crime or any other organizations, and I literally didn’t know anyone (I’d just graduated with my MA, which had taken up a lot of time!).

In Anchorage, not only did I learn a lot about the business—not only did I forge friendships that I knew would endure throughout my life—but on the creative side, my Bouchercon and Alaskan experiences inspired me to plunge ahead and write the novel that had been percolating … a novel that became CITY OF DRAGONS.

My goal then—and my goal still—is to make writing my life. To make a living from my books, to be able to not split my time with a day job. And I knew that my chances of being able to do that would improve tremendously if I could move to a larger publisher with better distribution. Five Star is wonderful—I’m tremendously grateful to them for giving me my first chance, and for just being some of the nicest and most supportive folks in the industry. But with the logistics of the business side—I knew larger distribution was a must.

I also discovered—thanks to a quick education at Bouchercon—that it’s very difficult to approach another publisher about taking over a series. So—given the hard-headed pragmatism of wanting another saleable book—and the inspiration I received from listening to writers talk about writing (a highlight was Diana Gabaldon’s blessing)—I took a deep breath and wrote CITY OF DRAGONS while doing everything I could to get the word out about NOX DORMIENDA, which was published in July of 2008. Last October, I traveled to Baltimore, and enjoyed another Bouchercon—again, learning, connecting, being inspired.

By the time CITY OF DRAGONS was ready to be shopped by my wonderful agent, it was January of this year. That was an amazing month for me. I was blessed and honored beyond belief by a nomination and for the Bruce Alexander Award. And within three weeks, we sold CITY OF DRAGONS to Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books and my incredible, fabulous editor, Marcia Markland.

Subsequent months went by in a blur. At Left Coast Crime—another conference that has meant so much to be, personally and professionally—I won the Bruce Alexander. I was nominated for a Macavity. I have a short story—a prequel to CITY OF DRAGONS—coming out in June, in an International Thriller Writers anthology called FIRST THRILLS, which teams best-sellers with up-and-comers.

And so, when it came time for me to write the dedication for CITY OF DRAGONS, in addition to my family, I dedicated the book to my “other” family … the community I first came to know at Bouchercon, Anchorage.

As of this writing, we’re also hoping to get my first series placed with a larger publisher. My dream is two series a year, with the occasional stand-alone … a graphic novel … and other projects, too. In just a few weeks, I’ll be heading back to the fountain of dreaming, the big, bold, wonderful and always different, but always amazing conference called … Bouchercon. I hope to see you there!

Book Banter -- Sandman Slim

Title: Sandman Slim

Author: Richard Kadrey

Length: 388 pages

Genre: paranormal fantasy

Plot Basics: James Butler was sent to Hell 11 years ago (not dead, mind you). Now, he's managed to find a way to come back and exact revenge on the people who sent him there. And while being a hitman from Hell has its tactical advantages, other people what him to take sides in a much bigger conflict.

Banter Points: Word Nerd picked up this book just from walking past it on the new books shelf at the library. It was the title that caught her eye and then the book jacket made it sound like something she might enjoy (a hitman from Hell, why not?!). And she did -- but it's one of those stories that she feels sort of bad about liking. It's rather violent. It involves completely wacky theology. But it's very well-written and hard to put down. Kadrey has all these great descriptions for things (at one point, James said something along the lines of feeling like he got hit with a bag full of cans of tuna fish). Rounding out the crazy cast of characters is a fallen angels, immortal French thief, human-eating girl and talking head (literally), it's a mind-whirling read.

Bummer Points: If this isn't the first book in a series, Word Nerd's going to be disappointed.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Fans of the Dresden Files, possibly Anita Blake-esque books, and the Joss Whedon show Angel should definitely check out Sandman Slim. Also, Word Nerd thinks this could be her dark horse pick in her 2009 top ten books list.

National Novel Writing Month

November is still some weeks away -- a good thing, that.

But Word Nerd is starting to contemplating trying to do National Novel Writing Month this year. Yes, she has a novel already done. It needs to be shopped out. While she's waiting for replies, she's interested in working on something else. For which she has an idea.

Realistically, there's never been a good year for it before. Word Nerd always had to cover elections which were held in November. Then, it was right after she moved to Indy. And then, right after becoming gainfully employed again. This year, though, it's looking do-able. Maybe.

So -- from past participants, what advice do you have? What does Word Nerd need to think about before launching into this on November 1st?

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #13 -- Denise Dietz

Nothing unlucky today -- we've got Denise Dietz with a conversation about the pitfalls of her next great idea. Denise (Deni) Dietz – http://www.denisedietz.com - is the author of the popular “diet club” mystery series. For people who will only read a series from the beginning, Deni is launching Wildside Press’s updated, reissued Trade paperbacks of THROW DARTS AT A CHEESECAKE, BEAT UP A COOKIE, and CHAIN A LAMB CHOP TO THE BED at Bouchercon. The fourth in the series, STRANGLE A LOAF OF ITALIAN BREAD, came out in hardcover last May. After waiting tables for 17 years, Deni finally got up the nerve to 86 a waitress. Deni’s Bouchercon panel is: “WHICH END IS UP? Plotting forward from a premise or backward from an ending. Where do we start?” It’s on Friday at 9:00 a.m. She didn’t plot the following, to which she says, “Oops, my bad.”

THE VAMPIRE WORE PRADA by Denise Dietz
Since vampires seem to be in vogue, I decided to write a crime fiction story starring a vampire. Having never met one face-to-face, I knew I had some intense research to do, and somehow I didn’t think Google would fly. Furthermore, no Facebook vampire wanted to be my friend. So I looked up Vampires in the Yellow Pages. It took 3 phone calls, after midnight, but I finally found one who was willing to talk to me.
Deni: Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me, Mr…what do I call you?
Vampire: Rice. My name is Rice.
Deni: Like, Anne Rice?
Vampire: Never heard of her. My name is Rex Rice, but most people just call me Rice.
Deni: Okay, um, Rice. Thanks again. I really do appreciate it.
Vampire: You’re velcome. I’m glad you’re a redhead. I love the color red.
Deni: Yes, well (glancing down at notes), where are you from?
Vamp: California. But I’m always looking for new locales. I visited Salem’s Lot once. Didn’t like it.
Deni: Whoa. Wait. You’re not from Transylvania?
Vamp: Never heard of the place.
Deni: I’ve read about vampires, of course, and seen movies, but I had no idea they … you … looked so … well, normal. You could be the bachelor on one of those bachelor TV shows, especially with that chest. Do you wax it?
Vamp: I do.
Deni: And your dimples are to die for. I mean, live for.
Vamp: Thank you. Out of curiosity, vhat do you write?
Deni: Historical romances as Mary Ellen Dennis and crime fiction as Denise Dietz. That’s DIET with a ‘Z.’ I was thinking about creating a vampire detective. Why are you shaking your head?
Vamp: It wouldn’t vork, unless he vorked the night shift. Or if he only vorked on cloudy days. Maybe if he lived in a Lincoln Continental. With tinted windows.
Deni: How about a vampire cop?
Vamp: Same problem.
Deni: I see your point. No offense. I mean, your fangs and all.
Vamp: Freudian slip. Happens all the time.
Deni: How about sunscreen? Maybe I could concoct a special, secret, government sunscreen, a la Dean Koontz.
Vamp: Sunscreen might vork, or maybe Mime makeup. If a Mime fell in the forest, would anyone know? (laughs) Do you have a title for your story?
Deni: I was thinking of calling it ‘The Vampire Wore Prada,’ but now I’m thinking ‘The Lincoln Vampire’ might fly.
Vamp: Yes.
Deni: Yes, vhat? I mean, what?
Vamp: I thought you were asking if I could fly. The answer is yes.
Deni: That’s good to know. It could be an important plot element. Do you change into a bat, first?
Vamp: You’ve been vatching too much TV. Or too many Bela Lugosi movies. Vy vould I vant to be a bat? All that guano. Ick.
Deni: Sorry. I don’t usually stereotype. So, no detective protagonist and no cop. What, exactly would you like to be?
Vamp: Your perp.
Deni: Perp? How do you know that word?
Vamp: Vhat? You think vampires can’t read? Some of my best friends are librarians.
Deni: If you were my perp, who … whom would you kill? I mean, who would you bite?
Vampire: Stephen King.
Anyone in the market for a story called THE VAMPIRE WORE SUNSCREEN?

Book Banter -- Magic to the Bone

Title: Magic to the Bone

Author: Devon Monk

Genre: urban fantasy

Length: ~350 pages

Plot Basics: Allie Beckstrom could have all the riches in the world if she went to work for her magic-mogul father, Daniel Beckstrom. But Allie wants nothing to do with that life, preferring to Hound (literally sniffing out magical crimes) for those without the same kind of influence as her father. But when he turns up dead after a heated argument with her, Allie becomes the top suspect in his murder. But she's fairly sure that someone else is behind his death (magic use sometimes causes her memory loss) and in proving that she's innocent, Allie discovers that her abilities with magic are far more powerful than she ever thought.

Banter Points: Word Nerd read this on the recommendation of one of her long-time blog readers (hi Rox!) and is glad she listened. For an urban fantasy, the world that Devon Monk created is pretty nifty -- magic is used as an everyday commodity, but like the current technological divide, not everyone has the same access to magic. The price of using magic (physical pain or memory loss) is a neat twist, an often-missing actions-have-direct-consequences piece to some plot lines.

Bummer Points: So, this is a first novel and in some places it shows. A few times, Monk goes over the world-building stuff too much (repeating key info), but it's not such a detractor to make the book unreadable.

Word Nerd Recommendation: This book has the same sort of feel as the first couple early Dresden Files books -- like the author has a killer idea and it's just a matter of time before it takes off. Word Nerd checked and Monk's got book 2 out and 3 on the way. Word Nerd will definitely read more.

Book Banter -- Blood Work

If you are looking for a pre-Bouchercon guest blog, there isn't one today. Come back Thursday. Meantime, here's a review of another of the back-list titles from Bouchercon's Guest of Honor.

Title: Blood Work

Author: Michael Connelly

Length: ~450 pages

Genre: mystery

Plot Basics: Former FBI agent Terry McCaleb is happy to spend his days repairing his father's boat and taking life easy after his life-saving heart transplant. He was a top investigator, often cracking open cases that local police departments couldn't solve, finding new leads in cold cases. When Graciela comes to his boat, asking him to investigate the shooting death of her sister in a convenience story robbery, McCaleb's first inclination isn't too help. But Graciela convinces him and Terry takes on what might be the case of his life.

Banter Points: This is another one of Connelly's non-Harry Bosch books, though the Bosch history is helpful as McCaleb refers to some the cases solved in those stories. Word Nerd won't give away the cool twists, but she'll just say that she didn't see many of them coming. McCaleb isn't the tortured hero that Bosch is, and that's sort of refreshing.

Bummer Points: Word Nerd thinks she might be temporarily Michael Connelly-ed out. She's been reading him consistently to get ready for Bouchercon, but after some eight or nine Connelly titles in as many months, she's ready to switch series for a while.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you are a Connelly fan, it's a fun read.

Book Banter -- The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet

Title: The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet

Author: Reif Larson

Genre: literary fiction

Length: ~380 pages

Plot Basics: T.S. (short for Tecumseh Sparrow) lives on a ranch near the continental divide in Montana, with his rancher father, scientist mother, and pop-obsessed older sister and the shadow of his dead younger brother. T.S. makes maps and drawings for scientific magazines and museums and one day, receives a call that he has won a prestigious award from the Smithsonian and needs to come to Washington D.C. It's clear, however, that the Smithsonian does not know he's 12. T.S. decides to accept the award and decides the only viable way to get to D.C. is to be a hobo on an east-bound train. Through his journey, he learns about himself, family, what it means to be an adult and comes to grips with his brother's death.

Banter Points: Larson's debut novel is completely endearing. The book is captivating with all the illustrations and diagrams in the margin that are intended to be T.S.'s own drawings. Additionally, T.S. is a fascinating character as he vacillates between 12-year-old logic and moments of adult insight.

Bummer Points: The ending. For as strong of a book as it was, Word Nerd was hoping for something else at the end. She's not sure quite what would have made it feel more satisfying to her, but something else (though the end did provide resolution.)

Word Nerd Recommendation: Read it! (And look for it on Word Nerd's Best of 2009 list at the end of the year.)

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #12 -- Roberta Isleib

Today's guest blogger, Roberta Isleib, lets us in on how she got an idea for a novel, through a real-world experience. Isleib attended her first Bouchercon in 1999 (Milwaukee, WI), desperately seeking publication, she knew no one in the mystery business. Many Bouchercon conventions later, she has had eight books published in the advice column and golf lovers mystery series (Berkley Prime Crime.) Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She is looking forward to meeting old friends and new in Indianapolis! http://www.robertaisleib.com

AN IDEA IS BORN by Roberta Isleib

Sometimes a powerful personal experience percolates for years, lying in wait for the right moment to work its way into a book. I can trace one event quite directly in the first Rebecca Butterman advice column mystery, DEADLY ADVICE (Berkley, March 2007.)

My first marriage petered out twenty years ago during the last year of my graduate program in clinical psychology. I took the cats and moved from our cozy starter home, which had included a dog, a garden, and a wood stove, to a tiny apartment in a row of tiny apartments. No families here, just single folks, and not the kind who led swinging singles’ lives.

The separation didn’t have a dramatic “War of the Roses” kind of climax, but it felt plenty sad all the same. Questions circled: Was I doing the right thing? Would I always be alone? If I disappeared, would anyone notice I was missing?

Answers drifted in: Yes, I was making the right move. Someday I’d sort this out and find a relationship that fired on all its cylinders. And please, lose the melodrama! This was a period of pulling in, marshalling the interior troops, mustering energy for my dissertation and internship—I was not seeking new friends.

Every morning, my taciturn next-door neighbor left for work at 7:30, returning by six. She had no visitors and rarely went out. We never really talked, just nodded our polite hellos. She didn’t bring over a “welcome to the neighborhood” casserole. We never had coffee. Some nights she’d appear outside on the sidewalk between her car and her apartment and grill one hamburger. Medium well, I’d think, considering the time it sat on the coals. We might have exchanged a word or two about the weather. How sad, I’d think. Is that me? I’d wonder next.

I returned to my apartment from the library one evening and noticed a small U-Haul parked in front of my neighbor’s apartment. An older couple was loading the contents of her place into the van. I waved but didn’t ask questions. It wasn’t my business; we weren’t friends.

Over coffee the next morning, I skimmed the Gainesville Sun as usual. My attention was drawn to a small article near the bottom of an interior page. Based on the address listed in the paper, I realized that my neighbor had shot herself several days earlier. Her dead body had lain in the apartment next to mine for over forty-eight hours before someone found her.

I felt shocked and sad. What if I’d tried harder to connect with her? Could I have saved her? What private misery led her to take her life in such a violent way? Isn’t this every single woman’s worst nightmare—dead two days and no one even notices you’re gone?

Twenty years later, that’s where DEADLY ADVICE begins. When Dr. Rebecca Butterman returns home to find her neighbor an apparent suicide, she's wracked with guilt. As a psychologist and advice columnist, she should have been able to help the young woman. But the young woman’s mother suspects foul play, and soon persuades Rebecca to investigate. Before long, the newly single Rebecca wishes she had someone to advise her as she navigates her neighbor’s world of speed-dating and web-blogging, where no one is who they claim to be.

She doesn’t save her neighbor—as I didn’t save mine—but she resolves to unravel the story behind this woman’s tragic end. And that’s why I love reading and writing mysteries. A story that’s rife with loose threads in real life can be all tied up in a hopeful way in a book.

Characters I Wish I Could Meet

Word Nerd is borrowing this post idea from her writing buddy, Stacie, over at Stacie's Lists.

1. Gandalf, from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
2. Joanne Baldwin, from Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series
3. Halloween, from Nick Sagan's Idlewild trilogy
4. Bren Cameron, from C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner series
5. Vlad Taltos, Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series

Who would you want to meet?

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #11 -- Chris Roerden

Not to short change the editors who work their magic to make the craft of us writers into something really amazing, we're visited by Chris Roerden. Chris is a career editor whose Don’t Murder Your Mystery won the Agatha Award and was nominated for the 2007 Anthony, Macavity, and ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year. Authors she’s edited have been published by St. Martin’s, Berkley Prime Crime, Midnight Ink, Viking, Oceanview, and Walker & Co., to name a few. Today she shares some secrets for how to make the most of the Bouchercon experience.

Who Knew? A Handful of Secrets
by Chris Roerden

More than any other venue, Bouchercon offers the opportunity to see more mystery authors in one weekend acting in ways more raucous, shy, modest, nerdy, down-to-earth, and funny than you never pictured while reading their fiction.

I know not to visualize characters as stand-ins for their creators, but I often do anyway (don’t you?) — at least until each year’s Bouchercon turns the fantasy to reality. If you, like me, had not seen Harlan Coben before last year in Baltimore, who knew he was twice my height? So is Hank Phillippi Ryan, who’s also twice as glamorous as I am, but that’s another story.

Despite my having admired the quick-wittedness of Laura Lippman’s P.I. Tess Monaghan on paper, I had not expected to be completely charmed by the author in person as she exchanged quick comebacks with panelists and fans. Who (among the general reading public, that is) knew?

On at Bcon
Because of Bcon, as many refer to it in our abbrevd ecom, we’re also introd (stop that) to more NEW writers whom we’ll want to read if for no other reason than the interesting and unexpected remarks we hear them make on panels and maybe after hours. Each year that I attend I learn more, meet more, network more, and go home energized more, er . . . more energized.

Speaking of funny and quick-witted authors, don’t miss Cathy Pickens as moderator of the panel “Southern Voices.” I’m proud of having proposed the topic last year and this. Cathy’s revelations of the secret meanings hiding behind familiar southernisms had last year’s audiences howling with laughter. This hit will replay in Indianapolis with my picks of Cathy Pickens (Can’t Never Tell, Hush My Mouth, Done Gone Wrong, and more); Vicki Lane (In a Dark Season in the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian mysteries); T. Lynn Ocean (Southern Peril in the Jersey Barnes series); and Scott Pearson (whose first two medical mysteries, starting with Rupture, I had the privilege of editing). I look forward to meeting Deborah Sharp (Mama Rides Shotgun) who’s also on the panel, and I’d like to say “Bless Your Heart” except that I now know what the expression really means.

This year I was picked to moderate the panel “Guidance from Writing Guides,” where James Scott Bell, Kathy Lynn Emerson, Hallie Ephron, Nancy Pickard, and I discuss the elements of great fiction from the perspective of our having deconstructed mysteries, analyzed how they are put together, and revealed the secrets of writing fiction in our own nonfiction.

Who’s learning?
Another treat not to be missed is the first national Sisters in Crime writing workshop, SinC Into Great Writing. It’s being held the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, October 14, the day before Bouchercon officially begins, from 1:30 to 9 pm. Here’s where writers, published and not yet there, get to soak up 4 hours of instruction in “Writing the Breakout Novel” from Donald Maass, famed NY literary agent. After that you’ll be ready to chow down a great dinner, with Nancy Pickard telling “Tales of Survival in the Mystery Business," including what happened to her when her first editor got fired.

Next you’ll endure the agony of choosing between Hallie Ephron and me and our simultaneous 2-hour workshops on craft. Hallie deals expertly with plot and how to get secrets to fall into place along the way so readers keep turning the pages. The secrets I deal with are how the majority of manuscripts sabotage themselves, how they are actually handled when submitted, and how writers can develop the indefinable writer’s voice that agents and acquiring editors are genuinely looking for, even in a slow market.

My final secret, which I’m sharing absolutely free, is that nonmembers can save $60 by first joining this vibrant organization of sisters and brothers, thereby getting all its benefits for the extremely modest dues of $40, and not having to pay the nonmember fee for the workshop. But seating is limited and filling fast.

If a math-impaired editor like me could figure out what a good deal this 7.5-hour content-packed workshop is for only $50, including food, anyone could. So I can’t say who knew. The only mystery is why this bargain isn’t being shouted out in libraries and bookstores everywhere.
Say, when our paths cross in Indianapolis next month, as they will many times, please stop me to say hello and let me know if you met me here. If we miss each other, I answer questions about writing, revising, and getting published on my Amazon blog. Shortcut: http://snurl.com/editorsblog and my website is http://writersinfo.info/