Book Banter -- The Masque of the Black Tulip

Title: The Masque of the Black Tulip

Author: Lauren Willig

Genre: historical fiction

Length: ~350 pages

Where Word Nerd's copy came from: Purchased, Borders Clearance

Plot Basics: Henrietta Selwick has long lived in the shadow of her older brother, Richard, and his escapades as the Purple Gentian. But no one knows that Hen is a primary contact of the Pink Carnation, actively receiving correspondence about France's treacherous plans and relaying that information to the English War Office. When the Pink Carnation warns Hen of the arrival of the Black Tulip -- a dangerous French spy back in England -- Hen decides that capturing the spy herself is a good plan. But Miles Dorrington has been charged by Richard to look out for his younger sister. As Miles tries to keep Hen safe, they are both infuriated with the other's meddling... and realize that may just lead to love.

Banter Points: Word Nerd picked up this book because she wanted to read something nice. In the run-up to Bouchercon, she read lots of mysteries, lots of things with serial killers and cops and scary guys and lots of violence. Word Nerd enjoyed Willig's first book ("The Secret History of the Pink Carnation") and was ready for another light, highly entertaining read. And Willig delivered a second time in a row. Willig manages to capture the time period without being overly stuffy in her writing. In fact, her books read like chick-lit, with the same breezy modern style but set in Napoleonic times.

Bummer Points: There is not enough of the Eloise/Colin story! Willig frames the historical fiction as Eloise's graduate school research, but the chapters of modern day action with Eloise and the reluctant Colin were far to few. Understandably, Willig is stretching that part of the story out across her series, but dang. Word Nerd wants more of that now.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you often feel like historical fiction is inaccessible, this series is for you! Willig's light tone keeps the action moving and the story doesn't get weighed down by damask and claw-footed chairs.

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/

Andrew Peterson's North! Or Be Eaten Blog Tour (AKA Book Banter)

Title: North! Or Be Eaten (Wingfeather Saga bk. 2)

Author: Andrew Peterson

Genre: fantasy

Length: 323 pages

Plot Basics: (some spoilers, if you haven't read the first one...)

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them. Their escape brings takes them to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.

Banter Points: Word Nerd seriously wishes that these books had been written when she was about 10-12 years old because they are absolutely endearing and full of the sort of inventiveness and imagination she craved around that age. But what makes it really great is that they are still a great read for an adult, a cross-over that doesn't always work.

Through the story, Peterson quietly lauds the virtues that we want children to possess -- honesty, loyalty, family, creativity, compassion for others, self-confidence, and an understanding that actions have consequences. While the story is a great page-turner with one narrow escape after another, these values (which also under gird Peterson's songwriting) are a firm foundation for the characters and a platform on which the whole story rests comfortably. It's nice to see a story for younger readers that isn't preachy about good characteristics, and doesn't extol lying (like Harry Potter), meanness (like all Gossip Girls books and their ilk) or the supernatural (like Twilight and the legion of of YA vampire books.)

In addition to the deeper roots of the story, Peterson just tells a darn good yarn. From the wildly inventive origins of Aerwiar to the soul-sucking fork-factory to the dramatic appearance of the sea dragons, Peterson has the pulse of a good story and keeps readers hooked.

Bummer Points: Word Nerd's not going to say why, but make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy at a couple spots through the story. Peterson pulls real emotions from his characters and since he makes them so lively, he brings the reader right along in the sorrows and triumphs of the Igiby children.

Word Nerd Recommendation: As with her recommendation on the first Wingfeather book, Word Nerd recommends these as a great read aloud pick for parents of older kids. Somewhere after Chronicles of Narnia and before introducing kids to Hazel and Fiver (of Watership Down) or Frodo and co., Janner, Tink and Leeli should be an enjoyable read.

Pre-Bouchercon Guest Blogger #10 -- Brandt Dodson

Move over, Fox Mulder. Today's pre-Bouchercon blogger -- Brandt Dodson -- knows a thing or two about the FBI (he used to work there) and now, his protagonist, Colton Parker, used to work there too. Here, Dodson explains how his past with the FBI has influenced his writing.

The FBI and Me
by Brandt Dodson – Author of the Indianapolis-based, Colton Parker series

I’m a man. That means I like the things that most men like. I shoot guns, follow boxing, lift weights, eat steak (rare), watch military /action /western movies (John Wayne is still tops with me), and read fiction that is testosterone-driven and that allows me to live vicariously through the male lead. I read Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, Robert B. Parker, Vince Flynn, and Raymond Chandler along with a little Hemingway thrown in for good measure. Consequently, it was no surprise that when I began to write and publish I would choose a genre that attracts a strong male readership and that would feature a character with whom most men can identify – even if they don’t always admire him. And, like most writers, when it came to developing the right character, I found myself being heavily influenced by the life I’ve lived. In my case, that meant the FBI.

I was born into a family of police officers. My mother’s family (cousins, uncles, and aunts) were members of the Indianapolis Police Department going back as far as the early 1930’s. My father was a Marion County Deputy Sheriff (Marion is the county in which Indianapolis is located) for almost forty years, and I have a cousin who is the current Chief of Police in Mooresville, Indiana, the town which gave birth to John Dillinger. The result of all this influence was that when it came time to decide on a career, it was a foregone conclusion that I would choose law enforcement. That being the case, there is no better police agency than the FBI (which, by the way, is neither “police” nor “agency”. It’s a bureau of investigators. Hence the name.)

I began my career as a clerk just prior to my 19th birthday with the intention of finishing my degree and joining the ranks of the bureau’s Special Agents. It was a job I thoroughly loved.
During my employment with the FBI, I met and talked with foreign intelligence agents, bank robbers, serial killers, bombers, and would-be assassins. I had a high-level security clearance and was privy to information involving national security and domestic terrorism – and all of this prior to my twenty-first birthday.

But as time progressed, and I began to learn - truly learn – about myself, I knew that I would have to embark on another career track. This change in career lead me into medicine, so I left the FBI in 1981, but I left with a level of respect for the men and women who work there that was as high as it was before I started my employment. That level of respect is even higher today.

The FBI is comprised of people who take their job very seriously – recognizing that they are often the first (and sometimes, only) barrier between a calm and orderly society and the people who would tear that society apart. The Bureau (a term commonly used by FBI employees) functions as a team and by doing so, rises or sinks on the weakest link in that chain. It is no wonder, then, that “failures” such as Robert Hansen, the FBI agent who was brought down by an FBI clerk for spying on the U.S., stain the reputation of all the good men and women who do their job admirably. His arrest stained me, and I’ve been gone from the FBI for almost 28 years. (Gee, that’s along time. In fact, I just read where the Deputy Director of the FBI, who will be speaking at my alma mater, The University of Indianapolis, in October, began his career two years after I left.)

When I began my Colton Parker series, I initially envisioned a man who was as suave as Matt Helm, as debonair as Napoleon Solo, and as deadly as James Bond. Instead, what I ended up with was an ex-FBI agent who was fired because he couldn’t function as part of the team. And that weakness haunts him still. I also chose Indianapolis as my setting since it was the Indianapolis Field Office in which I was employed, and because I know the underbelly of that city in a way that most do not.

Colton is an amalgam of people I’ve known (yes, including me) and he is a solo-flyer; he is true loner whose only friend (and burgeoning love interest) is FBI Special Agent Mary Christopher.
When I created the series I knew that, despite my initial desire for a super-human character, I would need an average man. Someone who does right, but does it wrong. I wanted a man who has his heart in the right place (as most men do) and with whom most men could identify. So I chose to give him an FBI background, because the people who populate the Bureau are, first and foremost, people who care. But since I wanted a PI – a fictional PI – one who could work outside the law, I had to get him out of the FBI. No one who shares Colton’s proclivities could work there for long. As I’ve said, the FBI is a team in which no one person rises above the organization. (At least, not now. Although Hoover unquestionably promoted himself above the Bureau that is another discussion entirely).

So, twenty-five years after I left the FBI, the Bureau’s influence on me is still profound. Colton Parker was born out of that influence, and I’m glad that he was. He’s a better character for having served with the FBI, despite his failures, and I’m a better writer for it.

For more information on the Colton Parker series or the FBI:
http://www.brandtdodson.com/
http://www.fbi.gov/
http://indianapolis.fbi.gov/

August Bibliometer

It's been a while since Word Nerd updated the bibliometer, but August was a good month for reading.

10 books
3,525 pages
113 pages/day (average)

YTD:
64 books
20,813 total pages

Comparing year-to-year, Word Nerd's behind from 2008. Last year, in total, she read 98 books, but at the rate she's going this year, it may only be in the mid-80s range. Which is OK.

Bouchercon Guest Blogger #9 -- Joanna Campbell Slan

Say hello to Guest Blogger #9 -- (sorry for any musical references that may drum up in your heads.) Joanna Campbell Slan is an author, but she's also a Hoosier and shares this week a great memory about growing up in Indiana.

Back Home Again to a Place I Love

By Joanna Campbell Slan

Every family has its traditions and fond memories. Most of mine go back to living in Indiana. We loved growing up there! In fact, whenever a road trip brought us back home, my sisters and I would be on the look out for the big “Welcome to INDIANA” state sign. The moment we crossed the state line, we’d break out into a chorus of “Back Home Again in Indiana.” (I still do this even today!)

I love Hoosiers. They are hard-scrabble, hard-working folks. They love speed (like at Indy), but they also understand the joy of taking one’s time. They are good neighbors and lifelong friends. They know how to take the simplest of things and create a good time. Hoosiers are good at understanding that complex does not necessarily equal better.

As a kid growing up in Vincennes, none of us had any money. But we never ran out of fun stuff to do. Especially in the summer. We would turn hollyhock blossoms upside down and pretend they were fairy princesses with frilly dresses. (Toothpicks made the arms, and we stuck on paper faces. We would suck the nectar out of honeysuckle flowers. We used wooden clothespins to clip playing cards to our bike spokes so we could pretend to be riding motorcycles. We would flatten heavy cardboard boxes and slide down the levee of the sluggish Wabash.

Best of all, we used to make “boxcars” and pull them behind us and our bicycles after dark. A boxcar is a pretend train car made out of a shoebox and lit from the inside out. On a hot summer night, a parade of “boxcars” moving along a city sidewalk is a moment of surreal beauty. Here’s how to make one:

1. Get a sturdy empty box you can seal shut. A shoe box is ideal, but a small cardstock box also will work. The box must be able to rest on the ground without tipping over, and a big flat bottom is best. (For the box! Not the crafter!)

2. Attach a string by running it through a small hole in one side (about middle of the way up). Tie it to a small stick or tape it down so it won’t pull out.

3. Cut decorative holes in the box. These will be “windows” and your light will shine out. (Think of Jack-O-Lanterns, but remember this is summer. We favored trying to turn our boxes into real train cars.) You can put colored cellophane behind the holes if you wish. That way your windows will be different colors.

4. Get a candle (the shorter the better, votives work well as do old birthday cake candles) and an empty tuna fish can. Adhere the candle to the can by letting the candle wax drip and pushing the unlit end into the gummy mess. Now using double-stick tape, you glue the can to the center bottom of your empty box.

5. SAFER and more modern way: Buy a cheap flashlight or any battery operated light. Even one of those glow sticks will do. Stick it in the box.

6. Close up your box.

7. Pull the string and drag it around behind you as you yell, “Choo! Choo!”

Now, you’re a happening Hoosier!

# # #

Joanna Campbell Slan is the author of Paper, Scissors, Death, an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. Visit her at http://www.joannaslan.com/ She will be attending Bouchercon, where she will be in charge of a session on scrapbooking.

Boucheron Guest Blogger #8 -- Rachel Brady

Please give a warm welcome to the 8th Bouchercon blogger, Rachel Brady. Today she's sharing about coming out from being a closet writer to being an author. For more info about Rachel you can check out her website or her blog.

Closet Writers: Not that there’s anything wrong with that, by Rachel Brady

I’m delighted to visit Word Nerd as part of Bethany’s Bouchercon Authors series. The upcoming Indianapolis event will be my first Bouchercon Convention and I’m wildly excited for the opportunity to go interact with so many other mystery-loving Word Nerds.

Another recent first for me was the release of Final Approach, my debut mystery. When Bethany and I exchanged ideas about this post, she suggested I might describe how I took the manuscript from idea, to draft, to publication. I nearly followed up with that, but then something interesting happened to change my mind. For those interested in the evolution of my book, you can read about the process in abbreviated form here. But today I’m curious to know whether there are any closet writers reading this?

I wrote in the closet for a very long time.

After reading mysteries for several years, it occurred to me that I never, ever, not a single time, figured out whodunit. This bothered me. How did the authors manage to trick me every time? I might simply have a slow wick, I knew, but it was easier on the ego to credit authors with a mastery of misdirection. I started to wonder if maybe I could do it too. I almost didn’t dare think it, and certainly never asked it aloud. But I decided to try. And I wrote in secret because I worried that telling people what I was doing would come across as either arrogant or pitiful. And worst of all, if I failed, everyone would know.

Before I signed the contract for Final Approach, only four people (outside my family and critique group) knew I’d been working on a book. Four! Even once it was assigned a cover and a release date, I remained tight-lipped. By then it felt like I’d been misleading the world. How do you tell somebody you see every day, who doesn’t even know that you like to write, that you have a new book out? I feared it would be perceived as a weird kind of betrayal. Spreading word about the book release in my personal sphere has been oddly uncomfortable although everyone has been totally supportive, excited, and encouraging in all ways I could have hoped and many I’d never imagined.

Another thing happened, the part that inspired the topic for this post. It seemed people everywhere began to confess to me that they, too, enjoy writing. Engineers and scientists at work, social friends, folks from the gym. What? We all write? And we’ve known each other how long and this hasn’t come up yet?

Why do we do this to ourselves? We write in a closet until it’s comfortable to peek out. For me it took publication. Looking back I find that borderline clinical. Certainly, few if any of the people I mentioned would have come forward to tell me about their secret writing lives had they not first known that I was guilty of this pleasure myself. This makes a girl wonder. It’s dark and lonely in the closet and now I ask myself why I stayed in there as long as I did.
So to the closet writers out there, I get you. I really do. Writers like us are scribbling in secret notebooks and opening hidden Word files everywhere. I hope that hearing this will make your private writing world a little bit brighter.

And if you’re a closet writer attending Bouchercon, let’s meet for drinks and talk shop. Your secret’s safe with me.

Bouchercon Guest Blogger #7 -- Austin Camacho

The pre-Boucheron guest blog tour rolls on this fine Tuesday with author Austin Camacho. Camacho is the author of five detective novels in the Hannibal Jones series - Blood and Bone, Collateral Damage, The Troubleshooter, Damaged Goods and Russian Roulette.

The Eternal Question – How Do I Get Published? – by Austin S. Camacho

I talk to a lot of authors who ask me to read a sample of their novels, which I almost always do. I see a lot of work that looks well written, heartfelt work by writers who have something important to say. But these days their most frequent question isn’t about craft or concept. More likely I’m asked, “How do I go from here to getting someone interested in perhaps publishing this thing? What’s the next step?”

That’s the question, isn’t it? Especially when often I don't think even the well-written books are particularly commercial. Of course, that's just one opinion. If I was an expert I’d already have that million-dollar advance.But even great manuscripts won't appeal to every publisher, so I strongly recommend they get their book in front of the right publisher as agented submissions. And if the writer is working in my genre, crime fiction, these are books that not every agent will know how to promote. Your novel might not be the kind of thing that would get my agent excited but I’m sure there are people out there who would love to represent it. That leads me to two major recommendations for getting started.First, invest in a copy of the Writer’s Market. That book lists all the best agents, their contact information and what they’re looking for. Go thru those listings and submit to those that are looking for the kind of thing you write. The Writer’s Market will tell you what each agent wants to see (sample chapters, outline, sometimes just a letter with a synopsis.) Second, Google “Writers convention” and “Writers Conference” to find these events in your area. You should attend any public event that offers a chance to speak with and network with authors, agents and editors. These connections make your manuscript more welcome when it turns up on someone’s desk. Sending a book to an agent or editor you’ve met in person is a million times better than sending to a stranger.

And if you’re a mystery writer, Bouchercon is the one writer’s event worth travelling cross country for. This is where you can chat with people writing in your genre to learn how they made it. You can also talk to people who read your genre. They can tell you what they’re looking for in a new novel. And you’ll find that just answering the obvious questions like "what's it about?" and "what makes your book different from all the others?" can help you make your manuscript better.

And in case you’re wondering – I met the editor who eventually published Blood and Bone at a writer’s conference. I didn’t meet my agent at a con, but I did meet the author who introduced me to her at Book Expo America. I hope I meet YOU at this year’s Bouchercon.

Book Banter -- Trunk Music

Title: Trunk Music (Harry Bosch #5)

Author: Michael Connelly

Length: 464 pages

Genre: Mystery

Plot Basics: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is back on the job after being suspended and is ready to close a big case. When a small time movie producer shows up dead in the trunk of his Rolls Royce, it looks like the kind of case Bosch wants, complete with ties to the Mafia. Bosch follows a set of clues to Las Vegas where he reconnects with his former girlfriend, disgraced FBI agent Eleanor Wish. Eleanor reveals a key piece of information about the case that makes Bosch realize that who murdered the movie producer could be much closer to home.

Banter Points: This was a great, solid procedural type mystery with a great misdirection built into the story. Also, given the events that Harry takes on in "The Last Coyote" it was good to see him reconnect with Eleanor Wish and have a bit more emotion still than in some of the early Bosch books. Harry's new lieutenant also seems like a neat character and Word Nerd's hoping that she shows up in a few more of the Bosch books.

Bummer Points: Not a true bummer, but Word Nerd feels like she's never going to get through Connelly's backlist and get caught up to the point where she's reading the new ones as they come out!

Word Nerd Recommendation: Not the strongest Bosch book she's read, but a good entry in a series that continues to deliver.

Bouchercon Guest Blogger #6 -- Vicki Lane

Bouchercon being a national event, draws attendees from all over. Today's author-- Vicki Lane -- will leave the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in October to come to Indianapolis. And today she reflects on her earlier experiences with Bouchercon.

My First Bouchercon, by Vicki Lane

“You’ll want to sign up for Bouchercon . . .”

“What’s Bouchercon?”

I came to writing late – I was 62 when my first book was published. And though I’d read mysteries all my life, beginning, of course, with Nancy Drew, I’d never known about mystery conferences. But after being told by Those Who Knew that this was important, I signed up for Bouchercon 2005 – in Chicago.

A big city. Yikes. Taxis. Tall buildings. Maybe even gangsters. I am so very much not a big city sort of a person. Since 1975 I’ve lived on a farm in the mountains of North Carolina and the idea of Chicago kind of scared me. But I went and it was glorious.

The thriller writer John Ramsey Miller (whom I’d met earlier at a local book fair) and his wife– aware of how lost this country mouse was feeling – took me under their wing and whisked me off to the Bantam Dell cocktail party, to the Art Museum, out to dinner.

For the first time I met in person my editor, the redoubtable Kate Miciak who shaped the careers of legends like Sue Grafton and Elizabeth George . . . saw my first Blackberry . . . and at the Bantam Dell cocktail party goggled at biggies like Lee Child, Laurie King, Karin Slaughter . . .

I was on a panel of other newbies – it went by in a pleasant blur – and I went to as many other presentations as I could. I think the most memorable was watching Jonathon King interview Harlan Coben -- the funniest and best interview I’ve ever heard. I bought some Coben books, stood in line in the bookroom to get them signed . . . and lost my heart to him when he wrote in one “You rock!” (I know, I know, -- he says that to everyone. But just for the moment it felt . . . kind of special.)

Since then I’ve been to two more Bcons, feeling a little less uneasy each time, a little more as if I belong. And this time – oh this time – my fourth book, In a Dark Season, is an Anthony Nominee for Best Paperback Original! Maybe I really do belong.

That first Bouchercon changed my mind about big cities and opened up a whole new world to me. I’m getting better at talking to people I don’t know, introducing myself to strangers, walking up to authors I’ve admired for years and telling them so. It’s what these cons are for – readers and writers connecting with one another -- and I’m delighted I’ll be there, wearing both hats.

I’ll be wearing my Southern writer’s hat (a tractor cap?) for my panel assignment on Thursday, at 1:30. The panel is “SOUTHERN VOICES: What’s special about Southern mysteries? “ Our moderator, the always funny Cathy Pickens , will attempt to keep T. Lynn Ocean, A. Scott Pearson, Deborah Sharp, and me in line.

You all come say hi, okay?

For more about Vicki Lane, check out her website and her blog.

Book Banter -- On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

Title: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (Wingfeather Saga, bk 1)

Author: Andrew Peterson

Genre: fantasy

Length: 279 pages

Plot Basics: In the town of Glipwood, the Igiby family -- one-legged, ex-pirate grandfather Podo, his calm and collected daughter Nia and her three children, Janner, Tink and Leeli -- live a simple life under the shadow of the rule of the Fangs of Dang. But when the famous Dragon Day festival rolls around again, the three children are granted a chance to explore the town alone and enjoy the day. Leeli goes missing (after her trusty dog Tink) setting off a series of encounters between the Igiby children and the Fangs and starting them down a path that will change their lives forever.

Banter Points: Word Nerd first picked this book up back when it came out. And she never read it... it seemed too silly, too much for kids at the time. But then she got herself lined up for the blog tour about Andrew Peterson's second book, the sequel to Dark Sea (Come back on Sept. 14!) and she figured she'd better read the first one.

And she's really glad she did. Peterson, in addition to being one of Word Nerd's favorite singer/songwriters, has an ear for storytelling and creating an engaging world and endearing characters. The Igiby children are resourceful and emotional and creative and still ring true to being children. Moreover, Peterson infuses the book with tongue-twister names, side-splitting footnotes and a litany of strange creatures (from toothy cows to cave blats) that make the book endearing.

Bummer Points: This is Word Nerd's pet peeve, but she was really bummed when suddenly, in the middle of the book, there were a couple of chapters from the POV of the commander of the Fangs. While it helped set up some of the big reveal at the end, Word Nerd bets there would have been another way to do that without breaking away from the POVs of the Igiby children.

Word Nerd Recommendation: This is a great read-aloud book for parents and kids. After reading the Chronicles of Narnia and before Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings, the Wingfeather Saga should get a place in the list of "great fantasy books that capture kids' imagination." And for grown-up kids, it's a heart-warming read that makes you remember what make believing is all about.

Bouchecon Guest Blogger #5 -- Mike Befeler

This week's guest blogger -- Mike Befeler -- shows us that murder and mysteries aren't just for the young...

I want to thank Bethany for inviting me to participate in this guest blog in preparation for the Bouchercon conference in October. I write the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery series which includes two published novels, Retirement Homes Are Murder and Living With Your Kids Is Murder.

I write about older characters—what I refer to as POWs, not “prisoners of war” but “persons of wisdom.” This is the fastest growing part of our populations and rather than ignoring older people, I encourage everyone to find the wisdom that exists within the ranks of our older citizens.

My novels were inspired by people I met when my mom and stepfather lived in a retirement home. My main character, Paul Jacobson, is a crotchety gentleman in his mid-eighties who suffers from short-term memory loss. Even though he can’t remember yesterday, he becomes an amateur sleuth and has a romance with a young chick in her seventies.

Paul is a crime magnet as well as being an older-chick magnet and gets in all sorts of trouble with the law, first in Hawaii and then in Colorado. With the assistance of his granddaughter, Jennifer, he solves a number of mysteries, and after first being a suspect, helps the police bring the perpetrators to justice.

Under Paul’s gruff exterior beats a heart of gold. He overcomes the effects of his short-term memory loss and continues to lead a successful and exciting life.

After retiring from the computer data storage industry in 2007, I’m now writing full time and also volunteering in organizations helping seniors. In Boulder County, Colorado, where I live, I’m on a Countywide Leadership Council and on the Aging Advisory Council that reviews funding requests from organizations providing services to seniors. I also attended a citizens’ police academy and volunteer for police training role-playing exercises. I have been giving a presentation at retirement communities and service organizations titled, “Aging and Other Minor Inconveniences,” that promotes a positive image of aging through humor and examples from my writing.

Writing about older characters presents the challenge of overcoming typical stereotypes. I enjoy portraying quirky characters who provide models for what we all can become as we grow older—vital, involved, humorous, alive people.

As Paul says, he may have been dealt a crapola hand that includes a memory that resets like the clock on a microwave when the power goes out, but he still gets up every morning to live his life to the fullest.

Mike Befeler Author of Retirement Homes Are Murder and Living With Your Kids Is Murder "It's hard to beat a team that includes a wisecracking old fart and a straight-talking young sprout, and Befeler's second geezer-lit entry delivers"-Kirkus Review

Book Banter -- The Amateurs

Title: The Amateurs

Author: Marcus Sakey

Genre: mystery/thriller

Length: 378 pages

Plot Basics: Four friends -- Alex, Mitch, Jenn and Ian -- all feel like their lives are stuck in a rut, save for their Thursday nights when they meet for drinks at the bar where Alex works and dream and play games like Ready Go (For example: What would you do if you won the lottery? Ready? Go.) When Alex is asked by his criminally-connected boss to serve as muscle during some kind of shady deal, the four hatch a plan that will shake up their lives. Rather than see the money turned over for a drug deal, they will rob the boss and use the money to move beyond their current circumstances. Of course, the foursome knows nothing about how to be criminals and the people on the other end of the robbery are quite good at it, forcing them out of their humdrum lives in ways they would never have imagined.

Banter Points: There are few other authors that Word Nerd reads who have the same keen sense of pacing as Marcus Sakey does. It's more than just a plot that keeps the reader turning pages to find out what happens next, but when to kick the story up a notch, when to give the reader the briefest respite from the intensity of the story, when to shock them. And that's all while writing darn believable people with stories of their own that make them feel like people you know. Sakey delivers another all-around winner with The Amateurs.

Bummer Points: This isn't necessarily a bummer, but Word Nerd really wants to see Sakey try something really different. All of his books so far have been great, hard to put down stories. But at their core, they all feature regular people going up against savvy criminals. Sakey's clearly found a niche that works and that he does well, but Word Nerd wonders what would happen if the formula was shaken a bit.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Great crime fiction. Sakey's other books have all ended up in Word Nerd's Top 10 books for the year list and it's a strong, strong possibility that this one will be there as well.

Book Banter -- The Intuitionist

Title: The Intuitionist

Author: Colson Whitehead

Genre: literary fiction

Length: ~250 pages

Plot Basics: Lila Mae Watson is the first black woman elevator inspector in the City. She also belongs to a new school of elevator inspection -- Intuitionism, a spooky ability to step into an elevator and know what's wrong with it. But when an elevator she recently expected goes into free fall, Lila Mae has to enter a shadowy world of politics, mobsters and missing journals to clear her name.

Banter Points: Word Nerd read this one because it was her book club pick for the month, and it turned out to be a good one. The elevator inspection theme gives the book a little bit of a "Brave New World" type sci-fi feel, but it's not so heavy-handed that non-sci-fi readers would be overwhelmed by it. Also, while the concept of elevator inspectors sounds a little bizarre, the book is about elevators the same way Watership Down is about rabbit -- they are a well-used vehicle for telling a story about a person and progress and politics and class.

Bummer Points: The copy of this book that Word Nerd checked out from her library had an "African American" sticker slapped on the spine and she found this somewhat odd. The story was great... no bummers there...but she didn't know what to make of this sticker. Was it a warning so that she knew it was written by a black man and featured black characters? Was it so that black readers could find it? She just found it sad that a piece of literature was so labeled when the points Whitehead made about race and class were valid for any reader.

Word Nerd Recommendation: It's not a new book, but it's a great book for book clubs or reports for high school/college students. Or anyone looking for something thought-provoking.