My Favorite Mysteries of the Year

Since this is the time of year for following traditions, and since it is a tradition among CWC members--and the extended Pirate community--to poach ideas follow wonderful examples, I am listing my favorite mysteries of the year.

Deb already said a lot of what I would have said about Hurricane Punch, so I'll leave that one off my list.


Homicide in Hard Cover by Kate Carlisle

This first in her Bibliophile mystery series was published in 2009. After reading it, I bought the second in the series, If Books Could Kill, and then the third one, The Lies That Bind, when it came out in November. All three books could make the list, but I'll just use the first one as an example.

Brooklyn Wainwright is a rare book expert, and is sought after for her ability to restore antique books. She is also the child of a couple of hippies who followed the Grateful Dead for years, naming each of their passel of children after the town they were conceived in. Then they moved the family to a commune in Sonoma. Now the commune members are all very well off due to the amazing wine they make and the quaint tourist town they run.

Brooklyn is smart, funny and competent in her work. She has well-rounded, interesting friends. She's not so smart about the fellas, but we've all been there.

The biggest compliment I can give the author is that I was still guessing at who the murderer was right up until the end. One thing I can't say about the third book in the series. That one I realized quite early on who done it. But I think that's a hazard with series. It seems that figuring out who the author has picked for the villain, and often the victim, becomes easier over the course of the series.


A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall

I had seen various Puzzle Lady books at the book store, but didn't find the first in the series until recently. I'd also seen a YouTube video by Hall about the joys of a book signing tour, so I knew he had a sense of humor.

The Puzzle Lady is ostensibly Cora Felton, a sweet-looking little old lady ala Miss Marple. But Cora's a front for her neice, Sherry, who actually creates the crossword puzzles that are syndicated nationwide. Sherry has a nasty ex-husband she's hiding from so her picture can't be next to the puzzles. Plus Cora has more of the look.

When the murder is discovered, Chief Harper is in over his head, not so much because he's stupid, but because he is beset by the mayor and the local newspaper. A pet peeve of mine is when the cops are made out be stupid.

I have to say that I knew immediately who did it, but it was fun watching the red herrings pile up as Cora, Sherry, Chief Harper and Aaron Grant--the local reporter who may just have a thing for Sherry--run around trying to figure it out.


The Scent of Rain and Lightening by Nancy Pickard

When Jody Linder was three, her father was murdered and her mother disappeared. She was raised by her grandparents, the richest ranchers in their small Kansas town, and her three doting uncles. Then 23 years later the man who was convicted of her father's death--on circumstantial evidence--is released from prison for a new trial. This sets in motion a series of events that finally leads Jody and her family to the truth of what happened the night her father was killed.

While Jody is not a professional investigator, this is as far from a cozy as one can get. It's gritty. But a thoroughly enjoyable read.


The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

While the previous book is in no way a cozy even though the person who solve the mystery is not a professional, this one feels very cozy-like with a police inspector as the investigator. Maybe that's because it's set in an England where the fairy tales are true and Humpty Dumpty is the victim.

I've seen reviews that said this was a tedious, pun-riddled read. Well, I happen to love puns and send-ups of fairy tales. Fforde also skewers the conventions of murder mysteries along the way. And I thought put-upon Jack Spratt of the Nursery Crime Division, who is also the Jack of Giant Killer fame, was an endearing protagonist.


So, who's next to succumb to the "Best of 2010" bug?

White Christmas?

I was having a discussion with a coworker the other day. He said it's not a White Christmas unless it snows on Christmas Day. I said as long as there's snow on the ground on Christmas, then it's a White Christmas.

So what do you say?

Whether it's white or not--Merry Christmas!

. . . And This One's For Mary . . .

I've already talked about how the format for CWC has changed. We have one submission to critique for this month, and homework to bring in a short scene for everyone to mark up at the meeting.

And since Jenny won't be submitting--long story that she tells better on her blog--we're looking for things to do for February. I offered to lend everyone a cozy to read. They can read as far as they want, then write up what they thought, where they stopped and why. I want to get a discussion going about what the found fun, irritating, exciting, etc. I think this will lead to figuring out what's expected in cozies and what's optional.

The nice side effect of this exercise it that I got to go through the ones I've already read that I haven't loaned to Carrie the extraordinary hairdresser/first reader. Deb has kindly allowed the rest of us to adopt her if we want, and Carrie agrees, of course.

Anyway, as I went through the stack, there were books that I immediately identified as good fits for each person in the group. Ali will like this one with the funny protagonist, Shane should identify with the protag fixing up her house, etc.

Then I have to wait to see if I chose wisely.

A Good Time to Get Cozy

Here in Colorado, the snow is falling and it's COLD. It's the soft, gentle snow--at least in my neighborhood--that makes it look like December outside.

Feels like a great time to snuggle in with a cup of hot cocoa and sink into a good cozy. Think I'll go home and do that tonight.

Now the question: Writing or reading?

So Why Do You Want to Write Cozies?

Mary asked me that question at our latest CWC meeting.

Jenny mentioned that she had visited the library and checked out three cozies. She took to heart my comment that there are certain genre conventions, just as there are in fantasy or romance or sci/fi, and it would be helpful to be critiqued by people who are familiar with those conventions. Her initial response was "Good writing is good writing." Well, yeah. But there are still certain things one expects when picking up a particular genre.

Anyway, Jenny was talking about some of the things that bugged her in the first book she picked up. I countered with my own pet peeves from a couple well-known cozy authors.

After listening to us banter back and forth for a few minutes, Mary asked her question.

My answer was immediate. I grew up on these kinds of books. When they're done well, they are a great escapist read. These are the books you take on vacation with you--to read on the plane, or the beach, or before turning out the light at the hotel. They're fast and light. And the best ones can still stay with you long after "The End."

Agatha Christie did them so well. And so do many of the modern cozy writers. I hope to profile some of them in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Jenny is blogging about her experience as a cozy newbie--and doing a great job of deconstructing what makes a cozy cozy. Check it out.

So, why do you want to write what you write?

December Goals

Deb just reminded me that I haven't updated my goals for December. Deb can be a real pain sometimes.

I've realized that I need to do some more research for HM. In particular, I need to know more about the history of mining in Colorado. But it's a made up town, you say? Well, yes, but I still want it to fit in with the real world. At least as much as I can.

Goals:

--Finish CWC critiques (1/1)
--Research CO mining history
--Play some more with story

What have you planned for December?

Full Names

I recently finished a cozy that I really enjoyed. The puzzle was good, the characters were quirky, the small town was realistic and endearing.

You heard the "but" right?

BUT, the author kept using the characters full names. I can see, maybe, doing that once in a while. It was rare, though, for this author to ever just use the first name. I found it distracting to read "Joe Brown" or "Cathy Green" all the time.

What do you think? Is it helpful to keep reminding the reader of the characters' full names? Is it just me?

Writing For The Customer?

Deb's been talking on her blog lately about not underestimating the intelligence of your reader. I think it sounds like good advice.

Unfortunately, advertising agencies don't seem to think too highly of people viewing the ads they create. For years there have been the ads that seem to say, "Our customers are stupid." The best example is the Snuggie. The commercial shows people unable to deal with a blanket while sitting in a chair. They aren't even bright enough to put on a sweatshirt or button up a sweater. No, they must have a blanket with sleeves.

Target, however, has stepped it up a notch this holiday season with the new, "Our customers are psycho" advertising campaign. A woman in a red sweatsuit is training for the big Black Friday sales. Her eyes bug out as she lifts weights. She reads the sales notice like a bedtime story to inanimate Christmas decorations. At least she's smart enough not to need a Snuggie. Not smart enough, however, to take off the heels as she runs down the aisles.

My question is "Do these ads work?" I didn't buy a Snuggie, or do I plan to go anywhere near a store on Friday. How about you? Do you think they're funny? Annoying?

I'm going to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 tonight with Deb. While I'm not quite as wild about Harry as Deb and Jenny, I like the books and enjoy the movies.

Yesterday, I started looking up reviews. One, from Entertainment Weekly, gave the movie an A-. The rest were so-so at best. I found several more good reviews this morning. What didn't the not-so-great reviews have in common? They all complained that you'd have to be knowledgeable in the Potter-verse to understand what was going on.

Why, in the name of all that's magical, would anyone walk into the 7th movie in a series and expect to know what's going on? We're not talking Jackass XXXIV and a Half here. These movies, like the books, have been building throughout the series. Harry, Ron and Hermoine have grown up, and the problems they're dealing with have grown as well. Of course you need to be familiar with the earlier works in order to "get" this one.

I'm working on the first books in what I hope will be two series. Cozy mysteries tend, as a rule, to have very shallow character arcs for the protagonist. The prevailing wisdom is that if a reader likes the protagonist in the first book, don't shake things up too much or you'll risk losing that reader. There could be a bigger change between book one and book twenty, but it has to be gradual.

What do you think about that? Should a series keep the main character basically the same throughout? How much change is enough? Too much? And should the reader be able to start anywhere in a series and still "get it?"

NaNo Blues

I decided to skip National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. I'm still working on revisions of HM, and didn't want to start a new project.

HM is largely the product of NaNo in 2008. I had already started writing it when the month started, so I was breaking the rule that you have to start a new novel. When I finished HM, I started D&D. I think working on two different projects is a no-no, too. But I loved writing that month. The flow of words onto the page--many of them handwritten so that there was a literal flow as well as a metaphorical one.

I have been struggling with the revisions of HM. Wondering if I'd ever get back into that kind of flow. And it hit me. Pretend it's NaNo. While I know that more care needs to be taken with revisions than with first drafts--otherwise, why bother--I can still have fun with it. Mix it up. Write some on the computer and some in a notebook. Or all in a notebook and retype. It's slower to hand write, but I haven't exactly been blazing along on the keypad.

So halfway through the month I'm jumping in. That would mean, if I were to stick to the rules, 25,000 words by the end of the month. Since we all know how well I do with rules, I'm just going to say that I'll write something every day. I won't guarantee that the writing will be in order. Could be a scene here and there. But I will write.

And that's what is needed at this time.

In Dreams

Way back when, the idea for HM came to me in a dream. Just pieces of it. The protagonist, his battered white pick-up, his daughter and his best friend. I also knew where it was happening. That was about it. But that was enough to get me started. And a first draft finished.

Jenny asked me, in jest, if I was going to write a series based on one of my hobbies. I really didn't think much about it. That was a couple months ago. Last night, I dreamt about the setting, who the protagonist will be, a few of the other people involved, and how it could spin from HM (I'd like any series I write to spin off from that). No murder victim, yet, but I didn't have one for HM right away either.

I've known a couple people who said they dreamed their novels, start to finish. Seems like a very long dream to me. Or a very short novel. Either way, it's not what has happened to me. An interesting character and setting is about it. I'll take it though.

How about you? Have you ever had a new character show up in a dream? Ever dream a whole story?

Flexibility

I received my first critique from CWC last month. The feedback was great. I got a lot of positives but also some good suggestions for improving what was there. But then I froze. Even with the positives, even though I agreed with some of the changes suggested, I couldn't write.

Many evenings of staring at the computer, unable to get even one word down, and I realized my problem. I was concentrating too much on the negatives. For example, one of the issues people had was the introduction of too many characters in a single chapter. Every time I needed to add a character, I stopped. I heard different members' voices "Does he really need to be in this scene? This chapter?" "Could someone else make the same action? Give the same information?" There were too many other people in my head, second-guessing my every move.

I talked to Deb about it. She had had problems with critiques on a partial manuscript. She wanted to go back to the beginning each time to make the changes. That was one reason she went on hiatus to complete revisions.

Our November meeting was Sunday evening. We all talked about what was and wasn't working for us. It ranged from not being able to perform to the deadline to feeling like some of the feedback might be counterproductive for that person. After much discussion, we decided to let each member decide the process that works best for him or her. Two will continue in the original format: 50-100 pages every other month. Four of us will only submit when we feel ready to do so. I know Deb will be submitting fulls. I will probably do the same so that I don't tie myself up trying to second guess what the others will say. We also agreed to speak up during the meeting about what kind of feedback we want.

I've heard of critique groups that have fallen apart when there were issues brought up, changes suggested. It's a testament to the members of CWC that they could calmly and rationally go about making the group something that will help rather than hinder each person's creativity.

I feel very lucky.

September Goals

Monday night was my first official CWC meeting. Fun. And intimidating. I knew these people didn't hold back when critiquing. Seeing it firsthand was amazing.

I did end up with more than 4 pages to submit. 30 to be exact. Not quite what I'd wanted, but I think the logjam finally broke. A four-day weekend should help get the word count up. I'd really love to have the whole thing done before I get feedback. It should be very doable (as Deb says).

My goals for this month are simple: 1) critique Jenny's submission and 2) finish the revision of HM.

That will set me up to work on D&D through the end of the year. I'm looking forward to writing something new again.

Four Pages

I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's 4 more pages than I had last week at this time.

And I'm happy about them.



Oh, and the red had to go. It hurt my eyes.

Fun

That's what I was missing.

Jenny and Fleur both posted this week about the fun of writing. That it is supposed to be fun. And that we often forget that.

I certainly did. Especially where rewriting is concerned. I couldn't even get my note cards done. What a slog. How to make it fun?

The first thing I did was buy blue note cards. The ones I had were yellow. I don't like yellow. Then I curled up with some good music playing. I used a purple pen. And the cards started to pile up. A whole book's worth of cards.

Now to keep the fun going while I do the writing part of the rewriting.

Big Gunns

First: Congratulations to John for winning the 2-month writing contest and to all of the contestants. Great job, gang.

Deb always says, "Listen to your Tim Gunns." Meaning, when you ask for advice from experts, pay attention to it.

Over a year ago, I asked my local experts--the Pirates--to read HM and give feedback. Which they graciously did. I listened to the feedback, read the notes and thanked them.

A few months ago, Deb offered to let me take her spot in CWC while she concentrated on revising her book, MMG. She didn't have anything ready for submission and didn't want to stop revisions in order to write something new. So I agreed. I had 60 days to get at least 50 pages of HM revised. No problem, less than a page a day.

I jumped in and wrote index cards for each scene, with all the changes I wanted to make based on the critiques I'd received. Then I sat down at the computer with the original prinout and the cards. And I sat there. And sat there. Staring at everything, waiting for my fingers to start typing. But I wasn't feeling it. Not that I didn't feel like writing--I did. Not that I felt like being somewhere else doing something else--I didn't. But the words weren't coming.

Finally, I figured out why. I wasn't changing enough. Over time I slowly let go of almost all of the suggestions. And, I realized in the last week, the ones I chose to ignore were the ones that would involve the biggest changes. I had to age Shannon from 12 to 14. Two years doesn't sound like a lot, but it's huge with preteens/teens. I had to change some of Sloan's background and some of his personality. Big huge changes.

So now I have nothing to submit to the group this month. Last week was nuts at work, and I was helping out some friends in the evenings. This weekend was already booked solid. I feel horrible not making my first deadline with CWC. They've been very gracious to allow me to sit in for the next few months. And I've let them down.
Moreover, I've let myself down.

In my case I listened to my Tim Gunn's, but then I discounted what they had to say. At my own peril. My next opportunity to submit will be August 30. I WILL have my 50 pages plus. Because now I know where I'm going with the book.

And from now on I'll not only listen to my Tim Gunns, I'll make sure that if I choose to ignore some of their advice, it will be for very good reasons.

I Write Like?

Deb and I got the same one. Which is really strange, because she and I write in different genres. And I don't think either of us write like him.

I write like
Chuck Palahniuk

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Summer Reads

I've always read a lot more during the summer. I think a lot of people do. It must be something about the longer days.

Maureen Corrigan from Fresh Air with Terry Gross gives her list of summer crime reads.

The Christian Science Monitor has it's own list.

Have you read any of the listed books? What did you think?

Playing Cards

All of the scenes from HM are now on index cards. I finished transferring from the manuscript to the cards over the weekend. It's interesting how the book changes when I move one or two cards around. I find it less intimidating to experiment with the cards than to cut and paste the actual manuscript.

It's also easier to play with new scenes. Write a few sentences to give an idea of what the scene will be and put the card in the mix. Then read through the cards. Does it feel like something's missing? Or that there's too much about a particular suspect/lead? Throw another one in or throw one out. Repeat.

The danger, I suspect, is getting too caught up in the shuffling process. As I said, it's easier to play with the cards. Eventually, though, the time comes to start the revisions themselves.

I believe I've reached that time. I have been invited to submit to Creek Writer's Council. I'll be submitting at the end of June. I want to have the revisions completed before I receive my critiques in July.

One more run through the cards. Then the rewrites begin in earnest.

Wish me luck.

Reading One's Own Work

It was an interesting exercise going back and reading HM after so long. There was a lot of it I'd forgotten. I think the pleasant surprises outweighed the cringes. In both cases I felt that moment of "Did I write that?" It is a strange experience.

I tried to read it without marking it, but could not help myself. I did keep the comments to a minimum. "More here" seemed to be the most used. I also made note where I wanted to move things or add things.

Deb uses index cards to write scenes on. Then she can easily move them around. I may try that. It seems less daunting then trying to keep track in the document itself.

I'm excited about HM again. I find myself thinking of things to add or how to fix a scene that isn't working.

It's a good feeling.

April Goals

This month I'd like to get at least 50 pages revised. It doesn't sound like a lot when you work with someone who can do that amount in a day.

I need to be realistic about how much I can do in a month. The frustration of trying to keep up with other people is one of the reasons I took a sabbatical. Slow and steady.

It is a little easier each time I sit down to write. That's what I'm holding onto.

March Already

February seemed to fly by, even for a short month. I did manage to accomplish my two writing goals. Neither of which involved actual writing.

This month I plan to go through a "clean" copy of HM, adding in all the comments others have made. Then I'll start the rewrite process.

I know this is going to be a long process. Deb seems to be flying through her revisions. She pointed out to me this morning that "It's not my first rodeo." She has been tweaking MMG for a few years now. I don't know if that makes me feel better or not.

In any case, working on the book again feels good.

I'll take that.

Pleasantly Surprised

I continued to read a lot of cozy mysteries during my writing break. Most were disappointing. There seem to be a lot that are bad chick lit with a little bit of crime thrown in.

When I picked up Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle, I didn't expect much. At least the cover wasn't cutesy and pink. Then writing turned out be solid. First the protagonist's job is unusual but interesting. Brooklyn's a professional book restorer who grew up in a commune. The community is now well off due to their winery. She's young and attractive, of course. Her faults really aren't. But a quirky cast of supporting characters made reading fun. The mystery was well played, and the culprit didn't come from left field.

There's a meet cute and a couple potential romantic interests for future books, but Carlisle didn't stray far into chick lit territory. Think Spellman Files light.

All in all, well done. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Which just happens to come out this month.

I Think I'm Back

Hello.

My short hiatus turned into about a year and half away from writing. I read a lot of mysteries. I also read a lot of writing books. I read books from lots of different genres, including a lot of YA. Fleur had a big hand in that last endeavor.

Friends gave advice when asked and just listened when that's what I needed. There was also a lot of encouragement from everyone. The best part of the hiatus was realizing how many great friends I have.

I think it's time to dip my toe back in the water. Part of my problem before was trying to think about more than one project at a time. Deb may work best with lots of balls in the air, but I've found that I don't. I'm going to finish HM before I get back to D&D. I know they've waited a long time to tell their story, but a month or so more won't hurt them.

The first step is a read through of what I have now, followed by compiling all the comments I received in 2008 and reading those. I'll worry about the step after that when I get there.

I'm prepared for this to take some time. That's okay. I'll still get where I want to be.