Eileen Davidson | My Writing Process

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying Dial Emmy for Murder. If you haven't picked it up yet, I certainly hope you do and give it a read! It's the perfect summer getaway!

I thought that the best subject for me to blog about would be my writing "process". It's multi faceted actually because I have a writing partner and we certainly have our own process, and I write about the Soap Opera world and that is another process. And I have my own personal process of getting words down on paper!

The first part of my process involves my writing partner, Robert Randisi who lives in Missouri and we write vis a vis email. I have come up with the basic premise for all three books and have written the first few chapters for all three, as well. I'll email those to Bob and he takes it from there, usually writing the next few chapters and emailing them back to me. I'll rewrite and/or change whatever he sends me and send them back to him. We usually do this for the entire book until we are finished. One interesting dilemma is Bob doesn't like to map out the book in advance. He likes to "discover" the villain and different plot points along the way. This drives me crazy! The first book we wrote his way, the second and third were written my way.. which is having the killer in place and the basic plot in place before we begin. I have a hard time knowing what to write unless these ar decided upon upfront. We both always maintain open minds, though, in case somethng else happens that is better than the originall idea.

Click here to read the rest of Eileen's blog, comment and enter her blog contest.

Jane K. Cleland | Plotting in Your Sleep

The great American author, Edna St. Vincent Millay, once wrote that she couldn’t get the woman onto the porch. What she meant, of course, was that she couldn’t figure out an organically sound reason for the character to do as the plot demanded.

I struggle with this situation all the time. Plotting a mystery is, for me, a combination of architecture and sleight of hand. I lay the foundation, plan the structure, and use language to entice my readers to pay attention to something over here while something else is happening over there, unnoticed. In order for this complex process to flow seamlessly, I need to create characters whose actions mesh with the plot’s development.

Click to read the rest of Jane's blog and to comment.

Cindy Keen Reynders | Appreciating Family

As a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up and get away from home. I thought my brothers and sisters were annoying. I thought my parents were straight from the Stone Age. After high school, I went to college, got married, then I was off and running. I lived in Texas, Japan, South Dakota, Colorado, moved back to Japan, then back to Colorado. Finally, twenty-two years later, I moved home to Cheyenne, Wyo. which is full of my relatives.

After all those years and all those places, you’d think I’d sit down and write a book about my travels. Somehow I became fascinated by the dynamics of the home folks; the ups, the downs—everything. So I wrote a book about an off-the-wall family in the small, fictional town of Moose Creek Wyoming. I focused particularly on sisters Lexie Lightfoot and Lucy Parnell.

In my book, The Saucy Lucy Murders and its sequel, Paws-itively Guilty, Lexie has moved back home after a divorce. She finds that with age, she and Lucy have mellowed. Nevertheless, the sisters still manage to backslide into the roles of bossy, older sibling and younger, rebellious sibling.

After several mysterious murders occur in town, Lexie decides the local law officers aren’t doing their jobs, and she feels the need to intervene. It’s only natural that she would call upon her sister for help. Lucy, misguided as she is, lends her church-going spirit and humorously rigid outlook on life to all the cases the sisters decide to sleuth.

So if you like mysteries, if you like sisters and perhaps have one, and if you like laugh-out-loud adventure, try reading my stories. I promise, by the time you’re finished, you’ll have gained a new appreciation for family.

Cindy Keen Reynders
www.cindykeenreynders.com

Karen E. Olson | SHOT GIRL

My fourth Annie Seymour mystery, SHOT GIRL, came out on Election Day. So far, reviews and comments from readers have been good. All are saying it's the best in the series.

It was the hardest one to write.

I decided to do something different with SHOT GIRL. With each book, I embrace a different style. My first book was a traditional mystery, the second is what I call my Mafia book, and the third is much more fast paced and thriller like. In SHOT GIRL, Annie is an unreliable narrator.

I had a friend express surprise that I would do this in the fourth — and last — book in the series. Wasn't it a risk? she asked. Sure it was, but I wanted to see if I could do it, if I could pull it off. When I'd started writing the book, I'd just finished reading Scott Turow's PRESUMED INNOCENT, in which he masterfully portrayed an unreliable narrator. Could I do that with Annie? I thought. It was worth a shot.

My goal was to have the reader ask throughout the book: Is Annie telling me the truth? What is she keeping secret? I know she's not telling me everything. But why?

I had to really think about how I was going to write this book, and since I don't outline there was a lot of going back and checking for inconsistencies. At one point Annie has a key that the reader doesn't realize she has. How did she get it? I had no idea. I kept a sort of graph about halfway through writing the book so I could keep track of the questions I had to answer before my editor got her hands on the manuscript.

I'm not sure I would ever do this again because it was difficult. But all reports indicate that I was successful. Annie most definitely is going out with a bang.

Karen
www.kareneolson.com/

Tim Maleeny | The world just out of sight.

When a U.S. Senator is found dead on a golf course in Mexico, it falls to his estranged daughter to find out what really happened. That’s how the story begins in my latest novel Greasing The Piñata, which Library Journal called “a cracking good mystery.” The plot moves between San Francisco landmarks to some beautiful regions of Mexico, but the characters soon discover that even the most tourist-friendly destinations can harbor criminals and reveal dangers never seen on any postcard.

As a writer I’ve always been intrigued by what lies beneath the surface, just out of sight. My first novel Stealing The Dragon explored the back alleys of San Francisco’s Chinatown, a city within a city that transforms from a bustling tourist destination by day to a world of shadows and secrets by night. The local Tong gangs are never mentioned in any travel guides for the city, and the local gangsters never mentioned in the local papers, and yet they exist in an unseen underworld, unless you’re willing to take a walk down the right (or wrong) alley and have a look.

My second novel Beating The Babushka is a satire of the move industry that reveals what really goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood. Some shady financing deals involving the Russian mafiya change the course of a blockbuster movie and trigger an investigation that wreaks havoc on an industry already sorely out of touch with reality. None of that is seen on screen of course, but it happens out of sight, before the cameras start rolling.

I confess that my fascination with how things really are — as opposed to how they appear —can sometimes lead to some funny and even bizarre scenarios. Publishers Weekly said Greasing The Piñata “smoothly mixes wry humor with a serious plot”, and much of the humor comes from taking a different perspective on things we all take for granted. Even in the midst of a murder investigation you might find a spark of humor, an irreverent take on the world, or an unexpected moment of compassion that reveals our humanity and gives us hope as it makes us smile. Great stories offer a chance at redemption for the characters, and books worth reading should still be fun, unapologetically entertaining.

Sometimes when you turn things upside down you get a whole new appreciation for what makes our wonderful but often dysfunctional world come together. Thanks for reading; I hope you have fun exploring the world just out of sight.

Tim Maleeny
www.timmaleeny.com/

Sandra Ruttan | Imaginary Friends

I was staring at the wall, my hands still. My partner assumed I was taking a break and started talking to me.

"Be quiet! There are voices talking inside my head and I have to hear what they’re saying!"

He muttered something like, “Okay crazy person,” and left me to talk to my imaginary friends.

Writing a novel is an extremely personal venture. For months, these characters live inside your mind as you get to know them and try to reveal their character, intent and actions on the page. When you write a series it’s even more personal, because you develop a long-term relationship with your protagonists.

In THE FRAILTY OF FLESH, book two of the Nolan, Hart and Tain series, the storylines are very personal. In book one, events from the past are alluded to but not exploited. In book two, Nolan is confronted by some of his darkest fears, Tain struggles with a deep personal wound that will never heal, and Hart suffers a devastating loss.

Some of my friends have wondered how I could put these characters through hell. As a reader, and as someone who loves series books and gets very attached to characters, I can understand that this might bother some readers.

As a reader, I know I never want to read the same book over and over again. I never want readers to think I’m writing the same book over and over again either. Love it or loathe it, the one thing I hope everyone will agree on is that I didn’t just recycle the first book and slap a different title on it.

Confronting my characters with their personal demons was hard. Your characters live and breathe for you, and many authors I know view their protagonists as friends or children. Each of my protagonists has something of me in them, but putting them in tough situations gave me a chance to get to know them better, and it also allowed them to grow.

I have been asked if I’ll go a bit easier on them in the third book, LULLABY FOR THE NAMELESS. I take that as a real compliment, that readers care enough about the characters to want them to be happy, but for now all I can say for now is that you’ll have to wait until next fall to find out.

Want to win a signed copy of THE FRAILTY OF FLESH? Enter before November 1 via Maine Crime Writer or by November 5 at Bookspot Central

Sandra Ruttan

CJ Lyons | Better than Sex!

Okay, well, almost….but honestly, that's the only way I can describe the rush you feel having your first book sold, published, and now, ta-da!, getting fanmail!

When I began to write LIFELINES I knew it would be a challenge to find our target audience. Afterall, we were breaking all the rules—combining thriller pacing with a women's fiction feeling, a medical suspense told solely from the point of view of the women of Angels of Mercy's ER, and finally, combining romantic elements in an on-going, multi-character series.

Before the release, I worried. Would the mystery/suspense reviewers like it or would they find it too much like women's fiction? Would the romance reviewers think there wasn't enough romance? Would the "big name" reviewers pay any attention at all?

Turns out the worry was for nothing. Publishers Weekly and the Baltimore Sun both loved LIFELINES, with Publishers Weekly calling it a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller". Romantic Times Book Reviews made it a Top Pick and Romance Reviews Today gave LIFELINES a coveted Perfect 10!

But us writers aren't known for our neurotic tendencies for nothing, lol! Despite all this, I still worried about readers finding LIFELINES—and liking it. LIFELINES is shelved in general fiction/literature, not in either romance or mystery/suspense. And it's a paperback. Would anyone find it, much less pay money for it, and then like it?

My answer came sooner than I thought it would.

LIFELINES was released here in the US on March 4th, but must have hit the stores early in Canada because the first fan letters I received were from across the border. Words like "one of the best books I ever read" and "I couldn't put it down" were tossed about, making my heart soar as I walked around all day with a grin on my face.

People really connected to Lydia, who finds herself risking everything in LIFELINES. But they also loved the other women: Nora, Gina, and Amanda, asking when their stories would be told! (Amanda's story is the next book, CATALYST, due out early 2009)

Former nurses, EMT's, and even other doctors wrote to tell me I got the feel of an ER right and to thank me for sharing their world with readers. People from Pittsburgh praised me for how I portrayed their hometown. And, most surprising, a good portion of the fan mail is from men—they enjoyed LIFELINES as much as the women!

Now's my chance to officially say thanks to everyone who has read LIFELINES and taken the time to write me. I can't tell you how happy you all have made me!

A writer's life is often spent in isolation. We pour our hearts and souls into stories that we can never be certain will resonate with readers. And that's what it's all about, that's why we write—or at least why I write. Because we want to share our world with you, invite you in, spin you a good yarn, and hopefully entertain, empower, or inspire you along the way.

All I can say is…thanks for reading!

CJ

About CJ:

As a pediatric ER doc, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about. CJ loves sharing the secret life of an urban trauma center with readers. She also loves breaking the rules; her debut medical suspense novel, LIFELINES, is cross-genre to the extreme, combining women's fiction with medical suspense with thriller pacing with romantic elements and is told from the point of view of the women of Angels of Mercy's Medical Center. Publisher's Weekly proclaimed LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), "a spot-on debut….a breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" and Romantic Times made it a Top Pick. Contact her at http://www.cjlyons.net/

Stephanie Bond | Why Romance and Mystery Make Great Bedfellows

I just finished writing the third book in my Body Movers sexy mystery series (Three Men and a Body, due out August 2008) in which the main character, Carlotta Wren, works for Neiman Marcus by day and helps her brother move bodies from crime scenes by night. Carlotta’s life is further complicated by the three men in her life: her first love, a cop who has reopened the case of her fugitive father, and her brother’s body-moving boss. For me, romance and mystery are a natural fit, because one helps to foster the other in the story. The suspense of a mystery is further heightened when the players are emotionally involved. Likewise, the romance between characters is heightened by the adrenaline pumping from the suspense scenes. Nothing gets the heart racing like danger!

In writerspeak, mystery and romance make for a great intermingling of external and internal conflict. The mystery is the external conflict of the story, but if, for example, two characters are on opposite sides of solving the mystery, it makes their internal (personal) conflict more real, and more complicated. This is why I love combining the elements of mystery and romance—they are better together than on their own. (An example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.) And it’s why I think we’ll see more and more “hybrid” books on the market in the future that contain two or more elements of separate genres—because readers appreciate the blending of both worlds. When I sold the Body Movers series to Mira, I suggested that instead of making the reader guess what kind of story it is, that we simply tell the reader what to expect, which is why each cover plainly says, “A Sexy Mystery.” In other words, it lets the readers know that there will be dead bodies, and there will be naked bodies.

(Am I the only person perplexed by the phrase “A novel” on the front of books? What the heck does that mean anyway? If it’s fiction, of course it’s a novel!)

The only downside of blended genre books? Booksellers aren’t quite sure where to shelve them! In mystery? In romance? Both places? In some chains my Body Movers series is shelved in romance because that’s my background and where readers will most likely recognize my name; in other chains the series is shelved in the mystery section, and in others, general fiction, which doesn’t exactly help the reader find what they’re looking for. But I’m confident that bookstores will someday have blended genre sections and that more publishers will begin to tell the reader what to expect, either by spine designation or on the cover itself. Until then, if you don’t find what you’re looking for in one section of the bookstore, don’t be afraid to ask a bookseller for help. And expect more genres to be jumping into bed with each other!

Stephanie Bond

Nancy Bush | THE BINKSTER's BLOG

(with a little help on the keyboard from Nancy Bush):

Most of you know, I'm a pug and star of the Jane Kelly Mystery Series by Nancy Bush. You probably think I lead this glamorous life. Not so! Today, as usual, I woke up and thought about food. Then I trotted out to my bowl, which was empty, and thought some more about food.

This is a continuing problem for me, and you'll see just how much when you read the books. I show up in the first of the series, CANDY APPLE RED. The truth of the matter is that Nancy actually wrote about the pug in the book before she bought me. (I'm sure there were MAJOR revisions to CANDY APPLE RED once I became flesh and blood.) In the story Jane is a reluctant dog owner. The Binkster is thrust upon her. Well, suffice it to say, I worm my way into her heart pretty fast.

But back to today--

After checking my bowl again, I climbed on the couch and waited for someone to feed me. Nancy came downstairs and headed out to the Coffee Nook—yes, that's the same coffee shop featured in the Jane Kelly Mystery Series—which is what she does every day. Ken came down a few moments later and fed me. Relief! Then he put me in my little fuzzy bed in the passenger seat of the car and drove me to the Coffee Nook.

At the Nook, Nancy and Ken took me for a walk so I could use the facilities and then they carried me inside where Julie—owner of the Nook—gave me a crumb or two from one of the muffins. Blueberry are my favorite. We do this most weekday mornings. Personally, I think I could eat a whole muffin, but there's this weight issue thing. (Sigh)

We all left the Nook, and Ken drove off to work. Nancy and I stopped by a local bookstore to see her new book in the window, ULTRAVIOLET, before we went home. It's snazzy! And, of course, I'm featured in it. In UV there's a dog who's moved in next door to Dwayne. This dog's totally bark-worthy, and I let him know. Not quite sure whether I like him or not. But It's great being a central character, although Jane Kelly's the real top dog. Boy, does she meet some kooks in that book. Wedding crashers! Botox babes! Rabid Junior Leaguers! And, of course, there is murder. Jane's client is that beautiful, scary Violet Purcell, first introduced in ELECTRIC BLUE, who's now accused of killing her favorite ex-husband by clobbering him with a tray on the day of his daughter's nuptials. You can read more about the book at www.nancybush.net/, where you can also join the Binkster Fan Club and a chance to win cool prizes.

But I digress . . . you wanted to know about me, right? So after the trip to the Nook, Nancy wrote on her laptop on the living room couch, and I got to curl up next to her. Sometimes I put my head on the keyboard. This creates drama as Nancy sucks in a breath and says, "Wait, wait! That paragraph just disappeared!" She feels obliged to tell me—again—that she's writing the book, not me. Like I'm missing that point. I would just like a chicken strip, or liver treat, or hey, basic dog kiblets are perfectly okay.

Nancy's been a little distracted as she's working on three books at once. She's finishing the proposal for the next Jane Kelly Mystery, which she's calling PINK CADILLAC. (I'm hoping I get to ride in it and hang my head out the window!) She's also writing a romantic suspense novel with her sister, Lisa Jackson, AND she's putting the final touches on the proposal for her own first stand-alone thriller, which should be out in 2009. Yeah . . . she's a little crazed right now. I have to snort a lot to remind her I'm there. Sometimes she reads me a passage from her new book. I cock my head and pretend to pay attention, but if it's not about me, I don't really care. To keep Nancy on track, I'll put my paw on her leg, just to remind her I could use a snack.

I worry sometimes that she'll get so caught up in writing that she'll forget about dinner. And I could expire before Ken gets home.

Maybe it's time for that head on the keyboard again.....

The Binkster

Michael Balkind | A sports mystery writer’s inspirational vacation.

Recently my family and I went on vacation out to Colorado and Utah. We were heading to Colorado first to attend a family reunion. My brother lives at the base of Telluride Ski Mountain in the San Juan Mountains of the Colorado Rockies. Telluride is known as a skiers’ paradise during the winter but during the summer it provides for many exciting activities. It is one of the countries premier festival resort towns. The festivals include the Mountainfilm Festival, Balloon Rally, Bluegrass Festival, Wine Festival, Fourth of July, Telluride Jazz Celebration, Telluride Culinary & Art Festival, Blues and Brews, Telluride Film Festival, Oktoberfest, to name just a few.

While the festivals entice many into the town of Telluride, the hiking biking and sightseeing can keep you very busy once your there.

As many inhabitants say of the town, they originally went there for the winter skiing but they stayed due to the beautiful summer months.

I must say I agree, I have been there to ski many times, in fact, years ago we skied down the isle for my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding. But now that I have visited telluride during the summer, I see what really keeps the townies in town. The views of the surrounding mountains and Bridal Veil Falls are breathtaking. Hiking up or down the mountain, while a daunting task, makes one feel very close with nature.

One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip was enjoying the views while riding the gondola up the mountain then the exhilaration of riding back down the skree lined trails on mountain bikes. Squeezing the brakes the entire ride down while navigating wicked switchbacks, mud and roots while standing on the pedals and leaning back so you don’t flip over the handlebars was a serious challenge. I guess some people may think that the people who do such things for fun are a tad bit wacked! Maybe they’re correct, but I don’t remember a vacation or experience that will live on in my mind like the rides down those trails. The thrill still courses through me as I write this story. Wow!

After our thrills and spills on the bikes we boarded our vans for a trip to Moab, a unique town out in the Utah desert.

The first thing we did when we arrived was go play nine holes of golf. The course was like none I’ve ever experienced before. I have played my share of lavish golf courses but never with the backdrop of hundreds of feet of red rock cliffs. Incredible views and terrain bordered the fairways and greens.

The next day our entire family of 14 boarded rafts and kayaks for a full day’s excursion down the Colorado River. The ages ranged from my 10 year old niece to my 79 year old mom. Thank goodness the surging Colorado River calms down somewhat in the late summer months. What an invigorating and soaking ride!

The final day of our trip was spent hiking and enjoying the amazing rock formations of Arches National Park. Even as a writer, I feel that attempting to describing the views would only do this park injustice. You really must see it to believe it. America really rocks!

Besides, providing for a wonderful and memorable vacation for my family of five, I know I will eventually write a novel in my Deadly Sports Mysteries series based on this trip.

Michael Balkind

http://www.balkindbooks.com/

Book Club Rewind - Jerrilyn Farmer

Our book club author for September was Jerrilyn Farmer and with a book entitled The Flaming Luau of Death how could tropical not be the them for dinner?! Jerrilyn writes the Madeline Bean culinary mysteries, but her talents do not stop at writing. She actually started out, and continues to be, an accomplished comedy (some of Dana Carvey's "Church Lady" sketches) and game show (Jeopardy! and Supermarket Sweep) writer.

After college, Jerrilyn moved from Chicago to LA and got involved in comedy writing and game show writing. She wrote for several Saturday Night Live comedians and took writing courses through UCLA and was inspired to write a book. Problem? Living in the LA area and working in the television industry, naturally her first impulse was to show her book to some of the people she knew from the TV industry. Unfortunately, they kept looking at the book from the perspective of turning it into a movie. Jerrilyn then sent out copies of her book to several agents, as most aspiring authors do, and was successful in finding an agent.

When it comes to promotion for her Madeline Bean books, Jerrilyn does not go the same route as other authors of culinary mysteries and provide multiple recipes from, or inspired by, the latest book to readers. Her Editor has never even suggested writing recipes. That is not say that recipes are never given. Jerrilyn generally posts one recipe on her website per book release. It is also worth mentioning that in each book she generally lists the ingredients and preparation for at least one dish but does not provide the exact measurements. Anyone who read The Flaming Luau of Death can appreciate how good those chicken lollipops at the luau must have tasted!

During her book tour for The Flaming Luau of Death, Jerrilyn's publicist was able to line up several TV interviews with local morning shows by pitching the fact that she cooks and writes culinary mysteries. When Dim Sum Dead was released, she held several dim sum parties.

Back to The Flaming Luau of Death. Her publisher thought the title was too long but our book club totally loved it. When asked how much say her Editor has with her plot, Jerrilyn said her Editor is very hands off. Jerrilyn usually just gives her a one paragraph synopsis initially for her OK.

The Madeline Bean mysteries usually have one big event, but this one was a whole weekend. Given the title, it definitely takes place in Hawaii. Can we say research trip for the author? Oh yes. Jerrilyn knew she wanted to partly set a book in Hawaii, but her Editor said they would not mind having the whole book set there. She got to experience some of what is discussed in the book including the spa treatments and swimming with the dolphins.

The Flaming Luau of Death was released in 2005, but talks about the idea of bamboo becoming a mainstream building and flooring product. It is definitely becoming that way today but it certainly was not the case when Jerrilyn was writing this book so I have to give a lot of credit to her for even fathoming such an idea at that time. Jerrilyn says she actually did find a bamboo society that put their minutes online at the time she was researching for this book.


The next Madeline Bean mystery, Desperately Seeking Sushi, is currently scheduled to be released March 2008. Jerrilyn is also planning a new series that should be very funny & over the top.

Jerrilyn Farmer | Advice from "Mad Bean" for a Killer Event!

A great party, like a great mystery, needs to provide a few surprises and even a twist. I have given a good deal of thought to both parties and mysteries because I write about Hollywood event planner/caterer Madeline Bean, and it is her job (when not dodging murderers) to make sure every party guest has a good time.

Pulling off a remarkable party isn't a snap, but it helps to start off with the fun concept. Think vices! Do your friends enjoy imbibing? Try a wine tasting evening. Are they into gluttony? Make sure you feature gourmet goodies. Would they like to gamble? Have an Academy Awards party and keep a tote board to track each guests predictions in each category--perhaps surprising the group with a cool prize for the highest totals. Or try a casino theme. Now if your girlfriends are like mine, they don't mind flirting, so by all mean pick a theme where everyone dresses up so the women can let their necklines plunge.

In my books, the larger-than-life Hollywood types require the Godzilla of all party concepts--from a wedding held at the Natural History Museum's Hall of Predators (KILLER WEDDING) to a Black-and-White themed charity ball (PERFECT SAX) to supplying dim sum carts pushed by pretty girls at a private mah-jongg dinner on Chinese New Year (DIM SUM DEAD). Get creative with your theme and it makes all your party decisions so much more fun.

Invitations to your Vegas night can include wads of play cash to entice the big rollers. The menu on Valentine's Day can include a chocolate fountain and large strawberries for dipping. For some guests, only one drink gets them tipsy--but if that one drink is their twelfth or thirteenth, they might appreciate your party bar offering a cool signature drink. A great Mojito (theme: Cuba of the 50's) or Bellini (theme: Lotto!--buy all your guests Lotto tickets and watch the numbers called out on your big screen tv) can certainly get the party in a festive mood fast.

Have a blast designing the menu, decorating the space and providing a little interactive entertainment, and your guests will remember your party long after the night. Just a tip, though: to make sure your evening is a true success, try to avoid inviting disapproving neighbors, the dullest man in your office, or any would-be murderers.

Jerrilyn Farmer
http://home.earthlink.net/~jerrilyn/index.html

T. Lynn Ocean | Reliving My Tomboy Days

It all began when I was five or six years old and saw a boy peeing on a tree. I remember being outrageously jealous. Not because he had something down there that I didn't, but rather because he could pee standing up and I couldn't. I know this for a fact because I tried, and trust me, it wasn't easy having to explain to my mother why my shorts and socks were wet when I went in from the neighborhood playground.

I never tried to pee on a tree again, but I did grow up playing with matchbox cars instead of Barbie dolls. By the time adolescence rolled around, I could outrun and out-climb all the boys my age. So when the idea for SOUTHERN FATALITY came to me, I decided to relive my tomboy days by writing from the first person male point of view.

A mystery, tough guy action adventure, it was so much fun to write as I tried to think and talk and fight like a guy. But then something strange happened. The character woke me up in the middle of the night and told me she was a woman. So I gave her a sex change and did a rewrite.

Who is Jersey Barnes? Take the toughest, most hardcore military-trained dude you can imagine. Then stuff him inside the body of a 5' 8 female with a gorgeous set of size D breast implants and a knockout smile. Give her a penchant for quality lingerie and a quick wit. Oh, and don't forget to strap on a .45 caliber Glock. Getting the idea? The first in a new mystery adventure series, SOUTHERN FATALITY is due out today. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


T. Lynn Ocean

http://www.tlynnocean.com/

Stephanie Bond | Writing Roots

Not very many people know (and the handful of people who did once know, have no reason to remember) that my first writing credit was in the December 1979 issue of ‘Teen' magazine. The cover featured a pretty brunette model with blue eyes, her hair pulled up into a loose bun that looks Gibson-girlish, wearing a red shiny shirt with tiny black polka dots buttoned all the way to the top button. My, how fashions and hairstyles have changed! The theme for the magazine that month was “DAZZLE! Looks that sparkle!” The cover articles are “Party Pretties With Zip,” “Packages That Reflect You (easy gifts to make),” “Your Body (facts and fallacies),” Knockout Nail Care (complete hand book),” “Why You’re Shy (how to change),” and “Embarrassing Moments (celebrity blush up).” The entertainment section featured Dirk Benedict (Lieutenant Starbuck in Battlestar Gallactica), The Bee Gees, Charlene Tilton, and Michael Jackson (looking very different than today)! The regular columns in the magazine were Horoscope, Dear Doctor, Dear Jack, Dear Jill, Meet the Supersports, Flea Market, and Reader Write-On.

In the Reader Write-On column, readers could submit original poems. I did, and my poem was chosen for the above issue. And now, I am baring my 13-year-old soul to the readers of the FreshFiction blog:

A Stormy Thought
Hearing the storm,
Watching the rain,
Thinking of you,
Feeling the pain.

I was so young,
Unable to think,
Thirsty for love,
You let me drink.

Trusting in you,
I gave you myself,
Just when I found love,
You found someone else.

My dreams clouded over,
To resemble the skies,
The rain kept on falling,
And flowed out of my eyes.

My pride had been hurt,
My heart was now scarred,
“But next time,” I vowed,
“I won’t fall so hard.”

Pretty heavy stuff for someone who wouldn’t have her first boyfriend for another year or so! Do you think I was influenced by the romance novels I was devouring at the rate of one a day? Or maybe one of the country music songs that played on the radio that my mom kept on the top of the refrigerator (it was on 24/7). But I was so thrilled by that publishing credit—it was my first taste of seeing my name in print, my first experience thinking, “Wow, other people are reading words that I put together!” Through many moves and life changes, I’ve kept the issue of ‘Teen with my poem in it all this time. It’s yellowed and falling apart, I store it in a protective cover. And whenever I feel defeated about my career or a current project, pulling out that magazine never fails to give me a lift. Also, I’m wondering if any of the other four budding writers featured that month have gone on to have a career in publishing. Does anyone know these women (ages as of 1979):

Marcia Lusk, 16, St. Johns, MI
Ann Schlott, 16, Baltimore, MD
Judy McCrary, (no age given), San Deigo, CA


BODY MOVERS available now in paperback, large print, and e-book formats!

BODY MOVERS: 2 Bodies for the Price of 1 available now in oversize paerback and e-book formats!

HEAT WAVE anthology available now in paperback and e-book formats!

SHE DID A BAD, BAD THING available now in paperback and audio!

Check out the Open Book blog on http://www.stephaniebond.com/.


Stephanie Bond

Gemma Halliday | High Heels Mysteries

Yay, I get to be on the Fresh Fiction blog! (squee!) Hi all! I’m Gemma Halliday and I write the High Heels Mysteries about L.A. shoe designer turned crime fighter, Maddie Springer, and the sexy yet stubborn LAPD detective, Jack Ramirez. So far I’ve had a blast writing about Maddie’s many adventures. In Spying in High Heels she navigates the L.A. freeways (no small task!) to track down a missing boyfriend, $20 million in embezzled funds, and ultimately, a cold blooded killer - despite the interference of one sexy detective, trying to derail her ‘girly’ investigation at every turn. The second book, Killer in High Heels, begins with a mysterious phone message that leads Maddie to Las Vegas were she encounters a group of Prada smuggling shoe counterfeiters, a handful of aging drag queens, and once very scary mobster. Not to mention the likes of Ramirez, hot and bothered to see her interfering in one of his investigations. Again.

The third Heels installment just hit bookstores and, not to play favorites, but I think I had more fun writing this one than any of the others! Undercover in High Heels finds Maddie back in L.A., Hollywood to be exact, where she goes undercover as the new wardrobe assistant on the set of TV’s hottest prime time soap, Magnolia Lane. Which sounds like a dream job until a beautiful young starlet winds up dead on the set. Now it’s up to Maddie to catch a killer as she sifts through a leading lady with a secret, an actor on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a sexy cyber scandal, and one tabloid reporter who'll stop at nothing to get the story of the century. Not to mention the case's familiar lead detective, Jack Ramirez, whose patience with Maddie is wearing thin, maybe for good this time.

While book number three hits the shelves, I’m also crossing my fingers that Maddie and her gang may be expanding into other mediums soon. Spying in High Heels is currently in development with the USA Network for a TV show in the upcoming 2007/2008 season! This is completely thrilling news to me not only as a writer, but also as a huge TV watcher. Okay, maybe watcher isn’t exactly an accurate description. I’m a total addict. Take away my TV and I go into withdrawals, trolling the Internet for updates on all my favorite shows. The ones I can’t live without: Grey’s Anatomy (man, did I cry during the season finale! Burke, how could you?), House (why am I always attracted to the bad boys?), Law and Order: CI (moving to the USA Network in the fall!), and of course the show that Maddie’s fictional Magnolia Lane is modeled after, Desperate Housewives (OMG – did Edie really kill herself?! Over Carlos?! No. Freakin. Way.).

So, if any of you are willing to come out an publicly admit to being TV junkies too, tell me what your can’t-live-without shows are and I’ll send one lucky commenter a signed copy of Undercover in High Heels.

Until then, happy reading (and watching!)!
Gemma Halliday

www.gemmahalliday.com

Here is my group blog (it's brand new – we're very excited!):http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/highheelsmysteries

http://www.killerfiction.net/

Celebrate the Last Return of the "Sopranos" with books!

And you thought they only acted the parts...but no, you can check out A Meal To Die For by Joseph R. Gannascoli. A Culinary Novel of Crime, have you ever heard of a Food Broker? Why not?

Or if you'd rather eat your way through the "mob," try one of Steve Schirripa's self-help books. The Goomba Diet is a good place to start.

Or try one of his YA books about Nicky Deuce -- WELCOME TO THE FAMILY is fun to read even for an adult *grin*