The third Simon & Elizabeth Mystery takes place in Elizabeth's darkest time. Mary I is on the throne, and Elizabeth will quite possibly be put to death for plotting treason. Mary is one of my least favorite people from that time, though I understand how she came to be as she was.
I feel compelled to say here that I dislike the practice of some authors of turning the people of the Tudor Age into what they were not. Some authors go too far to sell books, making a soap opera out of the lives...
My publisher for the Dead Detective series was small and very approachable, so when I got the idea for the Loser Mysteries, I went to them with it. They loved the first book, Killing Silence, claiming it would be my "breakout novel." A bookstore owner said the same thing once she read it, saying while she liked my other books, this was The One. The hoopla they predicted didn't happen, but it was nice of them to say it.
I know where this story came from. At the time, my daughter faced a bunch...
You might be thinking by now, "This woman has written a lot of books!" That's true, because I love it. Self-publishing is both a blessing and a curse to modern writing. It's a blessing for authors who are willing to do the work that publication requires. They can write and share their stories without the gatekeepers who once passed judgment on what would and would not be offered to the public.
At a conference once, I heard an agent explain that there were times when she had thirty excellent...
I mentioned earlier that I had two publishers for a while. One handled the Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries, while the other had taken a liking to the Dead Detective Mysteries.
This is a good time to mention that I never work on two books at once. I haven't got that kind of brain, so I focus on one until it reaches a "resting" stage, complete in a sense but perhaps not ready for sharing. I might write a rough draft and set it aside for a week or more. I might write a decent draft and as a beta...
An earlier post introduced my Tudor series, The Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries, and Poison, Your Grace is Book #2. Three of the four books were published by a traditional publisher that ceased to exist in 2023. I learned a lot from them about the business, particularly about the importance of editing and covers. Everyone there was kind and patient with me, though I sometimes chuckled at their suggestions. "We need you to get a blurb about your upcoming book from one of your author friends."
...
Shakespeare's Blood comes from my years as an English teacher, and some of the crimes within that story might come from Shakespeare's admittedly bloody plots. It's the only one of my books that I would warn people not to read if they aren't into nasty murders. While I have no desire to write such things, when an idea comes along I write it down. It's only later that I think, "Ick. That was a gory one!"
I wrote the story when internet publishing was in its infancy and I was unaware of the...
This is another one I haven't got an explanation for. Where did the idea (which I can't tell you about because it would ruin the surprise) come from?
I know it was early on in my writing career. While I was looking for representation for Macbeth's Niece, I wrote a couple of other books, including Not Dead Yet... I queried agents for this one too, and a woman took it on. For a year she tried to sell it, but she got no takers.
I understand. It's hard to pitch a book that you have to read halfway...
At a mystery conference probably twenty years ago, I met a woman known in the industry for being successful but also waspish. When I told her I'd signed with a traditional publisher to produce my Elizabethan mystery, Her Highness' First Murder, she dismissed me with a contemptuous, two-prong comment. First, I'd signed with the "wrong" people. She could have helped me, but I'd thrown that chance away by choosing elsewhere. Then she announced that the Tudors were "done" anyway.
First, I hadn't...
People often ask where ideas come from. For this one, I got nuttin'. I haven't even got a memory of when I thought, "I should write this down." Somehow, somewhere, I got the idea for a detective from the Afterlife who'd go back to the world and solve your murder so your soul could rest. Like I said, no idea where it came from.
I wrote it down, but at the time I was under contract for some historical mysteries I'd begun. (More on that next time.) While I was shilling--I mean promoting--those in...
If you read the last blog entry, you know I'm giving a bit of history of my publishing career. I decided not to go strictly chronologically, because when I wrote the stories is often different from when they were published. What feels like the correct order for me doesn't line up with dates you'll see for each book.
Her Ex-GI P.I. was fun to write, because I took my husband's stories of Vietnam and wove them into a '60s murder mystery. Carrie is a '60s woman of twenty who's unwilling to settle...
I'm not good at thinking up blog material, but I read a how-to guide for authors that suggested I should trace the development of my writing career in my blog. I like that idea, because I have lots to write about there.
My first book, Macbeth's Niece, was inspired by my years of teaching Shakespeare's Macbeth. It took 6 years to become a book. I worked on it for two years while teaching school, directing plays, and conducting choirs. When I thought it was perfect (Little did I know!), I...
I signed up for Smashwords' End of Year sale, going on for the rest of December. They let authors choose the discount they want to offer. I chose to make all my books free. (If you're in a hurry, you can stop reading and go there now: http://smashwords.com/sale
My husband thinks this is crazy, and I get that. I work for months to write, edit, set up, and publish a book, and then I give it away. It does sound a little odd.
But here's the thing. Independent authors have very little power in the...
About two weeks ago, I got an email from a woman who said she'd picked up an old book of mine, KIDNAP.org. She loved it. She commented on the characters, the unique situation, the humor, and the moral questions the book raises about legality versus morality. She ended by saying she thought book clubs would love it, and she'd like to help me contact them.
I've been around, so I sensed a hook, but I asked what it would cost. Answer: More than I want to invest in what would probably result in a...
SELL MORE BOOKS! Get your book in front of thousands of readers! Don't miss the chance to capture fans' interest!
Every days, multiple times a day, I get messages from people who want to help me sell my books. They promise all kinds of success, but in my (admittedly) limited experience with spending money on advertising, they seldom deliver. Yes, they will put my new book (YESTERDAY'S MURDER, in case you're interested) before all their subscribers. But here's what they don't say: dozens of...
August 3rd is Release Day for Yesterday's Murder, so the title of this blog post really does make sense.
I started this story a long time ago, maybe fifteen years back. I loved the premise of a woman waking from a long-term coma, finding that her life is completely changed, and then having to solve a really cold case. I wrote maybe half of my idea down at the time, but I was working with two different publishers on two different series, and it just became too much. I set YM on the shelf (well,...
An author knows the end is near when Amazon starts sending, "Are you sure your book is ready for publication?" notices, and I experienced the first of those over the weekend. That meant a day of making sure, checking everything twice and maybe once more.
YESTERDAY'S MURDER is pending. It can be pre-ordered, which is a good thing for authors. Every pre-order is counted on release day (August 3rd, in this case), so the book rises in the algorithms, which gets it seen by more people, who buy it...
Today I'm reminding myself that people have lived under repressive governments for millennia, from restrictive religious communities to grinding autocracies. They suffer, but they learn to laugh and love and live within the limits they face.
I'm reminding myself that the leaders of such societies tend to be megalomaniacs who demand constant praise, no matter how false and fawning it becomes. The sycophants willing to shower such leaders with false compliments are many, but in their hearts they...
I've always been a lover of classic Broadway shows. I adore the musical numbers, the themes, and the glorious energy displayed on stage. I'm amazed at great songwriters' ability to teach us as they entertain, with numbers like "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" from Grease or "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" from South Pacific..
Lately I've had a number from Camelot running through my head. Not the usual ones, like "If Ever I Would Leave You" or "Camelot," but one a group of knights sing...
A few years back, our little town elected people to the school board who trumpeted themes we hear from many extremists these days: the school was corrupt. The teachers were pedophiles. There were kitty litter boxes in the bathrooms. No one knows how they got in, except that the grownups weren't paying attention. That's how logic dies.
When I went to a board meeting to see what all the fuss was about, I found a half-dozen other retired teachers who were as shocked by the new board members'...
I love the mood set by this cover photo. The problem arises when it's reduced in size, because the lettering melts into unreadable blobs. We're experimenting with new fonts and colors, so it might end up with all black or all white lettering, or the artist who helps me with covers might find a font that shows up better.
Covers are weird in that they speak to some and not to others. Are we subconsciously looking for a certain vibe, so that our eyes stop at the book on the shelf at the store...