Sunday, July 14, 2019

With a Little Help from My Friends


More help than I even planned, for this—my first blog here!



Here’s what I planned to say…

There’s no other kind of writer I’d rather be than a mystery writer. Yeah, journalism would be sexy and exciting, getting sent to areas of conflict, doing undercover work, revealing corruption. Oh, you say you don’t start out that way? It’s mall openings and Elk meetings for quite a few years?

Romance writing sounds intriguing. Think of the research, right? Then there’s literary writing. Those are the books that make it to the top of the best-seller lists.

But mystery writing is the best. You know why? Because of mystery writers. They are the best. Even people who are not mystery writers notice it. We don’t backstab. We support each other. We’re genuinely happy when a colleague breaks into print, gets a fantastic review, wins an award.

Our conferences are the best. Many of us write in solitary seclusion much of the time, isolated from one another—our fellow humans and even our fellow mystery writers. But a conference is chance to get together with our own kind. We’re delighted to tour a forensic anthropology lab. 


We love talking about poisons and weapons. We even overcome our fear of public speaking to be on panels before incredibly friendly, supportive, and interested audiences.



Take for instance, this blog. Here we are, a bunch of mystery writers supporting each other.

Here’s the unplanned part:
My fellow blog mates support even me, who is late posting on my very first day!
I am so grateful to have been asked to participate here. This is an awesome bunch!
Thanks!! (And feel free to edit out the exclamation points, if needed.)

13 comments:

  1. Hi, Kaye. Great to have you here at WWK. The mystery writing world is great. I don't think I would have been published if it hadn't been for the support of other mystery writers.

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  2. Welcome, Kaye! I'm so happy to have you here as my alternating Sunday blogger buddy!

    Yes, I've heard so many readers say how NICE mystery authors are. And they say it with a lot of astonishment in their voices. I always say it's because we (fictionally) kill the people who annoy us. We get all our hostility out of our system and onto our pages. This leaves us feeling peaceful, happy, and supportive.

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  3. Same here, Grace, most definitely.

    Thanks, Annette. That's exactly what I tell people, to try to explain how it is. Writing is good, no great therapy.

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  4. I agree. The first time I met you, Kaye, I thought, “What a funny, easy-to-talk-with person who thinks about interesting ways to kill people. Uh, fictional people. And we first met at a book conference.

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  5. Welcome, Kaye! You've got more than a few stories to tell...and there's always the 2024 solar eclipse.

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  6. Susan, how nice to hear!
    Margaret, I'll be there, in Texas, to see that one, God willin and the crick don't rise.

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  7. Hi Kaye, welcome to Writers Who Kill. I know you will be right at home here, and I'm glad to have you on the team.

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  8. So glad to have you joining us!

    I enjoy your books, and always enjoy seeing you when I get the chance.

    You're right. Mystery writers are the best!

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  9. All true!! Mystery writers are the best!

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  10. Glad to be here, Kathleen!
    Hi Marilyn!

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  11. Welcome, Kaye! So glad to have you here at Writers Who Kill!

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