Hieroglyphic Novels Took Too Long

Advertisements often pander to our fears and vanities, and offer solutions based on fantasy. Does using red, white, and blue toothpaste take care of patriotic duty? Does reading a romance with a steamy cover make a person a great lover? Sometimes, as though their own emotions weren’t important enough, teenagers practice expressing emotion by copying the behaviors and language of their favorite movie and TV stars. I don’t think copying emotions and attitudes is unique to teenagers. Sometimes it’s hard to cut through all the illusions and make-believe.

Occasionally advertisers come up with a statement that makes a listener think. The Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones, I heard recently. That’s for sure. The area where I live could have kept the world in stones for another millennium. Science fiction books and movies sometimes show people living in gangs fighting over the last few drops of oil to keep their vehicles, which look remarkably like cars from the forties and fifties, running. I’m never sure exactly where people are heading in their rusty vehicles—to another oil puddle?

Where I live, many people have taken to growing enough food to last summer and winter. Buying out of season fruit and veggies is no longer popular. If an apple’s shiny, it’s suspect. The smell of apple is what counts. Will people start making their own energy? Wood stoves are increasing in popularity. Will an enterprising inventor come up with a backyard windmill that provides enough electricity for a home? Garden catalogs now advertise more and more containers that will grow fruit and veggies in an apartment or on the roof of an apartment building. Some of these containers use light, water, and nutrients so plants grow when the snow is three feet deep outside. Several of my neighbors own chicken and goats. Perhaps people who live in cities could come together in groups to own land just outside the city for growing and grazing.

Also changing is the world of publishing. An advertisement could say that we don’t use e-readers because we ran out of paper. Libraries have stored human knowledge and the best that human imagination could produce. All that can now be stored in an area one-millionth the size of the original storage space. Kids grow up tuned into whatever is lightweight, digital, and wireless. I’d guess the youngest generation will be more willing to publish independently and not rely on gate-keepers. Do we need to worry about vast quantities of trash being published? (Always supposing you haven’t become immune to the vast quantities of trash on land and sea). What’s popular one year, disappears the next. Sometimes e-published writers receive bad reviews from all who read them.

If everyone except writers stops reading fiction, what will happen? I know several intelligent people, especially boys and men, who don’t read fiction. My sister, an MD, hasn’t read a novel since high school. If the general public stops reading fiction, will writers stop writing fiction? I doubt it.

Who will be the audience for fiction? How will imaginary stories reach us?

An Interview with F. M. Meredith

EBD: Your latest release, Angel Lost, is part of your Rock Bluff P.D. series, also called the Dark Oak series. Why Dark Oak?

FMM: Dark Oak is just what the publisher calls all the mysteries Oak Tree publishes. It has nothing to do with my title.

EBD: How did you develop this series? Who is your main character? What’s the series hook?

FMM: I’ll start with the hook. The RBPD series focuses on the town’s police department, the officers and their families. My intent is to show how what goes on with the job affects the families and what’s happening with the family affects the job. There are a lot of on-going characters who make an appearance in most of the books, but each book tends to focus a bit more on one or two characters. The focus character in Angel Lost is Officer Stacey Wilbur who also acts as the department’s vice officer but can’t concentrate on much except her upcoming marriage to Detective Doug Milligan.

When I wrote the first book in the series, Final Respects, I had the same intent, but didn’t plan on writing a series. The more books I wrote the more I fell in love with the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen to them.

EBD: Why did you title your book Angel Lost?

FMM: I can’t really tell you the reason for the title without giving away two huge plot points—but I will say the title has a double meaning.

EBD: Your setting is almost another character, portrayed vividly. Have you lived in a small coastal California town?

FMM: Yes, we lived for over twenty years in Oxnard back when it was a small town (which it is no longer) and that’s the main reason I created the fictional location of Rocky Bluff that is between Santa Barbara and Ventura—but it isn’t Carpinteria.

EBD: Tell me about your other series, Tempe Crabtree. Who is Tempe Crabtree, and where is the series set?

FMM: Tempe Crabtree is a Native American female resident deputy in a mountain community in the Southern Sierra called Bear Creek. (Bear Creek is similar to the place where I live though I moved it 1000 feet higher in the mountains for better trees and occasional snow.) The Sierra (which means mountain, by the way) is the range which runs down the eastern spine of California. Bear Creek is north and east of Bakersfield and south and east of Fresno in the Central Valley.

EBD: Both series are police procedurals of sorts, but that’s not the only subgenre in which you write. Tell me about the Christian Horror. Is it paranormal?

FMM: I wrote three Christian Horror, which I’d term supernatural rather than paranormal. They are extremely scary but also Christian. Between my series, I wrote a romance with a touch of the supernatural, Lingering Spirit.

EBD: Although Angel Lost is about the Rocky Bluff P.D., there is an element of the paranormal in it. Do all of your books have this element?

FMM: I think this is the first time I’ve had anything you might call paranormal in a RBPD book—but it’s based on something that actually happened in the city of Porterville, which is 17 miles away from my home. There is almost always some kind of Indian mysticism in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series.

EBD: You have nearly twenty books published. Were they all published by Oak Tree Press? Are your books available in electronic format?

FMM: I think the number is closer to thirty these days. I guess I ought to count them all. I’ve had lots of publishers over the years—a couple of crooks, two that died, one that quit the business, and a couple I chose to leave. Oak Tree Press published the last three in the RBPD series and I’m very happy. Mundania Press publishes the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. Mundania requires their books to have some sort of supernatural element in them. I’m very happy with them too.

Many of my books are available in electronic format. Final Respects, Fringe Benefits, No Sanctuary, and An Axe to Grind are all RBPD books that are available electronically. Several of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree ones are too, as is Lingering Spirit.

EBD: Your book had few editing errors. How does Oak Tree Press deal with its authors? What is the publishing process like with this publisher?

FMM: You must’ve read the ARC since the regular books are just now leaving the printer—I hope we caught all the errors before it went to press with the cover on it, but I wouldn’t bet on it, since I think there are gremlins who hover over the books and insert errors.

This is my process with Oak Tree. I’m not sure what other authors do. I read every book I write to my writing critique group, which I call my first editor. Next, I rewrite. When I think it’s in the shape I want it, I send it off to a reader who is best at catching consistency errors and typos. Then off it goes to the publisher who goes over it and makes suggestions. It comes back to me as a PDF, which I again go over and send back corrections. It came back to me again for another look-over. Yes, I found more mistakes. Those were fixed and the ARC was printed. We both found more errors in the ARC and hopefully they’ve all been fixed.

I usually buy books at a discount from the publisher since I do a lot of hand selling—book and craft fairs, speaking to writers groups and at libraries and writing conferences. This time I ordered 100, which I should have by the time the blog tour is underway.

EBD: What do you like most about being a writer?

FMM: I’ve written all my life. I wrote for years without being published. Received lots of rejections. What I like most right now is that both my publishers like my work and though I have been asked to make minor changes I’m pretty sure that when I finish a book it will be published. What I like most about being a writer is following along with the lives of these people I’ve created though I don’t always know what direction they might take next. I know them far more intimately than I know my closest relatives and friends—because I actually know how these fictional people think.

When I read Angel Lost, my favorite parts of the book were F. M. Meredith’s ability to portray her characters, and her use of setting as another character. If you’d like to buy Angel Lost go to Amazon or obtain an autographed copy through her website.

A Blog by Author Stephen Brayton

Stephen Brayton’s eBook, Night Shadows, was released by Echelon Press on February 15. I asked Stephen to tell us a bit about his book because, like my WIP, Night Shadows is a paranormal mystery. You can find Stephen’s website at http://www.stephenbrayton.com/ and his blog at http://stephenlbrayton.blogspot.com/.     E. B. Davis

From Nosferatu to Twilight. From Van Helsing to Buffy. Boris Karloff grunting out of a tomb wrapped in bandages and Brendan Fraser yucking it up with high tech special effects. The Gaslight stalker to Jason slashing his way through numerous teens. Monsters from space to leviathans below the sea. Every year, there are new movies and books dealing with the supernatural or the paranormal. It’s interesting to see what new demon will arise out of the muck or how the next ghost will manifest. Every now and then one stands out. The original “Halloween” and “The Sixth Sense” come to mind. I like the ones where the suspense builds, easing into the scary good stuff.

I also like the books and movies where you don’t see the monster. That, to me, is the scariest type, because I get to let my imagination run wild with the possibilities. H.P. Lovecraft was a master at this. I’ve read At the Mountains of Madness three times and with reading, I understand a little better and enjoy it a little more.

One of the difficult things I’ve run into while writing are questions from agents/publishers like, “Next to which authors would your book sit?” They want me to liken my writing to someone else’s. Yet, at the same time, I’m supposed to have a ‘fresh voice.’ Writers of all fiction genres fall into this gambit of presenting a new version on old themes.

Night Shadows was created from several sources. I listened to a radio show about encounters with shadow beings and thought it an interesting idea. Then I took a bit from Lovecraft and his ancient book, the Necronomicon. Throw in a taste of the shadowy entities from the movie “Ghost,” and a salute to the X-Files, and there you have it.

I loved the research and creating different scenes where the shadows attack. Because, as I mention in the book, shadows are everywhere. In your car, in your house, in an alley, under a tree. If there is a light source, somewhere there will be a shadow. So, what if those shadows move under their own power and start wreaking havoc? You might see shadows a little differently. When writing the book, I wanted to use locales familiar to people. A parking garage, a library, an antique store, an amusement park. Places people often visit. Then I threw in an exhibit of art for my dimensional portal. The room is real, the descriptions are accurate, and if you ever get a chance to visit it, you’ll definitely have an eerie experience.

I also like paranormal stories involving history. The heroes fighting an enemy that has returned every thirty years to seek vengeance. Old journals and manuscripts from those who have encountered the demon before. A psycho killer with supernatural powers is fine, but battling the same forces of evil your great, great grandfather also faced, is so much better.

Night Shadows follows the adventures of Des Moines homicide investigator, Harry Reznik and FBI agent Lori Campisi as they fight a madman’s release of killer shadow creatures from another dimension. Each has their own personal issues: Harry is stressed out with the spate of recent murders and his wife is pregnant, while Lori struggles with a strange childhood amnesia that might be connected to the current case.

Is this something brand new in the concept of the paranormal, supernatural, or horror? Yes and no. No, because there are recognizable elements from other stories, but yes, because I’ve combined those elements into something a little different.

Please check out Night Shadows and I hope you’ll enjoy it. Thank you.

As primarily a mystery reader, I’m interested in Stephen’s main characters, their investigative roles and personal dilemmas. His portrayal of the shadow creatures intrigues me from a writer’s perspective. Download a copy of Night Shadows, at Omnilit.

Nina Wright Interview

Nina Wright came to fiction in a roundabout way. While acting, she began to write plays, which led to fiction writing. As a result of her acting, she writes driving fiction that focuses on her audience’s emotions through dialogue and scene-staging. Nina also teaches fiction writing workshops. Check out her website at http://www.ninawright.net/.

EBD: Your last Whiskey Mattimoe novel, Whiskey and Water, was published in 2008. Are you continuing the series with Midnight Ink?

NW: Actually, Midnight Ink published the fifth book in the Whiskey Mattimoe series, Whiskey with a Twist, in 2009. As so often happens in publishing, there was a “regime change” that year—just as I was poised to move the series in an exciting new direction. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t read the fifth book: Whiskey reunites with her first husband, Jeb Halloran, just long enough to conceive a child, but they break up again before she can tell him the news. Suspecting that Jeb is still the womanizer she divorced him for being, Whiskey hesitates to include him in her parenting plans. As you might imagine, I’m stoked with ideas for Whiskey’s pregnancy, delivery and beyond.

EBD: Is Mattimoe a Native American name? (But Whiskey is a blonde?)

NW: Actually, Mattimoe is an Irish name. I first encountered it during the 1990s when a local candidate by that name posted his campaign signs. Like most writers, I collect names that interest or amuse me, so I added Mattimoe to my stash.

EBD: If so, what’s in store for Whiskey this time and what is the title? And when can we expect a release?

NW: The good news is that all five Whiskey books are being e-published by Ampichellis for Kindle and Nook, which means they’re affordable and readily available to readers everywhere. The not-so-good news is that I’ll need a new print publisher in order to continue growing the series.

EBD: Your secondary characters are unique and strong. What’s the secret to writing memorable characters?

NW: Thank you! My first creative writing was for the stage, following a short career as a professional actor and director. I credit my theatre experience for teaching me that secondary characters are vital to building a compelling story. If I do my job right, readers will look forward to seeing a secondary character again and even wonder what s/he will do next. Although the fictional personalities I write are sometimes grounded in real-life observations, they evolve according to the tone, setting and situation of my story or series. I like to imagine personalities capable of both simplifying and complicating the protagonist’s journey.

EBD: The Whiskey Mattimoe novel has strong voice; a deadpan sarcastic-wit characterizes the series, which I love. But your youth series has an entirely different flavor. Having seen the trailer on your website, why write adult humor/mystery and youth/paranormal?

NW: Maybe that’s the actor in me, longing to play drama as well as comedy. In life and art, I definitely lean toward the humorous—especially the darkly humorous. Clearly, the Whiskey Mattimoe books are written more for laughs than for chills although I strive to deliver genuine suspense in each book. The paranormal elements in my teen fiction grow out of a strong interest in phenomena that defies logical explanation. I think it’s a natural fit for younger readers because they tend to be fascinated by the larger mysteries and untapped possibilities of life. I should add that as a playwright, although I write more comedy than drama, I often strive to give audiences a theatrical experience that moves them from laughter to pathos and back to humor again.

EBD: Your Whiskey series is set in upstate Michigan where you live. The paranormal series is set in St. Augustine, Florida. Why did you set the series there?

NW: In the mid-2000s, I briefly lived on the west coast of Florida. During that time, I impulsively drove over to St. Augustine and was smitten by the historic section. I wandered all day and late into the night through the narrow streets, drinking in the ambience. Although I have always loved old communities, the haunted aura of St. Augustine almost overwhelmed me. I knew immediately that I would write a book set there. Over the next few years, I made many trips back, even after I returned to living up North. While I was writing Sensitive, I befriended a man who led ghost tours in St. Augustine. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and is a font of knowledge about alternate belief systems. Meeting him was a sign to me that I was telling the story I was meant to tell.

EBD: Your book, Homefree, started the youth paranormal series, but you also wrote a sequel, Sensitive. Does this mean you may start a series?

NW: I loved writing about Easter Hutton and the organization called Homefree, which recruits teens who have paranormal abilities they don’t understand. Flux, a division of Llewellyn, published the first two books. My editorial team changed after the second book, as did many major things in my personal and professional life. I’m a firm believer that the books we write are deeply tied to the time in our lives when we write them. In other words, we couldn’t have written them either sooner or later than we did. That’s not to say that a series can’t extend over many years. However, I’m working on a book now that’s not part of the Homefree saga. Even so, I wouldn’t rule out revisiting Easter’s world and continuing her story.

EBD: The trailer you have for Sensitive is quite good. Can you tell us about how the trailer was made?

NW: I was fortunate to meet a young fan of Homefree who was learning to make book trailers. She showed me what she could do, and I hired her on the spot. She has gone on to work for many authors.

EBD: Are you represented by an agent? How did you get published by Midnight Ink? Do they publish cross-genre, such as my book—a paranormal romantic mystery?

NW: David Dunton of The Harvey Klinger Agency represents me. However, I was originally represented by the Wylie-Merrick Agency, who sent my first Whiskey Mattimoe mystery to Llewellyn just as they were gearing up the Midnight Ink imprint. Whiskey on the Rocks has the distinction of being the very first book published by Midnight Ink, which focuses on publishing cozies.

EBD: Does Midnight Ink hold the electronic rights to your Whiskey series?

NW: No, I’ve sold those rights to Ampichellis—a new and aggressive player in e-publishing. The folks at Ampichellis used to run the Wylie-Merrick literary agency, so they’re savvy about publishing and marketing.

EBD: I didn’t understand your publishing links on your website. On Amazon, the publisher of your paranormal series is listed as Flux, but on your website it is listed as Flux/Llewellyn. What’s the story there?

NW: Both Flux and Midnight Ink are imprints of Llewellyn Worldwide.

EBD: Did you find that you could work with both/all publishers easily?

NW: Yes. Although both imprints had completely different editorial teams, I found that I could adapt well. I’m a quick learner who prides herself on being highly flexible. Frankly, it’s a job requirement.

EBD: In addition to your blogs and website, how do you promote your novels?

NW: I do book signings and also sponsor my own modest tour for each book as it comes out. I consistently incorporate book sales with my play readings, workshops, and other events.

EBD: You teach workshops? In any particular place or are your workshops on-line?

NW: Although I think it might eventually be worthwhile to evolve into teaching online workshops, as a seasoned performer and teacher, I’m very well suited to leading lively “live” workshops. I enjoy the process of customizing the material and presentation to the audience. Most recently, I worked with a talented team of young actors in Chicagoland who were writing their own opera.

EBD: You made the switch from acting to writing. Why?

NW: The glib answer is that I wanted to have a garden and a dog. Professional acting, as I knew it, meant touring in shows most weeks of the year. The complete answer is that I didn’t want to be an actor as much as I wanted to be a writer. I was born to be a writer who sometimes acts, rather than an actor who occasionally writes. Essentially, I am a story-builder—part lone wolf, part exhibitionist.

EBD: Do you like life as a writer?

NW: I love it! For a brief period, I was able to afford to do it full time, and I hope to figure out how to make that happen again. For better or for worse, at this point in my life I need a full-time day job, so the writing must be fitted around that. Most writers have to work that way. Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to talk about what I love doing.

Now that I’m hooked on Nina’s Whiskey series, I’ll have to go cold turkey until the next release. But I’m going to read her youth paranormal series, since I’m writing a paranormal romantic mystery, to understand how she crafts it. Look for Nina’s blogs at: http://www.whiskeymattimoe.blogspot.com/, http://ninawrightwriter.blogspot.com/, and her teen fiction blog at: http://mrfairlessrules.blogspot.com/.

If you have a question for Nina please post a comment and when you do also wish her a Happy Birthday!

Author Marja McGraw

Marja McGraw is originally from Southern California, where she worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement for several years. Relocating to Northern Nevada, she worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation. Marja also did a stint in Oregon where she worked for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and owned her own business, a Tea Room/Antique store. After a brief stop in Wasilla, Alaska, she returned to Nevada where she wrote a weekly column for a small newspaper. She was the editor for the Sisters in Crime Internet Newsletter for a year and a half. She’s appeared on television in Nevada, and also has been a guest on radio and Internet radio shows. Her mysteries contain a little humor, a little romance and a little murder. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband. Visit Marja at http://www.marjamcgraw.com/.

EBD: I read The Bogey Man, which is told through your main character Sandi Webster. Do you find writing in first person the best POV for your books?

MM: I’m a storyteller. In fact, I probably drive my friends crazy because I have a story for every occasion. (It’s been an interesting life.) Consequently, I created Sandi to be a storyteller. Instead of an overview of what everyone is doing as in third person, she has to depend on people telling her things, seeing things for herself, or finding information the hard way. I don’t know if first person is the best point of view (POV), but it is the easiest for me.

EBD: I liked Sandi very much and was interested in her relationship with her mother. Did personal history contribute to this character and their relationship?

MM: Maybe a little bit; although, it would be based on my daughter and me rather than my mother and me. We barely knew that my mother was going through the change of life. I, on the other hand, went through it starting at age forty and it really was a very bumpy ride for all of those around me. As for the other parts of their relationship, Sandi’s overbearing mother is based on many people I’ve known throughout my life, both female and male. I generally try to keep my real family out of my characters, but I suppose once in a while traits can’t be avoided. You know the old thought that says, Write What You Know About.

EBD: The setting is in L.A. in the Hollywood milieu. Have you lived there? Have you worked in the industry there?

MM: The Bogey Man is the only story based on the Hollywood crowd. I’m originally from Southern California and my family goes back several generations there, although I didn’t work in the movie industry. The setting is based on personal observations, pure fiction, and people watching. I used to be extremely shy, and consequently I watched people and tried to figure out what made them tick. That habit has carried over into my writing life. Other stories require a lot of research, but this one didn’t to any great extent.

EBD: I understand that you’ve worked in criminal law enforcement, which I take to mean that you were a police officer in CA. Have I understood you correctly? What is civil law enforcement?

MM: Civil law enforcement deals with everything from serving legal papers to enforcing court judgments to evictions, and a lot in between. No, I wasn’t a police officer. I was a Deputy Clerk with the Los Angeles County Marshal’s Office (which is now part of the Sheriff’s Office). However, in the day, there weren’t any female deputies, so when I worked in the smaller courthouses, I found myself sometimes doing deputies’ tasks out of necessity when it involved a female.

Have I got stories! The Clerks were in on most situations from beginning to end. We started the process, typed up reports, and even served civil process in the office. I worked in criminal law enforcement in the same capacity, meaning clerical. I learned a lot over the years, and continue to learn through friends and relatives who are still working in law enforcement, and they are officers and detectives.

EBD: Your secondary characters are interesting, Felicity DuBois -a hand model and Sandi’s best friend, her boyfriend Stanley-the techie in Sandi’s office, and of course Chris Cross-the Bogey look-alike who meets Pamela-a single mother and waitress. Any advice on developing secondary characters since you are adept at creating them?

MM: Thank you for the compliment. My advice is simply to observe the people around you; on television, in the grocery store and everywhere you go. No two individuals are really alike, and I think a writer needs to remember that when creating characters. If they’re all similar, then the story becomes boring. Keep the characters fresh, allow them to grow and change, and remember that the reader needs to be able to relate to some of them.

EBD: Your next book, Bogey Nights, in this series confuses me. It is told (I’m assuming first person POV) through Chris Cross’s wife Pamela’s POV. What happened to Sandi Webster?

MM: Readers liked The Bogey Man, Chris Cross, so much that I decided to give him his own series, which Oak Tree Press has picked up. Bogey Nights is the first in the new series and a spinoff from the Sandi Webster mysteries. The stories are told from Pamela’s POV because I believe I can represent a woman’s POV much better than a man’s perspective.

Sandi hasn’t disappeared. In fact, I’ve just started a new Sandi Webster mystery.

EBD: The Bogey Man is the fourth Sandi Webster novel. Do writers need to create other projects to keep their ideas fresh for their original series, or do you see the Chris Cross series taking Sandi’s place like natural evolution?

MM: Sandi is here to stay, as long as people enjoy reading about her experiences and adventures. However, Chris and Pamela Cross have been a wonderful diversion. Some stories are “right” for Sandi, and others wouldn’t fit into her life style. I think working on two series does keep the writing fresh, and it opens doors leading to different types of stories that can be related to different characters in the two series.

EBD: Can you give us a short synopsis of Bogey Nights?

MM: The tagline is, “You know your day has taken a turn for the worse when you buy a vintage house to convert into a restaurant, and you find a vintage body buried in the basement.” Chris and Pamela discover a murder that stems from the 1940s, and they find that the house they’ve bought to convert into a forties-themed restaurant used to be a boarding house. At the request of the victim’s family, they begin to investigate the old murder and find that seniors can be just as dangerous as younger people.

There is a second Bogey mystery sitting in the wings, waiting for discovery, and it’s about four Church Ladies who give Bogey headaches on a daily basis, along with a mystery to solve. The title is BOGEY'S ACE IN THE HOLE.

EBD: What’s the hook of the new Sandi Webster novel?

MM: The working title for Sandi’s latest mystery is Old Murders Never Die. The hook is that Sandi and her partner, Pete, become stranded in a ghost town while on a camping trip, and discover a mystery that’s been waiting to be solved for many years. Why did the residents of this small town pick up and leave without bothering to take their belongings with them?

Oh, there’s also a cowboy on horseback who complicates the issues.

EBD: Wings ePress, Inc. has published your novels. Did you submit your manuscript to them or do you have an agent who placed it?

MM: I submitted my manuscript to Wings, and thankfully they liked it. They’ve been good to work with, and I appreciate them very much. As I said, the new series is being published by Oak Tree Press. I don’t have an agent, and I also submitted directly to Oak Tree. I believe both small publishers are right for me and my books.

EBD: The name of your publisher is ironic since my copy is a trade paperback. Are your books available in other formats?

MM: Wings ePress, Inc. offers both ebooks and trade paperbacks, which makes me very happy. The books are also available through Amazon.com, including the Kindle format, and of course through ebook distributors.

EBD: Are you satisfied by Wing ePress, Inc.? Will you continue to publish with them?

MM: I’ve been very satisfied with Wings and at this time I’m planning on offering them Old Murders Never Die. They’ve been good to work with, and I think they really care about their authors. I believe I’ll have the same experience with Oak Tree Press.

EBD: Do you have any upcoming events promoting your books that you can tell us about?

MM: At present, with the economy in its slump, I have no plans for personal appearances. (I’m one of the many who got laid off from my day job.) Of course, that could change in a heartbeat. At this point in time, I’m doing most of my promoting on the Internet. I’ve done many appearances at libraries, and have enjoyed that immensely. I hope to continue those appearances in the not-too-distant future.

EBD: How do you feel about the life of a mystery writer?

MM: Don’t let anyone kid you, writing is a job. But I have to admit that writing mysteries is the most fun I’ve ever had on a job. It’s not only fun, but very fulfilling. I’m just sorry I didn’t start writing when I was younger. Although, come to think of it, I wouldn’t have had as many of life’s experiences to draw on, so my stories would have been very different.

Thank you, Elaine, for a terrific interview, and for taking the time to read The Bogey Man. I hope that someday you’ll invite me back. This is a lovely place to visit.

Thanks Marja. Let’s visit again when your next book comes out. Check Marja’s web/blog site for the release dates of Bogey Nights and the new Sandi Webster novel Old Murders Never Die at http://www.marjamcgraw.com/.

An Interview with Author Stacy Juba

Avon Books published author Stacy Juba at age eighteen. After a career in journalism, she returned to writing fiction full-time. By then, she had won several fiction awards. As fellow members of SinC and its subchapter Guppies, I became familiar with Stacy’s writing and promotion, in which she takes a proactive approach, making me want to know more about her. Stacy blogs at http://stacyjuba.com/blog/blog. Keep current with Stacy’s publishing schedule at her website, http://stacyjuba.com/blog/.

EBD: You’ve written nonfiction as a journalist, children’s books (The Flag Keeper), young-adult (Face-Off), traditional mystery (Twenty-Five Years Ago Today), suspense/romance (Sink or Swim) and paranormal young adult mystery (the upcoming DARK BEFORE DAWN) genres. Do you have a preference? Will you settle on one, or will you rove?

SJ: I do bounce around a lot, but writing adult mysteries is my first love. Both Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim are traditional mysteries with an element of romantic suspense. My style for my adult mysteries is a traditional mystery with a romance subplot. I see myself staying within that genre in the future. I'm currently working on Sign of the Messenger, the first book in a holistic mystery series, about a psychic healer who co-owns a metaphysical center. She has a boyfriend and that relationship will be an important part of the series. I may do more young adult books, but I don't see myself writing any more picture books. The Flag Keeper was a special idea that came to me, about a unique way to teach children flag etiquette and it is easy to promote due to the subject, but I rarely get ideas for children's books.

EBD: Your new novel, Sink or Swim, has an unusual hook. What is it?

SJ: It's about Cassidy Novak, a personal trainer who goes on a reality show set aboard a Tall Ship. She comes in second and returns to her normal life, then learns she has attracted a stalker who may be killing off her former competitors. It takes a look at the reality show trend - what might motivate someone to try out for a reality show and how that experience could change their life. Although the reality show is the hook, most of the book takes place after the show ends, when Cassidy resumes her health club job in her hometown. It's a traditional mystery with an unusual hook.

EBD: As a writer, often the research for a book seems daunting. How did you research reality shows for Sink or Swim?

SJ: I don't regularly watch reality shows, but I made a point of watching one or two episodes of a half-dozen programs to get an idea of what they were like, and then I created my own fictional show. I'm familiar with game show auditions, as my husband and I have both tried out for The Price is Right and Jeopardy, and my husband has been interviewed for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. I incorporated some of that detail into the book such as what the application process is like for a game show and what a TV studio looks like. For the most part, I just used my imagination and figured that if it's my show, it's my rules.

EBD: You talked to former contestants on these shows. How did you make contacts to do that?

SJ: I didn't talk to them before writing the book, but I contacted some afterwards as I wanted endorsements for the back cover.

EBD: Did you give them advanced copies to read? Were any of them “technical consultants?”

SJ: I found Stephenie LaGrossa from “Survivor Palau and Guatemala,” (the tenth and eleventh seasons of the series Survivor) and “Heroes vs. Villains” (the twentieth season of Survivor) and Shawne Morgan from The Amazing Race, “Episode 16” through their web sites, and Michelle Costa from Big Brother, “Season 10” through Facebook.

I emailed them and asked if they would be willing to read the book and consider giving an endorsement, and they all were gracious enough to agree. About seven months before the book's release date, I sent them spiral bound early reader's copies that I had put together and gave them a deadline to get back to me. All of them followed through. They didn't serve as technical consultants, but they did tell me that the reality show aspects of the book were realistic.

EBD: Did you research celebrity murders and the psychology of psycho fans?

SJ: I interviewed an expert on psychology and the criminal mind to get his take on stalkers, and I took a lot of notes from several non-fiction books about the subject. I also did some research about celebrity murders and mentioned some real life incidents in the book.

EBD: So far, all of your books are stand-alone. Have you considered a series?

SJ: Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim came to me as standalone ideas, but I am developing a series. The first book, Sign of the Messenger, was a recipient of the William F. Deeck -Malice Domestic Grant awarded at the Agatha Award banquet. That book is about a psychic massage therapist who co-owns a metaphysical shop and winds up investigating her client's death at the hands of a serial killer. I had to put the book aside for awhile when I got contracts for my other novels, as marketing takes up a lot of time, but I plan to finish it and write future books in the series.

EBD: What is the hook of your current project, DARK BEFORE DAWN?

SJ: Dark Before Dawn is a young adult paranormal thriller about a teenage psychic named Dawn who has always felt like a misfit, until she meets two other girls developing their psychic abilities and their mysterious fortuneteller mentor. When she learns her new friends may be tied to bizarre murders, she has an important choice to make - continue developing the talent that makes her special, or challenge the only people who have ever accepted her.

EBD: For a writer, what is the difference between writing for adults and writing for young adults?

SJ: I would say that the biggest difference is with regard to how you develop the characters. Unless you're a young author, it can be harder to get into character if you're writing a YA novel. When you're writing for young adults, you have to remember what it felt like to be a teenager. What was important to you? Young adults are on a journey to self discovery, and awkwardness and insecurities come with that.

Writers need to think back to their own adolescence. Those memories of hanging out with your friends, wanting to fit in, and feeling as if high school is going to last forever and is therefore the most important thing in the world, are pretty universal. Writers need to pull out those feelings, but remember that day-to-day life has changed since their own adolescence. Kids today are listening to different music, using different technology and using different slang. It helps to observe young adults, to read current YA books, and to watch some of their TV shows. When you're writing for young adults, I think there's a tendency to want to preach to them and teach them a lesson, and you have to avoid that.

EBD: Do YA novels have different parameters such as level of language, word count, etc.?

SJ: It depends on the publisher, but I did watch the language and the level of violence as my publisher will be marketing to school libraries. There are some words that I would use in an adult book which I wouldn't use in a YA. So I would say that authors should tone it down a bit for YA novels. You don't want to sugarcoat reality, but you can tone it down. My word count for Dark Before Dawn was about 55,000 words, which is around 6,000 less than for my adult books - so I do make them a bit shorter.

EBD: What attracted you to a paranormal theme?

SJ: I've always been interested in psychic themes, since I was a child. I grew up reading Lois Duncan. My novel-in-progress, Sign of the Messenger, is about a psychic healer. I'm trained in Reiki, a form of hands-on healing, and I collect angel cards. I'm very interested in the topics of intuition and energy healing. I'm not really interested in vampire books or ghost stories - it's more the mysteries of the mind and energy healing that I find fascinating.

EBD: Were all your books published by Mainly Murder Press, and did this company serve your needs?

SJ: My second book, Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, was published by Mainly Murder Press in October 2009 and they published Sink or Swim in January 2011. They recently started a young adult line and acquired DARK BEFORE DAWN for January 2012. I retain the digital rights for my books, and publish the eBook versions independently. My first book, Face-Off, was published by Avon Flare under my maiden name, Stacy Drumtra. Mainly Murder Press has been a wonderful company to work with. They produce quality books and are willing to take a chance on new authors and give them an opportunity to build their careers. I was very lucky to find them and am thankful that they believed in me enough to award me three publishing contracts.

EBD: The recent statistics show eBooks outselling print, yet you retain the epublishing rights to your books. How does your publisher feel about that? Was that issue a point of negotiation?

SJ: It's specified in the contract that Mainly Murder Press allows authors to retain their digital rights and I think this is a wonderful thing. Most publishers keep the digital rights. They are focusing on the print niche and doing an excellent job at that, and it's wonderful that authors have the freedom to explore e-publishing on their own.

EBD: Darcia Helle and you started a website and facebook page called Bestseller Bound. Tell me about those sites and why you developed them.

SJ: Independent author Darcia Helle started Bestseller Bound, http://www.bestsellerbound.com/, as an offshoot of her web site, Quiet Fury Books. She wanted to create a message board forum where indie and small press authors, readers, reviewers and book bloggers could network and invited me to brainstorm with her. We also brought in talented UK author Maria Savva, and the three of us are the moderators. We have different categories to post in and are developing various group projects to help independent books gain more visibility. It's a wonderful place to network and a lot of us have seen our sales increase as a result of all the discussion, networking and projects. However, it's not a place for authors to show up once and try to sell their books to the members. It's a team atmosphere where the author members are always discussing how we can pool our ideas and resources to grow our careers together.

EBD: I just downloaded Volume 3 of the First Annual Sample Anthology of http://www.bestsellerbound.com/. Did you publish this from authors on your website? How did it come to be?

SJ: Yes, author Joel Kirkpatrick is an active member of Bestseller Bound and he came up with the idea to publish an anthology of first chapters from the books of Bestseller Bound members as a way to get the word out about all the great indie and small press books which are available and to allow readers to sample a variety of authors. There were so many submissions that he made it three volumes. He invited members of the Bestseller Bound site to submit a chapter from one of their books, and they can be downloaded for free on sites such as Scribd and on this web site: http://www.quietfurybooks.com/bsbanthologies.html

This is more info about it: http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2011/01/bestsellerboundanthologies/

EBD: You’re involved with charity drives. How did that come about?

SJ: One of the Bestseller Bound projects was seeing how powerful social networking (sites like Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads) are in helping to bring a book to the Kindle bestseller list. We did a campaign to see how many copies of Darcia Helle's book The Cutting Edge we could get to sell on a certain day in December and Darcia gave all of the proceeds from that day to a church that runs a food pantry. One of the Bestseller Bound authors, Susan Helene Gottfried, who writes a series about a rock band, donated 50% of her royalties from her three books to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, so I featured her on my blog. It's nice to see authors getting their books out there and trying to support a good cause at the same time.

Thanks for the interview Stacy. Put Sink or Swim on your reading list, and keep posted to http://stacyjuba.com/blog/ for updates on her upcoming novels and to participate in her website reality show.

An Interview with Beth Groundwater-The Business

Beth Groundwater writes the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series (A Real Basket Case, nominated for the 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award, and To Hell in a Handbasket, released in May 2009). She also writes the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. The first, Deadly Currents, will be released March 8, 2011. Beth lives in Colorado and enjoys its many outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking, and whitewater rafting. She loves talking to book clubs, too, and not just for the gossip and wine! Please visit her website at http://bethgroundwater.com/ and her blog at http://bethgroundwater.blogspot.com/.

EBD: The science fiction novella stands out among your mysteries. Is sci fi an interest of yours?

BG: I read widely in quite a few genres and science fiction is one of them. So, yes, it’s an interest of mine. I decided, though, after writing The Epsilon Eridani Alternative, that writing hard science fiction requires too much research! I had to get the physics of space-time travel, the biology of human aging and stem cell use right, among other topics, or the sci fi readers would be on my case.

EBD: Virtual Tales is a small publisher. Can I assume that The Epsilon Eridani Alternative was released as a trade paperback? At that point, you already had two novels published. Why didn’t you continue with Five Star and why did you choose Virtual Tales?

BG: I wrote The Epsilon Eridani Alternative novella before my mystery novels and had put it aside after trying to place it with various publications such as science fiction magazines and publishers who release novellas. Five Star does not publish novellas, so that was not an option for me. In fact, very few publishers do. After I had some success with my mysteries, I pulled out the novella, polished it up some and decided to try to place it again.

I actually signed a contract with another small press, which never got around to publishing it. Why, I don’t know, but that delayed things for a year. Then I found Virtual Tales. I liked the fact that they brought their titles out as both e-books and trade paperbacks, that they published a variety of genres, and that they didn’t focus on erotica, as many of the small on-line presses do. I’ve been very happy with the professionalism of all their staff.

EBD: I appreciate Five Star since it seems to distribute mainly to libraries and I use libraries when I can, but did that emphasis affect your sales? Was it important to get into libraries to increase your readership? Do you think going with Five Star served that purpose well (if that was the purpose)?

BG: I had always viewed Five Star as a “starter press” for me, somewhere to get my feet wet and learn the business and make a name for myself, then I hoped to move on to a larger publisher with wider distribution. Five Star likes to play this role, too, and be the discoverer of new talent. I’m very pleased that I not only met but exceeded my goals with Five Star, and they are very pleased that I am one of their success stories and have moved on to a regular trade publisher. They view themselves as a library publisher only, and their pricing and distribution is based on that. Their books do not usually appear in bookstores unless you, the author do, by having an event in the store. A very small number of independent bookstores carry Five Star mysteries because their customers ask for them, but not many.

EBD: What genres does Five Star publish? Any cross genre, such as romantic or paranormal mystery?

BG: Five Star publishes romances in its Expressions line, mysteries and westerns. The Expressions line will be closing at the end of 2011. I think I have seen cross-genre books in the mystery line, but since they target the library market, be aware that any sex scenes should be toned down. The best way to get an idea of what they publish is to see what books they've recently put out in their catalog (at http://www.gale.cengage.com/fivestar/).

EBD: Why trade paperback instead of mass market for Deadly Currents? Trade paperback is more expensive and distribution usually isn't as good. I'm surprised that more bookstores are taking books that are more expensive and that trade paperback is growing-any thoughts on that?

BG: I don't agree that distribution for trade paperbacks isn't as good as for mass market paperbacks. I've seen trade paperbacks everywhere that mass markets appear--in bookstores, grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, etc. Many of the women in my book club and in book clubs I visit prefer trade paperbacks because they're easier to hold and read than mass markets. And it's the book club market that first drove trade paperback sales. My feeling is that e-books eventually will replace most mass market paperback sales and that collectors and those who want to keep printed versions of books will go for hardcovers and trade paperbacks.

EBD: Midnight Ink is publishing Deadly Currents, your third publisher. Will it be released in mass paperback? Is that the reason for your switch, and can I assume that distribution and advertising is better for a mass paperback? If not, what is the reason for the switch?

BG: Deadly Currents will be published simultaneously in both e-book and trade paperback. These were the two formats most requested by my readers, and both formats are growing in production while hardcover and mass market paperbacks are shrinking in production. I deliberately looked for a publisher that 1) would bring the book out in e-book and trade paperback and 2) had terrific distribution. I verified that Midnight Ink’s distribution policy was friendly to bookstores with a bookstore owner friend of mine before I signed the contract with them.

The lesson from all this is that it’s very important for authors to learn as much as possible about the business of publishing as well as the craft of fiction-writing in order to make decisions like this.

EBD: Five Star, I assume, did no promotion, but is Midnight Ink providing any? Do they have marketing people with a plan?

BD: Five Star does do promotion, but their promotion is aimed at the library market, not at bookstores. Midnight Ink does more, and targets bookstores and end readers, primarily, but they also promote to libraries. They assign publicists to their authors, who create promotion plans. I've been working with my publicist since November.

EBD: Have you ever tried advertisements in magazines or newspapers to promote your books?

BG: I tried going in on a group ad in Romantic Times with some other Five Star authors for To Hell in a Handbasket, so the magazine would review our books, but I got much better reviews from other sources that didn't require me to place an ad. Since then, I've decided that I'll never pay for advertising and that I'll work on free promotion instead, pitching articles to feature editors at local newspapers and interviews to local radio announcers, for example. Midnight Ink is placing ads for Deadly Currents in a few targeted magazines, so I'll be anxious to see if those have any impact on sales.

EBD: Have you seen your cover art for Deadly Currents? If so, did you like it and were you allowed to make suggestions?

BG: Both Five Star and Midnight Ink solicit author input on the cover design that is given to the art department and ask for feedback after the design is completed by the artist. I've been pleased with all of my covers so far, and believe it or not, I've made change suggestions that were accepted. The Five Star cover for A Real Basket Case was completely redone based on my feedback, and a small change was made to that for To Hell in a Handbasket. Midnight Ink is revising the cover for the trade paperback version of A Real Basket Case that will be released in November based on my suggestion. The key is to have a good reason for the change and to back it up. I loved the cover for Deadly Currents as soon as I saw it and made no revision suggestions. You can see it at my website, the Midnight Ink site (http://www.midnightinkbooks.com/), on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel websites, etc.

EBD: Is there any reason you haven’t released any of your mysteries in e-format?

BG: Five Star, the publisher of my Claire Hanover gift basket designer hardcover mysteries, did not publish e-books at the time I signed a contract with them. My literary agent’s strategy all along was that after we found a publisher for my new series and signed that contract, she’d pitch the paperback and e-book rights for the Claire Hanover books to them. That’s precisely what she did with Midnight Ink, and they bought not only the e-book and paperback rights for A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket, they also bought the third book in the series.

Midnight Ink confirmed what my agent had told me. They would not have offered the deal if I’d already released the e-book versions on my own. I’m so glad I waited! This is an example of why having a smart agent who knows the business is so important. The e-book and trade paperback versions of A Real Basket Case will be released in the fall of 2011 and of To Hell in a Handbasket in the fall of 2012, followed by the third book in the fall of 2013.

If you have any questions or salutations for Beth, please leave a comment. In next week’s interview, Beth explains the development of her new white water rafting series, the status of her Claire Hanover gift basket designer series, and how she manages writing, promoting and other projects. As one of her readers, I’m looking forward to whatever Beth writes! Come back next week to learn more about author Beth Groundwater

Our E-Book Journey by Evelyn David

Once upon a time last month two authors who write under the pen name Evelyn David decided to publish an e-book series of short stories featuring psychic Brianna Sullivan. This is our tale.

***

Hell on wheels or a psychic in a travel trailer? Brianna Sullivan gave up her job finding missing luggage for the airlines in order to seek the freedom of the open road. Her first stop? The small town of Lottawatah, Oklahoma. Using her psychic abilities, Brianna takes on a multitude of jobs to earn gas money, help the local police detective, and direct some troubled souls towards the light.

We had written several short stories detailing psychic Brianna Sullivan's adventures in a small, fictional Oklahoma town, but hadn't found the perfect way to market them. Too short for a novel, but too long for traditional mystery magazines, we decided to develop the series into volumes with each volume having a total word count of 16,000-18,000 words. To date we've published three volumes - I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries; The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah; and The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah. The e-books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Okay, we've told you how we started and where we ended up, but the "in between" is not so simple.

We began the process of converting our stories into e-book formats without any idea of how to do it. Of course, we're used to jumping off into the deep end. We only learned afterward that collaborating on a novel was supposed to be impossible and we've been collaborating for six years now without any problems.

Backing up a bit, we became a "we" by meeting on an Internet writers group. We liked each other's stories and decided it would be fun to write some together. The nice thing about Internet fiction sites is the immediate feedback, and in our case, very gratifying feedback. In a move that can only be described as naïve at best, one day we decided to write a novel length mystery.

We finished the first full draft of Murder Off the Books (the first of our Sullivan Investigations Mystery series) before even speaking to each other on the telephone. Fearing we'd jinx our writing method, we still haven't met in person. The second book in the Sullivan Investigations Mystery series is Murder Takes the Cake, with a third, MURDER DROPS THE BALL, to be published by Wolfmont Press in Spring 2011. These books are available in both print and e-book formats. But these mysteries were e-book formatted by the publisher.

When we decided to publish the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries, we researched the process and taught ourselves how to do it. (This is the Northern half of this writing duo interjecting here: Let's be honest. It is the Southern half who taught herself how to format and upload e-books. The Northern half is limited to being a very enthusiastic cheering squad.)

There are lots of guides and blogs out there for authors on how to format e-books, but we never found one that gave us the amount of detail we needed. If you've ever taken home economics (do they still teach that in schools?) and been given a pattern and a bolt of material and told to make a dress, you'll quickly learn that the directions skip lots of steps and assume you know things you don't. You need directions on how to read the directions. We found the same problem exists with e-book formatting. We even purchased an e-book that was supposed to be the best on the market on how to format your book for electronic publishing. Let's just say that instead of being a "complete" guide, it was really a book to encourage you to hire the author to format your novel.

The best information we found was at Smashwords. Smashwords is an e-book publishing and distribution platform. You upload your manuscript there and Smashwords converts your book into multiple e-book formats, including Kindle, Nook (e-pub), PDF, Apple i-Pad, etc. Smashwords has a "free" guidebook for getting your manuscript ready for uploading to Smashwords' "meat-grinder." You can't just upload your Word file - the file you carefully prepared for your publisher with all the tab indents, page numbers and special fonts. E-books are different animals.

Think of an e-book as a "scroll" not a series of pages. Depending on the e-reader device and the size of the screen, a page is different on a Kindle than on a Nook or an Apple i-Pad. You have to go through your Word manuscript and "clean" it up so it can be read on an e-reader. Note: be kind to yourself and save several copies of your manuscript in a folder far, far, away from the original - just in case you mess up the copy you are editing.

The information you glean from the Smashwords guidebook is very useful for preparing for uploads to not only Smashwords' "meatgrinder," but also Amazon's Digital Text Platform and Barnes & Noble's PubIt!

After reading the guidebook about a dozen times, the next thing we did was find the "show/hide" button in Word. It's located on your toolbar next to the zoom feature. Once you click on the "show/hide" button, you can see all the formatting in your manuscript. And you can see all the items you need to delete. We had used tabs for our first lines on each paragraph. Those had to go. (You can use the Word Find/Replace feature to remove all the tabs at once or you can delete them individually.) We replaced our paragraph indents by using Word's Style feature. You set up the "Style" of your document, which can include an automatic first line indent when a new paragraph starts. Then you select "all" words in your document and apply the new "Style." Then resave your document under a new name.

Other problems you'll find in converting your Word document are "returns." You can't use more than three returns in a row to create space between objects. Remember the "scroll" concept. Too many returns creates too much "white" space for an e-reader. And as we mentioned earlier, page numbers have to be deleted because they are meaningless in an e-reader.

Once you've cleaned up your document by removing all the tabs, extra spaces, multiple returns, headers, footers, and page numbers, you're ready to start adding things. You'll want a cover image, one for the outside of your e-book and one inserted inside. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords all suggest different cover sizes. You'll have to experiment to see what looks best. You are responsible for creating or providing the cover image. For e-books, a simple cover is best. Remember most of the potential buyers are going to see your cover for the first time as an image slightly larger than a thumbnail. You want the title and author name to be readable.

You'll also need an interactive Table of Contents (This was the hardest thing for us to learn to do and we're still trying to learn simpler and better ways to do it. Smashwords' description of how to create one using bookmarks was the absolute best we've found.)

You must format your title page as required by the specific digital platform you're using. Smashwords wants certain language on the title page, Amazon and Barnes & Noble have different requirements. All platforms allow you to have author notes (biography and website link) at the end.

Once you have your manuscript ready for each platform, be sure to read the directions carefully before uploading. Although you can and should view what you are uploading in the "preview" mode, it looks different (sometimes very different) once it's published. You will have the ability to make changes later, but not immediately. After you "publish" to Amazon's Digital Platform, you'll have to wait 48 hours or more before making any changes. The PubIt! program at Barnes & Noble is slightly faster than Amazon. We've found our books will go live there almost a day ahead of Amazon. Again, you won't be able to make changes or upload a new version until after the first version has actually published and gone live.

So now what? Like any other new product, we still had to promote these e-books. But exactly how was the question?

If there few guides to how to self-publish an e-book, there were even fewer on how to promote one. The traditional venues for marketing, like readings and book signings, didn't seem to apply. Even if we were to read aloud from one of our e-stories, there was no way to then immediately translate a listener's enthusiasm into a sale. No physical book to sell and sign. Were public appearances still worth scheduling?

We decided that it wasn't a zero-sum game. We had an advantage in the e-book market. We still had traditional books to sell. That meant that we would continue to set up book signings and library talks, but we would expand our discussions beyond the paperbacks on the table to include our new e-book series. We developed a handout that listed all the e-books and the various venues where they were available.

And like the e-books themselves which depend on the Internet for existence, we significantly intensified our use of Social Networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, GoodReads, and Yahoo groups. We always strive to maintain the delicate balance between blatant self-promotion and more subtle approaches where our focus is on getting new "followers" to get to know us, and thereby be more receptive to our BSP efforts. So we chat about recipes, holiday traditions, news stories, etc., as well as occasionally more obvious marketing information. On Twitter where messages are truncated, we've often posted one-line pithy character comments and then included a link to the Amazon page where the book or e-story is available.

We've also run a series of contests and offered prizes to readers who simply visit our site and leave a comment. Our basic assumption, from the very beginning of our writing collaboration, has been that if we meet you, either in person or through the Internet, we will be able to convince you to give Evelyn David a chance. It's the oldest advertising gimmick in the world: Try us, you'll like us.

Evelyn David, the author(s) of The Brianna Sullivan Mysteries, Murder Off the Books, Murder Takes the Cake, and the short story Riley Come Home, is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett.

Marian lives in New York and is the author of 11 nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from veterans benefits to playgroups for toddlers! For more information on Marian's books, please visit her web site at http://www.marianedelmanborden.com.

Rhonda lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is the director of the coal program for the state, and in her spare time enjoys imagining and writing funny, scary mysteries. Marian and Rhonda write their mystery series via the Internet. While many fans who attend mystery conventions have now chatted with both halves of Evelyn David, Marian and Rhonda have yet to meet in person.

Please check out Evelyn's website at http://www.evelyndavid.com/ and their blog – The Stiletto Gang- for information about Evelyn David's appearance schedule and writing projects.

Our Books - The Sullivan Investigation Series
MURDER DROPS THE BALL (Spring 2011)
Murder Takes the Cake - Paperback - Kindle
Murder Off the Books - Paperback - Kindle
Riley Come Home - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

Autographed Copies and other e-book formats available through Wolfmont Press at The Digital Bookshop.

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries - e-book series
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords

Sisters in Crime (SinC) Chesapeake Chapter

I consider myself fortunate to have had two of my short stories published this year. “Daddy's Little Girl" appeared in virtual print in July within the pages of ezine, Voices from the Garage. In May, I entered a contest conceived by Mozark Press. The editor, Linda Fisher, chose my short story, along with twenty-four other stories, to include in a print anthology called A Shaker of Margaritas: Hot Flash Mommas. My short story, “Implicated by A Phrase” drew two, average middle-age women on a day of shopping and lunch into murder while touring vacation rental homes on Hatteras Island, N.C. Not all of the stories included in this volume were mysteries, but all of the stories contained female middle-age protagonists.

The Mozark anthology came off the press in October, and shortly thereafter, a writer from the Chesapeake Chapter of SinC called me with an invitation to a promotional meeting for the authors in the chapter published this year. My reaction? I was dumfounded, amazed, and impressed. I hadn’t known that anyone else but the twenty-four other short story authors contained in the anthology knew of its existence. Sylvia Straub, another Chesapeake Chapter author, wrote a short story included in the same volume as mine, and Lina Zeldovich, a SinC member. Sisters in Crime lets no one slip through the cracks.

Photo courtesy of Robin Templeton

We met in a room of a retirement village. Residents were invited to the meeting. From the Chessie Chapter, twenty-seven authors had books and/or short stories published this year. Because I’m fairly new to the chapter, I hadn’t known that November's meeting always honored those authors published during the year and sold their books and short story anthologies, some of which were developed by the chapter itself. Each author stood and presented a short description of their published work.

A local indie store, Mystery Loves Company, set up shop in the retirement village. I don’t know how many books they sold, but the room was full of shoppers when I stopped by. Hopefully, they will make a nice profit and remain open, unlike many indies who are just about the only physical bookstores to carry small press books written by many of the authors that I’ve interviewed on this blog. During the sales time, I had the thrill of signing my first book.

While I was in Hatteras last month, the kindly owner of Buxton Village Books, Gee Gee Rosell, bought two books from me to sell in her shop. If you are ever on Hatteras Island, stop by and buy a book from Gee Gee, who is knowledgeable of SinC and a pleasure to meet.

The print and Kindle versions of A Shaker of Margaritas: Hot Flash Mommas are also available at Amazon.com.

For those mystery and crime writers who are not currently members of SinC, I hope my experience proves the advantages of being a member. Join at: http://sistersincrime.org/.

Today, I’m giving away three copies of A Shaker of Margaritas: Hot Flash Mommas by randomly drawing names of those who make comments on this blog.

WAITING ON THE SPIRITS

I guess it’s a failure of receptivity but I’ve never had a paranormal experience. That doesn’t mean I reject the existence of ghosts and other paranormal phenomena. Several of my co-worker nurses believe a few patients who died returned, usually to play tricks on a roommate or scare a night nurse. We only aggravate patients with pills and personal questions for a short while. Why wouldn’t the patients haunt family members who’ve been a pain in the neck for years?

I don’t see cemeteries as scary places because graves contain physical remains that quickly decay. Any self-respecting spirit would leave a long time before burial. Spirits aren’t tied to bones and the burial clothes, although both are a convenient way to portray something invisible.

In THE SHINING, Stephen King creates a world filled with ghosts and evil but I saw this world as the projection of a man’s mind, angry with his family and after giving up alcohol. Despite my lack of other world experience, I enjoyed the film, “The Sixth Sense,” and books by Charlaine Harris. The paranormal seems a good way to explore death and what we don’t understand.

The castles and very old stone or brick buildings I’ve visited were so cold that a person would have a hard time recognizing a cold touch or space. A documentary I watched showed convincing footage of haunting by soldiers, plantation owners, and slaves in old houses in the South. Old saloons were shown to have violent and evil spirits lurking in attics and cellars.

If a ghost or poltergeist ever visits me, I’m sure I’ll want to write about it. Ghostly stories don’t seem to have much to do with Halloween celebrations. I know a couple of kids who tolerate dressing up and collecting candy to please their parents. This year, I’ve heard several parents say they won’t buy costumes or decorate their houses, even if they have the money to do both. When there are people without food, it seems frivolous to collect candy. Families that save money on costumes and candy can send donations to Halloween Unicef. Crafty parents can make costumes but that takes time, more often than what’s available if a person works and takes care of a family.

There are those who believe we should celebrate every special day and never miss a chance to party or dress up. I’ve thought about offering apples rather than candy but apples are as taboo as unwrapped candy. Why does someone put razors in apples or poison in unwrapped candy? Because they are fed up with answering the doorbell on Halloween night or because they’re plain evil? I’m still more afraid of people in the flesh than of spirits. I will enjoy e-zines and anthologies with ghostly stories.

Have you experienced the other-world? Is Halloween one of your favorite nights?

KD Easley Interview Part 1

KD Easley was born and raised in Fulton, MO where she grew up dreaming of being a racecar driver, a bull rider, an astronaut or a country music star. She did manage to attain one of those early dreams for a brief period, but life, as so often happens, stepped in to turn her in a new direction.

After a short stint in college, a slightly longer marriage and the birth of two children, not necessarily in that order, she went back to her true love, words. From poetry and song writing as a child and early teenager, she moved her talents to the mystery world where she finally found a home.

Fate likes to play cruel tricks and the first one it played on Ms. Easley was cruel indeed. Her first short story, After Hours, was published by the first magazine it was submitted to. With her writing dreams seemingly within reach, she sent off the manuscript of her novel knowing that in a short time, she’d be holding a copy of it in her hands. What she held instead were hundreds of rejection letters. Ten years worth to be exact. But she persevered and finally in August of 2009, she actually held a copy of Where the Dreams End, her first published mystery novel. Now in 2010, her first baby has been joined by a second, Murder at Timber Bridge.

When not wearing her snappy mystery writer fedora, Ms. Easley can be found wearing a dashing hard hat and building scaffold in various nuclear power plants around the United States. Visit Ms. Easley at her website, http://www.kdwrites.com/, or drop by http://kdblog.kdwrites.com/ and leave her a message.

EBD: Brockston Harley, the main character in your novel Where the Dreams End, is a repossession specialist. How did you decide on that vocation?

KDE: To get to the repo man part, we have to start with how Brocs got his name. I was working at an International truck dealership and one of my coworkers was named Broc. He bought a new Harley Davidson motorcycle and rode it in to work to show it off. When I was driving the kids home after school that day, I mentioned that I saw Broc’s Harley. My youngest son looked at me and said, “Who the heck is Brocs Harley.

Ooh, my writing instincts pinged. Brocs Harley, great name. I’d have to write a book about him some day. So I tucked the name into a file on my computer and continued on with the book I was working on. As time went on, other things caught my fancy and I added them to the file. Brocs was ex military. Brocs didn’t get along with his dad. Then, years ago, when the first repo man show came on cable it hit me. Brocs was a repo man. That was the last piece of information I needed to be able to start the book. It took about a year from getting the name to knowing enough about Brocs to tell his story.

EBD: Do you think most families have complex situations, such as the one in which Brockston finds himself?

KDE: Lord yes. People are complicated beings and relationships are a tangle even when everything is perfect. Add just a pinch of ugly, and you have the start of a festering sore of discontent. I think most families are good at keeping the ugly out of the public eye, and some, like mine are just plain boring. No deep dark secrets hidden in my family closet, of course, we don’t talk about things like that, so maybe I just don’t know about them.

EBD: You are a carpenter by trade and yet I don’t see any references to that trade in your novel and short story anthology, Nine Kinds of Trouble. Since construction is fraught with criminal activity, why the omission?

KDE: I am a union carpenter, and very proud of my trade. I work mostly in nuclear power plants building scaffold for repair work done during plant outages, but I’ve also worked at some oil refineries. I love my work. I love the people I work with and I love working in the nuclear industry especially. And if you haven’t ever been in a nuclear power plant, you can’t imagine all the cool places there are to hide a body. Or all the amazing causes of friction that could lead to bloodshed. It is a background that just begs for a mystery series.

And I will write one, one of these days I’m sure. The material available from my years of traveling and working nukes would be an endless source to pull from. But I can’t seem to write it yet. I’ve started the story a few times, but it just hasn’t gelled yet. Like Brocs Harley, I think it just needs to percolate until it’s ready to hit the page.

EBD: You mentioned in your bio that you live with two cats. One of my favorite characters in Where the Dreams End is Baldwin, Brocs’s cat. He reflects Brocs’s moods and provides comfort. Do your cats serve the same function?

KDE: I have lived with cats my entire life. My first babysitter was a cat named Niki that my mom got before I was born. When she wasn’t taking care of me, she was adding her bloodline to every cat in Callaway County. Back in the day, you had a cat you had kittens. Now days, not so much, but Niki was much too busy being a mother to be the kind of comfort that Baldwin is for Brocs.

I have had some cats over the years that provided that for me, but the one’s I have now, not so much. Merlin was my mom’s cat. He’s a rescue and he is very sweet, but he’s not a lapsitter, or a snuggler and he’s really hard to pet because he has such an awful case of elevator butt. Luna likes to hang out with me. She especially likes to sleep on my laptop or lean against my desktop monitor so I can’t see what I’m doing. She also bites if you pet her a millisecond longer than she wishes to be petted. This is a random amount of time that changes every time you touch her, so she’s not really much of a comfort either. And you don’t even want to pick her up without wearing welding gauntlets and long sleeves. But, she’s smart, she likes to play fetch and she kept my mom entertained while she was going through Chemo, so she’s earned her place in the family.

EBD: I grew up in a small town in PA, which some have said resembles Peyton Place. Does your town provide models for characters in your books?

KDE: I use the town and the surrounding ones as kind of models of my fictional places as far as layout, architecture and structure. But I don’t really base my characters on local people. My characters are mostly combinations of many people I’ve run into over my years of traveling and people watching.

EBD: Did you start writing short stories before you wrote novels?

KDE: I actually had written two novels before I ever tried a short story. I kind of did it on a whim. The first short I ever wrote was “After Hours” and it was actually published in Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine. The first place I submitted it the day after I wrote it. I thought I had the whole publishing thing knocked out. I just needed to edit my books, submit them and boom I would be published. That was over ten years ago. I do think short stories are harder to write than novel length fiction. And they used to be easier to publish, but the last few years have been hard for ezines and print magazines as well and the market for short mystery fiction are growing smaller and smaller.

EBD: Most women write “women’s stories,” but Where the Dreams End is very much a man’s story. How did that come about since many of your short stories do feature women as the main character?

KDE: I went to my first automobile race when I was eighteen months old. I spent every weekend at the races with my folks when I was young or by myself as I grew older until I was in my thirties. I learned to ride a motorcycle when I was eight, started racing go-karts when I was ten and started crewing on racecars when I was sixteen.

In my twenties, I was part of a racing team that traveled all over the United States. Along the way, I learned to build engines, back up a thirty-foot trailer, stay awake all night driving so everyone else could sleep, and set up an open wheel car on a dirt track. During those same years, I worked in a printing plant, went to school to be a mechanic, and sold auto parts. I’ve spent my entire life around men. What I have trouble with is writing women. I’ve never spent much time around them and I’ve never had what would be considered a woman’s job. Women are hard, men are easy.

EBD: Do you blog, facebook and/or twitter to promote your books? Why or why not?

KDE: I have a website, blog, facebook account and a twitter account. I do use them to promote my writing. I also use them to meet and make friends. If the only thing you use your social media for is sales and promotion, I think you’re kind of missing the point, or that could just be me. Like I mentioned earlier, I spend so much time in front of the computer that human interactions are few and far between. I enjoy the chance to make friends. On the flip side, when I’m working twelve hours a day and all I have time for is a quick glance at my email before I fall into bed, I find everything a bit overwhelming. And all of those things are time suckers that keep you busy doing other things when you could be writing. It’s a hard balance to keep and I’m not very good at it.

EBD: Do you attend conferences such as Malice Domestic?

KDE: I love writer’s conference. So many writers, so many books, it’s awesome. And if you’re at a mystery conference, no one thinks it’s odd if you walk by a park and say something like, “Whoa that would be an awesome place to find a body.” I haven’t ever been to Malice Domestic. I would love to go sometime, but it falls right in the middle of the spring nuclear outage season and I am usually working. I hope to get there someday. This year I’m going to Killer Nashville in August and Bouchercon by the Bay in San Francisco in October. I’m really excited because it’s been years since I’ve had the chance to go to a conference.