The Responsibility of Writers

Last weekend I participated in a cozy mystery panel with Sue Ann Jaffarian, Jane DiLucchio and Diane Vallere at the La Mirada Library in La Mirada, CA. We’re all members of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime and have all known each other for quite a while. It was quite a fun panel to be on.

Several of the attendees didn’t know what cozy mysteries were so we talked about some elements they usually include. When asked why they read cozies, one audience member said it was for the escapism, another because justice always prevails in the end, something that doesn’t always happen in the real world.

The phrase “the lighter side of mystery” was bandied about. People who read extensively in the mystery genre know what this means, but I admit that it is kind of an odd phrase to use. After all, someone was murdered or some other crime occurred that affected characters lives permanently.

As writers, we have to remember there are people in the real world who are murdered. This was driven home to me recently when someone in a cozy group I’m a member of told us a friend had been murdered and they couldn’t face reading mysteries, even cozy ones right now. I suspect I’d have the same reaction if someone close to me was murdered. I hope they’ll eventually be able to enjoy reading cozies again, but I’d understand if they couldn’t.

While we, as writers, have fun devising plot points and ways to “creatively” murder someone on the page, we have to remember in our creative zeal that people actually are murdered in the real world. We need to treat the crime respectfully. I can’t really think of a book I’ve read that doesn’t, but I still think it’s important to remind ourselves of this every time we sit down to write.

Persistence is Key

This weekend I’ll be in Culver City attending the California Crime Writers Conference. On Sunday, I’ll be moderating a panel on surviving the ups and downs of the publishing world with Sue Ann Jaffarian, Patricia Smiley and Jeri Westerson. Between the three of them, they’ve published over 50 books plus numerous novellas and short stories. I didn’t count, but I’ve probably read at least half of them.

Even though I’ve known these folks awhile, I learned even more about them while preparing the questions for the panel. They’ve all had their problems from agents and editors dying or quitting to publishers dropping a series. Through it all they persisted.

I think persistence is key in all walks of life. Sometimes things run smoothly and go as you planned, but more often you run into stumbling blocks, some big, some small. The key is not to let those problems prevent you from reaching your goal, whatever that is. Sometimes that means events not happening at the time you expected or wanted them to.

I’m also a firm believer that most things happen for a reason. I was disappointed years and years ago when I couldn’t get an agent or find a publisher for my first book. Now that I look back, I’m glad I didn’t. The version of the book that eventually did get published is so much better than the one I’d originally shopped around. Over the years I grew as a writer and learned how to better tell a story.

My wish for you all: Whatever your goal, may you sail through the calm waters and navigate the rough seas successfully.

An Oasis in the Desert

Sybil here. As you read this, I’m on my annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the Creative Painting convention. Right now I’m probably prowling the trade show floor in search of the latest designs and supplies to spend money on.

I’ve loved Vegas ever since my first visit in the late 70s when I was in college. Something about it fascinates me. Normally, I dislike crowds and excess noise but I make an exception for two places: Sin City and Disneyland.

Vegas is a city of constant change. There’s always something new to see. The casinos on the Strip reinvent themselves on almost a yearly basis. They add rooms, change themes and attractions, refurbish their look... Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of those changes myself. Most of the really old casinos on the Strip are long gone. Circus Circus remains but across the street the Riviera is now closed, waiting to be imploded to make way for convention and meeting facilities for the nearby convention center.

It should come as no surprise that I like fiction set in Vegas as well as non-fiction accounts of its history. The most recent mystery I read that was set there is Ghost of a Gamble by Sue Ann Jaffarian, book 4 in the Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series.

In it, spiritual medium Emma Whitecastle with the help of the ghost of her great-great, etc., grandmother, Granny Apples, solves a mystery “involving a casino heist gone bad, a hidden stash of stolen loot, and a missing wise guy who’s not letting death come between him and setting things straight.” If you like a little paranormal in your mystery, check it out. It’s a fun read.

On the non-fiction end, I’ve been reading Sharks in the Desert by John L. Smith, a history of Las Vegas from its mob beginnings to around 2005 when the book was published. A lot has changed in the past ten years, but it’s still an interesting read. Super Casino: Inside the “New” Las Vegas by Pete Earley is also worth reading.

The Las Vegas Sun Times maintains a history section of its website with all kinds of interesting information on the city from maps to videos to a timeline of its history. I particularly like the interactive map of the Strip where you can see how it’s changed decade by decade.

That’s it for me for now. Hope you’re all having a good week. I’ll see you after I get back from Vegas.

Turkey Day Mysteries

It’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S. Poor Thanksgiving. I feel sorry for it sometimes. Wedged in-between Halloween and Christmas, it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. With some stores open on Thanksgiving Day, the focus seems to have gone off giving thanks and spending time with family to Christmas shopping.

This got me thinking about mysteries that take place around Turkey Day. I can think of plenty of Christmas and Halloween mysteries, but few based around Thanksgiving come to mind. That seems rather strange to me. The holiday is almost made for murder. Put some families together around the dinner table and voila! arguments start, old grudges come to the surface, family secrets are revealed. All good bases for murder mysteries.

I did a little investigating to see how many mysteries I could find taking place around Thanksgiving. I came across more than I expected. Here are a few of them:

The two I immediately thought of were The Killer Wore Cranberry and Secondhand Stiff. The first is an anthology of short stories centered around the Thanksgiving holiday. There have been three more volumes since. I’ve only read the first one, which I enjoyed. I expect the others are good as well.

Secondhand Stiff by Sue Ann Jaffarian is one of my favorite books in the Odelia Grey mystery series. Let’s just say Odelia’s family doesn’t always get along. When her mother’s stay is extended after the Thanksgiving holiday, some of the family attend a storage facility auction where cousin Ina’s husband is found dead in one of the units for sale.

Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meyer. This is the 7th book in the Lucy Stone mystery series. It’s set in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. The Thanksgiving festivities include a high school football game where Metinnicut Indian activist Curt Nolan is found dead with an ancient war club next to his head.

The Alpine Vengeance by Mary Daheim. This is the 22nd installment in the Emma Lord series. It’s set in a small town in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. I love this series, partially because I grew up in Washington state, but also because it’s just a good series. In this one, the town of Alpine, Washington is preparing for Thanksgiving when anonymous letters are sent to the sheriff asserting that a murder conviction of a town resident from ten years earlier was the result of a wrongful arrest. The man has died behind bars. Then a fourth letter arrives “threatening retribution in the form of another death.”

The Pumpkin Muffin Murder by Livia J. Washburn. This one caught my eye because I’m partial to all things pumpkin including pumpkin muffins. This is number 5 in the Fresh-baked mystery series featuring retired small town Texas teacher Phyllis Newsom. I haven’t read it, but it looks pretty interesting. It’s Thanksgiving and Phyllis takes her grandson to the Harvest Festival, hoping she’ll win the baking contest. Then a decorative scarecrow turns out to be a body in disguise...

So, Type M Reader? Do you have any favorite mysteries centered around the Thanksgiving holiday? What are you reading this week?

Guest Post: Sue Ann Jaffarian

Please welcome prolific author Sue Ann Jaffarian to Type M. I’ve lost count of how many books she’s had published since I first met her at a Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles meeting. She's run the gamut in the publishing world from self-publishing to being traditionally published by both large and small presses. One of her series has a ghost in it, which seems so appropriate for Halloween! Take it away, Sue Ann...

Publishing: Plan Your Journey

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

It’s no secret that the publishing business has been in chaos for several years. Bigger publishers are merging, reducing staff, and facing restructures, while smaller publishers are cropping up like weeds and some disappearing just as fast. Authors are being cut or abandoned by publishers left and right and new authors are finding it tough to get a foot in the door. And then there’s self-publishing, which is a whole ‘nuther kettle of fish.

Frankly, I think it’s an exciting time to be an author. Never before have we had such a smorgasbord of choices for our work. On the flip side, never before have we had so many chances to screw up.

As Charles Dickens wrote at the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… .”

Whether you are a newbie trying to get your first book published, or an author left high and dry after a few published books, or an author like me with many books under your belt and still under contract, you have to take the time to decide which path is best for your work. It used to be you wrote the book, found an agent, and the agent tried to sell it. Each step was a long and arduous process with no guarantee of success.

But here’s the thing, whether you opt for traditional publishing or self-publishing, or a hybrid, it’s still a long and arduous process. There is no getting around that. A lot of authors, usually first timers, think that they can skirt a lot of the hard work and time by going self-published. Not so. If anything, it takes even more work to be a successful independent author, but if you are successful, you reap bigger royalties.

But don’t let the bright and shiny bigger royalties blind you. Not all authors should go the self-published route and most don’t make those big royalties, at least not out of the gate. For many authors, wearing all the hats doesn’t suit them or overwhelms them. They take shortcuts in editing, proofreading, cover art, and marketing that dooms them almost from the beginning.

Early on, decide what you want out of your writing. Not all publishing options fit all books or authors. Don’t be swayed one way or the other by the traditional vs. independent debate. Look at all of your options and make the best decision based on your goals, time, and skill set. I think a lot of authors give in to peer pressure in this area and end up unhappy.

If it is important to you to have a big name traditional publisher, then by all means pursue that by finding an agent and giving that route a shot. It may take a hundred rejections to find an agent, but if it’s important to you, do it. Don’t settle for your second or third choice without giving your first choice a fair chance.

A lot of the smaller publishers will consider un-agented manuscripts. If you are set on a traditional publisher but are frustrated in your search for an agent or getting rejected by the big name publishers, check out some of the smaller companies that are putting out great books. Ask your writer friends for suggestions or even referrals to their editors at these smaller publishing houses.

If you think you’re cut out for going independent, first talk to several indie authors who have done it successfully. LISTEN to them. Take notes. Copious notes. Don’t think you can build a better mousetrap when you’ve never been in the business before. These people are experts. I’m starting to publish more of my own work and, believe me, I’ve bent the ears of countless indie friends with questions on everything from covers to editing services to marketing. And be ready to spend money to do it right. Freelance editors and cover designers cost money. Slapping something together is career suicide.

And once you choose a path, remember, you can change your mind down the line. Maybe your first book will be with a small press. The second self-published. And maybe your third will catch the eye of a major publisher. You just never know, so don’t lock yourself in. My work is in all three venues and it works for me.

In the end, whether you decide to go traditional or independent, there’s no excuse for laziness. First you have to write the best book you can. Without that, the rest is a waste of time. Sending an agent or publisher a sloppy manuscript will get the door slammed in your face. Self-publishing such a manuscript may tank your career before you even have one. Once those doors are shut or readers turn away from you, it’s extremely difficult and often impossible to get a do-over.

Do it the right way, or don’t do it at all.

There’s so much more to being an author today besides writing a book. You have to look beyond the book, to where it’s going and how it’s going to get there. No matter which path you take, writing a novel is not a casual joy ride on a summer’s day. It’s long journey that deserves your best effort, preparation, and commitment.

Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of three critically acclaimed mystery series: The Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apples series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. She also writes the Winnie Wilde erotic romance series under the pen name of Meg Chambers, as well as short stories. In addition to writing, Sue Ann is a full-time paralegal living in Los Angeles. Kirkus has said of Sue Ann, "Like Stuart Kaminsky, Jaffarian juggles her franchises deftly, giving each a unique voice and appeal." Visit her at www.sueannjaffarian.com, or on Twitter or Facebook.