ChatGPT---Lookin' Over My Shoulder

by Thomas Kies 

I see an awful lot of chatter about an Artificial Intelligence app called Chat GPT. Wildly popular, ChatGPT debuted last November and is free for users.  It generates “sophisticated, human-like responses based on requests from users and mountains of data.” The app can be used for writing everything from emails to essays to coding.  

It’s also raising concerns for universities…and publishers…who are rushing to include this in their policies concerning plagiarism. 

In a column posted by a local real estate broker/owner here on the North Carolina coast, she quoted a CNN report by Samantha Murphy Kelly, business reporter.  “Real estate agents say they can’t imagine working without ChatGPT now.”  The local broker said in her column that real estate agents are using it as a time saver to write emails to clients, especially for repetitive questions and inquiries but also for property descriptions. 

That seems benign enough. 

Some law professors at the University of Minnesota used the chatbot to generate answers to exams in four law courses, then graded them blindly alongside actual students’ tests. ChatGPT averaged a C+ performance but fell below the humans’ B+ average.

Okay…but it still passed what amounts to a bar exam!

According to a Reuters report, if applied across the curriculum, that would be enough to earn the chatbot a law degree, though it would be placed on academic probation in Minnesota, ranked as the 21st best law school in the country by US News & World Report. 

The chatbot could have earned a law degree!

What about in the field of fiction?  Clarkesworld Magazine, a Hugo Award winning publisher of science fiction short stories has closed itself to submissions after being inundated with Artificial Intelligence generated pitches that overwhelmed its editorial staff. 

In a typical month, the magazine receives a dozen or so short story submission that were suspected of plagiarizing other authors. But since late last year when ChatGPT was released, they’ve seen that rate go way up. The founding editor, Neil Clarke, said that this past January they rejected one hundred submissions, banning the “authors” from submitting again.  Then in February, they banned five hundred more. 

Clarke said, “I’ve reached out to several editors and the situation I’m experiencing is by no means unique.”  He also said, “It’s clear that business as usual won’t be sustainable and I worry that this path will lead to an increased number of barriers for new and international authors.” 

Intrigued and a little frightened, I Googled “Can ChatGBT write mysteries?”

A couple of blog posts popped up.  One was from a blogger who had asked the chatbot to write a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The writer points out that Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain so anyone can try their hand at getting a Holmes mystery into print.  

The chatbot insisted that it could write a Holmes tome in a thousand words or less.  It did so in a little over 800 words.  I read it.  If he were alive, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wouldn’t have anything to worry about.  It was rife with plot holes.

Then another blogger posted about how he had asked the app to write a mystery and once again, it wrote something in about a thousand words.

Maybe that’s as long as it thinks a mystery should be.  I’ve never used ChatGPT, nor have an inclination to do so, so perhaps the user mandated the word count.

Once again, the story was filled with plot holes and worse…cliches.  

It literally started out with “It was a dark and stormy night.” 

So, as a mystery writer, should I be looking over my shoulder for robots wielding a pen?  Yes.  I think all authors should.  

AI will only get better with time. 

Music in Prose

By Johnny D. Boggs

Micki Fuhrman called me the other day to pass on good news:

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City had called to let her know that her album Westbound (do we still call them albums?) was winning this year’s Western Heritage Wrangler Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Album.

Which answers that album question.

“So,” Micki  says, “you have a song on a Wrangler-winning album.”

That’s not why Micki’s getting a Wrangler next month.

But it’s cool. Hey, I can’t carry a tune – I don’t even hum well – or pick a chord. A note is something I pay off. A meter is what I feed quarters into to keep from getting a ticket. Scales are what I scrape off fish. Rhythm is something I ain’t got.

But sometimes I string a few words together that aren’t half bad.

The song Micki recorded as a duet with Jon Chandler is “Loving County.” It’s inspired by Elmer Kelton’s great novel The Time It Never Rained, about a ranching couple’s struggles during the 1950s drought. And a comment I overheard from an old cowboy/rancher in a West Texas café:

“A cloud ain’t nothin’ but a high school tease.”

But for a guy with no musical ability, I often think musically when I’m writing prose. I try to follow Johnny Cash’s instructions: Tell the story and get out of the song. Don’t waste words.

Is the rhythm right for this scene, this paragraph? Is this the right word? Do I need something else? It’s the right word, but what if I place it here instead of there? Hmmm … I’m stumbling over this phrase, which means the reader will, too. What if I repeat this word for effect? How does this sound when I read it aloud?

Since we’re talking music, we might as well get to songwriters. My favorites, other than the aforementioned Man in Black? The usual names: Guy Clark, John Prine, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, Townes Van Zandt, Mickey Newbury, Bob Dylan, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom T. Hall, Merle Haggard, Bobbie Gentry, Bonnie Raitt, John Fogerty  …

And many prose writers I admire – Wallace Stegner, James Agee, Dorothy M. Johnson, Loren D. Estleman, John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Raymond Chandler – have a lyrical style. 

Rarely do I listen to music when I’m writing. Not because it’s distracting. I worked for newspapers, so I’ve had to write fast with people screaming two desks down from me, or dictate a story from a phone booth with sirens blasting and someone asking me if I could loan him a buck for cigarettes. 

All I want to hear when I’m writing is the keyboard clicking.

Anyway, I’m not moving to Nashville or Austin. And when I play Westbound, I usually listen to “What a Moon” or “Runaway Heart,” both of which Micki wrote.

She’s got that songwriting thing down. I’ll stick to prose. But sometimes when I’m driving at night, a song idea will percolate, and I’ll start noodling for words. Maybe I’ll jot down some lyrics later.

Just don’t ask me to sing anything.

March Forward

 March is both coming in and going out like a lion for me this year – First of all, as I mentioned last time we spoke here, I’m going to the Left Coast Crime conference this year. I haven't been to an actual conference in a long time. I was registered to go to Left Coast Crime in March of 2020, when it was cancelled at the very last minute (some people had actually arrived) by the city of San Diego because of the epidemic. This year LCC is being held in Tucson, which is about a 90 mile drive from my house, so I could hardly pass up the opportunity. The dates are March 16-19, and here’s the link for all the information. It’s way worth it to go and meet your favorite mystery writers in person. I’m a little worried that I don’t know how to speak to people face to face any more, and also a tad worried because the last time LCC was in Tucson I got the flu and felt like I was at death’s door for weeks. You may be assured I just got a fresh flu shot and I’ve been extra-extra Covid boosted.

Still, it’ll be wonderful to see so many fellow crime-writing friends in person again, thought I might be tempted to wave and make kissy gestures at them from across the room. I am getting to do a panel on Friday March 17 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the importance of research, especially to historical mystery authors. The panel is called “Why We Love Research”, featuring Clare Broyles, Francine Mathews, Susan McDuffie, and Yours Truly. I’m all exited!

As for my own writing, perhaps the less said the better. I may have mentioned that my long-time publisher has dropped my Bianca Dangereuse series, and I am in the process of slogging around from publisher to publisher trying to find someone who would like to issue the already finished third installment. Seems publishers aren't enthusiastic about picking up a series in the middle. However, several told me they liked my writing and if I wanted to submit something new they would love to read it. Encouraging words. But - it seems I have too many ideas and no clear direction. I am literally working on three books at once - all entirely different from one another; a historical stand-alone, another Alafair Tucker Mystery, and a totally new contemporary mystery that could be the beginning of a series.  I am very much enjoying hopping between worlds and moods and characters, but as I've sadly discovered, it's difficult to plow through when you don't have someone breathing down your neck saying "finish, finish!" If only I knew which book has the best chance of seeing the light of day I'd pick that one and stick with it to the end. Doodling around is fun but not the most professional attitude for an author. 

Inspiration

I love to read the recent posts of my fellow Type Mers, especially when I'm searching for a topic to write about. The perspectives and interests of other writers are a great source of inspiration. I have been doing this blog for a long, long time, and sometimes I feel as if I have nothing new to say under the sun.

The same thing can be said of writing itself. I've written dozens of short stories– although none recently due to lack of time (so I say)– as well as four short novels and sixteen full-length crime novels. I am not a fast writer, nor do I have an easy system for coming up with new ideas for plots and themes. Each book takes a lot of thought, research, and stumbling, bumbling drafts. I read about prolific writers who have fifty or more books under their belts and I am astonished. I don't know how a writer can create twenty original and powerful books about Detective X or Miss Y the librarian. After ten Inspector Green novels, I really want a change. I was afraid I would start creating the same book wearing different clothes, and frankly, I wanted to spread my wings. Hence Amanda Doucette. She gave me a refreshing change and a new writing style, settings, and characters to explore. After five books living with her, I was ready to go back to Inspector Green. With a new, updated twist.

Charlotte Hinger's post about the Masterclasses intrigued me. I'd seen them advertised but, like her, I had always dismissed them. But the four authors she described are all prolific writers with dozens of books to their credit. I was struck by the drive, professionalism, and passion they seemed to convey. I decided that I would try to track down their classes and listen. You don't get to be a successful writer by writing a book or two, and then dusting off your hands and sitting back to savour the results. You write the next book, and the next, because the stories are clamouring to come out. Most of us writers don't write for the money - you're better off being a plumber. We write because words and stories are our way of connecting. With others and with ourselves. 

I've never been a fan of "how to write" books. There are many different ways to write and to tell a story, and each of us has to find the way that works for us. Maybe outlining would make my life easier, maybe I should know where I'm going before I start, but that's not how my creative mind works. But over the years I've learned a lot about the craft of writing from other writers and from various workshops, panels, and discussions, as well as from my own bumbling. I like hearing what works for other writers, because most of the time, I find more similarities than differences, and I feel a kindred connection. I pay particular attention to writers whom I regard as exceptional. I look at their use of language, structure, character development, etc. How they weave the story together. 

Most writers always want to be improving the quality of our prose and the power of our stories. Inspiration is not just one ahah! idea that galvanizes a story; it's a hundred little ahah ideas along the way that lift an ordinary character or theme into an extraordinary one. Ideas that make the story sparkle and infuse it with passion. 

Which is something I'm not sure a robot can do.

Now I am curious enough that I am going to check out some of these masterclasses, starting with the ones Charlotte mentioned. To see where their passion comes from and how they capture it.

A Rose is a Rose

 by Charlotte Hinger

The process for recording an audiobook is fascinating. Blackstone Audio used to produce books published by Poisoned Pen Press. Blackstone was meticulous and I was fortune to have had Karen White, a top narrator, for all of my mysteries. She has a terrific voice and carefully collaborates on every pronunciation decision.

How can there be any controversy over how to say a word? You would be surprised. There was a lot of discussion involved with the Spanish honorific doña. Since the Spanish family in my third mystery, Hidden Heritage, had lived in this country a long, long time, would they be using a fairly rare variation of pronunciation followed by a little known group in Spain? Or would they instead cling to the more formal and better known Castilian? 

To Castilian or not to Castilian. That was the question. Four researchers were involved. I can’t tell how much I appreciated the care they took.

Where you live and where you are from has everything to do with how you pronounce a word. If you live in the top half of Kansas you will refer to the Arkansas River as AR-Kansas. If you live in the lower half of the state, it’s Ar-kan-saw (like the state). I write about Northwest Kansas, so I say AR-Kansas.

Even though I'm a native Kansan, people in Northwest Kansas used different words than I was familiar with having moved there from Eastern Kansas.

When we moved to Southwest Kansas I was puzzled over the word "bar-ditch." I honestly did not know what it meant. Then I learned it was what those of us in Northwest Kansas simply called a "ditch." And it certain regions of Texas it's "barrow ditch." All the words meant the same thing. It's the hollow area resulting from borrowing dirt to make a road.

Usage must be negotiated before the final copy of a manuscript. All of my conflicts have been settled amicably. However, with some authors this is nothing short of a duel to the death. I pay a lot of attention to an editor's preferences because they are more to tuned in to the population as a whole.

I was amused at how annoyed we in a recent discussion when city folks used the wrong words. The worst offence has to do with vehicles. An SUV is NOT a truck and it’s referred to by the manufacturer’s name. I would say “go out to my Tahoe (or fill in the blank) and get my address book out of the glovebox.” Yes. glovebox. A truck is a truck. A pickup is not a truck. It’s a pickup and it is NEVER a pickup truck.

We in Western Kansas have spoken.

Scribes to our Robot Overlords

 The previous Type M post from John Corrigan touched upon writing samples from the Artificial Intelligence app, ChaptGPT and its worrisome implications, especially to us writers. I've also seen other examples of what AI can produce as it scrubs the Internet for content in remarkable ways. What really impressed me were its Mid-Century and Art Deco period recreations of Burning Man. However, all was not perfect as like many other amateur artists, AI had difficulty rendering hands. Plus the occasional person was given three legs. Or it could be, AI has already decided that people do need these extra appendages and when it controls the human birthing process in artificial wombs (coming soon to a clinic near you), our children will be the deformed pets of our robot overlords. 

But there are groups who cheer AI's ability to generate content almost instantly. At the 20Books Vegas writing conference, the attitude was that since many of its authors write to market and depend on a prolific output to meet audience demands, the ability for AI to "write" sequels can be leveraged into more books to sell, i.e., more profit. Another group that welcomes AI are Instagram/TikTok influencers, such as models, who also need to produce a continuous stream of content to satisfy their audience and keep the algorithms happy. Many argue that since much of their content is the same--posing in bikinis, etc., why not use AI to make more pictures? 

The ability of AI to mimic reality is both its greatest strength and greatest danger. We're close to seeing credible imitations of people--"deep fakes"--in outlandish video simulations. One app claims it can sample a brief recording of your voice and from that, produce an audio of you saying anything. Couple that with similar video software and your identity as an individual can be at risk. Looking deeper into this dark mirror and acknowledging that the demographic most harmed by social media are adolescent girls, can you imagine the humiliation when an unassuming young woman sees that her image was uploaded into a AI porn app? Whoops, it's already happened.

 

 

Hardcopy and ChatGPT

The pages and the pencil...

Sitges, Spain

Greetings from Spain.

I’m “working” –– chaperoning 14 students to Terrassa. While here, when I have a free moment, I’m finishing a manuscript.

Sitges, Spain

My process ends with a pencil and a hardcopy. I don’t make final edits on my laptop. I need the pages, my clipboard, and always a mechanical pencil. Editing on paper versus the screen has long been debated. I know many people who don’t edit the final copy on paper. They like to be able to quickly cut and move things around. For me, though, I need to cross out, draw arrows, and write henscratch in the margins. Reading on the screen feels too much like composing. The hardcopy, for whatever reason, provides a separation –– I’m a reader, not a writer when I hold the pages.

#

One topic has come up repeatedly in my work as a school administrator: ChatGPT. Who is using it? How to prevent it? Should we embrace it?

Montserrat, Spain

If you haven’t heard, ChatGPT is an AI writing program. I recently told a parent group that if I was paying for a student to get a technical writing degree right now, I’d be very nervous. The program can write what you need –– and pretty well –– in a matter of seconds. I imagine some writing professions will go by the wayside. 

Joy

Which brings me to the question: How will it impact our work as fiction writers? I would love to know what my colleagues at Type M and our readers think. 

What’s the future of ChatGPT?

Will it impact fiction writing as we know it?

MasterClass

by Charlotte Hinger

 Well, what do you know? There is something new under the sun. It's MasterClass.

For some time my on-line reading was interrupted by a promotion for MasterClass. I ignored these clips the same as I do all other annoying ads. I wanted to cut down on subscriptions, not acquire new ones. 

Then The New Yorker published an article about the lecturers. Those at the top of their field vie with one another to be selected to lead a class. It's the ultimate indorsement of their abilities. Honestly folks, James Patterson and David Baldacci are not in it for the money. 

I'm absolutely hooked. Curiously, the presentations are straight lectures. The "star" sits a chair and tells the viewer everything he knows about his area of expertise. I've finished four classes: James Patterson, David Baldacci, Joyce Carol Oates, and Aaron Sorkin. The episodes vary from 8-15 minutes. Some include a round table analysis of students' work. 

The styles are wildly varied. I enjoyed Aaron Sorkin the most even though he opened by gloomily stating that speaking was very hard for him and he would be much more comfortable just writing the whole thing. This wonderfully talented playwright and scriptwriter wrote A Few Good Men and one of my favorite TV series, The West Wing. One of his most endearing statements was about writer's block. He said that was his default status: deeply depressed and blocked as a writer. 

I like Patterson a lot as a person. He's so passionate about promoting literacy. I'm only an occasional reader of his books, but used one in a creative writing class I taught. I wanted the students to see how he turned a whole plot with one of his one word, one sentence, paragraphs. It's not easy. Plus, I admire the way he gives co-authors full credit on his covers. An amazing fact is that the man writes in longhand while sitting in a rocking chair. He's a generous man and natural outliner. One of his detailed outlines is what his bevy of co-authors receive. 

Joyce Carol Oates teaches writing at Columbia University. Her approach is lovely and poetic and seductive. How can one person master so many different genres? I really wanted her book, We Were The Mulvaneys, to win the Pulitzer Prize of the National Book Award. Her suggestions frightened me. I found myself resistant to accessing some of the thinking she urged me to explore. Yet, as she pointed out, that's where my best writing lies dormant. Oates writes mysteries (both novels and short stories) in addition to literature. She's phenomenal and mystical. 

Ah, Baldacci! He was whisked in on a magic carpet. Yet, like most ultra successful writers he paid his dues. He learned his craft. The man has the most abrupt machine gun delivery of anyone I've watched so far. He does not pause between sentences. His first published novel was Absolute Power. For that he received a 2 million dollar advance for American rights, and 2 million for foreign rights. He's a lawyer so he knew a lot about contracts from the beginning. He has the most joyful presentation and gives a new meaning to "natural writer" When he worked full time as a lawyer, after the kids and his wife went to bed, he wrote from 10pm to 2am every night. I especially appreciated this man because he has the most turbulent intuitive (yet linear) idiotic method of writing a book of any of them. Finally. Someone just like me.

Next on my agenda is one on poetry, followed by lessons in forensics by none other than John Douglas.

First Piece Published--Feeling Remembered.

 by Thomas Kies

As I was walking Annie, our dog, one morning, I thought about the first piece of fiction that I was lucky enough to have published back in 1979.  It was a short story called Fast Dancing Detroit Style.  No, it wasn’t a mystery story.  It was horror—an erotic ghost story. I was paid $250, I was 26 at the time and I thought I was hot as a box of matches.

After all.  I’d been published in Cavalier magazine, the same publication where Stephen King got his start. With the same editor that he worked with, Maurice DeWalt.  

And yes, Cavalier was a men’s magazine that featured some of the top writers of the time, but it was also filled with full frontal nude women.  I remember proudly telling my father about being published and a couple of days later he phoned me to tell me how humiliating it had been to go into an adult bookstore to buy the magazine. I’m not sure he ever told me if he liked the story or not.  

Cavalier was launched by Fawcett Publications in 1952.  The original format was to feature novels and novelettes by Fawcett’s Gold Medal authors like Richard Prather and Micky Spillane. During the 1960s, the magazine featured such writers as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Coover, Richard Gehman, Garson Kanin, Paul Krassner, John D. MacDonald, Albert Moravia, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Shelton, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Theodore Sturgeon and Colin Wilson.

Film critic Manny Farber had a monthly column in the 1960s. Stephen King was a contributor during the 1970s, and his stories were also featured in Cavalier Yearbook.

I followed up my first published story with more horror only to be turned down by Mr. DeWalt saying, “These are too much like Stephen King.”  Okay…I guess that’s not bad.  

I tried other magazines, mostly “pulp publications” like Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Amazing, Weird Tales, Analog, and Strange Tales.  The cover pages, by the way, often featured illustrations of scantily clad women in the clutches of space aliens.  

I even submitted short stores to Playboy (no luck there) and Omni, a glossy four-color magazine devoted to both science fiction and science fact.  The editor was Ben Bova.  He was the author of over 120 books on science and science fiction, had won the Hugo Award six times, and was the president of the National Space Society and the Science Fiction Writers of America. 

He sent me a personal rejection letter on one of my submissions with a handwritten note that said, “,,,keep at it.  You’re a good writer.”  

That was in the 70s and 80s and I was raising a family and working full time at the Elmira Star-Gazette. I wrote short stories in my spare time on my manual typewriter at my desk tucked away on the porch.  On the wall next to my desk was a corkboard where I kept the rejections slips.  

Back then, you’d submit stories by hardcopy via the mail accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope so that if your story was rejected, you’d at least hear back with a pre-printed slip of paper saying that they were sorry they couldn’t respond personally and that your story just wasn’t right for their publication. 

So, I found my copy of Cavalier from 44 years ago that I tucked away in a closet and reread my erotic horror story.  Could I have improved upon it?  Sure.

But you know, I enjoyed reading it.  Almost as much as I did when it first arrived in my mailbox a lifetime ago. But I think I'll stick with mysteries. 

Tucson Festival of Books

By Johnny D. Boggs

I have been swamped with deadlines, assignments and shoveling snow. But here’s some great news:

March 4-5 is just around the corner.

Because that weekend, I’ll be at the Tucson Festival of Books. For a writer, or a reader, there is no better place to be.

If you haven’t been to Tucson for this festival, you are missing something special.

I was invited to speak on a panel with the great Jane Candia Coleman at the inaugural event in 2009. Remember …? The economic downturn, the longest since World War II. I wondered who would show up to listen to authors or buy books.

Who turned up? Well, 50,000 book lovers and 450 authors/presenters. And an amazing 800 volunteers.

I haven’t missed one since. Nor have many attendees.

The festival has drawn more than 100,000 in subsequent years. Last year, the first since the COVID shutdown (canceled in 2020, virtual in 2021), concern about who would return faded fast. The event, always free to the public and held on the University of Arizona campus, was packed again. Maybe not the record 140,000 of 2019, but those two days were awesome.

Generally, I help staff a booth for Western Writers of America, but sneak away to catch a panel or two if I can. Most years I either moderate or speak on a panel. This year, I’m doing both.

Talk about exciting. I share a Saturday panel about film history books, “Lights! Camera! America!,” with Kirk Ellis and Alan K. Rode (moderated by film scholar Andrew Patrick Nelson) and on Sunday I moderate “Visions of the West” with Kathryn Wilder, Emma Zimmerman and Pulitzer Prize finalist Ted Conover.

But the real treat is talking to nonwriters, wannabe writers, colleagues, friends and literary icons about writing, process, books, literature. I can’t wait to pick Ted Conover’s brain.

Hey, I spend most days and nights alone in an office writing, rewriting, rewriting, rewriting and sweating. Then wondering is anyone really going to read that? Does anybody still read?

Well, the Tucson Festival of Books is a morale booster for any writer. Oh, sure, most of those 100,000 attendees probably won’t have much interest in what I write. But they are proof that people are still interested in literature.

I’ll drive home March 5 excited, ready to step back inside that office for another lonely year. The adrenaline from Tucson will keep me going till 2024.

Hope to you there.

Me, Too (Writing and Post-Covid)

Both Charlotte's and Donis's posts this week struck home with me. At the best of times, I procrastinate even when I have something I want to get done. The only thing I don't do this with is moving around odds and ins that I'm inspired to move around while flipping through home decorating magazines. I love those magazines even though I get sticker shock when I realize I picked up one with an enticing cover and tossed it into my grocery shopping basket without checking that tiny little price. I think they make it tiny just so people who need to dig out their glasses won't bother to stop and do that. And those $10.99 magazines have occasionally costed me even more because I have stopped reading to go to the site where I can see the options and sometimes I buy that perfect thing with one tap of my finger. In my own defense, at the trail end of the worse of the pandemic, I did finally get around to getting my handyman in to paint because I had spent so much time looking at the yellow walls that came with the house when I moved in. And then, when I had refreshed my walls with blue, new accessories were required.

But . . . as I was saying about procrastination, I have now reached "Master Level". It happened during the height of the pandemic when my brain ceased to work. The one good aspect of that was that I started an on-going email letter writing habit again with a friend from grad school. Back in the days when people  wrote letters in long-hand and sent them off by stopping at a mail box, we communicated more often. But in the age of emails, we had gone astray. During Covid-19 we have gotten back into the habit of checking on each and what is going on in our lives. I did the same with a friend here closer to home. And with other people who I communicate with regularly. But even with all this communication, I had curled up in my little nest, tossing mail on my desk unopened, and opening the front door only to walk the dog. I even joined a grocery delivery service -- actually that last decision turned out to be a wise one. After trying at least four other services, I found one that delivers protein, healthy fruits, vegetable, and cookie dough made of ingredients that all look healthy and can be eaten from the container or baked.

My improved communication habits and strategy for getting dinner in less than 30 minutes are in place, and I hope will continue. What hasn't change is my habit of spinning my wheels longer than I should each day before I get going. That means that when I finally start I end up going later in the day than I would like because I have more writing time to try to make up. But this morning when I was putting off getting out this post, I checked today's tip from Ancestry DNA and discovered that the fault is in both my environment and my genetic tendencies. In keeping with that I stopped to read the accompanying articles about other traits before finally getting to my post. Actually, today I have a semi-good excuse. I got up early to take my dog to daycare because I scribbled a faculty event in the wrong box in my old-fashion planner. It would have come up in my electronic calendar, but this week I planned to be proactive -- and I ended up being a week early. So, today, I was so early dropping off Fergus that I thought I could spend time thinking about whether to have brunch or lunch while wandering off to read those "when you have the time" articles that are fascinating when I should be doing something else.

I have found a good idea or two reading those articles. My only problem is sometimes I read something both useful and fascinating but I don't have pen and paper at hand and I'm too comfortable to get up and get both, so I tell myself I will remember, and I don't. I know enough to immediately write down whatever I wake up dreaming. But this week I was having a dream -- a solution to a plot problem -- and I woke up almost there but Fergus had shut himself up in my bedroom when he was pushing at the door trying to get out. I got up to let him out, and as quickly as that my dream was gone. I've been hoping it would come back, but it hasn't.

Like Donis, I am hoping that the more I get out again, the more I will get to at least "re-set" when it comes to socializing again. In one area at least, having animals in the house has helped out. When my beloved Harry died, I found both Fergus and Penelope -- not as replacements for Harry, but as animals with their own personalities. It has taken me a while to settle in with the two of them. But it has also given me a Covid interest. With Fergus, the wonderfully socialized puppy I received from a breeder, the task has been to contain some of that bounciness and train him. With Penelope, my rescue cat from Louisiana, it has taken almost a year between the time she began to talk to me when she wants something and expect me to understand and last month when she began to curl up against me on the sofa and even stretch out in my lap. That would be great except I gave myself a physical excuse for researching rather than writing when I grabbed my lap top to keep it from falling from the sofa and managed to loosen the hinge on one side. She jumped right up and finished the job. Now, I'm going to have to take it back to my computer guy again  after having broken both monitor hinges this time. 

But I have a fully functioning desk top at home and in my office at school. It is only a matter of sitting down at either. Note to self: Ideas rattling around in head have to be put on paper in timely fashion.

 

There Are People Out There!

 I, Donis, am actually going to a conference next month! I'm signed up for Left Coast Crime in Tucson, AZ, in mid-March. This is the first time I've basically been out of the house since before the pandemic, and I certainly have not attended a large gathering like this in at least three years. I'm going this year because a) it's in Tucson, which is a 90 mile drive from where I live, and b) I'm going to have to learn to be around other people some time, and I am vaccinated to the nines so why not now?

I'm lucky to be on a panel entitled Why We Love Research on Friday, March 17,  10:15 AM - 11:00 AM, which is to be populated by fellow (mainly) historical novelists Clare Broyles, Francine Mathews, and Susan McDuffie, which should be great fun, because I actually do love research. Reality is usually a lot more fascinating and even shocking than anything one can make up.

I am torn between looking forward to LCC with great anticipation and feeling just a little bit apprehensive. The last time I attended Left Coast, I came down with the flu afterwards and that was no fun at all. 

I think attending conferences is very useful. Every time I attend a writers’ workshop or conference, I learn something and come away with good ideas, but the major thing they do for me these days is allow me to mingle with fellow writers. Other writers have been extraordinarily helpful to me. but I can't afford to go to as many conferences as I'd like. I've been doing this for many years, and I keep trying a little of this and a little of that, and attempting to judge what promotional activity works best for me. 

I wonder if I'll remember how to interact with people after all this time? I actually do force myself to make the rounds at the conferences I attend and talk to as many people as I can, but I'll never be as effective at it as someone who is naturally outgoing. However, I'm guessing I'm a much better schmoozer than J.D. Salinger, who could buy and sell me. So as effective as that technique is, it must not be the end-all and be-all of book promotion. That's what I tell myself, anyway.

Road trip!

 Two weeks ago, I blogged about promotion and my upcoming in-person book launches in Toronto and Ottawa. As could be expected in Ottawa in early February, the weather did its best to sabotage both events. The day of the Toronto event, the city (indeed much of the eastern half of the country) was in the deep, deep freeze, with a brutal wind and temperatures not rising above -20 C (about -5 F) not counting the wind chill. It snowed all day long. Torontonians are used to balmier weather and many don't even have snow tires, so I was sure no one would come. Although some were understandably deterred, many did brave the winter and we had a lovely event with a reading, book chat, and truffles. The Ottawa launch at Perfect Books had similar problems. After a lovely, sunny, warm morning, the skies suddenly clouded over mid-afternoon and dumped a mess of freezing rain, ice pellets, and snow on the city. Traffic ground to a snail's pace and parking amid the snowdrifts was a nightmare. Once again, I was afraid no one would come.

The incomparable Sleuth of Baker Street

I should have had more faith in Canadians. We're an intrepid lot. People slithered their way along roads and drifted in to the store swaddled in scarves and slush-covered boots. They filled every chair in the place. I am so grateful to all my readers, friends, and family for continuing to support me through ice, snow, and polar vortexes (or is it vortices?). Not to mention more than twenty book launches.

My next step was to arrange readings and signings both in the city and farther afield. These are always more fun with another writer friend, and who better than my long-time dear friend, Mary Jane Maffini, who also had a brand new book out in her very popular local Camilla MacPhee series? I have toured all over the place with Mary Jane over the years, from the east coast to southern and eastern Ontario to the northern USA. So we got our heads together and devised a list of libraries within manageable driving distance from Ottawa. We call the tour Thrills, Chills, and Laughter; an evening with two award-winning mystery authors. I'm more of the thrills and chills writer, while Mary Jane supplies most of the laughter. The libraries that we approached have been very receptive to the idea, as eager as we are to see real people again.

We are still finalizing a couple of libraries, but here's what we have so far:

April 26 - Mississippi Mills Public Library, Almonte branch. 6:30-8:00 pm

April 29 - North Grenville Public Library, Kemptville branch 2:00-4:00 pm.

May 9 - Clarence-Rockland Public Library, 7:00-8:00 pm.

May 16 - Brighton Public Library, 6:00-8:00 pm.

All these events are free and everyone is welcome. Books will be for sale on site.

If you're in the neighbourhood, come on by. WhooHoo, road trip!

Creative Procrastination

 by Charlotte Hinger

My all-time favorite way to avoid the onerous task of writing a novel used to be through excessive research. I really knew how to milk that one. But I was saved by a scoldy part of my brain that monitors such nonsense. The rescue was quite simple. I forced myself to write a quota of pages every day. Five pages a day, five days a week. 

After producing the five pages, I allowed myself to research until the cows came home. It worked beautifully. Especially before the internet became my prime source of information.

 Now I've fallen prey again to my relentless curiosity. I have an instant attention span. I'm hooked immediately by obscure bits of useless information. When I watch TV, I frequently pause the program to look up tid-bits. 

For instance, the other night I watched an old movie about Mary Queen of Scots. Did she and Queen Elizabeth ever meet, I wondered. The answer was yes, Safari informed me. Frequently in movies and even in one of my favorite operas, but in real life, never. Was her second husband, Lord Darnley really that bad? Yes. He was a real mess. Did she really marry Bothwell? Yes. But historians don't know why. Not for sure. 

All of this carrying on interrupted my TV watching. It didn't matter. In fact, learning more about the background of this period in history increased my pleasure. 

However, excessive interruptions are deadly to the creative process of writing a novel. For this reason, I've switched to longhand for the first draft. Through the years, I've learned more about the craft. I'm convinced it's very important to get the story down on paper as quickly as possible in accordance with the writer's natural bent. Some of us are simply slower than others. I am not a fast writer, but writing in long hand does away with accessing the internet or responding to email. 

What's more, longhand stops me from "improving" a chapter into infinity. Through longhand, I have to get on with the story. Editing kicks in when I transfer the pages to the computer. 

But much to my dismay, I've acquired a new way to procrastinate. I tend to become overinvolved with other activities. Committees, meetings, etc. Some of this was accidental when I was too stupid to realize the work involved, but on other occasions I take too much on through an over-developed sense of duty. That condition evolved from growing up in a very small town where everyone had to pitch in or a community wouldn't hang together. 

I say yes when I shouldn't. But after giving the situation some thought, I've decided to go back to a set time. All I have to do is say, "I can't between 8-12 in the morning. That's when I work." That's a simple declaration that will force me to man up to writing difficult scenes and tackle plot problems. 

Worse, I'm very clever at finding ways to escape when I'm not sure where a book is headed. Who wouldn't want to run away?

Writing Historical Mysteries

 

by Sybil Johnson 

My comment on Thomas’ post on Monday was a suggestion to have a workshop on writing historical mysteries. That came to my mind for two reasons: (1) I’m working on trying to write one myself and (2) I attended a talk on Sunday given by Naomi Hirahara on the subject. 

I’ve known Naomi for over ten years. She’s a lovely person, great writer and has been a help to me a number of times. She’s also an Edgar-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series. She ventured into the historical mystery area with Clark and Division, which follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center.

I cannot say enough good things about Clark and Division. It has all of the things I look for in a historical mystery. It has an interesting plot and I learned a lot of things I knew nothing about. So I was very interested in hearing what she had to say.

The talk was fairly short, about 30 minutes or so, but full of interesting information. Here’s my summary:

- Write about a period/situation, etc. that really interests you. Something you’re passionate about. Build your expertise on the subject. Visuals are helpful when you can find them. You can’t find photos of a period before photography existed, but you might be able to find drawings. Also old maps of the area you’re interested in can be helpful. Find experts that you can consult with specific questions. Be sure to thank and advocate for the experts that help you. 

- Know your limitations. 

 - Narrow your focus. Pick a particular time period and geographic area to concentrate on. You can’t include everything. 

 - Periods before and after a big event could be a good place to start a story. 

- Tell the story from a perspective never told before.

 - Write from your strengths. If you’re good at describing, lean on that. Are you good at writing in 1st person? Write in 1st person. Same goes for 3rd person. If you know a lot about the history of a place, consider setting your book there. 

 - Be aware of your emotional/cultural blocks.

 - You will not please everyone. That’s okay. Write the best book you can write.

- The way to do twists in stories is to subvert expectations. Figure out what the reader thinks about a person or situation and twist it so that it’s something different.

We talked a little about process. Some writers do all of their research first, then write. Some do it concurrently or do just enough research, then start writing. I remember hearing that Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander novels, uses this approach. For Naomi, her approach depended on the book.

There’s a lot more that could be said on this topic. Here are two books I found that could prove useful: How To Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson

Once Upon a Time It Was Now: The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction by James Alexander Thom

For those of you who’ve written historical mysteries, any advice for those of us just starting out?

Curses

by Charlotte Hinger

Writers are a superstitious lot. Curses that people put on our ability to write hold us back. Here are a few that "everyone" knows about writing.

1.  You will never write another novel as fresh as the first one. 

    This one nearly did me in. I heard it from my best friend. Since I started so high on the totem pole and then had trouble selling my second book, it was easy to believe this. The truth was that my first book was deeply flawed. Most of us become better writers as we go along. The craft of writing is learnable, teachable, and acquired through practice.

2.  Writers peak out in middle age.

    I can't remember where I read this. Truth is a lot of writers don't start until middle age. Some of the most successful, prolific writers I know started writing after they retired. Yet, I've noticed that folks who hope to write when they "have the time" will never find it. There's a lifetime of experimentation and learning the craft that late-comers miss out on. 

3.  It's not what you know. It's who you know. 

Oh please! I'm from Hoxie, Kansas. Not only did I not know anyone, I didn't know anything either. When you finish a book--hopefully in a genre, you're familiar with--then start reading and researching marketing advice. I believe that writer's conferences with time allotted for hearing pitches is an excellent way to start. 

In short, don't let preconceptions stop you. 

Workshop Ideas, Please?

 By Thomas Kies

Over the past few years, I’ve taught Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing classes at our local community college.  I love doing it because I love talking about writing, publishing, books, and storytelling.  

The college has asked me to shake things up a bit for the spring and lead some workshops.  I’ve already reached out to the Carteret Writers Network and they’d like to have me do workshops at the new home of our county’s arts council, a beautiful location with the perfect space.  The college has bought into the idea as well. 

I’m reaching out to you for your advice on what workshops I should lead. What would you like to be part of?  Or what would you like to teach?

In the past, I’ve done session entitled “Good Guys, Bad Guys, and Plot Twists” for the North Carolina Writers Network at the writers' conference in Wrightsville Beach and I’ve done a similar workshop for the Pamlico Writers Group. 

In my classroom, I’ve covered character development, story arcs, character arcs, plot twists, colorful descriptions and the value of emotion in writing. 

We’ve talked about heroes and antiheroes and how to create a relatable protagonist and how all villains may not be bad…or at least that's what they tell themselves.

I’ve covered self-publishing vs hybrid publishing vs traditional publishing. I’ve talked about the value of finding and getting a good literary agent. We’ve discussed how long a chapter should be, how many words should your novel be, and how to begin and end a scene. 

But now, I’ve got to develop two or three solid workshops lasting about two hours each.  The audience will most likely be comprised of both new authors and those who have had some writing experience. What do you think?  If you have an idea, let me know in your comments below!!  I can use your help. 

What's Behind Me?

By Johnny D. Boggs

A fellow writer asked what dictionary I use.

Hey, I did not say that this was a stimulating conversation.

I turned around, made notes, and answered that a Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary sits right behind me. Deluxe Second Edition. I probably could buy a new one, but with the plethora of online dictionaries, is that worthwhile? Besides, next to that is Webster’s unabridged An American Dictionary of the English Language from 1860.

Since I mostly write historical fiction, I probably pull the latter out more than the modern Webster’s. Unless I pick up that 1876 copy of Webster’s A Common-School Dictionary of the English Language.

Then I spy the two-volume A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles from 1951, which I often peruse, unless I grab Richard Thornton’s two-volume An American Glossary from 1962.

My Roget’s Thesaurus is A Treasury of English Words and Phrases from 1883.

An atlas? Well, there’s a modern Rand McNally, but I also have a Cram’s Unrivaled Family Atlas of the World Indexed from 1885. I have to be careful with that one, because I can look at maps for hours.

Wow. I just learned something. My hometown of Timmonsville, South Carolina, was in Darlington County in 1885. That find sends me to Google to learn that Florence County wasn’t first formed until 1888.

My King James Bible is from 1868. Translations have changed over the years, you see.

For grammar I have that bible commonly known as “Strunk and White” but properly called The Elements of Style. It’s the Fourth Edition, but I still have the battered Third Edition that I used all through journalism school and my newspaper career.

The Elements of Editing and The Elements of Grammar sit next to the well-read On Writing Well by William Zinsser and Fowler’s Modern English Usage, Second Edition.

Those are the closest constant books. History books and biographies, etc., might be stacked in front of that shelf, but those will change depending on what I’m working on at the time.

Then there are books on the shelves above the printer. First Names. The Chicago Manual of Style. The Washington Post Deskbook on Style (to see what Woodward, Bernstein and Bradlee might have been reading circa 1972-1974). A modern Roget’s (well, it was modern when I bought it in college). Tons of books on slang – always make sure slang references include an etymology if you’re writing historical fiction –  and English usage.

More reference books, books on firearms, 19th Century catalogs from Bloomingdale’s, Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck & Co. … Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable … Old West dictionaries … the 1955 reprint of Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society … Colonial American English … The Complete Oxford Shakespeare (there's also a 1942 edition of The Complete Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare from Houghton Mifflin somewhere around here) … foreign-language dictionaries … various state historical atlases … David Dary’s Frontier Medicine … 19th Century baseball rulebooks … Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing (to keep me grounded) … and even the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, which a foul-mouthed writer recommended to me years ago.

Yes, you are absolutely right. The writer who asked me what dictionary I use was sorry he asked.

More thoughts on promotional outreach

Frankie's Friday post about promotional outreach touched close to home because my latest Amanda Doucette book, WRECK BAY was just released last week and I have been wrestling with how to promote it. Frankie was hoping to initiate a discussion about what works and what doesn't in this evolving world of book promotion. Evolving is a key word here. Social media is changing rapidly, as is software for presenting promotional material, and the nature of book selling itself. It's really difficult to keep up, let alone guess the next trend.

I was sorry no authors put forward their thoughts in the comments section, but the problems are complex and the answers perhaps too lengthy for a quick comment. I hope the post initiated some discussion and reflection beyond the blog. I decided my thoughts merited a whole blog, so here we go.

It's been twenty-three since my first novel was published, so I have been in the promotional game for a while. Wow, has it changed! When I started, I held in-person launches with food and wine in the gorgeous, marble-columned lobby of National Archives Canada, which hosted many author events for free (you just had to supply the food and drink). In 2000, the online world was very limited; no social media and only the beginnings of email and websites. Many potential readers didn't use the internet for communication, so I designed and printed out rudimentary post cards. I had a d-base file of readers which printed sticky little address labels on my dot-matrix printer. I bought reams of stamps. One by one, I mailed them to friends, family, and anyone I thought might be interested. 

My second promotional activity was throwing a box of books into the trunk of my car and driving around to every bookstore within a day's drive. I introduced myself as a local author, gave them a sample copy, and said I'd be happy to do a signing. This netted me a personal connection with most of the bookstores that remains helpful to this day, even though a great many of those bookstores have closed or changed owners.

About a year later, my friend Mary Jane Maffini and I (both at similar points in our book careers) decided we needed that new innovation called a website and I enlisted my then-teenage son to set one up for us, using html. It was clunky and impossible for us to edit, but at least we had a presence! A couple of years later, we decided we each needed our own website, and a techie friend volunteered to design them. 

My third promotional activity was probably the most valuable yet in my nascent mystery career - attending literary festivals, particularly mystery conferences. So many benefits! The most obvious being networking and sharing writing and publicity tips with other writers. Making connections with book industry people like librarians, booksellers, and reviewers not just in my own backyard but around the the world. Forming friendships that continue to be nourished through social media, notably Facebook. I started with Bloody Words before my first book was even published, and have attended Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and Left Coast Crime, as well as smaller regional festivals. If it weren't for finances and the pandemic, I would go every year. My list of contacts grew as my books got out there.

The mailed launch invitations continued for several books, and the d-base grew with each book. Sometimes I held joint book launches with local crime writer friends like Mary Jane, which increased both our reaches as well. But at some point we decided to ditch the paper in favour of email. I admit to being haphazard about collecting reader contact information. As people emailed me about my books or invited me to speak at bookclubs, I collected their emails in a dedicated folder in my email program, which gave me a record of sorts. I would painstakingly go through these to invite people to my launches or to inform them of a new release. Inefficient and old-school, but it did work. 

The next big leap forward was the arrival of Social Media. I created a personal Facebook page in 2009, and my editor created an author page and urged me to use it. I kept forgetting to, and instead used my personal page for a combination of friendly chat and book information. Facebook was, and still is, an interactive platform, and readers often became Facebook friends who enjoyed stories about my cottage, my travels, and my dogs as much as the book information. But social media platforms kept multiplying, and we authors were urged to keep up. I joined Twitter a few years later, but found it of limited use except to make very specific announcements about a new release, a signing, or good review. Posts seemed to disappear into the void within a few minutes of being posted, and I made no effort to cultivate connections there. Amid the recent controversy and the increasing toxicity of the platform, I have cancelled my account there. Meanwhile my plugged-in daughter urged me to join Instagram. Facebook is a medium for people you already know, she said, but Instagram will allow you to reach new readers, particularly a younger audience. She made a valid point, so I did join and I do post upcoming news there (and occasional photos of dogs) but it's no place to cultivate connections unless you're a celebrity. It takes little extra time and effort, however, and maybe it increases my visibility. 

The last ten years have seen an explosion in online promotional options. Mail chimp and other software to organize your contact lists, newsletters, blogs, Goodreads and Amazon pages, youtube channels, book trailers, TikTok, and probably others I've yet to hear about.  More and more of this online engagement falls on the author's shoulders, with only the bestsellers and those rich enough to hire PAs and other publicity machines getting outside help. It's become overwhelming. Many of these new avenues required time and some tech expertise to master and maintain. There are authors who love this kind of thing or have handy family members to help, but not me. I have little patience for spending hours tearing my hair out online. It ranks above housekeeping (another necessary evil) but below dog walking, skiing, kayaking, and seeing friends. Plus I usually have a book to write.

I did create an Amazon and Goodreads author page, but I don't do anything with them and don't know if they're any use. I created a Youtube channel but have not put anything on it, and I have dreamed about a book trailer but once again - no technical expertise to turn the dreams into reality. I have run like a madwoman away from the supremely narcissistic TikTok. Because I can't figure out Mail Chimp, I do not have a newsletter, and although I now have a website that I designed and can edit on my own, it is frequently neglected. The one other online presence I maintain is this blog. I no longer use my onerous and often out-of-date email lists to promote events, but instead rely on Facebook invites, Instagram, and my website.

The pandemic accelerated a seismic shift in book promotion. The shift to virtual appearances had begun earlier, with some book clubs hosting virtual talks with authors. Video chats allowed authors to attend events and connect with others much farther afield. When March 2020 shut down the world, however, all book signings, tours, festivals, and other events came to a crashing halt. All my events through the next two years were cancelled, and many since then have been doubtful. It was a very isolating and lonely time, but virtual technology had its up sides. I held virtual launches for my last two books, and invited friends on both my email lists and Facebook from all across the world. More people attended those than could possibly attend my in-person events. In that sense the reach is far greater. 

But I have always loved meeting with readers, friends, and fans in person. I love seeing old friends, sharing laughter, hugs, and love of books.Virtual appearances - staring at thumbnails or, worse, that little green camera light - lack that sense of human connection. And without knowing that our stories touch people, what is the point of writing them? So I am planning two in-person launches, in Ottawa and Toronto, to introduce this latest book over the next week. And I am planning a number of bookstore signings and library readings over the next few months. It's probably not the most efficient way to reach a bigger audience, but it feeds my soul.

What works and what doesn't? I'm not sure, but part of the question is what are you willing to put work into? No writer can do everything and still have a life and write the next book. No writer is comfortable with all the platforms and online possibilities either. For myself, I will continue to use Facebook and Instagram for ongoing book news, as well as this blog and my website for a more detailed background. I will do virtual events as the opportunity arises, and I will be open to learning new things that seem exciting. But I will also continue to seek out in-person connections through book signings, readings, conferences, and tours. 

Timid Words for Horrific Acts

 by Charlotte Hinger

Please. There is a word I never want to hear again. It's "unacceptable." I mean the word itself. "Unacceptable" is a weak, timid, exhausted word that is invariably used incorrectly. It should refer to unpleasant, offensive behavior and that which "simply will not do, my dear."

When a young bride neglects to send thank you notes, her behavior is unacceptable. Farting in public, is unacceptable. Neglecting to make proper introductions is unacceptable. So is using a cell phone during a public event.

Beheading people is not "unacceptable." It's a horrific act that disregards the impact on grieving families and the inflammatory effect on nations that respect human life.

Kidnapping and raping children is not "unacceptable." It's an atrocious despicable act that not only destroys precious souls, it sends whole nations reeling into despair.

Destroying a nation's art and cultural archives is not "unacceptable." It is blatant disregard for precious collections that symbolize the collective myths of a country's heritage.

When the Secret Service fails in it's mission to protect the first family it's more than "unacceptable." It demonstrates an appalling failure of competence and a casual sense of duty.

I'm for using accurate labels. Not to do so waters down the significance of vicious activities with horrendous consequences.

I've listened to Americans struggle to find the words to express their horror? sorrow? grief? over the death of Tyre Nichols. We can't manage, because we can't understand. 

Our feelings about this beating death, this murder, are confused by our original suspicion of systemic racism because the police officers were black. We are deeply aware of corruption in a number of police departments, and reel from an abundance of evidence that it exists in other institutions.

What has happened to our country?

We're missing a word. What is it that would adequately describe our spiraling despair over school shootings? The pervasive sadness over the violence that seems to grip America?

The Director

 As a writer of crime, I love reading about crime and the history of fighting crime. The fascination of crime is that such acts represent the breakdown of society, if only temporarily. Government can pass all the laws it wants but unless we each abide by the social contract--a belief in fairness and that the rules protect us and apply to everyone--then civilization becomes meaningless. Ultimately, every crime story is then a search for justice and a reason to believe in the social contract. 

So in my interest of writing about crime and the pursuit of law and order, I recently finished The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover by Paul Letersky with Gordon Dillow (Simon & Schuster). As expected, the book provided a lot of insight into the inner workings of the FBI, especially details about its Director, the still controversial J Edgar Hoover. We got the lowdown on his rumored homosexual romance with Clyde Tolson (there wasn't one), his secretary Helen Gandy (as keeper of "the secret files" was in her time one of the most feared personalities in Washington DC), and Hoover's contentious relationships with all the US presidents during his tenure. While Letersky soft-shoes around the excesses of the FBI in terms of operations against political opponents (to include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr) and its involvement in COINTELPRO (government surveillance of American citizens), he does admit the agency's use of "black bag jobs," meaning warrantless searches, breakins, and illegal wire taps--the spice of a good crime novel. By the end of the book, the social contract holds firm, mostly.

Post-Pandemic Outreach

Frankie, here.

Today's post is more to invite discussion than to offer any conclusions I've reach. I'd like to hear any thoughts  you have. I've been thinking -- as my title says --  about what form(s) of outreach I should be engaged in now that a pandemic has upended our lives. In a world in which artificial intelligence was recently  a plot element on a day time drama ("soap opera") with a child's toy used to substitute one voice for another -- or in real life where a robot might roll up to your table and take your order at a restaurant -- the future is here. And much of it is both scary and really cool.

But getting back to my dilemma -- with limited time and budget, I'm trying to reach as large an audience as possible. This time I don't want to wait until the thriller I'm excited about and hope my agent will be able to find a home is ready for release. I want to be proactive. I want to engage with potential readers and build "excitement" so that they are eagerly waiting for the book. Some authors are excellent at doing this. They remain in contact with readers in between books. This time, I want to approach my next book and first standalone with the same professionalism.

I had began to feel comfortable on /Twitter. Then, with the pandemic, I was too depressed by what was happening to go on daily or even weekly and share news or thoughts. Now that I'm ready to go back to Twitter, it is not the same as it once was because of the controversy around the change in ownership. 

I could use TikTok, but I have nothing to do in that space.  I think I would be more comfortable on YouTube, but having a channel is a commitment to having regular content to offer an audience. I would have to have a theme that would make the effort required -- and the technical knowledge I would have to acquire -- worthwhile. 

Or, I could go "old school" and go out in the summer and do some shorter trips to bookstores and libraries. Except gas is expensive -- and by now many readers are accustomed to interacting from the comfort of their home. And it is easier for authors to do a virtual book tour from our own armchairs. All we need to do is book some stone stops on other people's websites. We can hire a comfort to set it all up. I've done that. It was easy. But would  it work as well now with so many people doing tours,

Perhaps the best way to reach out to readers and reach as large as audience as possible for a new book is simply to up my game. To continue to post here and use Twitter to draw an audience to the site for my posts and those of my colleagues. To book a virtual tour on other people's websites when the next book is forthcomiing. I could also start to blog about my research on my website. I could even start putting out a newsletter. I've been planning to do that for years. But I want it to be something that readers will enjoy receiving. I could book more virtual events to supplement the in-person events I might be invited to do or able to book. And continue to attend crime fiction conventions and request panel assignments.

Of course, as always writing the best book possible seems to be the starting place. Now, as even before the pandemic, we all have the option of taking our publication fate into our own hands. We can become independent publishers without the past stigma. Many writers have done exaactly that. So, should I also get my first two manuscripts out of my desk drawer and see if my agent thinks we can sell the revised versions to an editor. Even though I'm a better writer now, would the investment in time be worth the effort if I am not sure my agent could place them. But I could hire an editor and go independent, becoming a "hybrid writer" at least for those two books. I wouldn't even have to update them. They might work even better now because they are almost historicals written at a time when the characters would not have been expected to take out their phones to text or the GPS to get to where they were going. 

I know this matter of outreach  has been a subject discussed across social media. Has anyone reached any conclusions? Thrown up your hands in despair? Hired someone else to do it all or supplement what your publisher done? Found software that allows you to do it all virtually without breaking a sweat? If so, please share.    

My Year in Books, 2022

 

by Sybil Johnson

I hope your week is going well. Internet problems at home has forced me to do this post from my local library. The view of the ocean is really nice.

Anyway, it’s time for my annual reading wrap-up.

In 2022 I “consumed” 93 books, 26 fewer than last year. Consumed because it’s a combination of listening to audiobooks and reading. The largest category was mystery/crime at 60%. The majority of those were cozy mysteries at 39%. I continued my reading of Nancy Drew books in order, reading 10 of them last year. These are mostly the 1960s/1970s editions, but I did read a few of the 1930s/40s versions. Mostly the ones where the stories drastically changed. Interesting to see the differences. 20% of the books I read were in the non-fiction category, up from last year.

I listened to 4 audiobooks, 16 fewer than last year. Two of those were books in the Sherlock Holmes in Minnesota mysteries by Larry Millett. I found them to be highly enjoyable stories. The narrator is top-notch on these.

In the cozy mystery category, I’m continuing my trend of reading paranormal cozies, including The Vampire Knitting Club mysteries I started last year. In the non paranormal area, I also love the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates aka Vicky Delany. I highly recommend it.

In the historical mystery category, one of my favorites was Execution by S. J. Parris. The story is set in England in the Elizabethan era. There’s a plot to put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne and a death that may or may not be connected. This is not the first book in the series, but the first I’ve read. There was enough of the back story, I didn’t have a problem understanding what was going on.

One of my favorites in the non-fiction category was The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson. I had no idea that fly-tying was such a big thing and could result in a theft from a museum. Another interesting one was Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. This is the book the Netflix series, Mindhunter, is based on. A very interesting read.

If you’re interested in learning how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs, I highly recommend Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners by Bill Manley. It was a nice review for me. I wish I’d had this book when I first started studying Middle Egyptian.

Another great non-fiction book was Eiffel’s Tower by Jill Jonnes. It chronicles the building of the Eiffel Tower and the exposition it was a part of. Very, very interesting.

I’ve also gotten into the Sandhamn murder series by Viveca Sten. Originally written in Swedish, I’ve been reading the English translations. I would categorize them as police procedurals set on an island in the archipelago. There’s a Swedish TV series based on these books, which I highly recommend. I watched the episodes through my local library via hoopladigital.

That’s my summary. I’m curious, did you find yourself reading more last year than in previous years? Did you read different things?

The Magic of Best Sellers

 by Charlotte Hinger

The making of bestsellers fascinates me. My wonderful agent, Claire Smith (b.1934-d.1998)  once said publishers couldn't hype a book onto the bestseller list. It took buzz. Buzz is when everyone is talking about (and buying) a book. This year's sensation was Lessons in Chemistry. It isn't a great book. It isn't an important book, but I swear it was the most satisfying book I've read in years. 

I loved it. But why? Without knowing the reason, I bought it in hardcover for two granddaughters. 

Another huge bestseller years ago was a non-fiction book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  I wanted to read this book and tried to get it through the library. Believe it or not, there were already 147 holds on the copy. I wasn't willing to be the 148th in line and ordered it through Amazon. Not only was I willing to pay good money for the Japanese author's slender little instruction manual, I had already listened to it on an audiobook. I had even started folding underwear and my socks vertically and started sorting items for Goodwill by category.

My life is basically the same. I do some things well and some things poorly. I have good days and bad days, but mostly my days are pretty satisfying and on the whole I'm a happy person. I have a lot to be thankful for. The book had some great hints, but the "life-changing magic" seemed to bypass me.

So what in the world happened to make such a simple little book zoom to top of best-seller lists? I think that the author was Japanese lent credibility. We associate Japanese décor with uncluttered simplicity. Simplicity is appealing to those of us who are overburdened with the demands of our stressful societies and our plethora of electronic gadgets.

The book has a serene cover with a blue sky. It promises happiness. Serenity. A perfectly ordered house with everything in its place. There is a compelling narrative. The author, Marie Kondo, started down this decluttering path when she was in kindergarten. At the age of five, she could not wait to get home after school and begin organizing her things. It's her passion. She built a business out of organizing stuff.

She's the ultimate authority and very opinionated. No one else could have written from the same point of view.

But making a fortune from tidying up! Who would have thought?

This is a simple book.

There is a lesson here for beginning novelists who complain that they are stuck in ordinary towns with ordinary uninspiring people. The greatest writers see the stuff of stories right in front of them. It doesn't take great adventures to come up with great fiction. And the same could be said of non-fiction.

I write about Kansas. Go on. Say something. I dare you. 

Twilight Zone and Writing Truths

By Thomas Kies

Anne Serling, daughter of Rod Serling, posted a letter her father wrote to a high school student back in 1961,  It read:

The following comment would best represent how I feel about writing: Write and keep writing. Develop your own style. Respect another writer but never imitate him. Learn patience because it is as necessary as a typewriter—and never be afraid to speak out and say what you believe. This is the function of the writer—to call the truths as he sees them.

Sincerely

Rod Serling

Later on, Serling said, “The writer’s role is to be a menacer of the public’s conscience. He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and he must focus the issues of his time.”

When I was a kid, I recall sitting on the couch in my grandparents’ cottage on Waneta Lake in upstate New York watching shows like Ed Sullivan, Lawrence Welk, My Three Sons and Gunsmoke.  But my all-time favorite program was the Twilight Zone.  Rod Serling’s introduction as those surreal images flashed and faded on our screen scared the bejesus out of me.  “You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone!”

At the time, I thought those episodes were written and produced just to give viewers the willies.  In reality, they were social commentary. 

In the episode called He’s Alive, a young Dennis Hopper plays a character who is clearly a fascist. He gets guidance from an unseen creature hidden by the shadows.  Eventually, he’s persuaded to kill, but ends up dead himself.  It’s finally revealed that the creature was the spirit of Adolf Hitler. 

Rod Serling's closing monologue warns that while Hitler may be dead, his spirit is kept alive everywhere where bigotry, racism, and white supremacy exists.

In an episode called Number 12 Looks Just Like You, young people are strongly encouraged to undergo a transformation. They have a limited number of features to choose from since in this world, everyone looks very much alike.  The upshot to this is “When everyone is beautiful, no one is.” It's a world that simply doesn't tolerate people who are different. 

In Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, an idyllic neighborhood is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world, power goes out, and there’s no phone, radio, or television service.  Rumors, theories, and false information run rampant, and the neighbors turn into a violent mob. 

Does that sound faintly like January 6^th?

I dare say that every episode of Twilight Zone had a message of some kind.  Some were banal and some were daring, especially for the time in which they were written and broadcast. But they all had a truth they were telling.

The point of this blog is that as writers, we not only should be telling a damn good story, but we should let our conscience guide us as well.  I try to do that with my books, and sometimes run afoul of readers.  Not many, but some.  

One of the guidelines Stephen King has about writing, is, “What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want. Anything at all . . . as long as you tell the truth.” 

Superstitions

By Johnny D. Boggs

I just made an emergency run to the grocery.

I was out of blueberries. Had gone days without any. Which explained why this week has been so lousy. 

Sources for magazine assignments blowing me off. Outlining a novel not coming together as I’d hoped. Sentence I just wrote reading like crud.

Here’s my morning ritual: Get up. Let the doggies out and feed the big one. Hit the coffeemaker. Shower. Get dressed. And, most importantly, make myself a smoothie.

The ingredients vary, depending on what’s available. Raspberries. Strawberries. Blackberries. Spinach. Celery. Tomatoes. Oranges. Peach. Grapefruit. Lemon. Chile. Carrots. Apple. Cucumber. Zucchini. Brazil nuts. Protein powder.

And 20 blueberries.

For good luck.

I am not so insecure and insane that I must have a 20-blueberry smoothie when I’m on the road. When I’m home, however, I remain fairly certain that failure to include those 20 blueberries dooms me to a frustrating day at the Mac. That the Kansas City Royals and South Carolina Gamecocks will stink if they’re playing. That the check I’m expecting won’t be in the mail. 

If I happen to have only 23 blueberries left, I’ll likely add the extra three. Maybe.

A 20-blueberry smoothie could be a ritual because I happen to like blueberries, though, as a native of South Carolina, I’m a much bigger fan of peaches. Maybe the specific number is just a tradition. Perhaps it’s comforting.

Or I could be superstitious.

But I have no problem stepping on cracks in sidewalks. I don’t worry if a black cat walks in front of me. Thirteen is just another number. There’s no rabbit’s foot around. I won’t walk under a ladder, but that’s because my dad was a building contractor, and there might be someone on that ladder, or there might be a hammer or a gallon of paint atop the ladder, and I don’t want a carpenter or a hammer falling on my head or being bathed in paint if I accidentally slip and hit that ladder.

When I coached Little League, I would try to wear the same socks, shoes, etc., if we were winning. Once we lost, the mojo was gone and I’d find new duds or wash the luck back into what I had been wearing. I would chastise anyone who started packing up equipment before the game was over.

And I will never step on a foul line.

Superstitions apply to writing, too.

The first book I ever sold was mailed (back when we actually mailed typed manuscripts), per the publisher’s guidelines, in 12-point Monaco. Most people that I run into these days have never even heard of Monaco, but I use it all the time. Well, if a publisher demands 10-point Times New Roman or 14-point Calibri, I’ll try to comply. If I happen to forget, I just think, Hey, Editors, all y’all have to do is hit “Select All,” and change the font and point size, silly.

Then when the editors have a bad day, they have only themselves to blame.