Secrets to Overcoming Writer’s Block By Author Kelli A. Wilkins

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Kelli A. Wilkins

Writers, you know how it is… You’re halfway through writing a novel or a short story, the characters are embroiled in their drama, the plot is flowing smoothly, and then… nothing. You’re stumped. Stalled. No more words come out. Your mind is a blank.

What happened? Some folks label it “writer’s block” while others refer to it as “getting stuck.” Whatever you want to call it, it can bring your writing project and productivity to a screeching halt in minutes.

Writer’s block can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. Experience doesn’t make you exempt. Writer’s block doesn’t care if you’re working on your first story, fifteenth novel, or millionth blog. And it pays no attention to what you’re writing – a blog, short story, magazine article, novel, or web copy for a client. Once it latches on, it seems like you can’t put three words together and have them make sense. Ugh.

So, what do you do if you’re attacked by writer’s block? How can you fight it? The answer is, don’t! Unless you have a 100% crucial deadline looming that you can’t miss or the world will end, fighting it may make it worse, and you’ll only end up frustrating yourself. The best advice? Embrace writer’s block as your friend, because it’s trying to tell you something.

Here are some common writer’s block scenarios and practical tips for working through it:

You Need More Info: If you’re writing a story and develop a block, it’s possible that you’re not familiar enough with the plot or the characters. If you have no idea who your main characters are or what their goals, motivations, and conflicts are, you need to step back and get to know them better. Develop character profiles or outline the next few scenes, so you know where the story is headed. The same works for non-fiction writing. Let’s say you’re writing an article on how to fly a hot air balloon and you get stuck. Your “block” may be trying to tell you that you need to do more research, talk to an expert, or go up in the air yourself before you continue.

Mental Fatigue: In many cases, your writer’s block may have shown up to let you know you need a break. It’s a signal to get out of that chair and stop staring at the screen. (I know this from first-hand experience.) You’ve written eight blogs, finished a draft of a new book, revised another novel and now – you’re done, used up, all out of words for that week.

Writer’s block is telling you to take a break, breathe, recenter, and refocus yourself for a little while. Do anything else except think about writing – go for a walk, exercise, meditate, play loud music, dance, go to lunch with friends, or see a movie. (You can even clean the house and fold laundry!) Any type of physical activity that breaks you out of your rut and gets you out of your head will help. Thinking about other things gives your subconscious time to work on your writing problem and after a few hours (or days) the great idea or plot device will come to you.

Getting your mind off your story gives your brain a rest and lets you see the story in a new perspective. Yes, you can try to force your way through a block, but you will end up frustrating yourself and probably rewriting what you’ve written, anyway.

What Comes Next?: If you’re stuck on a scene and not sure what comes next, don’t sweat it. There’s a quick fix! Write something that’s really rough or make some notes and come back to it later. This is what I do when I get stuck. In some cases I literally wrote, “Something happens here” and moved on. Other times I’d scratch a note, “write a transition scene where they talk about X.” then I went on with the rest of the book. Remember, TV shows and movies aren’t filmed in sequential order, and nobody said your book has to be written straight through from A to Z.

But what if you’ve tried these suggestions and they didn’t work? If you’re in the middle of a story and need a boost, these fun writing exercises can get your creative juices flowing.

Do Free Writing: Don’t “feel” like writing? Get a piece of paper (or open a blank Word document) and start writing anything that comes to mind. Have nothing? Then start with “nothing nothing nothing…” or “Today is ___ and I am ___.” Write about the weather, a childhood memory, something you love (or hate), a secret, your goals, a naughty fantasy, anything. You can even write “I am having a problem writing my story because…” It doesn’t matter what you write, as long as you write something for 10-15 minutes. This will help you clear out any frustration you may have and ignite the spark to get you writing again.

Play the “What if” Game: Is your romance heroine trapped in a haunted castle and you have no idea what to do with her? Start asking yourself: “What if she finds a secret door?” “What if she hears a scream and goes to investigate and…” “What if a man…” Let your mind go wild with possibilities and see what happens. (You don’t have to use anything you write, but it will get you thinking.)

Free Association/Word Clusters: These diagrams focus on a word or a phrase and you link other words that are connected to them. Say you’re writing a story about a kidnapping. You would write the word “kidnapped” in the center of a page and branch out with related words and phrases such as: Who took her? Ex-husband? Ransom? Call police/FBI? Why kidnapped? Knows secret? Gov’t cover up?” You’ll usually find that free association or breaking away from the computer and not stressing over “what to write” opens the mind and lets ideas come through. You can also combine this exercise with the “What if?” game.

When writer’s block arrives, don’t fight it. Listen to what it has to say. In some cases, it’s sending a message that you have to balance your writing life with “regular” life and keep everything in perspective. All too often, writers spend a great deal of time in their heads or in the worlds of their characters. Sometimes you need to put the writing on hold for a while and come back to the real world.

Remember, you can’t be “on” writing 24/7 365 days a year (or your muse will pack up and head for a sunny tropical beach!) and you can’t be creative on demand. Writer’s block may be telling you it’s time for a break.

So keep a balance and don’t get blocked. Let your creative side recharge and get a second wind, then make room for more great stories to come.

I hope you enjoyed this look at writer’s block. Now go write something wonderful!

Happy Reading,

Kelli A. Wilkins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 95 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books.

Her newest book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction was released in spring 2015. This fun and informative non-fiction guide is based on her 15 years of experience as a writer, and is available exclusively on Amazon.

Kelli published three romances in 2014: Dangerous Indenture (a spicy historical/mystery), Wilderness Bride (a tender historical/Western/adventure), and A Secret Match (a gay contemporary set in the world of professional wrestling). Her romances span many genres and heat levels and yet she’s also been known to scare readers with a horror story. In 2014, her horror fiction appeared in Moon Shadows, Wrapped in White, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine.

Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/@KWilkinsauthor. She also writes a weekly blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/. Visit her website, www.KelliWilkins.com to learn more about all of her writings, read excerpts, reviews, and more. Readers can sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb.

CATCH UP WITH KELLI

Here are a few links to find Kelli & her writings on the web:

Website: www.KelliWilkins.com

Blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/

Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/@KWilkinsauthor

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kelli-A.Wilkins/e/B001JSAB24/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Amber Quill Press Author page: http://www.amberquill.com/store/m/149-Kelli-A-Wilkins.aspx

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1123678.Kelli_A_Wilkins

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KWilkinsAuthor/

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My sleuth, the nurse…by Nancy Herriman

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Nancy Herriman, No Comfort for the Lost

No Comfort for the Lost, A Mystery of Old San Francisco, by Nancy Herriman, $15.00 paperback, 374 pages.

I have a long-standing fascination with characters who work in medical fields and feature them regularly in my books. So when it came time to develop the idea for my new mystery series set in 1860s San Francisco, I gravitated toward my sleuth being a nurse, a woman who would regularly encounter death. And not just any nurse, but a British woman who had served in the Crimea before coming to America.

Now for a little background. According to the 1867 Directory for San Francisco, there were approximately seventy-five women working in various medical occupations–midwives, nurses, female physicians (a euphemism for abortionists), and a handful of self-styled physicians utilizing spiritual or water cures. Even for those women offering traditional care, the training would have been sparse, the medical professions still ruled by men who resisted the attempts of females to invade their territory. The only information most women gained came from books, or from their mothers or other female relatives who knew how to prepare herbal treatments or homeopathic remedies.

Beginning in the 1840s, religious societies in Europe were the main source of trained nurses. Their training also was rudimentary, with nearly as much or more time spent on receiving religious instruction as on any clinical exposure to patient care. In America, it wasn’t until 1849 that the first woman, Elizabeth Blackwell, received a degree in medicine, and her path to achieve that degree had been difficult and nearly accidental. Even with her success, avenues for women to pursue legitimate training remained elusive.

Furthermore, nursing as an occupation was considered unsuitable for gently-raised women. However, the need for nurses came to the forefront during the Crimean War, when understaffed British field hospitals suffered high mortality rates among the soldiers. But even through much of the American Civil War, nursing duties consisted primarily of women providing ‘female companionship.’ Viewed as fragile and possessing an inferior intellect, female nurses were generally restricted to simple chores–preparing and serving meals, bathing feverish foreheads, reading to the patients or writing letters for them. Any tasks resembling what we consider today to be the jobs of nurses were left to male orderlies and doctors. Nonetheless, some women gained a taste of their possible roles in the medical field and hungered for the opportunity to become physicians.

Beginning in 1850, when the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania opened, those opportunities had begun to grow. This was the first college in the world with a primary purpose of conferring medical degrees upon women. In 1861, the school’s role expanded to include the training of nurses, and it is at this school that my fictional sleuth, Celia Davies, receives her education.

Celia will put that education to use when she opens a free clinic in San Francisco treating women of limited means. The world she serves is a world often struck by violence. When one of her patients is found murdered in the opening scenes of No Comfort for the Lost, she is drawn into uncovering the killer. This won’t be the last time Celia becomes entangled in murder, though.

So I’m curious–what do you think of the use of nurses as sleuths?

Book Review – A Finely Knit Murder by Sally Goldenbaum

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A Finely Knit Murder, Sally Goldenbaum

A Finely Knit Murder

A Seaside Knitters Mystery

By Sally Goldenbaum

Obsidian Mysteries

Hardcover

$24.95

May 5, 2015

Murder crashes an elegant fundraiser for Sea Harbor Community Day School in Massachusetts. The quiet and calm residents had just learned about a fired art teacher making a scene on the school grounds and now this. At the tail end of the event, one of the school board members goes missing. Blythe Sheffield, who thinks she’s the queen bee of the town, is not an easy woman to miss. She’s glamorous, think she’s entitled to run the school because her family owns the mansion, and everyone has to act on her wishes. Well, the sizeable rock bashing into her skull ended her self-appointed reign. The eternally quiet Blythe is found near the school’s unused boathouse. Whether she knew her murderer or didn’t see him/her coming is a mystery for now.

What Police Chief Jerry Thompson has to figure out is who and why Blythe was murdered. Close friends and fellow Seaside Knitters: Nell, Izzy, Cass and Birdie will be a step behind him in trying to make sense of it all. The suspect list is like a mile long considering that all the school guests were present during Blythe’s murder. On the top of the list is recently fired art teacher Josh Babson. Not really too sure why Blythe wanted him fired. Then there’s School board member Barrett Mansfield and his wife Chelsey, who want their daughter, Anna, to be mainstreamed with other students. Blythe felt she was below average and therefore didn’t have a right to be educated at the school. The day school’s Headmistress, Elizabeth Hartley, PhD, was the current target of Blythe’s rantings. Apparently she felt she wasn’t fulfilling her responsibilities to the best of her ability, therefore should be yanked out of the job. Her cousin, Bob, could also have been greedy and didn’t want to share co-owned property, even though he was eager to see the guilty party found.

My thoughts: Loved the cover because it focused on both the women teaching knitting and the mysterious boathouse. The font size was just right for my middle-aged eyes. The Cast of Characters is a great addition because otherwise you wouldn’t be able to keep up with who is who. I liked the fact that the women were a close knit group. I did find it a little difficult, not being able to establish one main character. Nell and Birdie are the closest I can come to the leads. The plot kept my interest to the very end. There are numerous suspects, which lead you to believe any of them had a possible motive, means and opportunity.

Four boat houses out of five

Denise Fleischer

Gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com

August 16, 2015

Charlotte Brentwood Talks about a vicar you will simply adore

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Charlotte Brentwood, Regency Romance

Denise: What inspired you to write a historical romance about a young man of the church?

Charlotte: I didn’t originally start out with the intention to write this particular vicar hero. I started another novel in which the heroine is emotionally damaged and falls for a vicar as he helps her work through her pain. The character wasn’t very interesting though, and I soon gave up on that book.

While writing yet another book, the character of William began forming in my mind. He kept telling me tales of his mercy missions in the seedy parts of London. He told me about how he was given a living in a small village, but that he would much rather be sailing the seas to adventures in exotic lands. I was moved by his compassion, his earnestness, and his heart. I knew I had to give him his own story.

Denise: Had you read many books from the Regency time period?

Charlotte: Yes, in fact traditional regency romance is one of my favourite genres. I fell in love with Jane Austen’s novels as a teenager, then discovered Georgette Heyer. I have read many modern/sexy regencies as well, but I prefer the more old-fashioned ‘comedy of manners’ style.

Denise: Why is William Brook, your protagonist, eager to establish a church in a foreign land? Isn’t he afraid of illness or aggressive forces?

The Vagabond Vicar, by Charlotte Brentwood, ebook, Oct. 15, 2014 for ebook and May 21, 2015 for paperback.

Charlotte: While he should be seriously considering the potential risks, William is single-mindedly focused on escaping his situation. He wants to get as far away from England as possible, preferably in a country peopled with dangerous heathens! He thinks his motivation for going is to spread the gospel as well as having an adventure, but throughout the course of the novel the deeper reasons why he longs to escape England become clear.

Denise: So when he is assigned a parish in a small village instead of an exotic land, does he feel that it’s only a temporary mission? That he may still achieve his goal?

Charlotte: Yes, he does think – or rather hope – that it may only be temporary.

Denise: Cecilia Grant rather paint than consider marriage and its endless responsibilities. Why doesn’t she long for what every woman wants?

Charlotte: Cecilia is a unique woman who sees marriage as a trap which will limit her freedoms. Most marriages she has seen are not based on love, so she dares not hope for that. She did try to make a match during her season in London, but she was inexperienced and awkward, and in awe of the polished gentlemen she met.

Denise: Why is no man interested in her?

Charlotte: On the contrary, men may well have shown interest. She is a very pretty young woman who keenly perceives her world – when she chooses to. The problem, as mentioned in the previous answer, is that her limited exposure to society was overwhelming and she would have appeared tongue-tied or aloof in her awkwardness. Her small dowry is also limiting.

Denise: What makes the new vicar so appealing to her? How did they meet? Do they have anything in common?

Charlotte: The new vicar is appealing as he may be the first man who has ever seen who she truly is – and accepted her. They meet when she is instructed to take a housewarming gift to the new vicar, who she assumes is elderly like the last one. She is shocked to find a vibrant young man, although he snaps at her rather rudely as the last thing he wants is the attention of country misses.

They have common interests in helping the local people, and they both appreciate art. They are also both the younger children in their families, a point which has caused William much pain in his life. Cecilia helps bring him out of himself, to focus on the good things in life, and he helps her to see that she is perfect just as she is.

Denise: Why does she think he’s running away from something?

Charlotte: That’s because each time they converse, William is ardent in his desire to get away from England. Something in his manner tells Cecilia that perhaps his resolution is more to do with running from something than to something else.

Denise: What draws William closer to those that reside in the village and Cecilia?

Charlotte: As William begins to perform his duties as vicar, he can’t help but become involved in their every day dramas and also to develop affection for them. It’s in his nature to care about people, and his attempts to keep distant are futile.
The same could be said for his resolve not to love Cecilia – try as he might to restrain his feelings, her gentle warmth wins him over.

Denise: What did you love writing about this book? What did you find difficult?

Charlotte: I loved developing the characters – getting to know them and their pasts just like the reader does. I adored the dynamic between William and Cecilia as they try to keep their feelings under control. I relished creating the villain, and tying all the plot strings together.

At one point (just after NaNoWriMo) I became stuck, unsure of how to go on. As I don’t write chronologically, I need my imagination to keep filling in the gaps. I stopped writing for a few months and worked on studying the craft instead. At last the pieces clicked into place and I off again!

Denise: Did you have to do a lot of research? How long did it take to write and edit the manuscript?

Charlotte: As with any historical novel, there was a lot of research to be done, particularly regarding the clergy. I know I won’t have everything 100% right but I have done my best with the resources available… and no fiction is completely accurate as it would probably be boring!

It took a couple of years to write and edit the manuscript, with life getting in the way on several occasions.

Denise: Did you self publish? What was this process like for you?

Charlotte: Yes I did indie-publish. I attempted traditional publication, but although agents loved the book they thought they couldn’t categorize it neatly enough to pitch it to editors.

The process of indie-publishing was a huge learning curve… not for the faint-hearted! You can read more information about my journey in my blog, on my website.

Denise: How are you promoting your book?

Charlotte: I have reached out to a long list of book reviewers and communities to promote the book.

I am a member of my local romance-writers association and use their channels to get the word out. I am active on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and engage with readers and fellow writers.

Denise: What was it like to hold the book in your hands for the first time?

Charlotte: It was a dream come true!

Her website: http://www.charlottebrentwood.com/p/books.html

Daryl’s guest blog post was so popular we’re running it again!

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Cheese Shop Mysteries, Cookbook Nook Mysteries, Daryl Wood Gerber

 

In the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, Jenna Hart, avid reader, foodie, and former advertising executive, moves home to Crystal Cove to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and café and to find her smile. Granted, Jenna is not a cook; she never learned. Her mother did all the cooking. But Jenna is naturally curious, and at the age of thirty, she’s determined to learn how to cook, now that people with a knack for cooking want to teach her! Five-ingredient recipes, one at a time.

One of the joys of writing the series is that I get to research cookbooks. Yes, it makes me hungry reading all the recipes and looking at delectable photos of food, but I’m also learning so much. There are some wonderful storytellers. I’ve learned about histories of restaurants and chefs and people. And what a variety of foods are represented in cookbooks! Everything from decadent chocolate to gluten-free and paleo diets!

I have quite a collection of cookbooks myself; I’ve been buying them since I was a girl; it’s sizable enough to take up a number of bookshelves. Here’s a picture of one packed shelf. There are ten more nooks and crannies, filled!

In order to research extensively, I often browse bookstores. Like with most books, I’m drawn to the cover first and then the title. Cookbook titles can be quite lengthy!!  For example: The Sweet Book of Candy Making: From the Simple to the Spectacular-How to Make Caramels, Fudge, Hard Candy, Fondant, Toffee, and More!  YIPES, right?!

Often I choose a cookbook by theme, because for each of the books in the series, I focus on a food theme. For example, in FUDGING THE BOOKS, the next book to be released, I focus on chocolate-y foods as well as spicy pirate-style food. Why pirates? Because it’s Pirate Week in Crystal Cove, plus it’s National Chocolate Month.

Do NOT miss the Pirates’ booty fudge recipe included in the book!

When I browse cookbooks, I flip through the pages and see what catches my eye.  A recipe? A  photograph? A beautiful picture is worth a thousand bites!

If I can’t get to a bookstore, I often browse the Internet, looking at cookbooks on Amazon or Barnes and Noble and clicking through to see a preview of what is inside the book. I also read the reviews. Some of the reviews have made me laugh out loud. People talk about how recipes have turned out and why they did or didn’t like the cookbook. Some warn the reader to obey the author of the cookbook, or else. A few reviews have made me buy a book. [As you can see, REVIEWS for a book matter!!! The more reviews, the more the Internet algorithms kick into gear and help promote a book.  And, yes, this means it works for mysteries, too. Hint, hint. I would be thrilled for any help you want to give my books.]

As I accrue new cookbooks for myself, Jenna is also amassing a collection. She already owns a huge amount of fiction books. She hasn’t thrown away a book since high school. Her bookshelves are overflowing. But she is making room for her new love: cookbooks.

Do you collect cookbooks? Do you read them for the stories or browse for the pictures? Have you read a good tale or two in a cookbook? I’d love to hear from you.

About the author:

Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author DARYL WOOD GERBER writes the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California.  As Avery Aames, she also writes the Cheese Shop Mysteries, set in quaint Providence, Ohio. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote”. She is married, loves to cook, and has a darling, frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. Visit Daryl or Avery at www.darylwoodgerber.com.

What are your favorite recipes that you have to prepare every year? What are your favorite cookbooks? Leave your comments.

What’s Your Chili IQ? By Kylie Logan

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Kylie Logan, Revenge of the Chili Queens

Revenge of the Chili Queens by Kylie Logan, A Chili Cook-Off Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, 289 pages, $7.99 US.

Chili…whether you like it hot or mild, with beans or without, heavy on the grease or light on things like ground turkey and tofu, chili is everyone’s favorite dish of spicy goodness.

That goes double for Maxie Pierce, heroine of the Chili Cook-Off mystery series and proprietor of one of the food trucks that travels the Chili Showdown circuit selling dried peppers and spices.  Book #3 in the series, “Revenge of the Chili Queens,” hit store shelves on August 4 and this time Maxie is in San Antonio helping to commemorate the city’s Chili Queens.

Who were the Queens?  Back in the day, the Chili Queens were the center of San Antonio social life, women who spent their days at home cooking and their evenings in the city’s plazas, selling their chili.  Crowds gathered, and so did musicians and other entertainers, and the plazas rang with the sounds of conversation, laughter and music, all night long.

The Chili Queens tradition continued in San Antonio from the mid-1800s (some say even earlier) up until the early 1940s when local government ended the Queens tradition.

In “Revenge of the Chili Queens,” Maxie joins other purveyors of chili to raise money for local charity–and gets mixed up in murder while she’s at it.

Who killed one of the wandering musicians on Alamo Plaza?  And for that matter, who was the man?  And why is Nick Falcone, head of security for the Chili Showdown, the prime suspect?

Maxie has a lot of questions and a lot of surprises in store for her.  There are plenty of plot twists and turns, plenty of craziness what with Maxie spending her days at the Showdown as the Chili Chick, dressed as a giant red chili pepper (complete with fishnet stockings and stilettoes) and her nights on the plaza wearing the costume of a long-ago Chili Queen.  There’s plenty of information about chili, chili spices and cooking, too, along with a recipe for the original Chili Queens chili.

And all that got me thinking . . . how much do you really know about chili?  Take the quiz and find out!  Answers are the end, but no cheating!  See if you’re a Chili Chick!

1. Which city has three times as many chili parlors as McDonald’s restaurants?

A. Tulsa

B. Cincinnati

C. Taos

 

2. Which famous outlaw refused to rob a bank in McKinney, Texas, because his favorite chili parlor was there?

A. Jesse James

B. Al Capone

C. Billy the Kid

 

3. Where was the first chili cook-off held?

A. Houston, Texas

B. Phoenix, Arizona

C. Terlingua, Texas

 

4. What unit measures the heat of a chili pepper?

A. Scoville Unit

B. Thermal Unit

C. Capsaicin Unit

 

5. What’s the best way to cool off your mouth after you eat a too-spicy chili pepper?

A. A big glass of cold water

B. Eating a slice of bread

C. Drinking milk

 

Answers:

1. B. Cincinnati.  Skyline Chili is famous there, and it’s served over spaghetti.

2. A. Jesse James, who once said, “any place that has a chili joint like this ought to be treated better.”

3. C. Terlingua, Texas in 1967.  Every year on the first of November, the Chili Appreciation Society International holds a cook-off there.

4. A. Scoville Heat Units measure the heat of chili peppers.  To give you an idea, the Bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) contains 1 million SHU.  A bell pepper has 0.

5. C. Mouth on fire?  Drink a glass of milk.  Dairy products help cool down the capsaicin, the ingredient that makes peppers hot.

 

 

Twenty Questions with Peg Cochran, author of Berried Secrets

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Berried Secrets, Peg Cochran

Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran, A Cranberry Cove Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, 7.99, 292 pages, paperback.

(Okay, it’s really only seven.)

I’ve been asked to write several blogs to celebrate the release of Berried Secrets, first in my new Cranberry Cove Series.  I decided it would be fun to interview myself!  If there are any more questions you’d like me to answer, let me know!

What’s the first thing you ever wrote?

A very bad play that I forced my cousins to perform at Christmas dinner.  I was seven years old.  My cousins are finally speaking to me again.

Did you continue to write after that?

Yes.  One time my father came home with a typewriter—the old manual kind.  I faked sick the next day so I could stay home from school and practice typing on it.  I figured I would be able to write faster that way.  My great-aunt Elsa had given me this gift for Christmas—it was a theater that came with scenery for several different plays along with plastic figures.  You could slide in the scenery and put on the plays.  But instead of following the scripts in the book that came with it—I made up my own.

How would you describe your early writing?

It was like my knitting—full of holes and with no end in sight!

Do you collect anything writing related like pens or notebooks?

For a long time I collected rejection slips—400 in a two year period!  I do collect interesting names that I come across in my job or reading the paper.  One day I discovered (all at the same time) Mingledorf, Hoogerwerf, Dingledyne, Rumble and Mudget.  Too bad I wasn’t writing Harry Potter!

What’s the hardest part about writing?

Getting started.  That first word.  That first sentence.  You want it to be the very best first sentence and the pressure can stop you in your tracks.

What’s the biggest boo-boo you’ve made in one of your books?

I’m sure there are worse ones that I don’t know about but the one that stands out is the book where I had my protagonist arrive at a meeting in her friend’s borrowed Taurus and leave in her Mini Cooper which was supposed to be in the shop!  A lot of astute readers picked up on that.

What’s your favorite food?  (Someone always asks that.)

Lobster.  But it’s pretty hard to come by (affordably) in the Midwest.  And maybe it’s my favorite because I don’t get to eat it more than once every couple of years.  I adore roast chicken (I’m a dark meat girl) and mashed potatoes.  And anything crunchy like chips and nuts.  And rognons de veau.  Just kidding.  Those are veal kidneys, but it sounds impressive doesn’t it?  What are your favorite foods?

A New Material Witness Mystery has been published

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Crushed Velvet, Diane Vallere

Crushed Velvet

By Diane Vallere

Berkley

304 pages, mass paperback, $7.99

“Diane Vallere has stitched up an engaging new series.”—Sofie Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of the Magical Cats Mysteries

OVERVIEW

Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe is back in business—this time getting wrapped up in a diabolical but crafty case of murder.

With opening day of Material Girl approaching, Poly is stocking up on lush fabrics, colorful notions, and best of all, a proprietary weave of velvet. But upon delivery, it’s not quite the blend she expected, being ninety-percent silk and ten-percent corpse. Crushed under a dozen bolts of fabric is Phil Girard. His wife, Genevieve, local tea shop owner and close friend of Poly, is the prime suspect.

Granted, Phil may not have been the perfect husband, but surely Genevieve had no reason to kill him! There’s just the small matter of Genevieve’s own incriminating confession: I’m afraid I killed my husband. Now, as Material Girl’s grand opening looms, Poly is torn between a friendship pulling apart at the seams—and finding a smooth killer with a velvet touch…

INCLUDES A CRAFT PROJECT

Praise for Suede to Rest

“An engaging new series.”—Sofie Kelly, New York Times bestselling author

“There’s a new material girl in town…a resourceful and gutsy sleuth.”—Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling author

“Vallere weaves a tapestry of finely knit characters, luxurious fabrics, and…murder.”—Janet Bolin, national bestselling author of the Threadville Mysteries

“Polyester Monroe is a sassy protagonist who will win your hearts with her seamless style and breezy wit.” —Daryl Wood Gerber, Agatha Award-winning author of the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook mysteries

A Material Witness Mystery Series

Rosie Genova Talks About a Favorite Childhood Memory

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A Dish Best Served Cold, Rosie Genova

Rosie in front of the historic carousel on the Santa Monica pier in California.

In the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, I try to craft a setting that is as engaging as the characters who people it. But in a way, I’m cheating, because the Jersey shore is already compelling and unique. Its lush seascapes and quaint towns share the stage with its boardwalks, which run the gamut from family (Ocean City) to funky (Seaside Heights).  My fictional town of Oceanside Park shares lots of characteristics of some real places along the shore, but in particular I am inspired by Asbury Park.

A Dish Best Served Cold by Rosie Genova, An Italian Kitchen Mystery, Obsidian, 321 pages, paperback, $7.99.

In Murder and Marinara, Victoria stops at a historic theater modeled on the Paramount and rides a Ferris wheel based upon my childhood favorite. In A Dish Best Served Cold, a historic carousel is central to the plot, an idea inspired by Asbury’s 1989 battle  to save a piece of its history. (The town lost that fight when its 19^th century carousel was auctioned off at Sotheby’s.) Old, ornate carousels, particularly those which include original organs are expensive to maintain, and some shore communities do not have the resources to keep them in safe and working order.

Carousels have an old and storied history, and occupy a special place in our childhood memories. How many of us fondly remember waiting excitedly on line, clutching our tickets, and picking out our favorite horses (or in my case, seat) to ride? As a child, I rode carousels on the boardwalks at Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, and at many a summer carnival, but my favorite was the one housed in the copper-roofed carousel house in Asbury Park. In fact, the image of the carousel house on the cover of A Dish Best Served Cold  was inspired by the beautiful, but sadly empty structure that still occupies the Asbury boardwalk.

In the story, the carousel house takes on critical importance. I won’t give it completely away, but here is a snippet from the story:

As I got closer, I saw the yellow police tape around the carousel house, an elaborate 19^th century structure, its copper roof now an oxidized green. Its circular form was decorated with small windows framed in neo-Classical designs of vines and leaves. Over each window was a mythical face, whose stark expressions frightened me as a child. It was jarring to see that tape. The carousel house wasn’t a place for death; it was a place of magic and history…

To me that old carousel was magic, and I hoped I’ve captured a bit of it in my book.

So what are some of your own merry-go-round memories? Did you reach for the brass ring? Did you prefer the galloping horses or the fanciful “chariot” seats? Was there a favorite carousel in your own childhood?

An Interior Designer Deals with Ulterior Moves in Better Homes and Corpses

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Better Homes and Corpses, Kathleen Bridge

Better Homes and Corpses by Kathleen Bridge, A Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery, First in a new series, Berkley Prime Crime Mystery, paperback, $7.99 US.

OVERVIEW

After Meg Barrett found her fiancé still had designs on his ex-wife, she decided it was time to refurbish her life. Leaving her glamorous job at a top home and garden magazine, she fled Manhattan for Montauk, only to find decorating can sometimes lead to detecting…

In between scouring estate sales for her new interior design business, Cottages by the Sea, Meg visits the swanky East Hampton home of her old college roommate, Jillian Spenser. But instead of seeing how the other half lives—she learns how the other half dies. Jillian’s mother, known as the Queen Mother of the Hamptons, has been murdered. Someone has staged a coup.

When she helps a friend inventory the Spensers’ estate for the insurance company, Meg finds herself right in the thick of things. Cataloging valuable antiques and art loses its charm when Meg discovers that the Spenser family has been hiding dangerous secrets, which may have furnished a murderer with a motive. As Meg gets closer to the truth, the killer will do anything to paint her out of the picture…

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES
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