Ladies of Intrigue

The Sisters in Crime (SinC) organization supports women (and men) mystery writers. My local chapter, Orange County SinC, held its annual Ladies of Intrigue conference on November 10 in Costa Mesa, California. The headliners were J. A. Jance and Laurie R. King. Panel discussions included the themes of setting (Greta Boris, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Wendall Thomas), research (Mary Anna Evans, Betty Webb, and Ellen Byron), and suspense (Steph Cha, Kaira Rouda, and Laurie Stephens).

The conference was educational for both readers and writers, and the 100+ attendees were able to meet and talk to the authors. The all-day event also included book sales (which could be personally inscribed), gift basket raffles, and a delicious lunch.

I thought this year’s conference was even better than last year’s, but that may be because I’d read more of the authors’ books. Or perhaps because I had the honor of driving one of my favorite authors, Mary Anna Evans, creator of the Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries, for the weekend.

NaNoWriMo Month

November is the flagship National Novel Writing Month during which the traditional goal is to write a 50,000-word draft for a new novel. My project, though, is a work in progress I began November 2017. My goal (again) is to finish revisions on the second Detective Scott McGregor mystery, Murder Goes on Vacation. 

Yesterday afternoon I worked on defining and fleshing out Scott’s internal conflict in several scenes while struggling not to cross the line between flawed character and weak character. I thought about character development again last night before I drifted off to sleep.

This morning I wasn’t surprised to find Scott in bed with me when I woke. “It’s early, and I want to sleep longer,” I mumbled.

“No, wake up. I have an idea,” the Scott character in my mind said.

“Stop crowding me. Move over and be quiet.”

“No, get up. I have something to tell you.”

Knowing he wouldn’t give up, I sat up, grabbed the pen and paper from my bedside table, and jotted down the inspiration before it evaporated.

Yup, it’s NaNo month.

International Travel

Photo by Kristian Marson 

New friends, new experiences, and shared memories are some of the reasons I like to travel.

I just returned from an around-the-world trip during which my fellow travelers and I zigzagged the equator, touring the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Machu Picchu (Peru), Easter Island (Chile), Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest (Australia), Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Taj Mahal (India), Serengeti Plain (Tanzania), Petra and Wadi Rum (Jordan), and Marrakech (Morocco).

By far, my favorite destination was Easter Island. The history and mystery of the island fascinate me. Instead of editing and revising the second Detective McGregor mystery (so I can finally get it published), I spent many hours developing the plot line and characters for a McGregor mystery set on Easter Island. Four fellow travelers volunteered to be characters and were amused and delighted by their roles in the story.

Moais love mysteries, and my new friend and I spent a quiet moment sharing a book.

Children’s Book Published

E. Gads Hill Press has a new imprint dedicated to young readers. The first children's book to be published was Emma’s Best Friend is a Robot.

One of my characters in the second Detective Scott McGregor mystery, Murder Goes on Vacation, browses a Las Vegas bookstore and purchases a children’s book featuring a robot. Since I couldn’t find a book I liked online, I created the story line. Deborah Anne, a talented artist who creates in multiple media, illustrated the book.

Copies of the book were sent to AHHAH for their literacy program which includes P.U.L.L. (Pop Up Lending Library) Stations where children can take free books.

Slug-Fest

Although I predominately write mysteries, I broke from my routine and created a fantasy piece for an anthology published by E. Gads Hill Press. The call for submission specified short writings about real or imaginary animals. The anthology, Besties and Beasties, was released September 21.

I concocted a preposterous sporting event involving slugs, snails, and pixies, then wrote the story as if a sports announcer were giving a running commentary on the day-long event.

I researched the physical and behavioral traits of different slug species and embedded factual information into the announcer’s monologue. Some of the information is quite unexpected, and I’m tickled to think many readers might assume it’s fictional.

Next time you’re in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, check out the annual Slug-Fest Rodeo and Riding Competition.

The Brain is ‘On’

Whereas choosing names is hard for me, sometimes the characters create themselves spontaneously.

I tried unsuccessfully to develop a character and his backstory, gave up, and tabled the issue for later. My conscious self went about tending to everyday chores as the creative part of my subconscious continued working on the problem. Shortly afterwards, WHAM! – the character, his backstory, AND his name jumped into my consciousness almost fully formed.

I’m amazed every time my brain presents me with a gift like that. I shouldn’t be, though. When I write every day, the story stays with me making it easier to slip back into writing mode. It’s exciting to be in the mode, or zone, where the brain is cranking out ideas and surprises left and right, and all I have to do is write them down.

What’s in a Name?

Choosing names for characters is probably one of the hardest parts of writing for me.

Earlier this week, I created a spreadsheet with a column for each of the ten books I’ve laid out for the Detective Scott McGregor mystery series. Each row lists a character and a label defining whether the person is a ‘core’ character appearing in most or all of the books; a ‘local support’ character at the police department or in town; a ‘repeat’ character showing up occasionally in different books; or a ‘secondary’ character in one book only. The character’s name is repeated across the row in each appropriate book column.

I like to avoid characters having similar names in the same story, but to my surprise, I found two different characters named Daniel who’ll be in the same scene a few books from now. Fortunately, by planning ahead I was able to change the names for six characters before they were set in stone (or paperback, in this case). Unfortunately, although I’ve known some of these characters for almost two years, they seem like strangers with different names.