Topic of the Day
is
"Lunch"
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
April Photo A Day Challenge - Day 5
Topic of the Day
is
"Tiny"
and these are tiny little flowers from our yard (well, okay, so they might be weeds. They're still tiny little beauties!)
2012 Thriller Award Nominations
ITW announces the finalists for the 2012 Thriller Awards
Best Hard Cover Novel:
Joseph Finder - BURIED SECRETS (St. Martin’s Press)
Jonathan Hayes - A HARD DEATH (Harper)
Stephen King - 11/22/63 (Scribner)
Michael Koryta - THE RIDGE (Little, Brown and Co.)
Marcus Sakey - THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYES (Dutton Adult)
Best Paperback Original:
Jeff Abbott - THE LAST MINUTE (Sphere/LittleBrown UK)
John Gilstrap - THREAT WARNING (Pinnacle)
Helen Grant - THE GLASS DEMON (Delacorte Press)
Steven James - THE QUEEN (Revell)
John Rector - ALREADY GONE (Thomas & Mercer)
Best First Novel:
James Barney - THE GENESIS KEY (Harper)
Melinda Leigh - SHE CAN RUN (Montlake Romance)
Paul McEuen - SPIRAL (The Dial Press)
H.T. Narea - THE FUND (Forge Books)
Leslie Tentler - MIDNIGHT CALLER (Mira)
Best Short Story:
James Scott Bell - “One More Lie” (Compendium Press)
Michael Lewin - “Anything to Win” (Strand Magazine)
Twist Phelan - “Happine$” (MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PRESENTS THE RICH AND THE DEAD, Grand Central Publishing)
Tim L. Williams - “Half-Lives” (Dell Magazine)
Dave Zeltserman - “A Hostage Situation” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
2012 Thriller Awards Winners will be announced at ThrillerFest VI on July 14, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt, NYC.
My congratulations to all the nominees!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Two Women Chat About Genre by Julie Dolcemachio and Shelly Fredman
Julie Dolcemaschio and Shelly Fredman met for the first time when Julie was looking for a school for her oldest son. She walked into Shelly’s 2nd grade classroom and she was sold. It wasn’t long before they became personal friends outside of school. They share a love of writing, good food, and a sense of humor. That Shelly also was, and still is, one of the ‘villiagers’ responsible for the success of Julie’s two boys (one entering middle school in the fall, the other off to Oberlin College) is icing on the cake. They often collaborate on scene structure and character development over sweet breakfasts and too much coffee. The rumor that John Testarossa and Brandy Alexander are in love is strictly fantasy—the authors’, mostly.
Julie Dolcemaschio is an author and a poet. She has written several books of poetry, and has had her work published in literary journals.
Julie lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
Shelly Fredman is a native Philadelphian who long dreamed to be Mrs. Illya Kuryakin from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Having failed to reach that lofty goal, she switched her affections to fictional characters and situations that she could control with the stroke of her keyboard. This quest for power resulted in The No Such Thing As...Brandy Alexander Mysteries.
No Such Thing as a Secret, published in 2005
TWO WOMEN CHAT ABOUT GENRE
by |
| Photo by Alexis Rhone Fancher |
She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and The Los Angeles Writers and Poets Collective.
Her crime novel, TESTAROSSA, was published by Krill Press in May 2010.
She is currently working on a romance novel. Her research is extensive and time-consuming.
Twitter AuthorJulieD
Shelly and Brandy share feeling of pride in their hometown, and even though Shelly has moved to the west coast, she has always been, and forever will be, a Philly girl at heart.
No Such Thing as a Good Blind Date, published in 2006
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch, published in 2008
No Such Thing as a Free Ride, published in 2010
TWO WOMEN CHAT ABOUT GENRE
Julie Dolcemachio and Shelly Fredman
JD: I’ve known you forever, it seems, and we’ve lived not only this parent-teacher relationship, but we’re also writers. When Kaye offered up an opportunity for a ‘chat’ here on her blog, I thought of you immediately. We get together about once every six weeks for breakfast, and we talk about our work, and sometimes we talk about kids, but it’s really the work that has bound us together. We talked recently about genre, and getting boxed in to a certain one. It can be frustrating at times.
SF: Yeah. I’ve felt lately like I’m getting boxed into a genre because I’m forced to pick one, so that potential readers know what to look for. It makes me crazy, and I feel it’s sabotaged us as authors, too.
JD: In what way have you been boxed into a certain genre? Was it some outside influence like agents, publishers or fans, or are you boxing yourself in?
SF: I'm not sure how it happened. I started out wanting to write a story. Something that made people laugh, think, feel something. I looked to books that I loved, and tried to repeat the formula. But I soon realized that I wanted to go deeper than the normal "romantic-comic mystery." So I did. And that's where things began to get complicated. Agents said my work wasn't clearly one thing or another, so it would be a hard sell. I know you've run into this as well.
JD: I have. I really wanted to write something different with Testarossa, something I hadn’t really seen in my favorite crime novels. Cops fall in love, and I wanted to show that. The idea that a cop does what he does out on the streets, then comes home to a seemingly normal life with someone he loves deeply, intrigued me, yet I never saw this in the books I read. The love was always glossed over. So, am I a romance writer, a crime writer, or a combination of the two?
You really did go deeper in “Free Ride” with the homeless teens theme and, to me, it was such a natural progression for Brandy Alexander to take. The character grew so much over the first three books, it just seemed natural to me that she tackle bigger issues. What kind of backlash, if any, did you get from the hard-core Brandy fans?
You really did go deeper in “Free Ride” with the homeless teens theme and, to me, it was such a natural progression for Brandy Alexander to take. The character grew so much over the first three books, it just seemed natural to me that she tackle bigger issues. What kind of backlash, if any, did you get from the hard-core Brandy fans?
SF: A few people wrote that they wanted something light and funny. They didn’t want to have to feel guilty at the end of a light read. While I can’t fault them for that, I still felt I could do both. Write about an important subject, and entertain at the same time. Most of the fan mail agreed. A few didn’t. No Such Thing as a Free Ride was labeled as a light comic mystery, but some people felt it was too heavy given the homeless teen theme. I don't want to mislead people in any way, and I felt badly that they didn't get the reading experience they wanted. I understand the need to fit, however loosely, into a genre. As a reader, I want to have some idea of what I'm getting into when I open a book. But that can become so limiting. The truth is, if you weren't my friend, I probably wouldn't have picked up Testarossa, as it was touted strictly as a police procedural. Knowing that it had romance, that it would delve into the character's personal lives is what made me excited to read it. I would have missed out on a wonderful reading experience, had I not had that inside knowledge about the book. so where does that leave you? If you say it's romance, you miss out on the crime fiction readers. If you put it in the crime fiction category, people that enjoy romance may pass it by. The other problem that arises, is once you've been categorized, there's almost an obligation to the readers to stick to the genre without deviation. I worried about that with Free Ride.
JD: That’s a problem, but another problem is that if you follow the ‘genre rule’ you wind up stifled somewhat, unable to advance your characters to the extent that is pleasing to you, or makes sense to you, because it might turn your loyal readers off. I remember sharing with you once some plans I had for one of my Testarossa characters in a future book. You practically choked. In fact, you may have indeed choked. I, as a reader, understand that. But, selfishly as a writer, I was excited at the prospect of taking the story to that level, despite the backlash (potentially) from readers. Which leads us to the next issue: Ultimately, do we write for our audience, or do we write for ourselves?
SF: Okay, I did choke. But, had you stuck to your original plan, I would have read it anyway, because I trust your instincts about your characters. Do we write for our audience, or do we write for ourselves? Both. We have to listen, to a point, to our audience, if we want to have and audience. But, unless we are true to our vision of the characters, the work won't ring true.
JD: I so agree with this.
SF: I remember once a fan of my series said she really hoped a certain thing would happen. But then she added that she wanted me to go where my heart told me to, because she trusted that it would be authentic. That said, now I feel badly that I whined so much when you told me what you had originally planned in Testarossa!
JD: No, don’t feel bad. The idea is definitely a bold move. I actually did something quite bold in a book I wrote under a pseudonym. I knew that some would despise it...most, actually, yet that is where the story and the characters took me. Readers might scream, ‘Bullshit! You write for us!’, and to that I say, yes, you are right, but we can’t please everyone. I think, professionally, to force an author into a certain genre may help the publisher sell books, but with self-pub and indies on the rise, more authors are combining genres in ways we’ve never seen before, or simply writing their hearts. What would be so bad about TESTAROSSA being what it is—crime, with a little romance, then the sequel falling into literary fiction because of some major change in the character’s life that calls for a lot of prose and emotion, then the third being a straight romance, or maybe no romance at all. Maybe #3 is a balls-out gory crime novel. As a writer, doing something like that sounds like fun. To the fans of the series, I can’t say how they would feel, except that I would hope as readers, and fans of fiction, they would appreciate the depth and breadth of a writer who can do that—but that’s back to us, the writer, then, huh?--and is it about us, at the end of the day? I hope readers would just enjoy that experience. I’m speaking from a writer’s perspective, though. Reimagine the ‘No Such Thing’ series for a minute, Shel. Come up with a redo right now of the 4 books.
SF: Honestly, Jul, if I had to do it all over, I’d do it the same. When you think of the police shows that swept the nation and left indelible marks on the format, think of NYPD Blue, or its predecessor, Hill Street Blues. They were the first to flesh out the characters in a way that felt real to the audience. They had personal lives and we were hooked as much on what happened to them at the end of the day as we were during their workday.
JD: Right. Way beyond what Adam-12 was in its day, and I really got into the character’s lives beyond the ‘street’. Remember that first episode of Hill Street Blues where Furillo and Joyce Davenport are fighting about a case, and you really believe they hate each other, then at the end they’re in bed together? You didn’t see it coming. Hill Street and NYPD were game-changers, and I use both shows as inspiration.
SF: I think we need to push the envelope, or else we'll get stale. If it's not interesting to us anymore, how could it be to anyone else? Mixing genres, while keeping the basic structure keeps things interesting. With my series, I hope that my characters are evolving. And with that comes new ways to present them. Multi-dimensional characters are what hooks the audience...at least I hope so.
JD: Me too, and it does. I believe that. I think, if done well, leeway can and will be granted more than we think. Look at what Jonathan Safran Foer did with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He combined styles like a great artist combines mediums, producing a layered, multi-dimensional effect that packs an emotional punch. Many editors don’t get it, and I have had to fight a few for ‘style’. I’m becoming more confident in that every day. You can write basic, dry prose, or you can create some texture, use voice for effect and take the reader on a journey. I think genre can be blurred with little fall-out to us—again, if done well. And, lord knows, we do it well. LOL! Love you, girl!
April Photo A Day Challenge - Day 4
Topic of the Day
is
"Someone Who Makes You Happy"
Donald Barley makes me happy. Especially when he's so agreeable about doing silly stuff like playing "dress-up" with Harley.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Those Over-Sexed Pines by Margaret Maron
Margaret Maron is the author of twenty-seven novels and two collections of short stories. Winner of several major American awards for mysteries (Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity), her works are on the reading lists of various courses in contemporary Southern literature and have been translated into 16 languages. She has served as president of Sisters in Crime, the American Crime Writers League, and Mystery Writers of America.
Her most recent novel, "Three-Day Town," is Margaret's 17th title to feature series character, Judge Deborah Knott, a district court judge in "Colleton County," North Carolina. Deborah is in her late 30s, the youngest child and only daughter of an elderly ex-bootlegger who also has 11 sons. As a district court judge, she ranges all over the state and her cases are set in such interesting places as Harkers Island down on the coast (Shooting at Loons), among the potters in central NC (Uncommon Clay), at the High Point furniture market (Killer Market), and in the Blue Ridge Mountains (High Country Fall).
Maron's first series was set against the New York art world with Lt. Sigrid Harald, NYPD as the main protagonist. "Three-Day Town" (which is up for an Agatha this year) takes Deborah to NYC where the two women meet for the first time.
Maron says, "The mystery novel is the peg upon which I hang my love and concerns for North Carolina as the state transitions from agriculture to high tech, from a largely rural countryside to one increasingly under assault by housing developments and chain stores" and her books have looked at problems of race, migrant labor, politics, and unstructured growth. 
by Margaret Maron
But – and it’s a huge BUT – every March or April depending on how early spring comes, I want to pack a suitcase and go to the beach or head for a big city with concrete canyons because our beautiful pine trees turn into pollen factories, wafting down tons of sticky yellow dust that gets on everything. For two long weeks, anything left outside is immediately covered, be it a car, a lawn chair, a cat or a small child.
I can’t work in my gazebo and if I open a window a mere crack on the leeward side of the house, every surface will need dusting ten minutes later. Even the gentlest breeze can turn a sunny day into a yellow fog.
When it rains, pollen washes off the roof into the buckets I set out to catch the water.
Nature is prodigal with her bounty, but this is ridiculous. See these male strobili?
Each one of those little male clusters put out thousands of pollen granules. Keep in mind that this is only part of one branch on one pine tree. Our house is surrounded by hundreds of these trees. Can you blame me for whining?
While researching one of my Judge Deborah Knott books, I came across a remark from a judge weary of dealing with cocky young male offenders. He said, “The amount of testosterone present in the average male is way more than what’s needed to keep the species going.”
I look at all these clouds of sticky yellow dust swirling through the air, every speck a tiny male pine sperm, and I am reminded of that exasperated judge. How much pollen does it take to perpetuate this particular species, for heaven’s sake?
Fortunately, we’ve had lots of rain this year and the weather has stayed fairly cool, so it hasn’t been as bad as in earlier years. Another day or two, one more spring shower and I’ll be able to go work in my gazebo again, grateful to live amid lilacs and azaleas . . . and yes, even the pines.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Photo Challenge - Day 28
Topic of the day
is
"Trash"
And this was me being trashy at a Halloween party many many moons ago.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Photo Challenge - Day 26
Topic of the day
is
"Key"
The toughest part of today's photo challenge was trying to decide "which" key. Since Donald is a locksmith who also happens to collect antique locks and keys, we had a lot to choose from!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Food Memories by Lesa Holstine
Food Memories
by
Lesa Holstine
As I write this, I'm about to start a memoir by Donia Bijan called Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen. And, I'm starting to see a pattern here. On my blog, Lesa's Book Critiques, I say I specialize in mysteries. However, in the last year alone, I've reviewed three "novels with food," as author Brian O'Reilly calls them, three food memoirs, and eight mysteries involving food. I've hosted quarterly brown bag luncheons in which I talk about books and the attendees bring their lunch. We do monthly brown bag luncheons and an annual potluck for the library staff, in which we bring our lunches and talk about books. Next week, I'm hosting a tea for Jacqueline Winspear to celebrate the release of her new book, Elegy for Eddie. And, I'm even attending a release party for Kevin Hearne's new book, Tricked, at an Irish pub where dinner will be served. Atticus, the Iron Druid, hangs out at a pub called Rula Bula in Tempe, Arizona. So, the release party for Tricked will be held at Rula Bula.
Do you find that food and books go hand-in-hand? I could say it's all about comfort food. But, I think it's not just comfort food. I think it's memory food. I think food brings back memories. And, sharing food, just like sharing good books, is a way of sharing memories. A couple of my favorite authors, Sarah Addison Allen and Barbara O'Neal, write magical realism novels that involve food. Their books, along with books I read in the last year, Angelina's Bachelors by Brian O'Reilly and The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry, involve loss and memory and food.
These books all evoke memories for me, even if I've never eaten the foods discussed in the stories. But, they take me home to my grandmother and my mother, to shared laughter with my sisters. Food, whether it's preparation or meals, gives us the opportunity to spend time with people we love. When I first went to my doctor after Jim died two years ago, I'd put on a few pounds. My doctor is younger than me, but very wise in some ways. He said he'd rather see that I had put on weight than lost it. He said people who lose weight after a death are often isolating themselves. Those who put on weight are spending time with people, eating with them, talking with them, moving on. (Maybe I've been spending TOO much time with people.)
I could probably write my own story about food and family. In fact, I've shared family recipes on Janet Rudolph's Dying for Chocolate and Mystery Lover's Kitchen. I could tell you about my grandmother's simple sloppy joe recipe. There's a certain way to eat the gumdrop bars my mother sends me every Christmas. I close my eyes when I take the first bite, to savor the smell and taste. Those gumdrop bars are the smell of Christmas for me. There's the frozen lemon pudding that has induced family rivalry over the years. I'm the oldest of three, and my sisters used to complain my mother only made frozen lemon pudding when I came home from college. Now, at holiday time, my youngest sister will still tease, guess what we had for dessert, and you weren't here. When I went home this last Christmas, one sister brought wine and her husband's quiche at the start of the visit, and my youngest sister brought springerles to bake at the house, a recipe she learned from her mother-in-law. Food is so connected with memories in my family that we even have a recipe known only as Funeral Rice because someone brought it to the house after my grandfather died.
 |
| Linda |
 |
| Christie |
There's something magical about food books, something that makes me nostalgic for those foods and people I love. The book might be Barbara O'Neal's The Secret of Everything or Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells. I don't read these books just because the recipes are enticing and they make me drool. Food brings us together, gives us a chance to share. And, the books take me back to the people I love, memories and times I want to share.
So, do you want to share? What food takes you home? What book evokes memories for you?
*****
Facebook - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
I love Facebook.
Most of the time.
But recently I experienced one of the most hurtful things I've experienced in a very long time.
There's a reason, made very obvious to me just this past week, to not discuss politics.
The problem comes when people who deeply believe different things stop "discussing" and stoop to personal insults. Or worse - invite their friends in to sling the personal insults, thinking, I guess, that this saves them from having to own their actions.
And then after leaving the conversation, the insults continue behind your back.
Try to lay some facts on the table and you get called condescending.
Beware of those you call friend.
They're the ones who will hurt you the most.
And here's another bit of pettiness which has been called to my attention having to do with Facebook.
For some reason people I know have brought to question the fact that I have so many Facebook friends who are published authors. Apparently not believing that any of these people could possibly be a "real" friend. Why would they want to be friends with me, for heaven's sake - I am, apparently, just nothing special and no one that anyone "famous" would ever waste their time on.
I'd love to post pictures here of me with the writers I do, in fact, know personally. But you know, I shouldn't have to defend who I am. There are lots of those pictures available all over the web of me with some of these people. Lots of them right here at my blog and links in the sidebar to conventions I've attended. Some of these writers I know very well, some I have only met briefly at the conventions I attend. Many I've known for a very long time - some since before they ever had their first book published. They are honest friendships that have grown over the years.
Friends. Wow.
No one can hurt you quite like a "friend.
And - the other recent hurt.
"She says she's written a book."
"Yeah, sure."
"HA!"
Nice conversation, huh?
"Friends" love to share these conversations they've had or overheard. For some reason they think (or so they say) that we "need" to know what other people are saying about us.
Friends. Wow.
No one can hurt you quite like a "friend."
Most of the time.
But recently I experienced one of the most hurtful things I've experienced in a very long time.
There's a reason, made very obvious to me just this past week, to not discuss politics.
The problem comes when people who deeply believe different things stop "discussing" and stoop to personal insults. Or worse - invite their friends in to sling the personal insults, thinking, I guess, that this saves them from having to own their actions.
And then after leaving the conversation, the insults continue behind your back.
Try to lay some facts on the table and you get called condescending.
Beware of those you call friend.
They're the ones who will hurt you the most.
And here's another bit of pettiness which has been called to my attention having to do with Facebook.
For some reason people I know have brought to question the fact that I have so many Facebook friends who are published authors. Apparently not believing that any of these people could possibly be a "real" friend. Why would they want to be friends with me, for heaven's sake - I am, apparently, just nothing special and no one that anyone "famous" would ever waste their time on.
I'd love to post pictures here of me with the writers I do, in fact, know personally. But you know, I shouldn't have to defend who I am. There are lots of those pictures available all over the web of me with some of these people. Lots of them right here at my blog and links in the sidebar to conventions I've attended. Some of these writers I know very well, some I have only met briefly at the conventions I attend. Many I've known for a very long time - some since before they ever had their first book published. They are honest friendships that have grown over the years.
Friends. Wow.
No one can hurt you quite like a "friend.
And - the other recent hurt.
"She says she's written a book."
"Yeah, sure."
"HA!"
Nice conversation, huh?
"Friends" love to share these conversations they've had or overheard. For some reason they think (or so they say) that we "need" to know what other people are saying about us.
Friends. Wow.
No one can hurt you quite like a "friend."
Photo Challenge - Day 24
Topic of the day
is
"An Animal"
This is Harley the day we brought him home in September, 2005.
Harley was born on July 4, 2005
Friday, March 23, 2012
Photo Challenge - Day 23
Topic of the day
is
"Moon"
This is a picture Donald took a couple weeks ago when the moon was full.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
ACK! Where did that woman run off to?!
I'm so tardy with this and I'm so sorry!!
Some of you have written to ask if I've stopped writing here at Meanderings and Muses. I have not. It would seem so, I know. I didn't intentionally decide to take a break - its just kinda happened. But it is a temporary lull, believe me.
I'm working on my novel, and in the meantime I'm also having fun with the photo challenges set up at the Fat Mum Slim blog. I hope you've been enjoying the pictures I've been posting.
If you enjoy photography, I encourage to play along. The prompts she's come up with for daily challenges can be quite - - - challenging. She has set next month's prompts and you can find them at her site.
And I had decided last year to not have quite as many guests, so really - we're just doing things a little bit differently.
But we still have loads of guests on the schedule, as you can see in the sidebar, so please don't give up on us.
Meanderings and Muses is still here and I will always have lots to say. As soon as I find the time to say it all! Some of it you might want to thank your lucky stars you're not hearing, actually. I'm going to try very hard to keep my politics off here between now and November. But, boy howdy, it's a very hard thing for me to do.
As far as how the novel is coming, well - it's done.
(squeeeeee!!)
But not really.
We're going through the first round of edits, which is making it a much better book.
Amazingly enough - even after having read it over and over and over, I'm still in love with it.
(insert one more very loud "squeeeee!" )
So, stay tuned for updates. And keep your fingers crossed for me, please.
There's still a lot of work to be done.
In the meantime, I'm trying to live by these rules. Well. Some of 'em. I'm not pulling many weeds.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)